"...Increasing production of goods, is that it?"
When I brought up the topic after dinner while we were all chatting together over tea, Mine thought for a moment and then gave me her opinion.
"To be honest, it's difficult to increase production any further under the current circumstances. If we try hard, we might be able to increase it by about 20%, but that would be quite a stretch..." (Mine)
Saying this, Mine glanced over at Aral.
If it had only been about herself, she would probably have said, "We can give another 20%," but she probably thought that she couldn't put that burden on Aral, who was only six years old. Also, considering Mine's personality, it must have been embarrassing for her to say those words.
But she prioritized Aral and gave a negative response to the idea of increasing production. She probably wanted to meet the expectations of those who had done a favor, even if it meant going out of the way to do so...
Yeah, that's fine. That's fine.
"I know. Mine and Aral, you are producing the maximum results you can during your working hours. So, I know a major increase in production is impossible. If it were possible to increase production, it would just mean that you aren’t working at full capacity right now. I know that's not true. I'm not stupid." (Kaoru)
When I said that, Mine's eyes started to water.
No, I don't want you to have the "eyes of a fanatic" familiar to the "eyes of the goddess" group. Even if we're close like family, in terms of the hierarchical relationship, it's enough to be just employer and employee. There's no need for worship or devotion!
That's why…….
"I’m thinking about increasing the number of staff… However, if I recruit, I’m sure I’ll end up with some weird people, so I’m thinking of using a scouting method for recruitment, in other words, reaching out to people. However, we don't know anyone in this town, and we don't know who we can trust, or whether the person we're talking to has some kind of strings attached. So, here's the question, who do you think we should scout?" (Kaoru)
Mine answered my question immediately.
"Orphan!!" (Mine)
"Great answer!" (Kaoru)
Yes, there were no orphans who were tied to the rich or powerful, and their only desires were "I want to eat my fill," "I want to sleep in a warm place," and "I want to survive." That's all.
Also, if we could give them those three things,
Perhaps they would never betray me, just like those children of the "Goddess's Eyes"...
"But the orphanage in this town went bankrupt and is now like this, and since the lord of this town has provided a decent home for all the orphans who were there at the time, surely he wouldn’t just abandon the orphans who weren’t in an orphanage?" (Reiko)
Yeah, as Reiko said, this town seemed to be extremely supportive of orphans. Everyone seemed to be kind to Mine and Aral, and according to Mine, they were pretty good to them when they were at the orphanage...
That's why this town had never had homeless children living on the riverbank, or people who literally were "homess" with no fixed place to sleep. Instead, there was a private orphanage that existed here, workplaces that took in people who were old enough to work and live on the premises, and the occasional couple who wanted to adopt a young person, or who had lost a child or were unable to have one, so, although it might be a bad way to put it, there seemed to be a "balance between supply and demand."
Of course, not all cities had been doing so well.
In normal towns, decent work was given priority to those with connections or ties, and there were also issues of trustworthiness, so it would be difficult for orphans to find decent work.
If something were to happen, being an orphan meant that one could not ask one's parents or siblings to pay for it. It would be terrible if someone ran off with the store's money.
However, in reality, people who grew up in orphanages are much less likely to commit crimes than the average person.
After all, even though they had obtained the ability to "eat their fill and sleep in a warm bed" there were hardly any people who would think of throwing it away, and even in situations that would make normal people cry out, they were likely to laugh and mutter something like "Compared to back then, this is heaven"...
And of course, the main reason why such people work so hard and seriously was that.
"If I were to do something that would cause me to lose credibility, the credibility and reputation of all the orphans would plummet, and the number of jobs willing to hire my juniors would plummet."
They would disappoint in the people at the orphanage who had looked after them and would be resented and scorned by their juniors who had looked up to them.
...For someone who grew up in an orphanage, there could be no greater fear.
So, orphans could be trusted quite a bit, as long as we didn't betray them.
"So, are we going to look for orphans in other towns?" (Reiko)
"Well, it’s not good to bring people over from other territories without permission. Even if they are orphans, they are still citizens of the territory, and once they reach a certain age they will be used as labor, and in times of emergency as a fighting force. They are assets to the territory…" (Kaoru)
Reiko's proposal was rejected.
It would be a bit weird to arbitrarily move people from other territories, but even before that, my arms weren't that long.
She might help out a little bit if we happened to come across someone and if it was not too much trouble, she might play "mock goddess" and share some of good fortune on a whim, but she wouldn't go out of her way to help some strange kids in a strange town.
We couldn't reach all the orphans in this country, or in every country, so it would be best not to try and do things half-heartedly from the start.
"So what are we going to do? All the orphans who were here when the orphanage closed have been taken care of and are now living normal lives, right? We can't bring those children back, can we?" (Reiko)
Of course. If we did that, it would cause trouble for the people where the children were now, and it would be a disgrace to the lord who arranged for them to be accepted and the various people who worked so hard for them. Also, it would also damage the reputation of Little Silver.
"So, I’ll bring them back. Those who are ‘someone who’s OK to bring here’ from an 'It’s OK to take them away' place." (Kaoru)
"Ah……" (Reiko)
Yep, with just these few hints, Reiko had figured it out right away.
"Bring them back."
That meant "Someone who was here before."
Also, even if they were to suddenly bring them back, it would either not be a problem for them or their current coworkers, or they would be the kind of people who wouldn't mind being inconvenienced.
In other words…….
"Mine, you said that the director of the orphanage changed six months before you were sold. Then, about a year after you were sold, you ran away, and it took you a while to get here... Then, the bad guy who took over the place was caught nearly six months ago. In other words, for about a year or so, there were children who suffered the same fate as Mine, in other words, were sold, right?" (Kaoru)
"Eh……" (Mine)
The voice that came out of Mine's mouth was not a voice of surprise because she hadn't noticed it.
It was a voice in her heart that asked, "Can we really, really help them?" It was something she could hardly believe, but that she wanted to believe in and cling to that faint light of hope.
It was not like she hadn't noticed.
Even though she was aware of it, there was nothing she could do about it, and even if she told us, it would only make us feel more burdened. ...So, she probably didn't say anything.
A cry from the heart, what she really wanted to say.
"Help my friends who have suffered the same fate as me!"
Okay, okay.
Personnel who could be brought back without any problems.
The only people who were in trouble were the bad guys and they get what they deserve. There would be absolutely no need to worry.
The lord would probably be on our side.
Also, the children who were helped would never betray us and would work hard.
Save the kids and destroy the bad guys.
Yes, it would be nice to play "Goddess" or "Angel-sama" once in a while.
...Anonymous, part-time.
Being a full-time, permanent employee of "Goddess" or "Angel-sama" was a bit tough.
But, I didn't mind if it was just part-time or temporary work.
It was something I decided a long time ago, when I met everyone at Goddess's Eyes.
I wanted to live freely. The way I wanted to.
And to give people just a little bit of the benefit of my potion ability.
...However, this did not include villains.
It was not like it was for Mine's sake.
My interests, also Mine and the children who were sold, were aligned. That was all.
Also, I explained to the lord that Little Silver was an organization that provided support for orphans to become independent. In the petition for tax exemption.
Let's take a closer look at this activity.
"Alright, Little Silver, let's begin our mission to secure talent!" (Kaoru)
Author's Note
The day before yesterday, on June 2nd, the sixth volume of the series "I Shall Survive Using Potions!" was released.
Apparently there was an early sale starting at the end of last month...
This is a recommended item that includes the newly written short stories, "Struggling! "The Goddess's Eyes"" and "Mariel and "The Silver Seed's Three Vows". (^^)/
The orphans' battle after Kaoru is gone.
Ed's hopes and preparations for the future.
And then, Mariel's thoughts...
On June 9th, the sixth volumes of the comics "I Shall Survive Using Potions!" and "Saving 80,000 Coins in Another World for My Retirement" will be released at the same time!!
Thank you very much. (^^)/
Also, the day before yesterday marked three years since the publication of the first volume of "I Shall Survive Using Potions!"
Although it was once completed, serialization resumed after a one-year hiatus.
It has been published as a book by Kodansha and then adapted into a comic book.
In addition, the daily rankings for this work began to climb on the day the first season ended, and this led to the breakthrough of "Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement" and the opening dash of the new series "Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?".
My whole career as a writer started with Potions.
...Now, everything feels nostalgic... (T_T)