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Most of the women gathered by the guild were in their thirties and forties. But they were still filled with vigor, and had experience of raising many children. That meant I did not have to worry about their physical or mental fortitude and they would work well.

I went to greet all of them, and they introduced themselves to me. At first they seemed really nervous having to work with the hero of another country, but we told them to just think of us as a regular employer, which seemed to ease their stress a little.

Then we explained to them why we had gathered them, and while the women seemed enthusiastic about it, the workers from the guild were skeptical.

“I’m sure everyone that’s hungry will appreciate that, but won’t that just be a momentary solution? I feel like there’s more efficient ways to spend those funds if you want to help increase food availability.”
“I’m aware of that. We could try to expand farmlands or establish trading routes with other countries instead, but that would take too long. We need something that will show results as soon as possible.”
“Oh…is that related to all of you being a hero’s party then?”
“Basically yes. And we’ll need to do the same in various other countries.”

After I told them we were doing this for a specific goal, they all looked pensive, probably thinking why we were doing it, and where the money was coming from.

“…I see, so you have reasons like that. We’ll help you as much as we can as well then. If the world is at peace again trade will get much better for us, so we also gain from helping you.”
“Thank you very much.”

The guild worker seemed to quickly deduce we were trying to gain popularity amongst the masses. After dealing with all sorts of cunning merchants, it was easy to figure out what we were trying to accomplish.

“Alright, so about the location where you want to do that event…”

She said that trying to change topics, and only then I realized we had not thought about or secured a location. We had tried to plan everything, but there were still many things that escaped our mind.

So the guild secured a spot in the square of a district that was still recovering. There had been piles of bodies killed by demons there before, but all that had been cleaned up, and now it was just an empty lot.

“Some people want to set up shops around here, but most agree it’d be best to erect a monument or memorial here. I believe giving out food here will also give a sense of hope and restoration for the people.”

The guild also told us they would inform the public officials that we would be doing that, which was a relief. If we organized an event like that without proper permission it could lead to all sorts of trouble for us. I really appreciated that the guild was cooperating so much.

While we discussed things like that, Karin’s group returned from shopping for the necessary materials, and we finally could discuss the particulars of our plan, like what we would be making, who would be in charge of what, and how we would manage the line that would eventually form when people started coming.

“I’m sure we could easily solve any scuffle ourselves, but we’ll still need more people to keep order over a large crowd.”
“Our appearance might be a bit of an issue too. Lapis looks like a normal girl, so some men might underestimate her.”
“Urgh…”

That was true. It was common for people to try taking advantage of me while I worked as a receptionist at the guild. Back then just glaring at them with malice was enough to get them to stop, but doing that here would undermine our goal to gain popularity. In the end we decided it was best to hire a number of adventurers from the adventurer’s guild to help keep order. Even beginner adventurers that were just waiting for requests could help manage a crowd of regular people, so it would not be hard to find helpers.

After a lot of discussion we decided we would serve the next day for lunch, and we would only make soup with a lot of vegetables. That was a relatively easy to make meal, and was essentially impossible to mess up. It would also be plenty to satisfy their hunger, at least for a time. We would start work early in the morning, and the merchant’s guild would take care of advertising, but only to the poor. Other people would only get to eat if they happened to be nearby and lined up as well. That made sense since we were trying to feed those who did not have food.

So we paid the fees and left the guild, heading to the inn we were staying at. I assumed we would be heading to other churches soon, but Freya shook her head.

“I don’t think many will follow if we just talk to them. We’ll have to work first, then make Lumiere’s church work, and that should soon make the other churches follow suit.”
“I see, so they won’t have any option but to mirror us.”
“That’s it.”

I finished eating dinner and headed to bed while feeling that so far we were constantly relying on Freya’s ideas.

§　§　§

The next day I woke up and got up, though my mind was still hazy. Diaria and Freya slept in the same room as me, the former was still fast asleep, but the latter was already awake.

“Good morning.”
“Good morning Freya, you’re up early.”
“This is also because of my training. I don’t really need as much sleep as before.”

It must have been a truly grueling training if she had to get used to sleeping less, but that also explains how she got stronger. An hour later Diaria was still sleeping, and half an hour after that I forcefully woke her up before I went to wash my face and got dressed, then someone knocked on the door almost with perfect timing.

“Lapis, are you ready?”
“Yeah, though Diaria isn’t quite there yet.”
“Wait, wait! I’ll be there right away.”

Freya and I shrugged at each other hearing that, feeling like all the tension had been dispelled.

We left the inn and went to the square, where the majority of women we hired had already gathered. After some quick greetings we began building up the tents and setting up pots, while the adventurers sent from the adventurer’s guild also arrived. There were twenty of them in total. We had asked for adventurers with harsh appearances but gentle personalities, and everyone that came did look strong. Compared to us, they looked terrifying, so I doubted people would try skipping line with them on watch.

“Luvias and Ciel, you two give the guards their orders. The rest of us will help prepare everything here.”
“Got it, Master.”
“Alright.”

Luvias and Ciel went to raise some simple poles, aided with Ciel’s earth magic. They figured poles would make it easier to organize lines. The merchant’s guild offered to help with that, but that would cost more and we could do it with magic, so we declined.

As everything was being built up, more and more people gathered around. Before I realized three hours had passed since we left the inn, and I could imagine some people thinking of that as lunch time already. A large crowd of curious onlookers had formed too, who were wondering what was happening, while the fragrant scent of soup fueled their hunger. A group of orphans wearing tattered rags also gathered, lured by that smell. Our preparations were done, so now we just had to serve them.

I turned to look at Luvias, and saw her confidently commanding over the adventurers we recruited. They all spread out through the square as agreed on, and a small group were on a watchtower overseeing the entire place. That way they could make sure no one was being treated unfairly. Luvias nodded seeing they were all in position, and then went to talk with the group of orphans.

“So, I’m sure you must all be hungry. We’re serving food so just get in line.”

I wished she spoke to them in a more gentler voice, but that was asking for too much since she was raised as a princess her entire life. The orphans responded by looking around nervously.

“But umm…we don’t have money so…”
“Don’t worry about that. You can eat as much as you want for free.”
“R-really?!”
“Yes. That’s why we’re cooking here.”

The shocking news that they could eat for free spread like wildfire and all the hungry orphans rushed ahead.

“Don’t hurry like that! There’s enough for everyone! Anyone who tries skipping ahead won’t get to eat anything! Line up properly!”

All the orphans freeze in place hearing Luvias’ thunderous voice. Some of the adventurers tried to nudge them forward again, but their appearance scared the orphans further. But that was all part of the plan. Luckily one of the orphans had gotten close enough to get a bowl of soup, and the moment he took a sip all his fear vanished.

“It’s tasty…”
“I…I want some too!”
“Me too!”
“You’ll all get some, so just line up properly.”

When they saw someone get served, they quickly started lining up too. The adults nearby were far more mature so they did not make such a big fuss. There were still some that tried to force their way into the line ahead of others, and they were forcefully removed.

More people were served, and they all smiled satisfied as they began drinking the soup. Seeing that made me feel like all the work was worth it. Soon after the women that were preparing the soup raised their voices.

“Is anyone else hungry? Come and line up! The hero’s party has prepared enough for everyone!”
“This is a special occasion for everyone! Be grateful to them while you eat!”

Their vigorous voices could be heard in the entire square. We had not asked them to advertise for us, so they decided to do that all on their own. We were grateful for their effort as we continued serving more soup. Somehow seeing people smile and thank us for food brought a different type of satisfaction from fighting enemies.