Chapter 80

The resplendent buildings crowded together in Pare.

This city, adorned with magical lights in every corner, sparkled with brilliant light even during the night.

However, contrary to the bright visage devoid of darkness, the lives of the many inhabitants here were filled only with shadows.

A life where dreams and hope did not exist, only hardship and hunger prevailed.

And this was true for a woman leaning against a corner of the plaza named Josephine.

Clad in tattered, worn-out clothes, she sat weakly.

In her ears, a small voice echoed today as it always had.

“Eh… eh… eh…”

A cry that seemed it could extinguish at any moment.

The source of that sound came from the small bundle she cradled in her arms.

The newborn babe, still unable to suckle properly, today again lamented with soft sounds of hunger.

Yet, despite the cries, there was nothing she could do.

Once a farmer’s daughter, not rich but not poor, her family fell apart due to severe famine and skyrocketing taxes.

Her parents passed away from shock, and her husband was dragged to prison for not paying taxes—whether he was dead or alive was uncertain.

In the end, all that remained was her and the baby, not even a decent possession left.

However, Josephine knew.

She understood that soon, she too… would lose her final treasure, this tiny child.

Despite nursing her until her breasts were bruised, the baby’s hunger remained unsatisfied.

Having eaten nothing for days, her body could no longer produce milk.

No matter how much she begged, there was no one willing to help, and as a weaker woman burdened with a child, there was nothing she could do.

She even considered selling her body as a last resort, but among the starving and exhausted, even that seemed unlikely to succeed.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… Mama… I’m sorry… my baby…”

In this situation, filled only with despair, she clutched the child in her arms and wept tears that had long since run dry.

Cursing this world that had taken everything from her…

Despairing at a god who offered no salvation…

At that moment.

“Here seems fine.”

“Right, it’s spacious enough and won’t be too crowded given the location.”

“Then let’s start here.”

“?”

Voices of people nearby reached Josephine’s ears.

She slowly raised her head to look at them.

A woman dressed in a white apron set down a large pot.

With long brown hair covering half her face, she possessed an oddly frightening expression, filling the pot with water and igniting a fire beneath it.

Beside the brown-haired woman, a pair of men and women who seemed to be her companions were laying down a large bag.

Within the bag, filled with something that looked capable of holding a person.

They quickly sat down, opened the bag, and started pulling out its contents, igniting Josephine’s curious interest.

What they pulled out were large chunks of what seemed to be plant roots.

Covered in a bit of dirt, but looking as if they had been washed beforehand, the pair drew out a large knife.

Immediately after, their knives began to glow with a translucent light.

Recognizing it as ‘condensation,’ which she had seen once or twice before, Josephine became increasingly intrigued about what they planned to do.

And then.

-Cheeeeck!!!

With a sharp sound, the root chunks began to be finely chopped.

Those that were almost reduced to powder entered the boiling massive pot.

The brown-haired woman began to stir it after throwing in salt and various seasonings.

Something unsettling about her demeanor made Josephine feel a peculiar fear.

And shortly after…

“..gulp…”

With the pot beginning to boil and releasing an aroma, a savory scent wafted up.

Josephine, struck by the nostalgic smell, began to swallow involuntarily, yet this sweet aroma only brought her greater anguish.

The three strangers, who she did not even know, were not here to cook for someone like her.

The concept of charity had long vanished in this city.

Even so, she did not have the resources to dare steal.

The very idea of attempting something like that, as a powerless woman up against those capable of wielding magical power, would have been a suicidal act.

Determined to stop causing herself pain and to leave, Josephine slowly attempted to rise.

At that moment.

“Well then… you over there, the mother of the baby.”

“…Y-yes?”

A sudden call from the brown-haired woman with a chilling visage.

With a scary face mixed with a kind smile, she presented a wooden bowl filled with savory stew towards Josephine.

“Here, have a serving. There’s plenty for the baby as well.”

“Y-yes? Are you… giving this to me? B-but I have nothing to give in return…”

“It’s fine. This dish is specifically prepared for the hungry.”

“Please take it, you need to eat well to raise your child, right?”

“Ah…”

Meanwhile, the black-haired woman with a flat chest watching them said.

While still grinding the pieces of root, her words made Josephine take the bowl of stew with trembling hands.

Thick steam was rising from the stew.

Looking at this meal she held in her hands for the first time in days, Josephine carefully took a bite.

Immediately, a sweet yet soft taste spread through her.

It was not just hunger gnawing at her, but the stew was exquisitely made according to a skilled cook’s precise recipe.

Tears began to well up in Josephine’s eyes as she swallowed the stew down her throat…

“…Thank you… truly… thank you so much…”

In a situation that had been nothing but despair, a sudden warmth had arrived.

Merely a bowl of warm stew, yet…

To Josephine, it felt like a gift larger than any blessing, a massive grace.

And seeing this, the three individuals…

Franklin, Magellan, and Elkana, smiled with satisfaction.

*

In one corner, countless people gathered.

All dressed in tattered clothes, their sweat dripping profusely, they held empty bowls, gripping their empty stomachs.

They were hungry individuals drawn in by the savory smell wafting from somewhere.

One by one, they received bowls of stew from the large pot boiling in the square.

“Cough… thank you… truly thank you…”

“Don’t mention it, there’s plenty, so eat up.”

Some expressed their gratitude, while others shed tears as they accepted the food.

Watching their expressions, Franklin felt a genuine sense of happiness for the first time in a long while.

Typically, people would become terrified and cry upon seeing her, but at this moment, they were shedding tears of gratitude and joy.

Feeling a sense of pride in this fact, Franklin continued cooking, unbothered by her fatigue.

At that moment…

“Is everything going well?”

“Ah! Captain.”

“I thought we might run out of potatoes, so I brought more. This should be enough.”

“Thank you, Captain. I was considering sending Magellan, but it seems that won’t be necessary now.”

The Pirate King, who had also contributed, Franklin expressed her gratitude.

Thus, the serving, which began at dinner, continued with the help of the Pirate King until it finally ended well into dawn.

*

“Phew… great job everyone.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Ah… finally done…”

“I and Franklin will take care of the clean-up, so you all can take a short break.”

Magellan and Elkana, who had spent almost eight hours grinding potatoes and fetching water, immediately lay down in exhaustion.

Leaving them behind, I began to clean up along with Franklin.

The calm atmosphere that followed the earlier chaos felt almost surreal.

Seeing this, I felt relieved that I had timed things just right.

“To be honest, it was a bit touch-and-go. I thought we were well-prepared, but if we’d started during lunch as you said, we might have run out of potatoes.”

“Right, I feel fortunate that things ended up this way.”

Providing food for the starving was a far more dangerous task than anticipated.

More than anything, nothing could beat the unbearable pain of hunger.

While the gratitude we received when we helped was immense, if the distribution were cut short, it could lead to the dire situation of the remaining hungry turning into a mob.

To prevent this, we deliberately began the work during the evening, when it would be harder for people to approach.

Thanks to that, we could finish just in time for a manageable number of people.

“Nonetheless… it hurts my heart. I had no idea so many were starving…”

Franklin, wanting to help them more, felt heartache.

Knowing her kind-hearted nature, I understood her sentiments, but…

Even so, I gently shook my head.

“Goodwill can often come to be seen as a right. Any further charity would only become a poison, and more than anything, we currently lack the means.”

The fact that, unlike the Holy Empire, the people here were still wary about potatoes also played a role.

It allowed us to buy a considerable amount of potatoes from the fields at a low cost.

If it weren’t for that, organizing something of this scale without sufficient funds would have been impossible.

“Anyway, it looks like the seeds have been well sown, so let’s withdraw. You all worked hard today, so rest well and prepare for tomorrow.”

“Yes, understood, Captain… No, Drake…”

Franklin blushed slightly as she replied.

Seeing her, I felt a sense of warmth and gently patted her head.

With 28 hours remaining until the Three Estates Meeting, the pirate’s ‘evil scheme’ began to take root.