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The Paper User: Exiled for a ‘Trash Skill,’ Awakens True Power and Rises with Two Unique Skills - Chapter 2

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Chapter 2 : The Orphanage

The next day, I made my way to the orphanage in the northern district of Tansa.

It was an old building, but the yard was wide and even had a small vegetable patch.

As I stepped through the gate and onto the garden path, I saw Lilith standing by the front door—my childhood friend.

Lilith was the same age as me, sixteen. We’d both been abandoned in front of the orphanage on the same day, or so I’d heard. Her hair was a soft, pale gold, and she wore a patchwork cream-colored dress that had clearly seen better days.

“Ah! Yakumo-kun!”

Her blue eyes sparkled as she ran over to me.

“Taking a break from adventurer work today?”

“...Y-yeah.”

I replied vaguely.

“Hmm?”

Lilith leaned in closer.

“...Hey, Yakumo-kun. Did something happen?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You seem a little... down. Not your usual self.”

“Ah... that might be because I hit my head fighting a goblin.”

I reached up and touched the swollen bump on my head.

“But it only bled a little, and see? I’m fine now.”

“Well, if you say so...”

“More importantly, is Director Flora around?”

“Yeah, I think she’s in her office.”

“Thanks. I’ll go say hi.”

I parted from Lilith and headed for the director’s office.

She’s as sharp as ever. If she found out I got kicked out of the Holy Sword Order, she'd definitely worry. Gotta keep that under wraps.

I opened the wooden door and stepped inside.

There sat Director Flora.

A nun in her seventies, with white hair tied back in a neat bun. She wore a simple white robe, and her back had started to curve with age. To someone like me, who never knew his parents, she was the closest thing to a mother.

“Oh, Yakumo-kun.”

Her wrinkled eyes softened with a warm smile.

“Did you come to visit the children?”

“Yes. And to see you too, Director Flora.”

I reached into the magical pouch on my belt and pulled out two large silver coins, handing them to her.

“Please use this for the orphanage.”

“...Thank you.”

She bowed her head.

“Are you sure, though? You made a donation not long ago too.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been working steadily as an adventurer, so this much isn’t a problem.”

I gave her a somewhat awkward smile.

“This orphanage is like home to me, after all.”

“...Yes, it is.”

Her eyes softened even more.

“Still, I’m amazed at how far you’ve come. You’re only sixteen, and yet you became an adventurer and even joined the famous Holy Sword Order.”

“Y-yeah...”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.

“The kids all say you’ll be an S-rank adventurer someday.”

“Ehh?! No way, that’s impossible!”

I shook my head frantically.

“S-rank adventurers are all geniuses in battle. There aren’t even thirty of them in the whole Leste Kingdom.”

“I know, I know. The kids just say that because they adore you. It’s like a dream to them.”

“Yeah... I guess so.”

Adventurer ranks go from the lowest, F, then E, D, C, B, A, and finally S.
A-rank and S-rank adventurers are said to be capable of slaying even massive dragons.
Especially S-rank adventurers—they’re legends, the very ideal that so many others aim for.

But in truth, almost no one makes it to A-rank or higher.
Those ranks are reserved for people with extraordinary combat talent or Skills.

“But... if you hadn’t fallen ill as a child, maybe you really could’ve become S-rank. After all, you once had two Unique Skills.”

“Right... I got a high fever when I was four, didn’t I? And one of my Skills disappeared because of it?”

She nodded.

“Yes. You had a terrible fever for over five days. You kept crying about how badly your head hurt. And when you finally got better, the Skill 【Mana Overflow】 was gone.”

“I didn’t know that could even happen...”

“Neither did I. I’ve never heard of anything like it. But there’s no doubt you had that Skill before the fever. We confirmed it multiple times with the appraisal device.”

“Wow... so I really had it, huh?”

“The other sisters were shocked too. They said they’d never heard of a human with two Unique Skills.”

She gave me a long, thoughtful look.

“Maybe you’re...”

“Hmm? What?”

“...No, it’s nothing.”

She shook her head and gave me a small smile.

“Still, I’m glad you didn’t lose 【Paper Manipulation】 too.”

“Yeah, I guess... But if I had to choose, I wish I’d kept 【Mana Overflow】 instead.”

I let out a deep sigh.

【Mana Overflow】 was a Unique Skill that dramatically amplified one’s base mana.
It was once possessed by a great mage more than a hundred years ago—a legendary figure.
If I’d kept that Skill, I could’ve created a thousand times more paper than I can now.

If I still had 【Mana Overflow】, maybe I wouldn’t have been exiled.
I’d finally developed a special kind of paper, and I would’ve been able to use it to its full potential.

As I stood there in silence, Flora gently rested a hand on my shoulder.

“You’ll be fine. Even without a powerful Skill, you’ll become a strong and admirable adventurer—I truly believe that.”

Hearing those words made my chest tighten with emotion.

When I stepped outside, a few of the children came running toward me.

“Yakumo-nii-chan!”

Four-year-old Manya grabbed onto my pants with her tiny hands.

“Play with us! Play with us!”

“Haha, okay. What do you want to play?”

“Um... um... something fun!”

She said in her adorable little voice.

“Something fun, huh...”

I scratched my head and looked around at the kids with their sparkling eyes.

Tag wouldn’t work—Manya’s too small for that. And we played hide-and-seek last time.

“...Alright! Then how about we play ‘Chase the Bird’?”

“Huh? But there aren’t any birds.”

Manya pointed up at the blue sky.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make one.”

I folded a piece of paper in my palm and materialized a paper bird.
It floated gently into the air, wings fluttering.

The kids’ eyes went wide.

Guided by my will, the paper bird flew in lazy loops overhead.

“Woooow!”

The children immediately took off running, chasing after it.

They looked happy—but thin. And their clothes were so faded.

I need to earn more money... so I can donate more.

As I controlled the paper bird, I pressed my lips into a determined line.


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