CH 250

Words : 1015 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

Nick Was Happy To See Me “I see. I have already given the herbs over to Mr. Nick.” “Thank you.” “Yes, I have them right here! Still, I thought I wasn’t going to see you today, so I must be pretty lucky…” “You’re that happy to see me…?” So he really was smiling so much because he was able to meet me. …I couldn’t say it made me feel good. But I suppose it was better than being hated. “Of course! After all, I respect you more than anyone! I wish I could see you every day!” “…Respect…” “He seems very fond of you, Mr Takumi.” “Ms. Lyra… I have no idea why…” Nick just smiled and went on about how much he respected me. I hadn’t done anything for him to see me in such a way… But Ms. Lyra seemed amused by it all. “You helped me when I was about to be punished! And then you hired and paid me generously… So why wouldn’t I respect you!” “I see… Well, as long as you are working hard?” “Of course, I am! Mr. Kalis is in the middle of teaching me. I won’t do anything that will dishonor you, don’t worry!” I had just hired him to see if he could be reformed… And if he caused any trouble, I would have Sebastian capture him again. As for his wages, it was just what I thought he was owed after working. So it wasn’t anything to be so grateful for. The herbs brought in a lot more than I was expecting, and so I wasn’t hurting financially. And so it was true that I gave him a little extra…hoping that it would encourage him. “I’m sure a lot of people would work harder if they knew about you! Of course, some people will never want to work honestly. I suppose I better not talk about it…” “Yes, I’m not thinking about hiring anyone else right now, Nick. That being said, is it really that great?” “Of course, brother. The pay is good. Better than other places. And that’s very appealing for someone as uneducated as me!” “Mr. Takumi, this isn’t something restricted to Ractos, but…there are a lot of people who use wanderers or even ordinary residents for work, but do not pay them adequately. The duke does what he can to punish such offenses…but it is difficult…” Such things happen everywhere in every age. Employers use their workers to their convenience, but pay them little so that they can maximize the profits of their company or store… I wasn’t saying that all people were like that, but it’s true that many people thought that way. Otherwise, I never would have ended up working at such a black company. …Though, I’m sure that managers also had their own problems… In Japan, I suppose that Nick would be considered delinquent. Someone who lived outside of society. Such people were more likely to have to work for lower wages, which would make things difficult. It was a bad environment. Well, I wouldn’t say that they were blameless for that situation, but…it was a difficult issue. It was probably because of this, that Nick was so happy to be able to receive enough money to live and even save up, in spite of having nothing to recommend him. “Well, I’m off then. I’ll take these right to Mr. Kalis!” “I’m counting on you, Nick.” “Aye!” “Be careful…” I stood in the entrance hall as Nick left with the herbs. “…Are you thinking about something?” After seeing Nick leave, I stood there for a moment, deep in thought. And then Ms. Lyra spoke to me. I hadn’t meant to look so serious…but it was obvious to her that I was thinking about something. …I suppose I should be more careful so that it didn’t show on my face? Though, I’m sure that no amount of effort would save me from Sebastian. “Uh… I was just thinking about the difficulty of hiring people. Also, I didn’t realize such things happened in Ractos…” “Well, there is a lot of trade happening in Ractos. So many people come and go, and so there are a lot of wanderers. As for the people who hire them… I do not know. After all, I am a person who is merely hired.” “I suppose such things are more common in densely populated places. Still…I’m sure from the perspective of the duke, I am also a hired person.” “Well, I hope you are careful Mr. Takumi. If you do decide to hire someone else.” “…Careful about what?” After talking with Ms. Lyra, I understood that even under the duke’s management and Sebastian’s watchful eye, such things happened in Ractos town. And I was thinking thinking about how I was also like a contracted worker, Ms. Lyra suddenly warned me. I knew that there were things you had to be careful about… But what was she thinking about specifically? “I do not know a lot about such matters, but…since Mr. Nick seems to be working seriously, your decision was not wrong in the end. However, there are plenty of people who do not work and just try to take money from you. Some even steal and at worst…kill their employers.” “…Yes.” “And so you must be careful to not hire such people. I’m sorry, perhaps I am being presumptuous…” “No, I will keep your words in mind, Ms. Lyra. Thank you. If it ever happens that I have to hire someone else, I will be careful. Of course, I doubt that will happen anytime soon.” I didn’t think there were many people like that in Japan, but perhaps it was different here. After all, while there were guards, there weren’t actual police officers. But if I ever did hire someone, I would discuss it with Sebastian first… It was with such thoughts that I decided to keep her advice etched in my mind.

CH 250

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