Episode 39: Slums
It’s probably around May in Earth’s calendar right now.
Neither hot nor cold, it’s a pleasant time of year.
I spent the winter cooped up in the store, playing with toys in front of the fireplace.
It’s about time I enjoyed the outdoors.
Originally, I was more of an outdoorsy type.
I was born in the countryside of Tohoku, and I played outside every day as a kid.
By the way, my family were landowners. We lived in a pretty big mansion.
I climbed mountains, hunted boar with the old hunter, fished in the river, and helped with farm work…
Those were fun days in their own way.
Maybe that’s why I’m able to live comfortably in this world.
How should I put it, you know, being used to the countryside?
This world is more rural than the countryside of Earth, so a city boy wouldn’t be able to survive.
The sound of insects is loud on summer nights, and the roads are dirtier than in Japan. There’s a lot of socializing, and there are plenty of pests, rats, and bats around. Chickens and pigs are butchered right in front of the stores, and I’ve seen people die many times…
People who were born and raised in the clean spaces of the city would have a hard time with this…
Thankful for my past life, I washed my face, brushed my teeth, ate, fixed my hair, and decided to go out…
“Ah, Sensei.”
“Good morning.”
Oh, kids.
It’s the slum kids.
Val, a boy wearing a modified adult coat, the length adjusted and the waist tied with a string.
Mii, a girl wearing a sarashi, adult pants, and a baggy shirt as a jacket.
It looks like they’re cleaning in front of the house.
“Hey, kids. Are you getting enough to eat?”
“We’re eating enough to not die. But we have to feed the smaller kids, so we’re not eating much…”
Hoh.
Well, that’s the connection between them.
“Wait a minute.”
I went back into the house and took out some bacon from the kitchen.
It’s boar bacon that I hunt regularly.
Lately, I’ve been cooking as a hobby, and I’m distributing the food that I can’t consume myself to acquaintances, like an old lady in the countryside.
This bacon is destined to be left over anyway. I don’t mind giving it away.
I wrapped five blocks of bacon, each probably a kilo, in cloth and tied them with hemp rope.
“Here, it’s bacon. Eat it with the slum kids.”
“I-Is it okay, Sensei?”
“If you don’t eat meat when you’re kids, you won’t have strong bodies. And when you become strong adults, help Hookclaw and everyone around you, okay?”
“T-Thank you!” “Thank you!”
Val and Mii thanked me.
Just by giving them a study using materials available in this world, not the livestock of the “Garden,” they’re so happy. As expected, it’s great to be powerful when everyone around you is poor!
“Oh, right! Hookclaw was calling for you, Sensei!”
“Hmm? What’s the matter?”
“He said, ‘Come over for tea.'”
I see.
In other words, “Pay up and give me a status report.”
I headed to the slums with Val…
“See ya!” “Bye-bye!”
I watched the two children disappear into the depths of the slums and called out to One-Leg, the gatekeeper.
“Yo, One-Leg. I came to see Hookclaw.”
“Oh, Sensei. Do you have business with Hookclaw?”
“No, Hookclaw called for me. It’s the usual.”
“Ah… Then, please come in.”
And so, I entered the slums…
The slums in this city refer to the old city district.
It’s located on the north side of the second city wall, originally a place that served as a fort and barracks.
Speaking of the north, there’s the Frontier Settlement. That’s where the Strider’s front line is, right?
Before that Frontier Settlement was built, before the city was built, this Midford North City District was thriving.
The Striders set out from this Midford North City District, defeated monsters, and opened the way to the north.
In those days, the monster attacks were fierce, and the North City District was stopping them, so the city walls were high and thick, and the forts and barracks were large and sturdy.
And merchants gathered to serve those soldiers and Striders.
Prostitutes, lodging, stalls, restaurants, taverns, weapon shops, pharmacies too…
…But that glory is now a thing of the past.
The Frontier Settlement was developed far north of this city, and the front line was moved up.
As a result, this North City District declined rapidly.
Even if they tried to redevelop it, the sturdy barracks, forts, and city walls were difficult to demolish, and the city, which had been expanded and rebuilt at will with priority given to profits, was more dangerous to tamper with.
Furthermore, because it was such a place, people with a shady past, such as mafia members, fugitives, and criminals, began to hide there, and it was all over.
That’s why it was left unattended and turned into a slum.
It became like the Kowloon Walled City in China, or so the story goes.
That’s the story.
And… this slum.
When you enter, it’s surprisingly lively.
Aren’t there about two thousand people in this small area?
Or does it just look like a lot because the population density is high?
The roads are narrow and dark because of the buildings piled up like Jenga due to illegal construction.
The roads are minimally lit by the light of torches and candles lit here and there, and the sunlight leaking through the gaps in the buildings.
Children in rags run around, and old people with obvious disabilities sit on the edge of the road.
A dirty-looking man pours a soup with a terrible smell that you can’t tell what he’s cooking into a bowl held by a man with one arm.
Well, it’s a terrible place.
But it’s still the better kind of terrible.
There’s a minimum of order…
“Ah, ah? Sensei, is that you, Sensei?”
Oh, I was spoken to by an old woman walking around.
Probably one of my patients, or someone related to them.
It’s not something to brag about, but unlike the decent doctors in the city center, I’ll treat the residents of the slums as long as they pay.
I pride myself on being popular with the people of the slums.
“Ah, it’s Andrews.”
“Ah, ah… Thank you for healing my son’s injury, I heard?”
“Is that so? I don’t really remember anything about my patients except their condition. Well, if you pay, I’ll treat anyone. Come to the store if you need anything.”
“Yes, Sensei. Thank you, thank you…”
I waved to the old woman and moved on…
Then suddenly, someone put their hand on my shoulder from behind.
“Yo, Sensei…”
Now, who could it be…?