Chapter 55

"Good work, Craft."

"It's just what I had to do."

"You're still the same, aren't you, brother?"

Smiling, Kyle urged me to sit down. After a moment of hesitation, Mina climbed onto my lap, her cheeks still puffed out.

"What's the situation like?"

"It's going smoothly. Thanks to the hard work of the adventurers, there have been no intrusions into the town, and of course, no casualties."

"That's good to hear."

What I was most worried about was the deaths. Because death is the only thing that can't be cured right now. If they don't die, I'm confident I can treat them with healing potions, cure potions, or even petrification antidotes. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Are all the adventurers treated then?"

"Yes, everyone seems to be active or resting."

"None of the adventurers hate festivals, so they're probably all forcing themselves to stay awake right now."

"Maybe so."

Looking out the window with Kyle, we saw adventurers who were drunk and singing merrily, others who were stuffing themselves with food, and some who were snoring loudly. A few of them noticed us and waved. When I waved back, they started shouting Kyle's (and my) name. I wish they would stop with my name.

"Now, about the future, we'll collect all the cockatrice magic stones. We'll only collect the best materials from the bodies, and burn the rest. You'll make the alchemical burning drugs, right, brother?"

"Yeah, but we'll need a lot of firewood, and it could take days. With the burning drugs, we should be able to do it in a few days."

"Understood. As usual, please handle the necessary expenses through the production guild."

"Sure."

"Lastly, about Ed, Saika, Kai, and Wamika..."

I jumped at his words.

"Kyle! I have a favor to ask about this! I was the one who incited them! So all the punishment should be on me!"

"Hey! Calm down, Craft!"

"No! I fully understand the gravity of the sin of putting this town in danger. But I can't let the children take the blame!"

"Please wait! Calm down..."

Just as I was about to continue, the door opened, and the familiar blue-haired adventurer, Raidock, came in.

"Hey, calm down, Craft."

"Raidock?"

"Sir Kyle, the questioning of the children is complete."

"Thank you, Raidock."

"Children... Ed!?"

Following Raidock, the rambunctious quartet, led by Ed, entered the room hesitantly, lacking their usual energy. It seemed Raidock had been questioning them.

"Raidock! I have a lot to say, but first, hear me out!"

"First, you need to calm down, Craft. Now, listen to me."

Raidock waved me off and sat down.

"Craft has a lot of misunderstandings, so I'll start with the conclusion."

"Please, go ahead."

"The conclusion, including that of the guild master, is that the eggs the children took have no connection to the stampede."

It took a moment for those words to sink in.

"...What?"

In contrast, Kyle nodded in satisfaction.

"Of course."

"Yes, fundamentally, the children took the eggs a long time ago. It would be a stretch to connect them to the stampede."

"Is that... so?"

Come to think of it, I hadn't even confirmed when the children had obtained the eggs.

"Yeah. According to the story, they went to get the eggs a few days after hearing Craft's story."

Raidock nodded at me.

"From experience, when a parent's egg is taken, they do become more aggressive, but I've never heard of it causing a stampede. If it were that easy, humans would have been extinct long ago."

"That's true."

It's common knowledge among adventurers not to take eggs, but poachers still exist. If a stampede happened every time an egg was taken, it would be a disaster.

"The guild master's conclusion is that the cause of the stampede remains a mystery. However, the black plant we found might be related, so we'll investigate it."

"I'll help."

"I'm counting on you."

While Raidock and I were talking, Kyle turned his gaze to the children.

"Ed, is the date correct?"

"Yeah, yeah. After hearing Craft's story, I couldn't hold back..."

"I understand."

Kyle nodded slowly at the teary-eyed Ed.

"The guild master has the same conclusion. This is the official stance of the adventurer's guild. In fact, we should be the ones apologizing. We got carried away with training them and neglected to teach them important things."

"There was no town rule against taking eggs, either."

"Kyle, Raidock..."

So, both of you.

"Hey, Kyle, what happens to us?"

"That's a good question. Normally, there might be no punishment, but since you didn't follow Craft's warning, I think some form of accountability is necessary."

"Kyle!?"

I tried to stop Kyle, but he smiled and closed one eye, so I swallowed my words and remained silent.

"I'll ask the four of you to help clean the town before school for a while. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, yeah! We'll do it! Just don't kick us out of town!"

"Understood. Cleaning is important, but don't neglect your studies."

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Good job, Kai!"

"Yeah! I'll do anything as long as I don't bother Az!"

"Alright. Do your best."

"Yeah!"

That's great. Really great!

From now on, I need to teach them what's right and what's wrong.

"Craft, I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Could you participate in the school's classes as a teacher, even once a week?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yes. I want to change the private tutoring you've been doing with them to school classes."

"......I see. You might be right. It might have been too focused on a few individuals."

"Yes. The need to learn important things from a young age became clearer with this incident. Can you help?"

"Of course. I feel responsible for this whole mess."

"While it wasn't the direct cause this time, this is a frontier. It's possible that something similar could happen again. I appreciate your help."

"Understood. Leave it to me."

I think we can discuss what to teach with the teachers, but I'll try to teach the children as much as I can about life. I'm not exactly an adult, but it's my duty.

"Now, with the punishment decided, the next step is the reward."

I frowned at Kyle's words.

"What do you mean?"

"Thanks to the eggs you provided, we achieved the excellent result of zero casualties. It's only right to reward you for that."

"Ah, I see, that makes sense!"

"But... we..."

"Ed, listen to Kyle now."

"Okay, okay."

Kyle must have a good plan.

"The reward I've thought of for you is a name."

"A name?"

The quartet looked at each other, confused.

"Yes. I understand that you all only have first names and no last names."

"Yeah, we're orphans."

"So, I'd like to give you all a last name."

"Really!?"

"Would it be okay if you all became siblings?"

The four of them looked at each other, their eyes wide, and then broke into smiles.

"Really!? Kyle!"

"Yes. Is a name a good reward?"

"Yeah! Of course! What do you think, everyone!?"

"Yeah! It's fine! Being siblings with Ed is a bit weird, though."

"What's weird about it!"

"I'm happy! Please, I'd love to!"

"Yay, we're all siblings!"

"Alright then."

Kyle smiled at the excited quartet and took out four sheets of paper from a drawer.

"These are my approved family registration certificates. Just sign your names, and it will be official."

Kyle, you planned this from the start.

I couldn't help but smile.

With this, the impact on the children will likely diminish, but there might still be some lingering effects. By combining the punishment of cleaning with a non-monetary reward, he's trying to quickly calm the situation.

...Is Kyle actually a brilliant strategist?

"Um... Ed Kendall?"

"I'm Saika Kendall!"

"I'm Kai Kendall!"

"I'm Wamika Ken-dal!"

"If you don't like the last name, I can change it."

"No! I love it! Kendall! It's cool!"

"Yeah! Having a last name is like a dream for us beastmen!"

"Thank you so much, Kyle!"

"Hehe~"

He looks genuinely happy.

While many beastmen have last names, it would have been difficult for these orphans to obtain one.

"Then it's settled. By the way, since this is a good opportunity, let's amend the town's regulations to encourage all residents without last names to officially adopt one."

Raidock looked impressed.

"Wow. So if you become a resident of Golden Dawn, everyone will have a last name?"

"Yes, I think it will be necessary in the future."

"That's a good idea. There are many adventurers without last names, and it might increase the number of people who want to live here permanently."

Hearing that, a chill ran down my spine.

He's planning for a household registration system!

Just having first names can lead to many overlaps, but if everyone has a last name as well, the chances of overlap decrease. Having a last name used to be a privilege of nobles and wealthy merchants, but now the government encourages it. For residents with some education, it's normal to apply for a last name, but it's difficult for people from rural areas or those without basic knowledge. There's also a small fee.

For beastmen and demi-humans, the barrier is even higher.

To use this incident as an opportunity to give all residents last names is an incredible strategy.

If it were a middle name, the nobility might not be happy, but...

Wait, middle name?

I recalled Kyle's full name.

Kyle Gandal Bairood.

Middle name: Gandal.

And the last name he gave the children: Kendall...

I see, a clever touch.

Kyle winked at me again.

Kyle... you're terrifying!

Gandal... G●●dam!! (No, that's not it)