The Orphanage Plan
The next day, I headed to my office again and tackled the remaining paperwork.
But the pile of documents in front of me didn’t seem any smaller than yesterday.
Maybe I’ll be stuck doing this forever.
Lost in that illusion, I continued working when suddenly, Her Highness summoned me by phone.
I immediately made my way to Her Highness’s room.
When I entered, I found Her Highness and Mr. Ferman buried under an even larger mountain of paperwork than mine.
Noticing me, Her Highness quickly ushered me to the reception area in the room and began speaking.
“Good work. I heard you went out for dinner with everyone yesterday.”
Last night’s dinner had apparently been Her Highness’s treat—an extravagant meal at a high-end restaurant—though I hadn’t paid a single credit.
If I’m not careful, I might end up owing more than I bargained for.
No, Her Highness wouldn’t do something like that.
“Yes, thanks to Your Highness’s generosity, I was fortunate enough to partake in the feast.”
“I’m glad. I was worried since it was such short notice, and I couldn’t invite you myself. Still, it seems you got along well with the others, which is good. Normally, it would be my duty to host a proper gathering and introduce everyone, but with everything happening lately, preparations have been lagging.”
“Could it be… my fault?”
“No, Captain Nao, I am grateful to you. Achieving enough results in such a short time to convince His Majesty—I truly cannot thank you enough. If this had dragged on until next year… Well, I can’t express my gratitude enough.”
“Ah, I should have said this sooner—congratulations on your appointment as Director-General.”
“Yes, thanks to you, Captain, it feels like my dream is coming true. With this, I’ll finally be able to personally oversee large-scale crime suppression.”
“Ah, that matter. I heard about it from a senior officer who was recently assigned. Lieutenant Karin is one of Your Highness’s former classmates, correct?”
“Oh, you knew? That’s a little embarrassing. But I believe this is crucial for the kingdom’s future. I cannot allow the people to suffer because of unscrupulous nobles. It’s the responsibility of those of us born into royalty. However, my ideas were often met with resistance, which made things difficult. So, His Majesty’s words this time have dispelled my worries—they’re the first step forward. I hope I can continue to count on your cooperation.”
“I’ll do whatever I can. Just say the word.”
After that, we discussed strengthening the organization.
The biggest issue was the lack of personnel.
Her Highness understood that well.
We had an intelligence division gathering information, but due to recent events, even they were fully occupied with requests from the royal palace.
Originally, that division had been assigned to monitor Her Highness on behalf of the palace, so it was only natural they’d prioritize emergencies like this.
As for reinforcements—investigators and mobile task force members—it seemed the responsibility fell entirely on each division head.
Following that logic, I wouldn’t be surprised if Her Highness turned to me for ship crew recruitment.
But that was far beyond my abilities—I was already socially inept as it was.
Worse, I had almost no connections to rely on.
Yet, it seemed Her Highness had a different idea in mind.
Recently, we’d had many opportunities to travel on the Shunmin, during which we’d interacted with quite a few underage cadets.
Especially after rescuing the children, we’d spent more time with them, and Her Highness had taken an unusual interest in them.
That was why Her Highness asked me:
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“The cadets assigned to your ship—do you think they’ll be useful in the future?”
“Yes, they’re exceptional. Right now, they lack experience, so we’re working hard to support them, but that won’t last long. More than anything, just being aboard the Shunmin gives them far more experience than other organizations, especially the military or the coast guard. Even I only gained that level of experience after boarding that ship. They’ll be ready to stand on their own soon. And most importantly, here, there’s none of the usual bureaucratic red tape—they can advance based purely on ability.”
Her Highness seemed puzzled by my words and asked several follow-up questions.
I explained how, unlike the coast guard, which had age restrictions, we were already pushing these cadets to handle tasks beyond their years.
Then, as if struck by inspiration, Her Highness posed another question:
“What do you think will happen to the children we’ve rescued?”
The sudden shift in topic caught me off guard, but I answered honestly—most of the children we rescued in space were sent to orphanages, and I assumed this time would be no different.
However, the reality wasn’t so simple.
“That might not be possible. We’ve rescued children before, but even then, the orphanages were at their limit. Because we’re the ones who rescued them, they’ve approached me for help. So, I’ve been thinking—perhaps I should take them under my protection.”
…What?
What does it mean?
I didn’t quite understand Her Highness’s intention and reflexively asked for clarification.
Her Highness answered cheerfully.
“For the younger children, we’ll need to set up something like an orphanage. But for those around twelve or older, I’m considering having them work while continuing their education.”
“Work…?”
“Yes. Soon, we’ll be critically short-handed here, so I thought they could assist us.”
“Wait—you’re saying you’d have children work here?”
“I know it sounds harsh, but I’m thinking of something like the cadet program. Of course, we’d carefully consider their wishes and aptitudes, but I’d like to start preparing for that.”
It seemed Her Highness had taken an interest in the coast guard’s cadet system.
After all, despite being exploited by the military, the coast guard still managed to function—and Her Highness had apparently realized why.
The coast guard’s true value lay in the quality and morale of its rank-and-file members.
Even with incompetent leadership, seasoned officers who’d worked their way up served as captains, keeping operations running.
Most importantly, Her Highness valued the fact that these were personnel untainted by noble interference.
Children rescued by Her Highness, given the choice to work here, would undoubtedly pledge loyalty to her.
If Her Highness had ill intentions, this could be dangerous—but I knew she didn’t.
Perhaps His Majesty had considered this as well when making yesterday’s announcement.
Her Highness was already building a foundation for the future, even if it wouldn’t bear immediate results.
Anyone could see this organization would grow rapidly.
Starting in the capital region alone, we were already severely understaffed.
By the time the rescued children grew up, if this expanded to cover the entire kingdom, the current numbers wouldn’t be enough. But given how many children were still out there—
not just victims of organ trafficking, but also those working on merchant ships—there’d be no shortage of rescues.
The Bruce Orphanage, where I grew up, had been full of such children.
Her Highness seemed to be preparing for that inevitability.
But then, something occurred to me.
Honestly, I hadn’t been the best older brother at the orphanage.
This issue might be better suited for Maki-nee than me.
While she wouldn’t know much about ship crews, Her Highness’s idea went beyond that.
“Your Highness, I must say, I’m impressed by your vision. I truly think it’s admirable… However, there’s one concern I’d like to raise, if I may. This is difficult to say, but… how familiar are you with the realities of orphanages?”
“Admittedly, not very much. But you’re here, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I grew up in one. But I have no experience in management. The same goes for Section Chief Maki—though she helped out far more than I did back then. If you’re seeking advice on this matter, she’d be far more qualified than me.”
“You’re right. I hadn’t considered that. Let’s call her in for a discussion.”
“Then, if you’ll excuse me—”
“Captain, wait. Please stay and help us deliberate.”
And so, at Her Highness’s insistence, I remained as Maki-nee joined us, and the discussion began.
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