Nurturing the Hero to Avoid Death

Ch 16.2

“Are you up for working part-time for me after graduation? It’ll be around three to four days a week.”

Currently, Alfred and I are sitting in the church’s dining room.

Since Marie and the kids are currently observing their usual evening worship, it’s only Alfred and me present.

As Alfred gulps down what seems to be a large bowl of ratatouille, I try to negotiate with him.

By the way, I also ate dinner here. A mix of various vegetables with simmered salted meat in the spices. It’s delicious and pairs well with bread. The vegetables came from Marie’s vegetable patch behind the church. Rich in nutrients, dietary fiber, and affection, I can eat them without worry.

As he stuffs his third piece of bread into his mouth, Alfred’s stare bores into me, one eyebrow slightly raised.

The speed and volume of his food intake both amaze me. Where does it all go? Does he make a trip to the toilet right after eating?

Even though I started my dinner before him, he’s almost finished with his serving. Calm down and eat more slowly! That’s bad for your stomach, you know?

“Part-time?”

“Yeah. You’ll basically be assisting me in territory management and maintenance. Sometimes, you’ll escort me as well. There’s more to the job description, of course… Anyway, the daily wage is ten thousand Erd. Doesn’t matter if you finish your tasks early or late.”

After all, I don’t have a definite schedule, and my work will probably differ every day. It’s also a pain in the butt to pay him by the hour since I’ll have to repeatedly calculate how much to pay him. It will be easier to pay him daily.

The daily wage is already set quite high, so even if he ends up finishing late, it should be enough to cover his overtime payment. Not to mention, calculating overtime pay is too much of a hassle in itself.

This should be a great deal for him, right?

“Ten thousand.”

“That’s right. How about it?”

Alfred tilts his gaze upward while narrowing his eyes. He slowly strokes his chin.

Looks like he’s thinking about it.

My heart is filled with confusion.

Contrary to my expectations, he doesn’t accept my proposal immediately. Why not? My offered wage should be absurdly high, high enough to remove the other part-time jobs from his consideration.

After mulling over it, Alfred finally returns his gaze to me.

“Got it. I’ll take your job as my main one.”

“Eh?”

His phrasing is weird.

He said he’ll take my job as his main one.

Does that mean he’s already received other offers?

If that’s true, then it’s a good thing I talked to him today. As I thought, the faster I strike, the better! That’s something my grandfather often told me.

I put my previous thoughts into words. “What? So you’ve taken on other jobs?”

Once more, Alfred submerges into his thoughts, this time lowering his gaze as he strokes his chin. It doesn’t take long before he’s staring straight at me again.

“It’s not urgent, but Cheddar-san has asked me to move in as I continue working at their ranch.”

“Eh!?”