I Was Mistaken for the Tall Man (4)
Mistaken for the Tall Man (4)
***
A few days after the priestess and her daughter signed the scholarship recommendation form.
Before the ink on the recommendation form had even dried, an invitation arrived at their home.
[You are cordially invited to the Mercure Trading Company Talent Development Foundation Scholarship Recipient Welcome Dinner.]
The invitees were the eldest daughter, Valeria, and Aila.
The sender was, naturally, the scholarship officer, “Director Shun.”
The venue was .
It was a top-tier restaurant located in the bustling district of Civitas Square.
“Oh my god…”
It was a restaurant even the Priestess knew.
It was famous for its prices—a single meal could wipe out a mid-level healer’s weekly income.
The mere fact that they had invited her daughters there just for a single meal made the Priestess’s hand tremble slightly.
The conditions were too good.
The treatment was too kind.
Ominous thoughts began to snowball in her mind.
‘Surely not….’
She recalled the few reasons why nobles or the wealthy would sponsor the poor in this world.
To make that child their own tool in the future, or to claim the child’s research achievements as their own.
If not that….
‘Surely not… to make her a concubine?!’
The priestess did not know Director Shun’s age.
From the very beginning, he was a figure shrouded in secrecy, with everything about him kept hidden except for the fact that he was a genius.
However, judging by his genius and achievements, it was highly likely that he was at least a man in his thirties.
‘That scholarship officer actually meets her face-to-face and even has regular meals with her? And he’s even gone so far as to rent out this top-class restaurant entirely?’
Before she knew it, in the Priestess’s imagination, Director Shun had transformed into a greedy, potbellied lecherous old man preying on the innocence of young girls.
A chill ran down the Priestess’s spine.
Those in power never target just one thing at a time.
It was clearly a malicious scheme—not content with generously donating a massive scholarship to silence her, he was now setting his sights on her two beautiful daughters as well!
Without realizing it, the priestess brought her hand to her mouth.
Watching her mother’s profile as she bit her nails, the younger daughter, Aila, tilted her head in confusion.
‘Why is Mom acting like that?’
*
And so, the priestess’s misunderstanding only deepened.
The day of the promised dinner arrived.
The priestess was helping her two daughters tidy their outfits as they got ready to go out.
“Mom, I’m all set.”
The eldest daughter, Valeria, took a step back to avoid her mother’s touch.
“Tuck in your collar. It might be cold in the dining room.”
“I’ll take care of it myself.”
A curt reply. But the priestess did not back down.
“And your belt is crooked. Come here.”
“Oh, really….”
Valeria sighed and reluctantly approached.
Sixteen.
With the onset of hormonal storms, the eldest daughter had become noticeably more difficult to please.
In contrast, her younger daughter, Aila, was meekly accepting her mother’s touch.
“Mom, how do I look? Is there anything wrong with me?”
The fourteen-year-old looked up with bright, innocent eyes.
“Yes, our Aila is pretty.”
“Hehe.”
Aila spun around in place.
The hem of her slightly worn but neatly pressed dress fluttered gently.
The priestess finished tidying up her two daughters’ outfits.
For a long while, the priestess gazed silently at her treasures.
They were already talented and beautiful daughters.
So much so that it was hard to believe they had come from her own womb.
With these pretty clothes on, it was as if two angels had descended to the mortal realm. (At least, that’s how it looked to their mother.)
‘….’
But the more beautiful her daughters looked, the more the priestess’s anxiety grew.
Unable to bear the anxiety any longer, she gripped both of her daughters’ hands tightly.
Then, with a serious expression, she spoke.
“Girls. Listen to me carefully.”
“What kind of nonsense are you going to spout now?”
“Remember this. If that scholarship officer makes any strange demands of you, you must politely refuse. Understand?”
Valeria’s expression twisted at those words.
Aila tilted her head in confusion.
But the priestess continued with a solemn expression.
“And no matter what excuse he gives, if he asks you to go somewhere alone with him, you must never go. Even when you go to the restroom, you must hold hands and go together.”
“Oh, I understand…”
“No matter what happens, you must never drink anything like an aperitif. You must remember that.”
Faced with her mother’s suffocating warnings, Aila could only blink, while Valeria let out a deep sigh as if she couldn’t believe it.
That was because she thought she knew what her mother was worried about.
Of course, this was something Valeria was a little worried about as well.
It was a story often heard in their circles that a patron who seemed kind-hearted was actually after the girl’s virginity.
It wasn’t impossible that Director Shun was that kind of person, either.
But Valeria didn’t care.
She was sixteen.
In three years, she would be a full-fledged adult.
She was well past the age of innocence and old enough to weather the world’s storms.
(At least, that’s what Valeria was confident of.)
Even if Director Shun tried to pull some trick, Valeria was confident she could get herself and her younger sister out safely.
“I got it, so I’m leaving now. I can’t be late, you know.”
“I’ll be back, Mom!”
“I’ll be back.”
“Make sure to take good care of Aila!”
Leaving her mother’s parting words behind her, Valeria headed for the front door.
A glossy black carriage was waiting for them in front of the house.
The Mercure Trading Company’s crest was engraved in gold leaf on the carriage door.
“Wow!”
‘Wow….’
Aila’s eyes sparkled with pure delight,
while Valeria struggled to maintain a composed, expressionless face.
“Well, we’re off then.”
“Got it? Be very careful….”
“I said I got it.”
Valeria closed the door with a grimace.
“We’ll be back!”
Aila poked her head out of the carriage and waved cheerfully.
Soon, the elegant wheels began to roll smoothly.
In the blink of an eye, the carriage sped out of the alley and vanished toward the heart of the glittering capital.
An alley shrouded in acrid smog.
The priestess stared at the dust trail left by the carriage, rubbing her hands together anxiously as she stood alone.
“Please, protect our children…”
Amidst the massive tide.
There, the priestess prayed fervently that the mysterious school inspector her daughters would encounter—‘Director Shun’—would not be a lecher.
***
— Clack, clack. Swoosh.
On the way to the dining hall.
While riding in the ebony carriage, Valeria and Aila could only marvel at the overwhelming comfort of the ride.
‘So this is the power of money….’
‘Wow, Director Shun must be rich.’
The luxurious carriage finally came to a smooth stop.
“We have arrived, ladies. Please step down carefully.”
The coachman bowed deeply and opened the door.
Valeria cautiously stepped out first, tiptoeing down.
Aila followed her sister and hopped out of the carriage.
Once outside, the sisters couldn’t help but gasp.
The bustling streets of Kibitas Square, now shrouded in darkness.
Among the countless buildings, a massive white structure stood out, its imposing presence towering over them.
A top-tier restaurant frequented only by the elite and knights.
The light from the magnificent golden chandelier adorning the entrance illuminated the street as brightly as broad daylight.
On the stairs lined with red carpet, doormen in uniforms adorned with gold braid stood guard at the entrance.
Faced with such overwhelming grandeur, Valeria found herself swallowing hard without realizing it.
The girl, who until just moments ago had considered herself an adult thanks to the confidence of adolescence, found herself feeling infinitely small.
“Wow…”
Aila, on the other hand, stood with her mouth agape, completely captivated by the magnificent building that looked like something out of a fairy tale.
In front of the restaurant, luxurious carriages similar to the one they had arrived in were arriving one after another.
Boys and girls around their age were getting out of the carriages. They, too, appeared to be scholarship students sponsored by the Mercure Trading Company.
Most of them seemed to be of commoner origin.
Standing before the magnificent building, they looked completely intimidated, exchanging only awkward glances with one another.
Counting them, there were just over ten people in total.
“This way, please. Your party is waiting in the private room.”
The manager, having spotted the students, approached them.
Guided courteously by the manager, the ten students began walking down the marble-floored corridor.
“Our restaurant was founded 150 years ago by the first manager, Mr. Arlmond…”
On the way to Director Shun’s office, the hallway was lined with numerous works of art.
A high-end restaurant was not merely a space for dining.
The meal began with appreciating art and preparing oneself emotionally before actually picking up one’s utensils.
However, the students, unaware of this fact, could only marvel at how even the hallway in a high-end restaurant was extraordinary.
The manager introduced each piece of art to the students as he slowly made his way toward the back of the restaurant.
After spending about 30 minutes introducing the artworks,
the manager glanced sideways at the clock hanging on the wall.
“It’s time. I hope you all have a wonderful time.”
As the door opened, polished silverware was revealed on the long table.
The students sat stiffly in their assigned seats, barely even breathing.
After the manager bowed politely and withdrew, a suffocating silence hung in the tightly closed private room.
Not a single student dared to speak first; they simply stared blankly at their crystal glasses and swallowed hard.
Valeria, too, clutched Aila’s hand tightly, glancing toward the door as if ready to flee at any moment.
How long did that suffocating silence last?
“Everyone seems so stiff. Why don’t we introduce ourselves before Director Shun arrives?”
Unable to bear it any longer, one boy broke the silence first.
It was Karl, a fifteen-year-old prodigy who was making a name for himself in the Academy’s Middle School Swordmanship Department.
At his suggestion, a few students cautiously nodded.
“I’m Karl from the Swordmanship Department. Nice to meet you.”
Kal forced a relaxed smile and picked up the silver steak knife lying on the table.
“To lighten the mood, I’ll show you something fun.”
The silver steak knife he held was enveloped in a red glow.
Combat Aura.
A special ability for knights and warriors, distinct from magical power or divine power.
It was a superpower with even worse energy efficiency than magic or divine power—one that even a professor couldn’t sustain for more than a few minutes a day.
But Battle Fervor had one advantage.
Unlike magic or divine power, it could be used even by those who weren’t particularly bright.
That’s why Battle Fervor had another nickname: “The Fools’ Miracle.”
Anyway.
Kal intended to use that Tugiki—which was difficult to sustain for even a few seconds a day—right here and now.
“If I imbue this dull dinner knife with Tugiki, I can slice through a falling napkin as cleanly as a razor blade.”
This was a way to gain the upper hand and make a statement.
Tuki was generally a power that one could only wield freely after graduating from high school.
Naturally, it was a power that middle school students could hardly even hope to master.
But Kal had awakened to this Tuki at an early age.
It wasn’t for nothing that he had taken second place in the Swordmanship Department.
‘I’ll save this Tuki to show off in front of the Director.’
With that thought in mind, Kal picked up a white napkin with his other hand.
Then he tossed the napkin lightly into the air.
The napkin fluttered as it fell.
The students’ gazes all turned to Kal’s hand holding the knife.
Kal steeled himself inwardly and channeled his fighting spirit into the knife.
‘…Huh?’
But a problem arose.
The most important elements in fighting spirit were concentration and willpower.
However, Karl, who was extremely nervous due to the grandeur of the dining hall and the unfamiliar atmosphere, found it difficult to concentrate as he usually did.
Thud.
As a result, the steak knife, lacking any momentum, slid harmlessly past the napkin.
The students forced themselves to look away from the knife.
“Ahem.”
The knife cleared its throat and picked up the napkin.
“My mistake. I guess the energy didn’t flow into it well because it’s silver. I’ll show you again.”
He couldn’t afford to make a mistake this time.
Feeling desperate, Karl swung the knife with all his might just before the napkin touched the table.
His plan was that even if the energy didn’t manifest, he would tear the napkin to shreds by sheer force if necessary.
Fortunately, the aura formed on the knife just in time.
‘Got it!’
But unfortunately, Kal’s palm was sweaty.
Whoosh—!
The knife, which had been slicing through the air with all his might, slipped smoothly from his sweaty palm.
“Ah.”
A dazed sigh escaped the knife’s mouth.
The silver knife, having left his hand, sliced through the air at a terrifying speed, flying straight toward the forehead of Ellie, the top student in the Alchemy Department, who was sitting across the table.
Faced with the suddenly flying blade, Ellie froze, unable even to scream.
Valeria, too, held her breath, her eyes wide.
Just as a horrific tragedy—a person being impaled by a knife right before their eyes—was about to unfold.
“Well, well. Is this how kids play these days?”
“….”
“…?”
Everyone in the room rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
Just an inch before it touched Ellie’s forehead.
Standing in front of her face was a red-haired woman who had appeared out of nowhere.
Dressed neatly in a women’s suit, she—between Erika’s index and middle fingers—held a steak knife that had been slicing through the air, now resting quietly there.
‘What… is that person? When did she show up?’
Goosebumps broke out all over Valeria’s spine.
The same went for Kal.
Although they were only in middle school, their senses had been honed by the sword since childhood.
Yet they hadn’t sensed the woman’s arrival.
The red-haired woman snapped the knife wedged between her fingers with a hand brimming with fighting spirit and spoke.
“Is this how the welcome ceremony for the Academy’s Swordmanship Department goes? Surely someone who makes a living with a sword wouldn’t let it slip.”
The sword froze in place as he stared at the red-haired woman—Erika.
“…W-Who… are you, sir?”
“Me? I’m the director’s assistant… apparently. Today, I’m serving as both bodyguard and secretary.”
Erika tossed the broken blade into the trash can and walked toward the door.
Squeak.
And as she opened the door, a man appeared from the other side.
“You were running so fast all by yourself. Did something happen?”
“No. It’s nothing. I just sensed some tension where the kids were. I came running over just in case, Teacher.”
“What was it?”
“Um…”
Erika glanced briefly at the knife, then said,
“It was nothing. Just a welcome ceremony.”
She shrugged her shoulders, brushing off what had just happened.
At Erika’s words, the man nodded.
After exchanging a few casual words with Erika, the man walked over to the students.
The first thing that caught their eye was his neat and sophisticated, high-end suit.
And on his head, he wore a wide-brimmed black fedora pulled down low.
The students realized that it was no ordinary hat.
It appeared to be a magical artifact imbued with a spell to obscure his features; a deep shadow fell beneath the brim, revealing only the tip of his nose, his sharp jawline, and lips curled into a faint smile.
The man, who had entered the room with a leisurely stride, spoke.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
It was a low, soft voice that echoed faintly throughout the room.
It was as if some strange magic had been imbued in that single phrase.
The students, who had been trembling just moments ago, straightened their backs and sat up straight all at once, as if on cue.
Valeria’s eyes widened slightly.
‘He’s not the potbellied, lecherous old pervert Mom talked about…?’
She could tell just by looking at his facial features, his voice, and his gait.
He was much younger than she had expected, and he exuded an overwhelming air of dignity.
He was a far cry from her mother’s ominous imaginings of a man with a mistress.
“He has such a nice voice…”
Aila murmured softly, her cheeks flushing slightly.
This time, Valeria didn’t bother to cover her sister’s mouth.
The man in the suit—Julian—who had naturally taken his seat at the head of the table, gave the children a gentle smile.
“There’s no need to be nervous. Please sit comfortably. Today, it’s not me, the school inspector, but you who are the stars. Oh, I’m sorry for the late introduction.”
— My name is Director Shun.
At the man’s final introduction, the eyes of the students—except for the sisters—grew as wide as the moon.