Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Translator: Penny
Chapter 38
On the Streets (Part 2)
With the City Council's approval secured, the orphanage construction could proceed full steam ahead, like a ship sailing with the wind at its back.
Agron first began searching for a suitable construction site with the builders. Since they had already obtained the necessary consent, he wanted to build the orphanage in a slightly better location than the original garbage dump where the children had been living.
In the end, Agron decided to build the orphanage on a vacant lot a few blocks away from the Night Alley tavern.
"This looks promising," Agron remarked.
"Yes, I agree. If anything happens, Josef can check on it immediately, and since I'll be frequenting Night Alley often, I can easily keep an eye on things myself," Jacob replied, surveying the area and nodding in agreement.
Though still a back alley, the area around Night Alley enjoyed relatively decent security.
Above all, it seemed safe here, within Josef's sphere of influence.
"Then we'll build the orphanage here. For your information, Bishop Blanc has agreed to cover the construction costs, and the City Council will donate monthly to cover the orphanage's operating expenses."
"Um... you obtained these funds legally, right?" Jacob asked cautiously, startled.
"Everyone eagerly agreed to contribute, so you can rest assured. They even promised to continue generously supporting Kotaru's welfare in the future. As they say, sincerity always prevails."
"...I see."
Even without witnessing it firsthand, Jacob could vividly imagine the scene:
"Are you a warrior?!"
"Gwaaah! I'm not a warrior, you lunatic!"
"If you endure, you can become a warrior! Endure!"
"Why would I endure if I'm not a warrior?! Gwaaah!"
"Will you agree to build an orphanage?!"
"Hah, I will! I'll do it! I'll even donate! Aaaah!"
This process, repeated over and over, likely led to the current situation.
If Agron had tried to resolve the matter peacefully through dialogue alone, the City Council would never have approved the orphanage's construction.
Just as nobles only cared about fellow nobles, citizens only cared about their own social class.
No one bothered to glance at the pitiful lives struggling at the bottom.
Why would anyone do such a thing when there was no profit to be gained?
Moreover, free citizens and serfs living near areas with high concentrations of orphans deeply resented their presence.
The orphans stole food, dined and dashed from restaurants, and even robbed drunkards.
From the orphans' perspective, no one offered them jobs, and with so many mouths to feed, they were inevitably driven to illegal activities.
"If we provide them with shelter and food, such crimes will naturally decrease," Agron said.
"I agree completely," Josef, who was guiding them, replied. "I myself started with petty theft out of desperation, and repeated those bad deeds until I ended up where I am now."
Getting the first step right is crucial in anything.
His first step had been theft.
After a year or two, it escalated to robbery, and eventually to assault and murder.
It doesn't take long for a person's life to be guided by a single, misguided path.
Whether the path was paved with flowers or stained with blood, it didn't matter.
"Hmm, if they knew how to hunt, they wouldn't need to steal."
"Huh? Well, learning to hunt would be good, but... they're just kids."
"I've been hunting rabbits, deer, martens, and wild boars since I was seven."
"..."
Josef was speechless, like a mute who'd swallowed honey.
Who exactly are you comparing them to?
"Hunting only requires three things: an eye to spot the prey's path, hands to set the traps, and the strength to snap the neck of the caught game. See? Easy, right?"
"...Yes."
Josef nodded reluctantly.
"Good. From now on, when we build orphanages, we'll have to teach them how to hunt too."
"An excellent idea, Count."
Jacob, standing beside him, applauded enthusiastically in agreement.
Naturally, Josef joined in the applause, forcing an awkward smile.
Building the orphanage would take some time.
Thanks to the City Council of Kotaru sending their best construction workers, the project didn't seem likely to drag on for too long.
Agron gathered the children in the same "Outside" area of the city where he had first met them.
"Today, we're going to clean up."
At Agron's words, the children exchanged puzzled glances and tilted their heads.
It was as absurd as telling a wealthy child, "Today, we're going to slaughter a pig."
Just then, the girl who had first met Agron raised her hand and asked, "Why should we do that?"
"Hmm, good question. First, let me ask you one. What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"What I want to be...? I don't have anything like that."
Sapia, the youngest at around ten years old, replied in a voice as gray as ashes. Her voice held no dreams or hopes.
"Didn't you ever think about becoming a restaurant owner, an adventurer, or just vaguely wanting to be rich?"
"They say you have to kill a lot of people to get rich. But I hate even killing bugs, so that's impossible."
"Hmm, I see."
Agron maintained a neutral expression, but Baek Woon and Josef, standing beside him, looked troubled. The young girl's bleak answer felt like a knife twisting in their hearts.
"If you don't have anything you want to be, then let's start by becoming 'someone who cleans well' today."
"What's good about cleaning well?"
"You get to eat bread and meat."
"Bread...?!"
"Meat?!"
The children swallowed hard, their mouths watering at the thought of the bread and meat that hadn't even been prepared yet.
"Here, put on these gloves, masks, aprons, and shoes," Agron instructed, handing out the supplies.
These items had been donated by Bishop Blanc of the Diocese, who claimed to be acting on God's will and using his "personal funds."
"Wow..."
"These feel so soft!"
"I've never worn anything like this before."
The children's eyes sparkled as they examined the gloves, masks, and aprons—items they had never used before.
For most of them, even the shoes were a first.
Some wore roughly mended shoes scavenged from the streets, but even those were often snatched away by other beggars.
"But if we wear these... the beggar uncles in the middle will get mad at us," one child said, his face etched with worry.
Agron smiled faintly. "Don't worry about that," he reassured them.
"Don't worry about that. Even the beggar uncles will have plenty to keep them busy starting today."
Right now, Jacob, Wolf, and Josef were storming in with Veilain's soldiers to round up the beggars.
They couldn't clear out all the vagrants and street thugs in one sweep, but making a start was crucial.
Once word spread that the Count himself was cracking down on the vagrants, the beggars would have no choice but to be on edge. This would significantly reduce their involvement in human trafficking, drug dealing, and robbery.
Of course, the plan wasn't to simply imprison or punish the captured vagrants and wanderers.
They would all be put to proper use.
"Once you're all equipped, let's start by cleaning up the trash in this area. Ritz, you'll focus on assisting the children and ensuring their safety rather than picking up trash."
"Ah, I understand... sir."
Ritz couldn't tell if the man was a noble or just wealthy.
In truth, only two people here looked like nobles.
One was a young, arrogant man who scowled constantly, his face practically screaming "disgust."
"Hey! I thought you were taking me somewhere important, but you dragged me to this trash heap crawling with beggars!"
"Didn't you hear me, Lawrence? I told you we'd be doing cleanup work."
"You could just order your servants to do this! Ugh! Don't splash that filthy water on me, you damn brat!"
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Instead of cursing at the kid, why don't you pick up some trash yourself?"
"What?! Are you insane?! Do you even know how much this coat cost? These kids could work their whole lives and still not afford one like mine!"
"Hmm, they say clothes make the man," Agron remarked, tossing a glove to the young man.
The young man clenched his fist tightly, then seemed to give up, putting on the glove with a look of despair.
Ritz averted his gaze.
His eyes fell on someone who looked more aristocratic than anyone else here—no, almost like royalty.
"Master, shall I throw that brat into the middle of the junkyard?"
A stunningly beautiful woman, whom Ritz had never seen before in all of Kotaru, glared coldly at the young noble as she spoke.
"Hey! I'm wearing the glove now..."
"Are you putting it on with your mouth? Don't argue with Master. Go pick up the trash before you have time to straighten your back!"
"These crazy lovebirds..."
As the young noble grumbled and left, the woman with snow-white skin and crimson lips smiled with satisfaction.
Those two must be the only nobles here, Ritz thought to himself, then headed toward the area where the other children were cleaning.
"Ugh... hic! Hey, young man over there! Don't just waste your money on prostitutes—spare some for me too!"
A vagrant sprawled in the middle of the alley waved his hand at a passing man.
"A beggar here too, huh?"
"What?! You little shit...! Who are you calling a beggar?! Just give me the money if I ask!"
Enraged by the man's words, the vagrant staggered to his feet and pulled a rusty, dull dagger from his chest.
"Want to die, or hand over the money and scram? Hic! Back in my day, I was a top mercenary in Kotaru—"
"I don't want to hear it, you bum."
Jacob swiftly swung his fist into the vagrant's jaw.
An invisible force struck with incredible speed.
The beggar's jaw twisted, his head spun, and he collapsed to the ground as if unconscious.
Soldiers immediately approached, seized the fallen beggar, and dragged him away.
"Lord Jacob... it seems the rumors have spread. All the other beggars have gone into hiding," Josef said, approaching him.
Jacob wasn't of higher status, but an invisible aura of authority compelled Josef to speak respectfully.
"Is that so? Let's call it a day then."
"Understood."
Instead of heading back to the Count's Mansion, Josef turned toward the beggars' hideout—an abandoned house on the outskirts of Kotaru.
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, the number of abandoned houses in the crime-ridden outskirts of the city increased annually.
Street wanderers pushed out from the central districts gradually migrated to the outskirts, turning the alleys into filthy, uninhabitable places for ordinary families.
Yet the Guard, responsible for maintaining order in the city, offered them no assistance.
The Guard was already overwhelmed by the task of protecting nobles and citizens, leaving them with no resources to spare for freemen or serfs.
With Josef's help, Jacob managed to acquire several of these abandoned, dilapidated houses.
He then began rounding up vagrants, drifters, and thugs from the back alleys and throwing them into these makeshift prisons.
"Their condition isn't as bad as I expected," Jacob muttered, observing the prisoners confined in the dimly lit underground warehouse.
Over twenty people were imprisoned below, yet none dared to defy Jacob or hurl insults at him.
They had witnessed firsthand how quickly those who challenged him met their end.
"Does anyone here have connections?" Jacob asked.
"Connections...?"
"For example, do you know any organizations or have ties to the nobility? If you can prove it, I'll let you go."
A murmur rippled through the crowd before someone raised their hand from the back.
"Step forward," Jacob gestured.
The man hesitated before shuffling toward him.
"Who's your connection?"
"I... I know the Lord."
"Really? Excellent. I'll have you released immediately."
Jacob grinned and clapped the man on the shoulder.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny