Environmental Beautification Project (1)
"Mom. Hehe. I worked hard today!"
"That's right. My son. Well done~"
Selin, who was raising her child alone after losing her husband, had one major worry. It was her son, Jang. Born with a slight deficiency, her son could be called innocent at best and foolish at worst. As a mother, worrying about him was only natural.
Because of his shortcomings, he couldn't find proper work and instead helped his mother with her sewing jobs.
"Hehe! Mom, you're tired. I'll carry you on my back!"
"Thank you."
Thanks to her always kind son, she smiled, yet worry still lingered on her face. If something were to happen to her, could this good boy truly survive in such a harsh world?
It wasn't as if she had never considered finding him other employment. But time and again, she had been deceived by vicious people who exploited her son's wages. Besides, few would hire a boy like him unless they were the sort to take advantage.
Welfare in the medieval era was abysmal. Naturally, someone like Jang with limited intelligence received no legal protection. But what parent could simply accept that as normal?
"Haa…"
Selin's sighs grew deeper.
"Mom. This is nice! Whee-whoo!"
Completely unaware of his mother's concerns, Jang hummed as they walked home. Murmurs filled the air.
Hearing her son's humming, Selin, who had been riding on his broad back, noticed a crowd gathered ahead. They were all parents raising children with intellectual disabilities or missing limbs, just like her. Most were widows who had formed their own community. Seeing them together was nothing unusual.
What was different today was that they were all raising their voices in argument.
"Of course it's a lie! They're even posting notices to exploit our children!"
"Would the lord really do something like that…"
Some were furious, others tried to calm them.
"What's going on?"
Most commoners couldn't read, so Selin couldn't understand the notice on the wall. She had no choice but to ask someone.
"Ah, Jang's mom. You see that notice over there? Apparently, the territory is going to hire people with disabilities, just like our kids."
"I see."
A territorial project… Though the pay was small, at least they wouldn't be cheated. Selin had often sent Jang to such jobs for that reason. Territorial projects weren't common, but they weren't rare either. And since the wages were guaranteed, they were the best work available for someone like Jang.
That was why she couldn't understand why the other widows were shouting in anger.
"Then why are they so upset?"
"Well, this time they're offering four silver coins a day if you participate in the project!"
"Four silver coins?"
The average daily wage for a healthy adult man was six silver coins. So how much did those with intellectual or physical disabilities usually receive? Surprisingly, most were paid only one silver coin. Even territorial projects paid just 1.5 silver coins… still far less than what ordinary people earned. And when working for private individuals instead of the territory, even that meager amount was often stolen.
Four silver coins…! It was no wonder people refused to believe it, even if it was a territorial project.
"Damn it… And it's not just for one day, but for several months? I don't believe it!!"
An elderly woman on the verge of collapse shouted loudly. Her daughter had been born without arms. Yet the girl could sew using her feet with such precision that it seemed her disability was nothing at all. Still, she had been cheated out of her wages countless times. Without her aging mother, she wouldn't even be able to eat properly.
"Why torment us with such lies…"
Exhausted, the old woman sat on the ground and began to cry. Her armless daughter picked up a handkerchief with her feet and gently wiped her mother's tears. Even that handkerchief had been woven by the girl herself, using only her feet and thread.
"Goodness. Could it really be true?"
"I hope it is."
The commotion eventually passed, and people returned home with a mix of anger, disappointment, and faint hope.
Time flowed by until the date written on the notice finally arrived. Selin brought her son Jang to participate in the oddly named "Environmental Beautification Project." The notice had said guardians were also welcome to work for the same pay, so if anything seemed suspicious, Selin planned to grab her son and flee.
She wasn't the only one thinking that way. Most of the others had come with guardians as well.
"Thank you all for coming."
While the socially marginalized group waited for the appointed time, a handsome man stepped onto the prepared platform. If Selin didn't have a son, she might have tried to seduce him with the same alluring charm she once used on her late husband. But a mother was strong! Selin didn't even blink at the handsome man and instead gripped her son's hand tightly, hoping the notice's promise of high wages for intellectually disabled workers like her son would prove true.
*
"Lord Alpha. Thank you so much for taking me as your disciple. For someone as outstanding as you to appear… this is a blessing not just for this territory, but for the entire continent!"
"Ah… Yes."
Jemel Bais. Her real name was Gemini Bais. Just as I expected, she was quite capable. Though her movements were awkward because she wrapped her entire body tightly to hide her gender, her administrative skills were excellent. Not only that, she possessed deep medical knowledge. She had even created a cold medicine in this era.
One might think cold medicine was nothing special, but producing it here was remarkable. In this age, a cold was practically a fatal illness, especially for children. Kids whose immune systems had weakened from poor nutrition during growth often developed the flu when they caught a cold. If they had access to modern flu vaccines, even weakened immunity might not have led to death. But this was the medieval era. There were no vaccines. That was why treating colds was important.
So even without antibiotics, the fact that Jemel had created a medicine that reduced fever and boosted immunity spoke volumes about her skill as a doctor. Of course, nobles who paid huge donations to priests and received "prayer treatment" wouldn't know that.
"To show such kindness to those with disabilities!!"
The problem was her eyes, which lately looked at me as if I were a god. Ever since she saw the documents I prepared for hiring the disabled, she reacted this way constantly.
"Jemel? You should stop now, don't you think?"
"I'm sorry, Lady Elisa. But please understand! How could I stay silent when a living saint from the scriptures stands right before my eyes!"
Elisa Soryu, who had once been intimidated by Jemel, had even started telling her to restrain herself. But that alone couldn't stop her. Geniuses were unstoppable once they fixated on something.
"Moreover, all this knowledge! Ahh! With this, I can save so many more people! Invisible germs multiplying in dirty places!!"
Using the facts I had taught her, Jemel was studying and understanding on her own. Even though I had explained everything in the simplest terms a medieval person could grasp, she had already reached a near-modern understanding of germs.
'Maybe she could even make penicillin.'
Jemel was so capable that I wondered if grinding her and Helen together might eventually produce antibiotics. Helen had the medical knowledge needed for medicine, while Jemel had the manufacturing expertise. Creating penicillin didn't seem impossible.
Anyway, while Jemel was praising me, I wasn't actually hiring the disabled out of pity or goodwill. Even with disabilities, they were only slightly less capable than average people. They weren't completely unable to work. In fact, most of them worked even harder because they were aware of their shortcomings. And the Environmental Beautification Project I was about to launch required many diligent workers. In that sense, people with disabilities were perfect. Hardworking, sincere, and didn't require high wages. They were exactly what I needed.
"It seems everyone has gathered."
At Erika's words, I moved outside the lord's castle. In front of the castle, on the platform set up in the square where people liked to gather, I stepped up. Countless eyes turned toward me. Their gazes held a mixture of suspicion, hope, and anger. I understood. The disabled in this world were never treated properly. In the medieval era, it was common to work and then have your wages stolen. But I was different. Even while thinking of them as cheap labor, I intended to pay them fairly. Cheat them? Hell no! There was no Alpha Male who lied or scammed. That was something only Beta Males imitating us with modern medicine would do!
"Thank you all for coming."
I slowly opened my mouth to speak. Elisa amplified my voice with magic so everyone could hear. Having a mage around really was convenient.
"I know some of you are worried about not receiving proper payment. So I'll pay two silver coins in advance right now. After the work is done, I'll pay another two silver coins."
"……"
Thud—!
At my words, someone collapsed as if they had heard something unbelievable. And an elderly person at that…
"Please take the fallen person to Doctor Jemel."
I couldn't just leave them lying there. I asked Leona to have the soldiers carry the collapsed person to Jemel. I could afford at least this much welfare for my workers.