Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~

Chapter 13: Miracle and Compensation

We chased the boy down, and the sight made us feel nauseated.

“This is, so cruel.”

A ten year old girl is fallen on the ground, covered with bruises and blood gashing out all over her body. Most likely, she was hit by many people. There are several children gathering around and calling her. The boy who stole Faruno’s pouch is there too.

“Oi, wake up, Mille! Mille, come on!” The boy frantically jolts the battered body of the girl.

I step behind him and stop his swaying.

“What are you doing, old man!?”

“Who’s old man!? I’m only fifteen!”

“That’s still old!”

Those ten year old children can only see it that way, huh?

“Never mind that. Her head is probably hit as well. Don’t rock her, you’ll only make it worse.” My tone leaves no room for refusal, so he can only stop and take a step back.

“Tha-that’s, no way, oi, you, are you a doctor?”

“I’m not, but I have some understanding in this area.”

I’ve read considerable amount of doctor-related books, and because there is no doctor in the pioneering village, my experience in dealing with medical care has been stacking up.

“I beg you. Please, please save Mille!”

“I’m planning to do that. That’s why I’m following you here. Letting a child die leaves a bad taste, after all.”

I lift the girl’s upper torso, continuing the medical examination. Clearly, this is the worst that could happen. Her ribs are fractured, piercing into her lung. Moreover, I can see that the bone fractures occur all over her body, leaving inner bleeding in her viscera.

“Oi, how is it? Can you make her better?”

“It’ll be too late to use normal means.”

I reply while applying emergency measures. No matter how excellent of a doctor he can find, in the situation of this scale, she cannot be healed. She can only wait for her death.

My words drained the color from the boy’s face.

“Why, why!? Mille mustn’t die.”

“And aren’t you the one who knows that better than anyone?”

I curtly reply to the boy’s laments.

“…….What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that it’s a retribution coming back to your ass.”

“Th, that’s, we’re just doing anything we can to stay alive.”

I exhausted all the knowledge of normal medical care that I knew to generally use stopgap measure. From now onwards, if I don’t use my magic, there’s nothing else that I can do.

“I’ve done everything that I can, more or less.”

“I have to thank you. Mille’s face has regained some color.”

“I don’t need your thanks, because I didn’t save her. I only made her condition a bit easier. The only thing that awaits her is still death.”

It’s saddening but this is the limit.

“Still, thank you. I’m happy that you still do your best for her, even just a little bit.” The boy clenches his fist. “Hey, you.”

He looks at me with imploring eyes.

“Before, you said that she couldn’t be healed with normal means. So is there other means that’s not normal?”

Hou, he was quick to catch onto my words even in that kind of situation. Indeed, if it’s me, I have a way to cure her.

“Indeed, I have a way.”

“Then please save her. I’ll do anything; anything that I can do, I will. If you want to work my ass off, I will. If you want money, with enough time I can collect them. So, please, save Mille.”

He does a dogeza. The other boys and girls are also bowing down deeply.

I take a deep breath.

I’m naive. I don’t have the power to throw them away here like this.

“Before I make my decision, tell me, how did she get into this state?”

First, let’s get that issue cleared.

“Mille… no, everyone here, we’re entrusted by an acquaintance to sell some drugs.”

“Narcotic?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Mille lost the bag that carries the drugs. Maybe, just maybe, someone assaulted her and took them forcibly because they didn’t have money to buy them. Since she resisted, she became like this. I think she desperately resisted because if the drugs were taken away, those people would kill her for sure.”

“You’re a pickpocket, she’s a drug seller…… Why on earth would you do this?”

I know that’s a meaningless question, but I still ask him. The answer is already obvious.

“To stay alive. We’re all orphans. I gather the bunch without relatives, accept some jobs, and live like this.”

As I thought.

Pickpocket and drug seller. Probably, there are people in the shadow who use these children.

“That’s impossible. There are orphanages in this town. How would there be children who need to do this kind of things to survive?” Faruno bites her lips.

“That’s the way it is. It’s unbelievable to you, but we’re going to get killed to be there…… There are many among us who escaped from there! They didn’t get anything to eat, they would get beaten up, and there were worse things there.”

“But that’s still better than this kind of life, I’m sure.”

“It’s because we have it better here that we escaped. We definitely won’t go back to the orphanage!”

The boy shouts, interrupting Faruno’s words.

No matter in what era, this kind of thing exists. There were those who would open orphanage for the financial aid, then getting the children do the heavy labor, or treating them like toys.

A common practice.

“Faruno, it’s reality. Accept it. If you still don’t believe it, get them to tell you which orphanage it is later on, then dispatch a spy there. That will make this matter clear.”

That’s for the best. What happens afterwards will be up for Faruno to decide.

“Yes, I will do so. I wish to know the truth.”

Now I’m pressed to make my decision. There’s a way to make everyone happy.

“I’ll ask you brat one thing.”

“It’s not brat. It’s Johann.”

“Okay. Johann, are you the leader of these kids?”

“Yeah, they all listen to me.”

“And you all do things like pickpocketing or selling drugs?”

“That’s right, we can only live in this town by doing that.”

The boy answers with obvious guilt in his voice.

Not all hope is lost for them, then.

“Faruno, can I ask you one thing? I intend to recruit people for my pioneering village in this town.”

“Kurt-sama, are you saying what I think!?” Faruno’s eyes are wide open in surprise.

“Is it okay to bring these kids to my village? Will Marquis Fernandes allow me to do so?”

Immigration requires some procedures. Frankly, I don’t know how to proceed in case of the immigration of children without any relatives. Adopting them into my village is for the sake of being responsible for them. Even if I cure them right here and now, they’ll lose their lives anyhow, for example. If I want to extend my hand to them, I have to see it to the end.

“……That will be difficult. No, I will personally get my father to approve it.”

“Is that so? Then, I’m glad.”

With her words, the issue of formalities is settled, as well as the matter of Faruno’s will.

Now, it’s just about what I want to do. And, what these kids wish to do.

“Johann, my condition to save this girl is to have you to lead all of the kids here to move to the village I govern and do manual jobs there.”

The children all take a sharp breath in. I must have looked like slave trader to them.

“Are we forced to work there?”

“I will make you work. However, I don’t intend to exploit you. Right now, you’ll do about the same amount of work as the villagers, you’ll get about the same amount of food as them. It’s a poor village, but I won’t let you starve. I promise you that it’ll be better than what you have now.”

“You lied, didn’t you? You think it’s okay to make the children work until we break. You think that we’re just tools. You’re definitely going to use us until we die…… Hey, can you allow just me to do that? I can endure any job you put me through, I’ll work as hard as many people at once. So, please, save Mille. Spare all the others.”

Johann, who’s already in dogeza position, deepens his bow until his forehead touches the ground.

I took a liking to this boy already. A person who’ll go this far for the sake of his comrades is rare. He’s young, but he’s a good man.

“I won’t accept it. It has to be everyone. If I take you, the leader, away, do you think that these kids will have a good life to begin with? They’ll continue doing this kind of life; there will be others who suffer Mille’s fate. In that case, don’t you think it’s better to give them new lease of life instead?”

Johann gives a hesitating look upon my question. There’s no way that their current life style feels good for them. He at least knows that much.

“Johann, I will go with you. I won’t let you go alone.”

“I’m going too. I’ll go to hell if it’s with you, Johann.”

“I’m scared but I will go with everyone.”

The children shouts in a strange tension. Seeing them, Johann finally comes into his resolution.

“Got it. Everyone, let’s go to hell together!”

“Yeah.”

“Yes!”

“Oou!”

The children cheers in loud and heated manner.

Looking at those children, there are a single person who gets mad. Yes, the person behind me.

“What kind of trash talk is that!? Kurt-sama is definitely not that kind of person! Kurt-sama definitely won’t lie! He’ll definitely bring happiness to everyone!!”

Tina is the one who gets mad. Her tail fur stands up as she cries angrily.

“Your kind of people won’t get how we feel.”

“True, true!”

“Saying that while wearing that kind of nice clothes!”

The children take the chance to counter her words. They must have seen Tina like some kind of young lady.

“I do understand! Because I’m a kitsune! Kurt-sama picked me up and made me happy! I won’t forgive anyone who talks bad about the kind Kurt-sama!”

“Isn’t that because nee-chan is pretty?”

“That’s right, you’re beautiful.”

“His goal is your body.”

Kids nowadays are really mature.

“What kind of nonsense is that!? Kurt-sama doesn’t do perverted things to me, ever! He never even kisses me! He treats me preciously! He’s a gentle person!”

Tina denies vehemently. And after passionate shout, she blushes to deep red.

Honestly, what a clumsy girl. But that’s what makes her so precious.

“Putting aside Tina’s words, my village truly lacks people. Those who are willing to work arduously will be warmly welcomed, and there are rewards for those who bring good results. So please decide upon that notion.”

“……We’ve told you our answer just now. We’ll go. We’re not reluctant either. From that nee-chan’s words, we want to go even if Mille’s not in this situation.”

That answer is enough for me. I take a deep breath. Then, I reach into my bag and take out a black bead.

“Nii-chan, is that…?”

“This is a legendary medicine that will be able to cure any illness, any wounds in a second.”

“There’s no such thing.”

“There is. Right now, I’ll use it for Mille. You can look and see for yourself.”

I make a serious look, then I bring the black lump to Mille’s lips with trembling hand.

“Nii-chan, your hand is shaking, you know?”

“Well. To be honest, I’m still hesitating. This is a legendary medicine, after all. I probably won’t be able to obtain a second one. It can cure any wounds or illness. This kind of medicine doesn’t have any market price. If I sell it, I can have all the money I need to live luxuriously all my life.”

All the people in this place hold their breaths.

Oh well, if there’s such a thing, I can enjoy a luxurious life. But that’s a big fat lie. It’s just a lump of brown sugar. But there’s no way that I can reveal my Heal right here, especially in front of Faruno. That’s why I’m acting like it’s real.

“Using such a valuable medicine for our sake…”

“Of course I’ll do this much. You’ll become my new comrades in my village.”

“You, it turns out that you’re a really good person.”

The children are crying.

Oh, well, I might as well get this debt of gratitude.

I put the black lump into Mille’s mouth. At the same time, I use Heal on her, curing her wounds, but of course, I won’t let her gain mana power.

She slowly opens her eyes.

“Eh? I, I was hit a lot of times, I thought I died.”

She props herself up. Johann glomps with tearful face right after.

“Mille, I’m so glad, I’m really glad that you didn’t die!”

He squeezes her and starts sobbing childishly. The other children are affected and start crying too.

They’ll become my new comrades. Their bonds will surely become useful for the development of my village.