After seeing Gil-kun and Luce-san return with the three new recruits (Cart, Ban, and Lilie), I (Shin) immediately started to get the noon meal ready.
It was about ten o'clock when everyone gathered at the Guild, then a two-hour trek out here, and we'd spent another hour setting up the traps. The timing for lunch was just about perfect, I figured.
Even though 'lunch prep' was just me handing out the food I'd brought, I had decided that the younger adventurers would definitely prefer meat and fish over a Potato-Mayonnaise-style sandwich, so that's what I had packed. "Everyone, let's take a break for a meal now," I announced.
"Uh, Cart-kun, Ban-kun, and... Lilie-san." They stared at me with completely bewildered looks.
Cart, with his short hair, had that classic delinquent-leader look about him. In stark contrast, Ban was more androgynous, his hair reaching his shoulders, giving him a gentle, composed feel.
And Lilie-san? She had hair the color of silver-white moonbeams, flowing past her waist—she looked like some kind of noblewoman, a genuine beauty, really.
"Y-you have food? Actual meals?!" Cart sputtered.
"Of course, I do. This is a half-day job, after all," I responded, totally straight-faced. "Ah, Gil-kun and Luce-san, go fetch Pack-san for me. You can drag him back if you have to."
The two ran off again, and I turned to the remaining three, handing out a Tuna-Mayonnaise-style sandwich and a Chicken-Mayonnaise sandwich to one of them.
"Woah! Is this... the legendary sandwich everyone talks about!?" Cart gasped, his eyes wide.
"Really?" Ban whispered, astonished.
"Can we eat both of them!?" Lilie asked, her voice full of pure wonder. It sounded like they hadn't ever had a chance to try them. I mean, they were just Bronze-Class adventurers; the price for these must be prohibitive with that kind of income, I mused.
I handed the astonished duo the same—two sandwiches each.
"Huh?" Ban murmured, clutching one in each hand. "Um..." They focused their gaze on me, waiting for me to speak.
"You... you want one back, right?" Ban asked, tentative.
I shook my head from side to side.
"Two per person, that's the deal. You're young; you can certainly eat that much, can't you?"
While the three of them were still slack-jawed, the two fetchers returned, dragging Pack-san with them. They quickly grasped the situation just by looking at the stunned trio. Gil-kun was the one to speak first, shrugging.
"Well, Shin-san's requests are usually like this, y'know? You should probably get used to it," he drawled. "Oh, look how luxurious the spread is today! Come on, Pack-san, let's eat!".
With all seven of us finally assembled, we dug into our lunches.
I had only brought a Potato-Mayonnaise-style sandwich for myself, which Ban noticed and asked me cautiously, "Um, Shin-san, is that really all right for you?"
"Oh, you know... I'm just not at the age where I can gulp down meat and fish all the time anymore, unfortunately," I sighed. Regular meat and fish are fine, but adding mayonnaise to the equation? My health and the fat building up around my belly absolutely vetoed that. Even the Potato-Mayo was probably pushing it, but that was a choice for my spiritual health, or just a matter of my mood. Luce-san tilted her head, confused.
"Is that so? The Guild Master always eats enormous portions, though."
"Don't put me in the same category as that person," I chuckled. "Speaking of which, Pack-san, did you manage to gather the herbs you were looking for?" I shifted my gaze to him.
"Mffph-mff! Wuzz-goo-ff!" he mumbled with a mouthful. "Please, calm down," I said, suppressing a grin. "Wait until you're done eating."
After a few moments of chewing and swallowing, followed by the audible GULP of his drink going down, Pack-san sighed contentedly. "Yes, I did.
Since I was able to see and gather them with my own eyes, there were absolutely no duds. I wish it were like this all the time, but hiring an escort just for herb collection would cost more than the materials are worth, sadly."
Escort equals labor costs, after all¹, I thought. It really was cheaper to just have him collect them directly. Pack-san wasn't a Guild-registered Adventurer, so he didn't have a Class rating, but he could use practically all basic elements—Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth—and even produce anything from ice to boiling water. On top of that, he knew Purification, a type of Healing Magic.
Since his magic was only effective on a very small scale—just a vial or a cupful—he had studied pharmacology and settled into his current academic position. "And I can't leave the Town too often, either. I also travel around to the nearby villages," he explained. With many skilled Healing Magic users being snatched up by the Capital, a pharmacist like him was truly invaluable. But it felt terribly inefficient.
"In that case," I proposed, "I'm planning to do these kind of 'expeditions' maybe twice a week. I'll be hiring these three then, so why don't you teach them which herbs to look for? We could have them gather for you while they're out."
Pack-san's eyes darted between me and the three youngsters.
"Is that really acceptable?" he asked. The trio exchanged looks.
"We don't mind at all," Cart affirmed.
"If anything, we'd be grateful for the extra work," Ban added.
"And, uh, can we do that while we're on Shin-san's job, too?" Lilie questioned, her tone still a little nervous.
I explained calmly, "That trap Magic takes time to activate, doesn't it?
It would be a waste to just stand around. I won't complain about what you do in your free time."
The only problem is... I glanced at Gil-kun and Luce-san. "Oh, well, we're happy with our current line of work, so we'll pass on that, y'know?" Gil-kun was quick to say. "We think it's better to leave that kind of work to them.
It's definitely not because we're too lazy to learn something new or anything," Luce-san added, perfectly in sync with Gil-kun. They both looked away, trying to hide their true feelings. Well, they're Silver-Class, so their income is steady anyway. I guess it's good if the extra earnings go to the newcomers, I conceded.
"Right, then, Pack-san. After lunch, while we wait for the Magic to trigger, would you please teach Cart-kun, Ban-kun, and Lilie-san about the medicinal herbs? Gil-kun and Luce-san, you'll be on perimeter guard." And so, the future policy was settled. After waiting for about two hours, we returned to the Town.
* * *
"We're back now." By the time we arrived at the Clan Inn, the sun was already starting to dip below the horizon. Two hours traveling out, three hours on site... seven hours in total. A full half-day job. And the result? One hundred eighty fish and forty birds. Massive over-harvesting, thank you very much. I usually try to limit it to two hundred fish and fifty birds per week, so this was a bit much—but that's what the 'expedition' was for. It'll be fine... probably.
"Honestly, Lieben and Mel aren't even here today. What are we going to do?" the Inn's Proprietress grumbled. Since it wasn't the designated 'Fish Day,' those two wouldn't be around, naturally. But because we had captured them alive, the fish would survive until tomorrow, and I could just put the birds into the chicken coop as stock later. The problem was that we couldn't catch any fish tomorrow on the proper 'Fish Day.' No choice, I'll take Gil-kun and Luce-san out to scout a new expedition site tomorrow, I decided. "So, did you get what you were after?" the Proprietress (Claire-Age-san) continued, asking Pack-san about his harvest.
"Yes! I'm set for quite a while, whehehehe..." Pack-san was clearly elated. He had a lot of work ahead of him with the mixing and compounding, but he seemed delighted.
"All right, let's call it a day, then. Ah, Gil-kun and Luce-san, take the usual—the fish and birds—to the Orphanage. Cart-kun and the others, please help them."
"Will do!" they chorused. While the trio was getting their first instruction from the Proprietress on dividing up the fish and birds for the Orphanage, I quietly called Gil-kun and Luce-san aside and proposed something to them behind the Inn.
"Huh? The three of them?" Gil-kun questioned.
"Yes. I was thinking of having them help out at the Orphanage. I'm giving you two lodging here, but two people alone just aren't enough," I explained.
"That sounds like a good idea," Luce-san reasoned. "They aren't much younger than us, and they look like they've had a tough time, so... And we still have a few empty guest rooms."
Success! This was how I planned to house the Guild's newly unemployed—or, rather, provide a stable home for promising young adventurers.
The money I'd spent on enlarging and renovating the Orphanage was finally paying off. "Shin-san, we're finished now!" Cart-kun's voice called out, and I rushed over.
"Good. Now, you'll help carry all of this to the Orphanage. Gil-kun and Luce-san will show you the way." I watched them leave, then stretched wide and yawned. A four-hour round trip was really taking its toll on this nearly forty-year-old body.
"Looks like a bath before dinner would be better for you," the Proprietress observed.
"Ah, yes, please. I'll take you up on that." And so, the day of resource gathering and escort duty came to a peaceful end.
* * *
The next day dawned.
"Wah!" Lieben-san gasped.
"Nuh-whaa!?" Mel-san shouted in shock.
They had arrived for 'Fish Day' to find an enormous pile of fish already waiting for them. Lieben was the 'Wah!' and Mel was the 'Nuh-whaa!?'
I asked the Proprietress to work with the two of them on making 'one-night dried' fish, then set out with Gil-kun and Luce-san to scout for a new, uncharted spot. We followed the river deeper into the forest, and as we walked, I casually gathered information on the new recruits I'd sent to the Orphanage.
"I don't think they're bad people, but was there any confusion?" I asked, genuinely concerned. Even if they weren't much older, an increase in 'adults' could be a big deal for the children.
"After we got back, Matron Ribera (Ribera-sensei) cooked dinner with the fish and birds we brought," Gil-kun recounted. "They were eating it happily along with us. Lilie-san actually started crying, going, 'You eat like this all the time!?'"
"Also, the number of kids has grown quite a bit—there are over ten children from outside the Town staying now," Luce-san added. "So, Matron Ribera said having more people to look after them is a huge welcome." I nodded, making a mental note to check the budget.
"Were the sleeping arrangements okay? Moving their luggage, and all that..."
"They mostly had only the clothes on their backs, so there wasn't much to move."
"The Orphanage still had rooms to spare, so they each got a private room. They seemed a bit bewildered, since they said they were used to sleeping three to a large room."
Oh, wow, that's a significant upgrade in their quality of life, I thought.
"And also... there's a reason—a necessity, you could say—for the Orphanage to give them private rooms," Luce-san said, looking slightly embarrassed.
"? What kind of necessity is that?" I asked, tilting my head at Gil-kun's explanation.
Luce-san answered for him, sheepishly. "Well, the little ones always want to sleep with the grown-ups, y'know?
Even when we were kids, Matron Ribera's bed was high-competition, so... giving the new adults private rooms means there are more people to tuck the kids in, which helps a lot, you could say."
Ah, right. There were staff dispatched from the Town, but they went home at night, and the foster children were still at the age where they missed their parents.
Plus, the burden of the increased numbers fell on the staff. I'm the one who requested to increase the number of children they take in, so I feel a sense of responsibility, I acknowledged. Should I hire more staff there, too?
Just as I was thinking about it, Gil-kun suddenly changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, today's supposed to be a fishing day, so where are we going? Is the usual river spot no good anymore?"
I knew from experience that explaining resource conservation wouldn't be easily understood, so I came up with a believable story that played to the world's beliefs. "If we keep fishing at the same spot, they stop coming to it.
I think they instinctively sense the residual Magic or Mana and realize the danger. So, we need to let the spot rest and skip the days we use Magic there."
"Ohhh," "Is that so?" they exclaimed, clearly impressed. I found it a bit odd that they were so easily convinced, but the word Magic carried a lot of weight in this world.
Part of this 'expedition' was also for me to find edible and useful plants, leveraging my own basic outdoor knowledge. I'd already found dandelions and what looked like Saxifrage. I'd also confirmed there were loaches, catfish, shrimp, and crab-like creatures in the river. But to eat those, the cooking would mainly involve Tempura, Fried, or Deep-fried dishes—all of which require a huge amount of oil.
So far, I'd had to give up on them. Until now, that is. I had already approached Carman-san about procuring more oil than before. If I could secure a massive amount of oil, it would significantly broaden my culinary range. Therefore, I was serious about finding and mapping their habitats.
I also know how to eat snakes, frogs, and insects from my father's old knowledge, but I'll save that for a dire emergency... "You two should try to memorize the routes, too. We might be back again.
Also, today is just a scouting and survey trip. We'll only catch a little bit of fish," I instructed. The two young adventurers, however, puffed out their chests.
"This much is no big deal for us. We can use Body-Enhancement (Boost), ssu..." Gil-kun declared.
"This distance? We can easily do another round trip even while carrying luggage," Luce-san boasted.
If only I could use that Body-Enhancement Magic, I wouldn't have any trouble, I sighed internally. The fact that I was completely incapable of using Magic was still a top-secret piece of information known only to Jan-san.
So, situations like this, where I had to match their casual boasting, were the most difficult for me. I'm definitely going for a foot massage when I get back. With that as my motivation, I seriously started the day's work.
* * *
"We're home!"
I thought we had returned relatively early, but by the time we arrived back at the Clan Inn, the sunset was casting a strong western light across the Town.
I wasn't sure if the concepts of East, West, North, and South existed, or if the auto-translation just aligned it for me, but either way, we got back before it was truly dark. This meant the 'one-night dried' fish process should be finished before nightfall.
In the end, Gil-kun and Luce-san had caught about fifty fish between them, but I stuck to my policy of no overtime. We'd just deal with the rest tomorrow.
"You've brought back a huge haul again," the Proprietress commented. "Well, let's get right to it..." Lieben-san and Mel-san were about to start the drying process when someone rushed in.
"Shin-san!" I recognized the voice and turned to see Lilie-san hurrying towards me.
"What's wrong, Lilie-san?" I asked. Her panicked expression immediately told me something terrible had happened. Please, tell me it's not the Orphanage... My premonition was, unfortunately, correct.
"Um, that... that Locke Baron person came to the Orphanage and told Matron Ribera to sell the children!"
A sudden, chilling tension filled the air.
Lilie-san continued quickly: "Of course, Matron Ribera refused, and the parents of the children from outside the Town refused, too! But the Guild Master told me to come tell you immediately!"
I let out a slow, deliberate Hah of a sigh before answering. "All right, I'm heading to the Orphanage now.
Lieben-san and Mel-san, please continue with the dried fish. Proprietress, please prepare the usual meal to send over to the Orphanage. Once it's ready, Gil-kun and Luce-san will bring it." Then, I quickly set off with Lilie-san.
* * *
"Shin-san!!"
Milia-san, the Guild clerk, was waiting for us, having heard the news from the Guild Master, Jan. "Are the children safe?" I glanced around, not knowing all their faces, and realizing I had to get the information first.
"At least the ones here are safe, I think," Cart-kun said. "But some of the kids are at the public bathhouse right now. Matron Ribera and Raid-san are over there with them," Ban-kun added. It seemed the worst-case scenario hadn't happened yet, but I needed all the details to act. "When did this Baron enter the Town?"
"He seems to have arrived just as you were leaving," Milia-san explained. "The Guild Master immediately told us to inform you, but you had already left the Town."
The public bathhouse's schedule for the foot-massage dance was usually three to five in the afternoon for the first shift, then a break, and then six to eight for the second shift. The baths were open until nine. It was about six o'clock now, so he must have confirmed the foot-massage situation in the first shift, then demanded to buy the children from the Orphanage and the parents.
He had been refused everywhere. If he's going to act, it'll be now, I thought. "Did the Guild Master say anything else?"
"He said he's restricting movement into and out of the Town—specifically, anything involving large carriages or big loads will be checked at all the gates." That meant all we had to do was confirm the safety of all the children at the public bathhouse. "I'm going to the Adventurer's Guild now. Milia-san, you all wait here. Contact me immediately if anything happens." With that, I left the Orphanage.
* * *
"Damn it! What in the hell is wrong with this Town?!"
A man in his early thirties with a shaved head, whom I would later know as Baron Locke, was swearing violently in a lavish room at a high-end inn.
Gold trimmings on his clothes JINGLED with every furious movement. "A peasant brat from a backwater like this should be easily purchased for fifty gold coins, damn it!".
"This place is far too unusual, my Lord Baron," a man in a black vest and white polo—a butler's uniform—said, leaning against the wall. The butler, Fred, was about the same age, but with long, dark hair tied back and a gloomy, unhealthy look in his eyes. "Meat and fish are treated as common fare, and they even have this strange delicacy they call 'mayonnaise dishes.' The children even have a free bathhouse... Why would the parents ever let them leave or sell them?" Fred spoke with a professional sigh.
"Those brats are worth a fortune! I confirmed the effect on my own body, whatever that Healing Magic or whatever it is. The rumors in the Capital were true... no, beyond the rumors. Sell them on the black market—I could get a thousand gold coins per 'commodity'!" The Baron had clearly finished his appraisal, and the sheer frustration of being unable to acquire them made his finger furiously TAP-TAP-TAP on the table.
"Honestly... I'm glad I brought you. We'll just take two or three of them. Fred, use that."
"...Concealment (Hide) Magic, my Lord?" Fred accepted his master's order without agreement or denial, simply closing his eyes with a quiet, deep sigh.
* * *
A short while later, in the Guild Master's office, the middle-aged Guild Master (Jan) and the almost-middle-aged me were sitting on a couch, waiting.
"Just sitting and waiting is tough, isn't it?" I mused.
"The little ones doing the foot-massage dance at the public bathhouse should be back soon. Once that's over..." Jan-san didn't finish his sentence before Raid-kun burst into the room, his face white with panic.
"S-Sir! Boss! Shin-san!"
"!?" I instinctively jumped up, but Jan-san stayed seated, calm and collected, prompting Raid to explain. "Calm down. What happened, Raid?"
"Nico and Pop just... vanished, ssu! Matron Ribera and I were watching them, but they suddenly disappeared when we were heading back!" Raid-kun shouted, his voice cracking. Were those the children getting the foot massage today?
"Raid-kun. When did you last see them?" I asked.
"After the foot-massage dance ended... they got bathed, and dressed... They were definitely there until then, ssu. When we left the bathhouse facilities and were about to head home with everyone..."
At this point, the Guild Master, who had been sitting with his arms crossed, stood up.
"Time-wise? How long ago did you lose sight of them?"
"A-at least less than ten minutes ago, ssu!"
In that case, they haven't left the Town yet? But even a small Town of five hundred people has plenty of places to hide children.
If he waited for the commotion to die down and then snuck them out, there would be no way to stop him. How is he planning to transport them out? While I was running simulations in my head, Ron-san, one of the Gate Guards, tumbled into the room.
"G-Guild Master! And also, the 'Giant Boar Killer'!" Ron cried out. "Baron Locke's carriage has come to the gate, saying he suddenly remembered an urgent matter and needs to leave the Town immediately! He's demanding passage!"
The three men in the room exchanged glances.
"...That is far too obvious, isn't it?" Jan-san muttered.
"What in the heck is he thinking, ssu..." Raid-kun said, bewildered.
"L-let's just go! Now!" I urged. Since they were stalled at the gate, we had a chance. Using Ron-san as a guide, we all hurried to the scene.
* * *
"Are we done yet? I am in a hurry, you know."
When we arrived at the West Gate, guarded by Ron-san and Mile-san, the high-status man standing next to the carriage—Baron Locke—was speaking loudly. The butler stood beside him, and his attitude was neither defensive nor suspicious.
"I am Jandou, the Branch Master of this Town's Adventurer's Guild. The safety of two missing children is at stake, so I must ask for your cooperation," Jan-san said, his voice calm and authoritative. "If everything checks out, you are free to leave immediately."
"Oh, of course. I will cooperate fully," the Baron declared, his voice dripping with false civility. Jan-san then peered into the carriage from the rear, checked the interior, and walked back to Raid-kun and me.
"W-well? What did you find?" Raid-kun asked.
"Nothing. But it might be Concealment (Hide) Magic," Jan-san warned. "If that's the case, it's going to be tricky. Advanced Concealment Magic can block all sight and sound."
I happened to look at the shaved-head Baron, who noticed my gaze. He curled his lips into a sneering, arrogant grin.
"Can't you use your Truth-Seeing (See-Through) Magic, Boss!?" Raid-kun pleaded.
"That Magic only sees the truth of the words they speak. I'd know if he were lying, but I can't do anything without physical proof," Jan-san explained. "It's not like I can just seize a noble's carriage, after all... Huh?"
Ignoring their discussion, I approached the carriage and looked inside from the back, then climbed in.
(What is that man doing?) the Baron thought, looking stunned.
(Whatever he does is pointless... My Concealment is perfect... No one should be able to notice them, even if the children cry and scream—) the retainer Fred thought, his expression still blank. But then, a voice came from inside the carriage that made both their eyes widen.
"Oh, you must be Nico and Pop-kun? Everyone is worried about you. Let's go home."
"Ah! It's the Uncle with the birds and fish and eggs!?" Nico squeaked.
"You know who we are!?" Pop cried, utterly bewildered.
The Baron's and Fred's faces went slack, their eyes staring blankly.
"...Huh?" the Baron managed.
"...Eh?" the Retainer whispered.
I emerged from the carriage carrying a small boy and girl in my arms in the crowd, the two children immediately ran to her, sobbing.
"Waaahhh! I was so scared!" Nico cried.
"I thought they were going to take us away! Waaahhh!" Pop wailed. Matron Ribera embraced and comforted them, and the circle around the carriage tightened. Lieben-san and her Boomerang crew, along with Gil-kun and Luce-san, had quickly surrounded the area. And for some reason, Milia-san, the non-combatant clerk, was standing a step forward, her arms crossed in a fierce pose, her round glasses seemingly catching the light as if she were a guardian deity.
Jan-san walked up to the bewildered Baron and his retainer, who were frantically looking around. "Well, now..." the Guild Master said, his voice deadly calm.
"Lord Locke Baron? Would you mind coming back to my office for a little chat? We appreciate your full cooperation."
In response, the two men seemed to give up, collapsing onto the ground with their palms flat against the dirt.
Summary:
The day begins with Shin's resource management and the hiring of three new adventurers (Cart, Ban, Lilie). This sets up a successful, efficient system where the youngsters help Pack, the Apothecary. The mood shifts abruptly when the Entitled Locke Baron attempts to kidnap the Orphanage children, seeing them as high-value black-market 'commodities.'
The crisis escalates as the Baron's retainer uses powerful Concealment Magic to hide two kidnapped children. Shin, relying on pure common-sense and a lack of need for Magic (since the Concealment likely hid Magic but not physical occupants, or the children knew him well enough to call out), easily locates the children in the carriage, completely neutralizing the Baron's plot. The town's united front against the noble shows the strength of their community.
Character Insight:
Shin's exhaustion (his body is not meant for fantasy adventure) and his desperate need to keep his lack of Magic a secret ironically fuel his ultimate effectiveness; he must think outside the magical box. The Baron's arrogance is his downfall; he underestimated the value of 'common' food and life in the Town. Milia-san's protective stance, despite being a non-combatant, shows the collective, fierce loyalty of the Town to its children and the Orphanage.
Behind the Scene:
Shin's plan to make the Orphanage a functional base for young adventurers (shelter, work, and income redistribution) is a key strategic move to solidify the town's independent economy. The Baron's assumption that money and a noble title are all he needs reflects the typical corrupt systems Shin is now forced to navigate. Shin's knowledge of the children (The Uncle with the birds and fish) is what truly defeats the high-level Concealment Magic, not a counter-spell.
T/L:
¹ [Escort equals labor costs, after all] is a thought that reflects Shin's pragmatic, business-minded approach to the fantasy world's economics. He always calculates the ROI (Return on Investment) even for small tasks. ↩
Notes:
• Lilie - One of the three new adventurers housed by Shin, she is a striking beauty with waist-length silver-white hair, deeply moved by the simple kindness and good food at the orphanage. Her appearance resembles that of a young noblewoman.
• Cart - One of the three new adventurers housed by Shin, he’s a gang leader type with a grateful demeanor for Shin’s kindness. Short-haired and sporting a typical delinquent/leader look.
• Luce - A Bronze-class adventurer, also an orphanage graduate and very close friend of Gil. She specializes in Fire Magic, but can only 'manifest' flames without projection. She has flaxen hair tied in a braid at the back, short stature.
• Shin - An average, middle-aged Japanese salaryman who prides himself on his common sense and average abilities. He was forcibly sent to a fantasy world by a God and granted the 'ability' to prevent anything 'outside his common sense' from occurring in his presence.
• Ban - One of the three new adventurers housed by Shin, he is gentler and more reserved than Cart, with an androgynous appearance, shoulder-length hair, and a gentle-looking demeanor.
• Gil - A Bronze-class adventurer and recent graduate of the local orphanage. He specializes in Earth Magic (Stone Bullet), but its initial power is weak. He and Luce are close, almost like siblings. He has short hair, slender build, and looks unhealthy.
• Pack - The town's sole medical practitioner, he possesses extensive knowledge of traditional remedies and immediately recognized the superior nutritional value of Shin's egg-based 'patient food.' With long hair often mistaken for a woman from a distance, he has a slender build and favors practical, no-nonsense clothing suited for foraging and medicine preparation.
• Claire - The sharp-witted owner of the inn 'Clan,' which was previously famous for its private bath. She is a powerful water-magic user.
• Lieben - A tall man Shin hires for his Wind Magic to help create his dried fish product. He has thin, tall frame and slightly tired eyes.
• Mel - A young girl Shin hires for her Water Magic to clean his catch. She has semi-long hair, and slightly foxy, sharp eyes.
• Ribera - The director of the local orphanage, deeply invested in the children's well-being. She is a middle aged woman.
• Carman - The Count's official merchant in the town. A professional, elderly man who quickly recognized the unexpected value of Shin's processed fish.
• Jan - The sturdy branch manager of the local Adventurer's Guild. He is short, has muscular build, and gray hair.
• Locke - A minor noble (Baron) arrived in town to illegally procure children, viewing them as profitable commodities due to rumors of their healing magic. He sports slicked-back, shaved hair, wears overly expensive gold-trimmed clothing, and carries an entitled, arrogant expression.
• Milia - The young receptionist at the Adventurer's Guild. She has short hair, tanuki-face like (cute), wears round glasses, and business attire.
• Raid - A young, 'normie' adventurer who gets saddled with the job of escorting Shin. He is carefree and friendly but is instantly put on edge by Jandou's ominous warning. He has short black hair, sun-tanned skin, and wears casual adventure gear.
• Nico - Young, small orphan girl, initially tear-stained, wearing simple clothes, later a Shinto-style priest outfit. Abducted with Pop, her fear manifests as exhaustion and silence, eventually clinging to her caretaker.
• Pop - Young, small orphan boy, initially tear-stained, wearing simple clothes, later a Shinto-style priest outfit. Abducted with Nico, emotionally regressed, seeks constant comfort from Ribera-sensei.
• Ron - The second gate guard, usually supporting Mile. He is observant of Shin's methods, though he misinterprets them. Wears same as Mile.
• Mile - One of the two gate guards. He's relatively open and friendly towards Shin after their initial encounter. Wears rough leather armor, has weather-beaten face, and strong build.