When I got back, the children were waiting in the spot where I told them to wait. They were all carrying bags with food and water inside. The older children were discussing in hushed voices about what I did while the younger ones just stayed silent and huddled around the seniors.
I came back down the hallway and the rats all kept quiet and stared at me in fear. A few of the younger ones hid behind the older ones. I ignored their fear and spoke to the girl, "Did you get everything you need?" I asked as I strapped a sword that I stole from one of the women across my back. The sword was light and sharp, and since it was a female sword, it was small enough so it won't hinder my movement. The girl nodded and she looked like she had something to say to me but there was fear on her face and I knew she wouldn't ask if I didn't push her.
"Speak," I commanded, "If there is something that you want to say to me, then just speak. I'm not a monster that'll kill you."
"Are you sure we can come with you?" The girl asked and I could hear the disbelief in her voice, "Are you going to take care of all of us?"
I sighed and I just remembered that I was still talking to children. I can't expect them to be comfortable around me after they see me kill all these people.
"Yes," I responded as I started walking out of the cave, "Just follow behind me, and don't get lost. I won't come back to look for anyone that goes missing." The older children held the hands of the younger ones as they all followed me and tried to keep up.
We didn't have time to waste standing around. I needed to get out of this cave as quickly as possible before the owner of the mine arrives. I knew who owned this slave mine and I didn't have the power to deal with someone like that now. That person was an E+ ranker from the fifth floor named Dante. He is a ruthless slave trader that buys or kidnaps any magicless child he can get his hand on to increase his slave business. If I ran into someone like him now, then I would be killed for sure.
The group walked for three days through the tunnels. I knew that I could easily leave all of the children behind and run out of the cave in less than one hour, but I couldn't do that. They didn't deserve to be here just like me. Even though I didn't have any obligation to save them, I was still going to.
We stopped three times a day for the children to rest, eat, and drink some water. Anytime we stop, I would leave the children and go back into the mines to gather resources. The caves were relatively safe and I was glad that we didn't encounter any magic beasts. I might be stronger now, but that doesn't mean I can protect thirty children from a swarm of beasts singlehandedly.
That girl that was in charge of picking my mana stones kept feeding me every time we stopped. She packed enough food for two people when she saw that I didn't get to pack my own food and she would share with me every day. I didn't need the food, but she insisted all the time and I would just take it to make her shut up.
By the third day, I ventured into the cave as usual when the rest of the children were resting, and this time, I came back with a large bag swung over my shoulder. The girl asked me what was inside but I ignored her and told them to follow me. After a few minutes of walking, we finally reached the end of the cave and we stepped into the light.
The children gasped in surprise and awe as they saw the sun for the first time in years. Some of the younger children had never seen the sun before and they were stunned into silence by the sight. I took in a deep breath as well and I enjoyed the relative peace for now. We were standing inside a forest and I knew that there were dangers all around us. Magic beasts and bandits roamed this forest and I couldn't let my guard down just because we made it this far.
If I remember correctly, this is the Eagor forest, and there should be a small town somewhere towards the east. The town was peaceful, and if I want to take care of all these children then that is the place to go. I checked to make sure that the younger children could still walk before I started walking toward the town. The children didn't ask where we were going since they now trusted me to lead them and they just followed me.
The trip to the town took five days, and other than one unfortunate encounter with a stray [Forest Wolf] that I easily killed, there was no problem along the way. I knew this forest very well because I once lived here in my past life. When I escaped from the mines in my previous life, I had to stay alone in this forest for weeks before I was found by someone that saved me, so the route I took to the town was a safe route that would not lead us into the territory of any dangerous magic beast.
When I noticed we were close to the town, I told the children to create a small camping ground close to the edge of the forest and I allowed them to rest there since I knew the site was safe. I took the bag that I carried with me from the cave and went alone into the town.
The mayor of this town was an old woman named Sylvia Black that lived in a small house. There weren't any guards around her house because she didn't think she needed them. The town was peaceful and they hardly had any problems with magic beasts.
That night, she was sitting in front of her house and staring at the moon in the sky when she blinked and looked down the road to see me standing there. My lower face was covered with a cloth and I walked up to her and dropped the bag in front of her.
"There are a few children in the forest," I said while looking her directly in eh eye, "I want you to take them in."
Sylvia immediately frowned and I could sense some magic power leaking from her body, "Are you a slave trader? Because if you are, then you came to the wrong place."
There was a lot of disgust in her voice as she spat the words 'Slave trader' and I smiled under my mask. Her hatred for slave traders still hasn't changed. And that was what made me sure that she would take care of those children. She was the one that took me in in my last life and gave me a place to call home for more than a year without asking for anything in return. I could never repay the debt I owed her, but I hoped that this will be a good start.
I kicked the bag and it fell over to reveal that it was filled with mana stones. Every time I went back into the caves in those three days we were traveling, I would loot the rooms of the punishers and take many mana stones to make it look like something bandits would do. Dante was still a real threat and I didn't want him to start looking for me. It is best if Dante thinks that bandits raided the mines and killed the punishers for now.
Sylvia's eyes widened in shock as she saw the mana stones. The look she was giving me changed to confusion, "Who are you?" She asked.
"Who I am is not important right now, but you can call me Jason." That was the name Sylvia gave me in my previous life. I was named after her former husband and I could feel her surprise at my use of the name, "Will this be enough to take care of the children?" I asked.
Sylvia was still frowning and I knew she didn't fully trust me, but she was more relaxed now and she didn't sound hostile anymore, "How many children are there?"
"Thirty," I answered quickly, and after a thought, I added, "Twenty-one males and nine females. Their ages range from eight to nineteen. No sicknesses other than malnourishment and a bit of a fever for some of the smaller ones,"
Sylvia looked at the bag of mana stones on the floor and it looked like she was calculating how long this would last while feeding that number. I already did those calculations and I knew that it would last for at least two years, but even if it would not be enough, there was no way Sylvia would abandon those children. It is just the sort of person she is.
Sylvia stood up and patted her gown before nodding her head at me, "Show me the children."