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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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“I left you guys behind for no particular reason. Since it’ll be the same even if you leave here and go somewhere else, I’m just giving you a chance.”
Even if they couldn’t return home, if they left Ogwen, they would just become vagrants or delinquents in another city. Rather, Ogwen, which was overflowing with jobs and experiencing a boom, could be considered a better environment.
I didn’t simply hole up at home and only train and study for the past 3 years.
The period of 3 years that I deliberately used up, even cutting into my rest time, was by no means a short time. When avoiding training to the extent that it hinders growth, there’s bound to be some time left over even after doing this and that.
If you hate studying, can’t concentrate, or can’t understand, even that disappears, but there was no such thing since a mental age of over thirty met an unripe brain that had set a direction.
As if proving that education at a young age is important, learning was extremely easy.
I spent the inevitably leftover time understanding the city. To the extent that not only the guards but also some merchants remembered my face.
`
If you searched a little, there were plenty of jobs that could be done even without learning. It’s just that they didn’t really trust outsiders and kept it hush-hush.
“If you look for jobs that pay 4 copper coins as a minimum daily wage, there are as many as your headcount.
With 4 copper coins, you can still sleep in a livable accommodation and have two meals a day. If you occasionally have extra income, you can wash up cleanly at the bathhouse, and once you get used to it, you can increase your work and earn more money.
Then, you’ll gain trust, your wages will rise, and you’ll have some leeway.”
Even if the remaining guys had an average age of 14, they were kids who spent most of their lives doing household chores or helping out in the village.
Since there was no compulsory education, even the concept of day labor or economic activity was often half-baked for them, so they ended up running away and becoming good-for-nothing vagrants and delinquents.
They must have been at an age where they wanted to do only what they wanted to do.
“I’m not forcing you. If you don’t want to, you can just remember the name Eldmia Egga and run away from here.
Of course, if you catch my eye again, your legs will be broken. But if you stay, I won’t give you money directly, but I will give you a job where you won’t be ripped off. Decide.”
Ogwen wasn’t a land of opportunity only for delinquents. With a large influx of outsiders and rapid development, if you work diligently at a young age, you can quickly establish yourself as a member of the city.
It certainly won’t be easy, but even if they run away right now, the future they’ll get is at best a prostitute for the girls and a delinquent for the boys.
If they were the kind of people who would write a more heroic epic, they would have already been writing it and wouldn’t have met me.
After saying that and standing still for a while, no one moved. Maybe they really were kids who had nowhere to go, but they seemed to have some sense.
“Follow me.”
When I searched the dead leader’s body, I found 20 copper coins. For a moment, the image of the crumpled practice longsword flashed through my mind, and my expression crumpled, but with the information provided by the remaining guys, I was able to find the hidden money.
When I opened the box that was used as a chair, there was a small pouch containing 4 silver coins and 40 copper coins, and I could smile brightly.
It was far from enough as compensation for the insult to Asirye, but it wasn’t bad for extra income.
I kept the 4 silver coins, and the rest was intended to be used for these guys. Leaving the corpse and the warehouse behind, we crawled out of the alley and headed to a clothing store in the market.
It was an extremely cheap second hand clothing store that sold clothes that were no longer worn in ordinary households after they had been mended.
“Uncle Tex! Long time no see!”
When I was doing various odd jobs to check the prices, I was on familiar terms with the owner while delivering clothes sold cheaply by households.
“Oh? Isn’t it Eldmia? You seem to grow every time I see you.”
“I’m at the age to grow rapidly. It’s not something extroadinary, but I’m trying to buy some clothes that are better than the rags these kids are wearing now. Do you have anything that fits?”
When I pointed to the ragged kids who followed behind me in a line, Uncle Tex began to furrow his brow, making his already thick chin triple.
“I do have some… but aren’t they street urchins? What are you going to use them for?”
“Yeah, they’re street urchins. They looked so pitiful, so I’m going to give them some work.”
“You’re really a strange one too. Skirts for the girls? Dresses?”
“Pants, since they have to run around sweating.”
“Haha. Okay. Wait a bit.”
As expected of Tex, who had been doing this job for a long time, he rummaged through the stall and boxes, and in an instant, he pulled out five sets of clothes.
It was truly a skill to find matching ones like that, even though some were handmade by households.
The value of a top, bottom, and shoes for one person was 6 copper coins. Even though he carefully picked out good clothes, I lost the bargaining power for the quality, so I had to rack my brain desperately.
“Uncle, uncle.”
“Ah, what is it, you brat? You know it’s cheap because you’ve worked too.”
“Eh, I’m saying this because I know that. Listen a bit. I’m going to look after these kids for a while and have them do odd jobs anyway, right?”
“So?”
“But right now, they have no money, so I have to buy them clothes, wash them, and have them stay at Auntie Alisha’s inn starting tomorrow to have them work, so even the food expenses are barely enough.”
“Alisha’s place? Well, it’s the best for that price. But that’s not a reason for me to do charity work, is it?”
“I know, I know. But what kind of work can these kids do? They’re all pretty much the same, right? No matter how careful they are, clothes get dirty quickly, but for now, they have to make do with just this one set.
Of course, they’ll alternate with what they’re wearing now, but no matter how much they wash it, how can they go to work wearing that? Of course not. But their average age is fourteen. They still have a few more years to grow rapidly.”
“Hahaha. So, whenever that happens, the kids will eventually become my customers, so you want me to make it a bit cheaper this time?”
I spread my arms towards Tex, who was leaning on the counter and smiling, and spoke grandly as if acting. Once this uncle laughs like that, he’ll give a discount.
“That’s it! An investment for the future! The virtue of a merchant! Kids’ clothes don’t sell well anyway. Moreover, who am I? Aren’t I Eldmia Egga?
I’m not asking for much. If you just cut one copper coin each, I’ll neatly spread the rumor to the aunties raising kids that Uncle, who pitied the increasing number of street urchins in the village, gave great help in getting them settled to find proper jobs.
You can sense what it is right away, right?”
The kids alone were not enough. Because in the end, if the kids disappear in the middle, whether they die or leave the city, the investment and everything else becomes meaningless.
However, the story changes if you can spread a positive image with 5 copper coins. Tex’s clothing store starts with clothes that villagers sell cheaply.
Moreover, if the kids who used to be street urchins really work diligently and settle down, they will have no choice but to buy clothes here for a while due to the kindness and cheap taste they received at first, so they can see a definite effect.
It’s a transaction where you at least don’t lose money.
“My goodness, this young brat is full of himself. Are you trying to start an agency or something? How long are you going to look after them?”
“I’ve always said. I’m going to head out into the world when I turn 16. I can look after them for about 5 years, but honestly, if I look after them for 1 year, they’ll have to find their own way, right?”
“What? You’re still only 11 years old?”
“Reliable and smart, but still 11 years old. The warranty period is no joke, right?”
“I’m at a loss for words. Just give me 23 copper coins.”
“I don’t know how to express my gratitude! This is why I like you, Uncle. Did you see? Uncle Tex cut an additional 2 copper coins that are hard to come by for your sake.”
“Th-thank you!”
“Thank you!”
Fortunately, they weren’t completely lacking in manners, and the sight of the five of them bowing almost simultaneously without even being told to was quite impressive.
“My goodness. What is this war, really?”
Even while receiving the copper coins I handed over, Tex clicked his tongue with a pitiful expression looking at the kids. He was also a father with three children and, in my eyes, a man overflowing with paternal love.
Although I didn’t bother to point out the fact that only one of those kids was actually affected by the real war.
“But thanks to people like you, Uncle, there’s an estimate to save their lives. Seeing that, isn’t the world still livable?”
“You’re really better than my son if we only consider the way you talk. You just… No. I was about to talk nonsense because I’m getting old. Never mind.”
He probably wanted to say something like “Just live in the village” or jokingly “Be my son”. However, the family situation of Eldmia Egga, the sole survivor, was a story that every villager knew. He must have thought it wasn’t a topic to be brought up even as a joke.
I smiled, grateful for that consideration.
After taking the clothes we picked out and soaking them in the bathhouse, it was already 4 pm when we came out.
Since it would take those dirty guys at least an hour to wash properly anyway, I went straight to the destination, the inn, and sweet-talked the owner, Alisha.
“Sis! I’m here!”
“Who are you calling sis, you rude brat!”
As I deliberately opened the door energetically and entered the first floor, Alisha, who was cooking alone in the place where the kitchen and hall were integrated, shouted with her eyes wide open.
The fifty-something-year-old foul-mouthed auntie seemed to be furious, waving the kitchen knife she was holding.
“Asirye is also called sis, so Alisha sis is fine. Right?”
“You’re fucking crazy. A young brat is already thinking about chasing women, the world is going to hell.”
“Do you have a room?”
“Stop talking nonsense and go home. Asirye doesn’t beat you, so you’re like this. Already staying out overnight.”
That’s right. She was a consistently foul-mouthed auntie no matter where you put her. However, no matter how loud her voice became and how many swear words were included, there was deep consideration at the core.
That consideration was evident in everything from the building to the food, providing the best facilities and meals among the 2-copper-coin inns in the village.
“No. Not for me, but for five street urchins. They’re washing up now to start working tomorrow.”
“…Damn it. I have just enough rooms left because someone left today, so bring them or not. What about meals?”
“They’ll have to eat here. Ah, I’ll go home and eat.”
“I’m already busy as hell, and you’re making me even busier, you bastard!”
Even so, her hands were busy preparing additional ingredients. When I brought the kids who had finished washing, after only paying the inn fee in advance, she had already finished setting the table and was waiting.
The kids were drooling with their eyes rolling back at the hearty ingredients that definitely couldn’t be called a 1-copper-coin stew, and I declared sternly.
“This is Ms. Alisha, the owner and chef of the inn where you will be staying from now on. If you have something called a head, you will be able to easily feel the overflowing benevolence between Ms. Alisha’s lofty voice and swearing, so always be grateful and stay.”
“Stop talking nonsense and eat quickly! The food is getting cold!”
There was a small amount of meat in the piping hot stew, evenly distributed across the five bowls, which would have been impossible to find traces of if it had been boiled together.
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Good 👍😊
But why did he kill the leader