Absolutely Do Not Touch Eldmia Egga

Chapter 10: Really Had to Do It to Feel Right

“Wake up and get ready by 6 in the morning tomorrow. If you don’t run out or run out unprepared when I knock on the door three times, I’ll let you sleep eternally.”

Only after having shoved the kids, who had life returning to their eyes either because they ate fully for once or because Alisha’s stew was just that good, into each of their rooms could I return to Yans’s smithery where I had tied my horse.

Yans, who for some reason liked horses so much despite not even raising one himself, widely smiled and hand-fed it hay, but then pretended like he was angry and frowned when I approached.

“You brat. Does my house look like a stable to you? Where’ve you been all day to come back now!”

“You said it, uncle. I’ll give you this freely as a token of apology, so please show me some good practice longswords. So I can buy it as a replacement.”

“What the? Did you place it between wagon wheels somewhere and twist it or something? Why is it like this?”

“Somehow?”

“I didn’t sell something that’ll ‘somehow’ become like this, though…”

Even while scratching his head that shined without a single strand of hair, Yans brought out for me a thing that fitted my size. But that thing wasn’t something like a metal sword made for practice, but an actual longsword.

“Eng? This just has its edges blunted and is simply a longsword, though?”

At my notably flustered look, Yans happily smiled and spoke.

“With your size, it’s better to slowly start getting familiar with something like this. Since your muscles should also have more or less shaped up, after all. I’ll just sharpen the edge and do some touches on it when you get familiar with it and get permission from Miss Asileye.”

“No, but the price…?”

“I’ll make it cheap, so don’t worry. Give me just 20 copper coins. You can give me just 5 copper coins as an extra when I sharpen the sword later.”

“Let me just pay all 25 coins now.”

I immediately passed a silver coin before he said otherwise. Even though my eyes for goods were still inexperienced, I could tell that it would cost twice as much to buy a longsword like this. Man, he forced an impulsive buy out of nowhere.

“Really, you got good eyes for goods and even calculate quickly. Miss Asileye really taught you well.”

“And learning all that too is one of my outstanding points, no?”

Of course, I didn’t manage to learn all that because I was particularly outstanding, though.

After that, like always I just went back home. Time had passed more than I had expected, but I took satisfaction in having at least managed to come back before dinner.

“I’m home, sis.”

When I followed the forest path and arrived at the cottage house, Asileye, who was milking a goat, greeted me.

“You took longer than I thought. Did you settle it well?”

“There’s no annoying work left now, but I’m still settling.”

As she was taking up the milk bucket and going into the house while I tied the horse and fed it hay, Asileye hesitated for a moment and then asked.

“…hah. It’s really weird to even ask this question, but. You didn’t kill anyone, did you?”

“About five kids that got their legs broken? And one guy. Their chief. I killed him.”

“…why?”

“He threatened with sis. So I killed him.”

“And you couldn’t leave him alive?”

“I thought that it was better to kill the one chief guy and just scare them first rather than awkwardly leave him alive to start a faction fight and leave behind a chance of him annoying us later. So in that sense… yeah. I couldn’t leave him alive.”

When the 1st in command became a half-cripple, the 2nd in command could rise up and even try to make an example out of the guy that crippled the 1st in command to strengthen their influence.

But if it was a case where the 1st in command who was the instigator of a conflict was obliterated, the 2nd in command could take power with the ground of avoiding just that conflict and should be able to smoothly carry out their influence. They could become greedy and also cause trouble later on, but that would be something far later than when letting the first case run wild.

So I started by killing him with that thought. Though, its effect being too good and not even the 2nd in command being left was beyond my expectations.

When I answered like that and turned to enter the house, Asileye, as expected, seemed rather unsure.

“I also killed a lot of people in my life. An adventurer is something like that, after all. Sometimes I even fought people more than monsters. But even so, if I saw a child, a kid that just turned 11 years-old at that, kill someone out of necessity, then I originally would’ve tried to stop it in any way.”

A complicated feeling showed on Asileye’s face as she put down the milk bucket and twisted her hair on her finger.

“I do think that I shouldn’t have let you kill even if they used me to blackmail, and even if I were to kill him myself, but… I’m not sure. Must be because I looked over you for the last 3 years, right? You telling me that you killed someone just doesn’t sound like anything different than my adventurer friend telling me that he killed a bandit.”

“So you want to tell me that you want to believe that there isn’t any problem, but since it’s also true that I’m young, you’re afraid I’ll grow up and become someone simply insane with murder?”

When I asked because the nuance somehow sounded like that, Asileye momentarily opened her eyes wide and then soon let out a hollow laugh and acknowledged.

“You’re… really amazing every time. Yeah. I’m honestly like that.”

“It’ll be meaningless even if I told you not to worry, so… if something like this happens again, I’ll tell sis. And let’s talk about it together.”

“Talk?”

“Yeah. I’ll tell sis that I think this and that and so I need to kill this guy, or I need to do this and that and take care of something a little, and so on and everything, and sis listen and judge for me. Whether I’m simply relying on violence and murder to just resolve a problem. Or if I’m thinking and then acting.”

Asileye’s judgment was definitely acute. My actions and thoughts were ultimately that of a thirty years-old guy turned spiteful from the overflowing unfairness, so using her adventurer friend as an analogy could be said to almost perfectly fit. But in the end, my outer appearance was a child, and she likely couldn’t help but be worried as a guardian who taught and raised the young me.

And I didn’t have any hobby of making my life’s savior worry by neglecting problems that I could easily solve.

“If sis judge that my decision isn’t correct, then I’ll just follow sis’ words. Even if sis thinks that it’s correct, I’ll try to solve it without using murder as best I can if sis don’t like it.”

Then, I think there should be less cases where she would worry about my mental state.

Asileye answered me with a hug. To her who thought this much for someone who didn’t shared a single drop of blood with her, I once again felt thankful and sorry at the same time.

Truthfully, I had only expected that we would simply live a teacher and student level of life or maintain an awkward relationship for 8 years. Even though both Asileye and I couldn’t do that.

“Okay. Since my little bro is kind and smart. Thanks for understanding.”

“Thank you to you too, sis.”

Drawing the brightest smile we could, we moved to finish the day and make dinner.

The meat stew made with freshly squeezed milk was tasty like always.

“But what did you mean by still settling?”

“Ah, after killing the chief, I sent home all the kids who were there like gang members ’cause most of them were runaway juveniles like sis thought, but five of them were kids with really nowhere to go. And one of them was an actual orphan.”

“Runaway juve…? Anyway, and so what?”

“I’m going to introduce them to a job and just help them start so that they can eat and live. For today, I just got them rooms at aunt Alisha’s inn. But since it’ll take some time for them to settle even then, I’ll probably visit the city more oft…”

“My god you should’ve said that first!”

From her abruptly jumping up fast enough to knock her chair back and hugging me mid enjoying the delicacy of the stew, we nearly ended up spilling the precious stew. But paying no attention to my such panic, Asileye only brushed my head endlessly.

“That’s right! There’s no way my little bro is a murderer who kills people daily just from feeling displeased! You do way too many admirable things to do that!”

“No wait, it’s not something that great, you know? I didn’t even do it with my own money. I’m doing it with the money I looted after killing the chief. Ah right, here’s the remaining money. 3 silver coins and some copper coins.”

“Good job good job! That right, there’s no way my little bro’s heart that sees slavery as a shit would go anywhere!”

“No wait, why would you mention that disgusting story while eating…”

I couldn’t tell why, but it did look like Asileye’s worry did lessen a bit, so I decided to be satisfied with that.

🔷

Next day, having woken up before the break of day, I skipped breakfast and headed to Ogwen.

   Since it was obvious that it wouldn’t even be 7 o’clock even if I arranged work for them in the first place, I could just return by then and eat together with Asileye.

Although I did realize in hindsight the fact that I’d become the lunatic that openly killed a person in a village and had to think about that for a bit, it was something that had passed already, so I decided to not mind it. There were too many waves that swept my life for me to get lost just from killing a bastard that deserved it.

It wasn’t even 6 o’clock yet, but already there were many people moving around in Ogwen. Not only the inns and restaurants, but even the grocery stores that catered to them were busily preparing to open stores.

They all were changes that occurred after the adventurer’s guild came in.

In just 1 year, even as a lot of things were changing already, far more things had rapidly changed.

“Milena sis! Are you busy?”

Between that crowd, I waved my arm and greeted a 40s-looking woman with a generous look. The grocery Milena ran supplied quite a lot of restaurants and was always busy.

“Why, aren’t you Eldmia? What are you doing here at this hour? You haven’t been around a while, so are you planning on working again?”

“Not me, but I’m here to introduce other kids.”

“Other kids?”

“Yeah. I picked up some vagrant kids yesterday, and I’m going to make them work ’cause I didn’t like how they look.”

“Kid. We’re a store handling ingredients, so vagrant kids are…”

“I’m Eldmia Egga, sis. I already washed them clean and clothed them nicely at Uncle Tex’s store. I bet you won’t even notice that they’re vagrant kids.”

“You’re real clever, you know that? But why vagrant kids all of a sudden? Did you get a work from the church this time or something?”

Just what kind of an all-purpose handyman was I in these adults’ heads? A work from the church. That was something difficult even for most adventurers.

“Just because. They’re kids like me. I couldn’t turn away when I thought about how I’d be like them if it wasn’t for Asileye sis.”

“How… kind of you. Alright, several street vendors have opened up by the construction people these days, and I’ve actually been busy supplying them. How many are they?”

“Three boys and two girls. The boys are over 14 years old, so they’ll become useful quickly if you teach them. 3 copper coins for first day wage. 4 copper coins from afterwards if satisfactory. How’s it?”

“I can even give 5 copper coins if they can just work well. But since it’s a work that uses strength, boys should be better. I think I can take in up to two.”

“I’ll go there soon~”

Even after brightly smiling and separating ways with Milena, I chatted up familiar merchants every time. In truth, this was something also good for them so long as the circumstance was right. They could always take them in as protege if they really worked exceptionally well, and even if ordinary, they were easy to teach. Since they didn’t have homes, them always working hard for living expenses was a plus. Finally, since even a reputation work of being a “kind person who teaches work to vagrant kids and even give them a job” was possible, unless they were hiring for an advisor, there was nothing to lose.

Even if it wasn’t right at this moment, just the story going around later that they were useful and making people consider them was enough. Since either way I’d be working them primarily around stores that moved blindingly fast just between early morning to lunch for now. Once they’re familiar with it, they should be able to work other jobs in the afternoon and gather money.

When I had greeted people here and there like that and arrived, the five kids were waiting for me in front of the inn all prepared. That was a bit wholesome. Seeing how they didn’t particularly look tired, they must’ve slept well.

“If you wake up early, then the things you can do also increases. Because places that work all day have higher wages, and because, even if you work just half a day, you can do another work in the rest half of the day. The things I’ll teach you are those kinds of things.”

While I casually explained to them as we walked the streets together after leaving my horse at the inn.

“…why…”

One girl opened her mouth. It was the 13 years-old girl that alone was an orphan like me.

She was a kid with red hair cut short by her shoulders and slight freckles, with sharp-looking eyes but quite pretty and bold looking at the same time. It was enough for me to wonder if she would have grown up excitingly enjoying her days being chased by boys while being called pretty throughout her village if it wasn’t for the war. Well, you could also call that a face that could unluckily get caught by a feudal lord and get into unsightly trouble.

“Why are you helping us?”

“‘Us’ what? Are you rebelling ‘cause I told you I’m 11 years-old yesterday?”

“…helping us, mister?”

There weirdly wasn’t nervousness on her face as she flinched and changed her tone. Considering how she saw a guy getting killed by a kick right next to her, and even how she was talking to the very guy that produced that, it wasn’t an exaggeration to call her unbelievably brave. I liked that nerve, so I stopped my feet and spoke.

“I’m the historical war orphan who, at 8 years old, had his village burned, friends and neighbors killed, and even lost his parents at the first attack of the Demon King Army that had been the beginning of all of this. In a sense, I’m your senior.”

Not just the girl, but other kids’ faces all hardened stiff. At the least, it was good that they could understand just how shitty a situation that was. There weren’t many things that were as big a fault in work as lack of empathy, after all.

“The elf your chief background checked was my benefactor, and without her, I’d also be either like you or dead. She was my chance.”

Since I confirmed their reactions, I moved my feet. It was a story that now was all a past, so there was nothing to mind. 3 years wasn’t short, after all.

“I thought that you guys were like that because you haven’t met Asileye… I mean, someone like the elf who’s my benefactor. You merely haven’t gotten the chance. So I’m just giving you a chance.”

It was awkward to call it helping. I wasn’t a saint, nor someone passionate about kindness.

“And it’s a chance I’m throwing at you ‘cause I have room, too. I’m just simply giving you something I can take back anytime. It might feel like helping from your eyes, but for me, not really… it’s just that much.”

Just, since I did see them.

“Of course the village people here are closer and more precious to me than you guys. If you work like shit or don’t seem right, I’ll just flip everything and kick you out. So I still don’t know if this really will be a help for you guys.”

I thought I had to do at least this much to feel right without regret.