Once my overly extended story session ended, the kids gathered their plates and cleaned up. But as they worked, they couldn't stop talking about the story I told like a crowd that just finished watching a heart-pounding movie.

The very thought that they took my poorly told story so well warmed my chest. Personally I didn't think I did the show justice, and even just trying to retell it entirely through words rather than watching it whole was borderline blasphemy, it wasn't like there were any TVs or computers in this world. At the very least, I haven't seen any hint of any electronics yet.

"I've got a question."

A little girl with a big bushy tail and pointed ears on top of her head pulled at my sleeve. Her name was...something I couldn't remember.

"What's up?"

It looked like she had already finished cleaning up ahead of the other kids for the sake of asking this question.

"Umm...in your story, everyone had already died, wasn't it?"

"Hmmm? Yea. The story took place in the afterlife where souls visit after people die".

"So...does that mean that when we die, we go to a place like that?"

"Huh? Uhhh...well, probably not."

"Huh?"

I supposed that my short response was way too curt. I leaned in closer to as I prepared my answer.

"After you die, you go to the lands of the gods. There, you join up with others who have died. There's a god that watches over everyone so that they don't cause trouble. Aside from that, you basically wait until your turn comes up, wherein you visit another god, who helps process your reincarnation. When they finish that, you move on to your next life"

"So you don't stay by god's side then?"

"Wouldn't that in turn be weird? I mean, how many people would go to god's side every year? How many people would it be after ten years? A hundred? A thousand? Eventually, no matter how big god's realm would be, there would be too many people for it to hold."

There were a ton of jokes about how hell was overfilled and various consequences regarding that as I grew up on Earth, but realistically thinking about it, wouldn't the same thing happen with heaven as well?

"So...no matter what we do here, we'll come back with a new life after visiting god's realm?"

"Hmmm...pretty much. Well, normally the gods would make you forget about your previous life, so you wouldn't remember your past lives. It's not like you can remember your previous life, can you?"

"I can't."

(Though I can.)

"So because of that, it's not like there's no meaning in doing your best to be happy in this life. Who knows what your next would bring, and it might be an even better life, but it could also be worse. All you can do is do your best now to be happy when the end comes."

All this morbid talk was starting to get me concerned. While cliche, I thought that it was a good mantra to live by.

"I see...but if you can't remember your previous lives, then anyone might've been someone amazing, right?"

"Huh? I suppose so."

Technically speaking, there really wasn't any reason why that logic wouldn't work, though the chances of actually been a remarkable person in a previous life was a bit slim.

"Then, then maybe you were the Scarlet who saved the orphanage's founder a long time ago?"

"Huh? Ah, umm...maybe? I suppose it's possible."

"Right? Maybe, just because you can't remember your past, doesn't mean that it's all gone, right? I mean, in your story, Suzu and Izuru were both able to remember a little bit about their time in god's realm right?"

"Well, it was only a story, but it is possible."

The little girl's eyes had taken a sparkle of their own, like she was entirely convinced of her theory and the implications of it.

"So maybe, maybe, somewhere deep down, you really are the same Scarlet, and you're helping out people around you because of that?"

Well, it was an interesting theory for sure. Technically it wasn't impossible, but the likelihood was extremely low. The chances of any one person in a pool of countless trillions amongst who knows how many worlds being the reincarnation of a specific person was infinitesimally small.

But even more importantly, I didn't like her theory. The thought that my actions were guided by the will of a previous life I couldn't remember? It was like denying my own free will. My mind was my own, as were my actions. It was one thing if I just happened to follow a similar road as a previous life though sheer coincidence, but another if that previous life guided my feet along a similar road.

"Hmmm...maybe. Or maybe not. It's possible that Scarlet had reincarnated into you instead you know?"

I put my hand on the little girl's head and lightly brushed her hair in between her erect ears.

While I had personal grievances in regards to that theory, there wasn't any point in pushing them on to this little girl. She thought it was a cool idea, and in all honest, it was a bit cool. The thought that you might've been someone amazing in a previous life, and that being the reincarnation of someone amazing, you might become someone just as amazing in your new life had a certain degree of appeal.

But I didn't like how it disregarded one's free will. I was my own person, so I didn't want to be manipulated by someone else who I couldn't even remember.

"Ehehe. Maybe, but I think, if anyone's would be it, it would be you! Even your name matches!"

"Haha, true, though I can't be the only Scarlet around."

"Mmm! That's right. Over there, her name's also Scarlet!"

The little girl pointed to an older girl roughly twelve years old. She had long bunny ears sticking out from her shoulder length brown hair, and a fluffy little tail stuck out from a hole in her dress. I kinda wondered why someone would bother making a hole just for such a short tail, but maybe it was uncomfortable otherwise?

"Right. See? The name's not too unique. And for all we know, maybe she's the one who was the original Scarlet's reincarnation."

"Hmmm...maybe? But I think you're more like her than she is."

"If you say so. Anyways, isn't it getting late? The director's going to get angry if I keep for too long."

And felt like I wasn't getting anywhere with this conversation.

"That's right. Just like how Miss Scarlet said, it's getting close to bedtime. Hurry on and get ready Flix. The rest of you as well!"

Philia came and saved me from the girl's little inquisition streak. Looking up, quite a few kids had surrounded us, listening to our conversation with glowing eyes. They all scattered as Philia raised her voice to be heard.

Once she confirmed that they had left, my saviour turned to me but...

(Why does she look so angry behind that smile?)

"You...do you know what you were doing?"

"Huh?"

I just answered some questions after telling a story.

"Haaa...it seems you don't, do you? Those things you said. If the church hear you, you could be branded as a heretic you know."

"Huh?!"

(Wait, what?!)

"You really don't know huh? The Church of Enveloping Light tells that when people die, the souls of good people go to god's side while the souls of sinners go to the netherworld for eternal damnation."

(Sounds like half of all religions on Earth)

"I see..."

"No, I don't think you do. People who spread gospel about things contrary to church doctrines tend to get labelled as heretics and are dealt with harshly."

(That...while it sounds a bit bad, also sounds a bit similar to Earth)

"Okay, I get it."

"Do you? Really? The church can be pretty scary if they set their eyes on you."

"Yea, I think I do. Thanks for the warning."

"Please. Don't talk about that sort of thing again. Even that story of yours might push things a bit hard. I've never even heard of this sort of things before, so word can get around pretty quickly if you're not careful."

"Yea, I'll be careful. Thanks."

She really was pretty persistent on this sort of thing. Then again, the influence of religious figures were pretty strong back on Earth's history, so maybe it was the same here?

The hard edge on the director's expression had melted away, leaving only a hint of concern.

"I'll tell the children to forget about the idea that Scarlet's soul had come back, so don't worry about that."

"Yea, thanks. I'll come back tomorrow."

"We're all looking forward to it. Thank you once again for everything you're doing."

The director bowed her head to me. Her earnest gratitude still felt awkward, but nothing I had tried yesterday worked, so I had no choice but to accept it.

"Oh right. Do the kids here bring in money?"

"Huh? Oh, a little. Some children go and beg on the streets, and others do some odd jobs like taking trash out, but it doesn't amount to much usually. Most families have their own children do chores like that after all and most craftsmen don't like orphans hanging around their places."

"But if they could get a consistent job to bring in money, they'd do it then?"

"They would. Though it depends on the type of work I suppose. Did you have something in mind?"

"Maybe."

I had the feeling that there were things that they could do to earn some money, but it hadn't coalesced to the point where I could put it into words yet.

"Well, I'll come talk about it if I think it could work."

"If it's you, everyone'll surely be excited to try it out."

Leaving me with a gentle smile, I left the orphanage and the energetic sounds of kids who weren't quite ready for bedtime yet.

 

Looking left and right, a shiver ran up my spine.

The orange light of the sky was quickly being replaced by the starry blackness of the night. Now that I was alone, aside from the slowly orbiting group of ever present fluffballs, looking at the quickly emptying streets brought back memories of the previous night.

Even though I wasn't in any physical danger, somehow those two men managed to bring out something that I didn't even know I had. It wasn't something I wanted to face ever again. Taking on a boss rush in a dungeon would be a million times more preferable. Even if it culminated with dozens of monsters stronger than those metal golems I had so much trouble against. At least then, I could freely use my claws and magic.

There wasn't much point in me leaving the city just for the night, but I wasn't about to just wander the alleys as is.

Feeling out the presences around me, I quickly dipped into a narrow side street where nobody could see into, then I activated [Spirit Form] before using [Materialize] on only a sliver of my soles and turning on [Float] to quickly reach the roofs. I went and took a walk on the rooftops, maintaining [Float] to a reduced degree so that my footsteps wouldn't make any noise and disturb anyone inside while [Materialize] on my soles so I could actually walk without passing through the tiles.

My eyes panned around as I took in the scenery. The roofs of all the buildings extended out in every direction a little like rolling hills. In one direction, all the buildings rose up, culminating to a single large cluster of buildings that looked more ornate than any I have seen in this world.

I could only think that it was either some sort of major governmental building or some extremely rich family's home. It certainly had the majestic presence to be some sort of city hall like in the city I grew up in, but such a building felt a bit off when I thought about the sort of place this world was from my short experience outside of the dungeon.

Hopping from one rooftop to the next, I casually made my way across the city towards the eye-catching district in the north-eastern part of the city. Thanks to the fact that I could make a beeline towards it, it didn't take long at all before the roofs started to rise up.

Looking in between the gaps, it was clear that the roofs weren't higher in this corner of the city because the buildings were taller, but because the ground was higher. This specific area was built on a hill, and continue to rise up. Most likely, the building that stood out the most amid the other higher class-looking buildings was built on the top of the hill.

I continued to hop across the roofs until I reached the last building. Directly ahead, there was a tall wall with an impressive gate. My vantage point allowed me to see the small courtyard beyond the wall and the impressive-looking building past that.

It rose up a good five stories and was made entirely of stone. Or at least it seemed like it. It seemed to be entirely covered in a white clay or plaster, so the material underneath wasn't visible. Unlike the rest of the buildings with white plaster, this one didn't have any timber frames or reinforcements anywhere that I could see. The walls were more or less flat and featureless aside from the regular windows.

The lower ones were very narrow, but the ones from the third floor and above were much larger, allowing me to see inside quite easily. It looked like the insides were well decorated with plenty of bright colours, and various things sparkled from inside.

The pure simplicity of the outer surface was awe-inspiring, and the inside obviously suggested a huge amount of wealth.

Frankly, it was annoying.

The orphanage was barely surviving, and the next town was on the verge of collapsing, yet this building, this house, it was like the very symbol of opulence. The heavy gates and guards, along with the extravagance of the interior banished any thought that this was a governmental building.

It was a palace, simply put.

Technically palaces were governmental, but they were also private residences. It was probably the local lord's or something, I imagined.

I turned and dashed across the roofs before dipping down to the streets below.

Once that the gaudy building was out of sight, I could take a breath and calm down. But it didn't really work. I had only made it a handful of blocks away from that palace, and all around me were buildings that screamed out opulence.

Their polished white exteriors, fine decorations in notable spots, and the bright colours and shiny decorations visible through the windows even from the ground floor.

Jumping back up to the rooftops, I grew out my wings and flapped hard, sending me back west.

It only took a few moments of flying, but it felt like a small eternity as my emotions were threatening to break free. I had reached the main street close to the western gates.

Reabsorbing my wings, I fell from the sky before lightly landing in the now empty streets.

Nearby, I could see the adventurer's guild building. It's plain, slightly dirty exterior, the rugged interior I knew was just beyond those walls, the sight of it calmed me down a bit.

My feet quickly delivered me to it's walls, and I slipped into a side street beside it and leaned against the building.

Taking a few deep breaths, I suppressed my emotions. Getting angry about rich people showing off their wealth wasn't productive. In fact, if anything, it would be harmful. I had no idea what the circumstances were when it came to the greater scheme of things, so it wasn't like I could blame the orphanage's situation on the rich people of this city.

No, rather than blindly blaming one side, it was better to simply come up with a solution. Trying to make others move for the sake of sympathy would only be a short term solution. Better than my donations, but only a little bit. It wouldn't last unless if someone was committed to keep the rich people convinced that it was worth helping.

Philia had agreed to having the kids work, so that would be the best solution. I doubted child labour laws existed in this world and Lucy said that she helped out earning money when she was six. It wasn't like all the kids in the orphanage were that young either, and some of them were already doing odd jobs.

The orphanage needed a reliable source of income, and the kids were able and willing to work, at least as far as whatever small, weak, unskilled kids were capable of.

The gears were moving in my head, but it felt like they weren't getting any traction. I was missing a piece to connect all the dots.

When it came to work, generally it came to goods or services. Goods were a pretty expansive subject, so I thought about services first.

Services were helping someone do something, or doing something someone else couldn't or wouldn't do. As I rolled all the types of services I could think of through my head, each one was quickly eliminated. Either they required substantial backing in terms of an existing business, skills that those kids wouldn't have, or were straight out unethical.

It didn't take long before I scrapped services entirely.

Then the alternative were goods.

But that alone was an insanely broad subject.

Goods could be either finished products or intermediary products. Intermediary products would require an existing industry or business that could take advantage of those goods, so they were out. I had very little knowledge of this world's economics so any further thought when it came to something like that would be a waste of time.

Finished products came in two varieties. The first were consumer products and the second were industrial products. Or in this case, things used by people of other professions. This latter one had the same issue as intermediary products, so I scrapped the idea immediately.

The only thing left were consumer products. Things that the average person could use. Or if not average, then at least for personal use. Daily necessities were nice, but unless if a good niche could be secured in the long term, the kids would be quickly out-competed.

My mind went through all the things that could be sold. Furniture, toys, foodstuff, clothes. Pretty much none of them were appealing. Either they required skills or connections that the kids wouldn't have, or were too unreliable.

Anything made by the kids would just be like those times I saw people selling soap sculptures on the streets on Earth. Most people just ignored them and walked by. The sculptors were treated as little better than beggars. At the very least, I thought that way once I had a look at the poor quality of the sculptures that were on display.

(Huh?)

I felt like I had almost hit on something, but passed it by without giving it the attention it deserved.

There was no way kids making sculptures on the streets would be a reliable income. For that matter, there was the issue of the materials they'd make them from. Since they didn't have something easy to carve like soap, they'd be forced to use wood.

(Huh? Soap?)

It was as if a light bulb went off in my head.

(Of course! Soap!)

Alicia had freaked out when I mentioned soap, asking if I was some sort of noble. If that was the case, soap was a well known thing, but it wasn't something that the average person could afford. Or at least had access to.

But what if they did? Or what if those rich nobles were willing to buy soap from more than their usual sources?

For the average person to buy soap, it would have to be at a price point where they found it affordable.

(No, that's not enough)

They wouldn't just have to be affordable, but they'd have to feel the need to use it. The kids found the idea of washing their hands exotic. They weren't especially dirty, so it wasn't like bathing wasn't done, but it probably wasn't done with soap.

(Would I be able to convince people that using soap would be worth the cost?)

It was hard to say. Most people would see it as a needless expense. Without the bathing culture to back it up, nor the ability to advertise like on Earth, soap might not really take hold in a time span short enough for the orphanage. Rather than weeks or months, it could take years before sales picked up to the point that the venture was worth it.

That was an unacceptably long timescale. Even if nobody starved to death in the meantime, I was against it.

No, the future was to appeal to nobles and other rich clients. They would already have a bathing culture, and by presenting a product that was similar, but had it's own benefits, it would help the orphanage immediately. If exclusivity could be maintained, then they'd have no choice but to buy from the orphanage!

Once sales start, it would be guaranteed to continue as long as nobody was able to copy what made their soap uniquely appealing!

(But what could be done to create that appeal in the first place?)

I wasn't very confident in the general quality of my soap. I had managed to purify the lye a bit and my more recent soaps were lighter than my early batches. I was confident that I could further improve the purity, but that didn't mean that the soap would have a real edge over the competition.

I needed more than that.

If that was the case, then scenting the soap using essential oils was the only option. No, they could carve the soap on top of that. It probably wouldn't be much, but the small addition would certainly help, especially for initial sales. It would be quickly copied, but if the core was the essential oils, then that bit wouldn't be easy to simply copy. They'd need to have knowledge of the distilling process, and if the knowledge to make something as simple as soap hasn't disseminated world-wide, then there was no way that they'd be able to figure out steam distillation on their own.

I still needed to actually do some research though.

There was no guarantee that scented soaps weren't already common for the upper class. If they were, then either I'd need a new idea or find a way to make the average household buy them. Or maybe some sort of business?

Thinking about it, even with just soap, it was possible to come up with quite a few business ideas. If I could find out more about the current state of things, the possibilities were endless.

As I thought about all the possible angles and made my plans, before I knew it, the sound of people walking through the main street reached my ears.