After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World novel Chapter 32

Aberdeen City, 15 years prior

In the midst of the greenery of a single-detached villa, a small gazebo sheltered two children training, creating a cute and picturesque scenery that adults would love to watch.

"You can’t move, Althea." A handsome young teen gently patted the young girl’s head. The teen had very striking features, and anyone with eyes would be able to tell he’d grow up to be an extremely dashing man.

Similarly, the little girl he was talking to was very cute. She had springy dark-brown hair tied in two adorable pigtails combed to the side of her head. She had sparkling green eyes that seemed to reflect all that it saw.

At this time, these emerald eyes were sparkling with both innocence and defiance. .

"But Garannnn, it’s so boooring!" She said, staring up at the older boy. The young girl was doing (or attempting to) do a stable horse stance, and she hated every minute of it.

The boy’s deep cerulean eyes looked down at the ten-year-old girl, who was looking at him and was pouting cutely, her chubby cheeks flushed from sweat.

It was melting the teenager’s heart.

"Ansel is so lucky to have an appointment." She mumbled, crossing her small arms.

Gatan sighed, how could he say it was an appointment with a psychologist, specializing in potential PTSD victims?

He leaned down and gently patted her head, wiping her cheeks with a clean handkerchief.

"I can’t be by your side all the time." He said, "You have to be able to protect yourself."

Garan, although he was just a junior recruit, had seen how demanding the occupation of a soldier was.

But it was his best bet for strength, and thought a little sacrifice of bonding time would be worth it in the future.

…right?

Little Althea’s cute eyebrows furrowed, looking at him in incomprehension. "Why?"

"So we can grow up well and go on more adventures." He told her, knowing of Althea’s love for exploring. "You know there’s a height limit for doing certain things right?"

"No, I mean, why can’t we be together forever?"

Garan stared at the little girl, innocent and pure, and he couldn’t help but laugh.

The young lad embraced the little girl. "We will, of course. It’s just that we have to grow up first."

She wrapped her arms around him. "Really? Then I want to grow up well!"

Garan’s ocean eyes warmed as he looked at the little girl. "My Althea will definitely grow up well." He said with a certainty.

As they grew older, the days before they entered the orphanage became more and more blurred.

Now, all he could remember was carrying the baby Althea and holding her tightly, running away from…something.

Whether it was the dangers in this world or something else, Garan always had the firm and sometimes inexplicable determination to become stronger.

"Of course, it would help you stop eating strange plants." He couldn’t help but add.

The girl’s obsession with plants was extremely disconcerting. The number of times he got in trouble in his part-time jobs as a kid after abandoning work to run to the hospital couldn’t be counted in two hands anymore.

Little Althea pursed her lips, doubting if she could keep this promise.

How could Garan, who basically watched her grow from an infant, not know what she was thinking?