Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: 3. The Peaceful Daily Life of the Orphanage
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The morning sun had barely risen when the outskirts village grew quite noisy.
One of the villagers had vanished without a trace.
"Mr. Carlson, have you seen him?"
"No, I saw him heading that way last night, but nothing after that."
"He doesn't seem to have come home at all... Where could he have gone?"
"Hold on, that way? Toward the forest?"
"Yeah."
"Isn't that the direction of the Happy Orphanage? You know, that decent young man's orphanage is around there too."
"Huh?"
Carlson was a resident with a rough face who had moved to the village alone.
At first, he was shunned for his appearance, but he often shared fruit and food with the villagers using money from who-knows-where, so he had become somewhat accepted as one of them.
But now, not only had he disappeared, he had last been seen heading toward the Happy Orphanage that he always praised effusively. Everyone panicked at the mysterious situation for a moment.
"Cough, cough! Father Noah, are you in?"
"No, isn't that Orphanage Director Yujin! What in the world happened?"
"We were suddenly attacked last night, cough!"
"Attacked? Attacked? Did monsters or bandits appear nearby?"
"Not exactly... Though strictly speaking, you could call them bandits. It was Mr. Carlson who attacked me."
"Carlson!? What do you mean by that!"
"Well..."
When the battered young Orphanage Director Yujin arrived at Father Noah's house, the full story came out. Carlson was actually a member of the Happy Orphanage, and they had attacked Yujin's orphanage now that it was gaining recognition from the villagers.
Carlson had lived in the village as a resident for several years, alongside the long-established Happy Orphanage. Meanwhile, Yujin and his orphanage had only recently grown close to the villagers.
It was already decided which side the residents would believe.
"That damn Happy Orphanage!"
"No wonder Carlson was always praising those scoundrels so much. Who would've thought they were in cahoots..."
"So the food he gave us was all money exploited from orphans? Horrifying!"
"Attacking such a kind Orphanage Director! And they even stole all his money and fled? Truly repulsive."
The villagers believed Yujin. Naturally so, since the Happy Orphanage's infamous reputation was already well-known, no matter how much Carlson praised it. A long-established orphanage meant one that had built up its notoriety over years—it was never a compliment.
Above all, Carlson had only gained some acceptance by throwing money around; his usual behavior was too poor for the villagers to fully embrace him. He leered at village girls, was stingy despite his suspicious generosity, and routinely made kids cry or picked fights.
In the end, the Happy Orphanage's orphans had caused trouble for residents, their hired low-class adventurers often rampaged in the village, and Carlson was too shady. It was a natural outcome. And the more the Happy Orphanage and Carlson were reviled, the more praise and sympathy Yujin received.
At the same time, a practical problem arose in the village.
"But what about the Happy Orphanage's orphans? I heard there are at least 30 of them."
"The kids are pitiful, but leaving them be will cause security issues for the village."
"Of course, it's all that Happy Orphanage's fault, but cleanup is the real problem."
Where would the Happy Orphanage's orphans go?
Even setting aside it being a trash heap of an orphanage, it was still a place that fed and housed them. With it gone, the orphans would scatter, and some might steal village goods or food.
The residents, long tormented by orphans from nearby orphanages, had no choice but to worry.
Some suggested petitioning Lord Luton, but the problem was solved by neither the villagers nor the lord.
"I'll take responsibility for all those children."
"You're serious!?"
"Of course. Do you think those vile Happy Orphanage scum treated the kids properly? They're all poor souls. It's not strange for an Orphanage Director to take in orphans."
"But with that many, running the orphanage..."
"The palace provides subsidies, and I have savings. I don't want to turn away kids for money."
"You...!!"
The young Orphanage Director Yujin had volunteered to take in the Happy Orphanage's children.
Feeding, housing, and washing 30 orphans was no small feat. It cost money, and Yujin himself would be incredibly busy. Yet he stepped forward without hesitation, as if it were the obvious thing to do.
Ashamed by his resolve and self-sacrifice, the villagers couldn't lift their heads. At the same time, they stepped up actively.
"Take this—at least bread. You'll need tons to feed over 30 kids."
"Don't you need beds? I'll make them myself! Leave it to me!"
"Kids' clothes will be short too. Leave that to me."
"Everyone...! Thank you so much!!"
"It's not much, but take this too."
"F-Father Noah? This donation..."
"If an orphanage like yours can't receive donations, who can? Take it without hesitation. I trust you'll use it for the children."
"Thank you for trusting me!"
Even beyond essentials like food, beds, and clothes, the villagers pooled donations and delivered them.
Yujin hugged the donations, shedding sincere tears and smiling. Many villagers were moved by his pure-hearted display.
Thus, Yujin's orphanage was gradually accepted as part of the village.
"Hmm? What's this?"
"Tch, it's that Happy Orphanage Director's corpse. Probably infighting after fleeing with the money. Just bury it."
"Yeah. How could they target that innocent young man..."
Later, the body of Victor, the Happy Orphanage Director who seemed to have been attacked by someone, was found.
But nothing came of it.
'Successfully bonded with the community. And with hefty gains to boot.'
I stroked the bag that made me happy just touching it, a genuine smile on my face. It was filled with something I truly loved.
Sparkling coins called donations. So lovable.
'I should thank the Happy Orphanage scum instead.'
They had handed me this perfect chance to integrate into the community. Without it, who knows how much time and effort it would've taken to gain the villagers' recognition.
Thanks to them, I got essentials plus donations. But the real reason I valued community ties was different.
'Those villagers are all potential customers.'
For now, we're running on donations and subsidies, but the orphanage's purpose is to sell orphans. And it's best to sell to nearby customers.
That way, it's easier to get ongoing donations, and orphans sold locally boost the orphanage's reputation. In that sense, earning the villagers' goodwill and trust was hugely encouraging.
It meant the foundation for proper sales was in place.
'And we have the new stock too.'
The merger brought in 30 items—30 pulls, no less. I hoped for another Karen, but maybe there's a luck conservation law; this gacha was a bust.
No 4-Stars, not even 3-Stars—mostly 1-Stars. And worse, the 1-Stars were scrawny and low-quality.
'Tch, what kind of stock management did they do?'
This was less merchandise and more raw, low-grade materials. Despite the successful merger, it would take time to turn a profit. Still, not having to manage them myself wasn't bad.
I could handle 10 like before, but with 40 now including the 30 new ones, it was unrealistic. That's where Tricksy and Laila shone.
"H-How can we trust you! You're probably just like that Victor bastard...!!"
There was strong resistance when first taking over the Happy Orphanage stock.
"Kids, it's me! Tricksy!"
"T-Tricksy? Why are you there?"
"I'll explain slowly. And don't worry—this is a real orphanage!"
"A r-real orphanage?"
"Eat this first! You're all hungry, right?"
"Bread! And this is soup...? W-Where did you get this?"
"It's all from our Orphanage Director."
"What?"
"Eat up, kids. I brought plenty—seconds if you want."
Thanks to Tricksy, a Happy Orphanage alum, mediating with the others, integration went smoothly.
And Laila firmly established the hierarchy and atmosphere among the acquired stock.
"I'm Laila, temporary 'staff' here. I already told Tricksy, but as long as you don't cause trouble, the Director and other kids will welcome you."
"That little girl is staff and leader? That's kinda..."
"Say that again."
"Eek!?"
"Doubting me means doubting the Director's judgment in picking me. That's taboo here. How dare you question the Director?"
"H-Hey! Apologize quick! S-Sorry, Laila! The kids don't know you yet! That's all!"
"...Do it right, Tricksy. Until they settle in."
"O-Of course! You got it!"
"Good."
By establishing discipline from the start, the Happy Orphanage stock blended in without major incidents. Plus, after a night in beds, hot baths, and all-you-can-eat bread and soup, they fell in line fast.
Washing, repairing, processing kids closer to raw materials than products.
Thus, the orphanage buzzed, and merger aftershocks settled.
For importing 30 raw materials, sleep only dropped by 2 hours. Thanks to Laila and Tricksy.
"Father. Walk with us and read a fairy tale, like always."
"Uh, yeah. Sure."
In snatched free time, I played with Karen, who was growing chattier and livelier. I worried the prior incident might glitch her systems, but both the 3-Star and 4-Star bounced back fine.
This wasn't them being special.
"Orphans often face life-threatening stuff as normal..."
"Don't worry, Tricksy. That won't happen anymore. Call me next time. I'm always on your side."
"Yes!"
"Me too, Father?"
"Of course, Karen. Your joy is my joy."
Medieval fantasy orphans were tough. Laila too—most stock had solid self-protection.
Anyway, amid the hectic routine, the marked calendar day arrived.
The decision I'd pondered lately, essential for the orphanage.
"Laila, it's about time."
"...You heading to the back alleys again? Or sticking to Karen?"
"Hm? No, I mean... I think it's safe now."
"Safe how?"
"To start sending kids out for adoption."
Time to ship product.
Obviously not the new Happy Orphanage batch. For sale: back-alley stock—Laila's siblings.
Laila's siblings, the 2-Star Orphans, had grown thrivingly over the past year-plus.
"Haha, Director. Doing well these days?"
"The Hope Bakery owner. Nice to see you. Eric's been helping out a lot—hope he's not a bother."
"Oh, that boy works hard and is a huge help. So, Director..."
He slid a bag toward me. Full of coins.
His intent was clear.
"I'd like to... adopt Eric."
Eric, showing baking talent, was prime for sale. The once-timid product had matured vibrantly through skill-building.
It was a good opportunity, but...
I shook my head firmly at the bag.
"Sorry, please leave."
"Ahem! I've put you in a tough spot, Director. I'll come back later."
The bakery owner took the coin bag and left. Yes, that was right. No way I'd sell Eric for that pittance.
An organic orphan, fed premium and free-range? For that price? No wellness sense?
'Even with first-purchase discount, no dice.'
Bring more money, pal.