Dawn Architect

Chapter 22: conclusion

Once safely out of the gloomy dungeon, I addressed the children directly, deliberately omitting the adults from the conversation. My voice had a firm but gentle tone, an offer extended only to the youngest among us.

"Young ones, I have a proposition for you. Follow me and I promise you will never go hungry and you will have a place to call home."

I decided to focus on the children because my force was still in its early formative stages and managing adults, with their ingrained values and beliefs, was a task that required resources and subtleties of control that I did not yet possess. i also mentally spoke to Chris, in case he rejected me, assuring him that his father had hired me to rescue him.

Watching the other children, I noticed a mixture of fear and curiosity on their faces, probably exacerbated by the mask covering my face. I decided to clarify my intentions to dispel any misunderstanding they might have conceived due to my sudden offer.

"I'm not forcing them. If they don't want to, we'll simply divide our path here and everyone will take care of themselves."

This statement seemed to relieve some, while others still seemed hesitant. After a brief moment of deliberation, seventeen children decided to follow me, leaving behind the other twenty-three, a mix of reluctant youth and wary adults. With a clear division now established, I moved away from the group without looking back. Once out of their sight, I activated an area concealment spell and quickly made my way toward the other children I had previously left sheltered.

As I reached the places with concealment barriers, the children became suspicious of me when they noticed that I was wearing a mask. I had to take it off so they would recognize me, but that caused the children who had not seen my face to be surprised that I was indeed their age. I no longer needed to wear the mask, so I stopped wearing it and, after gathering the rest, we headed back to my territory.

Gathering everyone together, we continued our journey to my territory. The march went on late into the night, exhausting the young walkers. Upon arrival, I settled them into one of the safe shelters I had prepared, assuring them that we would meet again the next day. After making sure they were comfortable and safe, I retreated to my secret base to rest and recover from the exhausting day.

The next morning I awoke fully refreshed and ready to face the challenges of the day. However, as I tried to get up, I noticed that Eirlys was once again clinging to me, a habit I was getting back into lately. 'This habit I also have to correct,' I thought. After another morning of Eirlys acting embarrassed, I called all the children together to share updates and assess our progress.

"Now that we are all here, I have some important news. But first, I'd like to know how many children you've managed to gather during my absence," I asked, hoping the brief period had been productive.

I asked, hoping that the brief period had been productive.

Clayton, always the most diligent, was the first to respond.

"Chief, we have encountered many homeless children in and around our territory. In all, we have taken in 30 children."

The number of homeless children was a testament to the harsh reality, and that they just adapted and survived. In this world a person's life is cheap, so it is not absurd that there are so many homeless children hanging around. In the future, I'll be sure to recruit in other areas.

"Excellent work, Clayton. I, for one, have managed to round up about forty kids."

When I said that, the kids couldn't help but be surprised to hear how many kids I had brought with me. When their surprise wore off and they started talking about other subjects, I told them that from now on there was no need to gather information and to try to get out as little as possible. My actions probably stirred up a hornet's nest, and it is better to avoid any trouble, especially if that merchant was backed by nobles.

I decided to take only Clayton and Eirlys with me to the secondary base. Upon arrival, the children were on alert, but relaxed when they saw me. After explaining the situation, I delegated responsibility to Clayton and Eirlys and headed with Chris to our destination.

As we walked, I noticed Chris staring at me. His gaze reminded me of Eirlys when she wanted to ask something. Knowing that technically from now on we would be siblings, I turned around and asked directly.

"Do you have any questions or are you curious about something?"

Chris, visibly nervous, hesitated before answering. "I-I'm just... I'm curious-what did my father offer him for you to take charge of rescuing me?"

His question took me by surprise, but it wasn't something I could hide, but he wouldn't believe, even if I told him so I avoided the question

"Don't worry about it. It's an adult matter."

"But you're a kid too," after I answered him, he muttered under his breath so I wouldn't hear him, but I heard him loud and clear. I'm not going to say anything because he's right, sometimes I forget I'm only ten years old on the outside.

We kept walking quietly and arrived at the front of Christian's store. Chris couldn't hide his excitement and ran inside. I guess it's not easy to endure being held against your will; it's a difficult experience to go through and I've experienced that myself more than once.

With that said, I followed him inside the place and when I entered, I could see father and son embracing in a touching reunion in tears. I watched them for a while, but they didn't seem to stop crying, so I interrupted them:

"Ehem, I brought him as promised, so it's time for you to keep your end of the bargain."

Christian, who upon hearing me pulled himself together, nodded at my words. He closed the tent and the three of us headed towards our destination, with Chris still visibly nervous about what awaited him.