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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Oh my, this is…”
“Well?”
“Principal Merlin, this is revolutionary! We’ll make a fortune selling these to injured knights and mercenaries!”
He was a bit too enthusiastic. I sat next to Principal Merlin, watching the Bern Trading Company representative practically drool over the prosthetic arm.
His gaze, filled with awe and greed, was a bit unsettling, but I patiently waited for him to speak.
“Let’s sign a contract. Exclusive rights!”
“Let’s discuss the down payment and profit sharing first.”
“How about five thousand gold coins as a down payment? And a fifty-fifty split on the profits!”
“Fifty-fifty…”
“Yes! This is a generous offer! Most trading companies wouldn’t offer such a favorable rate!”
“What do you think?”
I looked at Principal Merlin. I wasn’t familiar with these matters, so it was better to defer to his experience.
As expected of the headmaster of Kalon Academy, he understood my unspoken question and said,
“It’s a decent offer. But we’re the only ones who can produce these. How about eighty-twenty?”
“But then we would be responsible for everything from transportation to sales! We would like to offer that, but it would put us in the red. How about sixty-forty?”
“Seventy-thirty. That’s my final offer.”
“Well… we’re only offering this much because you recommended him!”
It was better to leave these things to the experts. I watched the negotiations unfold with satisfaction and calculated the time until my next appointment.
Negotiations in the morning, and a recruitment presentation for the graduating Theology students at Yeomyeong-gwan in the afternoon… Was I really a knight escort?
It was a question I had asked myself before, but my schedule, more befitting a businessman than a knight, made me wonder again.
At this rate, I might as well start my own trading company.
“Mister Johann, shall we discuss the details? Custom orders, for example…”
“I’m willing to accept custom orders if the client provides the materials and comes in person.”
Crafting itself was quick and easy once the design was finalized, so custom orders with higher fees were a good source of income. I could even offer high-end, luxury versions.
“Custom orders! That’s a great idea!”
The representative was practically giddy at the prospect of even more profit.
“Discuss the details with Principal Merlin. I have another appointment, so I’ll be going.”
“Very well.”
He wouldn’t try anything funny now, would he? I left the trading company building and headed towards my next destination.
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“Over here! Over here!”
“It’s crowded.”
“Right? This place is famous for its delicious food and generous portions! I heard it’s one of the top ten restaurants in Kalon.”
Did Kalon even have such rankings? Top ten sounded a bit… underwhelming.
Top five or top three would sound more impressive. But considering the size of the city, it wasn’t that strange. It was the largest city on the continent, aside from the imperial capital.
So it had a large population and countless restaurants.
Which meant the local newspaper probably created the “top ten” list as a promotional gimmick.
Anyway, what should I order? I had been eating a lot of spicy pork lately, so I wanted something milder…
“Sif, any recommendations?”
“I heard the beef stew and steak combo is good.”
“Then I’ll have that.”
“I’ll try the fish. Excuse me!”
Sif called the waiter and ordered. She seemed familiar with the place, ordering with practiced ease.
“Have you been here before?”
“I came here with my siblings. They loved it. They kept saying they wanted to eat here every day…”
“You really dote on your siblings.”
“They’re more like my children. I’ve been raising them since they were babies.”
“What’s the age gap?”
“Five years? Six? Something like that.”
Sif seemed unsure as she looked down at the table. She didn’t know their exact ages?
Well, this wasn’t like Korea, where everyone had a resident registration number.
It was difficult to keep track of ages, especially for someone like her.
A young girl raising her siblings on her own.
“We don’t really keep track of ages in the slums. If they look like a boy, they’re a boy. If they look like a young man, they’re a young man. We just guess based on their size.”
“Hmm. That must be a difficult life.”
“I’m lucky, though. I met a good employer and turned my life around. But most people aren’t that lucky. I need to get out of the slums…”
“You still live in the slums?”
“Do you know how expensive housing is here? And they don’t sell houses to people from the slums…”
Money wasn’t everything in this world. It was a society with a rigid class system.
Sif, with no established career or social standing, couldn’t simply buy her way out of the slums, even if she had the money.
“Let me know if you need any help. I can vouch for you.”
“Thank you. But I need to save more money. I’m going to build a nice house and live there with my siblings someday…”
“I hope you achieve your goal.”
“…So! Do you have any… lucrative jobs? They can be dangerous…”
“I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
“Thank you… I won’t forget this.”
“Just work harder.”
“Here’s your order.”
We had been talking for a while. The waiter arrived with our food.
We watched him place the dishes on the table, then picked up our cutlery after he left.
“Thank you for the food.”
Our customary expression of gratitude was lost in the surrounding chatter.
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“Don’t be surprised. Every single graduating student showed up after seeing the notice!”
“Is that so?”
“You don’t seem surprised.”
Considering the reactions of the first-year Theology students and the professors, I had expected a full turnout. The problem was selecting suitable candidates.
I had a few ideas, but I wasn’t sure how effective they would be.
I had never conducted an interview before. Dean Crispy had offered to help, but I didn’t know how much help he would actually provide.
Ultimately, I had to choose the candidates myself.
…I hoped there were some suitable candidates among them.
They were all elite students, so they would be competent, but I wasn’t sure if they were suitable for Yeomyeong-gwan.
I needed someone who wouldn’t faint at the sight of Karina and could handle themselves in an emergency.
“The interviews will be held in this lecture hall. They’re all eagerly awaiting your arrival.”
“I’m a little nervous.”
“Haha, you’re quite the joker.”
I wasn’t joking.
I was confident in my abilities, but not in my communication skills. I had always relied on my skills to prove my worth.
While I would try my best, I would probably end up resorting to throwing out bait and seeing who bit.
I hoped the graduating students weren’t too proud.
If they were arrogant or dismissive, I wouldn’t bother recruiting them.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s begin.”
He didn’t need to open the door for me.
I stepped into the brightly lit lecture hall and looked around from my position at the podium, where the professor usually stood.
Stares. Stares. Stares. Stares.
Had I ever been stared at this much in my life?
“Who is that…?”
“Ah, I’ve seen him. He’s the Saintess’s knight escort.”
“Really? He looks more like a battle-hardened mercenary…”
“Why isn’t he saying anything?”
I chose my words carefully, observing the young men in their early twenties whispering and staring at me.
A strong approach would be best.
There was no point in being subtle.
First impressions were important.
I slammed my hand on the podium. The scattered gazes immediately focused on me.
I scowled and said,
“Graduating Theology students. I’m the one doing the hiring, so I’ll be dropping the honorifics. Understood?”
Silence.
No objections.
Then let’s proceed as planned.
I pointed at a plainly dressed female student sitting in the front row.
“You, starting from the right, explain why you’re qualified to serve the Saintess. Lies and exaggerations will result in immediate disqualification.”
“Haha…”
Bishop Crispy simply stroked his beard and watched. With his tacit approval, I narrowed my eyes.
Rue, time to work.
I placed Rue on the podium.
The sudden appearance of a grimoire caused a stir, but I threatened to disqualify anyone who spoke out of turn, and the room quickly fell silent.
[Ugh, this unpleasant holy energy…]
Rue, despite its complaints, diligently rolled its eyeball and stared at the female student.
She looked a bit intimidated, but that didn’t matter.
“Now, let’s begin the first round of interviews.”
Time to assess the candidates.
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