Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: When Spring Comes (1)
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Lian happened to glance up as he passed through the mansion's courtyard.
Fresh green buds sprouting on the bare branches that had endured the winter.
Spring had arrived before he knew it.
"Looks like spring is finally here."
Most people welcomed spring.
But some in the Lapis Lazuli Merchant House could not.
To be precise, it wasn't spring itself that was the problem, but the fear of the changing seasons.
Soon, it would be decided who would have to leave the merchant house.
"Good work today, everyone."
"Oh, Lian's here?"
"Hey, Lian."
"Come on in, Lian."
As always, when he showed up at the merchant house office in the afternoon, several people greeted him with bright faces.
"Hey, friend! Having a good day today too?"
"Sigh. Don't even ask, Miguel. Want to hear what kind of stunt old man Diego pulled today?"
"Haha! You really have it rough!"
People gathered around Lian, chatting about trivial matters.
Their faces were all filled with leisure.
Just a couple of months ago, they had all looked like they were on the verge of death.
Now, the worry that had plagued them had long since passed to others.
"Tch. Gutless fools. All they do is grovel to a slave."
"Seriously. Because that bastard taught us some weird trick, we're the ones suffering while we work honestly. Ptui!"
Those people were badmouthing him loudly enough to be heard on purpose.
Since their performance was scraping the bottom, they must have been quite anxious.
"Who told you to slack off? If people want to improve, they have to put in the effort somehow."
Lian spoke loudly in a mutter-not-mutter for their benefit as well.
"That slave bastard...!"
"Hey, hold it. You want to mess with Isabel's property?"
"Kuh...!"
But what could they do?
Even in a capitalist society, the boss's dog outranked the employees.
Especially if it was a dog worth 900 million.
"Ignore them anyway, Lian. They're getting kicked out soon."
"Yeah. They stubbornly stuck to their obvious scams. They brought it on themselves."
In truth, those guys hadn't done nothing over the winter.
They hated bowing to a slave, but they roughly learned how to draw graphs by watching others.
Graphs were something even elementary school kids could learn.
Drawing a graph itself wasn't hard.
The key was how to use it.
From what he'd heard secondhand, it was maddening.
They ruined readability by adding unnecessary decorations to make flashy graphs.
Or they graphed every single number, failing to convey the essential information.
Some were just idiots who drew the graphs wrong.
"Hey! You future dropouts! Isn't the floor cold down there? Hang in there a bit longer since you'll be out soon!"
"You ignored us when we were struggling, and now look at you!"
"What? These punks think...!"
"Don't get cocky! Your shallow tricks are all exposed by now!"
The former dropout group and the current dropout group.
The atmosphere between the two was turning vicious, as if fists might fly any moment.
'It's about time.'
Lian folded his arms behind his back and stepped back like a spectator.
Then he stared intently at the back door connecting to Isabel's mansion office.
Diego had been working on something all morning.
He still hadn't shown what it was, but Lian had a rough idea.
Clunk!
"What's with all the commotion? Do you all want to end up in the marketplace?"
As expected, perfect timing.
The grumpy goatee old man appeared through the back door.
With him, the office froze silent.
And that was because of the document in his hand...
"This quarter's final tally. Rearrange them."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Soon after, they began rearranging the nameplates on the board.
Clack clack clink—
Gulp!
The sound of wooden pieces clacking together.
The sound of people swallowing dryly here and there.
And then, as everyone expected, the nameplates at the very bottom slid up.
"Whoa! We did it!"
"Lian! Look! We're all safe!"
"Congratulations, Miguel. And everyone else too."
They had safely passed into the mid-to-upper ranks.
At this rate, they could work without worrying about dismissal for the foreseeable future.
"Ugh... No! Why am I so low!"
"No. It can't be! Please...! Please!"
On the other hand, those who had slid down from the middle.
Unfortunately, no miracles awaited them.
Still, remaining at the bottom of the board meant they had survived this quarter, at least.
"Why! Why! Why are you taking my nameplate off! There must be a mistake! This can't be!"
One person whose nameplate was completely removed had no hope left.
"This can't be...! Do you know how much money I brought in for this merchant house! Kicking me out like this is insane!"
The one confirmed as a dropout expressed his injustice with his whole body.
"Say something, you guys! You know how much blood and sweat I poured in!"
"......"
"Fuck! You're next!"
Those who had once been his comrades turned their heads away.
Now, surviving tomorrow mattered more than yesterday's allies.
Some glanced nervously toward Lian, faces deep in thought.
"Tch. Why is there never anyone who leaves quietly?"
Diego clicked his tongue and gestured to the guard at the back door.
And at that moment...
"Ugh...!"
Lian grimaced and covered one ear.
The ominous whisper in his ear after so long.
"If it weren't for that slave bastard... It's all because of him...!"
Bloodshot eyes glaring.
A hand clenched as if gripping something.
"Oh no..."
He didn't even need the hallucination's warning; this was clearly dangerous!
"Fuck! If you weren't here!"
The deranged dropout charged.
The guard?
Too far away.
"Kyaa!"
"Wh-What! Dangerous!"
People frozen in place, only screaming.
Expecting help from others was foolish, as expected.
At that instant, Lian felt some inexplicable pull.
"Raaah! Die!!"
His ears were still noisy.
But it wasn't a warning—it urged him on, pushing his back.
Incomprehensible mutters, but he trusted his instincts and moved first.
Whoosh!
A flash of silver barely grazed past him.
Whoosh! Thud!
"Kek!"
The deranged dropout's body arced through the air and slammed into the floor.
A clean, perfect throw for the win.
"Hoo... Take a moment on the floor to reflect."
"Groan..."
On the floor lay a letter opener, used for breaking seals.
It probably didn't need to be that sharp usually.
Yet somehow, its tip was embedded in the wooden floor.
"Whoa! Lian, your moves are impressive!"
"I thought you were just a pretty face, but I stand corrected!"
"Guards! Do something about this lunatic!"
The people who had been frozen now surrounded Lian.
The dropout on the floor was so shocked he couldn't move until the guard dragged him away.
'What? What did I just do?'
Lian was utterly bewildered by the situation.
He'd never learned judo or any self-defense...
He'd just moved as the hallucination guided him.
"See? The fallen noble rumor must be true!"
"Makes sense. A slave worth three hundred gold coins isn't ordinary. He's got a story!"
"No, it's not really like that..."
"You tactless bunch! Asking about that is rude!"
And so, the misunderstanding about Lian's origins deepened once more.
Isabel stroked Lian's face with a worried expression.
"I heard there was big trouble. Are you okay?"
"Yes. Thanks to some self-defense I learned before."
"I heard about that too. You threw a man much bigger than you to the ground?"
Isabel stared at Lian's arm for a moment, then slowly caressed it.
It had been the arm of a frail boy, no matter how much digging and hoeing he did.
Now it was the sturdy arm of a grown man with solid muscle.
"Lian, stand up for me?"
Isabel had him stand, then faced him.
"You were so much smaller than me when we first met. You've grown this much already."
"It's all thanks to you feeding me well and letting me sleep well, Isabel."
"Come to think of it, your coming-of-age ceremony is soon, right?"
"Yes. This spring, so not long now."
"I see."
Isabel beamed and stroked his face once more.
Unlike her earlier worry about injuries.
This touch felt slightly alluring.
"Lian."
"Yes, Isabel."
"Don't go down to the annex for a while."
"Pardon?"
"What if something like today happens again?"
Lian was honestly flustered.
One incident, and she switches straight to overprotective mode.
"Your job is assisting Diego anyway."
"True, but..."
"If he's still not following my orders properly, I'll give him a stern talking-to."
"...You knew all along."
Isabel just smiled slyly instead of answering.
As expected, a hard woman to read.
She leaned in close with those big eyes, as if trying to peer into his heart.
"I've been watching quietly because the rumors were amusing, but stop with the hobby of helping the merchant house members. It's fairer that way."
"But if there's something I can do, I wanted to help you more, Isabel. Is that no good?"
"Oh, how dutiful."
Isabel stroked his head and kissed his forehead like a reward.
Maybe appealing as a loyal, good slave worked.
He inwardly sighed in relief at that thought.
But then.
"Still, at the end of every season, someone has to leave. That's our merchant house's rule."
Isabel's lips smiled, but her eyes were a bit cold.
"You have no authority to decide who stays, Lian."
Isabel kissed his forehead once more.
For some reason, the second one felt like branding rather than reward.
'Was my intent to build a faction in the merchant house too obvious...'
Of course, he had no thought of taking over the merchant house.
But to Isabel, with her history, it must look that way.
"Yes. I'll be careful from now on, Isabel."
Better not to push here.
"But it's true that this winter's operating profit rose noticeably thanks to you. I was right to buy you."
Isabel's laugh lines curved up happily.
Really.
This woman toyed with people at will—a true temptress.
"It's only right to reward good deeds. Is there anything you want for your coming-of-age ceremony?"
"Hm. Anything?"
"Anything I can give you."
"Anything..."
Saying 'I want to be your pillar' honestly here wouldn't work, right?
Lian fell into deeper thought than ever.
It felt like a boss asking 'What do you want for lunch?' with the answer predetermined.
"How about this, then?"
Still, since she'd said anything, he decided to throw in a bit of a bold request.