Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Special Member
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Ten minutes or so passed, and Lizriel Yusuf returned.
Seeing the fox-tail stole around her neck and the form-fitting silk dress clinging to her body, Philip nodded. It was the Lizriel Yusuf he remembered.
Before taking a seat across from him, she covered the exposed cleavage with her right hand and bowed deeply at the waist.
"First, let me apologize for my earlier rudeness, Young Master."
"I'll forgive that. And keep this in mind."
Before launching into his prepared speech, Philip shook the ring on his finger where she could clearly see it.
"I know the true value of this item very well. I understand what it means to the Yusuf Merchant Guild and what it can achieve. So let's drop the pointless games and have a more constructive conversation."
'This damn delinquent thinks he can make a fool of me?'
Thinking that, Lizriel flashed a bright smile.
"Of course, Young Master. Thank you for coming to see me first."
If not for that ring on his finger, she would have summoned the city guards right then and there to drag Philip out.
'With that seal, this delinquent becomes a special member of the guild. No matter what it takes, I have to bring him to my side. Otherwise...'
She was currently in the midst of fierce succession competition.
The Yusuf Merchant Guild had three direct heirs, and Lizriel was the youngest with the weakest power base and foundation.
Unlike her first and second sisters, who had other backings, Lizriel would plummet into ruin the moment she was eliminated from the race.
A special member of the guild gained voting rights equal to the Guild Master's at the annual 'General Assembly.' The title was mere membership, but in reality, it was a position no different from a lord.
The reason for this was known only to the Guild Master, Osley Yusuf himself, and it wasn't important right now.
What mattered was that if she could win Philip to her side, she might even leap ahead of her sisters, who were far in the lead.
As Lizriel racked her brains furiously, Philip's pleasant baritone reached her ears.
"First and foremost, starting right this moment, I request that you treat me as an official special member of the guild."
"That's only natural, Young Master."
"And I want you, Lizriel, to be my dedicated handler."
That demand made even Lizriel flinch.
"...Pardon?"
'Is he trying to do something to me?'
She glanced sideways at Philip, her cheeks flushing red.
...Honestly, it didn't seem all that bad. Not that she liked the idea, but if that's what he wanted, she had no choice but to go along.
The best she could do was attach a few conditions.
'She's clearly misunderstanding something.'
Philip thought, gazing at her reddened cheeks. It was hard to believe she was a direct heir of a massive merchant guild—such a human touch.
"If... if you desire me, Young Master, I'm willing to do whatever you wish. But there are conditions..."
Lizriel steeled herself and opened her mouth, but Philip raised a hand to cut her off.
"What were you imagining? Listen to me first."
"..."
"For starters, I plan to strongly support you, Miss Yusuf, as the guild's official successor. The voting rights I'll gain are equal to the Guild Master's, so as long as I don't withdraw my support and you're not more incompetent than I expect, you could become the next Guild Master."
The moment she heard those words, Lizriel felt her mind go blank. Philip's offer was something she would have handed over her entire life for, everything except her life itself.
Yet Philip had laid out his strongest card first.
"W-Wait, why?"
When merchants negotiate contracts, they usually don't ask for the reason behind an offer.
Doing so was tantamount to admitting you were in a weaker position.
But Lizriel was genuinely curious. In her eyes, Philip wasn't making this proposal out of stupidity.
If he were truly an idiot, he wouldn't even be able to hold a conversation with her.
"You're running two orphanages, aren't you? You donate scholarships to the academy and sell books cheaply to poor commoner students."
At his question, Lizriel nodded.
"Yes. I don't know how you know that, though."
Philip grinned and said,
"Among all the Yusufs I know, you're the only one who helps others without conditions. Do I need any other reason?"
It was a smile that shook the heart. Even though Lizriel knew full well he was an irredeemable delinquent, her hostility and wariness toward him melted away like snow.
'A delinquent who can say something like that? No way...'
She couldn't bring herself to look him straight in the face.
'Ah. What's wrong with me?'
Her heart pounded wildly, blood rushing to her face and making it burn.
Lizriel desperately steadied her breathing and expression, then bowed her head.
"...I'll gratefully accept your kindness, Young Master. I'll serve you to the best of my ability from now on."
Philip shook his head.
"I don't want that kind of hierarchical relationship. We'll be seeing each other for a long time, so I'd prefer we get more comfortable with each other. Starting now, if possible."
Lizriel swallowed hard. She steeled her resolve and parted her lips.
"...Yeees."
And what came out was the most foolish sound she'd ever uttered in her life.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Returning to the academy, Philip headed straight for the faculty dorms.
The moment he opened his room door, he spotted Lua asleep on his bed.
Her closed eyes and soft, sniffling breaths looked utterly pitiful. A few hours of sound sleep wouldn't even scratch the surface of the exhaustion built up over days.
"I know you're awake."
At Philip's words, Lua slowly opened her eyes.
"...I'm sorry, Instructor."
"Sorry? For what?"
"For acting like a fool... You had to go through trouble because of me."
She mumbled without meeting his eyes. Philip chuckled.
"If kids acting like kids is a crime, then who in the world is innocent? Get up. We have somewhere to go."
"...Huh?"
Philip didn't wait for her to rise on her own and extended his hand.
His body was buzzing with excitement at the thought of some real spending.
"I'll mark today as sick leave, so don't worry about classes... Hm?"
Just then, he heard footsteps outside the door. Heavy thuds grew closer. Someone was heading to his room.
The door burst open soon after, and in strode Professor Felicia Oswald.
"Instructor Philip Oswald."
She scanned the room, taking in the situation, and let out a sigh of relief once she confirmed nothing worrisome had happened.
"Ah, Professor. Good day."
"What on earth were you thinking, letting a female student sleep in your room?"
"I was gonna tuck her in nice and then gobble her up."
Felicia bristled at his joke.
"...You little."
"The kid hasn't eaten properly in days and barely slept. The other girls sharing her room were suffering from her crying. No better idea came to mind."
In truth, Philip hadn't done anything wrong. Felicia didn't seriously suspect him of harming a young girl.
She was just wary of pointless rumors spreading.
"Any problem with that?"
"...No."
"Then could you leave now? Even if you missed me all night, showing up first thing in the morning like this is... Hep!"
Philip dodged Felicia's front kick with superhuman reflexes. She seemed pretty pissed and shrieked,
"Do you wanna die?!"
He broke into a cold sweat while trying to calm her down.
"No, Sis. Calm down. My bad. There's a student here."
Felicia, who had briefly lost her reason to anger, suddenly felt a sense of wrongness.
'Hold on. 'My bad'?'
It was something anyone might say, but she'd never heard it from Philip's mouth. Staring at him in disbelief, she turned at the sound of giggling.
"Ah."
The young freshman was laughing at Philip and her bickering.
"You're smiling now."
Philip nodded in satisfaction.
Felicia couldn't adapt to this Philip at all. He was a completely different person from the brother she knew.
"I'm taking this child out of the academy for a bit, Professor."
"You think I'll allow that?"
"Just so you know, if you don't, I'll sneak her out anyway."
Felicia felt a headache coming on and rubbed her temples at his response.
"What are you planning to do?"
"Lots of things. Curious? Follow along."
"...Fine. I'll supervise personally, Instructor."
She dreaded what rumors might fly if he took the young girl out alone. And with his threat of kidnapping if she refused, she had no choice.
Felicia sighed and nodded.
"What about you? If you want to rest, I won't force you. The teachers are heading out for a bit—wanna come? It'll be fun."
Lua nodded without hesitation at Philip's question.
"Yes. Let's do that."
In her eyes, Philip was a good person. She didn't know why he was looking after her when they'd only met days ago, but her childlike instincts told her he quite liked her.
'He feels like Grandpa.'
Lua recalled her days before the academy, living in the mountains. Days spent with Grandpa and Ruen.
When the sun was up, she'd roam the mountains playing with Ruen. At sunset, she'd lie with her head in Grandpa's lap, listening to his old tales.
The way Philip looked at her resembled that 'Grandpa' so much.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 'Something's off.'
Philip realized he was walking the same street for the third time.
The shopping district was bustling as lunchtime approached.
Maids and servants from mansions, or guards, killed time there while waiting for their young masters or ladies.
Philip walked the shopping district with Felicia and Lua in tow.
"Instructor. I have no idea what you're trying to do. Why are we here?"
Felicia asked. Philip silently pointed to the most prominent building. It was the Yusuf Merchant Guild's.
"Isn't that the Yusuf Merchant Guild building? Why there?"
"Going to meet a friend. Made one recently—thought I'd introduce her to you, Professor."
Felicia's jaw dropped slightly at Philip's answer. Then she leaned close to his ear so Lua wouldn't hear.
"Are you sane? Going to meet a friend at the one merchant group on the continent that trades with elves and dwarves? If you cause trouble there, you're done for. Philip."
"Sis, does that mean you're finally worrying about me?"
"Not you—I'm worried about the swordsmanship department. If you're fired, finding a replacement isn't easy."
"Weren't you saying you'd boot me out no matter what?"
"..."
Come to think of it, she had said that, so Felicia shut her mouth. Philip suppressed the urge to tug at her pouted lips.
Arriving at the Yusuf Merchant Guild following Philip, Felicia spotted a woman standing at the main entrance.
A form-fitting red silk dress and a stole made from red fox tail fur.
She recognized the woman from somewhere.
'That person...?'
Branch Manager Lizriel Yusuf of the Yusuf Merchant Guild in Previa.
The woman who donated gold worth an entire mansion to the academy each year—a face even the Dean or Chief Professor rarely saw.
"Oh, Young Master Philip. You came quickly."
Lizriel Yusuf approached with an eye smile upon spotting Philip. He grinned amiably and draped an arm around her shoulder.
"I told you to drop the 'Young Master.' Didn't we agree to get friendly?"
"Oh, right. We did."
Felicia watched the scene and felt her mind reeling. She squeezed her eyes shut.