5
## Chapter 5
### Is This Really a Conglomerate Heir's Savings?
Herman, who had no way of knowing how I felt, continued explaining the foundations and businesses managed by the Stout family, as well as the family's major figures.
But throughout his explanation, my doubts about Lloyd's mother only grew stronger.
“Advisor.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“You said my mother's identity is uncertain. Could you explain that in more detail? What kind of person was she? How did she meet my father?”
“Ah, that. Your father, Representative Eric Stout, met her when he was studying in Switzerland. She was a server at a restaurant he used to visit from time to time.”
“My mother?”
“Yes.”
“Oh…”
A regular customer at a restaurant and a server who worked there.
It wasn't exactly a strange combination for a man and woman to fall for each other.
At the same time, I thought I could roughly understand how the people of the Stout family would view me.
Political correctness, respect for human beings, human rights, individualism.
Unlike the twenty-first century, when all sorts of ideologies had developed, this was the twentieth century, and the Cold War had not even ended yet. It was the 1980s.
Eric Stout, the father of this body, might have met a woman and had a child with her purely out of love, but the rest of the family probably wouldn't understand him.
The conglomerates of the old days were no different from kings or aristocrats.
Even when they married, they usually married into other conglomerate families or joined with political or legal families that could benefit their businesses.
Even in the twenty-first century, things like that still happened.
Tsk.
I would probably be lucky if they merely treated me as an unwanted child and let me live comfortably.
In the worst case, it wouldn't be strange if they refused to recognize me as a member of the Stout family at all.
“I'll have to be more careful from now on.”
As I muttered that, Herman gave a small laugh.
“Is that because of what you said to the Congressman last night?”
“I'm a little worried because of that.”
“Haha. You don't need to worry so much. I'm sure it'll be fine.”
“Really?”
I had said everything I shouldn't have said in front of Congressman Kay.
And I had even beaten up his son.
Herman had arrived at the mansion and spoken with me immediately after meeting Kay, so I assumed he probably knew what had happened.
And yet he was telling me not to worry.
Was there something more to it?
“Given the Congressman's personality, he isn't the sort of person to hold a grudge over someone saying something that's true.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Unless you do something seriously wrong, you don't need to worry about suffering any disadvantages.”
“Oh.”
If Herman, who knew Kay better than I did, was saying that much, then…
“Phew.”
It seemed there wouldn't be any major problems for now.
Besides, I now had someone like Herman beside me whom I could trust, at least to a certain extent.
I leaned back against the sofa with a sigh of relief, and Herman's voice reached me.
“You picked a good time to teach him a lesson. After getting a taste of what happens when he crosses the line, Young Master Steven won't behave like that again.”
“I hope so.”
“Haha. If he does it again, you can just throw him down with your judo techniques. It seems like it was a good thing that you had a judo instructor come to the mansion and train you all this time. Your head may not remember, but your body certainly does.”
Oh.
So this kid had learned judo too… Wait, did I hear that correctly?
“Mansion? Did you say mansion?”
“Yes. The mansion in Manhattan where you lived together with Representative Eric. You used to learn judo there.”
“Oh… Then can I go there too? It's a little uncomfortable here.”
“Unfortunately, you can't. As long as Representative Eric is away, Congressman Kay is your legal guardian.”
“Then when can I go back? I should be going to school too.”
“Representative Eric told us that you should stay home and rest for about another year. So perhaps next year…”
Herman spoke cautiously.
He was nine years old, and if he was supposed to rest for another year, did that mean he wouldn't be attending school until he was ten?
There must have been something wrong with this body.
Or perhaps there had been some other problem.
“Advisor. Earlier, you said that Congressman Kay controls Goldman Becker, right?”
“That is correct. That's also why he has been recognized as the leading representative of the fourth generation of the Stout family.”
“Then what about my father?”
“Representative Eric is also a member of the fourth generation. He's one of Goldman Becker's major shareholders and also serves as the chairman of several charitable organizations.”
“No, not that.”
“Pardon?”
“Does my father have any businesses that other people don't know about? Something that even Congressman Kay doesn't know about? Or funds hidden away somewhere like the Virgin Islands, Bermuda, or the Cayman Islands?”
They were all world-famous tax havens.
The Virgin Islands, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands.
If someone was a member of the Stout family, surely there had to be enormous amounts of cash stashed away somewhere like that.
Or perhaps in a secret Swiss bank account.
I asked while imagining a fortune beyond my wildest dreams.
Herman burst out laughing as if he'd heard something amusing.
“There is some savings set aside for you, Young Master.”
“Oh…”
So there was something after all?
Even though I, Lloyd, hadn't been officially recognized as a member of the Stout family, if I could secure that savings, it would be extremely useful in many ways.
It meant I had seed money.
Just as I was beginning to let my imagination run wild, Herman continued.
“It's not much.”
“So how much is it?”
“Ten thousand dollars.”
“…What? Ten thousand dollars?”
“Yes. Ten thousand dollars.”
“That's all?”
This was the Stout family.
A world-famous wealthy family that, according to conspiracy theories, controlled the world from the shadows alongside the Everhart family.
And the amount this family had set aside for one of its sons was only ten thousand dollars?
“Come on. You're joking.”
“I wouldn't joke about something like that. I'm serious.”
“R-Really?”
Herman nodded.
All I could do was stare at him in disbelief.
“Um… Do the other children only have about that much too?”
“I don't know how much the other heirs have. But from what I've heard, they probably have a few hundred thousand dollars, and some may have several million.”
“That's way too different.”
“Haha. Are you disappointed because it's only ten thousand dollars?”
A mischievous smile appeared at the corner of Herman's mouth.
I frowned at him and shook my head.
“I'm a little disappointed. But it's fine.”
“How is that fine?”
“It's only money. I can work hard and invest it until it grows. Having ten thousand dollars is better than having no seed money at all. I'll be satisfied with that.”
“That's a good attitude.”
Herman laughed heartily, clearly pleased.
He then spent some time talking about the Marvel comic books I had piled up beside me.
“I think I should get going. I returned early this morning, so I'm starting to feel tired.”
“Oh, sure. You should rest too. But can I ask you one favor?”
“Of course.”
“The family tree you explained to me earlier, along with the information about the foundations and businesses our family manages. Could you organize all of that into a document and show it to me?”
“Certainly. I'll put it together for you.”
“I'd like to receive it before tomorrow night's charity party so I can look through it. As quickly as possible, if you can.”
“…The charity party? Young Master, you aren't going to attend, are you?”
“Well, I might run into someone while coming and going.”
“That is true, I suppose. Very well. Is there anything else you'd like to ask?”
“No. That's all.”
“Understood. I'll see you tomorrow.”
Herman stood up.
He continued wearing that sly smile all the way until he opened my bedroom door and left.
Thanks to that, I couldn't help but feel a little hopeful.
That ten thousand dollars.
I had a feeling he had been testing me.
---
How could I turn tens of thousands of dollars into a fortune in this era?
It was something I'd thought about back when I was still living as Choi Eun-ho.
If I ever went back to the past, how would I make money and invest it until I became incredibly wealthy?
Back then, I'd only imagined it after reading web novels about people returning to the past.
Even so, it had been incredibly fun.
The thought of becoming unimaginably rich by making everything I touched explode with profits and then enjoying that wealth was enough to make me happy just by imagining it.
But now I had actually returned to the past.
And I seemed to have a decent amount of seed money too.
So every time I thought of various events and people, I couldn't help but let out a little laugh.
My heart was already pounding at the thought that I was practically rich.
As a result, I spent the entire day sitting around and imagining things, and by late at night I'd missed my usual bedtime.
Now I was standing by the window, drinking the warm black tea Amy had brought me and looking up at the night sky.
Since everything had already gone wrong anyway, I might as well check the things I'd been thinking about.
“Amy. I'd like to go to the library tonight.”
“The library?”
“I heard there are lots of books and newspapers stored there.”
“It's already quite late. You should probably go to bed.”
“I think I'll get sleepy after looking around for a little while.”
“Hmm… All right. I'll show you the way.”
Until a few days ago, whenever I spoke to her, Amy had seemed to avoid lengthy conversations, answering only what was absolutely necessary.
But lately, or more precisely, ever since my confrontation with Congressman Kay, her attitude had changed somewhat.
She was now taking care of me almost like my personal maid.
“This way.”
Following Amy's lead, I arrived at the library on the fifth floor.
What?
There weren't many books.
“Economics for Children?”
The library was small, and most of the books here seemed to be things children would read.
“This is the library exclusively used by the young masters and young ladies. Did I misunderstand what you wanted?”
Amy spoke cautiously after noticing my disappointment.
“No, that's not it. I'd like to see a more proper library. A real library. Not somewhere like this.”
“For that, you would need to go to the basement level one. But…”
Amy's voice trailed off.
Was she about to tell me that I wasn't allowed to go there yet?
Just as I was about to ask her again, an unfamiliar voice came from nearby.
“Only members of the Stout family can enter there. You can't go in yet.”
It was the soft voice of a little girl.
She looked around ten years old and was holding the hand of a boy who appeared to be about five.
“Arian?”
I remembered the information I'd seen in the family tree Herman had brought me.
She was the granddaughter of the head of the third generation and the daughter of Dennis Stout Jr., who was apparently competing with Congressman Kay to become the next head of the family.
The girl standing before me looked exactly like Arian Stout.
“Long time no see. How's your injury?”
It seemed my guess had been correct, because she answered me.
“I'm fine. It's much better now.”
“You look fine. Steven's face was still all swollen, though.”
“That guy should've been hit a few more times. It's still a shame.”
Arian giggled and nodded.
I shifted my gaze to the little boy standing beside her.
Even though thirty years had passed and I'd returned to the past, his face gave me an incredibly strong sense of familiarity.
Where had I seen him before?
Perhaps because I kept staring at him, Arian introduced the boy beside her.
“This is Joseph Michael Zeissner Stout. He's Uncle Aide's only son.”
“Joseph?”
“Yeah. Lloyd, you said you wouldn't be going to school for a while, right? While we're at school, take care of Joseph for us. You can do that, right? He looks energetic, but he's actually shy around strangers, so with the servants…”
Arian placed a hand on Joseph's shoulder and continued talking.
But because of how familiar Joseph's face was, I couldn't hear what she was saying anymore.
It was the face that people jokingly compared to that of a reptilian alien.
A face that was long vertically but narrow horizontally, with unusually large, round blue eyes and perfectly white skin without a single blemish.
He's the one.
I had seen this kid before.
He was the person who would go on to create the social media service Friendsbook and become the world's youngest self-made billionaire.
I'd seen conspiracy theories claiming that he was a descendant of the Stout family.
It had seemed so ridiculous that I'd dismissed it as nonsense.
But I never expected to actually meet him here.
“When did Joseph arrive?”
“Yesterday. He came with Uncle Aide to attend the charity party.”
“Oh.”
So he'd been recognized by the head of the family.
As I thought that, I found my hand gently stroking Joseph's hair.
He would eventually build one of the five greatest fortunes in the world, even though that was still a long way off.
I had to be nice to him.
There was no way I couldn't be nice to him.
“Hello. Want to be friends with your older brother?”
I crouched down and met his eyes at the same level.
Joseph looked at me with a sullen expression before knocking my hand away.
“I don't like you, Big Brother.”
“Huh? Wha—?”
“Let's go, Sis.”
He even began tugging lightly on Arian's arm.
Did I come on too strongly and sound too much like an old man?
Heh heh.
Whatever.
It didn't matter.
I had plenty of time, and there would be plenty of opportunities.
I'd find a way to become friends with him.