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A Get-Together Afterwards
Kurama and I returned to the Revise Family estate to find the others in the middle of dinner.
“How is it, Shiina? Is it tasty?”
“Yeah, it’s tasty.”
Shiina gave a small nod as she shakily used her chopsticks to bring some food to her mouth, after which her face transformed into a smile.
“What about you, Dora-chan?”
“It’s tasty!”
Drahachi cheerfully replied as she happily shoveled in food with a fork. I really can’t get tired of watching them eat.
“Yo, Grey. You’re late!” said Sylphy, the deadbeat dragon number two. Her face was red from alcohol and she happily poked at the food.
She didn’t know a thing about what I had gone though, and so I wanted to punch that beaming face of hers.
Actually, I’m surprised she even made it here.
“Grey! Kurama!”
I turned to see myself getting embraced by a crying girl with blonde twin tails.
“Grey-sama, Kurama-san. I don’t know what happened, but Aria-chan’s been really worried!”
“Yeah, I know. Sorry about that, Aria.”
“My humblest apologies, Miss,” Kurama said.
I stood on my tip toes and caressed the back of her head. Then, after Kurama and I enacted our perfect excuse, I returned to my seat having somehow managed to soothe her.
“Shiina.”
Satella prodded the green haired girl forward.
“Grey, onii-chan. Here.”
She handed me an overflowing container.
“Thanks, Shiina,” I said, gently brushing her head with a smile. Yep, that’s how children should be like.
Now that I think about it, I haven’t eaten a thing since noon, and my stomach was crying out.
Satella handed me a pair of chopsticks and I, too, began stuffing my face with my favorite wind beef.
The next day, I declared Kurama, Aria, and the rest of the Revise Family as under the protection of Grey Ines Navarro.
I had estimated a lot of people would be against it, but the rumor that I had exposed the thorn in their side that was the Feces family had spread throughout the entirety of Lunette in a single morning, and everything went smoothly. Conversely, everyone kept begging me for the details of the battle, annoyingly so.
I had Sagami Co. take care of the children whose hearts had been shattered until they could lead a normal life again.
In any case, Lunette had only been freed temporarily. Another shitty subordinate family from Laguna would come knocking on the city’s doorsteps and force their way in once again.
The Revise family totaled a mere 48 people in all, and they weren’t anywhere close to strong enough to fend off hundreds of attackers from Laguna. I’d have to strengthen them as quickly as possible, which meant grimoires.
But there’d be no end to it if I gave every last person who left Laguna a grimoire. Most of all, I didn’t want to give one to anyone shady.
Should I start looking into increasing my military strength?
Firearms were still an unknown concept to this world that knows but only magic. It’d be celebrated as a quick series of【Fireballs】, and it gave the insane advantage of not needing a magician.
Just, I didn’t want to stoop so low as to become an arms dealer. The only ones who would use them would be those in my new territory, those from the Revise family, and any others under my direct control. I’d also need to be extremely careful about any leakages during development. At present, I should conduct the development only in my new territory and Sagami Co.
In any case, I’ll probably start this venture into military development soon.
“So, you know you’re sheltering almost a hundred children, right?”
“Yessir. We have them living together at the predecessor’s villa,” said Jill with a strange nod.
Tonight, Kurama was spilling the Revise Family secrets.
Jill and the other adults apparently had collectively decided to shelter any children slaves.
Shiina, with her figure and her beauty, as well as her special characteristics of green hair and long ears, was extremely conspicuous in the slave trade. She had already been a special order for the Feces Family, so they judged covering her up difficult and instead decided to sell her off.
“I see. It’s been tough. Good work until now.”
“……Yessir.”
Tears flowed down Jill’s cheek and he frantically tried to wipe them away with his sleeve.
“Huh? Shit!”
The floodgates then opened as Jill continued to wipe them away.
“Aria, it looks like your family was able to continue protecting your predecessor’s ideals.”
I had heard more than plenty about their predecessor’s fame through Baron Hakurou. He was a man of many facets—he was upright, had high morals, helped the weak, and crushed the evil. That’s the kind of irreproachable man their predecessor was.
And he didn’t bend his morals even up to the end, where he readily met his demise. Kurama, Jill, and his other subordinates must have been in unimaginable agony.
Not being able to save everyone was not only understandable, but an absolute truth. Thus they chose to follow their predecessor and save the weak children who still had a future ahead of them. After worrying themselves sick, they decided to save only the children.
“Yeah.”
Aria covered her face too and quietly wept to the side.
“Satella, go buy an estate in Straheim. We’ll have everyone from the Revise Family as well as the children live there.”
Leaving the unimaginably weak Revise Family here in Lunette would be suicidal. I’d first have to have Aquido train them up until they were powerful enough.
Overcoming the subordinate family Laguna was sure to send again and organizing Lunette’s underworld would be after.
“Okay. I’ll get it done as quickly as possible,” Satella replied.
Hm, now is the time. I think I’ll enact that plan.
To begin with, it was inefficient to teach them individually. I’d definitely need an educational institution with Sagami Co. employees. I’d experimentally introduce the children in as experiment number one.
Well, that was a problem for after I took the Magic Knight Academy’s entrance exam. I’ve already wasted some time, so I planned to head for the academy, located in the fourth ward, next morning.
As long as I took the test on time, my obligation would be fulfilled; it didn’t matter if they passed or failed me.