Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Magic of Persuasion (1)
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Lian's eyes widened at the lavish feast laid out before him.
Not the sour, dense rye bread, but pure white wheat bread—this was the first time he'd even seen it since reincarnating.
And right in the center of the table, asserting its presence, a whole roasted suckling pig.
True to the coastal region, there was seafood soup packed with shellfish, and grilled fish seasoned with unfamiliar spices.
Then various vegetables and braised birds a bit smaller than chicken simmered in sauce, and more.
Just the meats alone covered land, sea, and sky in perfect harmony on one table.
Fresh vegetables and fruits went without saying.
'At this level, even slavery might be worth it.'
Honestly, he hadn't dreamed of meals like this even in his previous life.
A total defeat for modern civilization.
"Lady Isabel? Is this a welcome party for me, by any chance?"
"As if. Isn't it too modest for a party?"
So this was just her usual meal.
Of course, she couldn't eat all this alone—the leftovers probably went to the servants.
But Lian was the exception.
He sat across from her, fork and knife in hand.
"It's just... I can't quite wrap my head around a slave like me eating at the same table as my owner."
"If I eat all alone like some lonely soul, what's the point of paying a fortune for you? Eat before it gets cold."
"Then... I'll gratefully dig in."
Lian desperately wanted to grab a pig leg and tear into it, but he held back for now.
A serf who'd spent his life shoveling pig shit would surely regret tasting that tender meat—his lowly body wouldn't handle it.
First, the seafood soup, which seemed easiest on the stomach.
'Ugh! Now I want soju!'
His tongue, dulled by bland, fishy bean soup, was mercilessly bombarded by natural umami.
The kind of flavor that screamed for knife-cut noodles plunged in and slurped up in a storm.
Lian reached for the other dishes in turn.
The braised bird had a sweet-and-sour sauce that felt a tad off, but thinking of sweet-and-sour pork made it tolerable—actually, pretty addictive the more he ate.
The grilled fish had zero fishy smell, which surprised him.
As expected from dishes on the table of one of the continent's top merchant house leaders, they were lavish with rare spices.
But the standout, the most amazing dish on this table...
Crack!
The pork rind met his fork with a sound that delighted his tongue.
Along with it, the suckling pig's tender meat sliced effortlessly with just the fork.
'This is killer! And I get to eat like this every day from now on?'
Indeed, they weren't wrong about serving in a great house even if as a farmhand.
He suddenly wondered how much the chef here got paid.
"By the way, you know how to use a fork and knife?"
"Pardon? Ah..."
He'd felt her gaze on him since earlier.
Isabel was intrigued by Lian's proficient use of utensils.
"The man who sold you said you were from Bordia. Do even the nobles there use these?"
"Well, they're nobles, aren't they? They wouldn't eat with their hands like commoners."
"Hmm. I see?"
He'd unintentionally led her to misunderstand his background, but Lian quietly continued eating.
No need to advertise his lowly serf origins.
"Well, at least it doesn't feel like wasted money."
Isabel seemed satisfied overall as she set down her fork and knife, rinsing her mouth with wine to finish the meal.
He'd have to be careful not to let her discover his true origins.
An old man with a goatee beard looked down at Lian with a sour expression.
"Lady Isabel? You're telling me to teach this slave?"
"Diego, do you think I shelled out three hundred gold coins just to have the boy do menial chores?"
"W-well, of course not, but..."
Isabel's accountant, Diego's wrinkled eyelids twitched.
"Then what exactly should I teach him, and to what level..."
"Everything he can learn."
At that single phrase, Diego squeezed his eyes shut as if sensing something ominous.
It was tantamount to declaring she'd make Lian her exclusive accountant.
And that he'd personally count down his own retirement as this aged accountant.
"Make him useful. I trust you."
"But if he can't learn properly even after I teach him..."
"Then make him earn those three hundred gold coins some other way."
"R-right?"
For a moment, a glint flashed in Diego's eyes.
'This feels uneasy.'
Lian couldn't relax either.
And that unease became reality just days later.
"Slave, calculate this."
"My name is Lian."
"Tch. Who cares about a slave's name? Just do the math!"
Lian took the paper Diego handed him and jotted down the answers swiftly.
"Here."
"Already? You punk! You didn't just approximate, did you?"
"Have you ever seen me mess up a calculation? I double-checked them all. Don't worry."
Diego glared at him with narrowed eyes, then snorted and snatched the paper back.
"Fine. Useless for anything else, so at least you got this right."
"Why don't you actually teach me something instead of talking like that?"
Isabel had clearly ordered him to make Lian useful.
Yet Diego only used him as a human calculator or for petty errands.
He hadn't taught him any real merchant house work despite days passing.
"You punk! Think accounting is something you learn in a day or two?!"
"That's why I'm saying stop wasting those days and teach me already!"
"Shut it! There's an order to learning! Do as I say without backtalk!"
Lian counted numbers silently in his head to calm his anger.
"Ha... fine. Got it."
He'd dealt with nonsense like this plenty in his past life.
Clashing head-on with Diego would only hurt him.
'Should I just tattle to Isabel...'
No.
That wasn't a good solution.
Diego openly defying Isabel's orders and acting cocky wasn't just swollen guts.
He broke into a sweat and fumbled under her glare, so he must have some backing.
Like shaping internal opinion in the merchant house.
'That new intern? He got into a top uni but dropped out. No work ethic, as expected.'
Unpleasant past memories resurfaced.
In his previous life, a company he'd barely entered on his professor's recommendation—who'd tried to dissuade his dropout.
A parachute hire, sure, but the section chief took an instant dislike and piled on every annoyance.
Just like this accountant Diego.
Tasks that didn't help performance but bogged him down with chores.
Eventually, the subordinates coordinated to block his permanent position.
So even the president had no choice but to believe them, apologize to the professor, and cut him loose.
'Not falling for that again!'
Waiting like a baby bird for food wouldn't get him what he wanted.
"Been sitting calculating all day—head hurts. Mind if I step out for some air?"
"Hmph! Young punk whining... Do what you want."
Diego's cheek twitched upward as he turned away.
Good for him if Lian slacked, but it wouldn't go as he hoped.
One thing worse than serf life since becoming a slave: freedom of movement.
No leaving the estate without permission, and wandering alone as a slave meant instant scrutiny.
Luckily, Isabel turned out to be quite the homebody.
Why was that good? No need to leave for the merchant house office.
"Hello. Thanks for your hard work, as always."
The gate to the estate's inner courtyard.
Lian greeted the guard and passed.
The guard nodded curtly in return, stone-faced.
After a few errand runs, they stopped questioning his business.
Down the corridor stairs beyond the door led to the annex at the hill's base.
And that annex was the Lapis Lazuli Merchant House office.
"That's him? The pet slave Lady Isabel bought for three hundred gold."
"Handsome, sure, but that price... Even two hundred's too much."
"Hey, shh. Like she'd care about that much money?"
Lian appeared, and whispers erupted everywhere.
The usual whenever he came.
He approached a bored-looking merchant house member loitering in the lobby alone.
"Hello?"
"Wh-what? What's up? Errand from Lady Isabel?"
"No, nothing like that. Just figured I'd say hi since we'll see each other a lot."
"Forget it. No business? I'm busy—don't bother me!"
As expected, Diego had likely poisoned the staff against him.
The man grimaced openly and scurried off like Lian had the plague.
"See that? Diego was right."
"Sigh, now I have to compete with a decorative pet slave?"
"Compete? He's just a slave. If he had real skills beyond looks, why sell him?"
And his hunch hit home.
That sly goatee geezer had spread nasty rumors behind his back.
With Isabel visiting the annex only a few times a month, he figured he wouldn't get caught.
"Hmm. Competition, huh..."
Or maybe the rumors held enough truth that exposure didn't matter.
What was Isabel's secret to building the Lapis Lazuli Merchant House into a continental powerhouse as a woman?
Twenty years ago, she'd been far younger and more beautiful, her massive... assets even more potent, but that couldn't be all.
Actually, anyone spending a little time by her side would quickly learn it.
He'd sensed it at their first meeting.
She spent about seventy percent of her waking hours reading.
Knowledge and information.
That was her true weapon.
Following his master's example, Lian decided to sneak into the study now and then to feed his mind.
Having self-studied from textbooks alone to enter a top university in his past life, he was adept at it.
"What are you reading, Lian?"
Absorbed in a book, he hadn't noticed Isabel approach; she peeked at the cover.
"Commercial law? Diego wouldn't teach you that."
A slight dilemma hit Lian.
Was now the time to tell her the truth?
Something told him it wasn't wise.
"Thought pre-studying from books might help when I learn later."
"Oh? How diligent."
Isabel stroked his cheek with an enigmatic smile.
"I can teach you commercial law too, so ask me if anything's unclear later."
As expected.
She'd long noticed Diego ignoring her orders and not properly teaching him.
'No, she knew this would happen and let it play out.'
Some other scheme?
Or a test?
"It's fine. Not as hard as I thought."
"Oh? Really?"
Whatever the case, it didn't matter.
His worth was three hundred gold coins.
No—more than that.
He'd prove it soon enough.