I Need Sponsorship

* * *

“So, let alone sponsorship, are you reporting to me now that you were kicked out by the duke?”

As the emperor’s angry voice rang out, the messenger who had been to <Sierra’s orphanage> shook his body and put his head on the floor. The atmosphere in the hall where all the vassals stood up was very bloody and quiet. The only noise anyone could hear was the sound of the messenger’s teeth clashing. The emperor, who occupied the throne soaked in the blood of his brother, looked down at the herald with cold, frozen eyes. His lips opened and a thick breath escaped.

“It’s ridiculous. Not only did he insult the imperial family,but you also failed to obey orders and now you’re babbling about being chased away by a duke?”

“Ha, Her Majesty! The Duke’s energy was enormous……!”

“Shut up!”

“Ugh….”

The messenger was dying of injustice. No one else but the Duke of Crayman kicked him out, saying that it’s in his support, at that what can a mere messenger do who has no power ! I had no choice but to come back and report it as it is, and now this is the situation.

The messenger was convinced. Today his neck will fly away. All of the previous messengers always returned as headless corpses after delivering the bad news to the emperor. Therefore, some messengers even told me to clear my throat when I went to report to the emperor. The reason for clearing my throat was simple. To go painlessly at once. The messenger raised his head. Immediately his eyes met the arrogant and cruel emperor. Even if his eyes reached him, he was numb, but he tried to say all the reports before he died.

“The Duke of Crayman said. The <Sierra’s orphanage> is already a protected orphanage under the duke of Crayman, and the duke will be the sole sponsor of the orphanage. Nobody would sponsor the orphanage……!”

The messenger closed his eyes as soon as he finished speaking. It was because he was certain that his head would fly off soon. However, even after a long time, his neck did not fall. The moment the messenger slowly opened his eyes, he couldn’t believe it until the Emperor’s laughing voice penetrated his ears.

“I see. It is certain now that there is some kind of relationship between Duke Crayman and that orphanage.”

The emperor touched his chin. The moment he heard the messenger say that he had been kicked out by the duke for at first, his mind turned white with anger. And he dared to punish the messenger who had damaged the honour of the imperial family and my reputation. He changed his mind at the messenger’s words that followed.

‘it’s unexpectedly an postive result.’

Although he did not establish a relationship with the orphanage, he was convinced that the relationship between the orphanage and the duke was special. I don’t think that a mere director gave the duke information about the sea route. There’s no way a director would have such information. But it doesn’t have to be.If there was any special relationship between Duke Crayman and the orphanage, this alone was worth taking advantage of. That’s why I was trying to establish a relationship with the director and keep an eye on it, but now I don’t have to.

“I will give you a new order.”

As the emperor raised his hand, the attendant who guarded his side drew near and put down his pen and paper. The emperor began to write something on a piece of paper. After a while, he stopped writing, folded the paper, put it in an envelope, and pressed down the imperial seal to seal it.

“Come closer, messenger.”

“Yes, yes.”

The messenger, perplexed by the unexpected situation, crawled up to his knees following the emperor’s order to come close. When he finally reached the emperor, he held out something to the messenger. It was a blue letter.

“Please forward this to the director of the orphanage. You should never make a mistake this time.”

The messenger’s eyes widened.He accepted the letter with trembling hands and bowed his head deeply.

“I will follow your orders.”

“good.”

“yes.”

The messenger descended back to his lap and quickly exited the hall. When the messenger disappeared, the emperor rose from his seat and said,

“Today’s inquiry ends here.”

After announcing the dissolution, the emperor was the first to leave the hall. An attendant followed him. Entering his room, the Emperor removed the heavy cloak from his shoulders. The attendant who ran quickly accepted it. But the emperor did not put down the heavy crown that was on his head. He said without looking at the attendant.

“Did you find the child?”

” Not yet… .”

The servant could not finish his answer. An ink bottle flew in from somewhere and landed on his forehead. The forehead, which was properly hit by the corner, began to tear and bleed, but the servant did not wipe the blood or reveal pain. He simply bowed to the emperor.

“I hate incompetence. My older brother was also incompetent, so he handed over the throne to me. I don’t think you’ll understand what I mean.”

“We will find it as soon as possible.”

“Get out now.”

“yes.”

The servant left the room with his back bent. When the door closed, the Emperor sat down in a chair. He closed his eyes and placed his hand over his heart. It beats. It beats violently, like it’s going to explode. It wasn’t because of excitement.

fear. The emperor was obviously afraid. At the thought of not knowing when, where, and who would slit his throat and covet this seat won with his blood. That’s why he has excluded anyone who tries to undermine his position, even if it is just a little bit. However, there was something that could not be done. One is the Duke of Crayman. And another… … .

“Brother, where the hell did you hide it?”

The emperor muttered quietly. He quietly opened his eyes. The blue eyes were frighteningly cold.

“But no matter where it is, even at the end of hell, I will definitely find it and kill it.”

The emperor uttered a curse. To someone he can’t see or meet anymore.





* * *




“I’ll go to the bank for a while. Chloran, you can’t go up to a higher place again without me.”

“I won’t do that anymore!”

Before going out, when I said, Chloran shouted with a reddened face. Yesterday’s events must have been quite shocking.

“I Probably won’t be too late, but if you’re hungry, I’ve prepared something to eat.”

“yes.”

“Bye.”

Ren and Eddy responded to my words. Roddy was still sleeping. I took one last look at Jake. When our eyes met, Jake flinched for a moment and averted his gaze. I looked at it sadly.

‘I wonder if it will turn out like this.’

Last night Jake, felt like he was very emotional. Judging from Jack’s usual rational and thorough self-censorship personality, I thought he might be regretting his actions last night. It was just as I thought. Still, it was clear that Jake had opened his heart to me, so I wasn’t too sad about it. After saying bye, I was about to get on the carriage waiting outside, when I heard fast footsteps from behind and someone grabbed me and pulled me. Looking back at the weak power that was not strong, I made a surprised expression.

“Jake?”

The person who caught me was none other than Jack. Looking closely, I noticed that his shoes were not even properly worn.

“Do you have anything to say?”

When I tilted my head and asked Jake, who seemed urgent, he hesitated.

“… … Bye.”

“uh?”

“You must come.”

It might sound like a normal greeting at first glance, but I didn’t hear it like a normal greeting. It was as if he wanted to be promised that I would definitely return. … … It could just be my misunderstanding.


“Yes, I’ll be right back.”

I replied with a firm face as if I had promised. Only then did jake let go of my clothes.

“Yes, I will be waiting for you.”

After Jake’s words, the carriage left the orphanage. Inside the running carriage, I was overcome with a strange feeling. This reality felt like a dream.

‘But it’s not a dream.’

I lowered my eyes. The children I had to protect passed by in an instant. Chloran, Ren, Eddy, Roddy and Jake.

‘Although Sierra sold these children and died through their revenge.’

I will never do that. I won’t die, and I won’t harm my children in any way. I made a promise once again. I need to be more protective of my children. Soon the carriage entered the downtown area.


* * *
“It won’t take long.”

“Yes, I’ll be waiting!”

The coachman responded loudly to the words I said as I got off the carriage. Leaving the carriage behind, I raised my head. The exterior of a huge bank responsible for the entire city caught my eye. After taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside. At the sound of the rattle bell, a staff member came towards me.

(T/l: “The exterior of a huge bank that is responsible for the entire city caught my eye” it is referring,that it is responsible for the financial needs of the entire city.)

“welcome. For what purpose do you intend to use it?”

(T/l: this sentence is in formal tone, So I couldn’t rephrase it properly sorry! But I hope you can still understand it!)


“I’m here to get the money.”

“Yes, I will guide you to the counter.”

The staff kindly smiled and guided the way. While Following the staff, I looked around the inside of the bank.

‘So Big… it’s so pretty.’

Unlike banks in Korea, this place was so large and splendid that anyone will believe this is a castle. The distance between each window was far, and there was a small tea time place that could be used while waiting. It felt more like being invited to a mansion rather than a bank.

‘Well, Because there are only a handful of people in this world who can use banks.’

In the first place, collecting money and taking it out meant that you had to have a lot of property. Commoners are busy earning for the living each day, so the main customer base of the bank was wealthy people, wealthy merchants, and nobles. There is a saying that, commoners cannot even set foot in a bank once in their lifetime.If it had been originally, I wouldn’t have come to the bank either. Because some Part of the Duke Crayman family’s wealth was stored in the bank for fundraising, so I had no choice but to come to the bank to receive donations. Thanks for the new experience Duke Crayman.

(T/l: Duke Crayman be like: 😆😉💗)

“You can use it here.”

“thank you.”

I greeted the staff and approached the window. In fact, it was close to the counter, the desk of the luxury department store.

“I’m here to get some money.”

“Yes, from your assets?”

“No, among the assets of the Duke of Crayman, the money that went to the <Sierra’s Orphanage> name.”

“oh.”

The employee opened his eyes wide in surprise. When I said said, ‘The Duke of Crayman… … .’ I saw his moving his lips. Well, would the prestige of the Crayman family change just because it was a bank?. It was understandable that he was surprised. But the staff showed his professionalism and quickly returned to his usual expression and told me.

“Do you have any proof to confirm your identity?”

“Yes, this is the Proof that I am Sierra Peirunte, the director of Sierra’s orphanage.”

I held out the seal of Baron Peirunte towards the staff. After checking it closely, he nodded his head and asked me.

“What would you like the unit of coin to be?”

Unit of coin, what do you mean? Wait Is he asking if I want to go with gold coins or silver coins?

‘I guess gold coins are convenient for buying and selling things?’

I answered.

“Gold coins, please.”

Then, the employee’s expression became strange for a moment, but he soon returned to his original appearance and replied.

“Yes, please wait a moment.”

After talking, the staff quickly went inside. That blurred expression for a short moment bothered me, but what could happen? I calmed down and waited. However, it took quite a long time compared to asking to wait for a while. In the first place, does the calculation time of the bank take a long time? As I was thinking, an employee came out. However, it was unusual for him to hold his hand.

thud! The employee put down two huge bags in front of me. I asked, stuttering in bewilderment.

“What is this?”

Then the employee answered with a sweaty pout.

“This is a total of 500 gold coins entrusted to <Sierra’s Orphanage> by the Duke of Crayman.”

When I heard the amount, I was shocked. 500 gold! I hurriedly calculated the value in my head. 100 silver coins are 1 gold, and 100 gold is 1 rune. So, 500 gold refers to 5 runes, and in Korean currency, it is 50 million won… … .

‘this is crazy.’

I remembered the contract with the duke. Was there a word in the contract that a donation was made once a year?

‘It was definitely monthly!’

So, you’re saying that you’re supporting 50 million won every month now? 50 million won per month for one year… … .

‘600 million… … !’

An amount that would be enough to buy one mansion. I was staggered for a while at the far-flung amount that went beyond my mental range. The employee was surprised and called me.

“Lady? Are you all right?”

“I am okay, it’s okay. Oh, there… .”

I now realise why the staff took so long to bring the money. I wonder why he made such a face when I asked for the gold coins. Even if I asked for 5 runes in gold coins, they would think I’m joking. Suddenly, I felt sorry for the employee.

“Could it be that the Krayman family put it in wrongly”

In fact, there was almost no such thing. As the Duke’s family was not an ordinary family and mainly engaged in trade and business, they managed their money more thoroughly than any other family. Of course, to me, this amount feels like the sky is falling, but I also knew that it wouldn’t even be worth mentioning to someone like Duke Crayman=, for whom it would be no more than a drop in the bucket. Due to the trade with the Western Kingdom this time, the Duke of Crayman will have much more wealth than now. Even if you spend 500 gold every day, it won’t show even the slightest hint.

‘But this is too much.’

Maybe for a different orphanage that takes care of dozens of children. <Sierra’s orphanage> has only five children. In addition, there are many children who are not yet educated, so they did not need a lot of money compared to other orphanages.

‘Maybe it’s their first time sponsoring, so they don’t know how much they need to sponsor.’

There’s quite a bit of a chance on this side. In any case, I felt like I had to be clear. I don’t want to feel this kind of embarrassment every month. Even though I knew that I might have been ignorant, I couldn’t just let it go. Having made my decision, I looked at the staff with an apologetic face and said.

“I’m sorry, but could you bring me only 50 gold coins and put the rest back in?”

50 gold coins. There are many of these, but I decided to accept only this much for now. Thinking of Jake’s education expenses, I’m a little relaxed. The staff member’s expression softened slightly. I showed her my sincere sympathy for him.

“All right. please wait for a moment.”

“Thank you.”

The staff returned back with two huge pockets of gold coins. After a while, she came back again, holding a slender bag of gold coins in her hand. I lifted the bag of gold coins.

“Thank you, Have a good day.”

After thanking the staff who must have suffered because of me, I left the bank. The firmness under my wrist made things more complicated than enjoyable.

“good bye.”

Leaving the bank, I hurriedly found the waiting carriage. The carriage was parked on the side of the road not far away.

“Oh, are you done with your work?”

The coachman I was waiting for found me and came running after a month.

“It must be heavy, can I lift it for you?”

The coachman I had been waiting for found me and came running within a month.
(T/l: some of you might not remember, but y’all it’s that guy who looked at her with a disgusting gaze before.)

“Are you okay?”

It’s not that I don’t particularly trust the coachman, but still having it with me gives me peace of mind. Arriving at the carriage, I spoke to the coachman for a while before climbing.

“Can I ask you a favour? Actually I have a place to go after I stop by the orphanage.”

The first route I talked about was from the orphanage to the bank, and from the bank to the orphanage, so I said in advance that I had to stop by one more place. The coachman gave me a big nod.

“Sure. I will take you anywhere.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled a little at his eager look, and then I stepped in. After a while, the carriage pulled off the side of the road and began to run. After gazing at the scenery outside the window for a moment, I turned my head and looked down at the bag of gold coins I was holding in my arms. The touch of the round gold coin felt through the cloth made me both thrilled and worried.

* * *


“We have arrived.”

“It must be hard. Please wait here for a moment. It won’t be long.”

“Yes! Go ahead!”

As he stopped the carriage on the main road and entered the orphanage, I was startled and stopped by a person who suddenly appeared.

“No please, wait a minute!”

“ah!”

“I’m sorry if I startled you… … . I have something I must tell you, but no matter how much I ring the bell, nobody is coming out… .”

“you are… … .”

The person who jumped out was none other than the messenger. Blue-coloured clothing and the pattern of the imperial family. However, if there was one thing that had changed a little, it was that he seemed more depressed than before. Naturally, my expression hardened. It was because I remembered his coercion and threats last time.

“But What are you doing here? As for the sponsorship, you know I clearly rejected it last time.”

My voice became cold even though I did not intend to, thinking that he might act like that again. Contrary to my expectations, however, the messenger waved his hand in astonishment.

“no! It’s not like that, but I came because I have to give something to the director.”

“So what are you going to give me?”

“Yes, this is a letter from the imperial family.”

What he held out was a blue envelope. When I wasn’t answering, the messenger reached out a little more. He was acting like he would die if I didn’t get it.

“I will give you this and go back.”

“… … .”

It was embarrassing, but since it was just a letter and I couldn’t spend more time here, I had no choice but to accept it. said the messenger.

“I have given it to you.”

After speaking as if to confirm, the messenger hurried back. Left alone, I took the letter and went inside. The first place I looked at was a playground with play facilities including a jungle gym.

‘For some reason, Chloran isn’t here.’

Usually around this time, it’s Chloran time to run around, so I thought he must be playing outside.My prediction was wrong. Is he taking a nap? Maybe everyone gathered together in order to eat snacks. But they shouldn’t eat too much.

As I walked, I guessed what the children were doing now. When I opened the front door, a jingle and a bell rang. It had been a long time since the bell, which used to intimidate with a loud sound like thunder, had been changed. Now, the children have a lot of things to do outside, so they can’t hear it every time. Instead, a cute bell hung there and made a pleasant sound whenever anyone came and went.

Once inside, I stood in the hallway for a while and looked left and right. The director’s office is on the left, and the dining room is on the right. The dining room’s door was firmly closed. Just in case, I crept inside and opened the dining room’s door just a little bit. The door opened smoothly and without the sound of sliding thanks to oiling not too long ago. As expected, the children were in the dining room. But they wasn’t eating snacks.

“One plus one equals two.”

“I don’t understand, brother. Why is 1 plus 1 equal to 2? isn’t it 1?”

“It’s one more added to another one. count it then it will be 2 okay?”

“It’s difficult.”

“Brother, is this right?”

“that’s right. Well done. good job.”

“Hehehe.”

“Does Eddy understand it?”

“Well, it’s a bit difficult, but… … .”

Eddy nodded her head with a pensive look at Jake’s question. After looking at the two girls happily, Jack looked at Chloran, who was still muttering why one plus one equals two. Even so, Jake did not give up and continued to explain the reason to Chloran.

‘I never thought they would be studying… … .’

I couldn’t go any further into the completely unexpected scene in front of me. Could it be that the children were studying during the days when I was at work? Judging from the progress of Eddy and Ren at first glance, it seemed that this type of study had been going on for quite some time.

‘I didn’t know at all.’

It made me reflect on whether or not I was too indifferent to the children. At the same time, I felt happy. I felt proud to see the children studying on their own even without being told.

‘Anyway, Chloran hasn’t fully learned the concept of numbers yet.’

Chloran’s age is 10 years old, so it’s on the late side in Korea, but when I thought about this world, Chloran was normal. In this world, unless you are a child of aristocrats and wealthy people, you cannot get a proper education.

It was not uncommon for them not to be able to understand not only numbers but also letters. The reason is simple. Because learning costs money.

You have to buy textbooks, you have to buy pens, you have to buy paper, you have to buy time. So it is only natural that the level of education of ordinary people and their children who are busy making a living is declining.

Even more so, how can children who did not even receive proper attention from adults, it’s sad.

Chloran was mediocre, Ren and Eddy were smart for their age, and Jake was… … . I had nothing to say Watching Jake teach the children diligently, I hardened my resolve. Jake said he wants to get education anyway. Of course, he knows that the process will not be smooth.

I closed the door of the dining room more quietly than I had opened. It’s still before lunchtime, and I’ll have to go out again, So I didn’t want to interrupt the flow of studying by letting children know that I was here. I sneakily headed to the director’s office. Then I kept the bag of gold coins safe deep in a locked drawer and rummaged through the teacups.

“found it.”

I put them neatly in a paper bag and kept them in my arms. Then I took out the letter I received from the messenger.

‘I’m not in a hurry, so I’ll check it out.’

I was curious about the contents of the letter, but the coachman was waiting outside and I had a place to go, so I put the letter on the desk and left the director’s office. The children who were focused on their studies still didn’t know that I came and went. Now that I really think about it, I think it was a good idea to change the bell. But There was just one thing that worried me.

‘Isn’t this dangerous if an intruder breaks in?’

Of course, there are locks on the front doors, and the walls are taller than adults, but I was still worried.

‘Last time the children escaped through the dog hole.’

While renovating the orphanage, I accidentally found a hole that was big enough for a child to pass through. I wondered how the children escaped on the day when Ren was sick, but they escaped right from there. I immediately plugged the dog hole. Not only that, but the wall was thoroughly inspected to see if there were any remaining holes, and no more dog holes were found. So the possibility of someone breaking in is low, but I still get anxious every time I leave my children alone.

‘Should I hire at least one person?’

While Heading to the carriage, I was lost in my thoughts. A small portion of the donations from the Crayman family would not only be enough to raise the children, but it would also allow me to hire a caretaker. All It would do is guard the orphanage and take care of the children when I’m not there, and it won’t cost too much money. Commoners who do not have jobs will apply regardless.

‘But that also makes me anxious’

I could already imagine how hard it would be to find those people with a certain identity. And It’s hard to discern if a low-quality person approaches with a bad heart.

“Ah, did I come out?”

When I went to the carriage, the coachman quickly opened the door. I stepped on with simple steps and went into the carriage. for now.

“Please go to Duke Crayman’s mansion.”

His eyes widened when I said he would take me anywhere.




* * *




The carriage ran through the woods. After a while, the carriage stopped moving.

“ We’ve arrived.”

The coachman stammered to announce the arrival. I got off the carriage while organising my thoughts at those words. Then, the scenery of the old castle, which is still full of dauntingness, greeted me. In front of the gate of the duke’s residence, two knights stood guard with swords.


Since this carriage is not a carriage that is allowed to enter and exit, we had to get permission here to enter. The sight of the knights standing on the ground with their swords drawn made me nervous ,I swallowed my saliva. The coachman said the same to me in a trembling voice.

“Hey, Lady. Is this really the right place?”

It was clear what he was asking. Is this really a place where people like us can come? Of course I don’t know either. I was in the position I was called last time, but this time it is completely different. Come to think of it, I was a little worried that even if he was the sponsor, it would be okay to come here all of a sudden. Still, shouldn’t I try to do something? please Don’t tell me that he’ll kill me.

“Wait here.”

“wait Up, it’s dangerous. It seems that the lady doesn’t know much about Duke Crayman… … .”

Seeing the knight’s notice, he lowered his voice and whispered in my ear.

“He is a war envoy without blood or tears.” he said

Hearing the coachman’s words, my gaze fell downward. The part that I read in the book, ‘the people are also afraid of him, the envoy of the battlefield,’ I realised now.

“ the envoy of war… … .”

As I murmured, the coachman nodded his head in agreement with how I accepted it.

“You know now, right? So, we must get out of this dangerous place quickly.”

The coachman took on a posture as if he would drive the carriage right away. Looking at him like that, I smiled brightly. The coachman’s expression brightened as he arbitrarily judged it. I said.

“Don’t say anything without knowing.”

The coachman was taken aback by my cold voice.

“yes?”

I turned my gaze to the duke’s residence without answering. No wonder he was upset. He said it because he thought of me, but my answer that came back was cold.

‘But…’