Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 38: This Other World Isn’t So Cold
“If I heard correctly, old Paladin… you said the purpose of buying this land is to build an orphanage?”
Sols interrupted the old Paladin, his gaze tinged with curiosity, leaning slightly forward as though he wanted to hear more.
“Yes,” the old Paladin said firmly, nodding with unwavering conviction. “I want to build an orphanage!”
His eyes softened, and a look of profound compassion spread across his weathered face. “I have walked through the slums, Mr. Sols. Everywhere I look, I see children who have lost their parents and, with them, all hope. They do not have money for even the cheapest bread to fill their stomachs. They are left to suffer at the hands of cruel people, with no one to watch over them. They walk naked, barefoot, through filthy alleys, where rubble pierces their tender skin. They… Mr. Sols, I cannot bear to speak of it all. If you were to see it with your own eyes, you would understand even more clearly.”
“Old Paladin,” Sols said, “one hundred and ten thousand Lants is an enormous sum. With that, you could effortlessly enter the upper echelons of White Sand City society, living a life most would envy.”
Sols nodded, showing that he understood the grim reality the old Paladin described—but understanding and truly grasping the weight of it were two very different things.
“Heh—” the old Paladin chuckled softly, a strange glint appearing in his eyes, as though he carried a secret no words could fully express. “If I lived only for myself, I would not be in this shape today. Besides, someone once told me something that has never left my mind: to die among the immensely wealthy… is a disgrace.”
He paused briefly, then drew the conversation back on track, his tone taking on a note of urgency. “Now, Mr. Sols, can you have your steward issue the deposit certificate quickly?”
“Asma, issue a deposit certificate for the Paladin! Furthermore, in the future, any transaction handled through the Paladin’s agents will be exempt from all agency fees. Those costs will come directly from my personal account! Additionally, transfer twenty thousand Lants from my account into the Paladin’s account—every cent of this is to be used for the maintenance and operation of the orphanage.”
Sols looked at the old Paladin, his expression one of apparent reverence. After instructing his steward, he bowed to the Paladin and asked, “Paladin, although we met earlier this morning, I still do not know your name…”
“Mr. Sols, thank you for your generosity. Countless orphans will benefit from your kindness! You, sir, are the true noble!”
The old Paladin performed a peculiar gesture, pressing his hands together in a reverent clasp toward Sols, the vampire banker, before finally answering the question. “You may call me Andrew—Andrew Carnegie.”
…
Their conversation sparked a storm among the onlookers.
The Paladin’s words—to die among the immensely wealthy is a disgrace—were enough to challenge the audience’s entire perception of wealth.
Meanwhile, Sols’s generous offer of twenty thousand Lants, poured directly into the Paladin’s account, completely dispelled any lingering doubts the crowd had about the integrity of his bank’s finances.
Perfect.
To Marlon, quietly standing to the side as a background figure, the performance of both Sols and the old Paladin was flawless—like watching two Oscar-winning actors sharing the stage, each elevating the other’s presence.
Yet Marlon knew the truth: Sols and the Paladin were not entirely performing. The plan to build an orphanage in the slums with over a hundred thousand Lants was real.
The only fiction lay in the source of that massive sum: it was neither Sols’s charity nor the Paladin’s book earnings—but Marlon’s own… script fee.
Yes. From the very beginning, Marlon had planned this.
He cared not for fame or profit. He simply believed that if his three-win plan succeeded, he could use a portion of the proceeds to help the war orphans—something he could do, and something he had the power to do.
To die among the immensely wealthy is a disgrace.
The famous saying of the steel magnate and philanthropist of the Earth, Andrew Carnegie, was a favorite of Marlon’s. That was why, in his three-win plan, he had the character of the old Paladin, Trist Rem, deliver this line while claiming the name “Andrew Carnegie.”
Not everyone, upon traversing to a new world, wished to become a brash, entitled villain, proving their success through violence, wealth, and conquest.
At least, Marlon did not. After fulfilling his own desire for a high-quality life, he wanted—just as he had on Earth—to follow the gentle, uncorrupted instincts of a kind heart, helping those in need so they would not sink into a hopeless darkness.
Someone had to stand up and do something warm… wasn’t that so?
“Mr. Carnegie, I will also donate ten thousand Lants.”
After playing the quiet background role for so long, letting vampire banker Sols take the spotlight, Marlon finally spoke. “This money is to be used solely for the maintenance and operation of the orphanage.”
This line was part of the three-win plan, giving Marlon a legitimate role as one of the main contributors to the still-imaginary orphanage while simultaneously highlighting Sols’s generosity.
But the unexpected happened again. Even before Marlon’s words had fully fallen, the friendly Druid, Conchita Bowden, spoke up.
“To aid the weak is the way of the Druids. Since I stand here, how could this charitable deed, destined to be remembered in history, be without me? Paladin, your acts of love and justice, your words of wisdom, fill me—a self-proclaimed protector of nature—with shame. Therefore… I shall donate fifty thousand Lants in gold coins!”
Conchita Bowden, a wealthy Druid master, casually tossed fifty thousand Lants in coins from the spatial pouch.
The coins clattered and rang as they fell, instantly overshadowing the combined thirty thousand Lants donation from Sols and Marlon.
Ah… the Druid was truly an unexpected disruptor.
Marlon glanced at the visibly displeased Sols, restraining his smile. Marlon did not mind his own charitable act being eclipsed—but Sols, desperate to restore his bank’s reputation, could not tolerate such a thing.
Under Marlon’s gaze, Sols, his face darkened to an almost comical shade, gritted his teeth and spoke again, loudly: “With the Druid’s generosity, I realize my previous donations were too small. Therefore, I will add—forty thousand Lants more for the orphanage!”
Hearing Sols announce this additional forty thousand, Marlon finally allowed himself a satisfied smile.
“Mr. Sols, you need not have done this. Although Mr. Carnegie just said dying among the immensely wealthy is a disgrace, as long as one has charity in their heart, the size of the donation is not important!”
Marlon exclaimed loudly.
Indeed, to appear more prominent and quickly restore his bank’s credibility, Sols had no choice but to add this amount.
The twenty thousand Lants donation just now? That was Marlon’s money.
But the extra forty thousand Lants? That could only come from Sols himself.
No matter how you looked at it, this unexpected extra ninety thousand Lants in donations was ultimately good news for Marlon—it meant more war orphans could be helped.
Moreover, Sols’s generous act encouraged those bystanders who still possessed a shred of kindness and empathy to step forward:
“As long as there is charity in the heart, the size of the donation is not important… well said! Though I am not wealthy, I will donate! I only have sixty Lants, seven purs, and three pennies. Eh… I must keep the last three pennies for the bus fare.”
The first to step forward was a chubby, dog-headed humanoid, whose face was six parts human, four parts Shar Pei, flushed bright red with excitement.
No one mocked him for keeping the three pennies for the bus fare.
Others followed:
“I will donate nineteen Lants!”
“Sorry, I only have seven Lants and four purs…”
“I have children too, so I will give twenty-two Lants!”
Watching the crowd eagerly contribute, Marlon’s heart swelled with a single thought:
Heh… this other world isn’t so cold after all.