Having spent time unconscious the day before as well as going to sleep rather early, I awoke well rested. Not that such a thing was going to provide me any stat boosts, but I had a refreshing night of dreams that faded into the ether.

Calling Hans to my side he hopped back into my Inventory with a soft pattering noise of claws striking wood. What a cute fellow.

Practicing minor necromancies as I ate, I wondered if there were analogous spells in this world. had stealth applications, but as much as the inn needed it, probably wasn't what most spellwrights would want as their legacy.

That's really all I thought about; I eat quickly and the food wasn't exactly something to try and savour.

With , leaving the establishment without alerting any thugs was simple. Funnily enough, it had an ongoing somatic component of tiptoeing around and leaping to random part of the floor.

Strolling through the streets, I had a good feeling that day. There was still an hour or two before I met Lyssa, and after that I would go find Theodore to help out and learn. I could probably give that clumsy assistant of his a few pointers, if not in potions than in basic coordination at least. And there was still a whole day after that before meeting up with Castor! Plenty of time to see new things, do the impossible, find love and the meaning of life, practice filibustering and excessively long lists!

I was feeling quite chipper indeed.

When a young cry rang out and was quickly stifled, I stopped. Glaucen really was an adventure town, with quest hooks all lined up for me. I wasn't about to let ill fortune fall on a child, so I swiftly moved towards the source of the noise.

The streets were still dim in the predawn darkness, and there were few man made lights. Surprisingly there were lampposts, but most were in a state of severe disrepair. After recasting , I shifted through the streets stealthily. Despite the numerous back alleys, I quickly stumbled across the scene.

Oh this is just terrible. How should I go about resolving this problem?

Within the alley, a lanky man was extorting two street urchins, holding a knife to one’s throat. Without much to disable him in the long term, and lasting only a number of seconds, I didn't imagine things going all that well. Not that a bit of risk would dissuade me from helping the street urchins.

Available actions, caveats, don't kill opponent, don't draw attention. , aimed , , physical actions. , while unlikely to kill, would raise the lethality of the encounter. would be both weaker than my own physical strength at the moment, tie up mental capacity, and be unable to expend Stamina to increase its ability; unsuited for the encounter. It looked like I would be dependent on and my own meager muscles. At least the bandit was facing away at the moment.

I wiggled my fingers and cast from behind the corner of the building. As his grip slackened on the dagger, I gestured towards the kid who was facing me; the one who had been caught noticed the man’s grip going slack and freed himself. Good, I wouldn't have to worry about his neck being slit.

Quickly closing the short gap, I landed an elbow strike on the back of the bandit’s head. Turns out that was all that was needed to incapacitate him. The one who was caught looked surprised by my presence, while the other boy managed to have already disappeared.

Before anything else, I drew in several deep breaths. My attack just then dropped my Stamina by a quarter. Isn't that too much? That cost was steeper than what my old body would pay, and I never really felt like a particularly fit person. At least I'd finished it in one strike, otherwise I would have had to quickly switch to magical means.

“So...whew...was that your...hah...bag of coins I heard jingling?” Taking a few more breaths, I regained equilibrium and asked the boy. The sound of coins on his compatriot was probably what the thief was after, but from the duo’s ragged attire, I didn't doubt that they were of a similar sort.

“Not mine anymore…” Ooh, ouch. Guess the two weren't as much of a dynamic duo as I thought.

“Eh, don't worry about it Street Rat.” Stealthily withdrawing from behind my back, I tossed him half a loaf of bread. He caught it deftly, considering my somewhat poor throw. Street Rat’s face lit up, with the face of someone who wants to take a yard when given an inch. But he restrained himself, so I gambled a little. “How many others are you taking care of?”

“How do you know?” His jaw dropped, as I smiled with equal parts magnanimity and mysteriousness.

Hohoho, it seems that Glaucen is not lacking a cadre of orphans. I wonder if Street Rat is their leader. In any case, it would be good of me to help out a little, though I wasn't like certain protagonists that could drown in their assets.

“I know a lot of things other people don't. Well are you going to answer my question?”

Street Rat looked a bit conflicted at the moment, my appearance was rather sudden. Perhaps the moment of silence that followed was for his own soliloquy. I didn't want to interrupt something important like that, so I gave him some time to think.

“Why do you want to know?”

Hmm, I guess trust cost more than a bit of bread. Especially in these parts, if one didn't have their wits about them, people calling themselves ‘friend’ might run off with a bag of your money. Not that I minded the little bit of suspicion from Street Rat.

Still, I tried imagining the situation of a young protagonist Street Rat running into his Wise Old Man for the first time. Wait, I was kind of bishounen right now though, wasn't I? No, that shouldn't matter. Hmm, I was giving off mysterious and somewhat cheerful vibes, so maybe I should go with a devil-may-care attitude?

“I was thinking of helping out, but it seems even beggars are choosey. If you can just pass up my help, surely you're keeping those little ones fed all by yourself. *GJ* Street Rat.” Without a care in the world, I started turning around.

Street Rat grabbed my sleeves to stop me. Watch it, the craftsmanship of this thing isn't all that great, I don't want to return with only one sleeve. Well, it's not as if I didn't plan this.

“I’m sorry.” Street Rat spoke loudly, but he definitely seemed apologetic. The sort who ignored his pride for the sake of others? For me, who didn't value such a thing, it was the first thing I was willing to forsake; but coming from this young lad, it was rather admirable. 10-14ish was maybe a little young to be the leader of a group of gakis, although I guess it was good considering the few years of backstory prior to the call to action. “There are 12, or 13 of us, and they need food, but only a couple of us can go out and Rickard never really liked helping out, he just wanted to stay in our hideout, so now that he has money, he'll probably run away somewhere. There's not going to be enough for everyone to eat now, and some of the others are really little and will probably get sick if they don't eat enough, so…”

“*Mother of Run-on sentences!*” I clapped my hand over Street Rat’s mouth. “Take a deep breath, I’m not in a rush kid.” Honestly, if it weren't for the narratively structured events, I would have missed half of that. Although the ‘narrative structuring’ was probably just apophenia.

It’s only tea leaves, stop being dramatic. Next thing you'll be saying I've been hallucinating you all along.

Wait, not the time for singing. Huh? Oh yeah, Street Rat seemed to be trying to get me to follow him. Do I only lose focus during important events? Well, hopefully it gives off an aloof vibe instead of a ditzy one.

“So how have you been getting by, hmm? A dozen little ones is a great deal to care for. I wonder what job pays you an argent per day? That’s more than a Vara makes.” Even the rough math worked out to quite a lot of money. I guess the appetite of 13 people isn't to be underestimated. Pockets probably get periodically picked; or maybe they spread out across Glaucen. The city did seem quite large.

Street Rat looked uncomfortable. It seemed that being a scoundrel wasn't his choice occupation. Probably only steals what he can’t afford, but that's everything.

“Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat. You can tell me about it, we’ve got time.” Man, I felt quite melodious. Though given the surroundings I doubted anyone would join me for a dance routine.

Unsurprisingly, Street Rat didn't get what I was referencing and honestly began narrating.

The tale began and essentially ended in one event. The thieve’s ‘guild’ failing to make one of their regular bribes to a set of Disciples. The law of the land seemed to be that of the jungle, and the church just happened to be the apex predator. As Street Rat told it, the Disciples didn't exactly mind who it was they made an example of. His father did relatively honest work in the smithy, though the thieve’s guild did make use of him, and he recycled some material from fences. Even so, he was the one that the Don of the Disciples decided to cripple. The thieve's guild ‘acquired’ the forge, and eventually Street Rat’s parents vanished without a trace soon after. The other orphans were more or less in similar situations.

Through a child’s eyes, it was a muddled retelling, and some of those facts were mere inferences. However it was at least an additional set of data to be used. It also warned of meddling too deeply in the affairs of thieves and the church. Well, I wasn't planning on doing something for a while yet.

Street Rat led the way to a predictably downtrodden shack. It bordered the nicer part of town, separated by the original wall of Glaucen. Far less imposing, it was still several meters of stone, wholly impassable. In addition, the buildings built along the new road out of the old city cut the building off from the main roads. Only by squeezing through alleys and clambering over a few decrepit walls could one make their way to the hideout.

An Elysium for the unfortunate. Though the wooden structure was rotting, plants took root near where runoff would fall, and the saplings and vines found themselves binding the old structures. It was a strange spot where nature seemed to be eager to reclaim the land. The largest was a young tree, only slightly beyond a sapling, that grew out from the cobblestones of the old street. It looked like a birch with vertical deep gray marbling. About as thick as a thigh, it acted as a centerpiece of the ‘courtyard’.

They may have been in poverty, but at the very least their residence seemed to surpass that of the village. The abandoned area they lay claim to was decently sized, even were it to be divided among 13 children. The Gray-Line Birch sat approximately in the center of the old road that formed a courtyard of about 100 square meters, that of a decently sized room. A full building against the old wall was supported by the new plant life and its remaining supports. Resembling the guardhouses I saw in the rest of the old city, though decrepit it was no doubt sturdy. There was one partially deconstructed house to make room for a new building, but the remnants were still adequately supported and covered. Only the third of the three buildings around the courtyard seemed uninhabitable. A purely wooden structure that seemed to have suffered slight fire damage in a time long past.

As a Mysterious Elder, I took my place sitting cross legged under the Gray-Line Birch. I had sort of arrived without thinking things through, I didn't have anything to give them other than my food. I could skip a few meals, but that wouldn't really help in the long run. Then again, they weren't in a situation where they cared a great deal about the long run. Even if I did give them a day’s respite, I felt I should be able to offer more.

That's the responsibility of Isekai heroes isn't it? To make use of their knowledge and power in a way they see fit? I really hadn't been gathering much momentum in that area, had I, only finding more and more problems to solve.

Ah, Street Rat seems to have begun the Moot of the Motherless. Although it seems to only be the leaders.

It’s a very balanced party of four. Street Rat, being balanced and leaning towards strength; Little Big Guy, a mighty looking fellow for 12ish; Jasmine, lacking a pet raven, but suitably lithe and agile in appearance; and Cute Girl, who I couldn't peg as having any outstanding physical attributes, so she was probably an INT type, using her innocent visage to trick their marks.

“So you’ve brought me your generals Street Rat?”

“Who is this guy?” Jasmine tersely questioned Street Rat. Hah, she was appropriately suspicious as well. The other two were more reserved in their judgement, but they were still children. Their facial expressions were...child's play to read.

Cute Girl tried her best not to look at me suspiciously, and was probably trying to think of why I was dealing with children. Haha, don't look at me, I just went with the flow. Her ‘nonchalant’ evaluation was obvious to the master of just-coincidentally-looking-in-your-direction. Maybe if your eyes wandered around earlier I would have bought it, better luck next time kiddo.

Little Big Guy didn't make as much of his own evaluation as looking to the other ragamuffins, who were sprouting from behind corners like Easter eggs. Most of them didn't look too nervous, which was a good sign. Little Big Guy in turn seemed more relaxed as a result.

“So you've assembled your *generals* Street Rat.” Unfortunately, I'd not picked up on various military terminologies at that point. Well, even a nurbled speech can still be followed. “Now Little Big Guy, are the little ones all healthy and fed?”

“Uh, yeah. I give them the best bread and stuff so they don't get sick.” Little Big Guy easily responded. He didn't seem to have a great deal of presence, but nevertheless seemed like a solid companion for Street Rat. Like an unremarkable boulder. Sort of like me outside of VR, although my lankier figure was probably more akin to a tree. Point being I felt some kinship with the young lad.

“Are you getting them fish and vegetables as well?”

“Er, no. Kelly only comes back with lots of bread usually.”

“It’s cheaper to buy a lot of one thing.” Cute Girl interrupted. Well, she wasn't wrong, and I doubted that they were very aware of malnutrition.

Wait, how do I know malnutrition even exists? So far things have seemed in line with Underworld of Armok, and dietary variation wasn't needed there. Really my own diversity of food was both habitual and for my palate. Being on the safe side is good though...I need to focus. I'll just roll with the assumption malnutrition exists.

“Then financial *minister* Kelly, how do the funds look in your organization?”

“Why are we talking with this guy Taron? I don't get it!” Jasmine complained and Cute Girl decided to drag her off a little ways.

“Stop it, will you? He’s Brannish, they don't have orphans. They like helping out people.”

“This is still too weird.” Hey you two. Thanks for the information, but Jasmine, please don't act like I'm going to kidnap and sell you all. Actually, if she held the position of Only Sane Man, it would actually be a fairly viable standpoint. Carry on then, but it does make me a bit sad.

During the time they conversed, I was actually continuing my discussion with Street Rat and Little Big Guy. This is because my ability to observe was not at the same level as children.

“Well Street Rat, do you have enough money to provide for yourselves? Today has been a setback for you. Can you get enough food for them all?” It looked like I was looking intently at him, but really I was listening in to the other conversation. No use wasting his hesitant answer, but Little Big Guy interrupted.

“Taron does his best to get us what we need. Kelly and I don't need as much, there have been bad days before.”

“Hah!” I couldn't help but smile at Little Big Guy’s poor defense. It wasn't as if Street Rat really held any blame here, but Little Big Guy still wholeheartedly defended him. “There’s no need to go hungry today. Ill winds are apt to blow, but there's no need to be so resigned.”

Not doing too much to conceal the void which was the entrance to my inventory, I tossed over some fruit and vegetables to him. If nutrition existed in this world in the same sense, Little Big Guy was the sort to cut himself short first. He needed some variety; the pillars of a group shouldn't be so quick to undermine themselves. to undermine themselves.

I got Street Rat to call out the other little ones, and the locusts devoured nearly all the food stored within. I still saved a meal per day for myself, so it wasn't hypocritical of me to chide Little Big Guy.

Despite them descending on a great deal of my budget, it still seemed like a good choice. They were hardly skin and bones, but not so full-bodied as an average peasant. A testament to Street Rat’s hard work considering the numbers.

I looked up, as the sky was well on it’s way in brightening. Probably not to the point where I needed to hurry, but there wasn't much left I could do for the little ones, and there might always be a distracting matter on my way over.

So while the little ones filled their bellies, I gradually floated towards the alleyway that led to the exit. I waved goodbye to Street Rat and his true companions.

“Bee Arr Bee dudes, see you later.”

Places to go, people to see, and so on. Nimbly(ignoring one or two stumbles) climbing through the streets, I made my way out of the old city.

A/N: Ah?