Rising from the Slum City of Reincarnation in Another World ~ Gathering, Hunting, and Living a Slow Life by Eating

Chapter 78 Seven Seven Trading Company.

In front of the altar, a large “offertory box” is placed.

The decorations on the box seemed to have cost a lot of money, giving it a somewhat materialistic and laughable appearance.

We walked through the aisle, avoiding the lectern, and stood in front of the offertory box.

“So, how much should we give?”

“In the church, it’s always decided to be at least a half silver coin, meow.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, meow.”

I handed a half silver coin to Ciel.

Ciel, who seemed more knowledgeable than me, gently put the half silver coin into the offertory box.

Following suit, I also delicately placed a half silver coin, which seemed as auspicious as a five-yen coin.

In Japan, it’s common to toss the offering, but here, it seems that there’s a different etiquette.

“May Raffalier-sama’s blessings be upon us.”

Ciel traced the holy symbol.

It was the same gesture as Minya, moving the right hand from right to left, then left to right.

I awkwardly imitated the gesture.

And thus, the worship came to an end.

We turned around in front of the offertory box.

“That’s it. Have you never prayed in a church before, meow?”

“Well, I don’t think so. Not since I can remember. But I have some memories from when I was little, so I know about the structure of the church.”

“I see.”

Ciel looked up at me with a solemn expression.

On that face, I could sense that there were hardships I had also gone through.

In reality, I don’t know.

Before I started fooling around in the slums, I have no clear memories of what I did or where I was.

That was because I was little, not because of my reincarnation.

Well, judging from my parents’ actions, they must have gone through difficulties.

At the very least, Tomaria seems to have connections with the nobles.

And the only thing I can deduce from the knife is that there must have been some interaction to the extent of establishing trust with the elves.

Somehow, it made me feel melancholic.

“I don’t remember anything, and even though I was poor in the slums, I had fun.”

“Is that so, meow? But what about your father?”

“Yeah, I don’t have any memories of my father.”

“I see.”

Ciel’s expression seemed a bit sad.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m not lonely because everyone is here.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

When I said that, for some reason, Ciel thanked me.

Now, next to the entrance, there’s a reception desk with a shrine maiden, so I called out to her.

“Excuse me. I’d like to send money to the Raffalier Church in another village.”

“Yes. I’m sorry. The services are handled by the Seven-Seven Trading Company next door.”

“I see. I apologize. I’ll go over there.”

“Yes, please do.”

Hmm.

I step outside for a moment.

Now, which one is next door?

Ah, I figured it out in an instant.

The more impressive one is the Seven-Seven Trading Company.

It’s also made of white stone, just like this place.

“Excuse me, Seven-Seven Trading Company.”

“Yes?”

A maid comes flying out from the back.

Here, there’s a maid as well.

Seems like a staple, with large breasts.

Surely, there can’t be a maid recruitment process where breast size determines acceptance. That would be absurd.

Well, of course not.

“What’s the matter?”

“Cough, cough, cough.”

We were about to burst into laughter because there were breasts right in front of us, given our short stature.

Sorry, maid-san.

It felt like a talking breast fairy, to be honest.

“Um, I’d like to send money.”

“Yes, we handle that here. We will do our best to live up to the reputation of the Seven-Seven Trading Company.”

“I want to send it to Sturmir Village.”

“Ah, within Count Zeckenbauer territory. How much?”

“Ten gold coins.”

Huh? Ten gold coins. I remember her savings.

I’ll omit the fractional amount and send the full sum.

There’s quite a bit because it includes the money we earned from selling jam.

“Hey, Ciel. It’s not your fault. You don’t have to give away so much.”

“No, the intended price for selling me was ten gold coins, meow. I overheard it.”

“I see… I didn’t realize.”

As I say this, it’s hard to believe that a daughter could be sold for just ten gold coins.

Her parents must have been going through unimaginable hardships.

But a five-year-old girl being separated from her parents and sold as a slave for the meager price of ten gold coins, forced into harsh labor—it’s heartbreaking.

There may be other reasons for reducing the amount, such as “adjustment expenses.”

But couldn’t there be some way, some way to change things, even just a little?

It makes me want to cry as well.

“I was sold, but there was no other choice, meow. The tomato harvest keeps dwindling each year, and I had to feed my younger siblings. The village is suffering from poverty. But my parents were kind to me until the end, meow. Until the very end.”

“I see.”

“I went against my parents’ wishes. I want to repay them, even if just a little.”

“I understand.”

“Excuse me. Ten gold coins, right? There will be a fee of three silver coins.”

“Understood.”

I had intended to deduct it from her savings, but I’ll cover the fee. It shouldn’t bring any misfortune upon us.

I hand Ciel ten gold coins and three silver coins.

Her hands tremble as she holds the gold coins.

The weight in her hands represents the weight of her own life, in a way.

“We have indeed received it. The grand trading company that spans seventy-seven cities worldwide, the Seven-Seven Trading Company, Tri-Eye Branch, with Sarah Baltros as its sworn representative, will take custody of this money.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you very much.”

Ciel and I bow our heads.

The maid also bows her head and enters the building.

Ah, so this is the Seven-Seven Trading Company.

Or rather, it definitely looks like an affiliate organization of the church.

They seem to wield the church’s power for their business, and the shady side is quite apparent.

I don’t really want to get too close, but it’s undeniably reassuring to have them as allies.

I need to consider how to interact with them.

Since they can’t be clearly labeled as good or bad, for now, I’ll observe their actions.

Ideally, I don’t want them to become enemies.