The noise of something repeatedly tapping on the window woke them up. They left their bed and went toward the source of the sounds. There, an animal pigeon was poking at the window with its beak, announcing its presence noisily.
They opened the window, letting the bird come in. It flew to their shoulder and chirped happily, a piece of paper attached to its leg. They untied it, read the content, and frowned. The message was destroyed immediately, and the ashes were thrown outside the open window. The pigeon was given food and drink, and, after a little rest, departed back to where it came from.
**********
The next day, I proceeded to the children’s house in the slums, at the same time as yesterday. As expected, the three of them were already waiting for me. Aren looked both anxious and hopeful, while Erin was as distrustful as always. As for Orun, he recognized me from the previous day and was the one to speak first.
“Mister, your arm is not bleeding anymore?”
“Hi! Orun, right? Yes, I went to a life mage and he healed me. See? It looks brand new.”
I extended my arms in his direction, and he tried to come closer to get a better look, only to be stopped by his sister.
“Don’t come too close to him, Run.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Just because. You. Speak quickly and leave. You’re not welcome here.”
“You’re calmer than yesterday, that’s good. There’s a lot to talk about. I’m sure you three are curious too. Let’s sit down and talk like civilized people.”
“Hmph.”
The girl snorted but didn’t refuse. She glanced at my arms before pointing at the ground.
“We don’t have any furniture, so it’s only the ground.”
“That’s fine. Come, let’s sit. Even if you don’t like my proposal, listening to what I have to say will be useful to you in the future. Knowledge is always good to have.”
I kept my tone warm and soft. This seemed to work as the four of us soon found ourselves sitting in a circle on the soil.
“Make it quick. Something about Ren and me working for you? Who’d believe something like that?”
“And why not? I need employees to work in my store, but I’m not from this region myself. I don’t know that many people.”
“As if. Why us when many others would do a better job? We’re just rank 0 slum orphans, and we don’t have any skills.”
I nodded.
“That’s the question, right? Let me ask you instead. Do you know what the difference is between a normal business, a successful one, and a dynastic one?”
“Why are you asking that? How would we know?”
“What about you, Aren?”
The boy shook his head, and I smiled.
“I’ll tell you. Compared to a normal business, a successful one has a good initial idea, good products, maybe an influential owner, and ends up earning good profits. However, that’s also as far as it goes. It’s not a business that lasts for several generations, nor is it one that people will remember for a long time.”
I checked if they were still listening. Well, maybe except for Orun, who was already playing by himself, completely uninterested in my talk.
“There’s a good example of it. The previous owner of the store I just acquired was like that. His shop was popular, and he had a large amount of influence within Geola. However, that’s as far as he went. He only possessed one store, and, as soon as he passed away, his children sold everything for money. The whole business crumbled when the owner wasn’t here anymore. And that’s not what I’m aiming for. I want to build something big, something that won’t break even without me.”
Erin snorted again.
“Cut to the chase. What’s with the long-ass story?”
“Then, last question. What do you think is the most important criterion to build such a company?”
“No idea.”
“A lot of money?”
At least, Aren attempted to answer. I grinned at him before answering.
“Money is important, but it only goes so far. No, the most critical element is trust. You need people you can trust, who will handle parts of the business for you without betraying you. And that’s why I came to you. I want to build trust between us and, once it’s established, give you crucial positions in my company.”
“Ha! All that speech to say that? What trust are you talking about? Are you joking or something?”
“That’s why I said we’re going to build it progressively. I know very well it can’t be done in one day. Right now, I also don’t trust you at all. Why would I, after all? What did you ever do for me? But that’s fine. We have our whole lives to figure it out.”
“Blah blah blah. So, what do you want in the end?”
“Rin!”
“Be quiet, Ren.”
“Don’t fight. Here’s my proposal. I want you two to work for me. I’ll provide whatever you want. Food, clothes, a place to sleep, everything.”
“Everything? We only want one thing, and that’s to rank up.”
“That’s not a problem. You’re trying to become rank 1 sorcerers, right? I can tell it’s not going well.”
“What do you even know!”
“I know. It’s not that easy to rank up without anyone teaching you. That’s the truth. But don’t worry, I’ll find high-ranked trainers for you. You’ll be able to rank up quickly if you’re diligent.”
For some reason, this shut them up.
“Really?”
Aren’s surprised query told me how much trouble they had with their magical training. They probably believed this sort of thing was only for children from rich families.
“Really.”
Erin scowled.
“All of that sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch?”
“There’s only one condition.”
“I knew it! Something dirty, right? Just like all the others!”
“Listen to the end. My condition is exactly as I told you. You should never betray me. Remember one thing, I never give a second chance. Betray me once and we’re done forever. No matter what happens, you’ll never be forgiven.”