Fourth Problem: Studying Commoners

The day after...

'OK Myne, today's the day you'll forage by yourself.' said Tuuli as after breakfast, they left their apartment with their mother and Myne 'learned' how to get down the stairs by copying Tuuli-with perfectly-imitated uncertainty until they get to the streets. 'You'll be joining Ralph and Lutz. I got them to supervise you while still doing the same work. I can only come forage every other day now.'

Kids 7-10 come to apprenticeships every other day in a week. But 10-onwards, they must come every day except Earthday.

'Ah, I see.'

Upon going downstairs, there's a red-haired boy and a blonde-haired boy.

'Tuuli, is she gonna be OK?' Ralph asked Tuuli worriedly.

Myne has been ill all her life and recently recovered last summer. But unable to get out of the house to gain strength by moving around in the house such as sweeping the floor and helping cooking by doing prepwork...and during winter, learned how to sew. And she was wearing Tuuli's old dress as per the norm for younger siblings as clothes, ARE EXPENSIVE. Her long hair is in a loose ponytail like how japanese mikos do it with a miko hairtie.

'Yeah, she's mostly OK now.' Effa reassured the boys. 'But this is her first day so help her out, OK?'

'Yes ma'am!'

'Be good Myne!'

'Yes mom.' and the groups went separate ways.

'So Myne, feeling really OK now?' Lutz started a conversation.

'Yeah. And I get to do normal things now.' said Myne in relief. 'My illness is something I don't wanna come back, ever.' she said. 'Its hot I felt being cooked alive and my chest hurts worse...and I'm so weak I can't even swallow food so I hardly eat even though I'm really hungry or thirsty...its no ordinary fever my parents were at a loss.'

'That must be awful...' Ralph shook his head. 'At least its over. It must be a rare childhood thing.' he grinned encouragingly. 'There still should be plenty of food in the forest that we could bring home so much every day!'

'Ah...that explains Tuuli's always-full baskets...' Myne wondered why though...its not easy to amass so much food foraging...even in Earth, Japan. That winnowing baskets are enough to contain what can be obtained. Then again, a handful of vegetables are enough to fill a pot anyway to feed a family of four, if there was meat involved... 'My favorites were mushrooms.' she said. 'I know the ones Tuuli brings home...'

'Oi oi, don't bring only mushrooms home! Bring home fruits and wild vegetables too!' Lutz sweatdropped.

'Heeheehee...' Myne giggled as she walked out with the boys...unaware there's a stalker hidden in invisibility magic, wearing jewelry a man of his status clearly cannot afford.

xxx

The forests...

'Here we are! Where we can get food for free!' Ralph exclaimed, spreading his arms wide. 'The rule is get only enough for what you need for two days, so there's more to get the next day to sustain all families relying on the forest for extra food.' he told her. 'We alternate food and firewood every day.'

'OK.'

'We'll meet at this road two hours after lunch. Because we have to walk quickly before the gate closes. Let's split!' and the kids split up for their foraging journey.

Myne ran off, using magic in her eyes to find ones she wants quickly instead of spending hours searching blindly and get little.

It's now summer, so what's in season are plenty. Fruits and Mushrooms are a must! She also discovered more edible species the kids never took due to uncertainty. Hence these untouched species are very proliferate. To ensure future generations, she tapped each mushroom caps to remove spores with a stick, before harvesting them. She hid the mushrooms under her fruit stash as Ralph and Lutz won't know about them and think they're poisonous. She also found sansai-like vegetables that compensate for what they can't get through seafood.

She gathered enough, to last six meals' worth, before calling it quits and began looking around with her eyes normal again...and saw a large snake...clearly hostile...

The invisible man gulped, worried for her but Myne killed it using magic, shocking him.

'...this can't be edible...and its mean-looking...' Myne left the dead snake behind. 'Sigh...and I doubt a small knife can get me firewood anyway...' she went back to the main road and waited...

Soon, Ralph and Lutz came out. Unlike her, the kids have a crudely-made bow and arrow set, that they could catch small animals for meat that got her pouting. She has the ability yet cannot openly do it!

'So what you got on your first day?'

'Plenty of Tuuli's stuff.' said Myne. 'Why do you mostly have meat on you and hardly anything else?' Myne asking them, her pout on her face.

'Because we're a big family, vegetables alone aren't gonna cut it.' said Lutz. 'Our parents aside, there's also four boys with big appetites. Anyway let's hurry before the gate closes!'

The kids quickly rushed home despite having heavy loads on their tiny backs, and making it in time. But!

Myne got tired by the time they reach the gates and she was sweating heavily.

'Huff...huff...'

'Myne?!'

'Uwee...I feel like I'm gonna...'

...and she threw up before sinking on her knees to their horror.

'C-call daddy...he's called Captain Gunther from Squad 10...' Myne whimpered as she definitely did NOT look good as the boys began asking around in a panic because Myne got sick...

'MYNE GOT SICK?!' Gunther lost his head in worry and followed the boys outside and those stationed out were fanning his daughter with a small cloth who was leaning on the gates for comfort and trying to get comfortable.

'She's got nausea Captain, from the symptoms she described to us.' said the sentries. 'She said today's her first day foraging after recovering from illness after several months. Typical of kids who had their first day of physical exercise so she'll be OK in a few hours.'

'I thought her fever was back...that scared me.' said Gunther in relief as he picked up Myne and carried her on one arm and her basket on the other. 'I'm taking the kids home alongside my daughter.'

'Yes sir.'

xxx

In a Temple...

A blue-robed man watched through the eyes of his attendant who was spying on Myne.

"Fever...huh...?"

From the visions he got from the baptism, she clearly has Mana if the gods wanted him to take her in as a shrine maiden after her baptism. At least he got names. He can order the man be summoned to the temple for a little deal...for the heavens have spoken such! He can now investigate her background and get approval from the local Aub.

The question is, how strong is she, that he got visions asking him to take her in?

xxx

'You OK now Myne?' Gunther asked his daughter.

'I just need rest daddy. My world is spinning but its less now and I won't throw up anymore.' said Myne. 'I guess its because we really had to rush back or the gates close on us.'

'Well, try not to run tomorrow and try going back three hours before gate close instead of two hours so you won't run.' Gunther advised. 'Take it easy, OK? No rushing.'

'Yes daddy.' Myne smiled weakly before Gunther patted her head.

'Good girl. I'll be going back to the office now alright? I'll have mother or Tuuli cook today.'

'I might get well later before you all come back though.'

xxx

Later around sundown...Myne was indeed, chopping up vegetables and preparing the unknown ingredients she had and she knew how through psychometry. Again, dinner that night, was delicious and the spy watched over the whole family even if he himself was super-hungry because the food smelled very good!

But its also weird that even CHILDREN cook among peasantry now?!

And after dinner was 'family bathing time' so Gunther went out to get hot water and ladies to prepare the scrubbing cloths after which, the spy snuck out, not really wanting to see that.

xxx

'I have seen enough.' High Priest Ferdinand spoke to Fran, his attendant who went to spy on Myne.

'Do commoners really live in such appalling conditions? I thought it's just myself and my fellow orphans.' said Fran, upset.

'You've already seen.' said Ferdinand. He has seen those filthy streets. Smelled the stench Fran smelled. Followed Myne outside her house to the forests and foraged for edibles. Commoner children are adept in survival skills at a young age alone! What does that say for their Knight Order? 'For the time being, keep watch over Myne. I will have a large dinner on hold for you for this mission. Look hard at all you see so I can also see and study through your eyes.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Get some rest and go see the kitchens. They are instructed.' Ferdinand told him.

Fran was happily grateful for that, as he would miss lunch and have a late night dinner due to his spying mission. It does not help that the temple operates on a Trickle System.

Thankfully he has a nice master though there's a catch.

His master values competence and hard work. Do both, you're treated well. He doesn't waste time and effort on useless people. So anyone he picked had to work hard to keep their good life intact!

And through his eyes, he also got to know how commoners lived.

Commoners wake up stupidly early.

In Myne's Family's case, they wake up early, wash their faces. Girls cook breakfast, dad goes out to buy bread.

'Myne, you really like mushrooms a lot! You get them more than actual wild vegetables!' Tuuli sweatdropped at Myne's baskets. 'At least you didn't forget fruit...'

'I like them!' Myne pouted. 'They're chewy, juicy and the flavor that comes out per bite is really awesome!'

'Ohoho, no complaints there! I taste those juices too! Maybe they're the meat of the fields since actual meat is hard to come by, too expensive.' said Gunther with a grin as he brought home different bread.

'Daddy what's this? It's whiter than our usual bread.' said Tuuli, as his family eyed the new bread Gunther brought home. He brought home four Michetta bread.

'I heard from Otto this bread is softer, fluffier and we can afford to eat it every day while still able to afford two pigs for Pork Processing Day.' said Gunther. 'We can say goodbye to that rough, dry black bread starting today!' he promised his family as his wife and children who lit up in joy.

'YAY!'

When soup's up?

'Wow! It's sweet and fluffy!'

'It's not like eating sand any more!'

Fran thought commoners even eat better than Gray Priests and Orphan Children there do...and this family is a typical happy family content with their lot in life.

After breakfast, the used bowls are dumped in a basin of water and they all left for jobs and foraging.

Tuuli alternatively goes to her apprenticeship and foraging with Myne.

Myne brings back unknown things, while Tuuli harvests firewood.

And the mother brings home some leaves, Ranie and Rigar. Effa and Tuuli have no idea what Myne brought home though?

'Oh, I studied how they worked before even if I had to waste some of my pickings back then.' said Myne. 'Watch how I prepare them.' thus they watched the preparation methods for the unknown ingredients Myne brought home. Fran who never cooked his whole life, was astonished. He's aware magical beings exist, but still...

'Ohhhh!'

'So that's how its done.'

'I still wasted stuff to figure this out and being us, its bad to waste food.' Myne sighed as she put the prepared ingredients aside. 'I'd rather have a full stomach anyway.'

'Sad truth for poor people like us.' Tuuli shook her head while gathering her firewood to build a fire in their kiln.

On days Tuuli was not with her?

Myne's way of foraging was like that of a seasoned magic user. The ability to jump from tree to tree and appearing and disappearing to instantly get to places? Even Ferdinand was astonished.

End of summer, Myne pulled off her Mana Explosion Stunt again! Only this time, she was able to control it that it went unnoticed. She had all edibles full of her mana that they'll be very productive when their season comes, while stripping poisonous ones of their mana, giving it more to beneficial ones.

Autumn? The annual Pork Processing Day to prepare for winter, was interesting study. As well as repairing things that needed repairing, and buying preserved food to last winter. It was meat all the way, and drying vegetables through the farms by renting out farm sheds. Then collecting as much firewood as possible as well as materials for hand crafts to sell come spring.

Myne had her father carve wood for her how she likes it.

'What for dear?'

'I'm gonna try make hairpins, stuff adult ladies use. It might sell better than baskets.' said Myne. 'Like the comb daddy and I made for Tuuli on her big day, that sorta stuff.'

The flowers in the comb Myne made for Tuuli, was gorgeous as a result of meticulous and careful weaving done into it that it looks like real flowers from afar, and you'll only see what it is up close. Woven strings!

'Don't worry Myne, I'll carve out what you need during my time in the Barracks when snow hits, you focus on the flowers until clear days I can bring you the wooden pins you need, alright?' Gunther promised his youngest. 'Mama and I will talk about it and talk afterwards with needed people so we can sell it.'

'OK!'

'I'll bring Tuuli's comb to work tomorrow as an example while working things out somehow as one of its craftsman is underage as you and your father worked on it together.' said Effa, taking the comb out of storage. 'It's still so lovely I had to clean a box meticulously to store it in. I don't think we can wash dirt off it without strings coming apart and ruining it.' she said, unaware Fran went up close to look at the comb in question, admiring the work while careful not to bump into anything. 'I'll talk to my boss Corinna tomorrow before we proceed with hairpins as Winter Crafts, OK?'

'Yes mom!'

Indeed, because Myne was underage, that will be a bit difficult. But because Tuuli was a well-trained weaver and can also do lacework thus a member of the Tailor's Guild by default as weaving is part of tailor work, Tuuli had to be the frontgirl for the product for now. But she has to get a craftsman's license and membership at the Merchant's Guild as a result but Tuuli has no experience unlike their mother in dealing with people, so Effa will sell Tuuli's hairpins to Corinna who in turn will market it as hairpins fall along the lineup of the company...clothing and beauty products!

The hairpin for Tuuli was worth four small silver. That, was enough motivation for the girls and Gunther to work that winter sideline job.

'It has to be seasonal, says Miss Corinna.' said Effa, showing the girls pictures of flowers. 'We must also make things in advance. In winter we must make spring flower hairpins, in spring we make summer hairpins and so on!'

'W-we get it...'

xxx

In the temple...in a hidden room, two blue-haired men watched together.

'Hummm~ so this is the girl you saw in those visions?'

'Yes. And we must make her a Blue Priestess and an Orphanage Director. She has the ability to.' said Ferdinand. 'Yet it makes me wonder who is she really? A six year old, capable of things I saw back then when even Orphanage Directors before her are incompetent at best and corrupt at worst? When I saw how things work, Sister Margaret embezzled the funds meant for the orphanage while molesting little boys.' the other man looked queasy at the idea. 'So I let it slip that she sleeps with gray priests to destroy her reputation as punishment. As who'd marry a noble who slept with a Gray Priest?'

The Ehrenfest temple orphanage accepts unbaptized childen who are abandoned or orphaned in the lower city of Ehrenfest.

It also raises any children born to members of the clergy. While both blue and gray priests are (at least in theory) sworn to celibacy, the blue priests often take concubines among the gray priests. It is also common practice to return concubines to the orphanage after they become pregnant and select another attendant as a replacement. After the child is born, it is raised at the orphanage, and those who reach baptismal age become gray priests.

Finally, the orphanage is home to all gray priests and shrine maidens who are not currently serving as attendants. Once a gray priest is selected to serve as an attendant, they will move out of the orphanage and take rooms in the administrative building near their new master. Likewise, if they are dismissed or their master dies, they return to live in the orphanage.

Regardless of age, those living at the orphanage are forbidden to leave unless they are appointed as attendants, are purchased by a buyer outside the temple, or have the express permission of the orphanage director.

The one managing the orphanage is the Orphanage Director.

They are assigned a budget by the High Priest with which they are supposed to cloth and take care of the orphans. Food expenses are not traditionally part of this budget, because of how food is handled in the temple by being made for the Blue Priest and the leftovers trickling down the hierarchy as Divine Gifts.

The living conditions of the orphanage can change drastically depending on the person entrusted with managing it.

'Eurrrggh...well, we dealt with that one, don't worry but keep amassing evidences all the same.'

'Very well. Have you made legal arrangements for next year?'

'Of course, and foolproof!' the other man grinned. 'Who's dumb enough to defy gods? Our relatives, maybe.'