Chapter 3

Here’s the translated text:

“A price for help…?”

Difficult words were mixed in, but they were naturally interpreted in his mind.

‘As expected. I have to offer a sacrifice to God.’

To have to pay a price to receive help. It seemed similar to having to pay money to enter the temple. But now he had no sacrifice to offer. All he had was his small, weak body. And if he offered even that, he wouldn’t be able to take care of his siblings.

Hendrik looked around, confirmed that there was still plenty of time until dusk, and decided to move again. It hadn’t been long since he ate the bread and milk, but he could already feel some strength returning to his body, allowing him to get up and walk.

The strange things didn’t end there. The voice of God didn’t leave and continued to be heard. As he looked around, if his gaze stopped at a certain spot, something like letters would appear in the air there, and at the same time, a voice explaining it would be heard in his ear.

-This is a suitable target for transmission. -Go Jinhwan, the help connection target, can consume it.

He repeatedly heard such things. It was when he found and picked a few types of wild greens that could be gathered from the mountain.

“Go Jinhwan…”

He also learned that it was the name of the being who was helping him. In other words, it was the name of God. It was a name he had never heard before. It was a god not enshrined in the village temple, but he knew from his father that there were many religions in the world. He also learned that the voice he kept hearing was not the voice of God. When he thought of something inwardly, or asked a question directly with his voice, the voice kindly answered him.

-I am the voice service of the help system. -You can briefly call me Helper. -If you do not wish, it is possible to deactivate the voice function. -However, given your language ability, it is recommended that you keep the voice function on to communicate.

‘Helper’ was probably God’s agent, or a tool of God. Hendrik also learned that there was more he could do through it. For example, he learned that some of the plants he had previously overlooked were edible, and that some of those were unsuitable for ‘Go Jinhwan’ to consume.

-[Rikishis] -No grade.

“Huh?”

He suddenly stopped walking when he was focusing his gaze in various directions. He caught something amidst the somewhat noisy voices.

‘Rikishis?’

That was the name of a medicinal herb Hendrik also knew. He quickly re-searched the area he had just scanned and found a single root of the herb hidden in the bushes. In fact, it wasn’t a great medicinal herb. Moreover, perhaps because of its small size, it was said to have no grade, but it was still a medicinal herb.

‘I’ll offer it to God.’

He couldn’t remember how much it was, but it wasn’t an expensive herb. Still, it was natural to offer it to God rather than selling it to adults in the village for less than its worth.

-This is a suitable target for transmission. -Go Jinhwan, the help connection target, can consume it. -Transmitted.

He wandered around the mountain little by little until the surroundings grew dark. Thanks to the Helper’s assistance, he was able to gather a good amount of wild vegetables. But when he turned to go back to the village, he was still almost empty-handed. He had offered most of what he had obtained from the mountain as a sacrifice.

“My legs aren’t shaking.”

It was as if he had never collapsed; he still had some strength in his body. In fact, he felt better than yesterday. It was probably thanks to the bread and milk. But he had only drunk a little more milk and hadn’t touched the bread since his first bite.

“I apologize for my lack of devotion. I will work harder in the future, so I hope you will not be angry.”

Just before descending the mountain, Hendrik bowed towards the sky. Among the sacrifices he offered today, there was indeed one root of a medicinal herb, but he knew it was incomparable to what he had received. He hadn’t just received bread and milk. He had been saved from a situation where he almost died in the mountains.

“Hmm? You picked some greens today. …This is a plant children don’t usually know, but you managed to find it.”

When he brought the leftover items after offering them to God, Mrs. Hopa said with a slightly welcoming face. He could tell she wasn’t happy about receiving payment for looking after the children, but rather happy that Hendrik hadn’t come back empty-handed from the mountain for once.

But her gaze soon turned to pity. She brought a bowl of cold porridge and handed it to him.

“You haven’t eaten properly, have you? Here. Eat this and go.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

“Yes. Yes.”

She was a kind person. Unlike Hendrik, who lost his parents due to the war, she had lost her own children. He heard that she looked after the village children more for that reason than for money or compensation. She loved children.

“By the way, where did you leave your shirt to walk around like this? It’s not cold, but still.”

“It got a lot of dirt on it.”

“Did you fall somewhere? Look here. You have a lot of scratches.”

“Ah. Just a little. I’m fine.”

There was no one without a scratch or two on their body. The wounds didn’t look serious, and scabs had already formed, so Mrs. Hopa nodded without much comment and moved away towards the other children.

A bowl of porridge sat on the outdoor makeshift table. Hendrik quietly looked down at the wooden spoon, then turned his head to look behind him. His siblings had gathered there.

“I ate.”

“Brother, you eat it all.”

Following a short reply from Belter, the second oldest, Dorothy, the third, said that. Tian, the youngest, clearly looked like he wanted to eat but was holding back.

“You ate?”

“I told you I did.”

But the amount couldn’t have been satisfying. When a growl came from someone’s stomach, everyone looked away with similar expressions.

“Let’s share.”

Hendrik ate a couple of spoonfuls first, then handed over the bowl. Belter shook his head, only pretending to eat, and passed it to Dorothy. Dorothy was similar. In the end, Tian ate the most.

“Thank you again today, Auntie.”

“Thank you!”

“Yes. Yes.”

After bidding their farewells, they turned not towards the center of the village, but towards the outskirts. That’s where their hovel was. This village was not their hometown. When their parents were alive, they had fled from their original home and came here, but eventually, their parents, who fell ill on the journey, passed away first.

Their parents had left a small amount of property. But the adults they met here were not good people. The money they paid at the time should have been enough to buy a decent, ordinary shack, if not in the village center, but all they got was a dilapidated hovel on the outskirts.

There were many bad adults. But he knew that there were also good adults, which was why he could still protect his siblings. Even though they had met bad adults in this village, they couldn’t leave because it was dangerous outside the village.

“Where’s your shirt?”

“It’s at home.”

“Hmm.”

Their home was a roughly repaired hovel on the outskirts of the now-useless village fence, which hunters had used as a storage shed and then abandoned when it became old. Many others lived in similar circumstances, so he had no complaints about the house itself. Only the regret remained that he hadn’t been able to use the property inherited from his parents properly. Similarly, he felt sorry that he couldn’t take proper care of his siblings while raising them alone.

However, he had never once resented or complained about his current situation. It was something he naturally had to do. It was just difficult. If his body grew quickly and he became strong like adults, he could do more substantial work and give his siblings better things.

He was walking, thinking such thoughts, when suddenly…

“Belter hit Mark.”

“Tian!”

Following the youngest’s sudden remark, the third oldest urgently scolded him. But Belter, the second oldest, said nothing. He looked at Belter for a moment, who met his gaze briefly, then opened his mouth.

“He deserved it.”

“What happened?”

“…”

Belter looked away again. The two-year-old was usually like that. He knew the kid wasn’t the type to do bad things or bully others, but it was frustrating at times like this.

“Belter. Your brother’s asking.”

Dorothy, seeing Hendrik’s face slightly harden, quickly stepped between them.

“That Mark bastard! …He made fun of me.”

“Can you tell me more?”

Mark was the son of a merchant family in the village, and perhaps because they were a bit better off, he was bigger than his peers. He also had a bad personality and liked to slander and bully others, often causing problems with his gang.

“Well…”

Dorothy blushed and couldn’t continue. Hendrik’s gaze turned to Tian behind her, and Tian, with an innocent face, spoke.

“Brother Hendrik. What’s a prostitute?”

“…?”

“Mark said. Dorothy sister will become a prostitute.”

“Tian!”

Dorothy shrieked, and Tian, startled, hid behind Hendrik. Belter shook his head from the side.

“What’s going on?”

“He said orphans usually end up like that…”

When asked again, Dorothy trailed off her words again. Hendrik quietly swallowed a sigh. In fact, it wasn’t wrong. War orphans would do anything to survive. It would be good if they grew up normally, but he had already experienced enough to know that things didn’t go that easily in the world. It was not uncommon for an orphan girl to be caught and sold into prostitution. The only reason they were protected was because there was a vigilante group in the village; if there wasn’t even that, he wouldn’t have been able to protect his siblings from outside invaders or bandits. That was also why, despite meeting bad adults in this village, they couldn’t leave. Because it was dangerous outside the village.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

Hendrik said, as if making a firm promise. Then, Belter, who had been silent, looked at him.

“Does someone who says that look like that?”

Belter’s gaze was directed at Hendrik’s bare upper body. His gaunt, bony body, smaller and thinner than his peers. Considering that his parents were taller than other adults, one could guess his current situation.

“It’s okay. Things will be different now.”

“…?”

But Hendrik didn’t look dejected; instead, he spoke with a brighter face. Everyone was puzzled, feeling that it wasn’t the usual bravado of an older brother, or merely a feigned dignity.

“Just a moment.”

Before entering the hovel, his siblings saw Hendrik repeatedly looking around. He was checking again and again, like someone hiding a great treasure. It was absurd, considering that people didn’t usually come and go in this area.

“Everyone come in, and close the door.”

But instead of being curious about it, they saw Hendrik, who had gone inside, carefully pick up his ragged shirt from the corner. Hendrik laid it on the hovel’s floor, which didn’t even have a shabby table, and gently opened it, revealing something inside. It was still evening, before the sun had set. Light filtered through a crack in the broken wall of the hovel, allowing everyone to clearly see it.

“Bread…?”

“Wow!”

“Shh. Be quiet.”

Tian cheered after Dorothy asked with a blank face, but he quickly shut his mouth at Belter’s admonition. Belter looked at Hendrik silently. Then Dorothy also looked at him with a similar expression. They were asking where it came from. Only Tian couldn’t take his eyes off the bread, drooling.

“God gave it to me.”

Hendrik said.