The Otherworld Antique Bookstore is a Life-Risk Chapter 11

 

Chapter 11: Let's Go to the Orphanage

 

"So this 'renovation' thing will happen in six months, huh?"

After returning to the mansion, I reported the results of today's discussion at White Trading Company to Bergana and the butler, Yuke.

My plan was generally approved, and financial support was confirmed.

"I'll report this to Lady Laviola. Is that okay?"

"In that case, please also get permission to request magic replenishment work from the skeleton mages in the labyrinth's book management section."

We'll need them to keep costs down, as we'll be reusing spent life magic books and using many magic stones in the renovated store's equipment.

Of course, if the magic toilet development is successful, we'll need a large number of magic stones for that as well.

"But toilets, huh? I don't know what good it'll do to put so much effort into such things, but since President White is pushing for it, give it a try."

Bergana didn't seem to grasp the value of the magic toilet.

"By the way, I saw a book about innate abilities in the store. How can I find out my own innate ability?"

"What's this all about, suddenly?"

"Since I'm a reincarnated person, I don't know what powers I have or what I can do. I thought if I knew, I might be able to do more."

Innate abilities are like skills or talents, and they apparently exist in this world too. Yuke answered this question.

"It's customary for people to check their innate abilities once at the church during their coming-of-age ceremony."

"So if I go to the church, I can find out?"

"Yes, but we undead are mortal enemies of the church. Moreover, church grounds are extraterritorial, and this country's laws don't apply there. If we went, it would certainly lead to bloodshed."

"..."

"Yuki, to be precise, it's called the Orthodox Church. They're a group that propagates a human supremacist doctrine. It's better not to get involved with them."

 

"So what should I do?"

"Wouldn't Lady Nagaren, one of the Deep Labyrinth's kin, have the power to see innate abilities?"

"I see. Then Bergana, please pass that message along too. Tell her I'll visit sometime."

"Alright, understood."

 

* * *

 

The next morning, I run down the usual slope with my arms spread wide, cutting through the wind.

"Good morning!"

I cheerfully arrive at the main store in the royal capital, though I'll be heading out soon.

Tubai raises an eyebrow when he sees me appear with a bag full of two-colored strings.

"Miss, what are you going to do with those?"

"It's not me who's going to do something, Mr. Tubai. It's you."

"Huh?"

"As a result of discussions with White Trading Company, it's been decided that this store will be renovated into one for general customers. We'll reduce the specialized books to about a quarter of what we have now. Mr. Tubai, please use your expertise to select books: red strings for essential books to keep on the shelves, black strings for supplementary books to store in the shop's warehouse, and no string for books to be sent to the warehouse district."

"The deadline?"

"About seven days."

"Tch, that's unreasonable."

I give a thumbs up to encourage Tubai, who turns away and starts puffing on his pipe, then leave the store to take care of the next task.

Tubai didn't say he couldn't do it. That's what a capable man would say. Surely.

My job today is to secure laborers to transport the large number of unnecessary books selected by Tubai to the warehouse in the warehouse district.

According to Mr. White, professional porters are already exclusively employed by various merchants, making it difficult to find new ones. Hiring laborers from the slums would be cheap, but there's a saying among merchants: "Don't let them carry food or valuables." Many of them tend to steal goods and disappear.

So, the suggestion was to hire children from the orphanage.

They're aware that they're children and will work patiently even for slightly lower wages. Above all, if they steal, it would lower the reputation of the orphanage and affect job opportunities for all their peers, so there's a considerable safety guarantee against theft. If we treat them well, they'll work with high expectations.

Mr. White also asked me to prioritize giving jobs to these children if there's work they can do.

That's why I'm now heading to the orphanage.

It's located on the western edge of the residential area, just before the church.

On a street with few passersby, I spot two men disappearing into an alley, one of them covering a small girl's mouth. I instinctively think I need to follow them.

I desperately chase after the men, trying not to lose sight of them as they run through the alley.

As I turn a corner, I find myself in a small open area behind some ruins, where the two men are waiting for me.

"This one looks like she'd sell for a good price too."

One of the men approaches me with a smirk and a confident expression.

I suddenly realize something.

I remember being scolded by Bergana for not buying a weapon for self-defense when I was told to stock up on daily necessities.

I was taught that even if I couldn't use it, having a decent weapon hanging from my waist would make others think I could handle it and act as a deterrent.

Yuke suggested a slightly larger knife would be good, and I had planned to buy one before work today, but I completely forgot after feeling safe just buying the strings.

So now I'm unarmed, which explains the man's confidence.

"Take this, double snowball!"

The man flinches from my sudden attack. The snowballs do no damage, but I launch the same attack again. This time, the man clutches his face and rolls on the ground.

"Secret technique: Shadow Feather!"

Well, I just threw two snowballs with stones inside, but they hit their mark. This opens up a path to the man holding the girl in the back. I dash towards him without hesitation.

From here, the only effective surprise attack I can do is a jumping kick to the face.

The man throws the girl to the ground and blocks my kick with his crossed arms, but this frees the girl.

"Run away!" I shout to the girl while aiming punches at the man's stomach since I can't reach his face easily, trying to draw his attention.

"You're annoying!"

I stumble back after taking a powerful punch to the face. The man I hit with stones has recovered, and now both are closing in on me. The girl seems to have escaped, but I'm cornered with my back against the wall.

Facing the two men, I clench my fists and take a stance.

I'm not a complete amateur. I may not look it, but I have a first-degree black belt in Shorinji Kempo.

I try my best, but due to the overwhelming difference in physique and my lack of real combat experience, I'm repeatedly punched and kicked in the face and stomach.

I lean against the wall on my knees, but my fighting spirit isn't broken yet. Don't underestimate the blood of the former warrior race, the Japanese.

"Aaaaaah!"

In a desperate charge, I leap at one of the men, clawing at his face. When the other man tries to restrain my flailing arms, I bite his arm.

I reel back after taking a powerful elbow to the face. My nose might be broken. Then both men pin me to the ground.

"What a wild mare of a woman."

I can't move anymore. Is this the end?

However, when whistle sounds start echoing from all over the town, the men click their tongues and say "This is bad" before running away. Released from the pressure, I lie on my back looking up at the blue sky when the girl from earlier peers down at me.

"Big sis, are you okay?"

All I could do was laugh. The pain in my face that had felt distant just moments ago is already gone.

The scrapes on my arms and legs and the blue-purple bruises visibly disappear and return to normal before my eyes.

As expected of Lady Laviola's kin, I guess this means I have incredible regenerative powers.

I get up with a "Yup."

"Hey!" A man's voice suddenly calls out. Are there more of their accomplices?

I hide the girl behind me and spread my arms wide, standing in front of the man.

A slightly cocky-looking, lanky young man walks towards us.

"Are you ladies alright? The vigilante group will be here soon."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Huey, a wanderer. Don't worry, I'll protect you until everyone arrives."

He says this while flexing his small muscles, which isn't very reassuring. But he doesn't seem like a bad person.

After a while, a group of about ten armed individuals appears. They seem to be the self-defense force organized by the merchant guild I've heard about.

"Captain, over here!"

"Huey, escort these ladies home. Captain's orders. The rest of us will pursue those villains."

"Yes, understood!"

Huey stands at attention and raises his voice.

"What kind of wanderer belongs to an organization?"

"Oh, that. I just thought having a title would sound cooler."

"..."

"Well, it doesn't matter. So, where should I escort you to?"

"Mister, I'm from the orphanage."

"It's 'big brother,' but alright, let's go."

Huey starts walking after hearing only the girl's words. Does he think I'm from the orphanage too? Well, we're going to the same place, so it's fine.

I thanked Huey and said goodbye in front of the orphanage. He was a nice person.

 

* * *

 

"By the way, who are you, big sis?"

The girl asks me a reasonable question. How should I explain it in a way she'll understand?

"I want to talk to the person in charge. Can you tell them that someone from Mr. White has come?"

"Okay, I got it."

The girl disappears into the orphanage, and after a while, two women hurriedly come out. They're nuns. I hope they're not associated with the church; that would be scary.

"I'm Yuki, the person in charge of the used book division at White Trading Company."

"I'm Janice, the director of the orphanage. This is Sister Sakuya."

We exchange greetings, and I briefly explain my purpose. When they learn that my visit is about employing the orphans, their expressions soften, and they guide me into the orphanage.

I also tell them about the earlier incident. The director and sister hurriedly question the girl and scold her sternly.

"Please, take a look at how the children are studying as well."

Director Janice seizes the opportunity to promote the children. I'm also interested in the academic abilities of the orphanage children, so I gladly accept her offer.

The orphanage's education is divided into three age groups: up to 5 years old for learning to read and write, up to 10 years old for basic grammar and arithmetic, and 11 years and older for advanced arithmetic and etiquette.

Arithmetic covers addition and subtraction, while advanced arithmetic deals with multiplication and division.

In this world, children generally become adults and enter society at 13. The only exception is for students attending the Royal Academy, who are considered adults upon graduation.

This means that the children at the orphanage approaching 13 years old should have mastered reading, writing, calculation, and etiquette. That's impressive.

Currently, there are 24 children in the orphanage, of which 8 are 11 years or older. And I've found potential employees: two girls approaching 13 who haven't secured jobs yet.

I requested Director Janice to send ten children, starting with the oldest, as porters in seven days and discussed the details of their daily wages.

Afterward, I asked for the two girls I had noticed earlier to be called in, and we had a four-way interview with Director Janice present.

Well, saying "used bookstore clerk" is too specific for them to understand.

Both girls seem happy to find work, but their expressions show they're troubled because they can't imagine what they'll be doing.

So, we agreed that they would come to the main store in seven days for a trial employment to decide what to do after experiencing the work.

When study time ends, the children start running around inside and outside the building, and their cheerful voices can be heard as they play.

My business is finished, but I stay for a while, chatting with Director Janice and Sister Sakuya over tea.

Curious, I ask about the church, but this topic makes Director Janice very displeased.

"Human supremacism is nonsense."

There are beastmen and demi-human children among the orphans. Apparently, the church had told them to expel non-human children from the orphanage if they wanted church support.

When I ask why such a church exists in the Calito Kingdom, they explain that allowing the church to be built and spread its teachings is a gesture of goodwill towards the northern empire. It's a political consideration.

"There are some good people among them who reach out to help us," Sister Sakuya defends, but it doesn't improve Director Janice's mood.

"Sister Meat is here!"

One of the children opens the door and shouts. Suddenly, the outside of the building becomes noisy with children's cheers.

"It seems someone from the church has arrived," Sister Sakuya says as she stands up. Curious, I follow her.

There, surrounded by children, is a young man in priest's robes. Under his robes, he wears iron armor and has a morning star hanging from his waist.

The cart he's pulling has several large, already butchered pieces of meat loaded on it.

The children repeatedly call him "Meat Man" and cheer loudly.

(A person who brings lots of meat, indeed a "Meat Man.")

"Lord Haku, thank you as always."

"This is the only support I can provide."

The man in priest's robes, called Haku, responds shyly to Sister Sakuya's words.

I blend in with the children and ask this Haku person a few questions. He answers everything without hesitation.

His name is Haku Ou. Originally the fifth son of an imperial noble family, he was sent to the church upon reaching adulthood. When asked why someone from the human supremacist church supports this orphanage, he explains, "It's not the children's fault they weren't born human. Therefore, offering them help until they reach adulthood doesn't contradict our doctrine."

So, he registered as an adventurer to support the orphanage personally, hunting monsters and bringing their meat. I was impressed by his proactive attitude.

His current worry is that none of the children call him "Haku," but instead call him "Niku" (meat).

But this Haku seems to have feelings for Sister Sakuya.

I asked him what he thinks about intelligent monsters.

"I'd kill them," Haku declares, clenching his fist.

"Especially the undead. Such impure beings shouldn't exist. Only purified undead are good undead. Whether they're intelligent or not doesn't matter."

I involuntarily step back.

"By the way, who are you?"

"Just a passing merchant, hehe."

The church is really scary after all.

 

* * *

 

When I return to the main store in the royal capital, Tubai is working hard on his own, so I help out until closing time.

Back at the mansion, I report today's eventful day to Bergana.

"You were punched in the face multiple times?!"

"Someone kicked Yuki's stomach repeatedly..."

Both Bergana and Yuke pale and tremble, but I'm fine except for some torn clothes and no injuries. I jump around to show how energetic I am.

I don't want to get scolded by Bergana, you know. I did my best because I don't want to be scolded.

Bergana says "That's enough" and lets me go. I'm relieved.

I return to my room, have a late-night snack, and go to bed because I need to sort books with Tubai again tomorrow. Good night.

While Yuki is sleeping spread-eagled on her bed, Bergana and ten shadows line up on the roof of Bergana's mansion, radiating killing intent.

"The targets are two men: one with scratch marks on his face and another with bite marks on his arm. Now everyone, let's begin our fun hunting time."

Bergana's eyes glow ominously as he raises his hand to the sky, signaling the shadows in the form of a butler, cook, and maids to scatter in all directions.

Bergana's body floats in the air, stopping in front of the window of Yuki's second-floor room.

"Really, what a troublesome princess."

Leaving behind these sarcastic words, Bergana too melts into the darkness of the night.

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