Saturday, July 1, 1805
3 days past
three days past.
Grim now only needs to sell another batch of aphrodisiacs.
"Tomorrow will be Sunday. I need to prepare for an escape. Meh, just do the usual. I also sold those traps."
After getting up, Grim prepared to go to the sewers but was stopped by the priest, who was always missing except on Sundays.
"Hello, lad. You're as youthful as always. What have you been doing for the last 5 days? The sisters are worried about you."
The pastor has red eyes and is gray-haired. face that saw time come and go.
"Pastor Alberto, I've been visiting the butcher shop, trying to master the caft."
Grim explained his half-baked lie to Pastor Alberto.
"Okay, I understand you want to get Cols to buy something. Only a child like you would work for it, but you need to be careful who you're facing. Some people would do bad deeds even when confronted by goodwill, so always be on guard."
The pastor inwardly told himself,
"I myself am one of those people. Even if I am evil, I still have a bottom line, unlike those that are far gone."
"Thank you for the advice, Pastor."
Grim agreed and thanked the pastor before leaving to get breakfast.
"That's weird. He never called any of the orphan lads. Usually, they would get a stare like seeing their soul, then he would just walk away."
Grim pondered the thought until he reached the kitchen and grabbed the black bread.
"Not too fast, Grim; a visitor from the noble district will be coming soon to inspect and likely adopt some of you. You need to go to the playground and play, or else I will tell Sister Mary that you've been going out to some forbidden area."
Ella reprimanded him.
Grim, on the other hand, thought that he had been caught.
"What forbidden things are you talking about?"
"I don't know, maybe the bar, a drug den, or a gang. Even if I tell her any obscured things, he would still suspect you and not let you go outside the orphanage."
Grim sighed before agreeing helplessly with her.
"Just be sad that I might get picked up if that happened. No one would be cooking tomorrow."
Grim left with a smirk on his face.
"Damn brat, you will still be cooking next Sunday for sure with that demeanor of yours!" Ella screamed, which was met with a lecture from her sister Marry.
"Now, where should I laze around? Atop the monkey bar, in the swing, near the table, atop the tree—that's a good idea."
Grim watches his surroundings for any bullies before dashing atop the tree as agile as a cat.
While this was happening, one of the goons saw it and alerted Kal: "Boss, the fish eyes run at the top of that tree. Do you want us to get him?"
"What you mean, Grim, is that you never beat him for the last couple of days. Let's go all of you climb that tree."
Six boys tried to climb said tree after their boss called them, but they were not as fast as Grim.
"I am a biologist and a normal person. If it combines, I can climb any tree in existence. You brats don't have the high ground. Now suffer from my cannon fruit." Grim, throw the fruit that the tree witch is called santol into the 6 boys that trued to clime.
Grim rested there till noon until they were invited inside to be selected.
"Children go in the garden, and the one that will adopt you is coming."
"I haven't gotten my hair braided."
"Shit, I have not showered today. I need to go to the well fast."
Similar complaints arise from the playground 10 minutes later, when all of them are now in the garden.
"Sir, as you can see, all of the sea church's children are free and responsible." Marry explained the children's circumstances.
"Acho!" Halfway through the explanation, a boy, age 3, sneezes while holding the explanation.
"Sister Marry, please continue." The man was the butler of Rodrigo, who was tasked with finding a child that could be taught about machines and had a bright mind.
"Okay." Marry continued to explain until he reached for the last boy in line.
"This is Grim; he is 5 with a bright mind and dextrous hands. According to the butcher, he can create traps that are more effective than most traps that are sold today. Come on, Grim, show him your invention." The reason why Marry was always instant that the children have to have a family is that one time when she cherishes a child, he did not grow his talent due to the lack of money in the orphanage, leading to his suicide. Even though he suffered anxiety until he reached the timing point.
"Okay, so this is a rat trap." Grim explained how it works like he was showing the specs of refrigerators in a mall.
The butler was impressed and told Sister Marry that in 3 days, he would come back to take the child that his lady had chosen.
After leaving, all the children bowed and
said,
"Thank you, Mister Butler."
It was reciprocated with a bow, and then the butler left using a carriage that was pulled by purple horses.
"That's a weird horse. Maybe they dyed it purple to symbolize royalty?"
After the sudden question, to which Grim did not have an answer, he came back to the kitchen and told his sister Ella the result.
"Thank goodness you can still cook tomorrow." Ella seems to relax.
"You did not even tell me about me not getting picked by the butler. You should be ashamed of yourself."
"Who's the one talking? You always hide and trick most children in this compound. You should be called ashamed."
After some banter, Grim went inside the room for boys and slept until the afternoon.
Night passes, and Grim has already retrieved the bottle and hurried to the bridge for his last job.
Sunday morning, July 2, 1805
Inside Corin Manor
"Here, my lady is Ezra from the Light Church orphanage. He was the son of a watch maker. He loves gears and machines."
"One by one, orphans from the Light and Sea Church were introduced."
"Such talent needs to be recruited. From what I remembered, Kiah is also teaching at the noble academy, correct?"
"Yes, my lady."
Rodrigo thought for a moment and then said,
"Good, let's just put them in the academy in the mechanic section. I get that those noble children did not attend such lessons."
"Yes, my lord, it is precisely because of this that only a few noblemen were interested in it, mostly those who have a liking for Miss Kiah."
Rodrigo sighed before she said, "Goodness, we hired a noble. If not, those children might have used the nobility as a reason to arrange a marriage with her."
She relaxes a lot after her worries are gone.
"Now that's out of the way, we need a reason to get those children to attend the Royal Academy."
Edward pondered for a while before saying.
"We could reason about the lack of professional workers, plumbers, and also an increase in the trade of clocks, which we are good at. Surely they would agree on an increase in the export of goods, am I right, Edward?" Rodrigo questioned.
"Certainly, my lady, but you still need to add that you save these children as a hope for the city."
After some praise, Rodrigo focused on the main topic.
"Let's proceed to the next one."
Edward professional read the introduction before saying
"The orphan's name is Grim. He is 5 years old, has black hair and eyes, and substantial muscle and body fat. From what we inquire from the nuns living there, they know that he is a trickster and good at escaping. They also know that he built the trap for rats but was just surprised about its effectiveness. When he was asked about it, his reply was that he just created it for one rat and not five and was also surprised when he first built it."
"What a clever child is decided apart from those 20 kids excluded those that are not sufficiently talented."
Rodrigo was amazed by the boy, unlike the other child that was introduced to her. Grim showed inventions that are simple from an adult's perspective but genius to a child. As a machine enthusiast, Rodrigo can be considered a gear nerd. having knowledge of mechanics, steam, machinery, levers, and gears.
"Yes, my lady, if Miss Kiah finally picks his student, we will investigate them thoroughly, in reality and mystery."
Edward gave a smile, and a small flower near the window suddenly lost its luster, becoming a charred, dark rose.
Rodrigo agreed and said
"Also bring those 20 documents pertaining to those kids, make them into a projector, and present them to Kiah. She should be here in about one hour. Let her choose her own student so that we can adapt her fuse to a suitable outlet."
"As you will, my lady."
Edward agreed, then left and arranged the 20 documents before burning the rest. After he did this, he went to the second floor, opened the studio room, and told the man to create a slide of 20. After he waited for the man to finish, he went back only to see Kiah already sitting in front of Rodrigo.
"What was it that you wanted me to inspect?"
Edward saw the Viscount nod and show the documents.
Kiah glanced at the document before asking with a serious tone.
"Which trash abducted 20 children? Why are there 20 children in here?"
Edward and Rodrigo gave each other an awkward stare before Edward addressed her professionally.
"Miss Kiah, no one was hurt; they are orphans that have sufficient talent over machinery. We wish for you to accept even just one of those children."
"Oh, okay, why didn't you tell me first? Gosh, now show me their profile and slide, especially their profile."
Kiah seems to be sick as his nose keeps flowing blood, staining the floor before she wipes it out.
"Okay, Edward, continue your introduction."
Although Rodrigo was calmly instructing Edward deep inside, she never expected the creator of the steam motor to be so despicable.
"Father said genius has always been an odd ball."
After 20 slides and a lot of blood and dust on the floor, which was quickly wiped clean, Kiah decided to pick two.
"Are you sure you only need two? Some of those kids can build a clock. Why did you reject them?" questioned the viscount.
"Well, it's because they only followed the manual. They don't have creativity, only imagination, in the world of inventions. Not some piece of paper that needs to be followed."
As Kiah said this word, the viscount has an inclined realization.
"That's why you only pick two out of all of them."
"Yes, and I choose, Ezra, and..."
Edward and Rodrigo both agreed and arranged the documents and signatures to make the two children students of the Royal Academy.
afternoon, same day
in the kitchens of the orphanage.
Food is getting fried, boiled, and baked.
"Grim, are you sure you know what you're doing? Why are you mixing anchovies and vegetables? It's just making it more stinky. Why did you pour a large amount of soy sauce? It's just going to make it more salty. And what is that coconut cupcake you said?"
Grim can be seen cooking adobo and pinakbet. Even though someone invented the soysouce in this era, no one thought to put it in a dish instead of just being a souce. Thus, it should be a perk of being transmigrated.
Grim told Sister Ella to believe in his culinary skills. She quieted down, but deep in her heart, she asked herself if a five-year-old really knew how to cook.
After he finished with the last serving, Grim showed Ella the final result.
"Tadaa! It is adobong manok followed by pinakbet na isda. As for dessert, we have bibingka."
He introduced the dishes one by one.
Ella tastes everything before speaking.
"Why do these ingredients mix so well? I've been a cook at this orphanage and never did I hear such a recipe. The creaminess of the coconut, the fishy mix with the bitterness, and last but not least, the garlic and saltiness and the earthy tast of the chicken. It's like I want to eat every single one of these all day."
"Of course it's in my blood to cook these things, and it's not just for you, sister ella. Now come, let's serve this delicacy to those poor paletted children."
Grim, with a proud look, took the finished dishes and presented them to the now-drooling brats.
After eating, Grim went back to his usual spot, the riverside, to take his concoctions and enter the ally again near the bridge.