Ch.141Report on the Downfall of Diligence (6)

There was nothing particularly strange about the facility. Far from strange, it was actually quite a decent establishment even by the Empire’s standards.

There were enough nurses and caregivers so no one was neglected, the building was spacious, and the consumables were of medium-high quality. It seemed the talk of substantial donations wasn’t just empty words.

Both the caregivers and those receiving care appeared happy. From elderly patients to children temporarily left while their parents worked. They were divided into small groups, praying, chatting and resting, or engaged in teaching and learning simple skills.

Sister Grace occasionally stopped to explain how each classroom operated and what teaching methods were being used. Kain thought that Sister Grace alone could establish a respectable facility if she were to be transferred elsewhere.

However, no matter how he looked at it, this place was far from the gloomy or secretive ritual site that he and Maria had imagined. During the tour, they saw children throwing tantrums, but the teachers neither took them to dark rooms without light or food, nor did they beat them.

“Do you want to go home?”

That was all they asked. The child would either lower their head and say “No,” or trail off with “Well, not exactly…”

“Do you really send them home?”

“Yes. They’re escorted home by their supervisor. Rather than keeping them here where they’ll only harm themselves and inconvenience others, it’s better to let them do as they wish.”

It was as if they didn’t even need to use punishment. Maria, who stayed close to Kain, whispered:

“Hmm. I imagined they’d drag disobedient children down to the basement or something like that.”

Kain pretended not to hear and asked Grace:

“Then how do you recruit and train caregivers and nursing staff?”

“Oh, we receive support from the order. Specifically, nearby monasteries send people who need education and practical training for a certain period. It took some time to get established, but since there are detailed records of what predecessors needed to do, there aren’t many difficulties. We just need to continue what’s been done before.”

Eventually, the tour ended. Grace apologized to the staggering Maria.

“I’m worried I might have dragged an ill person around for too long.”

“No, it’s fine. This was very helpful. I’ll make good use of what I’ve learned for good causes. But everyone really does look happy here.”

Grace smiled broadly at Maria’s observation.

“Because everyone is devoted under grace. There’s no reason for anyone to be embarrassed.”

“I see,” Kain nodded.

“But I’m curious. On our way here, though it wasn’t intentional, we passed through slums and dock areas. In the alleys, there were many people who seemed to need a lot of help. With such a good facility here, why are they…”

“Well, not everyone adapts to this kind of life. Some people dislike group living or being controlled, and some just complain constantly.

Well, I don’t think we need to embrace everyone. If all they want is to cause trouble, they certainly can’t set foot here. One person like that would cause too much harm to other innocent people.”

Grace’s tone was firm. Kain thought of the vagrants in the alleys. They certainly weren’t the type to quietly accept someone else’s control. They couldn’t even control themselves properly.

“Of course, we don’t just sit idle. We occasionally provide treatment to those in need and share what food we can. Sadly, that’s all we can do. I don’t know if there’s a better solution, but I don’t want to force gifts on people who aren’t ready to receive them. That would be a burden.”

“That’s impressive.”

“That’s what Brother Theodore always says.” Grace bowed respectfully, as if Kain were Theodore himself.

“Every time I hear about him, I become more curious,” Maria murmured in a dreamy voice, clasping her hands together. “Sister, would it be possible to meet him?”

“Brother Theodore?” Sister Grace observed Maria and Kain carefully, appearing deep in thought.

“Well, that’s not something I can arrange. He’s extremely busy. Besides managing this place, he coordinates between other monasteries and this facility, and oversees everything from purchasing supplies to managing donations. He’s probably touring nearby villages right now.”

“Then when might he be available?”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that either,” Grace smiled apologetically. “He must go whenever Councilor Hans calls for him. I don’t know if you’re aware, but our Brother Theodore serves none other than the great Empire’s hero, Hans the Diligence. Not exactly as an aide, but as a sort of advisor.”

“It seems Hero Hans relies on him quite a bit.”

“Indeed. In my opinion, unless you have a special reason to meet both the Councilor and Brother Theodore, such a meeting would be difficult to arrange.”

Grace didn’t hide her intention. She stared directly at Kain as she spoke. Kain realized that Grace wanted a “donation.” What “special reason” could there be to meet a councilor and a brother other than investment?

“I don’t have anything at the moment,” Kain showed his empty hands. “And I probably won’t have much for a while.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“No. What I mean is, I’m looking for investment opportunities. Apart from my cousin’s matter, I came here for a new business venture.”

Grace, who had been about to stand up, sat back down.

“Business? Could you briefly tell me about it?”

* * * * *

Maria was still staggering by the time they returned to the inn. Half worried that someone might be watching them, half because of cramps from the tightly bound straps.

“Your legs will swell. Will you be alright?”

“I’ll be fine if I prop them up with pillows when I sleep. By the way, that business talk you were spouting earlier, is that actually feasible?”

“No. It was nonsense.”

Kain had started by telling Grace, “This is something circulating among reputable merchants in the capital.”

The story was that until now, imperial approval had been required for foreign trade, but with increased trade volume and frequency during this long period of peace, there was growing opinion that requiring approval every time was excessive administrative waste.

Therefore, rumors were spreading that trade intermediary offices would be established at major imperial strongholds, managed by representatives of the Treasury Department.

“Of course, this must be the first you’re hearing of it. Nothing has been decided yet, it’s still under discussion, so it’s not something that can be spoken of carelessly. Even the Committee of Seven probably doesn’t know about it.”

At the end of his explanation, Kain deliberately paused for dramatic effect.

“For your information, the City of Lombardt is among several strongholds under consideration. Since this is still a test project, only one or at most two cities will be selected. And I understand that the opinions of merchants like myself are quite influential in the preliminary investigation.”

In short, he was saying he was here for market research and asking for cooperation. Grace wrote down Kain’s words on paper and concluded the conversation by saying she couldn’t specify when, but would send someone.

“You know Hans the Diligence was a con artist, right? And you’re planning to con a con artist?”

Maria glared at him incredulously, but Kain merely shrugged.

“Don’t you need to make your nonsense sound plausible enough to make them want to meet you? To see what kind of person makes such grandiose claims.”

“I suppose so. See you later.”

In the middle of the paved road was a small park with benches and statues. Kain sat there watching Maria stagger toward her lodging. To avoid being tracked, they had taken separate accommodations.

‘Now all that’s left is to wait for contact.’

Since meeting Hans the Diligence wouldn’t be easy, they needed to target Brother Theodore. Despite the conflicting assessments of the brother himself…

Kain reconsidered the shelter. No matter how he looked at it, nothing seemed out of place. But if the shelter was truly a place full of smiles and happiness, there was no way to explain why so many vagrants still remained in the back alleys.

Was it really that they weren’t suited for controlled living? Kain couldn’t believe that. Though shabby in appearance, these were people who would go work at the docks together if they got along. They weren’t so broken that they couldn’t accept any form of control.

“There must be something.”

The sun was setting. There was still time before the curfew. Kain checked his pocket. Jingling the coins, he walked toward the back alleys. A place where he had once taken shelter.

As always, he saw someone begging. Among the homeless, this person was relatively decent and reasonable. Kain placed a coin on the ground. The deeply wrinkled man bowed deeply. But when Kain stood still looking down at him instead of walking away, the man looked up at Kain.

“What is it, sir?”

A very hoarse voice. Kain knelt on one knee and held out another coin.

“I’d like to ask you something.”

“What could someone like me possibly tell you?”

“Wouldn’t you receive better treatment at the shelter than here?”

The middle-aged man stared blankly at Kain, then carefully wiped the two coins he had received with his dirty clothes. He placed them back in front of Kain’s feet.

“Take them back. I don’t want trouble.”

“Did something bad happen there?”

“You sure talk a lot.”

Kain picked up the two coins. He deliberately made them jingle in his money pouch and muttered:

“Well, that’s fine. I can just ask someone else.”

“Whoever you ask will tell you the same thing. Just ask for bread or hot porridge. I’m not going there.”

“Is there a particular reason you’re refusing?”

“That place makes people into fools. Into idiots. When you’re there, you start feeling dazed without even realizing it.”

The man slowly shook his head.

“Makes people into idiots?”

“Well, it’s like…” The man’s eyes were incredibly hazy.

“Does it make sense to you that offerings to the shelter take priority over taxes to the Emperor? It’s not even going directly to the order. But when you’re there, it feels like that’s how it should be.”

“Is that why you…?”

“Don’t ask anymore. What’s the point of talking about it?” The man shook his head again.

“Anyway, I don’t even want to look at that place. I understand they have good intentions, but how can a person only do good things? You do what needs to be done, pay the taxes you need to pay, do this and that, but you can’t dedicate your life to doing good for others. You just can’t.”

At the end of his words, the man hunched his shoulders. He seemed afraid someone might overhear. Fortunately, only other vagrants were paying attention to the people talking at the alley entrance.

“Those guys over there are all the same. Anyway, consider this money not received. Go. Go away. Do good deeds according to what your pocket allows. Our Two-headed Eagle God didn’t say ‘Do good today even if you starve tomorrow,’ haha!”

The man disappeared into the alley entrance. Kain slowly got to his feet. After checking once more that no one was watching, he hurried away.

“…So the shelter itself is fine, but the people donating money to it aren’t in their right minds.”

Kain frowned.