Chapter 6

I arrived at the port town of Woz in the northwest of the continent.

According to an old friend, Delphi is famous for being a good person.

I made my way to the largest building in town, the Delphi Orphanage.

When Frederica and the orphan Yui accompanied me, we were led to the director's office. After waiting for a while,

"Ah, Yui! I was so worried! Where have you been!"

The man who entered the room had a creepy grin on his face.

"I am Delphi, the director here."

"Act, the guild master of the Adventurers' Guild. I found this girl in the forest and brought her here."

I casually probed, but Delphi didn't change his expression at all.

"What a bother! This naughty girl must have run away from the orphanage again!"

Yui was trembling in fear.

"Come here, Yui?"

"Before that, I have something to negotiate with you."

"Negotiate? You mean the reward for finding and bringing this girl here? Of course! I'll pay you!"

I shook my head and took out a document from a magic bag.

"I want to negotiate the price for which you will buy this document, which is evidence of human trafficking."

"Human trafficking? What? I haven't done anything like that!"

"Fine, take a look at the document then."

Delphi took the document I threw at him and scanned it.

His face turned pale.

"How... how did you get this...? Did you steal it, Yui!"

She clung tightly to Frederica's body but shook her head firmly.

"Don't lie! You stole it, didn't you! Otherwise, there's no way you could have this document, which I kept in a secure safe in the director's office!"

"Yui is not involved. It's a fake I made."

"A fake!?"

I snatched the document from the flustered Delphi and thrust it at him.

"My appraisal eye is special. I saw the past recorded in the documents you kept in this room. I just copied the content while you were coming. The important documents are still in the safe."

"Master, as expected. To find evidence of wrongdoing and use it as a negotiation tool so quickly..."

I sat deeply into the sofa.

"Human trafficking without proper procedures is a serious crime. The content of the documents is in my head."

"Damn...! H-how much?"

He's willing to negotiate. If the human trafficking is exposed, he'll be arrested immediately.

"The rights to the land and buildings of this orphanage, and the custody of all the children. How about that?"

"F-funny! Such a ridiculous negotiation will never be accepted!"

"If I want to, you'll be arrested immediately. The terms I offered are cheap, right?"

"Damn...! You're a devil!"

"Exactly. What will you do?"

"Grr... Damn! Wait a moment!"

Director Delphi took out documents from a shelf and signed them over to Act Age.

"I have transferred the rights to the land, buildings, and the custody of the children."

"Will you keep quiet about the human trafficking?"

"Of course, I won't say anything."

The door to the room opened with a click.

"L-lord!?"

The lord of Woz, Woz, had arrived.

"Act... are you doing something bad again?"

He approached me with a wry smile.

"What's going on!?"

"Lord Woz is an old friend of mine. I have something to ask you."

Delphi's face drained of color.

"W-wait! You! That's a breach of contract!"

"Yes, I'll say it. ...Yui"

"Y-yes..."

Yui came to me, away from Frederica.

"Tell Lord Woz what this bastard did to your friend."

"D-don't say it! Yui! Don't say it!"

Delphi lunged at Yui.

"Frederica"

"Understood."

She moved like a gust of wind, swept his legs, and restrained the director.

"Yui! You! If you say anything, I'll kill you!"

I placed my hand on Yui's trembling shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'm here for you."

"Y-yes..."

Yui approached Lord Woz and said with all her might.

"Delphi sold my important friend to bad people! He's a bad person!"

Woz pondered for a moment.

"Understood. I'll arrange for the knights to take him away."

"What!? L-lord! You're going to believe what a mere child says!?"

"If it were just a child, I wouldn't. But this child was brought by Act. So, she must be a trustworthy person."

"Who... who is this man...?"

Lord Woz looked at me with a wry smile.

"He calls himself an extremely evil person, but he's a good person."

★

Later, in the guild master's room of the Adventurers' Guild "Heaven's Raw Stone."

Yui came to me.

"Master Act! It's been a while!"

The girl who used to look down with a dark expression now had a bright smile.

"How is the new orphanage?"

"It's great! The staff are all kind, there's plenty of food, and I can sleep in a clean bed! It's heaven!"

After that, Delphi was taken away by the knights. A search of his home, supervised by the lord, revealed evidence of his wrongdoing.

Delphi was arrested for illegal human trafficking. The rights to the land and buildings of the orphanage, and the custody of the children, were protected by me.

I sold the rights and used the money to buy back all the children who had been sold. Then, I built a new orphanage where the orphans could live, and Yui and the others now live there.

"Master Act, thank you so much for everything!"

"Don't worry about it. The mayor wanted to build an orphanage, so I just gave him a favor. It wasn't for you."

Yui opened her mouth in surprise.

"That's the kind of person Master is."

When Frederica whispered this, Yui nodded in understanding.

"Go home when you're done. Go play with your friends."

"Actually, I have a request!"

Yui straightened her back and bowed deeply.

"Please make me your disciple!"

She said with a serious expression.

"I want to become as strong as you. I don't want to be weak and cry like I used to."

"I understand. Then, I'll take you on."

"I know you might think a girl like me can't do anything! But I'll work hard... Wait, what?"

Yui's eyes widened.

"W-what did you say just now?"

"I said I'll allow you to become my disciple."

I told the confused Yui.

"You want to be my disciple, right? Then, I'll train you to be the next guild master. Are you dissatisfied?"

"N-no...! Please, I beg you!"

I stood up, approached Yui, and patted her head.

"You're still a child. You should enjoy a carefree life at the orphanage. It's too early for you to step into this world."

"But... I want to become as strong as you as soon as possible. The best guild master!"

Seeing her determined gaze, I was convinced.

"You can do it. Be a better guild master than me."

"No! I want to be a corrupt guild master like you!"

"You're a strange one, aren't you?"

Then, Yui and Frederica laughed and said together.

"Not as much as you!"

[To the Readers]

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