Chapter 145
Chapter 145
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: Wolfram, the Pied Piper of Gluco
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Looking toward the source of the sound, Nefti was staring this way, her hands trembling.
"Um, uh... Senior. Th-that thing you just said was... entrust... entrust..."
Hm.
She heard it all.
In that case, I had no choice but to lay out my honest feelings completely.
"Nefti."
"Y-Yes... Hek."
"To be honest, I feel sorry toward you."
"...Yes? Sorry...?"
"Considering your grades and skills, your connections around you. Especially your tie to Eve, you could have walked a far more stable path with a guaranteed future."
"......Yees?"
Nefti tilted her head.
Yeah.
This was my unfiltered true heart.
"And yet, Nepthelian, you chose the path of becoming my royal guard. As your employer, it's only right that I take responsibility for that."
I had ambitions like graduating next year and setting up convenience stores everywhere, including the capital, to build a distribution network across the entire empire and make a killing. But beyond that, I had no idea how things would roll.
To build a distribution network, we'd need railroads first, so I'd handed over some authority to the Trista family to handle that part on their own.
In the end, my ultimate life goal was to make convenience stores visible anywhere in the world.
It might sound grand from one angle, but pretty mundane from another.
"Ah, so that's what you mean by responsibility."
"Yeah. At the very least, I'll make sure you get a solid salary, bonuses, and pretty much full authority over everything else. I'll do my best."
".............."
Nefti wiped off the tray that had clattered to the floor, then set it upright beside her and gave it a light shake as she looked at me. Her eyes? No, her gaze was a bit higher... Did I have something on my head?
Whatever.
"However, there's one promise I can make."
"...What kind of promise?"
The tanker I'd used most during these ten thousand hours, my best frontline shield.
You said it yourself before. A world without challenges was unbearably boring to you, and you wanted to dream something new.
I opposed your choice back then. Don't decide your future on a mere impulse; protect your own convictions.
And you answered that at the end of those convictions, you'd stand by my side.
So, as the one receiving those convictions, there's only one thing I can say to you.
"The world I'll show you will never be boring."
I really like this world.
Even just within Jefrin, the current world is very different from the Jefrin I knew.
But on the flip side... that means there's so much more territory for me to adventure into.
"You have to keep that promise...?"
"I will."
Nefti smiled innocently at those words, then headed back to the kitchen to remake the tea. From the hall came some inscrutable murmur.
"Oh my... Will I become a grandma anytime soon?"
Hm?
Did Nefti have older siblings?
"Let me introduce myself again. I'm Rabera. I'm just an ordinary mom from this Gluco village, born and raised here with little education."
"Wolfram von Loengrin. Prince of this empire. In the midst of learning about the world."
"Oh my, a prince! Pfti really knows how to surprise. Hehe."
"I didn't say prince, did I?"
"Nooo. The kid just said you were royalty."
"...That was so Mom wouldn't be shocked."
Nefti said it with a slight pout, and Rabera covered her mouth, laughing as if there was no helping it.
"Well, it's late, so we'll save the rest of the stories for another time. Pfti, show him to your room."
"......Y-Yeah. My room... My...... room?"
Nefti’s eyes went wide.
"What else can we do? The other rooms have the little ones sleeping in them."
"B-But..."
"But the only room with a bed is yours, right?"
"Th-That's true, but..."
Nefti was fidgeting anxiously. If anything, I felt more sorry about it.
"The living room is fine. My sleeping bag's in the handcart, so no need to worry."
"Oh my... Are you sure? It won't be uncomfortable?"
"I sleep on the convenience store's stone floor. I'll borrow a corner."
"I'm sorry. It's such a humble home..."
My stamina was low to begin with, but my adaptability and survival skills were just fine.
I rummaged around casually and headed out the door to grab my sleeping bag.
"Nefti. Have a good night."
"Y-Yes..."
I dug out the sleeping bag, woke up the dozing Patrasche, and barked at it to grant me a blessing.
Patrasche tossed a blessing my way, and the biting chill of the forest village vanished in an instant.
Alright. Preparations for sleep were about done. As I checked over things, voices drifted out from inside the house.
"Pfti? Regretting that dodge from earlier?"
"...Ugh."
"Opportunities only come to those prepared to seize them, you know?"
"......Ughh. I'll go to bed."
Mom's lecture time, huh.
Nice family.
A strange pressure made me crack my eyes open, and there was something small in front of me.
Like Nefti condensed down to tiny size.
Age? Ten? Maybe younger.
The child stared at me with big, round eyes.
After a moment, the kid took half a step closer, bowed her head politely, and greeted me.
"Hello."
"Hm. Good manners."
"Thank you."
We exchanged greetings. Greetings matter.
"So... who are you, big brother? A thief? We don't have anything worth taking."
"Unfortunately, I'm a guest."
"...A guest?"
"Yeah. Nepthelian’s guest. I'm Wolfram."
At my words, the kid started scribbling something on her palm.
"Pfti sis. Guest. Boy. ...Ah." Finishing her self-judgment of my identity, the child sucked in a breath and
let out a roar that shook the whole building.
"Pfti sis brought her boyfriend hooome!!"
"Whaaat!?"
"Reeeally!?"
"Waaah!"
A chorus that rattled the old house rang out, and from upstairs came thudding footsteps charging toward me.
The storm of a breakfast ended. Throughout the meal, Nefti had to repeat things about ten or fifteen times like, "He's not my boyfriend, he's my lord! My boss!""My boss! No, my lord! Got it?" And the same number of questions came my way like, "What do you like about our sis?""You like sis? Bro's got weird taste."
Sheesh.
Living among so many kids like this brought back old memories fresh and vivid.
"Nice."
"...Yes?"
Back in those days.
Yi Young-jin, the big bro figure to everyone at the orphanage, came to mind.
The kids were roughly early teens at most. Their smiles were unlined, hinting at how much hardship their mom must have endured raising them.
"Bro! Bro! Bro! You're from the capital, right?! Is the capital huge?!"
"Big bro, tell us about Jefrin! I wanna go to Jefrin!"
"That wolf in the shed—is it your wolf, bro!?"
"Wolf cool!? Lemme see the wolf!!"
The kids unleashed a barrage of questions at me.
Answering the curiosity bombs of these kids one by one would never end, and I didn't have the stamina for it.
I glanced at Nefti, and she panicked, stepping between me and the kids.
"H-Hey, kids, Senior's an important person, so..."
"He's important, so we gotta hear this now, sis! When else will we get a chance like this in our lives?!"
"Ugh... Th-That's true, but..."
Nefti couldn't wrangle the kids.
"Nefti. It's fine, step aside."
"...Ugh. Okay..."
"And one favor. Go to the handcart and bring the stuff I prepared."
"Huh? Okay..."
When there are lots of kids, you can't be the 'listener'—you have to be the 'speaker'.
And to be the speaker, you need 'action' to back it up.
"Big bro, I got a question!"
"Bro!"
"Little ones. Hold on a sec. We've got time. Once Nefti brings the stuff, we'll talk nice and slow. It's just a few minutes. You can wait that long, right?"
The kids' eyes went wide at my words.
"Uh..."
"If good kids wait nicely, I'll give presents. Good kids means sitting there, mouths shut, waiting quietly."
In an instant, the kids shut their mouths and sat down.
Presents work wonders.
"S-Senior. I got it!"
"Good."
I laid out a handyman iron plate on the floor and piled materials around it.
Alright.
Time to test if Yi Young-jin's orphanage magic—turning crying kids to smiles in three seconds flat—was still alive or rusted away.
After that, Nefti and Rabera could only gape in astonishment at Wolfram's magic-like actions.
"That's why Jefrin is divided into the massive Knight Academy and Magic Academy. The Knight Academy lets you become a cool knight, and the Magic Academy makes you a wizard. Knights can work anywhere in the world, and wizards serve the imperial family or nobles directly."
It wasn't just fun storytelling. He laid out an iron plate on the floor and used the Handy Work skill to refine and forge metal in seconds, shaping knight dolls or wizard dolls that instantly captured the kids' attention.
The Gluco village brats from Rabera's house—troublemakers who made local adults shake their heads—were now rapt as this young man explained Jefrin, the Knight and Magic Academies, using doll theater and his words alone.
Having seized their attention with puppet shows and killer patter, he occasionally threw in quizzes.
"Knights can earn tuition money on the side, but they take a cut. So what's the best side gig?"
"Convenience store!"
"Right. Convenience stores are Jefrin's top promising job. Cream bun as prize."
"Yay!"
"Big bro, me too!"
"Plenty of prizes. No worries."
Weird convos popped up now and then, but he drew them in, gave dolls as gifts, made more dolls, shared snacks, bread, drinks.
"So, what's the hope of the future distribution network?"
"Convenience store!"
"Good. Drinks for good kids."
"Hehe!"
"I can answer too!"
"Prizes galore. Ones you earn taste better."
"Yeah! Next one's mine, bro!"
"Mine too!"
"Fight and no prizes for either."
"No fighting!"
"We get along!"
If squabbles brewed, he nipped them fast and steered the talk smoothly.
"The founding emperor was a great man. Here's a tale from when he built Jefrin. There's the Frost Plains in northern Jefrin, but..."
And his depth of knowledge? Nefti and Rabera found themselves sucked in too.
Exactly one hour later, the youngest started dozing off stuffed with sweets. Fifteen minutes after, every kid was out cold.
Confirming they were all asleep, Wolfram von Loengrin chuckled with "Not rusted after all" and stood up.
As he stretched and headed out to check the handcart, mother and daughter quietly conversed watching his back.
"Pfti?"
"Yeah, Mom..."
"Hold on tight?"
"M-Mommm..."
"Guys like that are rare. Anyone who plays well with kids isn't bad."
"......H-He's not like that with me."
"Really?"
Nefti said nothing.
Rabera let out a wry chuckle at her blushing, head-hanging daughter.
"Who'd she get this dishonesty from?"
"......Dunno."
"But you think he's good, right? Or will you dodge this too?"
Nefti still didn't answer.
She just mustered desperate courage and gave a tiny nod.