Different World Business Symbol-Chapter 14

MTL: uniquegasuki

Editor/ Proofreader: (not proofread)

「I’ve finished . Come inside and have a look . 」 (Domoor)

Domoor said .

Haruto, Lora, Pudding, and Rusk are on the land where the factory was scheduled to be built . To be accurate, they are on the land where the factory had been built .

「Amazing, you really did complete everything in 3 months . 」 (Haruto)

Haruto commented as he observed the repairs that were done to the factory’s roof and slave lodging house .

「Perhaps, did this place used to be that haunted-looking building? Amazing~」 (Pudding)

Pudding said as she jumps excitedly up and down .

「That once run-down building is this lovely now . 」 (Lora)

Lora said in admiration .

This pretty building couldn’t be mistaken to its previous self . In the past 3 months, the former run-down building had appeared to have been blown away . Nearby, there is a building that can be used as a storehouse (warehouse) . The pots and ingredients can be stored there .

「For the time being, I’ll try going inside and check first . We are your guards after all . 」 (Rusk)

Saying so, Rusk enters the building . Haruto and company followed him shortly afterward .

The interior was also solidly repaired and it showed no dangers of collapsing . Upon entering the building they arrive in a large hall with 20 small rooms .

「Umm, where would be a good place to leave the alarm?」 (Haruto)

「Hmm, let me see . How about in the hall as it is quite spacious . Setting up the device is rather easy, just insert a magic stone into the device . If you place the alarm in the hall it will make a louder sound when a person without a key enters the building . 」 (Rusk)

As Rusk informed him, Haruto inserted a magic stone into the device . The magic emits a dim light . Haruto then placed the device on the wall in the large hall .

「Is this okay?」 (Haruto)

「I think so . 」 (Rusk)

After having looked at every room, Haruto and company exited the building .

「So, how is my handiwork; is it good enough for you?」 (Domoor)

「Haha, it is perfect . Here is the money we settled on . 」 (Haruto)

Along with the documents, Haruto hands the man 16 gold coins; 160,000 Doraria .

「Thank you for the business . If you need any more repairs done, do come and give me request . 」 (Domoor)

「Haha, next time then . 」 (Haruto)

Haruto shakes hands with Domoor . Domoor and the other carpenters then swiftly took their leave .

「Now then, we will split up into groups of two . Rusk and I will go receive the slaves . Lora, you and Pudding will go fetch the pots from Bacchus and then afterward, the two of you will go buy bread (food) for the slaves . 」 (Haruto)

And thus, the members divided into 2 groups of 2 people .

◆◆◆

「Hey, Boss . Why is it you bought child slaves? Is it not better to use adults for manual labor?」 (Rusk)

Before they boarded the carriage, Rusk asked Haruto a question .

「For two reasons . The 1st is because children are cheaper . I don’t have much money, you see . And besides, children are good enough for this sort of work that is why going the cheaper route is the better option . 2nd, Lora and I are still young . It would be difficult to manage someone older . As such, we won’t have to be concerned when dealing with 10-year-old children . Do you disagree? There is no need to worry as the working conditions will not be anything like in a mine . 」 (Haruto)

Hearing this from Haruto, Rusk’s expression softened .

「I see, I get it . 」 (Rusk)

As the two rode the carriage on their way to the slave-trading company, the swaying of the carriage almost made Haruto vomit several times along the way . That matter will be left unspoken .

When they entered the slave trading building, Wujek was waiting inside .

「Finally arrived, this way then . 」 (Wujek)

Haruto and Rusk moved to the backroom inside of the building . Since this was the first time Haruto had been back here, he looked around . In a single jail cell, 20 or so slaves are chained up together; a mismatched group of people of various race, gender and age . The only thing they have in common is their emotionless (dead-like) eyes .

Because it wasn’t a pleasant feeling, Haruto decides to keep looking forward .

「These are your slaves . Please confirm them . Hey now, this person will be your owner, line up!」 (Wujek)

Upon Wujek’s shout, the children with emotionless eyes lined up .

「Here, this document has their information (profile) . It is listed in order from right to left . 」 (Wujek)

Haruto looked over the document on the slaves that he was handed from Wujek .

Starting from the right,

Ann (アン) – Female – Age 9 – from the Kingdom .

Ein (イン) – Male – Age 10 – from the Empire .

Urs (ウルス) – Male – Age 10 – from the Kingdom .

Emil (エミル) – Female – Age 10 – from the City-State Union

Oreste (オレスト) – Male – Age 9 – from the Empire .

Kay (カイ) – Male – Age 8 – Origin Unknown

Kil (キル) – Male – Age 10 – from the Empire

Kroll (クロル) – Male – Age 10 – from the Empire

Caimie (ケイミー) – Female – Age 8 – from the Empire

Costos (コストス) – Male – Age 9 – from the Empire

Saul (サウル) – Male – Age 10 – from the North

Silk (シルク) – Male – Age 10 – from the Empire

Susan (スーザン) – Male – Age 9 – from the Empire

Cecil (セシル) – Male – Age 8 – from the Empire

Sol (ソル) – Male – Age 10 – from the Northeast

「……how troublesome, then starting from the right A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N, & O?」 (Haruto)

Being bad at remembering names, Haruto gave up on the idea .

It seems that most of them are from the Empire .

「Hey, what are the North and Northeast? And, what’s with the “origin unknown” part?」 (Haruto)

It was on his mind thus Haruto asked about it .

「North, is it not obvious that that refers to the hunter tribe who live in the north . As for the Northeast, that is the equestrian tribe who live in the northeast . About the unknown origin, I don’t know . Go ask the person himself . 」 (Wejuk)

Wujek doesn’t know either . Since the work will not change as a result of a person’s origin, Haruto wasn’t particularly concerned about the matter .

For the time being, Haruto decided to turn around and introduce himself .

「From today onwards, I will be your owner; my name is Haruto Asuma . Feel free to call me Master, Boss or just Asuma-sama . Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen to you if you obediently do your work . I will release you from slavery if you earnestly do your work so work hard alright . 」 (Haruto)

Haruto spoke as gently as he could . Although he wanted to give them peace of mind, nothing changed . They still had their dead-like eyes .

He shrugs his shoulders and goes to speak with Wujek .

「They will be going with this person, open the cell . 」 (Wujek)

Following orders, Wujek’s subordinate opened the door and undone the chains .

「Follow me . 」 (Haruto)

Hearing so, the children followed after Haruto in silence .

「Well now, 15 people will not fit in the carriage (wagon)…… how about we transport them in groups of 5 . Rusk, first start from A,B,C,D, & E . 」 (Haruto)

「Well now, 15 people will not fit in the carriage (wagon)…… how about we transport them in groups of 5 . Rusk, first start from A,B,C,D, & E . 」 (Haruto)

With a wry smile on his face, Rusk places Ann, Ein, Urs, Emil, and Oreste on the carriage . He transports them from the slave trading building . Because it takes the carriage 20 minutes per trip, Haruto has 40 minutes of free time . He decides to talk to the children to pass the time . For him to build a mutual understanding with the children conversing with them is indispensable .

「Hey, you……Ka……Kaito?」 (Haruto)

「It’s Kay . 」 (Kay)

「Oh yeah, it was Kay . On your profile, it states that your origin is unknown . So, where are you from?」 (Haruto)

「……」 (Kay)

「……」 (Haruto)

After Haruto spoke, Kay didn’t answer and stayed silent .

「Well, you don’t have to say if you don’t want to . 」 (Haruto)

A person always has a thing or two that they don’t want to speak about . Although Haruto could force the information out of Kay, there is no reason to do so .

Rethinking the matter, Haruto goes to talk to a different child .

「So……Sora? You are from the equestrian tribe, correct? Can you drive a carriage?」 (Haruto)

「How is it you can speak our language?」 (Sol)

For a moment, Haruto didn’t know how to response . He noticed that he hasn’t spoken with any other language expect from the Kiris (キリス) language . This probably was the result of his blessing .

「I’m good with speaking other languages and I excel in the liberal arts . Oh yeah, can you handle a horse?」 (Haruto)

「Well, I have used one before…… it might be possible . And the name is, Sol……」 (Sol)

Haruto thought about having Sol drive the carriage .

They continued to converse and the wariness in the children’s expression seemed to fade a little; although, Haruto didn’t believe their expressionless eyes were cured .

◆◆◆

On the other side, Lora and Pudding approached the blacksmith’s shop .

「Ahh, I’m nervous……」 (Lora)

「Huh, why is that?」 (Pudding)

Pudding addressed Lora who is showing a tense expression .

「This person is scary . He seems like the sort of person that would try to extort you on false charges . 」 (Lora)

「Hmph, trust me, Bacchus-san isn’t that sort of person . When I heard that he was the best craftsman in Clarice, I wanted a sword made so I asked Wujek-san to introduce me to him . He told me that he wouldn’t forge a sword . Anyhow, despite his appearance, Bacchus-san is a pacifist~ . 」 (Pudding)

For a while, Lora and Pudding continued their rude conversation .

「I can hear you……」 (Bacchus)

Upon hearing this, Lora’s was startled while Pudding played dumb as if she was whistling .

「Sorry for the intrusion . 」 (Pudding)

Pudding said in a loud voice before opening the door . A flustered Lora follows after her .

Upon opening the door, they are greeted by Bacchus . He shows a pouting expression and his arms are crossed over one another .

「You are a customer I presume? After having said as much, naturally, you will be buying something, yes!」 (Bacchus)

A flustered Lora hides behind Pudding . While smiling, Pudding begins to talk .

「Umm, we are customers~ . On Haruto Asuma-san’s behalf, we have come to pick up an order~ . Lora-chan!」 (Pudding)

Having been called upon by Pudding, a flustered Lora presents the contract to Bacchus . After reading over the contract for a short while, Bacchus disappears to the back room .

「Uuh, I don’t want to come here again……」 (Lora)

「Now, now . 」 (Pudding)

Some time later, Bacchus and his subordinate carried out several big pots .

「Here, this is your order . Confirm it . Should I have it placed in your carriage?」 (Bacchus)

「Please do so~ . 」 (Pudding)

With a disinterested expression, Bacchus’ subordinate stuffs the pots onto the carriage .

「Thank you for your work~ . 」 (Pudding)

Pudding says so with a grin and thanked the man . Without saying a word, Bacchus returns to the back room .

「Now, what else did we have to buy?」 (Pudding)

「Umm, let me check the memo…… we need to buy bread and ingredients for cooking . “Blankets and clothes for the children” is also written here . 」 (Lora)

When Lora reads the memo, Pudding frowns .

「What a pai~n . Let us hurry and get it over with~ . 」 (Pudding)

「What a pai~n . Let us hurry and get it over with~ . 」 (Pudding)

The two decided to get the bread before going to buy the ingredients for cooking .

「Oh my, onions, cabbage, carrots…… there is nothing but vegetables . 」 (Pudding)

「Well, the policy will be that they must buy meat with their own salary . That way, they would have some motivation . 」 (Lora)

Lora says with a wry smile . Being able to eat vegetables is considered good as there are some owners that only give slaves bread to eat .

「By the way, Lora-chan, what will be your role? Manual labor, perhaps?」 (Pudding)

「Umm, I don’t know what Haruto will have me do . It could be something only I could do . 」 (Lora)

「Hmm~ . 」 (Pudding)

Having paid for the good, the two head to the clothes shop .

「Now that we are at the clothes store~, what does Haruto-san want us to buy?」 (Pudding)

「Umm, let me see, something that can withstand getting dirty and it has to be as cheap as possible . As for the blanket, something thin would be alright as it is summer . 」 (Lora)

After buying several pairs of cheap clothes, the two returned to the slave’s lodging house .

◆◆◆

「Ah! Haruto-san did you just arrived . We also just finished up . 」 (Lora)

「Ah, uh, I feel sick . 」 (Haruto)

His complexion is blue and he is barely hanging on .

「Are those the child slaves you bought?」 (Lora)

Lora looks toward the group squatting down behind Haruto .

「Yeah, I’ll introduce you . This person is Lora . She is your senior slave . Follow her instructions . 」 (Haruto)

「Hello, my name is Lora, please to meet you all . I will be the one looking after everyone . 」 (Lora)

As she greeted the children with a smile, they bowed their head while remaining seated .

「The other two are mercenaries, Rusk & Pudding . They are bodyguards . If you see anyone suspicious, tell those two . 」 (Haruto)

「Hi~, I’m Pudding . Feel free to call me Pudding-chan!!」 (Pudding)

「I’m Rusk, please to met you . 」 (Rusk)

As usual, Pudding is pumped while on the other hand, Rusk seems a little nervous . Although he loves children, Rusk seems to be the type that gets nervous around them .

「Now that we have introduced ourselves, it is your turn . Please, go in order . 」 (Haruto)

On Haruto’s command, the children stood up and began to introduce themselves .

With a nervous expression, they stated their name and birthplace . Despite that the Empire, the Kingdom, and the City-State Union’s share the same official language; the children’s pronunciation of the Kiris language differed . Although the children from the North and Northeast region speak a different language, Wujek had instructed them enough that the children could be understood . It appears that Haruto blessing isn’t necessary .

「Now then, I plan to have you all do manual labor . Today, we will instruct you on the work you will be doing but before that…… you will have your meal . Lora pass out the bread . 」 (Haruto)

Lora distributed the bread to them one by one; although, while by no means was it much,

The children took 15 minutes to consume their meal .

「Well now, we will get to work without delay . 」 (Haruto)

With the intention to instruct them on how to make soap, Haruto immediately brought them to the factory (workshop) . There was a single pot placed in the factory .

「Well, let the demonstration begin . Lora show them how it is done . 」 (Haruto)

「Alright . 」 (Lora)

During those last 3 months, Haruto had been strictly teaching Lora on how to make soap until she was proficient in doing so . He had explained every detail of the process to her .

The children eagerly watched the manufacturing process .

After the process finished, Haruto directed his attention towards the children and confirm that they understood the process to make soap . With the children properly listening, Haruto answered any questions they had .

「Alright, properly remember it okay as tomorrow you all will be doing this work . Now then, I will be assign roles (positions) . Is there anyone among you who can cook? It is fine even if it is to the degree of having assisted your mother cook?」 (Haruto)

When Haruto called out, the 3 girls raised their hand .

「Alright, I’ll leave the cooking to your group . 3 hours before lunch, stop working to go prepare lunch . Okay that is settled!」 (Haruto)

The 3 girls replied in a low voice with, 「Understood」 .

「Let’s see, you all must be quite worn out today I bet . Everyone, go prepare dinner and then have an early rest . Lora, I need to have a chat with you . 」 (Haruto)

He called for Lora . With a puzzled expression on her face, Lora rushed over to him .

「Let’s see, you all must be quite worn out today I bet . Everyone, go prepare dinner and then have an early rest . Lora, I need to have a chat with you . 」 (Haruto)

He called for Lora . With a puzzled expression on her face, Lora rushed over to him .

「What’s the matter?」 (Lora)

「Here you go . 」 (Haruto)

「Huh, an appointed position?」 (Lora)

On the slip of paper, 『Asuma Company: Lora Summer, Accountant & Director of the Slave Board』 is written there .

「I see, this is the thing only I can do…… certainly, I do have confidence in my studies of accounting . I graciously accepted . 」 (Lora)

Lora appears to be glad that she was appointed an official position in the company .

「Is that so . Then, I will give you your first order as the Director of the Slave Board . Go spend time with the children today and explain things to them . 」 (Haruto)

「Yes!」 (Lora)

Lora gave a lively reply .

Next, Haruto goes to address Rusk & Pudding .

「We’ll be officially in your care from today . 」 (Haruto)

Rusk and Pudding grin and smile .

「Fufu, leave it to us~ . 」 (Pudding)

「Don’t worry . We will properly defend the children . 」 (Rusk)

At that time, 3 large dragon-carriages came .

「Your order of olive oil has arrived . 170 barrels has been delivered . Please sign for them . 」 (delivery person)

The olive oil from the Ainsworth company has arrived . Haruto pays 1 . 3 Million Doraria and receives it .

「Lora, have these moved to the storehouse . I will be going to Wujek’s place and ask about a loan . 」 (Haruto)

Right after the carriage left, Haruto made his way to the slave trading building .

「Lend me money . 」 (Haruto)

「Hey, why so sudden . 」 (Wujek)

Wujek made a wry smile .

「How much do you have left?」 (Wujek)

「300,000 . Next month, I have to pay the rent for the shop I’m borrowing from you and there is also the need to pay Rusk’s & Pudding’s salary . Please lend me an additional 5 Million . 」 (Haruto)

Wujek pondered about it for awhile . Naturally, he is troubled by the amount .

「Okay, I understand . I’m already on board anyhow . Remember, you must properly repay me . 」 (Wujek)

「Thanks, you’re a life saver . 」 (Haruto)

Haruto exited the slave trading building . Ever so gradually, his sense of money becomes off .

Haruto returned the carriage back to the rental shop and then returned to his shop (home) once again . Hot water is prepared and he washes up alone . Usually, Lora would barge in and joke about washing his back from him but currently, Lora is spending time with the children .

「It has been a long time since I slept alone . It is nice to have this spacious bed all to myself . 」 (Haruto)

That day in after a long time, a lonely night passed for Haruto .

====

Income: 5 Million

Expense: 3 . 5 Million

Olive Oil (1 . 3 Million), Meal for slaves for 1 month (400,000), Clothes & etc . (50,000), Rental fee for 2 wagons for 1 month (50,000), Seaweed Ash (120,000), Repair Cost (1 . 6 Million)

Debt: 10 Million

Remaining Balance: 5 . 3 Million

Assets (Actual): -4 . 7 Million

Other Assets:

16 Slaves

Employees:

Lora Summers: Accountant & Director of the Slave Board

Mercenaries: Rusk and Pudding

Storehouse/Warehouse 1 (attached to the shop): 0

Storehouse/Warehouse 2 (attached to slave lodging house):

Pots 7, Olive Oil 170 barrels, Seaweed Ash 120 barrels