The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 48

Volume 3

Episode 48: The Rumored Facility

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“What are you complaining about?! This is just common sense!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! How could you even think about selling our precious child into slavery?! If you need money, then go out and earn it yourself!”

“Hah?! Then why don’t you try earning it?! You have no idea how much effort it takes to provide for a wife and kids! Do you even know how much it costs to raise a single child?!”

I can hear my parents arguing.

Their voices echo from the next room.

They’re discussing whether or not to sell me.

“Onii-chan…”

“It’s okay. At the very least, you won’t be sold. Neither will our little brother. Selling infants doesn’t bring in much money, so you’ll both be fine. I promise.”

I hold my younger brother—just a year younger than me—tightly, as well as our little brother.

There are three of us.

I’m the eldest, which would normally make me the most likely heir… but I was too much of a troublemaker.

Of course I was.

Being the eldest, I took advantage of it and played around carelessly.

I was strong, at least physically, so I got into fights all over the place, causing constant problems.

My parents had to bow their heads in apology to the neighbors more times than I could count.

Then there’s my younger brother—the second son.

He’s smart. He helps out with both the household and our father’s work, so he’s well-liked.

That’s why he’ll probably be chosen as the heir.

Which means he won’t be sold.

That much, I understand.

If someone is getting sold, it’s me.

Tonight might be the last time I get to be with my brothers.

Thinking that, I unconsciously tighten my embrace.

Then—

“Noin, come with me.”

My mother opens the door and grabs my arm with an expression of pure rage.

Ah… I knew it.

But this is just the price I have to pay for all my foolishness.

It’s only natural.

That’s what I tell myself as I lower my head—

“Are you insane?! You’re going to leave him with those weirdos?! We’d get more money selling him to a slave trader! Do you even understand that?!”

“Shut up! You’re scared of those so-called ‘demons’ or whatever, but to me, you’re far scarier for even thinking about selling your own child! You told me to make money, didn’t you?! Fine, I’ll do it! They’re hiring workers—I’ll work!”

“We have a baby! What are you going to do about that?!”

“I’ll take him with me while I work!”

Shouting, my mother drags me outside and slams the door behind her.

She walks quickly through the darkness, pulling me along.

So… I’m not being sold as a slave.

But judging by the atmosphere back there… my future doesn’t look very bright.

“Mom… what’s going to happen to me?”

I know I shouldn’t ask.

I know that much.

But I can’t help myself.

My mother looks back at me and smiles.

“Don’t worry. Where we’re going, you’ll get to eat as much as you want. The meat is a little unusual, but it’s fine. I’ll eat it too.”

I look at my mother, who seems on the verge of tears, and keep walking as she leads me forward.

Eventually, we arrive at an incredibly luxurious mansion.

It’s the kind of grand building that looks like it belongs to nobility.

My mother knocks on the door, standing anxiously in front of it.

This… might be even worse than being sold into slavery.

That uneasy thought lingers as we wait.

A few seconds later, the door opens.

“Yes, may I help you?”

The one who answers is a girl around my age.

Her black hair sways gently, and she wears a stunning black nightgown without any hint of shyness.

On her head—cat-like ears.

She’s a beastkin. And not just any beastkin—she’s clearly one that belongs to a very wealthy master.

Her refined appearance makes that obvious.

Why were we brought here…?

“I saw the job posting! Childcare, education, and even protection for certain individuals! Please! Please hire me!”

My mother bows her head deeply to the beastkin girl.

That alone is an unbelievable sight.

In this city, beastkin have incredibly low social status.

Most of them are either worked to death as slaves or treated as mere things by nobles with unusual tastes.

And yet, my mother is bowing to her.

“M-Mom! Stop! She’s a beastkin! Why are you lowering your head to—”

“Be quiet! In this place, race don’t matter! Only results do! Those who prove themselves are the ones who are saved!”

What the hell does that mean?

I’m completely confused, but before I can resist, my mother forces me to bow as well.

I don’t exactly feel humiliated, but it still stings.

I’m bowing to a beastkin—someone I always thought was beneath me.

Even my mother is lowering herself before a girl who looks barely older than me.

Maybe… being sold to a slave trader would’ve been better.

That thought crosses my mind before I can stop it.

“Haa… I see some nasty rumors have been spreading. No wonder we’re not getting many applicants. Well, that makes my job easier. Please, come in. We’ll explain everything and listen to your circumstances. Ah, and don’t worry—a ‘human’ will be the one to handle the discussion, not a mere ‘beastkin’ like me. So, feel free to speak openly.”

With that, the girl invites us inside.

I’d spoken rudely out of frustration with my mother’s attitude, but…

Beastkin or not, this girl is strikingly beautiful.

As she leads us to a reception room, her poise is unmistakable.

Her presence is like that of a noble lady.

She walks gracefully, never breaking posture, and the red embroidery on her jet-black nightdress is exquisitely detailed.

Shit… did I just pick a fight with someone important here?

Before I can dwell on it further, the double doors before us swing open.

Beyond them stands a man with slicked-back hair in a tailcoat.

“Oh? Minami-san. A new arrival?”

“My apologies, Nakajima-sama. I know you’re busy, but may I bring in just one family?”

“Of course. But if word gets out that you greeted guests dressed like that… the leader will scold you again, you know?”

“Ugh… I’ll be more careful. So please, keep this between us…”

With that exchange, the girl quickly leaves.

Wait… huh?

So he’s not the master of this mansion?

Judging by his demeanor and appearance, I assumed he was… but their conversation suggests otherwise.

Then, the man quietly rises from the sofa—without making a single sound—and bows his head.

“Nice to meet you. I am a member of the ‘Hearty Eater’ clan and also serve as the director of the ‘Orphanage.’ My name is Nakajima. I look forward to making your acquaintance.”

The smile he gave was flawless—so much so that it sent a chill down my spine.

“Aaaahhh! Why did it come to this?!”

“Noin-nii-chan, my turn next!”

“Noi, Noi! Carry me!”

A week had passed since then.

I was living a life without any hardships, and my mother had started working at the ‘Orphanage.’

The tasks we were given varied, but none were so difficult as to feel burdensome.

So far, everything was fine—more than fine. But…

Children were always gathered around me.

What is this place? What the hell is this place?

“Noi! Carry me!”

“Argh! Fine, fine! Here, is this good enough?!”

“So high! Noi, so high!”

“I’m Noin! Not Noi!”

Rule number one:

“Race doesn’t matter. If someone says something stupid, punch them.”

At this point, something was already off.

Punch them? Who’s getting punched here?

Rule number two:

“Just eat, sleep, and play. Also, study. Try things even if you’re bad at them, and if you really can’t do it, then don’t push yourself.”

What the hell is that?

With a place full of kids like this, I thought there had to be some ulterior motive behind gathering them… but so far, there was no indication of that.

At least, I wasn’t sure if I could say that for certain.

Rule number three:

“Listen to your teachers, and don’t be picky about food. But if you really can’t eat something, just be honest about it.”

Among all the odd restrictions, this one made me the most suspicious.

Because the food provided here was magic beast meat.

The so-called tainted flesh that was said to turn people into demons.

No matter how I looked at it, this place felt like an experiment facility.

And yet, including myself, there were six children living here.

All of them are younger than me—about the same age as my younger brother, perhaps?

What are they trying to investigate by using these children?

That thought wouldn’t leave my mind…

“Still not used to it? You seem to be on guard.”

A sudden voice called out, and I instinctively turned around.

Standing there was the black-haired girl with cat ears—the one I saw on my first day.

No matter how many times I saw her, she was undeniably beautiful.

“It’s impossible to trust you all right from the start. A clan that feeds magic beast meat to orphans—it might as well be an experiment facility.”

I wished I had hidden my thoughts a little better, but… well, I was a kid.

And considering my personality, I ended up voicing my dissatisfaction without holding back.

A few seconds after saying it, I realized—what was the point of telling her this? My face turned red in embarrassment.

“Certainly, in terms of ‘experiments,’ we do receive funding from ‘those kinds of organizations,’ so I won’t deny that. However, our Masters are not the type to have such hidden agendas. They extend a hand to those in need and share meals with those who are hungry. That is the kind of people they are.”

“Hah! How generous of your ‘Masters’! So they help us useless kids too? They feed orphans like these guys out of kindness? Bullshit! Selling children would be way more practical! The only ones left unsold are the rejects labeled ‘useless’! Why the hell would they help us? There’s got to be something in it for them!”

“I won’t deny it. You are products to ‘Hearty Eater.'”

“See?! I knew it! What are you selling us as?! Lab rats?! That’s it, isn’t it?!”

Even after living here for a week, that fear hadn’t left me.

One day, we’d be sold. One day, we’d be discarded again.

That thought wouldn’t go away.

The food was good. There were no hardships.

But in the end, we were eating magic beasts.

I couldn’t see this as anything other than fattening us up like test subjects.

“The value of our ‘products’ lies in skills. Whether it’s Walker skills, blacksmithing, magic, or anything else—if those who leave here succeed, it raises ‘Hearty Eater’s’ reputation. The noble families and Walker guilds supporting us profit as well, increasing their funding. That’s why calling you ‘products’ isn’t entirely wrong. Though, it is a long-term investment and not a guaranteed profit.”

She sighed as she said this.

Almost as if she herself wasn’t completely convinced.

“That being said, proper training won’t start for a while yet. For now, just doing the jobs given to you is enough to generate profits… So, until then, make sure you’re in good health—Master! Welcome home!”

Mid-conversation, her ears and tail suddenly perked up.

And not just that—her previously somber expression completely vanished, replaced by eyes sparkling with excitement as she turned toward the entrance.

To her, the Master must be an incredibly important person.

Clicking my tongue in irritation, I turned to look as well.

“…Huh? Wait. That’s the ‘Master’?”

What stood there was a group of men clad in pitch-black armor.

No matter how I looked at it, the man I met before—’Nakajima’—seemed… higher-ranking than them.

That’s how awful they looked.

Pitch-black armor. That alone was ominous enough.

But it was so covered in blood that I couldn’t even tell if it was red or black anymore.

That’s definitely not normal. That’s definitely not okay.

As cold sweat dripped down my back, I thought—

And then—

“Kita, welcome back! Food!”

“Nishi! Welcome back! What did you bring?!”

“Azuma! Shoulder ride!”

The kids suddenly rushed toward them all at once.

Wait, what?!

That’s not normal!

Any other kid would be crying if they saw those guys!

As I stood there, dumbfounded, I was left completely alone, staring in disbelief at the scene before me.

“Master! Next week, I’ll be accompanying you as well, okay!? It’s an absolute promise!”

“Kitaaa! Nishi! Ajuma!”

“It’s not ‘Ajuma,’ it’s Azuma-sama.”

“Azuma!”

“Yes, that’s better.”

It seemed that the first to rush over to them was the girl named Minami—that girl.
Even though she was wearing clean clothes, she hugged them without the slightest concern for getting dirty.

I averted my gaze from the sight and let out an involuntary click of my tongue…

“Yo.”

“Huh?”

Before I even realized it, they had already walked right up to me.

Standing so close, their presence was even more overwhelming.

Three figures clad in jet-black armor.

From my perspective, they were like towering walls.

“You’re the newcomer? Looking forward to working with you.”

Saying that, the man at the front removed his helmet.

What appeared from beneath was… well, just an ordinary old guy?

Black eyes and black hair were rare, but the smile on his face carried no trace of hostility or malice.

On the contrary, the oppressive aura I had felt earlier seemed to dissipate entirely.

“Uh… are you the ‘leader’ here, old man?”

“Haha! Well, I guess I am old enough to be called that now.”

“Master is still quite young. Mind your words.”

It seemed I had misspoken.

Now, the cat-eared girl was glaring daggers at me.

“Well, we’ll be spending a lot of time together from now on. I’m Kitayama. Nice to meet you, kid.”

“N-Nice to meet you… I’m Noin.”

I hesitantly shook the hand he extended to me—only to have it vigorously shaken up and down the next moment.

Strong. Strong enough that even my body was jolted.

“Noin’s mother has also started working here. Plus, we’ve taken on the care of her infant while she works… Nakajima-sama can give you the full details.”

“Got it. Alright, let’s go say hi over there. Raise your hand if you’re coming along!”

“””Yeeeees!””” 

The children all raised their hands at once and followed after Kitayama.

And then—

“Kou-chan, I’m gonna unload the supplies in the storage first, alright?”

“I’ll head over to Thoor-san and the others before joining you, Kita-kun.”

The other two black-armored men split off in different directions.

What even are these guys?

Or rather—

What exactly is this place?

Once again, that question surfaced in my mind.