Minutes later, in the bustling canteen of the orphanage, Reynald looked around nostalgically as he sat on a barely comfortable small plastic chair together at a long table with the Reverend Mother, the nun Amelia, and some other nuns who were casting him an odd gaze.
He had long since noticed the gazes of everyone in the building. Philitians are quite smaller in average, about 5'7 being their overall average height. So, for the 5-footer kids to personally gaze at a lean and muscular 6'5 man here is like David gazing at Goliath. He really couldn't blame them. After exceeding the 20s in his stats, he had evolved into a [High Human] which enhanced his physique, purified his body of impurities, and transformed his genes to accommodate the vast might that his stats offered. If not for that, he would've just been an average-height Philitian man. Instead, he was much more baffled that Mother Lily didn't even display any kind of emotion except for anger upon seeing him.
A moment later, a small girl wearing a cutesy white dress went up to him and greeted him, "Hi, Mister Big Giant! I am Elise! What's your name?"
Hearing how the girl called him, Reynald couldn't help but laugh. Ruffling her hair, he answered her, "Hi Elise! My name is Reynald. I am Mother Lily's best son."
Mother Lily casted a disgusted look when she heard him. Elise, on the other hand, tilted his head in confusion, "Eh? But Little Ben is Mother Lily's best son, though... She pouted.
Reynald's mouth gaped wide open while Mother Lily grinned with satisfaction as Elise shut him down. Reynald, looking at the Reverend Mother, gasped exaggeratedly and asked her, "Is it true, Mother? You have forsaken me?"
"Yes, I have forsaken you! You're hardheaded, and you always get yourself into trouble. At least my Little Ben's behaves and loves me so much that he doesn't want to leave me!" Mother Lily pompously straightened her back and jived at Reynald.
"Then where's that Little Ben?! We shall have a showdown!" Reynald scoffed and stood up, wanting to fight this Little Ben.
"Woof!" From outside, a swift golden retriever suddenly came rushing and pounced at him. Reynald, having sensed the retriever's rush even from outside, timely lowered himself, catching the retriever and lifting it up on his arms, inciting consecutive gasps and gaped mouths from the nuns, Elise, and the other kids.
The children's murmurs of wanting to be carried like the dog echoed from all around. As for Reynald, he was focused on this dog. "Are you Little Ben?" He asked the dog, to which it replied with a happy bark. "You're finished." Reynald joyously said with a high-pitched voice as he rubbed the dog's belly.
Mother Lily, looking at the happy Reynald, smiled affectionately. It has been too long since he last saw that smile of his. Not wanting it to stop, she informed him of Little Ben's identity; "He's the grandson of Biscuit."
Hearing that, Reynald's hands suddenly stopped what they were doing, and he looked at Mother Lily with tears welling up in his eyes. "R-Really?" Reynald asked with a brittle voice, and the Reverend Mother responded with a nod. Now having that knowledge, Reynald couldn't help but hug Little Ben even tighter.
Biscuit was Mother Lily's pet dog that she had when he was about ten years old. The two were so close that they were almost inseparable by even the young Reverend Mother. During his stay in the other world, Mother Lily told him of Biscuit's passing, and not being able to be there with him on his deathbed became one of Reynald's biggest regrets. He had to enclose himself for a week before he moved on from his death.
And now, as he held his favorite dog's grandson, he really couldn't help but be emotional. Even as Elise and some other kids who surrounded him were sent back to their seats, and when even the meals were finally served to them, Reynald refused to let go of Little Ben. It was only after Mother Lily's insistence to avoid fur going into the food did he reluctantly place Little Ben down, who ran outside as soon as he did. They first began to pray, while Reynald only closed his eyes. He had forgotten how the prayer goes. After that, they started digging in.
Looking down on the food in front of him— a cup of rice, chicken adobo, and two pieces of lumpiang shanghai on the side— Reynald scooped some and ate with relish and nostalgia. Although daily staples in Telhaven aren't that bad, as the continent's research and development remained solely in discovering new magic, warfare stratagems, food preservation, and developing rations, taste is the least of their worries. Coupled with religious oppression of odd research, spices and other such advance things couldn't truly be delved into.
It has been decades since he has tasted something this good. Because of recent events such as stabilizing the Empire and protecting the citizens, such things as delicious food hadn't been considered by him that much. Now, once all the ruckus passes by, he definitely needs to introduce the people of Asturas to flavor.
Amelia on the side bowed towards him and said, "I apologize for my behavior a while ago, Mr. Reynald. After being pestered by those people from the other building, I have recently been hostile to people in formal attire. I hope you can forgive me."
"Let bygones be bygones, Amelia." Instead of Reynald answering, the Reverend Mother answered for him before glancing at him, "If he dared not to forgive you, all those years that I have taught him would've been wasted."
Looking at her, who did not even give him a chance to talk, Reynald laughed awkwardly. "Mother Lily is right, Sister Amelia. You shouldn't dwell on such matters any longer. It's normal for you to have such a reaction after facing such annoying people. You've had it hard." He said to her. In response to this, Amelia breathed a sigh of relief before thanking him once more as he swallowed a spoonful of rice.