Chapter 391

Visiting the Orphanage in Juneb
Three days later, the official merchant of Juneb Viscountcy became the former official merchant, and it seemed he was driven out of town.
According to Alizée, since a hefty fine and additional taxes had been taken from him at the time, he wouldn’t be able to bounce back.
Apparently, he had only ever been a petty figure, even among Silver-rank merchants.

With that, we no longer had any reason to stay at Viscount Juneb’s estate, and it was decided that we’d leave for the next destination tomorrow.
But before that, I wanted to visit the orphanage and make introductions.
Let’s head there right away.
Viscount Juneb said he’d come along too.

The orphanage in Juneb was located at the edge of town in a poorly lit area.
The door was falling apart, and there were probably strong drafts coming through the gaps.
First things first, we’ll have to start by repairing the damaged areas.

“Alizée, could you survey the orphanage and identify the parts that need fixing, and then send out a notice to have them repaired?”

“Understood. I’ll take care of it.”

Alizée didn’t seem opposed.
We’ll probably be working with this orphanage for a long time, so I want to build a good relationship with them.

Once we arrived, I had Viscount Juneb explain the situation first.
It might not go over well if we suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
After all, we needed the territory’s representative to make the introductions.

“I understand the situation. So, where might this merchant be?”

“That would be the Elf over here. She may look young, but she’s more capable than I am.”

“Oh my! How terribly rude of me!”

“No, don’t worry about it. I’m really just a novice, so I don’t exactly look the part of an experienced merchant.”

Standing around chatting wasn’t ideal, so we were invited inside, and I asked them to tell us about the current state of the orphanage.
As it turns out, the management wasn’t sustainable at all.

“To start with, we don’t have enough food for the children. Their clothes are worn out, but we can’t afford replacements. The bedding is so old that many catch colds in winter.”

“I see. Then we’ll begin by supporting you with food. I can probably arrange some meat immediately. As for vegetables... they’ll have to be transported from Vardmoi, so please wait a little. We’ll also deliver new clothes and bedding at that time.”

Buying vegetables locally would be expensive.
It’s cheaper to transport them from Vardmoi.
Besides, we’ll need to deliver clothing and bedding as well, so combining everything into one shipment will cut transport costs.
Before winter sets in, we’ll send a bulk shipment of vegetables that keep well.
I’ll have the Kiblinki Saltas and the others hunt some Angar Chickens for the meat.
It’s a bit far, but I heard from Alizée that there’s a nesting ground nearby.
I asked them to do it yesterday, so the first shipment should arrive before this evening.
Angar Chickens have valuable feathers too, so the Saltas Company will take the feathers, and we’ll donate all the meat to the orphanage.
That should still turn a good profit.

“Um, why are you doing all this for us? The previous merchant only gave us just enough to scrape by...”

“Of course, I have a plan of my own. First, the children will learn reading, writing, arithmetic, and some basic self-defense. On top of that, they’ll also learn bookkeeping. Then I’ll hire them into my company and have them work at the branches I plan to establish in different regions.”

“Bookkeeping... Can they really manage something so advanced?”

“You won’t know until you try. Oh, and if there are children who want to become adventurers, I’ll support them separately. I’ll provide them with weapons and armor suitable for the black rank, and some startup funds.”

“That’s more than enough!”

After that, we spent some time observing the children before heading back.
Just as the caretaker said, the children were hungry, wearing ragged clothes, and sleeping on worn-out bedding.
They’re clearly in urgent need of help.
I’ll send a bird message to Vardmoi and ask them to send the first aid shipment before we leave.
I really want to complete all the support before winter comes.

What do you think about this chapter?