Published: August 2, 2025
Today, five chapters are updated simultaneously.
This is the second chapter of the story.
As the sun approached its peak,
“Here he comes!”
I had heard that he should be back soon today, so I waited in a corner of the Guild for about an hour. Then I spotted Mr. Jeff. I waited for him to finish reporting the completion of a request before calling out to him.
“Mr. Jeff.”
“Hm? Isn’t that Ryoma? What’s up?”
“I wanted to ask you about the matter from the other day.”
“Oh, that’s quick. I thought it would be a bit later. Well then, shall we head out right away?”
“Is that okay?”
“Sure, no problem. I was planning to go to the slum today anyway. Plus, my place is in that direction too.”
“In that case, thank you very much.”
I followed Mr. Jeff, helping with shopping for groceries along the way. Apparently, these were supplies for the people living in the slum. Former residents of the slum who now live in Gimul Town all do their best to offer support little by little.
“Especially recently, incomes have dropped due to that incident. Here, we’re almost there.”
As we walked talking, the presence of people gradually lessened. The buildings became older, and the few children around were dressed shabbily.
When they saw Mr. Jeff, they waved and called out to him, and he responded warmly. The atmosphere was calm; it was clear that Mr. Jeff was genuinely respected and liked. Although people cast looks at me as I followed, there was no malice. It didn’t seem like we needed to worry about street robbers or anything.
After walking a bit further, we arrived at an old but well-built building that was slightly larger than the others.
“Old man, you here?”
Mr. Jeff lightly knocked on the door, which then opened by itself.
I sensed a faint trace of mana. Magic, huh…
“Looks like he’s home. Let’s go in. Come on.”
Following Mr. Jeff inside, I saw a spacious room sparsely furnished.
Just beyond the door was a simple desk. Behind it sat a man in his sixties in a large chair.
“Back again?”
The man stroked his white hair and spoke calmly without moving from his chair.
“Jeff, you’re always a help, but I’m not old enough to be called an old man yet.”
“You’re old enough.”
“My legs are still sturdy. Not an old man. By the way, who’s this kid? You want me to take care of him here again?”
“This kid is a capable adventurer despite how he looks. He can earn his own keep. That’s not why I brought him. I’ve got a bit of a beneficial proposition for the slum.”
“Oh…”
The man glanced at me at those words.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Ryoma Takebayashi.”
“You don’t need to be so polite here. I’m Rible, the boss of this slum in Gimul. Since you were introduced by Jeff, you must be somewhat trustworthy, but let me warn you—don’t cause trouble here. We’d appreciate maintaining a good relationship.”
At that moment, I felt a strong intimidating presence. Truly fitting for a boss.
“Of course. I don’t want any pointless conflicts either.”
I said that, and Rible snorted before giving a sly smile.
“So you’re not scared… you’ve got guts.”
“Of course. I only deal with people I trust.”
“Is that so? Well then, what’s this good news you have?”
“I’ll explain.”
Since it’s about my shop, it’s proper that I speak.
“In short, there are some troublemakers causing problems, but their background is unknown. You want someone trustworthy, even if it’s someone from the slum. If you can trust them, people from here are fine…”
“Well, that’s not a bad deal. If you create a workplace that pays a decent wage allowing people to live properly, I have no complaints.
If you hire people there and pay them properly, feel free to bring them along. We’ll increase the distribution of food and supplies per person accordingly.”
The negotiation ended surprisingly smoothly. I had expected some kind of introduction fee, but maybe Mr. Jeff’s recommendation helped. Anyway, from here, gaining the trust of the people who will become employees is crucial.