Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~ - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: New Companions

“You really surprised me. I never expected you to take in orphans into the village.”

The time for departure had finally arrived. We were returning to my village.

Count Fernande stood before his mansion, seeing us off.

“I apologize for the inconvenience. We arranged for immigration, and then suddenly requested a reduction in slots.”

Accepting the orphans had reduced the number of people needed for immigration. Too many immigrants would strain our capacity to accommodate them.

“It’s fine. It seems it’s because of our Farne, isn’t it? But you’ve changed too. If you had left it to me, I could have invited adults with farming experience and physical strength. But to take in orphans to help them – you truly are a person of integrity.”

I chuckled and shook my head.

“I made the decision based on solid reasoning. Younger ones are more adaptable. Besides, they have bonds among them. The teamwork that arises from there more than compensates for any lack of experience or physical strength.”

Twenty children, led by Johann.

They were well-disciplined. If left to Johann, he would likely lead them competently.

The biggest problem with inviting immigrants was that, due to their diverse origins, it was difficult to maintain order. Complaints would arise about favoritism and being assigned tough tasks. Many immigrants ended up wanting to return to their previous villages, regardless of how well they were living here.

But with these children, there was no such worry.

“I see, that makes sense.”

“Besides, people from other villages have somewhere they can find happiness. These children have nowhere else. If possible, wouldn’t you want to provide a place for those who have nowhere to belong?”

I am by no means a philanthropist.

However, as long as it balances with profit, I also want to make everyone happy.

“Kurt-sama, I must say, after this incident, I’ve fallen for you even more. To use such a valuable medicine for the sake of one girl, not just that, but to save the entire lives of these children permanently, you truly are, my future husband.”

Farne’s eyes sparkled like those of a love-struck maiden, leaving me no choice but to smile wryly.

This was unexpected. I never thought she would believe my lie.

Farne truly believes that I healed the orphan girl with the legendary elixir.

Count Fernande chuckled wryly. He probably hasn’t realized that I healed her with magic, but he likely suspects some kind of trickery.

“Big brother Kurt, we’re ready over here.”

“Good work, Johann!”

Johann, the leader of the children, helped them onto the carriage.

Since then, I’ve had various discussions with him and we’ve bonded. As the leader of the children, Johann’s quick thinking and worldly experience are evident.

He’s a reliable kid. Perhaps he’ll become my right-hand man someday.

Now, all that’s left is to return home.

“Well then, Count Fernande, Farne-sama, thank you for everything.”

“It was a pleasure having you here.”

“Kurt-sama, I’ll be joining you next week! And regarding the orphanage, I’ll thoroughly investigate it with responsibility!”

It seems the matter of the orphanage greatly shocked Farne, and she decided to thoroughly investigate it based on the detailed accounts from the children.

She also mentioned investigating the individuals who were selling drugs to the children.

I trust she’ll handle it well.

And so, we set off towards our village.
◇

After being shaken in the carriage for a long time, we finally arrived at my beloved village.

As we stepped down from the carriage, the children rushed down one by one.

“Big brother Kurt, this is our village from today onwards, right?”

“That’s right. Be prepared to work hard from now on.”

“Of course, that’s the plan. Right, everyone?”

When Johann asked the children, they all enthusiastically replied.

“Hey, the young master’s back.”

Solte approached. He’s the reliable big man who took care of the village while I was away.

“Well, well, you’ve brought quite a crowd with you.”

“Solte, let me introduce you. These kids are the new settlers of our village. They’ll be in charge of beekeeping as we discussed before.”

“Got it. I heard about the immigrants coming, so I’ve prepared some places for them to stay. But I didn’t expect such a large group…”

“We’ll figure it out somehow.”

We had planned to accept about five families of immigrants in the village. We’re always considering increasing the number of immigrants, so we’ve prepared makeshift shelters for each family.

“Johann, bring everyone here. I’ll show you to your homes.”

“Got it, big brother Kurt.”

And so, I led the children to their new homes.

◇

“These five houses lined up here are your homes. You can decide where to live.”

With those words, the children excitedly discussed among themselves, and in no time, the allocation of houses was decided.
Their teamwork is impressive, likely developed from their previous experiences living closely together.

“Wow, Johann, there’s one blanket for each of us!”

“And there are no holes in the ceiling, no bugs crawling around either.”

“And there’s a proper stove!”

“The wind doesn’t blow in, and the wood isn’t rotten.”

They’re celebrating in a very basic way, but it’s clear they must have come from some pretty rough living conditions.

“We’ll provide food once a month, so you’ll have to manage with that. If you work hard, you’ll get more.”

As if in response to my words, the villagers brought in provisions: wheat, various vegetables, dried meat, and more, along with clothes. It’s all the essentials needed to survive.

“Johann, just to confirm, you can cook for yourselves, right?”

“Hey, big brother, if we couldn’t, we’d have died a long time ago. We’ve been living on our own since we were kids. Is it really okay for us to receive this much food for a month?”

Johann trembles as he looks at the month’s worth of provisions.

“Of course, it’s fine. Also, perishable items and meat hunted by the hunters will be brought in as needed. And remember, this is for a month, got it? If it runs out, don’t come crying to me.”

“We got it. With this much, our bellies won’t go empty. Mil, you’re in charge of cooking, got it? Plan the meals properly.”

“I got it, yeah. With this much, it’ll last us two months!”

Mil, the girl whose injury I healed, speaks up. She seems intelligent, so her statement is likely well thought out.

“Alright then, starting tomorrow, you’ll start learning your tasks. For today, settle into your new homes and rest your bodies. Tina, you’ll be in charge of education. Teach them how to take care of the bees. First, make sure Johann understands it well, then he can teach the others.”

“Understood, Kurt-sama. I’ll make sure they get it right! I’ll also teach them about life in this village, so don’t worry.”

Tina tightens her grip on both hands.

I can’t help but smile wryly.

When we were helping these children, Tina seemed to want to help even more than Falno did. Perhaps it’s because they both share the same background as orphans.

With the labor from these children and Tina, we’ll be able to manage even if the number of bees increases.

The honey production will increase significantly.

With more bees, we’ll have to expand the raspberry orchard as well.

There’s plenty of work, but we have the manpower to handle it.

I’m increasingly confident that this village will become even more prosperous in the future.

Seeing the smiles on the children’s faces, I’m convinced of it.

Let’s keep working hard from now on.