Chapter 91

This is a work of fiction.

The characters, organizations, and names are all fictional and have no connection to any real entities.

■■■■■■■■■■

086 - Lili and Sodon

■■■■■■■■■■

When I returned to the mansion, I immediately told Gandarban and the others about the children.

"Let the master do as he pleases. Fortunately, we have plenty of funds."

Gandarban said this with a dissatisfied look on his face.

What a tsundere!

There's no demand for a tsundere big bear man!

I'll mentally point that out.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll all go out. We'll split into two groups."

"Feeding the children isn't the only thing, right? What else do we need to do besides taking care of the children?"

Gandarban pressed the issue. He must like children, right? I can tell, even with that stern face.

"I'm thinking of setting up a base in the capital. Jojok, take Colon and Karon to find a property at the Golteo Trading Company. Something within 100 million grils, preferably with a large garden."

I haven't been to the store since receiving a greeting from Ms. Charnini of the Golteo Trading Company. So, I thought I'd spend some money here.

"Understood."

We earned 700 million grils on the 8th floor, so spending 100 million grils won't cause a shortage. A baron's annual salary is 12 million grils, so I'm making much more than being a noble.

"Are you going to vacate the duke's mansion?"

"Not immediately, but we can't do as we please in the duke's mansion."

"I don't know what you're going to do, but please be reasonable."

"What are you talking about? I'm a modest person."

"………"

Why are you all looking at me like that!?

"Ah, I'll go with Jojok. I used to aspire to be an architect, you know."

"I didn't know Yamato wanted to be an architect."

"Well, I didn't have any friends, so I never told anyone."

It's not something to be proud of.

Well, I'm not much different.

"I'll go with Toi. I can't leave the children alone."

"Sure, but you can't save all the children. I think most of the time, things won't go as you hope, so be prepared for that."

"Okay."

There must be quite a few children like that in the capital alone. I can't save them all. There's only so much one person can do.

In the morning, we set out for the town.

The street stalls were already bustling, and I asked Burs to do some shopping.

When we entered a secluded back alley, we were taken aback.

"There are even more today..."

There seemed to be about 60, twice as many as yesterday.

Moreover, the children without bags were hugging the garbage, not minding getting dirty. They were already dirty, though...

"I'll leave the children with bags to Annelise and Itsukushima. I'll take care of the others. Rosalina, please give food to the children I've finished with. Gandarban and the others, please line up the children."

Everyone took on their tasks. The children followed the instructions and lined up without fighting.

I asked Lili to wait for Annelise.

I brought out a large wooden box and had the children put the garbage in it. I can fit 4 or 5 children in this wooden box, which won't take up much space in the item box.

I asked the children's names, did a detailed appraisal, and gave them food.

"Phew, finally done."

It wasn't heavy work, but it took some time to confirm the results of the detailed appraisal.

"Hey, Lili. Did you get some food?"

"Yes, it was delicious."

"That's good."

There was one more person waiting besides Lili.

"You're Sodon, right?"

"Yeah."

Sodon is a wombat beastman, a small 12-year-old boy. His dirty round face is endearing. I didn't expect to find wombats in this world. Sodon also has a job he can change to.

Sodon is 12 years old but looks like he's only 9, just like Lili.

It's probably due to malnutrition and poor physical development.

What, I'm small too? I can't hear you. This body was prepared by that god (provisional name) on a whim, so it's not my fault.

"Are you full?"

"Ora... still not enough."

"I see. Not enough, huh?"

I offered a skewer of meat to the two of them. Their hands reached out, but I pulled the skewer back. It might seem mean, but it's part of the act.

"Ah..."

The two looked at me and the skewer of meat with sad eyes.

"If you become my vassal, you won't go hungry."

I feel like I'm doing a despicable thing by showing food to a hungry child and asking them to become a vassal.

"I'm a noble. If you become my vassal, you won't go hungry, and you'll receive a salary."

The two looked at each other, unsure what to do.

"The master is very kind. It's okay."

Rosalina smiled kindly.

"That's right. Our Toi-sama won't make you do anything you don't want to. You can serve him with peace of mind."

If you're looked at and whispered to with Annalise's compassionate eyes, you'd probably say "Yes" to anything.

"What's a vassal?"

Sodon doesn't seem to understand what a vassal is.

"A vassal is someone who works under me, in simple terms."

"Will you hire Ora?"

"That's right."

"What will Ora do? Weeding? Picking up trash?"

"First, you'll study. Since you'll be my vassal, you need to be able to read and write and do simple math. Also, take a bath and clean yourself up. Wear clean clothes."

"Can Ora wear clean clothes?"

"Yes. If you work diligently, you can wear clean clothes, eat delicious food, and sleep in a warm bed."

"Can Ora sleep in a bed? Will it be warm?"

"Yes, a fluffy bed, and it's warm."

"Ora will become a vassal."

"Good, Sodon is now my vassal. Listen to the big man over there and work diligently."

Since Sodon is a boy, I'll leave him with Gandarban for a while.

I gave Sodon the skewer of meat and turned to Lili.

"What about you, Lili?"

"I... I have a mother..."

The detailed appraisal told me that Lili has a mother.

"It's okay. Your mother can come too."

"Really? Can my mother come too?"

"If Lili becomes my vassal like Sodon, I'll take care of your mother. She's sick, right? I can't guarantee she'll be cured, but I'll treat her."

"! Why do you know my mother is sick...?"

"I have various eyes. I know your mother is sick."

This would probably scare most people.

Let's see how Lili reacts.

"Will you really treat my mother?"

She doesn't ask about my eyes at all.

"I promise to treat her, but I can't guarantee she'll be cured."

"That's fine. I'll become Toi-sama's vassal, so please treat my mother."

Good, Lili is also provisionally contracted.

"Let's go to your mother's place, Lili!"

"Okay!"

We all headed to Lili's mother's place.

Entering the slum, no one bothered us. Probably because we had armed guards like Gandarban and Rin. Especially Gandarban's appearance is perfect for intimidating others.

Lili's home was a shabby shack with no windows.

We entered the shack, which was only separated by a rag at the entrance. I thought it would be dark inside, but light came through the gaps in the boards, so it was somewhat visible.

Lili's mother was lying on the boards, covered with rags.

"Who are you...?"

Her voice was weak.

"Mother, I'm going to work for this Toi-sama. Toi-sama will treat you."

"Lili, you..."

I'm not selling my body, so please don't sound so tragic.

"Excuse me."

Detailed appraisal, it's your turn to work!

...Good, this is manageable. It's not good, but I can alleviate the symptoms.

--- Healing.

The mother's body glowed faintly.

--- Detailed appraisal.

She's not cured, but the symptoms are alleviated.

My skill, Healing, is at a low level, so it doesn't have a significant effect.

The mother's symptoms are malnutrition, a cold, asthma, and pneumonia. They are quite severe.

Malnutrition can be treated with a nutritious diet and continued treatment, and the cold is cured by the current Healing.

The problem is asthma and pneumonia. This Healing only alleviates the symptoms; it can't cure them. Pneumonia might be cured with continued treatment, but the issue is asthma. I can't cure asthma.

I think I could cure asthma if my Healing skill level were higher, but it's too much trouble to raise it. The job of a Holy Pardoner is just something I can change to, in my opinion.

"My body... feels better."

"Toi-sama, what about my mother?"

"My skill can only alleviate the symptoms, but I can cure her."

"Really!? Thank you!"

Lili's eyes welled up with tears, and she bowed repeatedly.

She's not fully cured yet.

"We can't treat her properly here. Let's take her to the mansion."

"But me...?"

The mother tried to refuse, but I instructed Gandarban to put her in the carriage.

"Lili, if there's anything you want to take, collect it. We won't be coming back here."

"We don't have anything, so it's okay."

"...I see."

Lili sat next to her mother and supported her.

Let's go. As I thought, three men appeared.

"Where are you taking Rola and Lili?"

Rola is the mother's name.

"It's none of your business. Step aside."

Gandarban emitted an aura of intimidation.

"Ugh..."

The men stepped back but pressed on against Gandarban.

"I lent money to Rola. It would be a problem if she did something without permission, sir."

Debt collectors. I stepped in front of the three men, putting Gandarban behind me.

"How much is the debt?"

"10 million grils, miss."

Who are you calling "miss"? I'll punch you, you bastard.

"We didn't borrow that much. My mother borrowed 10,000 grils."

Lili spoke with a pained voice.

"Is that so?"

"Of course, interest is added to loans, miss."

You called me "miss" again, you bastard.

"But 10,000 grils turning into 10 million grils is quite a high interest rate."

I understand that interest is added, but it's too high.

"Hehehe. That's just business."

I emitted an