....

....

Squeak!

Gow!

What are you doing, boy?

　I'm conducting a mysterious battle with a group of children who are staring at each other from the alleyway, and then I'm like, "Hurry up!　And Ekla busts her wings and Clondine bashes my leg. The old man in the stall sees this and lets out a dumbfounded voice.

'Old man. Where are those kids at that alley?

　When he gives the skewers to Ekra and the others, Ekra holds them dexterously with her paws and eats them, while Clondine puts them on her left foot to keep them from landing on the ground. In the meantime, I ask him about the kids and he looks at them and the old man is reluctant. Is there some reason for this?

They're war orphans. They are war orphans, whose parents died in this war. Some of them were drafted into this war, and others were sent out to defend their territory when soldiers came to their territory last time, and they haven't come back.

....

　That's right. We were happy that we won the war, but behind the scenes, there are people who were affected by it. There are five or six of them just now. They vary in age. There's probably more than that.

'Old man, give those kids a spit-roast, too.

Are you sure?　It's not like we know each other, right?

'I don't mind. What you're doing is just hypocritical, but it's better than not doing it. Besides, you're an old man.

　As soon as Pops saw the kids, he knew what kind of kids they were. Maybe they are raising the leftovers. The war has been over for several months. And yet, although the children are dirty, none of them are skinny and weak. Maybe they just aren't here.

　And when the old man hears my story and calls the children, he runs to them without warning, saying, "Toto-toto," because he knows the children will give him something to do. He knew that they would give me the money.

He said, "Hey, Bozuzu. He said, "Hey, Bozuzu, this guy is buying you a spit-roast!　Come on, eat!

Wow!

　The kids got a freshly grilled skewer from the old man and ate it first. Yes, kids need to eat to grow up. I'm a child of their age, too. In terms of mental age, I'm almost 30 years old. ...Let's stop thinking about it. I'm 13 now, almost 14.

　I talk to the old man, with the kids chewing on spit-roasts by my side. I heard that the orphans in this territory are fewer than in other territories, although the old man has also heard about it.

　The reason is because the previous lord ran away early and didn't get into much of a battle. Whether that's good or bad, it's hard to say, but as far as the lack of orphans is concerned, it's better.

'Are the merchants coming?'

Hardly ever. Didn't the Empire of Regalia have a truce with a bunch of countries?　That's why we didn't get many merchants from other countries. Most of them were merchants from within the Regalia Empire, but they too have fled to the current empire. The merchants that are left are all small shops too.

　I heard that the current food and other supplies are supplemented by the animals and demons that the adventurers have defeated. Some of those adventurers have also joined the war and have reduced their numbers, so the amount of food that comes in is said to be less than before.

'Come to think of it, I've never seen Bowles before. Did you come here today?

Hmm?　Oh. There was a delegation from the Kingdom of Nanor today. That's what I'm here about.

Ah. Yeah. You're in charge of the Kingdom of Nanor now, so you're in charge of it. Rumor has it she's a princess, right?　You're more trustworthy than some unknown lord.

　The old man laughs with a gahaha. The kids found themselves finishing their spit-roasts and flirting with Ekra and the others. ........Clondine is quiet. It's just that she's so intimidated by me. It's a mystery to me.

　After having had some fun, the kids went back to their homes. It seems to be just a group of children who have no parents and are gathering in an empty house.

　An old man was secretly handing out leftovers for the children who remained at home. He's such a nice guy.

　Then we left the stall and walked around the city. With the growing problem of orphans, we wondered what we should do about it, but we'd have to discuss this with Alexia.

　Then there's the problem of the merchants not coming to the city. I'm sure if things get a little more secure, merchants will come from other countries, but we'll run out of food before then.

　And it would take a long time to get them to come from Nanor. In terms of distance, it's still faster to have the merchants from Regalia come to us. This is also on hold because we can't proceed without going to the Regalia Empire.

　As I was walking around the city looking at the city while thinking about it, I saw a building that was larger than the other shops. That sign with the crossed swords and shields is the Adventurer's Guild? There must be a rabbi inside.

　Ekla also understood that, pointing towards the Adventurer's Guild while crying "Curle~". Clondine too, "Gawp!" at that. I reply and run off. Totally, those guys.

　I follow the two bodies into the Adventurer's Guild. It's a deserted and lonely place inside. There are only a few adventurers here and there, and the tavern on the second floor is quiet.

　There are only a handful of guild employees. There aren't many requests for help. There.

Did the kid come to you with a request?

　And a stern man with a skinhead speaks to me. For a moment I thought he was an adventurer, but looking at his clothes, he was wearing guild clothes, so he must be a guild employee. Maybe he's a former adventurer or something.

''No. I followed those kids as they walked in.

　I point to Clondine and Ekla riding on her back as she strides proudly through the guild.

'Is that ... a dragon?　What do you have with you, kid?

　A stern man comes looking at me with a very surprised expression on his face. That face is pretty scary too.

''He's one of mine. More importantly, has a rabbit race woman named Rabbi come here?

'Rabbi?　...Oh, yeah, I'm here. He's got some heavy shit with him. Those two guys have already left. What did you need?

No. I used to know him. He said he was going to work here.

'Oh, that's the thing. I'm sorry, but I had to decline. As you can see, the requests and the number of adventurers have been dwindling. We don't have the money to hire them. And we're in a situation where all but the guild staff who are here now are taking a break. It's like the guildmaster has run off with the lord and I'm filling in for him.

　You certainly can't hire me then, can you? Hmm. Maybe I can get Rabbi to help me with the paperwork. I've been a receptionist, so I'm sure he can do it.

ÒOkay, excuse me. 'Ekla, Klondine. Let's go!

Cui!

Gawd!

　We left the Adventurer's Guild and looked around the city for a bit before returning to the mansion. The city was pretty big and we didn't get to see everything, so we decided to split it up into a few days.

　And five days after we arrived at the royal estate, a messenger from the Regalia Empire arrived.