“Ugh… I’m done. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“With our lives!”
“Don’t bet your lives. Just handle it smoothly.”
Please don’t prostrate yourselves while crying.
“Alright, I’m leaving the rest to you. Jake will be making the final decisions.”
“Understood, sir!”
Don’t you start crying too.
“Ah, finished, finished.”
One thing led to another, from document sorting to tax rate revisions, budget reviews, changes in the Knights Order’s troop deployment, and deciding on future policies for the territory. Dealing with other minor issues kept me cooped up for about a week.
What have I been doing?
“As expected of our lord, you even possess knowledge of territory management.”
“Well, you know.”
Frankly, it was mostly just based on the data I pulled out. In the Unified Space Force, when we went to undeveloped planets, we sometimes had to maintain order and temporarily govern, depending on the planet’s environment and situation.
The content of governance naturally changed depending on the era and level of civilization, but all sorts of situations were simulated, so anyone could become a ruler by pulling data from there.
Of course, the goal was to eventually hand it over to the local people. If there weren’t any suitable people, rulers were selected from other star systems and brought in, or senior officers would remain as rulers.
I left the town hall and headed towards the store. Then, I noticed a dirty child in the corner of my eye.
“An orphan?”
“Yes. There don’t seem to be many, but they stand out because there’s no orphanage.”
“No orphanage, huh?”
Well, it just costs money.
It’s necessary in areas with frequent wars or monster attacks, but in areas like this where there aren’t many deaths, it’s true that it’s not needed. More than that, if there are Slave Traders, they’ll pick them up.
Those children probably haven’t grown enough to catch the eye of the Slave Traders, so they’re living on the streets.
“Hey, how many of you are there?”
“Huh? Who are you?”
“I’m asking how many children there are, including those who aren’t here.”
As I asked, I took out bread from my Spatial Storage. Then, I handed it to a small child.
“My lord?”
“…What? You planning to make them slaves or something?”
“I won’t enslave them. I’ll give them food, a home, and clothes. Work in exchange.”
“There’s no place for small kids like us to work.”
“There is. I’ll take you there, but if you don’t like it, I’ll let you come back here.”
“…Really? I can’t believe it.”
“Yeah. But you guys want to eat something warm, right? Winter’s coming soon.”
“…That’s true, but…”
I don’t know what the climate is like around here, but it’s already getting pretty cold. It’s going to be a tough season for kids dressed in rags.
“What do you intend to do?”
“Take them to the base. I’m thinking of leaving them to Grandma Hotaru.”
The middle generation of parents was largely lost in the Earth Beast attacks. Plus, the blood has become too concentrated over the years. They need outside blood.
But bringing in adults suddenly won’t work. That became clear when I brought Heinz and Fiorina. So, I should have the base’s elderly and adults raise them from childhood.
“More than anything, it’s good that they’re weaker than the kids there.”
The kids at the base are receiving elite education to survive in the Black Forest, one way or another. It’s almost presumptuous to compare them to kids just living on the streets. There’s a clear hierarchy.
“Eat. If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it.”
“We’ll eat it!”
The children eagerly put the bread they received from me into their mouths. I also took out cups and gave them lukewarm water.
The children were surprised that it wasn’t just water and their eyes widened.
“To Hotaru-sama?”
“Yeah. I can’t leave the base as it is, either. So?”
I asked the biggest child, who seemed to be the representative of the children. Still very small, though.
“…Six. At least, that’s who I know.”
“One’s missing?”
“Probably scavenging for scraps at the inn.”
“Will they come here?”
“I don’t know, but probably.”
“Alright, let’s wait.”
Before long, the child they mentioned came.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Just in case, I moved to Heinz’s store to perform a Spatial Jump. We moved to the basement and had them go through the Spatial Jump.
“Awesome! We came out from under the house!”
“The mountains are so tall!”
“It’s so warm!”
The children are energetic.
“Grandma Hotaru.”
“Your Majesty, these children are…?”
“Orphans from outside.”
“They’re at such a cute age. But they’re all girls.”
“The boys were probably taken away.”
Even if they’re small, boys are used as labor if they have strength. Especially Beastmen children. Conversely, girls tend not to be taken if they’re too small. It wouldn’t have been the same if they were a little older.
“Did you think they were necessary?”
“Yes, yes. Leave it to me. Those who have lost children will be happy.”
“I don’t plan to increase them any further… for now.”
“Understood. We’ll see how it goes on our end, but this number shouldn’t be a problem.”
Grandma Hotaru is also narrowing her eyes as she looks at the children. The number of adults of childbearing age is small, but they’ve been living in a closed village. The concentration of blood must have been a problem.
“Do you have any requests regarding their education?”
“Not really, but make sure they’re well-fed and have fun. Don’t be too strict right away.”
“Understood. Now, now, don’t run around yet. Let’s get you some clothes first!”
Grandma Hotaru immediately clapped her hands to get the children’s attention.
“Hana! Shizuka! Come here!”
“Yes!”
She called the children who were originally at the base.
“These are the new kids who will be under you. Take care of their bathing duty.”
“Ehh!”
“You were taught by your older sisters, right? Do the same thing. Okay?”
“Yes!”
They’re about the same age. I hope the children get along well.
“If you really don’t get along, tell me and I’ll send you back to where you were.”
“Yes. But well, however, we might not be able to send them back.”
As she said that, Grandma Hotaru sent a glance to the grandmothers who were eagerly waiting. They’ve already started sorting clothes, so their motivation is different.
It was amazing with Fiorina, but this time it’s even smaller children. The grandmothers’ enthusiasm is on a whole other level.