Chapter 2 : Let’s Learn the General Store Work
Chapter 2: Let’s Learn the General Store Work
One-Legged Burt ran a general store.
However, there was a clear difference from other general stores.
If the customer had enough money, he would procure whatever they wanted. Even if that something was a slave.
“Just leave anything to me and I’ll work hard!”
There had been the option of running away from the one-legged man, but he erased that thought quickly.
If Timmy called him an old geezer, there might be some hidden tricks up his sleeve.
Robin judged that bowing his head and asking was the best choice.
“You do have some sense. Fine. You’re saying you’ll do anything.”
“Yes!”
Burt’s face, which had been scrunched as if he were looking at a nuisance, relaxed a little.
“Jeremy!”
When Burt shouted toward the back, a small boy came running.
A child with the same build as Robin and bright blond hair and golden eyes.
“You called, boss?”
“This is the new kid. What’s your name?”
“Robin.”
“You heard? Jeremy, he’s the one you need to make useful.”
“Just leave it to me. Follow me.”
Robin followed Jeremy into the back of the general store.
Tableware, farming tools, candles, clothes—there were many items. Robin widened his eyes at the place that seemed to have everything.
Inside, where all sorts of items were displayed, was wider than it looked from outside.
“When you wake up in the morning, start with cleaning. After that, restocking. I finished the cleaning before you came, so help me with the restocking.”
Jeremy handed Robin a thick bundle of papers.
“…I can’t read.”
“I had a feeling. Well then, just help with what I do beside you.”
Robin moved after Jeremy, who stood before rolls of cloth. The shelves arranged by color and fabric were neat even to Robin, who couldn’t read.
“We’re short one piece of linen and one piece of fur. Can you take them out of the cabinet over there?”
“Okay. Which one?”
“The one on the bottom left and the one right above it. Fill the empty spots on the shelf.”
After Robin filled the shelves as instructed, Jeremy was already moving to the next area.
These were items he was seeing for the first time, and Robin helped with curious eyes. When he touched silk he had only heard about, the soft sensation made him feel good.
‘This is fun.’
When the sun reached its peak, Jeremy went into a room at the back of the store.
Robin, who followed without thinking, peeked into the room and saw that it was only big enough for an adult man to barely lie down.
It was a storage room with tools and old things, and it seemed Jeremy used it as his room.
Jeremy took something out of a sack placed in a corner and held it out to Robin.
“Eat. It’s a potato.”
“Huh? Why are you giving this to me…….”
“You need to eat so you have strength to work.”
“Mm. Thank you.”
It wasn’t stew or boiled—just a raw potato—but to the hungry Robin, it tasted wonderful.
When Robin finished the potato in the blink of an eye, Jeremy, with a pitying look, handed him another.
“Thanks, Jeremy.”
“…I’m in no position to look after anyone, but it feels like I got a younger sibling.”
“Sorry…….”
“If you’re sorry, then you should get used to working here. For my sake. And for yours.”
Robin didn’t know what Jeremy meant exactly, but he nodded.
When Robin finished the second one, Jeremy had already finished his meal and was saying something to Burt.
When Robin met Burt’s gaze, he shrank instinctively.
“Robin! Let’s go to the privy!”
“Okay!”
“We’ll be back, boss.”
“Don’t wander off and get back quickly.”
Jeremy stretched his arms as he went out. Robin, watching closely, imitated him.
Burt was busy writing something on paper.
He didn’t pay much attention to Robin and Jeremy heading outside.
“After lunch, if you go once, it’s hard to leave again until closing. Even if you don’t feel like it, it’s better to go.”
“I see.”
Robin and Jeremy didn’t return to the store right away after finishing their business.
“Robin, ten years old from Timmy Orphanage. Lived by begging until now and can’t do anything?”
Robin’s heart hurt at Jeremy’s blunt words, but he couldn’t deny them. They were true.
“Haa… I said it earlier, but it’s important so I’ll say it again. You need to get used to the work here as fast as you can. If you don’t, you’ll be sold as a slave or kicked out.”
Gulp.
Being sold as a slave was something that must never happen, and being kicked out might mean death. Robin was aware that he had already been abandoned by the orphanage.
“Jeremy, I’ll do what you tell me. I’ll work hard.”
“That’s a good attitude. The work isn’t hard, so within a week you’ll manage fine.”
When they returned to the store, Burt only glanced at them without saying much.
Jeremy returned to what he’d been doing, and Robin focused on observing closely.
The occasional customers were greeted by Burt. Those who directly bought something were rare; most talked with Burt, then both wrote something on paper and shook hands.
Everything was new and fascinating to Robin.
“That’s it for today. Go inside and rest.”
“Good work today, boss.”
When Burt went up to the second floor of the store, Robin let out a mixed sigh of pride and worry.
When he lay in Jeremy’s room, the already cramped space became full.
Robin wondered whether he should go back to the orphanage right now.
“You did well today, Robin. Tomorrow, a merchant caravan will come to pick up goods. It’ll be even busier than today, so you should get a good night’s sleep.”
Jeremy spoke as if it were natural that he and Robin would be living together from now on, and Robin felt flustered.
‘Is he not uncomfortable being with me?’
He wondered whether he should ask, opening his lips slightly, but Jeremy had already fallen asleep.
Seeing him like that, the worries that had been weighing Robin down dissolved into relief.
‘That man from the morning keeps coming to mind.’
The man he met in the clearing after leaving the cave. The way he swung his sword lingered in Robin’s vision.
It had just been a downward slash, but to Robin’s eyes, something about it was different.
Ba-dump, ba-dump.
The toy wooden sword in the store came to mind.
Robin carefully slipped out so he wouldn’t wake Jeremy.
The toy sword was crafted with surprising precision; at a glance, it was no different from a real sword.
Burt was upstairs and no one was around.
‘Maybe I’ll just hold it once.’
A rough, solid texture wrapped around his hand.
He thought of the man who had told him to try swinging a sword at himself, and he followed the movements the man had taught him.
Whoosh!
‘It’s different from a tree branch.’
Robin repeated the same movement again and again.
It was only a toy sword shaped like a real one, but its speed was clearly different from that of a branch.
The sharp sound it made cutting through the air made him glance anxiously toward the second floor, worried that Burt might have woken.
“…….”
Neither Burt nor Jeremy woke.
‘Just a little more.’
Swinging the shape of a sword he had touched for the first time, Robin lost himself without realizing it.
It was a simple downward strike that anyone could imitate.
The boy only repeated the same movement, but each swing subtly corrected his posture.
After one hundred swings, Robin gently set the wooden sword back in its place.
If he went any further, he felt he might start sweating.
‘Let’s stop here for today.’
Robin went back into the room where Jeremy was sleeping.
It was a cramped space, but he felt very satisfied with his situation.
Learning something new was fun, and there was no beating like in his usual life.
Remembering the sensation of holding the wooden sword for the first time, he fell asleep while imagining himself swinging a blade.
Step, step.
The sound of a wooden prosthetic leg striking the floor echoed through the first floor of the store.
Burt picked up the wooden sword Robin had just been swinging and stared at it blankly.
“A funny kid has shown up.”
---
Inside the Laughing Pig Inn, filled with boisterous chatter, a man sipped his drink.
He sat in a secluded corner as if waiting for someone.
Through the drunken noise of the crowd, a tall man entered.
He sat down across from the lone drinker and gave him a slight nod.
“So you’re alive, Calimacos. I thought you were dead.”
“Long time no see, Paul. I’m a bit hard to kill.”
“Where’d you leave your left eye?”
Calimacos scratched the scar that even his eyepatch couldn’t hide.
“Verman took it.”
“So the rumors were true. Your ugly face looks even rougher now.”
“Just say I got more manly.”
Paul called over a barmaid and ordered a beer, raising the corner of his mouth.
He was happy to see an old comrade.
Calimacos, on the other hand, brushed his scar and made a slight grimace.
When the barmaid placed the frothing beer on the table, Paul lifted his glass.
The two men clinked their drinks and gulped down their beer.
“What brings you all the way to this remote place?”
“I’m looking for someone. Baron Tefir’s illegitimate child. A boy around eight. Don’t know the name, don’t know the face.”
“There are orphans all over the streets. That’s a tough job.”
“He might be carrying something connected to the Baron’s family.”
Paul tapped the table lightly before opening his mouth.
“That’s it? With just that information, it’s like looking for a needle in a sand field.”
“That’s all the information about the boy.”
“You’ve got more, don’t you?”
“I’m planning to challenge Verman again.”
Paul let out a short laugh at the absurdity of it, but when he saw Calimacos’s serious expression, his eyes widened.
Calimacos spoke with the weight of someone finally getting to the main point.
“Are you serious? Last time you weren’t even close to beating him. If you fight now, you’ll die for nothing.”
“I need people. Skilled ones.”
“He’s not the kind of opponent numbers can handle. You know that better than anyone.”
“You’ve always cleaned up after me when I caused trouble. Sorry, but I need your help again.”
Calimacos picked up a sausage from the plate and spoke in a flat tone. But the content was anything but ordinary.
“The Mercenary King’s tomb is near here.”
“What? Is that true?!”
Paul unintentionally raised his voice, drawing the attention of those nearby.
After calming his excitement with a gulp of beer, he lowered his voice.
“I thought it was just nonsense. Did you find out something?”
“I just heard it by chance. If we find the tomb, we’ll split what comes out of it. How about it, you in?”
Paul, unable to keep his hand still, tapped his beer glass again and nodded.
“There hasn’t been a war around here recently. It’ll be peaceful for a while. If you want to gather people, I recommend mercenaries contracted with the lord.”
“Then I should contract with the lord too.”
“That works. They usually don’t hire outsiders lightly, but with your skill they’ll want to keep you.”
‘It’s been a while since I worked under someone.’
“If you become part of the lord’s forces, you can lead troops under the pretext of monster subjugation. Though you’ll need to rise to a higher rank.”
“That won’t be hard.”
“I’ll make the preparations. I’ll come for you when it’s done, so wait here.”
Paul emptied the rest of his beer in one gulp and left the tavern.
Calimacos sat alone for a long while, quietly sipping his drink.
---
A week passed since Robin helped Jeremy work at Burt’s general store.
Robin had memorized the store’s layout and became helpful to Jeremy as an assistant.
Seeing Robin adapt so quickly, Jeremy was delighted.
“Thanks to you, Robin, we’re working much faster.”
“It’s because you explained it well.”
Robin twisted awkwardly at being recognized for the first time.
He had never heard praise from adults or children his age.
Even Burt, who had considered selling him as a slave, was satisfied with Robin’s work.
“Jeremy!”
Jeremy ran quickly over at Burt’s call.
Receiving a bundle of papers, Jeremy glanced at Robin before speaking to Burt.
When Burt nodded, Jeremy gestured for Robin to come over.
“It’s an errand. Follow Jeremy.”
“Yes, boss.”
Robin bowed politely to Burt and followed Jeremy out into the street.
The marketplace in broad daylight was bustling.
“We’re going to tell the merchant caravan we deal with about the inventory.”
“Now that you mention it, our store buys a lot at once. Is it related to that?”
“You really are quick. It’s called a general store, but you can think of it as a brokerage.”
Seeing Robin tilt his head at the unfamiliar word, Jeremy explained more simply.
“Caravans coming from far away sometimes need to store goods long-term. Merchants have schedules to keep, so time is money.”
“So the general store keeps the goods instead?”
“That’s right. And we get paid for it. If we sell things for them until they come back, we take a commission.”
Only then did Robin’s questions clear up. He understood why the store had so many items.
“The boss used to be a well-known adventurer. So he’s got connections all over the Empire.”
“He was an adventurer? Then is his missing left leg because he got hurt during an adventure?”
“That part I don’t know. I only heard bits and pieces from others. I never heard it from the boss himself.”
Listening to Jeremy made Robin realize just how big the world was.
Jeremy’s broad knowledge showed a sharpness far different from the children at the orphanage.
“Jeremy, wait!”
“What’s wrong?”
Beyond Jeremy, who was walking ahead, Robin spotted Marcus and his gang.
Robin quickly ducked and pulled Jeremy down.
“Let’s go back.”
Seeing Robin small and trembling with fear, Jeremy tilted his head.
He had followed Robin’s line of sight, so he had a good idea what was going on.
“I think I get the gist. Follow me, Robin.”
“N-no, listen to me, Jeremy. It’s better if we go back.”
“No, let’s keep going.”
Despite Robin’s pleading, Jeremy didn’t stop.