Chapter 178 – More problems.

“Hey, what’s all the commotion about, even some of the kids are crying, can’t you do anything by yourself, Armand! Did you make little Alfie cry again?”

A concerned Lobelia burst in through the door of the main room of the orphanage. There she saw a silent Armand just sitting there while Roland and Elodia were going through some documents.

“Good you are here Lobelia, could you stay and watch over the kids, I need to take care of some things at the city hall.”

“Big sis? Sure I can do that… but is something wrong?”

The half-elf girl was a bit confused about the situation. When she arrived the door to the room was being crowded by half the kids that lived there. It seemed that they were trying to listen in on what was happening inside. Thus she took it upon herself to see what was going on but inside she only found silence and strange looks.

“I’m not sure, I’ll explain after I’m back.”

Before Lobelia could ask for some answers both Elodia and Wayland were already walking out.

“You, what’s going on?”

The only person that remained in the room with her was Armand. Though he wasn’t very talkative either though it seemed that it was because of the small ears that were listening in on the conversation.

Lobelia would not let it end on this, if Armand wasn’t willing to talk with the children there, they just needed to find a better place.

“You, come with me and explain yourself!”

…..

While Lobelia tried to get some information out of Armand, Elodia and Roland were on the way to the city’s hall. The last time he was here was when he was buying up land. The large plot of unused farmland luckily didn’t increase in price that much as it was still far away from the city.

Roland might have implemented the weekend system in his own shop but that wasn’t true for the rest of the city. Everyone was busy peddling their wares and shuffling their feet around the city.

The peddlers were peddling, adventurers in bulky armor and with heavy weapons were going for the next adventure. It was like any other day for them as life went on. Due to Roland’s tight work schedule, he didn’t really have time to enjoy the sights.

He saw the city somewhat differently than its citizens. For him it was like a slideshow of progress, each time he came here there was something new being built then finished. The never-ending expansion continued and there didn’t seem that it would ever stop.

But how this place looked was quite deceiving. The old buildings had been replaced by new ones only in certain sections. The people with no money were pushed into the slums where not even the guards ventured in at night.

Bernir told him tales of people getting robbed or killed there without end. Every day there was at least one brawl where a person could lose their life. He always complained that the guards tended to arrive late to only pull away the person that had lost the fight as it was far easier than confronting the one that was left standing.

The thieves guild continued to prosper and only people that had enough money to bribe them were on the rise. Anyone else had to watch out, getting their shops turned upside down for not managing to pay the monthly protection fee was a constant strain on their nerves.

While thinking about how life was unfair for the less fortunate he looked to his partner. Elodia was walking next to him while being quiet. They started the day hand in hand but now they were just silently treading along next to each other without talking at all.

“Are you okay?”

Roland asked as he knew that Elodia’s mind was probably filled with the impending eviction. He was able to look through the notice and the contract. In it, there was a clause of a situation like this happening.

Elodia now had at most three months’ time to clear out the house before the city could force them out. He was sure that in this world they would not have problems in throwing orphans out to the street. The building would probably be turned into another inn or pub to serve the ever-increasing adventurer population.

“Huh, ah yes I’m fine.”

Her shoulders slumped forward slightly as she looked into the distance with an empty expression. He did not know what was going through her head but for some reason, he felt like this was the right time to place his hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out…”

Roland emphasized the ‘we’ part as he spoke out. At the same time, he brought the smaller woman closer against his own body as he tried to reassure her that he wouldn’t let her go through this alone. His gesture seemed to have worked as he could feel Elodia grasping his robe between her thumb and index finger before meekly replying.

“Thank you.”

The moment she did, there was a strange feeling in his chest. He wasn’t sure what it was but it made him want to protect the woman next to him. For him, who had spent most of his time trying not to rely on others, it was strange.

What was the worst-case scenario here, the orphans would lose their home but what off it? They still had three adults taking care of them, both of which were upcoming gold rank adventurers. With the amount of money they were making, they would probably be able to relocate to another area.

‘Relocate…’

But that was the problem, what would happen if they moved, could they even move to a big enough building to house thirty children of various ages? They certainly didn’t own any land to build one on and due to the city prospering the prices were astronomical now.

The most obvious move would be to place at least the youngest children at another orphanage like the one Sister Kassia was part of. The older ones could try finding apprentice positions at businesses but would probably get a bad contract that forces them to work there for peanuts.

‘Would she move to a different city if that was the only option?’

A strange thought passed through his head, what if Elodia decided to leave Albrook. She was talented enough to find a proper position at any other city, either in a shop or at a different adventurer guild. Armand and Lobelia were also gold adventurers who could find jobs elsewhere. It would be that hard for the trio to just move now if they really wanted.

This narrative has been purloined without the author’s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

When he thought about her leaving there was another strange feeling in his chest. This one wasn’t as fuzzy as the previous one. He already knew Elodia well enough to know that she would prioritize the children over anything else.

For him on the other hand, leaving this city was something he couldn’t go through. He had just started profiting from the secret room in the dungeon and that side entrance with the tier 3 monsters was also there, there was far too much here that he could profit from to leave.

‘Now I’m overthinking it, first, let’s see if I can find that person that signed off on that eviction notice…’

After some more walking, they finally arrived at the city hall. This building had grown in size as the city expanded. Inside there were many other people waiting in lines to fill out the proper forms.

Thus the waiting started, Roland and Elodia had to take a number that was written on a steel plaque. The ladies behind the counters would then call out to them when it was their turn. This system was apparently created so that people wouldn’t have to stand around for hours in lines.

This is when it started, one of the worst days in Roland’s life. It made the time spent in the mines locked with ant monsters seem like a vacation. After hours of waiting, he started hoping that a cult member could bust through the wall instead.

They were sent on a wild goose chase through the large city hall building. As their number was called out they were informed that they were waiting in the wrong line. They were taken on a tour through the entire building and only after eight hours of waiting they finally arrived at their destination.

“Ah yes, these are the inspection papers, everything seems to be in order.”