Seeker 177

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Chapter 177. Moneylenders

"What the hell are you guys doing here again?"

"Get out! We hate you because you bully the teacher!"

While children's voices from outside could be heard, some boldly entered the orphanage without hesitation.

There were 4 men.

In front was a small man with a stubbly beard, and behind him were three men who looked like thugs.

However, among those three thugs, one seemed different.

I could sense the same "power" as an adventurer.

Perhaps they were bodyguards.

As these four men appeared in the bedroom, the small man with the stubbly beard, who was at the forefront, spoke.

"Hey there, Director Karen. Are you ready to give up this place soon?"

He fiddled with his stubbly beard while speaking in a high-pitched voice.

In response, the director replied with a stern expression.

"Damon-san, I believe this month's payment has already been made. What is the matter? As I mentioned before, I have no intention of giving up this orphanage. If this place disappears, our children will lose their place to live."

"Oh, I see. But Director Karen, have you properly read the contract? "

"The contract...? I believe I confirmed it with Mr. Damon in the past, but what about it?"

"Well, well, I wonder. It might be a good idea to check it again. It seems you may have some misunderstandings."

"What in the... Just a moment, please."

With a feverish expression, the director reluctantly stood up.

Once, she swayed as if she was dizzy, but Gilbert supported her, and she managed to regain her composure.

"I'm... I'm fine. Thank you."

Blushing with embarrassment, the director whispered while avoiding the gaze of the young military policeman.

Gilbert quickly said, "Oh, I apologize," and hurriedly let go of the director's hand.

His cheeks were also slightly flushed.

Anyway.

The director left the bedroom, and after a while, she returned holding a rolled-up parchment paper tied with a string.

At that moment, one of the thugs — the one with the power — peeked his head into the hallway and watched as the director left.

When the director returned, she untied the string and carefully perused the contents written on the parchment paper.

"I don't think there's anything particularly strange here."

"Oh? Of course, there shouldn't be anything strange, but may I please confirm the contents on your end? We must ensure that what we have matches the content."

"...Understood. Please go ahead and check."

The director showed the parchment paper with the text on it to the small man.

He examined it closely while fiddling with his stubbly beard.

"It appears the contents are the same as what we have."

"So, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Well, well, if you don't understand, that's fine too. Let's postpone this for now. —Hey, you guys, let's go."

Saying that the men tried to leave.

Director Karen and Gilbert watched them leave with stern faces.

But there was one careless individual among them.

Evan, the young boy, spoke up as the men were about to leave.

"Don't come back, you idiots! I hope you all die!"

Director Karen hurriedly tried to hold him back and cover his mouth.

But she was too late.

The men paused in their tracks.

"Huh? Hey, kid, what did you say?"

Two of the thugs who had been following the small man with the stubbly beard approached Evan.

"Hey, kid, say it again."

"Hehe! I told you not to come back, you—mmph!"

"Stop it, Evan! I'm sorry. I'll make sure to talk to this child, so please..."

"It's not about 'please,' Director! This kid just insulted Mr. Damon, who is the creditor. He needs to understand what that means."

"That's right. If you don't understand what's right and wrong, you won't grow up to be a decent adult. This is also part of education."

"St-stop it!"

The two thug-like men forcefully separated Evan from Director Karen and tried to push her onto the bed.

But this situation was something we couldn't ignore.

Kazane-san, Yuzuki, the military police Gilbert, and I all moved to intervene and stop the situation. 

The two thug-like men seemed puzzled by our actions.

The small man who seemed to be their leader, the one with the stubbly beard, also showed an unpleasant expression. 

The man with the "power" also seemed to want to act, but the small man restrained him with his hand.

Then, the small man instructed the thugs. 

"Stop it. Come back."

Reluctantly, the thugs returned to his side.

While fiddling with his stubbly beard, the small man addressed all of us.

"You there, you're Gilbert-kun from the military police, right? I don't recognize the other three, but you seem like traveling adventurers. In any case, this is a matter between me as the creditor and Director Karen as the debtor. I'd appreciate it if unrelated parties stayed out of this."

"We were going to stay out of it unless you resorted to violence," Gilbert immediately retorted.

However, the stubbly man replied calmly. 

"That boy there insulted us. Do you think verbal abuse is acceptable? It's not right for the authorities to take sides with one party. Don't you think so?"

"..."

"Well, whatever. I'm a generous person, so I'll let it slide this time. Make sure to give this undisciplined child a proper education."

Saying this, the men finally left.

Director Karen and Gilbert visibly sighed in relief.

On the other hand, a surprising turn of events occurred for the three of us.

A notification sound rang in our minds, and a message board appeared in front of us.

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Special Mission: Tail the Moneylenders!

Experience Points Earned upon Mission Completion... 2,000 points

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"???"

The three of us. Kazane-san, Yuzuki, and I exchanged puzzled looks.