One day, after finishing dinner, Mile was about to return to the dormitory when she realized she had left something in the classroom. It was the letter she had been given by one of the male students, who had said, "I want you to read this later."
As usual, she had to bring it back to her room, discuss it with everyone, and write a reply. The reply was a joint effort: written by Reina, reviewed by Pauline, and described by Mile. The theme of the work was "Breaking the Heart."
When Mile returned to the classroom, one male student was still there. He seemed to be doing something at the teacher's desk. Upon closer inspection, he was practicing writing on a board.
"Practicing writing?"
"Yeah. I feel embarrassed doing it in front of everyone in the dorm, and using this instructor's board saves me the cost of notebooks, ink, and quills."
"Ah, I see! You're smart!"
Mile was impressed by the male student's explanation, which he gave without any unpleasant expression in response to her question. She remembered that when she first arrived at Eklund Academy, she couldn't afford notebooks, pens, or ink, and felt a bit of kinship with him.
"Um, you're a swordsman, right?"
"Yeah. I can use magic, but not beyond daily life magic. I can't make a living as a magician, so I fight with a sword and use magic for things like producing water and healing, just as a bonus support.
Still, it helps a lot. Being solo is tough... "
"Solo?"
Mile was curious.
Except for special cases like hers, soloing is too dangerous and inconvenient for anyone but the most experienced veterans. It's not something people do out of choice unless they are extremely eccentric or have special circumstances.
"Yeah, I'm an orphan from the slums. Well, I haven't actually left yet, so I'm still a current resident of the slums.
I have to take care of the younger ones, so I can't join a party and go anywhere.
Right now, I go to check on them after dinner and go hunting on rest days to earn money for food. But if I become an official hunter and join a party, there will be long trips, right? Then I can't take care of the kids.
Besides, if I become a C-rank hunter, I can take the kids on herb gathering trips as my guard. Guild-organized group herb gathering with guards doesn't happen often, and there's a participation fee for the guard's service.
If I go with them, it's free, and I can hunt nearby."
A swordsman who can use magic.
A kind-hearted person who stays to take care of orphans despite having a chance to leave the slums.
A hardworking person who tries to learn writing on his own.
Mile thought.
Now that she had started power-leveling the party of three, the top four at graduation would be her and her three party members. Even if she put herself at the bottom and hyped up the other three, she would still be fourth. To be fifth, they needed one more person.
At that moment, the phrase "substitute Jizo" popped into Mile's head.
"Hey, isn't hunting with just a sword inefficient?
There's a magic that's perfect for hunting birds and horn rabbits. Are you interested in learning it?"
"Huh……"
"You're late for just going to get a letter, aren't you?"
"Oh, no, a guy was in the room, so I talked to him for a bit..."
"What, a guy!"
"Oh, no, just casual conversation, casual conversation!"
Mile waved her hands frantically to reassure Reina, who had widened her eyes in surprise.
"Here's the letter in question."
"Alright, let's deal with it as usual!"
"O-Okay!"
Mile and Pauline weakly agreed.
Bail was an orphan.
He didn't know his parents. By the time he was old enough to remember, he was already living in the slums. He lived in a dilapidated abandoned house with a group of boys and girls, the oldest of whom was a boy around twelve or thirteen years old, called "An-chan."
A few years after his first memory, An-chan disappeared.
Whether he died from an accident or illness, or became a hunter and left for somewhere else, no one told him. Bail never asked anyone either.
After An-chan, "Unee-chan" took over.
Bail remembered when Unee-chan disappeared.
Instead of her usual tattered clothes, she wore clean clothes, gave everyone a lot of food and clothes, and left with some unknown adults, never to return. That was the last time he saw Unee-chan.
Next, Yoshi-nii became the leader. Then, Daru-nii.
Everyone disappeared around the age of fifteen to sixteen.
Whether they died or left the slums to live a normal life somewhere else, no one knew.
Bail realized that he had become the oldest.
He thought to himself,
...It's my turn.
But I won't leave. I'll take care of these kids forever.
This is my home, and they are my family.
The capital was strict and kind to orphans.
If they stole or pickpocketed, they would be caught and enslaved.
Several orphan groups were caught and their homes destroyed.
If they worked honestly, they could live in abandoned houses and be left alone. Occasionally, some adults would give them food. They were rarely abused unjustly.
Part of the reason was that the authorities were relatively fair and didn't discriminate based on wealth. Another reason was that many of the local thugs and hunters were from the slums. Most people were kind to their juniors, even if it didn't benefit them, just to feel good.
Bail registered as a junior member of the Hunters' Guild at the age of six to take on odd jobs in the city and help with the group's food expenses.
At ten, he became an official hunter.
At that time, a hunter from the slums gave him a cheap, almost broken sword as a congratulatory gift.
He cried out loud in joy. Such luck was rare. He had planned to use a wooden stick until he could earn enough to buy his first sword.
He decided to give a sword to a junior one day, just as he had been given one.
By the time his cherished sword broke, he had saved enough money to buy a slightly better used sword.
To feed the kids.
To buy medicine if they got sick.
To buy clothes from second-hand shops occasionally.
The kids also earned some money from odd jobs and guild-organized group herb gathering with guards, but as junior members, it was only pocket money. Even as an official hunter, F-rank didn't earn enough to support several orphans.
He had to earn more. He had to get money.
However, there weren't many parties that would take in a skill-less slum boy, and even if there were, he couldn't join a party because he had to take care of the kids.
As a solo hunter with no special skills and no long trips, his earnings were limited, and he couldn't gain experience or improve his skills. He just hunted herbs, horn rabbits, and small animals every day. Even with a novice's sword, it was inefficient.
Forming a party with other slum kids was pointless.
They would still be F-rank and couldn't take on better jobs or learn new skills. It would be better to act separately and increase the chances of finding prey.
Just getting older without any progress.
Daru-nii disappeared one day.
He just didn't come back.
That was all.
Did he die or leave?
If he left the slums, there would be no problem joining a party.
He might have joined a party and gone to another city, or gone to another city and joined a party there.
Either way, the orphans lost their main earner.
Bail, suddenly the oldest, was panicked by the heavy responsibility on his shoulders and the bleak future ahead.
It was then that a man approached Bail.
"You're rough, but you have a good sword technique.
How about taking the entrance exam for the Hunter Training School?"
The man, claiming to be from the guild in the capital, explained that he would check on the orphans while Bail was at school, and that he could visit them in the evenings and on rest days. He also told Bail that the school was completely free, and that he could work on rest days. If they worked hard for six months, their lives would be much easier afterward.
Indeed, if he became a C-rank hunter, things would be as the man said.
"But only if you pass the entrance exam.
You don't need to be able to read and write to take the exam or enroll.
However, the competition is fierce. Very fierce..."
In response to the man's words, Bail said,
"I'll take the exam!"
And now, Bail is here.
Even after becoming a C-rank hunter, he can't afford to spend extra money, and being able to read and write would make it easier to choose jobs.
That's why he practices writing in the classroom every evening after dinner.
It's difficult to do so in the dorm room with others around, and using the instructor's board saves him the cost of notebooks, ink, and quills. After classes, no one goes to the classroom except for those who go to the field or indoor training facility.
Just as he was thinking this, someone came in.
"Practicing writing?"
A twelve-year-old girl, three years younger than Bail, who could use storage magic and was a cheerful and cute girl.
With her talent and beauty, she was lucky enough to never have to worry about food. She was a high-class flower, out of his reach.
But for some reason, she was talking to him.
But thinking about it, they were classmates. If they met alone in the classroom, they might chat a bit. She was probably a good girl who didn't discriminate based on status or wealth.
"Hey, isn't hunting with just a sword inefficient?
There's a magic that's perfect for hunting birds and horn rabbits. Are you interested in learning it?"