Episode 31: The Other Side of Gratitude
~Side Ochcho~
Something really strange happened today, ya know~.
Lately, there’s been a shortage of Orc meat, see. Apparently, high-ranking Adventurers are all off on high-difficulty quests, and there aren’t any Adventurers left who can hunt Orcs, ya know~. Because of that, it seems some people have even been kidnapped by Orcs, see.
It’s gotten to the point where we can’t just ignore the Orcs, so I heard the Knights were being dispatched to hunt them, and I was hoping things would get a little better, but it seems they found the Orc settlement, but there wasn’t even a single rat, let alone an Orc, ya know~.
Because of that, the Orc Tei where I work is in a bit of a pinch, ya know.
The shop’s meat stock ran out yesterday, and the boss… I mean, the master was getting frustrated, saying we’d have to close the shop today, ya know~.
Then, when I went out to the backyard to throw out the trash, that’s when it happened, see. A plump Orc was lying there in the backyard, ya know~. I could tell right away it was dead, but I was so surprised I immediately called for the boss… the master, see~.
At first, the master didn’t believe me. Well, of course, he wouldn’t, ya know. Who would believe that such a big Orc could be brought here without anyone noticing, ya know?
But since the Orc was actually there, the master had no choice but to believe it, I guess.
From there, the master was really cool, see. He said he’d use the fallen Orc for cooking without hesitation, ya know~. What courage he has, ya know?
Thanks to that, we managed to keep the shop open today, somehow, see. What made me happiest was being able to share the Orc meat with that kitty, ya know.
In the end, I don’t know who left that Orc there, but I’m not smart enough to think about it, so I gave up, ya know.
~Side Fruit Shop Auntie~
It was this morning, a little while after I set up my stall as usual. After I finished serving the first customers of the day, I heard a cute meow from behind me. When I turned around, the kitty I had shared Leengo fruit with before was sitting neatly on the table.
In front of it was a beautiful Leengo fruit. It was a perfect fruit without a single scratch, so I wondered how this kitty had brought it, but when I saw the kitty nudging the Leengo fruit with its paw, it clicked.
This kitty wanted me to peel the Leengo, I realized.
I immediately took out a knife from under the table and peeled the Leengo for it. After peeling it, of course, I didn’t forget to cut it into easy-to-eat pieces.
The cute kitty ate the Leengo fruit with relish. While it was eating, I got to pet its head. Its fur was so soft and its texture was amazing.
But, you know, it disappeared again when I looked away for just a moment. It’s a shame. But, strangely, there was another Leengo fruit on the table. I guess that kitty must have left it there… was it a thank you for the Leengo fruit I gave it before? Still, I wonder where it was hiding it? Now that I think about it, it was a very strange event.
~Side Orphanage Sister~
My name is Maria. I’m one of the Sisters working at the orphanage built in the Royal Capital. This orphanage has a long history, apparently existing for 200 years. It seems the building has been rebuilt, but even so, it’s been about 100 years since it was built. Thanks to the Sisters who have worked here over the generations, the building is old but clean, and I think it’s still more than suitable for people to live in.
The central building is quite large, with a chapel, a dining hall, and a playground for the children. On either side are the boys’ and girls’ dormitories, where many children and several Sisters live.
Orphanages have a reputation for being poor, and the orphanage here in the Royal Capital is no exception, with a rather difficult life. Of course, we receive some support from the country, but it’s not nearly enough considering the number of children. This Royal Capital has a large population, and the number of orphans is proportional to that. Furthermore, children from nearby villages are constantly coming to the Royal Capital to work… or rather, to reduce the number of mouths to feed in their villages.
But the number of those who actually find decent work is very small. Most of them either end up hiding in abandoned houses in the Slums or are taken in by this orphanage.
I myself am from this orphanage. I lived here for 10 years, from the age of 5 to 15. Then, I was allowed to attend a school run by the church for 3 years. After getting my qualifications there, I returned to this orphanage at the age of 18. I’ve been working as a Sister at this orphanage for 5 years since then.
One way or another, I’ve been living in this orphanage for about 18 years, but today, something happened that was the happiest, and also a little strange, in those 18 years.
It was after noon. A younger Sister than me came to me, who was cleaning up after lunch, in an excited state.
“Maria-san, please come here!”
Her urgency made me worry for a moment that something bad had happened to the children, but seeing the young Sister’s happy face, I was relieved that it didn’t seem to be anything bad.
I was half-dragged by the young Sister to the chapel. She led me to the altar in the chapel, pointed to a corner of the room, and shouted, “Look!”
Wondering what was going on, I looked in the direction she was pointing, and I understood why she was so excited.
There were about 10 Horned Rabbits and a mountain of colorful fruits piled up there. It wasn’t there before lunch, so someone must have left it while we were eating. Even so, I don’t remember receiving such a large donation at once, even when I was an orphan. Even I, who usually try to maintain a cool and collected demeanor, couldn’t help but shout, “Wow!”
I asked the Sister who brought me here to quickly call the other Sisters.
The Sisters who came immediately checked the mountain of food with me. There were 10 Horned Rabbits. The fruits, such as Leengo, Mikkans, and Budo, would last for a week even if we all ate them every day. The children who had heard the commotion were also very excited to see this treasure trove.
“Tonight’s dinner will be Horned Rabbit meat!”
When I told the gathered children that, their excitement reached its peak. It’s no wonder, when was the last time they had a proper meat dish? Moreover, they haven’t had the meat of Monsters, which is much more delicious than animal meat, in the last few years. It’s no wonder the children are excited. I was a little excited myself.
Then, I said to the excited children.
“Everyone, let’s offer a prayer of thanks to the person who gave us so much food.”
The children replied energetically and went with me to the altar, but there, a girl named Amy, who had just turned four, said something strange.
“It wasn’t a person, it was a kitty!”
For a moment, I didn’t understand what she was saying. The children around me were also dumbfounded.
“Amy saw it! When the kitty sat there, lots of fruits appeared!”
Amy-chan continued to explain to us, who were stunned. Of course, such a story is unbelievable, but Amy-chan is not the type to lie, and there was no one else who saw it. I know it’s not good to dismiss what a child says out of hand, so I decided to go along with what Amy-chan said.
“Everyone, maybe the Cat God shared the food with us. Let’s all offer a prayer of thanks to the Cat God.”
The little children replied energetically with sparkling eyes at my words. Amy-chan looked as if she had brought the fruit herself, with a “how about that” look on her face.
I love seeing the children’s smiles. I offered a prayer of thanks from the bottom of my heart to the person who brought so much food and smiles to the children of this orphanage, or maybe it really was a cat.