Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: 3. The Peaceful Daily Life of the Orphanage
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Selling orphans is the most basic activity for any orphanage. And after investigating the nearby competitors in the same line of business, I found that their approach to sales was typically just one thing.
Park-ri-da-mae. Selling orphans cheap and in bulk, as the name suggests. Most of the orphans sold this way don't end up in normal households but are bought by criminal organizations or places that need a lot of cheap labor.
But I couldn't use that method. I wasn't exploiting the orphans or neglecting their care like the other operators, and my approach involved significant sunk costs per individual product. Selling cheap from the start would just mean losses.
So, the strategy I chose was premium positioning.
In other words, premium luxury orphans.
'No orphanage around here can match the quality of our products, right?'
This wasn't arrogance or conceit. This was 'pride.'
The pride that only a businessman producing the highest-quality luxury orphans could have. Isn't it reasonable to charge a price that matches the effort and sunk costs?
Moreover, the owner of Hope Bakery wasn't the only one interested in adopting Eric.
"Ay, Eric works so well. He makes me want to adopt him as my own son."
There was the owner of the nearby inn.
"Eric has talent. And I could nurture that talent fully!"
There was another bakery owner.
"I'm looking to take in an adopted heir this time. I'll pay a fair price."
And there was the owner of what looked like a fairly wealthy merchant company.
This was why illegal orphanages were thriving. There were more people wanting to adopt orphans than you'd expect.
Some wanted heirs for their family business, others like the Hope Bakery owner had no children of their own, some planned to use them as workers but later make them successors once their skills improved, and then there were those who wanted laborers or slaves under the guise of adoption.
The Empire had unified this area, but that didn't mean they'd cleaned up every corner. You still had to worry about bandits or monster attacks when traveling between cities, which meant more orphans were produced and demand for adoptions increased.
It was something I'd learned firsthand during my adventurer days. This was a medieval fantasy world, and death was far more common than you'd think.
I started the orphanage by tapping into that consumer psychology. Of course, the subsidies from His very great Majesty the Emperor were incredibly sweet too!
Once the orphanage was established and built ties with the local community, people started coming specifically for adoptions in earnest.
"Eric is such a good boy. He even gives us his leftover bread sometimes... I want to adopt him. I want to raise him as our son."
Among them, this couple stood out in several ways. A young man and woman in shabby clothes, yet wearing hopeful smiles.
You could tell at a glance they were poor, but their smiles and determination to adopt Eric were genuine.
"Please, we're begging you! We can't pay much in adoption fees or donations, but... please let us take Eric!"
"We're begging you!"
"........."
The couple bowed their heads to me as they explained their situation. Eric, who had come along with me, fidgeted uncomfortably at their earnest plea.
I smiled and stroked the product's head, gesturing for him to speak freely, and Eric hesitated before answering.
"Director, I... I think these people would be good."
"Can I hear the reason?"
"They. They're kind and good people, and above all, they're sincere..."
Well, I could understand it. This 2-Star Orphan named Eric was still young. When adults much older than him bowed their heads and begged, it softened his heart.
You might think we should hold off on selling the products longer, but unfortunately, that wasn't possible. The reason was simple: depreciation.
Orphans fetch the best prices when they're young. But too young, and they're just raw materials with no value. The current age of our 2-Star Orphans was perfect—not quite children anymore, not adults yet, just entering puberty.
Older than this, and their heads get stubborn, refusing to truly bond with adoptive parents. Younger, and they'd require too much hands-on care from the adopters' perspective. The ideal age was one where they were smart enough, sincerely attached to their adoptive parents, and capable of fending for themselves to some degree—exactly Eric's age.
'So, selling now is optimal.'
Letting them age further would just lead to depreciation and lower product prices. Oh, but that didn't mean I was selling Eric to this poor couple.
Their intentions were obvious. Why would I?
"Both of you, please lift your heads. I understand your sincerity."
"Ah, then...!!"
"I'd love to send Eric to good people like you... but unfortunately, running the orphanage is quite tight financially. I'm in a position where I have to receive a certain amount, unavoidably. I didn't raise this child for money, but to raise the other children like Eric, money is necessary."
"If it's about money, we're sorry, but we can pay later."
"If I may be so bold, what makes me trust you enough to take that risk?"
"........."
"Please leave. I'm truly sorry."
Acting like they could pay on credit. If I believed they could actually pay it back, I'd consider it, but these two were different.
At my rather rude words, the poor couple grimaced unpleasantly but left. I immediately turned to Eric.
"Eric, if you have something to say, go ahead."
"...I'm not blaming you at all, Director. They were good people, but you were too harsh."
"No, that's not it."
"Huh?"
"They're not good people. Look over there."
I pointed out the window, where the poor couple was walking away from the orphanage.
......They were walking quite a distance apart for a couple, and it looked like they were arguing.
"Huh? Weren't they so close earlier...?"
"They're con artists."
"Laila, do you recognize them?"
"I've seen them in the back alleys sometimes. They take in pitiful orphans like us and sell them as slaves or use them for other purposes... They're extremely dangerous, even if not quite on the level of an orphanage director."
"L-Laila bro! Really!?"
"Yes, Eric. If it weren't for the Director, we would've been in big trouble."
"D-Director..."
"No need to apologize. This is my duty anyway. Sending you to places where you can truly be happy—that's my role, isn't it?"
"Director...!!"
I spotted the con artists right away. Pretending to be a poor local couple when they weren't from around here? Unless they'd come from far away, it was obviously an act. And they didn't look like they'd traveled far—no blisters on their feet, and their skin was relatively clean despite the dirty clothes.
Merchants have an uncanny knack for spotting scammers trying to rip them off. Like smelling their own kind? How dare these bastards try to swindle my product with their pitiful act?
"Father, are you just going to let them go?"
"I've already informed Priest Nosaje, so the city guards should be on their way. That should be enough, right, Karen?"
"...Yes, Father."
"Good, Karen. You're not thinking of stepping in yourself, are you? As long as you don't cause trouble for the Director like last time."
"Laila sis."
"How you address the Director is up to you, but don't bother him."
"I know. Unlike you, sis, I'm a mage, so I have no choice but to keep working hard with this power to help Father. Together with him."
"Hah, that fancy magic of yours is what messed up the Director's hand last time?"
"........."
Karen, who had been responding leisurely to Laila's cold words, froze solid.
As Karen glanced at my hand and started sweating,
"Don't fight, kids. You know I hate that, right?"
"Yes, Director."
"...Yes, Father."
I stepped in and mediated appropriately.
Please don't fight. What if the products damage each other? One was my noble pension, the other the orphanage's top upcoming star product—it gave me a headache.
If I could just take one side, fine, but both were crucial orphanage products, so mediation was all I could do.
Karen acknowledged Laila as the big sister, and Laila looked out for Karen to some extent. I'd intentionally fostered some dependence for the product processing environment and to prevent escapes, but it made for a troublesome production line.
Still, it was bearable since this hassle brought in noble pensions and massive gold coins. Unlike adventuring, no risking my life.
In the midst of that, Eric, looking scared of Laila and Karen, hurried to my side.
"D-Director. So, am I getting adopted by that rich uncle?"
"That rich uncle?"
"You know, the one who looked super wealthy. To be happy, you need a lot of money..."
"That's a very realistic view."
As expected of a back-alley wild-caught orphan, Eric was quite mature for his product manufacturing year. Realistic, more precisely. He knew the terror of starvation and the importance of money well.
But that didn't mean I planned to sell him to that wealthy merchant.
"You're right that money can make people happy. But to make the heart truly happy, money alone isn't enough."
"Really?"
No. Overwhelming gold coins make anyone happy, heart or no heart.
"That merchant uncle would surely treat you well. But it wouldn't make you completely happy."
"Oh..."
"I'll do my best. For your sake, Eric."
"Yes!"
Of course, for Eric's sake. He needs to sell well to fatten my wallet.
And that wealthy merchant might seem like the perfect customer at first glance, but actually not so much. He'd pay a high adoption fee, sure, but that's it.
As the head of a merchant company, he'd wander rather than settle in one place, taking Eric far from Luton. That wasn't good news. Orphan sales involved not just adoption fees, but donations and 'reputation farming.'
Selling locally to the nearby community was far more profitable long-term. The adopted product would boost the orphanage's reputation through their activities, and living close by made it easy to pressure them for ongoing donations.
That's why I'd emphasized community ties.
'Even global companies start by solidifying their home base.'
I'm still young. No plans for a quick flip on the orphanage business—this was for my retirement and pension. No way I'd chase short-term gains and miss long-term profits.
What about Laila and Karen?
Long-term profits or whatever, nobles trump everything. Overwhelming money enables retirement and pensions, right?
In that vein, I excluded places that might abuse or mishandle products. They needed to grow well to settle into the community and generate proper reputation.
After filtering, there were two suitable customers for Eric.
"Thank you for coming. Hope Bakery owner, Leaf Bakery manager."
"Ahem."
"Hmm..."
The owner of the local Hope Bakery and the manager of Leaf Bakery, the dessert shop in central Luton.
These two were optimal for short-term adoption fees, long-term donations, and reputation farming.
"Let's cut to the chase. I plan to let one of you adopt Eric."
"If that's the case, of course!"
"Compared to that shabby local bakery, our Leaf Bakery..."
"Of course, Eric's own wishes are paramount in this adoption. I asked him, but he says he isn't sure yet."
In truth, either was fine, so I'd planned to leave it to Eric, who'd worked at both shops. But Eric left the decision to me.
After some thought, I decided like the orphan-selling merchant I was.
"That's why... I will entrust Eric to the one who can offer more."
"...!!"
"That's."
Merchants don't need many words. It was up to them to gauge the baseline and passing threshold now.
'Get it? Now kill each other.'
Nothing beats competition for selling products at a premium...!!