Chapter 466
The remaining work was to set up one of the tents from the Church's supplies, while watching the Entertainers roughly haul off the surviving Church members.
Then we called in the people we might take back to Freihait.
Me and Claudia handled the interviews. Amina and Nell were watching the kids who were going back to their families, along with Second Sister.
"So, nice to meet you."
"Hello."
"Um, nice to meet you."
"......"
The tent was pretty big. Plenty of room even with a lot of people inside. That made setting it up a bit tricky, but this time it worked fine.
Only Petra responded to the greeting.
The kids just stared. Suspicious.
Some were hiding behind Petra.
They didn't trust us. You could see it in their eyes.
I get it.
They were kidnapped by strangers and taken somewhere unknown.
If they trusted us unconditionally, that would be a problem.
Petra was the only one who bowed and greeted us properly. That I expected. In a gambling hall, she's a screaming, blood-eyed mess. But in this situation, she was calm.
"First, introductions. I'm Liberta. I happened to find out about your kidnapping and came to help. And this is—"
"Claudia. I hold the position of priestess at the temple. I'm also a member of his party."
From behind Petra, the kids watched us. Measuring us.
The girl who'd been clinging to Second Sister had a pure look. These kids looked jaded.
They glanced at each other. Weighing whether to introduce themselves. The pros and cons.
"Petra Lone. As for these children... I'm sorry. I only met them here. I don't know much about them."
"That's fine. The reason I called you here is to talk about the future."
"The future?"
"Yes. I'll put it bluntly: everyone here has been targeted by the Heretic Church. I want to know what you want to do going forward."
I didn't try to ease their suspicion. I just talked.
That suspicion is a valuable skill. Acting without it might seem pure, but it's also just following. Being suspicious, thinking for yourself, acting on it.
That's an advantage.
"What do I want to do? I thought you were just going to take us with you."
"The kids who were kidnapped and have families to go back to, we'll send them back. The temple will file a proper report. The Church won't risk going after them. The pros and cons don't add up."
Thinking for yourself is important. Respecting that they'd learned that so young, I answered honestly.
"So anyone with a guardian is safe. We've made arrangements for them to join the temple if needed. Their lives will have restrictions, though."
"To give you a rough idea, it's a disciplined life following temple rules. Balanced meals. Every part of your day dedicated to the gods. You'll lose the freedom you've had."
I didn't treat them like kids. I told them the real choices.
"Same goes for any of you here, if you want. Lots of restrictions, but you get a proper life."
"I promise to handle that personally."
Kids like this can spot lies. Kids from hard circumstances are surprisingly sharp. Lie once, and you lose their trust.
It'll drop like a waterfall. Carve a hole in the ground.
Winning it back? Slower than a slug.
"You got no proof she's really a priestess."
One of the kids pointed at Claudia. Suspicious.
"The guys who took us looked nice, too."
That's fair. Good instinct. I respected that. And I needed to prove it.
I could dodge, but I'd never earn their trust.
"Hmm. You don't know who Claudia is."
"I still have a ways to go."
Claudia was famous. Youngest person to reach archbishop. You couldn't ask for a bigger name.
If they didn't recognize her face, proving it was hard.
"Um... I know that person is Lady Claudia..."
They'd been living too hard to know famous people, I thought. Then Petra raised her hand and spoke up.
"This person's famous?"
"Did they threaten you, sis?"
"Old man in the slums lied when he was short on cash."
"It's true!"
Something shifted in the kids' eyes.
Less sharp. A little warmth.
Different looks for us and for Petra.
I wasn't the only one who noticed. I glanced at Claudia. She nodded.
"If sis says it's true, then I guess you're with the temple."
"Glad you trust us."
Not because Petra was convincing. Probably she'd done something to earn their trust on the road.
"Now the other options. Second: you leave us here and make it on your own. Personally, I'd rather you didn't."
"We won't force you to come with us. We're just offering help. Your choice. But we'll also tell you: this is the most dangerous path."
No way to know what happened. Prying would make them clam up again.
For now, I was satisfied that they trusted Petra.
"So you're ditching us?"
"We'll give you some money and food. After that, nothing. Join the guild. Get hired by a merchant. Your own safety, your own problem."
I was blunt. Cold, even.
Not recommending it. Just telling the truth. The right distance.
They didn't fully trust us.
They owed us for helping. But they weren't sure they could rely on us.
Would they accept unconditional help feeling like that?
"Um... isn't that too harsh for just kids?"
"Some kids want it."
"But..."
Petra protested. Too cruel. I shot her down. Looked at the kids. She followed my gaze. A few looked away.
Trust breaks in an instant. But for someone who's been betrayed over and over, trusting again is that hard.
"We're not throwing you out here. We'll take you to a safe town. Give you enough money to last a few months. That's us doing our part. End of story."
"...Isn't there something else?"
The temple's restrictive protection. Or money and abandonment. Those were the choices.
"Third. You come under my protection. I run a town. Short on hands. So if you're willing to work, I'll guarantee food, clothes, a place to sleep, an education, and a job. Your personal life is free, as long as you don't break the law."
"...You want us to be slaves?"
That was the real choice. Maybe I explained it wrong. The most hostile glare yet.
They were imagining being worked like draft horses. Paid nothing. Used up and thrown away.
"No, no. Nothing like that. You come to my town, first you learn to read, write, do math. Then we find what you're good at, train you under a craftsman. When you can produce results, you can go independent. That's my offer."
"That's... a lie, right...?"
Too good to be true. But Claudia spoke. An oath to the gods. The heaviest words in this world. Proof it was true.
"Since it sounds too good, I'll tell you the downsides."
The unease. Too good to be true. I was a little worried about kids thinking that far ahead. But I told them everything.
"We're independent. We have our own laws. You follow them. Students sign a contract. Gods as witnesses. To prevent leaks. So it's not total freedom. No more doing whatever you want. Be ready for that."
Guaranteeing knowledge, experience, a life. Sounds generous. But you're part of the system. "Be labor" also means "you can't just leave."
"Those are your choices. Anything else is up to you. But we won't help. Remember that."
They wouldn't decide right away. I gave them time. Then—
"If I go to your town... does sis's debt go away?"
One of the hard-eyed kids stared at me. Piercing.