9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 19 - White Raven Order ― Georg (2)

“There’s a boy named Theodore Roman. He entered an orphanage about four years ago, but I don’t know the name of the facility. Please tell me where he is now.”

I flipped through the alphabetically sorted District 13 population registry.

“Roman… Roman…”

My finger, scanning through the tiny print, stopped at the surname ‘Roman,’ but I couldn’t see the names Georg or Theodore.

“Of course they wouldn’t be there.”

I grumbled and closed the registry, sending up an enormous cloud of dust.

“Cough! Cough!”

I waved my hand for a while to dispel the dust, then returned the thick file folder to its original spot on the steel shelf.

Georg had said the boy lived in District 5. The eyes of the child who had looked up at me so earnestly with his lips pressed tightly together were still vivid in my memory.

“District 5 is too far from here.”

Lüdelheim is divided into a total of 16 districts.

District 1 has been the so-called ‘Lüdelheim within Lüdelheim’ since ancient times, where nobles and kings resided, and now houses the Supreme Leader’s official residence.

Actually, maybe I should say District 1 is beneath the Supreme Leader’s residence.

I heard the residence was renovated from the old royal palace, but in my opinion, it was practically a complete overhaul. It’s floating in the sky with an area more than twice as large as the original palace.

The term “aerial fortress” fits perfectly.

Anyway, surrounding District 1, which could be called Lüdelheim’s administrative center, are Districts 2, 3, 4, and 5, each with their own characteristics.

Among them, District 5 is where various media companies are located.

So what about District 13, where I live?

In a word, it’s the ultimate wealth gap region.

It’s a place where slums and new companies attracted by cheap land prices gather, perhaps due to the unnecessarily vast territory.

But more importantly, it’s quite far from District 5, and there’s absolutely no way for a mere civil servant like me to obtain information from over there.

“Ugh, I can’t back out now after coming this far.”

I messed up my hair and quietly got angry.

Still, I had to pull it off. If I wanted to make the White Raven Order into the kind of organization I envisioned.

“Here, I brought some again today.”

“Did you find out, brother?”

Georg was hurriedly eating bread in the secluded alley like last time. I handed him a sandwich and shook my head.

“Not yet.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Disappointment settled on his grimy face.

“Don’t be impatient. We’ll find your brother soon. That aside, I came because I have some necessary information.”

“I never said he was my brother.”

His guarded tone made me chuckle. I ruffled his hair and plopped down beside him.

“I’m quick to pick up on things.”

What other young child would Georg, who lives day by day selling newspapers without home or temple, be looking for if not a separated brother?

No, I had a feeling from the start when I saw his sad, troubled expression of not knowing what to do.

If it were Oscar, he would have been impressed and amazed, but Georg was different. He immediately frowned.

His expression seemed to say, if you’re so great, why couldn’t you figure it out right away? I almost told him that if they had been residents of District 13, I would have found them long ago, but I barely held back.

“I won’t tell anyone else.”

His expression softened a little.

“Alright. What information do you need?”

“Anything that would help. Start with your parents’ occupations. If they worked somewhere or ran a business, it would be convenient to know the business name.”

Then Georg hesitated and lowered his head. I could see his hand gripping the sandwich tightly. What a waste.

“…Do you really need to know that?”

“Yes.”

After a brief answer, he maintained silence for a moment before opening his mouth.

“My father ran a newspaper. Die Welt Daily.”

“‘The World,’ that’s a nice name for a newspaper.”

“It doesn’t exist anymore. The Ossels said he wrote wrong articles…”

I could read clear hatred in his small voice. I casually waved my hand.

“You don’t need to talk about it.”

I got up with a groan, my joints aching.

“I’ll bring good news next time, so wait for me.”

“Thank you.”

His polite greeting left a bitter taste in my mouth. We had a long way to go before becoming close.

***

Major Johann Werner was walking down the alley with the steady sound of his dress shoes.

Though called an alley, it wasn’t a narrow, bumpy, dirty road.

This place, District 13’s wealthy area, was a neighborhood where large houses stood sparsely apart, separated by high walls.

A place well-suited for Ossels who had to deal with various noisy affairs.

Johann, who had been walking down the unusually clean-swept road, suddenly stopped.

Under the pale streetlight, he saw a silhouette twisting its body bizarrely.

Like a monster from the cheap horror novels that were popular recently, it was flailing its thin limbs.

Johann instinctively drew his pistol and approached.

“What are you doing in front of my house?”

“Stretching.”

Lucas, wearing a black coat and bending his waist backward, answered calmly with the gun barrel pointed at him.

At his feet, a small black dog stood firm, keeping watch in all directions.

Johann quietly pressed his forehead.

“It would be better if you avoided coming this way. Right now only Decker and I know about it, but my colleagues might notice that ridiculous gathering of brats.”

In the chilly living room, there wasn’t even tea for guests, let alone peanut crumbs on the table.

When Johann sat on the sofa, elegantly crossed his legs, and flashed a cruel look, Lucas nodded.

“That’s why I try not to come unless necessary. But today I had no choice because I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

“I need to know what happened to the family of the Die Welt Daily publisher that was shut down four years ago. This should be nothing for you, right?”

“How presumptuous. Why should I grant that favor?”

“Because you and I are bound by fate.”

It was an extremely cynical love confession.

“Ha, bound by fate? You’re mistaken about something. Do you think you and those brats playing at revolution amount to anything? You’re nothing more or less than cards in my hand.”

When he refused in a tone dripping with coldness, Lucas grinned broadly. Johann felt slightly creeped out by that disgusting sight.

“If you help me, the day when you can devour the White Raven Order will come sooner.”

“You’re the one who said you’d grow the organization, not me. I don’t need to go out of my way to help you grow it.”

“You don’t need to act coy to raise your price. Of course I’m not asking you to do it for free.”

It was a bold retort. Johann twisted his lips.

“What are you planning to pay as compensation?”

“Anything. As long as it doesn’t harm me or the White Raven Order, I’ll grant absolutely anything. I’ll become your dog—that’s what I’m saying.”

Johann examined Lucas with cold eyes.

‘Why go this far?’

From what he understood, Lucas Redan had absolutely no reason to be so submissive.

He didn’t know much about the shutdown of Die Welt or whatever that newspaper was called. After all, newspapers and magazines that get shut down for trivial reasons are always overflowing.

But in any case, it definitely wasn’t such a big deal that he’d need to grovel before an Ossel and beg.

Wherever you go, there aren’t many people who want to gossip about others’ misfortunes, right? He could find out just by striking up a conversation at a nearby shop.

“There must be more conditions.”

When he spoke in an icy voice, Lucas smiled.

“Of course. I was planning to add the condition that this deal remains valid until one of us is destroyed.”

Johann’s clasped hands tightened firmly.

‘Ha, this little brat.’

I’ll become your dog, so please grant my request.

Again and again, over and over.

Every time Johann granted a request, Lucas would become a useful hunting dog for him, and the more that happened, the more they would truly become ‘bound by fate.’

Just as Lucas wanted.

‘And then you’ll bite my throat.’

It was pathetic and annoying.

But on the other hand, it was interesting.

Just how far could that thunder-stealing bastard rampage?

‘Fine, I’ll let myself be manipulated this much.’

When he gave a brief nod, Lucas twisted his lips into a smile. Just like Johann.

***

I gazed at the scenery slowly passing by outside the train window.

The magic train—no, this world’s trains didn’t even need the modifier “magic”—felt fascinating.

Given Earth’s civilizational development at this time, steam locomotives would have been running around making loud noises, but magic trains don’t use steam engines, so naturally there’s no noise either. They just rattle and shake occasionally.

Due to my financial situation, I had boarded a third-class car, so I had to grab Georg’s shoulder, who was pressed right in front of me, and guard him carefully. I was worried he might get crushed among the bustling crowd.

Today was Saturday.

Workers who worked in Lüdelheim on weekdays and went home on weekends crowded in, making the train packed to capacity. The body odors of all kinds of people stung my nose, gradually making my face pale.

Fortunately, it was only a three-hour journey from Lüdelheim, otherwise I would have definitely fainted while standing stiffly if it had been any longer.

Among the tightly packed passengers with no room to spare, peddlers wandered around selling all kinds of snacks.

“Want to eat something?”

“No, I’m fine.”

I ignored him and bought two candies. I gave one to Georg and wrapped the other in a handkerchief to hold against my nose. To help with the smell.

Georg’s face was as pale as mine. Since he was on his way to see his brother for the first time in four years, it was understandable.

I took out the folded paper from my pocket and unfolded it again.

‘Theodore Roman. Admitted to Weiss Orphanage December 21, 1896. Adopted by the Brown family March 5, 1897.’

As the train left Lüdelheim, the scenery outside the window became increasingly green.

After passing four stations and most people had gotten off, we arrived at our destination, a rural station.

While taking a stagecoach to the address written on the paper, Georg said nothing.

I also didn’t think to make him talk and quietly endured my motion sickness.

Actually, I was so grateful that Georg didn’t try to start a conversation. If I opened my mouth, I felt like I’d immediately start retching.

As soon as I got off the carriage, what caught my eye was a modest-looking mansion.

It looked quite historic, but since there was no information about the Brown family being nobility, they were probably local gentry of the rural village.

How should I ring the doorbell and properly convey the purpose of our visit?

While I was recalling the prepared words, Georg walked toward the high, pointed iron bars with a pale face.

He grabbed the bars and peered inside as if he was about to push his face through.

“Again! Do it again!”

Cheerful laughter and a voice ringing high.

I also carefully peeked inside through the bars.

In a garden with large trees and neatly trimmed grass, a middle-aged man and a child who looked about eight or nine years old were playing ball.

Theodore both resembled and didn’t resemble his brother.

His straw-colored hair and distinct features looked exactly copied, but he seemed completely innocent without any maturity or wounds.

When the man bounced the ball, the child ran around trying to catch it.

The two of them played happily for a while and then lay on the grass, giggling.

After the man went inside the house, the child wandered around the garden alone.

It didn’t take long for the two children’s eyes to meet.

Georg flinched in surprise and stepped back from the bars. Theodore came that much closer.

With purely innocent eyes without a trace of malice, he tilted his head toward Georg.

“Who are you?”

“I’m—”

“You must be a new servant! Are you hungry? Want to eat this?”

Theodore pulled out a small apple from his pocket and pushed it through the bars.

Georg hesitated as if he didn’t know what to do, then accepted it.

“Thank you.”

“Theodore! What are you doing there?”

When a middle-aged woman opened the window and called affectionately, the child jumped.

“It’s my snack time! See you later!”

After Theodore ran off like a rabbit, I looked down at Georg.

“That apple looks delicious.”

He wiped the apple with his sleeve and held it out to me.

“No thanks.”

We turned and walked away as if we had made a promise. Then, suddenly, we stopped when we saw the mailbox in front of the gate.

Inside was a weekly magazine from a yellow journalism publication particularly notorious for praising the Supreme Leader.

“Brother.”

Georg suddenly spoke up.

“Do I have the right to ruin Theodore’s life?”

Resolute eyes and a trembling voice.

I looked up at the mansion that exuded a warm atmosphere under the autumn sunlight.

“Not everyone needs to know the truth. And even if I went to that child right now and told him everything, you’d desperately try to stop me.”

When I answered indifferently, Georg glared at me.

“Are you always such a know-it-all? Acting like you know everything?”

“Yeah, both are right.”

The boy smiled faintly. As if he had no choice.