The Slum Children III

While Carolyn was serving, some of the children came back for seconds, but she made sure to finish serving those who hadn't eaten yet. Even then, there was enough porridge left to give most of them a second serving. All of the children who had been outside, including the little boy that helped Carolyn carry the ingredients, came inside for porridge, and Carolyn counted 23 children in total. That was more than enough to apply for orphanage status and receive government aid, but even excusing that this was the slums, the current local government was in no shape to provide such aid.

Carolyn knew that her salary would be enough to take care of them for now, but in the long term that wouldn't be the best option for the children. She wasn't even sure how long she would be able to keep her job or when taxes would rise again, so Benedict's idea of teaching them so that they could support themselves was much better. Still, she wanted to do more.

Initially, Carolyn was planning on cleaning up and washing the pots and bowls, but Benedict stopped her and had the children do it instead.

"You've already made the food; let them handle the rest."

Since Benedict had more experience than her in guiding the children, Carolyn listened to him and went to check up on Derrick and Lety.

"The porridge was really good, Carol. Thank you."

"It was good."

"I'm glad you both liked it. How are you feeling?"

"Much better."

Lety gave a bright smile to express her health. Her fever was still present, but her complexion had improved once more since this morning. As for Derrick, he tried to act fine, but one finger flick to his right arm was enough to make him grimace in pain.

"Try not to push yourself too hard, okay?"

"Alright."

"Carol, can you stay for a little longer?"

"Sure, Lety. Do you need anything?"

"Yes. I need you to help me with something for my plan. I went over it with the Priest and I want to get started while you're here."

"But, you're both—"

"It's fine. It's different from what I originally had in mind, and I wasn't sure if you could handle it, but now, I think they'll listen to you."

Lety's assurance didn't completely resolve Carolyn's worries, but she decided to trust her.

"Okay, what do you want me to do?"

"Let's step outside first."

With Carolyn supporting her, the three left the church and found an isolated area nearby before Lety began the explanation.

In order for Carolyn to properly perform her role, Lety gave Carolyn a summary of her plan. As children, they were at a massive disadvantage when getting work, and the label of being from the slums further decreased those chances, so without special talents it was impossible for them to earn enough to support themselves using normal methods. Derrick possessed enough skill as a thief to support himself, but Lety was always worried that he would be caught if he kept it up. Being caught by the guards was one thing, but there was no telling what might happen if someone else caught him. In order to provide a new way of life for her brother, Lety came up with the idea to start a business that had virtually no startup costs and could benefit from them being children, one that focused on information trading.

"I see. People do tend to lower their guard around children, so you could use that to your advantage. It sounds a bit too risky from my perspective, but I'm sure you wouldn't put your brother in danger without thinking."

With this idea, if they happened to overhear something they weren't supposed to, their lives could be in danger. There were also problems regarding how they would actually sell the information, but if Lety discussed this idea with Benedict, then Carolyn believed there would be more to it.

"I've thought of ways to minimise the risk, but we can talk about that another time. Initially I was going to ask you to train my brother to mask his presence and build stamina since you said you were taught how to be a hunter, but given his injuries—"

"I'm fine, Lety. I'll train or run or whatever you want."

This was Derrick's first time hearing about Lety's plan, but he gave it his full support even though he didn't understand all of the details. However, that didn't mean Carolyn or Lety would let him be reckless.

"My training isn't so easy that you can endure it while injured."

"It's fine, Brother. I'll tell you when I need your help."

After quickly dousing Derrick's enthusiasm, Lety and Carolyn continued their conversation.

"The Priest said he would buy any information I learnt about recent weird events or people inside the slums, so I want you to share that same deal with the other children and buy the information using food before I sell it to the Priest. I'll pay you back using the money I get from him."

"That's… I have many concerns, but did Mr. Benedict agree with letting you swindle the children?"

"It's not swindling. You're not forcing them to exchange information for food; they're the ones who are making the decision. They get food, you get to feed them, the Priest gets the information and we earn money by selling it. See, no one loses."

Putting aside the fairness of her scheme, there was some merit to her proposal. Even so, Carolyn knew she would feel guilty exploiting the children's trust like that, and she didn't want to make the same mistake a second time.

"Would I be right to assume you plan on recruiting some of the children by using this as a test?"

Given what Lety had already told her, Carolyn guessed this would be the case since she had the same idea, and she believed that Lety would be able to think of it, especially if she had Benedict's help. Lety was surprised since she hadn't intended on mentioning that yet, but she still confirmed Carolyn's idea.

"That's right."

"In that case, why not test their abilities and their characters at the same time? I'll tell the children that I'll bring them a reward tomorrow if they provide me with information about anything strange that's been happening inside the slums. For the ones that bring useful information, I'll give them my share of the reward and tell them to keep it a secret. If they keep their lips tight, then we can consider them as potential recruits. If not, or if they try to use lies to get more money from us, then we exclude them for now. What do you think?"

Carolyn didn't plan on abandoning the children that didn't pass this test, but she knew they couldn't all be involved from the start, and as she had promised Lety, she would help the siblings even if she couldn't help the other children by doing so.

"Okay, let's do it."

"Really? Just like that?"

"Yes, I think it's a good idea. Is there a problem?"

"No, I'm just surprised you changed your mind so quickly."

"The idea I mentioned was really just a suggestion. We would make more money that way, but I guessed that you might be against it, so I don't blame you for that. Oh, but you don't need to pay them with your share; we'll just leave an extra portion from the money we receive."

"Okay."

After they further discussed Carolyn's idea and warned Derrick about keeping everything a secret, the group returned to the inside of the church. By then the pots and bowls had been washed, and the table she had served food on was returned to its rightful place. For the most part, the church looked the same as usual, but the gazes Carolyn received were different. She still attracted wary looks, but they couldn't compare to the amount of goodwillshe sensed. Certainly, if they looked at her like this, then she could take on the role that Lety's plan required.

Carolyn went to the back of the church and then turned around to face the children. She didn't see Benedict, so she was the oldest one in the room. That thought added some pressure to her shoulders, but after a deep breath, she gathered their attention.

"Everyone! May I have your attention for a few moments, please? I don't intend on taking very long."

Learning from her previous mistake, Carolyn was polite, but her tone was confident and brooked no room for disobedience. The children turned towards her with various expectations, awaiting her next words.

"I'll be leaving soon, but before I go, if anyone's noticed something unusual or someone suspicious inside the slums, then please tell me about it. You can also share it with Derrick or Lety if you like. Depending on what you share, I'm willing to reward you."

In response to her words, a child soon asked, "Does that mean you'll bring more food as a reward?"

This was a question most of them were concerned about, and Carolyn sensed the intensity of their gazes increase.

"I could if that's what you want, but I plan to cook here daily for the next few days regardless."

Carolyn planned to still pay the children who provided information even if they asked for extra food, but for fairness' sake the cost of the ingredients would be taken from the reward.

"How do you decide if what we tell you deserves a reward or not?"

"That depends on whether it's true and if I already know about it."

Benedict didn't share any clear guidelines with Lety, but both Lety and Carolyn believed this would be close to his criteria. Carolyn answered a few more questions from the children and lingered around Lety and Derrick before leaving. She spotted a few faces that looked like they were willing to talk, but perhaps she still hadn't built enough rapport for them to talk to her directly.

"Well, I'll leave the rest to you."

"Mmm. See you tomorrow, Carol."

"Certainly."