I had money deposited on the guild card, but I felt like I had to make more, so I checked the guild’s request bulletin board today as well.
“Since we completed the forest floor’s collection request, there’s no request for that area. What do we do?”
"I want some ingredients nodesu. That, or I want to relax for a while nodesu."
“Yeah. Let’s defeat some monsters in the forest area that drop ingredients and collect some herbs in the lower flat plains area”
Then, as we were walking toward the entrance to the dungeon near the guild, I heard a voice I had heard recently.
“Naa, take me to the dungeon!”
“How stubborn! Someone like you would just be a hindrance!”
“Even if I look like this, I’m an F-rank! So that’s why—ouch!”
The boy who begged a pair of adventurers to join their party fell onto his backside with an annoyed shake of the arm.
He felt guilty about using violence against a little child, but even so, the child was getting in the way of entering the dungeon and so he entered the dungeon with a frustrated click of the tongue.
“Uuu, ouch, ouch……”
“You, are you okay?”
“You are, the adventurer Nee-chan from yesterday.”
He got up with a few tears in his eyes, maybe because he had hurt his hand when he fell backwards and scraped it.
“Hora, take your hands out.”
“Haa, w-what is it?”
“Don’t worry about it——[Water] [Heal]”
Using water magic to clean the palm of his hand and recovery magic to heal it, the wound became clean and closed in no time. “This is…the same as Father.”
“You might think I’m like an extra for Teto, but I’m still a C-rank”
“Majo-sama is amazing desuyo! With a ‘DON DON’ she can drop thunder nodesu!”
Teto tried to spread my awesomeness by saying that, but the boy was confused by Teto's explanation of sound effects.
“To begin with, tell me what happened”
“......You, what can you do?”
“I’ll help you if I can. Well, I don’t have any intention of putting a child into danger”
With that said, he sulkily turned his gaze away, but still took brief looks at us.
“Can you believe in us?”
So, I went to a nearby food cart and bought some skewers and juice, and then sat down at a table set up for adventurers outside.
"My name is Dan, and I live in an orphanage. It looks like our orphanage is getting difficult to run as we don't have enough money to operate it. The lord occasionally gives money, but it's not enough."
"How old are the kids and how many are there?"
"Right now, my brother and sister, who are both 16 years old, are helping the priest and the apprentice sister. My other brothers, who are 15 years old, have moved out because they've become independent. There are 10 from 12 to 14 years old, 9 aged to 11 years old, and 23 who are even younger. (T/N: The apprentice sister refers to a religious sister. The other ones are all sibling relationships. Was considering leaving as Onii-chan and Nee-chan but those are real clunky in this paragraph in particular)
Since many of the adventurers' parents have died, or to protect them from cruel relatives, or because their parents left them…
Some kids could find foster parents who would take them in, but that kind of case is rare.
"So tell me why you wanted money? And why did you try to enter the dungeon?”
"I want to make my life better and be happy with Father. I also want the kids to have a better life. I thought it would be easy to make money because if I went into the dungeon and killed monsters, my level would go up and I'd be stronger than I am now.”
I let out a sigh at that childishly risky idea.
What has been hidden is probably something left behind by a senior adventurer who graduated from the orphanage, a collection knife. To challenge the dungeon with only that much preparation, it was like intentionally going to be killed. Since such children were endless, a person was placed to manage the entrance of the dungeon, and it seemed like D-rank and below were not allowed.
"Then why did you talk to the adventurer if you knew you couldn't get in?"
“There’s a way to enter the dungeon even if you’re D-rank or lower……”
In spite of this, Dan, the boy, talked about a hole in the system.
Even if your rank as an individual was D or lower, you could still go into the dungeon if the average rank of your party was D. Since it was rare for people like Teto and me to have a magic bag, a person called a porter was added to the party to carry the bags that were needed to take over a dungeon. It looks like E-rank adventurers piled up the work to go up to D-rank by learning how to fight as adventurers and the basics of camping while carrying their gear.
“But isn’t that dangerous? Since it’s an E-rank used for carrying luggage, it seems like the reward could be lowered unreasonably. Also, if the people in the party are malicious and attract monsters, you might be left as a decoy while they run away. In addition, you could be kidnapped as a slave, or killed for pleasure by someone who approaches you in a dungeon with a gentle face”
“Eh…”
It looks like he hadn't thought of this, and the boy was shocked.
Well, for a small boy, it’s unlikely that he will be able to carry an adventurer’s luggage, and rather the adventurers who had refused so far may have had the good sense of preventing children from being in danger.
“Then, what should I do?”
“......”
“Haa, it can’t be helped. I’ll give you a hand.”
“Majo-sama, it’s not time for a bath”
“No, that doesn't mean……” (T/N: Chise says 一肌脱ぎます, which means to take off one’s clothes for the sake of someone else, so to put effort into helping someone. Literally, though, it means to shed a layer of clothes.)
After I said that and looked at Teto, I made a suggestion to the boy.
“Nee, do you guys collect herbs?”
“Eh? Well, since we can only register up to the G and F ranks, the only work we receive is to collect herbs.”
“Then how much money do you think you could make by creating potions without selling the herbs to the guild?”
In response to my question, the boy folded his fingers and began counting. But Dan, who wasn't very good at reading, writing, or math, started to scratch his head.
“I-I don’t know. I think I’ll get a lot of money, but I don’t know how much a potion costs.”
“I see. For collection of common herbs, it’s 2 large copper coins”
“Un. That's how much I always get. Take everyone and search for that.”
“You could make 3 potions from the same amount of herbs. The price of a potion is 3 silver coins”
If the injury was small, it would cost less, but the church's healing magic would cost about 3 silver coins.
“It’s the same as Father’s recovery magic. If it’s 3, then that’s an amazing 9 silver coins!”
The shape of Dan's face changed when he realized that.
"With the same amount of herbs, you could make three potions. The price of one potion would be 3 silver coins."
“But that’s what it means to get a job. It’s more profitable to sell processed products than to sell them as raw materials. That’s why people try to study to have a good life”
It would be hard for children to understand that so, I suggested something to Dan.
"I won't take you to the dungeon, but I will show you how to make money." “Really?”
"Yeah, this town always seems to be short on potions. If that's the case, you can collect herbs, turn them into potions, and sell them.
Using that method... the boy opened his eyes wide, but then immediately looked down.
“It’s impossible. No one would teach us orphans how to use that method.”
Because there were so many family businesses and it was hard to become a disciple, the number of skilled workers, like alchemists, never went up in any town.
Because of this, the number of skilled workers in a family business doesn't tend to grow.
“I will teach you how to make potions”
“Realy!?” (T/N: intentional misspelling, my man switched to Katakana out of excitement and said it wrong)
"Yeah, just talk to the priest and tell him. If it doesn't work, I'll think of something else."
With that said, I changed my plans of exploring the dungeon and went to the church with the boy Dan.
“You two are yesterday’s……and, and that child……”
“Good afternoon Father. Can you hear me out without getting angry with this child?”
Then, I told the priest what had happened today in front of the dungeon and how dangerous it was, but for the sake of the boy’s intent, made a suggestion.
“They are good at collecting herbs. So, if we could train an alchemist from them, it might help the orphanage become more self-sufficient in the future.
“......That’s…right. That’s what this child does”
“We know. Father, for the sake of making money for the orphanage, I will bow my head.”
“Haah... so you did notice after all. Certainly, I’ve been asking for donations, but to display such a shameful appearance, it’s embarrassing”
“Father, it’s not shameful or embarrassing!”
The priest let out a tired sigh and laughed as if he was in trouble. with Dan immediately objecting. The priest was adored that much.
"I know. I want to take Chise-san on her offer. But you must promise me that aside from teaching, the children must be safe.”
“Yes, I understand. For the sake of the children, I’m going to get the adventurer’s guild or someone even higher up involved.”
I didn't want to say too many dangerous things because the boy was there, so when I told the priest that, he nodded happily.
“There are various preparations that are needed to make. Also I will have a talk with this child so please accept it for today. Dan seems to need a little sermon.”
“Understood. With that…”
“Eh, wai…Nee-chan, wait…”
The priest urged us to leave with a gentle smile, and gave a slightly pressured smile to the boy. After leaving the room while feigning ignorance, it seems the boy was earnestly lectured by the priest about today. (T/N: the so-called “pressure” is translated from Shiatsu. Though for me, Shiatsu was way more pain than pressure. Such is life. And having constantly bad posture.)
The topic of orphanage relief fortuitously arrived at me, and it was different than going into a dungeon.
Get angry with adults and grow up well, Dan.
