Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: 4. The Most Conscientious Orphan Dealer
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To cut to the chase, the collusion between politics and business was a success.
"Thanks to you, I was able to reconcile with Riel. This favor... I won't forget it."
"It's an honor."
I did it! I really did it! Collusion between politics and business!
It was a joy comparable to acquiring a near-4-Star Orphan. Just like the alliance with the village earlier, this business required connections with the local community.
And that connection was with Luton's ruler and rightful lord? Even the collusion between big corporations and the government probably wasn't this intense.
'As expected, monarchy beats democracy.'
When it came to ease of freeloading, monarchy was far superior to democracy, where power could shift. Especially for securing my retirement.
Plus, since I'd brought up the 'business' with Heinkel, he felt more like a partner than a mere business contact.
Leveraging his power would open up even more orphan sales routes. Wholesale orphan dealing would be possible too.
On top of that, I'd achieved my original goal.
"Thank you. It's all thanks to the Orphanage Director!"
"No need to mention it. It's thanks to all your hard work, Miss."
"No, it was possible because the Orphanage Director gave me courage."
Right, you get it. It's all thanks to me, so forget those empty words from earlier and repay the favor without fail.
I'd turned a counterfeit orphan into an honorary one in just a week, so she owed me commensurate compensation. Riel had decided to stay with the baron's family in the end, but she'd agreed to visit the orphanage once a week.
'She still has plenty of shelf life left.'
Since things had turned out this way, maybe I should push her toward one of my 3-Star Orphans? Not full synthesis... but a child born between a 3-Star Orphan and a 2-Star honorary orphan might have a high rank.
Of course, given the manufacturing date, it was still far off. Riel wasn't the family heir or anything—just the youngest daughter—so marriage to an orphan wasn't impossible. Kyle, being a 3-Star Orphan himself, would have grown considerably by marriageable age.
Oh, naturally, I had no intention of selling the child born from that. They wouldn't be an orphan anyway, with parents around. My real goal was to create blood ties that would make the Luton Baron's family unable to betray me later.
Well, it was still distant, so just a plan in my head for now.
"Still, Father said it's okay to sleep over at the orphanage until today! Since that's the case, I need to tell Kyle oppa and the other kids too."
"Aren't you scared?"
"I might get resented for mocking them or betraying them before... but I've got more courage than before. Even if they do, if I keep approaching them, they'll forgive me eventually. Right?"
"Definitely."
More precisely, I'd make sure they did. The orphans' free will was essential for crafting premium products, but it wasn't more important than the business's future.
After sending the excited Riel out of the room for a bit, I met with Heinkel alone.
He watched Riel leave with a smile, his eyes complex, then met my gaze.
"...So, Yujin, is it okay to call you that?"
"Please, make yourself comfortable."
"Then, Yujin. What should I do from now on...?"
Oh, straight to the point. As expected of a family head—he must have realized how lucrative the orphan business is.
I appreciated his cooperation in the collusion, but...
"I'm not sure what you mean. Isn't it a bit premature?"
"...Is it?"
Even so, it irked me that he was eyeing a spoon in a business I'd built from scratch. I'd poured my entire adventurer retirement fund into this, handpicking and processing each product one by one. Nobles might usually hold the upper hand, but this was too blatant.
Still, it was a relief he was proactive. If he'd been some noble nagging about human trafficking or morality, it'd have been a hassle.
Who doesn't know this is bad? I do it because it pays.
Anyway, I did have a request. Something I couldn't do alone—something requiring a noble family's power.
"Still, there is one thing I'd like to ask."
"What is it?"
"Could you find someone who wants to adopt a child with magic talent? Oh, exclude the Magic Tower."
That was pioneering orphan sales routes. Not just any customers, but VVIP nobles.
Contacting the Beril Count Family was mostly because they approached imperial orphanages first, and with the 'temporary staff' issue, I hadn't even properly hooked a monster yet, so asking them felt awkward.
The Luton Baron's family was different. Luton was a rural town, but since self-sufficiency was impossible, it naturally maintained close ties with other territories and cities.
Roughly, there'd be earls or marquises leading the region, with viscounts, barons, and knight families scattered below. Luton didn't pale compared to other baronies—in fact, it stood out among them.
Sure, it was a rural border from the empire's view, inevitably, but their noble network was still usable.
"Exclude the Magic Tower?"
"Yes, it's a bit tricky with them."
I might run into Hella there, and her dad, the former Magic Tower Lord, was such a pain I didn't want to go near.
Once the Magic Tower was out, the only buyers for our hit product—4-Star Orphan Karen—were nobles.
That was the point of the request, and honestly, after I'd drawn the line earlier, I figured He'd back off and test the waters.
"Got it. By when should I find out?"
"...No deadline. As long as the info is solid."
"I'll keep it in mind."
What? Agreeing too quickly? No pride?
Well, from the moment he joined my business, he'd prioritized profit over pride. Smart. If a noble like Heinkel went that far, I'd have to give him his fair share accordingly.
'I need to play hard to get a bit to negotiate his cut down.'
It was a shame, but good was good. A month passed after that successful collusion.
Even with the collusion achieved, my daily life didn't change much. A mere orphanage director visiting the Luton Baron's estate too often would raise eyebrows, and processing and raising products was my main job anyway.
There was one piece of good news, though.
"...We're going to the Beril Count Family, Director."
"Laila, you've finally..."
"I'm just going to check it out. We have an appointment with the count."
After over a year of relentless gaslighting, Laila had finally decided to be sold. She said it was just a visit, but I had no intention of letting the opportunity slip.
Once we got to the Beril Count Family, I'd stage a drama if needed to sell her off. I'd resolved to do that, but we still had time before going—the letter said to come next month due to some issue.
Disappointing, but fortunate too. It gave time for product handover.
"Kyle, learn well from Laila."
"...Director, couldn't you switch people? Like, learn from you instead."
"Come along, Kyle."
"Uh, Sister Laila? I mean."
"I said come."
"...Yes."
Telling Laila I'd use Kyle as orphanage staff improved their relationship somewhat. Improved? From my standpoint, as long as the handover went well, I didn't care if they got along.
As Kyle spent more time with Laila, Riel got jealous, but since Kyle felt more fear and discomfort toward Laila than affection, it actually improved his bond with Riel. No idea why the fear.
Tricksy trembled whenever Laila was in a bad mood, so she must keep strict discipline. Like a drill sergeant? Better sell Laila quick before she claims more stake in orphanage operations. She might become unsellable.
Anyway, with Laila handing over to Kyle and spending more time together, my time shifted to Karen.
"Daddy, I made this!"
"How cute. A bear doll?"
"It's a bunny."
"A cute bunny doll. Especially these ears?"
"That's the tail."
"Such a cute tail."
"Yes!"
After checking Karen's magic progress, the rest was playtime. Hella had left satisfied, so no more lessons needed.
If she accidentally realized her affinity, it'd limit buyers severely, so best avoid. Karen seemed to prefer playing with me over magic training anyway.
We played with dolls, read fairy tales, strolled, and swung on Tricksy's makeshift swing.
"Daddy, I'm sleepy."
"Okay, Karen. Take a nap."
"I wanna sleep in Daddy's arms... like Sister Laila."
"Alright then."
She was a precious 4-Star Orphan, after all. The gentler and kinder I treated her, the more vibrant and bright her quality became compared to before.
Half a year had nearly passed since Karen, Tricksy, and the Happy Orphanage-produced orphans arrived at our shop.
Finally, the long-awaited news arrived.
And it was Karen's birthday that day.
"Karen, happy birthday!"
"...Daddy, thank you. Really. I'm truly happy."
"What have I done? Since it's your birthday, I have good news."
"G-good news? D-Daddy? At least let me prepare myself───"
"When you first learned magic, you said you wanted to become a noble, right?"
"...Yes?"
"Someone wants to adopt you this time. Congratulations, Karen. You can really become a noble!"
So we held a grand sales celebration兼 birthday party and shared the joyful news there. Since her trigger for accepting magic was becoming a noble, I figured she'd be thrilled.
And Karen...
"......... "
She said nothing.
Nothing at all.
Until the end of the birthday party兼 4-Star Orphan sales celebration.
Continuously.