Chapter 255 Group Project
During lunchtime, there was a brief explanation from Cordelia, the female educator, about the new school being established.
"Now that the hunting tournament is over, it's time to get serious about preparing the school. I've received reports that the building purchased by the Sophia Merchant Guild has completed its interior work, so I plan to have as many children from the village as possible attend classes here."
"Miss Cordelia, how far is it from the village?"
Adam asked eagerly.
"Actually, it's a bit closer to the village than the city center, so it takes about 30 minutes by horse-drawn carriage. I plan to take everyone back and forth in the carriage."
"Won't that be a burden for you, teacher?"
"Don't worry. That kind of travel won't be a problem for me."
Cordelia replied cheerfully to Adam.
"Please tell me how many children will be my classmates."
"I plan to move with about 10 children."
"That's quite a lot."
"Actually, I'm worried about what to do with the younger children who want to learn at school."
When Cordelia let out a small sigh, Sara also felt a bit concerned.
"Aren't the younger children being taken care of by the women in the village?"
"Yes, that's true, but there are also many children playing in my house and yard. It's not easy to secure a dedicated caregiver."
'In other words, single mothers who work don't have a stable place to leave their kids.'
"Actually, Miss Cordelia, among the women working at Maiden's Tower, there are some who have small children, so we prepared a place where they can spend time with the Grandchester family's servants' kids. However, it's a bit of a problem to take the young children out from their village, especially since it's quite a distance from the academy building."
"I know we can't take care of all the children, but it's a tough issue."
"What if we select a few women who are good at childcare and make them dedicated caregivers?"
"But, can we even pay them?"
"Does that mean the wages for the working women are low...?"
"I wouldn't say it's a lot."
"I see."
Sara was eating while thinking for a moment. Then Adam chimed in.
"Sara, can't the Sophia Merchant Guild cover the wages for the caregivers?"
"Hmm. I think it's great that you're concerned about the commoners' children, Adam, but don't think it's that simple."
"What do you mean?"
"I think it's really easy for the Sophia Merchant Guild to provide the funds. But, there are many other people living in the Grandchester territory. If we think about fairness, don't you think we should do the same thing across the entire territory?"
"The Sophia Merchant Guild has a lot of money, so they can do it, right?"
"It's not impossible. But don't you think that's something the lord should be responsible for?"
"Eh?"
Adam fell silent.
"Well then, should we ask Chris, the second son of the Young Marquis family?"
"Sara, you really throw out some crazy ideas. It's true that protecting the healthy lives of the people is the duty of the lord's family. That's why we have to protect agriculture so that the people don't run out of food, and we also learn hunting to support them during famines. This is part of the Grandchester family's teachings."
When Christopher answered, Adam interrupted.
"What does securing food have to do with babysitting?"
"Adam, I said 'protecting the healthy lives of the people.' Children and babysitting are also part of the Grandchester people we have to protect. Securing food is very important for people to live, but that's not all we need to protect them."
"Huh?"
"We need houses to shield them from rain and cold, and when winter comes, they need warmth to survive. Warm clothes are important too."
Chloe joined in.
"I think there are people suffering from illness and injury. There are also children like Sara who have lost their parents. Sara came to the Grandchester family relying on relatives, but what about the other children? How are they living? What do you think we should do?"
"Do lords really have to think about all that?"
"Adam, think about it. We live off the taxes the people pay us. So our family has to use the taxes they pay to protect them. And taking care of the children is important because they are the ones who will pay taxes to Grandchester in the future."
"Wow, Chris, you really think of the people that way. You're so cold, even for my brother!"
"I love Grandchester too, and I care about the people. But we should look at it objectively, not just from an emotional point of view, right?"
'Oh, that's quite surprising. These kids are aware that they belong to the lord's family.'
The young Marquis's children stared at Sara, and Adam hesitantly asked her.
"Sara, do you know the right answer?"
"Um, I'm sorry, but I think that's a question without a correct answer."
Christopher agreed with this.
"Yeah, I think so too. That's why responses vary by country and territory, and probably change a lot over time."
"There's no right answer, but to be honest, I hope the lord always has the mindset of 'doing their best as much as possible.'."
"Sara seems to have high expectations for the lord."
"That's not my intention, though."
However, Chloe was not convinced.
"Hey, in the end, I still don't understand what Chris and Sara think should be done."
"Well, I can make suggestions, but it's up to grandfather to decide."
"Please tell me what suggestions you have!"
"Come on, stop just asking others and think a little, Chloe."
"Um, um, um... I can't think of anything at all."
"What do you think, Adam?"
"I think we should hire a dedicated caregiver in the territory and create nurseries in each region."
"How would you secure the funds for that?"
"Uh, can't we just pay for it with taxes?"
Sara smiled brightly.
"Okay, aside from Miss Cordelia, I'm going to give you some homework. Find out about last year's income of the Grandchester territory and how the budget was used. After that, check the income and budget usage of the Young Marquis family too. Hmm, since it's a good opportunity, it seems better for not just Adam, but also Chloe and Chris to work together on this. Let's make it a group project. The deadline will be by the end of the year. If you can do this, I'll give each of you one of those fighting golems we talked about before."
"Oh, you're going to give us that!"
"That sounds great!"
But Chloe looks unhappy.
"Hmm. I think it's a cool toy, but I'm not that excited about it."
"Then for Chloe, I'll make it a cute design that you can dress up. It won't be as good as the golems working here, but it will have some secretary-like functions. It can't be a bodyguard, though."
"Yay, then I'll do my best!"
Then Scott and Blaze, who were sitting next to her, jumped in.
"Sara, don't we get anything?"
"I want something too!"
"Then you guys should also do a group project."
"Can't you decide the theme for us?"
"Hmm. Since you have the knight order nearby, could you report on the types of crimes happening in the Grandchester territory, the number of cases, and the arrest rate? I'd also like to know how things have changed over the last ten years. Investigate the security system without touching on the knight order's confidential matters, and check with the knights on-site if any improvements are needed."
"That sounds interesting. I'll ask not just my father, but various knights."
"I'll do my best too."
"So, what do you guys want?"
""Golem!""
'You guys too!'
Sara realized that she needed to seriously think about the functions of the golem she was going to give to the children.
At this point, Sara still didn't realize that if the children found it useful, the parents would definitely want it too.
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