CH 360

–A few hours after sharing the food with Ornob and the others.

I talked to them and asked about the situation, and they told me that the girl and the person who looked like her mother were parent and child, but Ornob and the old lady were complete strangers.

The only slave was Ornob, and he said that since the king had been replaced by Afmand-san, things had become a little easier and they were no longer forced to work from morning till night.

But when the other three were about to be turned into slaves because they couldn’t pay their taxes, Ornob-san, who was taking a break, couldn’t stand the sight of them and fled without anything with them from another town.

I don’t want to say too much, but I frowned upon the idea of being too good-natured ……

“Hmm …… I think everyone’s going to wake up now? What are you guys going to do from now on?”

“…… I have no idea. If the town is a little farther away, it won’t be too difficult to hide and work, so we’ll head there.”

“You’re taking the three of them with you?”

I turned to the three who’s sleeping and said, looking straight at me, nodded slowly and opened his mouth.

“Yeah. I want to take care of them at least until they can live a normal life. I don’t have any memories, but when I look at this mother and child, I feel a tightness in my chest. That’s why I can’t leave them behind.”

Ornob-san seems to have no memory, and when he came to, he had become a slave. He barely recognized himself by name because the watchman knew him, but he wouldn’t tell him who he was, and he had been working as a slave for fifteen or sixteen years. He has a scar on the back of his head, which suggests that he probably lost his memory when someone hit him.

“I see. …… By the way, is there a condition for being freed from slavery?”

“Hmm? It varies from person to person. Some people only need to work for taxes, while criminal slaves can be used as bait in harsh mines or to defeat monsters for several decades. These three are not slaves, so as long as they go to other towns to earn money and pay taxes, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Come to think of it, Ornob-san has been a slave for a long time, hasn’t he? Why did they make you a slave? You don’t seem the type of person that will commit crimes, is it the money?”

“Yeah–“

Well, there was a huge difference in poverty, so I thought that would be the case, but I asked him somehow. And Ornob-san tried to say something, but he held his head and started shaking.

“Why ……? Now that you mention, why …… Ugh …… My head hurts …… They said I’m a  traitor …… It hurts …… Ugh ……!?”

“What’s wrong!? …… Calm down and exhale slowly. Yes, take a deep breath. Drink some water, too.”

“Hah …… hah …… T-Thanks …… I can’t remember …… why am I ……”

“If you have that much amnesia, you shouldn’t push yourself. Maybe there were some circumstances ……? Ornob-san doesn’t seem like a bad guy.”

“That’s nice of you to say that. But if I’m a criminal and just forgot about it, then …… they’re right …… I’m …….”

But there’s no way to be sure now, Ornob-san said, shaking his head and slumping his shoulders. The best thing to do would be to hide yourself in another town or even a village, because you’re sure to get into a lot of trouble if you keep running back.

I don’t know how much time he has left in his sentence, but I hope that Ornob-san, who think about others survives.

As I was talking about this, Makina came down from the back of the carriage, rubbed her eyes and called out to me.

“Fuah …… Good morning, Lars …… Who are they!?”

Makina backed away in surprise at the three of them using Radia as a pillow. Ash had woken up once, but had fallen asleep again in the arms of the little girl. The girl was frightened, so I asked her to stay with him.

“Good morning, Makina. Some things happened on in the middle of the night. We’re going to move before the sun comes up, so I thought I’d wake you guys up soon.”

“H-Hmmm …… What the heck happened ……?”

As soon as Fath-san and Basleigh-sensei woke up after the confused Makina, I quickly put the four of them in the back of the carriage and left the plaza.

With me, Basleigh-sensei, and Makina walking with Schneider and the others, and Fath-san sitting on the driver’s seat, it should not be easy to tell that Ornob-san and the others are there.

“I see, taxes, huh. In my country, we work together to find money for you, and if you don’t have a job, we can help you find one.”

“Yes …… We have waited, but ever since my husband cheated on me and ran away, our debt has been going through the roof ……”

“Uwah, he’s the worst!? It’s been hard on you, Dasha-chan, even though you’re still so small ……”

Dasha-chan is the little girl that Makina mentioned. Her mother is called Yukuta.

And–

“I’ve lost the will to live since my husband passed away …… I was about to die when Ornob saved me ……”

“I know how you feel, but there is nothing good about taking your own life. It may be difficult to find a purpose for living in this country, but should go and see your husband with your hearts full, Rata.”

“You’re right ……”

The old lady’s name was Rata, and Fath-san, who was about the same age as her, became the one she can talk to. We heard about their situation, but our goal was to find Dibit-san in this country, so we wondered that it would be difficult for them to go with us. Then Ornob-san asked me.

“Speaking of which, what are Lars-kun and the others doing here,? From your equipment, I’d say you’re adventurers. Are you looking for treasure in ruins or dungeons?”

“No, we’re just looking for someone. His name is Dibit and he’s about the same age as Fath-san.”

“I don’t know him …… I’m sorry I can’t be of more help ……”

“Mmm …… I am a slave, so I’m not familiar with people ……”

I waved my hand in reply as Yukuta-san and Ornob-san bowed apologetically.

“Ahhh, that’s okay. I was planning to ask the people in town, after all. Since this town seems safe for now, why don’t we ask the four of you to stay in the carriage and we’ll gather information?”

“You’re right. We’ll have Fath-san and Radina-san to stay behind and quickly ask for information. We’ll find out soon enough when we get to the guild.”

Basleigh-sensei said this while holding up her index finger, and what we’ll is decided. It’s not like we’re all going to leave with a stranger in the carriage. Fath-san is a skilled person and would be a good choice to stay behind.

We soon left the carriage and headed for the guild. On the way, Basleigh-sensei opened her mouth in disapproval as she looked around the town.

“I think It was about two years ago that King Afmand changed. Well, that makes it difficult to easily change what has been going on, but the lack of work is another thing. It’s a question of the country and the king’s ability.”

“I’ve learned in class that it’s a supply-side problem. I thought the country had to take the initiative in creating jobs?”

Makina asked me, and I answered with my own thoughts.

“That’s part of it, but I think the biggest problem is the slaves. Originally, there was work for normal people to do, and slaves were supposed to fill in the gaps. But in this country, there are too many slaves, and the work is given to the slaves, and the work is not given to the people who normally live in the country.”

“I see. Well, it seems that the previous king had the foolish idea that slaves could increase the workforce by keeping wages low, so it’s a situation that came to pass. That’s why we have to wait and see what King Afmand will do. Now, let’s go!”

It was lively. We went through the door of the guild, looking at the lively but somewhat poor-looking streets.

I guess they don’t know where the wizard’s location is ……

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

“The lines are starting to connect, so it will be interesting to see how they’ll join up with Helena. “

I think It could get pretty complicated here? And someone to talk to Grandma!

“An unexpected interaction with Grandma ……”