NOVEL NEXT Chapter 265: Confirmation (2)
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There were at least a hundred orphans. Transporting all of them from the northern areas of Grimdart all the way to Arkite in the southern side of the continent was a significant task. It would likely take many months when considering the stamina and health of the younger children too.
Even if they were Wisemen, they were only two of them, and it would be hard to keep so many children safe and healthy, so they had put that idea on ice for the time being.
「Fair point… That journey would take many months, and there’s too many children, so I don’t blame you.」
The other teachers helping them were non combatants too, and they could not afford to lose anyone either, so Mira shuddered at the thought of such a group traveling across the continent.
But if that issue was solved, then both would gladly return to Arkite. That was a chance Mira could not allow herself to pass.
Solomon would likely be able to figure out where to build the new orphanage. Luckily, the royal coffers were brimming thanks to the treasure recently found below Nevrapolis.
On top of that, after the destruction of Chimera Clauzen, Arkite had also established trading routes with Roseline, so the economy would likely improve further.
Taking out a loan to build an orphanage was more than possible, and Artesia and Lastrada kept insisting on covering the operation costs themselves, making it a cheap price to pay for the return of two Wisemen.
But the main issue remained, how to get all of the children to Arkite.There were more than a hundred children, and all of them needed to get there safely.
First, she thought of the continental trains, as she could see the children being excited about boarding them. But the stations were usually packed with people, increasing the risk of some children going lost.
So then, a more ingenious idea popped in her mind.
「Yes, that should work way better.」 Mira grinned smugly as she muttered that, then got up while saying, 「I’ll go ask about it,」 and ran out of the room.
「…Ask who?」
「I wonder?」
Artesia and Lastrada were confused, but also curious, so they followed Mira to see what she would do.
After interrupting their tea time like that, Mira headed to her wagon. It was parked right in front of the church, and she quickly made a beeline for the closet, where she reached for the communication device.
Shortly after, Artesia and Lastrada found the wagon’s door open and peeked inside to see what she was doing.
「Ah, be careful there. You can’t expose your underwear like that.」 Artesia noticed the way Mira was leaning into the closet, so she admonished Mira with a gentle voice before pulling her out.
「Hwoah?! What’s happening?!」
Mira raised her voice, shocked by the sudden movement, but then went silent the instant she saw Artesia’s face, noticing she had entered her reprimanding mode, which Mira knew very well.
「You always have to be mindful of your surroundings as a young lady. And if that’s too much work, then you should get something more decorous to wear.」
As Artesia continued lecturing her, Mira protested that she did own various clothing articles to conceal her underwear, which prolonged their argument, as Artesia correctly pointed out that there was no point to owning them if Mira did not wear them.
「Girls need to be extremely aware of how they look, especially if you’re cute, since that’ll make you a target of bad men. There’s cameras in this world now too, so you never know who might take pictures of you.」
「Okay…I’ll be more careful.」
Eventually the lecture was over, and Mira nodded meekly, quickly taking out a pair of spats and wearing them, which finally made Artesia calm down and release Mira.
「Now then…」
Mira realized she could not act as usual with Artesia around, so she gave up on her usual method of using the communication device, and instead took it out of the closet and placed it on the kotatsu in the center of the wagon. Then she quickly rang up Solomon.
「Ohh, a communication device.」
「Oh wow, you’ve got something impressive there.」
While Mira had gotten used to using that device often, it was still a rare and expensive item. Both Lastrada and Artesia were shocked to see her casually produce one from her closet.
(I’m sure he’ll be shocked too.)
Mira looked at the pair and grinned, before focusing on the device.
‘This is Solomon speaking.’
Eventually, the call connected and Solomon’s voice rang through the room.
「Ohh, it’s me, it’s me!」 Mira replied loudly, and then Artesia leaned forward and said, 「It’s been a while, Solomon. I’m here too, Artesia.」
‘Huh? Ah, ahh, so Mira found you. That’s good, it’s nice to hear your voice again. It’s been a while indeed.’ Solomon was audibly shocked at Artesia’s sudden entrance. After a moment of confusion, he happily greeted her. But the surprises were not over yet.
「Commander in Chief! It’s been so long! I’m here too! Hoshizaki Subaru at your service!」 Lastrada then raised his voice, and Solomon sounded extremely confused, exactly the way Mira had hoped.
‘Wait, is that you Led? You’re there too? Woah, I can’t believe this is actually happening!’
Mira had been trying to track down Artesia, so finding her was a pleasant but expected surprise. But that Lastrada was there too went beyond Solomon’s best expectations.
Also, Led was the nickname Solomon used for Lastrada.
「You see, he was the Phantom Thief all along.」
Mira continued on, wanting to keep Solomon’s excitement high. After that, they continued to talk about Fuzzy Dice and why that persona was created, and Lastrada would fill in any information Mira skipped over.
‘I see, so that’s how the Phantom Thief came to be.’
Once they were done telling the story, Solomon spoke with an understanding voice. He was also aware of the various scummy groups hiding in the backrooms of society, so he could easily imagine the slave trader ring, and was curious to learn more about them.
But Solomon contained that interest, not asking anything further, and simply advising them to always be careful.
「Anyway, I found both of them, but we’re having a bit of an issue with the orphanage…」
Solomon did not mind if Lastrada continued being Fuzzy Dice for a while longer, considering how close to his objective he was. Lastrada also had plenty of allies and sounded confident, so there was no reason to worry about him.
That left the orphanage as the only issue. So Mira explained the reason why Artesia and Lastrada could not return to Arkite yet.
‘Oh, that shouldn’t be a problem at all. I’ve already arranged for a mansion behind the Academy to be repurposed as an orphanage.’
The biggest issue, a place Artesia could use for her orphanage, had already been arranged for. Solomon had anticipated that things would take a similar turn when Mira mentioned the rumors about an orphanage, so he began getting things ready since then. They only needed to fill out the staff forms, and register the orphanage with the church.
There was a large house that had been used as temporary classrooms while the Academy was being built, and Solomon had already secured it to become an orphanage.
「Aww I’m so happy, thank you so much, Solomon.」
「I knew we could count on you for a brisk response, Commander in Chief!」
Artesia and Lastrada were delighted to hear that one of their conditions to return had been met already. They had also desired to return to Arkite for a long time, and now it was closer to becoming a reality.
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