Chapter 84 - Chapter 84: Rudolf of the Slums
Chapter 84: Rudolf of the Slums
“Justin, who’s that person?”
“That’s a man named Rudolf who runs this slum.”
“…I haven’t heard any rumors about the Boss having a secret child or adopting a child, though.”
Comparing me and Jest, Rudolf tilted his head.
“This kid is Jest. You’ve heard that name before, right?”
“Huh!? Jest… wait, could it be… that child… is a dragon!?”
“That’s right! Do you know about me?”
From the rough adventurer-filled taverns on the border between the slums and the commoner district to the upscale brothels where nobles frequent, there are many night establishments. It’s safe to say that Rudolf has a hand in most of them. And all kinds of information flow to Rudolf.
“This man knows almost everything about the capital city, so I’ve come to listen to the story this time too.”
“Haha, well, that’s how it is. Since we’re just standing here talking, do we have time to have tea? I bought your favorite tea leaves, Boss, but you didn’t come for so long that I thought they might go bad before you showed up.”
“My bad, you know there were various things going on. And besides, I told you to stop calling me Boss.”
Because it’s Rudolf, there’s a possibility he knows about the trials, my return to my hometown, and even about the contract with Jeanne and not just about the contract with Jest.
“Yeah, yeah, but everyone thinks Justin is the real boss. Me too.”
Rudolf calmly led Eleanor by the reins. Since we had met when I was still a squire, and even after coming to the capital city and joining the Third Knight Order, Eleanor was used to him.
When we arrived at the two-story house with a garden, a child who looked about the same age as Jest came to pick up Eleanor and led her away. All the servants in this house are orphans from the slums, and Rudolf gives them work and pays them wages.
The house is old but well-maintained inside, making it a comfortable place to live. Cleaning and meals are taken care of by women who find it difficult to work outside, a proposal that was made by me, Justin, before. A room in this house has become a place that children love, like a small nursery.
We were escorted to the reception room, where a middle-aged woman with a limp brought us tea in a cart. It seems she was left with aftereffects from being hit by a noble’s carriage five years ago. She had been working for a merchant but was dismissed after being injured, and Rudolf picked her up.
“By the way, not many people call Justin ‘Justin’, but Rudolf does. Are you two close?”
“Oh, interested, huh!? Want to hear? Let me tell you about how Justin and I met.”
“Tell me!”
To be honest, I didn’t want Jest to ask about the story from when I was rougher, but I couldn’t refuse Jest, who was eagerly looking forward to hearing it, and Rudolf, who seemed eager to tell it.
“Well… that was six years ago when Justin wasn’t a knight yet, but a squire. Justin was sixteen, I think? He had such wild eyes back then that you couldn’t imagine from his current appearance. He sneaked out of the mansion in the capital without his parents’ knowledge and came to the slums. We tried to take advantage of Justin, who looked well-off, to get some money, but he was so strong! There were over ten of us, but we ended up getting beaten up instead.”
“A group of children who haven’t had a proper meal is easier to handle than monster hunting, no matter how many there are.”
After experiencing real combat several times and dealing with a group of children, it wasn’t a threat or anything. They just wanted food, so I lightly pushed them away to avoid getting hurt. But more than that… the eyes of those children, who seemed to think they weren’t needed by anyone, reminded me of myself back then.
“When we thought you left us lying there and went somewhere, you came back with food to feed us. After that, the kids got attached to you, and every time you came to the capital city, you gave us some work or food, and even taught me what to do in the future. When I got this scar on my eye, I might have died if Justin hadn’t left a potion for me.”
Saying that, He touched his left eye, which no longer opens. It seems he got a deep cut that reached the bone when he confronted some adult thugs. It wasn’t a high-quality potion, so even though the wound healed, he still lost his sight. But the person himself is grateful.
“Wow, Justin is amazing.”
“It’s not really… I didn’t do anything special.”
Jest’s pure look of admiration is dazzling.
“I originally thought about coming to the capital city in the future to advance my career, so I thought it would be useful to have information about the capital city. And since people like these seemed suitable for that, I just used them. Luckily, I didn’t have to spend much money at my parents’ house, and I had a decent income. …Isn’t that enough? Let’s finally exchange information!”
Actually, it’s not a lie, and above all, the embarrassment of having the Justin in me seen as a good person is shouting at me.
I had a period in my past life when I secretly acted rebellious during adolescence, but the embarrassment of being seen as my true self at that moment was unbearable.
“Yeah, yeah, so I’ve summarized the significant information since Justin’s last visit… This one is about the whole capital city, and this one is divided into the noble district, merchant district, and commoner district. I investigated the actions of the Crown Prince and his fiancée, thinking you’d be interested in that.”
“As expected. You really understand what information I want.”
“We’ve known each other for a long time.”
After that, we ended up discussing information exchange and a little scheming until dinner time.
Original Author’s Comment:
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Everyone, thank you for your warm words! I’ll continue to write enjoyable stories at my own pace! You may have noticed, but Ernest mentioned during his inspection that the security of the slums has improved thanks to Justin’s actions (*´艸`).