NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18.1
Stage 1-18. Mission Complete
Heh, quite the touching scene, isn’t it?
…Though, to be honest, it really had my heart racing.
I have to praise these guys for showing up at just the right moment.
And while we’re at it, let’s not forget my brain for piecing the situation together instantly.
Actually, the kids had approached me beforehand.
They must have been worried, even at their age.
Who would’ve thought they’d volunteer themselves like that? I couldn’t have asked for a more convenient deal.
Of course, I agreed without hesitation.
Thanks to that, Mio realized her own feelings. They get to stay with their beloved Mio.
I get obedient workers.
No one is unhappy—it’s a perfectly happy ending, right?
Well, for “now,” anyway.
“Hey, how long are you gonna keep crying? Hurry up and pack your stuff.”
Once they’d cried enough, I hit them with the first words of their upcoming nightmare.
Everyone looked up at me, confused.
“Vellet-sama… What do you mean by that…?”
“What do you think? You’re all moving to my homeland, the Vellet Territory.”
“To the Vellet Territory!?”
“Yeah, we’ll prepare a place for you to live. Just bring your belongings.”
I don’t trust promises.
That’s why I’ll make them move to Vellet Territory, so they can’t escape.
“And I’ll assign a tutor, so from now on, it’s no more playing around. You’ll study every day.
Without knowledge, you can’t achieve anything.”
“…”
Their jaws dropped at my terrifying proclamation.
For kids at the peak of playtime, losing their freedom and being forced to study so they can work under me must be torture.
But it’s already decided.
I could see they hadn’t been properly educated while playing.
As they are, they’re not useful.
So, I’ll work them until they are.
By the way, if they try to escape, the tutor will report it to me.
Mio and the others are completely in my grasp now.
“Alice, did I say anything strange? It’s a perfectly reasonable demand, right?”
“Yes, I believe it is an excellent decision.”
Heh, looks like Alice isn’t planning to oppose me this time either.
I saved Mio and the others as a favor to Alice.
In other words, she owes me one.
Everything is going exactly as planned, perfectly.
“In a week, the carriage will come to pick you up. Be ready.”
“P-Please, Vellet-sama!”
“Huh? What is it?”
“What… what should I do now?”
Well, you’ll just come along with the kids and take care of them, but… let’s see.
Here’s an idea. I’ll borrow a line my old boss used to say.
“Figure it out yourself.”
“Figure it out… myself?”
“Yeah. Think about what you should do for me.”
“For Vellet-sama… what I can do…”
Well, I doubt there’ll be any objections, but dealing with them would be a pain if there are.
“I’ve got lessons starting tomorrow. Let’s go, Alice, Mashiro.”
After saying everything I needed to, I left the orphanage.
Mio mumbled something behind me, but I pretended not to hear it.
It’s too late to regret asking me for help now.
In the end, the only thing that can defeat evil is an even greater evil.
“So, what’s next, Ouga-kun? There’s still some time before the carriage comes.”
“I’m going to discipline that one. There’s plenty of work to be done.”
“Discipline…? How are you going to do that?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
I smack my palm with my fist.
“With violence, of course.”
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