The Ugly Orc Strikes Back ~ Reincarnated as the Cruel Crown Prince of a Twisted Doujin Eroge with No Happy Endings, But as an Inexperienced Guy, Cruel Play is a Hopeless Challenge, So I'll Give My Best to Break the Flags and Strive for Survival ~ - Chapter 45: The Reborn Slums

Chapter 45: The Reborn Slums

“…I never expected the slums to change this much…”

These murmurs came from Bruno, who was standing next to me.

It had been a month since I somewhat coerced him into joining my camp, and as he said, the environment of the slums had dramatically transformed.

The garbage and the foul stench had completely disappeared, all thanks to the plan I proposed to revitalize the slums.

“Louie-sama, you’re truly amazing!”

“Ufufu… I never imagined there would be such a method.”

“Ludwig, I’m impressed!”

Ilse, Sly Saint, and Ophelia praised the strategy wholeheartedly. 

The plan was to have the children living in the slums clean up the garbage in exchange for inexpensive sweets.

In simple terms, if they collected and brought back garbage, they would receive candies in exchange, the quantity determined by the amount they gathered.

First and foremost, the children in the slums didn’t have any money, and they couldn’t even enter the shops of the imperial capital, so they hardly had a chance to eat sweets. I confirmed this with Bruno as well.

Therefore, I decided to replicate a project from a foreign country in my past life, where a similar initiative was undertaken to reclaim a beautiful coastline by picking up trash.

“Ludwig-san… Would it be acceptable for us, the ‘Minerva Holy Church,’ to imitate this initiative?”

“We in the United Kingdom of Brinth would also love to give it a try!”

“Ahaha, of course, feel free to do so. If places like these slums could disappear from the world… No, that’s not quite right. Poverty should be eradicated from the world, I believe.”

Indeed, that’s right. This plan is only a small step. 

From now on, the slums in the imperial capital will be reborn into a place where no one is referred to as a ‘pauper.’

“Currently, as the next step, we are reorganizing the slums and constructing buildings. We are hiring the slum residents as workers, and they will continue to work there even after the buildings are completed.”

That’s right… The biggest problem of poverty is the lack of jobs that provide rewards. So, we should undertake projects that create employment for the slum residents and establish a system where they can earn wages.

Moreover, these projects should be self-sustainable and able to provide employment for many years to come.

Thus, I came up with the idea of “manufacturing industries,” often referred to as “manufactures.”

In this world, most industries are centered around agriculture and cottage industries. The commercial aspect is not well-developed, and it’s mostly handled by traveling merchants.

For the residents of the slums, who lack land suitable for agriculture and the necessary skills, tools, and facilities for cottage industries, manufacturing industries make perfect sense. 

By dividing the production processes, required skills can be limited, and it becomes possible for a large number of people to work in a single factory.

Moreover, with manufacturing industries, it becomes possible to mass-produce goods and offer inexpensive, high-quality products. 

Furthermore, if we establish distribution channels and conduct business in various parts of the empire… I can’t even fathom how many birds we’d be hitting with one stone.

As for the initial investment, I covered all of it with my funds. 

Ludwig had been a recluse, and the money allocated by Emperor Otto… well, the allowance was mostly untouched, leaving a considerable sum.

Well, with that emperor, if I were to ask for more money, he’d probably hand it over in an instant.

“Bruno, the success of this venture depends on the abilities of the leader of the slums… I mean, the ‘Shin Waldberg Alliance,’ which is now you. Do you understand that?”

“Oh, of course! Right, everyone!”

“”YEAHHH!””

Following Bruno’s command, the members of the “Shin Waldberg Alliance” standing behind him raised their spirits. Everyone had smiles on their faces, and their eyes were brimming with hope.

Then, someone appeared.

“Oh, there you are!”

It was Bruno’s sister, Kaya. 

She no longer showed any signs of suffering from the Echidna disease, and her pale and emaciated cheeks had become plump and radiant. 

Like the handsome Bruno, she revealed herself to us as an incredibly beautiful girl.

“Ahaha, it’s good to see Kaya looking healthy.”

“Yes! And it’s all thanks to the Saint and, um, well… thanks to Ludwig-sama as well…”

Kaya blushed her white cheeks slightly, looking delighted as she shyly smiled. I was also genuinely glad to see her in good spirits… but…

“Uhm…?”

“…”

What’s going on here? I feel like Ilse is giving me a fierce glare.

“So, uh, has Eleonora contacted you since then?”

“Oh, y-yeah, about that…”

Trying to change the atmosphere, I directed the conversation to Bruno, and he skillfully followed along, becoming the second character capable of reading the air, following Clarice.

“When I mentioned that I gathered the people from the slums, she seemed thrilled and talked about the plan along with a large sum of money.”

As I expected, I heard from Eleonora about the instructions to establish the “Anti-Waldberg Alliance,” expand the team further, conduct espionage activities inside and outside the capital, and accept spies from the Kingdom of Beruga.

Haha, but little does she know that Bruno’s already part of my group and has even become a double agent. As long as I keep track of her movements, we can definitely prevent the “rebellion ending.”

Phew… It’s a relief that we broke one flag. Things worked out well.

“Well then, we should head back to the dormitory soon.”

“Yeah.”

As I exchanged handshakes with the smiling Bruno…

!?

“U-Um… Ludwig-sama, when will you come next…?”

“Ahaha, don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

“Ah… hehe…”

I gently stroked Kaya’s hair as she leaned closer, her eyes narrowing in contentment.

“Louie-sama, we should hurry.”

“Huh? Oh, y-yeah, you’re right.”

With a determined expression, Ilse forcefully led me away while Ophelia and the others chuckled and followed. We left the slums behind.

Bruno and Kaya kept waving their hands at us until we were no longer in sight.