Published: August 15, 2025
Now that the Italian restaurant issue has been settled, I want to move on to tackling the problems concerning Hasse Town.
In the hidden room of the director’s office, I once again asked the members of the Gilberta Trading Company for their cooperation.
“Where do you think we should start? Hearing that Hasse could disappear at any moment is really worrying, isn’t it?”
At my suggestion, Benno narrowed his reddish-brown eyes and slowly stroked his chin.
“The biggest problem with Hasse is that the townspeople know too little about the nobility. They don’t realize how serious their crimes are. That’s the real issue.”
In Ehrenfest, commoners tend to accept it as normal to swallow their complaints even when their daughters are killed by nobles. So, they wouldn’t complain just because orphans, who don't directly affect their lives, are taken away. They definitely wouldn’t foolishly attack the lord’s building.
“But you’re also at fault. If the town mayor had already made a contract with the civil officer to sell orphans, you’d expect persistent nagging from the nobles or a sudden loss of leniency until now.”
“If the town depends on the money from selling orphans to survive the winter, that money is essential. Cutting ties with the nobility could be a matter of life or death.”
Hearing Mark’s words complementing Benno’s, I gradually began to understand the mindset of the townspeople.
“This may be because I had access to the temple’s orphanage, but from what I gather…”
Lutz prefaced before explaining that the orphans in the temple differ from other orphans. In the temple, children born to gray shrine maidens are raised in the orphanage, along with children who lost their parents before their baptism ceremony.
However, orphanages outside the temple gather children from the community who have lost their parents, and only children from that community are there. Furthermore, powerful town figures like the town mayor raise them.
The town mayor considers orphans part of the community’s assets—raising them, making them work, and even selling them when money is needed.
“I heard that from the high priest. Since the town mayor has taken the orphans in and raised them, he has the right to sell them. Within the temple, this role is played by the head priest.”
So, the temple’s orphanage can be managed however I want. Whether I spoil the children and let them become spoiled or cut costs to the bone won’t ruffle the high priest’s feathers, but ultimate authority lies with the head priest.
Orphans raised in the temple often become gray priests or gray shrine maidens and staying in the orphanage into adulthood isn’t unusual. They might be bought as servants by nobles or serve as attendants to azure priests or blue shrine maidens.
In contrast, in agricultural towns like Hasse, when boys reach adulthood, they are given farmland accordingly and become independent members of the town.
However, girls receive smaller plots, making it hard to live alone, so they need a marriage partner.
Taking in fatherless boys is welcomed because it keeps one’s daughters close and increases the family size. But fatherless girls often end up in miserable marriages because they lack dowries. They sometimes become second wives to elderly men needing care or suffer abuse.
“Without a protector, life is hard everywhere.”
Benno frowned and said this. Then, fixing his expression, he looked me squarely in the eye.
“Since you’re the lord’s daughter, taking the orphans away won’t cause any external problems. But if you treat orphans as merchandise, it’s like the nobles have taken away what you’ve invested in. Even if no complaints are voiced openly, resentment builds. Make sure there are no lingering troubles.”
Benno advised me to use my position as the lord’s daughter to talk to the civil officer, nullify the contract from the start, pay the town mayor for the orphans, and cut off the roots of trouble.
This explanation was much clearer and easier to understand than the minimal information given by the high priest, who only saw things from the nobles’ viewpoint.