*
Once the business talk came to a close, the Guild Master subtly changed the subject.
“Where should we have our meal?”
I looked at my watch.
It was already lunchtime.
“I see. It's time for lunch.”
“Perhaps we could go to that place the Young Master said was nice last time?”
“Hmm...”
The restaurant, it's good.
The music was decent, and the food was excellent.If even the picky nobles of Sanctum Hill came down to eat at this restaurant, that said it all.
But there was one thing that bothered me.
I glanced at Eri for a moment.
A restaurant visited even by the nobles of Sanctum Hill.
I doubted this child knew the table manners of such a high-end restaurant.
She might even hold the knife in a reverse grip if I gave it to her to cut her meat.
The nobles would point fingers at Eri, and she would sense that something was wrong, leaving with nothing but bad memories.
I didn't want this child to have such a disheartening experience.
So I subtly asked the Guild Master about another place.
“Unfortunately, this wasn't on the schedule, so I couldn't meet the dress code. It's a shame, but could we go somewhere else? A more comfortable place would be nice.”
The Guild Master paused at my question.
I gave a slight nod in Eri's direction.
Gustav looked at Eri with a puzzled expression.
Just then, Eri sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve.
Even dressed in silk, the wild nature of the Limbus Pit cannot be hidden.
Gustav's eyes glinted with realization.
“Ah! Haha!”
The Guild Master slapped his knee.
“As it happens, I've been really into buffets lately! So many kinds of food, and the atmosphere is so casual! Would that be all right with the Young Master?”
“That's fine.”
The lunch menu was decided: a buffet.
Eri tilted her head.
She seemed to sense that something was off, but her expression showed she didn't know exactly what.
'She doesn't know this way of speaking yet.'
Well, she can learn slowly.
“Then let's go there.”
Right. She's at a growing age.
Today, just eat as much as you want.
***
Yulian's party arrived at a restaurant called [Gastro&Gusto].
It was one of the economy buffets the Merkur Trading Company had a contract with for employee welfare.
Cling.
As they opened the door with the sound of a bell, Eri's steps halted.
“...”
Her jaw dropped as if it would fall off.
It was too vast to be called a mere restaurant.
It was massive, magnificent, and hot.
It was, quite literally, closer to a giant factory.
Hiss— Hiiiiss—
White steam was billowing out from under the long rows of brass tables.
Hot water pipes laid on the floor were keeping the food from getting cold.
On top, steaming roasted turkeys and thick steaks were piled up like mountains.
On the opposite side, a chiller hummed, emitting a cold draft.
On a mountain of ice that wouldn't melt even in midsummer, colorful fruits and ice creams were displayed like gems.
And the staff rushed around, frantically refilling the pots so they would never be empty.
“This... is all food?”
Erika mumbled blankly.
In the slums, people would get into stabbings over a single piece of rotten bread.
But this place was packed with more food than a person could eat in a lifetime, even throwing it away if it got cold.
The overwhelming violence of abundance.
The girl was too stunned to even feel a sense of relative deprivation.
“What are you doing? Not coming in?”
“Can I really eat anything?”
“Put as much as you want on your plate and eat.”
“Is there a limit to how many times?”
“None.”
“Does the president here even want to make money?”
Yulian let out a chuckle at her words.
I wonder if she knows how much the entrance fee is here.
It would still be profitable even if Eri sat here for 24 hours and chewed her cud like a cow.
“Don't worry about that and just eat your fill.”
“Eheheh...”
Letting out a silly laugh, she was guided to a table.
Yulian held her hand tightly so she wouldn't get lost.
Forgetting that he himself was just a twelve-year-old child.
The sight of him taking care of Erika looked just like that of loving siblings, enough to make the adults watching them smile warmly.
He stopped Erika, who was about to go get food before even knowing where their table was.
The party took their seats in a private room.
“...Teacher.”
“What is it?”
“Do nobles eat like this all the time?”
Inside the private room.
Before going out to get food, Erika asked a question.
Yulian didn't answer, simply lifting his glass of water.
He just gave a vague smile, neither affirming nor denying it.
In truth, the truly rich don't come to places like buffets.
The lack of need for table manners, in other words, meant there was no need to show off one's dignity.
The true upper class confirm their hierarchy amongst themselves over course meals at restaurants; they don't do things like lining up to get food.
Buffets are restaurants for the ambiguous middle class, who are only slightly wealthier than commoners and can't even be categorized as nouveau riche.
But there was no need to throw cold water on an excited child.
“Don't worry about that, just go and get what you want to eat.”
“...Really? You won't regret it?”
“Yes. Eat a lot.”
Eri shot up from her seat.
She couldn't understand why he was being so good to her.
But could she refuse just because she didn't understand? If it was a happiness that could end at any moment, she had to enjoy it to the fullest before it was over.
She picked up a plate and trotted over to the food tables.
But her resolve appeared differently to others.
“Haha. That's how they should be at that age.”
The Guild Master watched her back with a fatherly smile.
Erika had stood up from her seat with her own kind of resolve.
But to the Guild Master and Yulian, she looked different.
In their eyes, she was just an immature child who, unfamiliar with etiquette, had run off to get food before the host.
As Erika's guardian, Yulian slightly bowed his head to the Guild Master.
“My apologies. She's a child who still has difficulty with self-control.”
“Not at all. It's rather nice to see.”
The Guild Master lifted his teacup.
“By the way, Young Master. I have one more piece of good news.”
“What is it?”
“You know that the Empire's Ministry of Commerce will be conducting a rank evaluation soon, right?”
“Yes. I'm aware.”
The world inside the Brass Wall is finite.
The land, the resources, the people.
In such a world, free competition inevitably leads to monopoly, and monopoly leads to chaos within the walls.
The Ministry of Commerce was an institution born from such a book of wrong answers.
The work of the Ministry of Commerce is simple.
It evaluates the scale and influence of each trading company to assign a rank, and levies taxes and duties according to that rank.
In return, it provides corresponding benefits and protection.
Those who have more give more, and those who give more gain more rights.
You can think of it as that kind of system.
“Hehehe...”
After bringing up the keyword of the Ministry of Commerce, Guild Master Gustav suddenly let out a suspicious laugh.
His face was actively spoiling what he was about to say, but Yulian played dumb and led him on.
“So, what about the Ministry of Commerce? By any chance, did we miss a tax payment?”
“Hehe. Not at all.”
“Then did we perhaps break a prohibition?”
“Noooope~?”
The Guild Master's smile deepened each time Yulian gave a wrong answer.
Then, just as Yulian was getting the impression that the Guild Master's behavior was becoming more like a nouveau riche by the day.
The Guild Master, who had been dragging it out, finally revealed the right answer.
“It seems we're likely to be promoted to Class 2.”
“Ah, I see. Congratulations.”
“It's all thanks to you, Young Master! Without Quinine and Insulin, we wouldn't have even dreamed of this!”
Despite Yulian's dry reaction, Guild Master Gustav flapped his arms exaggeratedly, his jowls wobbling.
Class 2 meant it was a major trading company.
On a scale that did business not just in one city, but across several.
A trading company that was on the verge of bankruptcy just a few years ago had become a nationwide major trading company.
“Once Insulin succeeds, we'll be able to act as the leader even among the Class 2 major trading companies!”
The Guild Master chattered excitedly.
Yulian calmly clapped for him from across the table.
It wasn't that he wasn't happy.
The Merkur Trading Company was also Yulian's company.
He was a Director and held a 14 percent stake. (For reference, the Guild Master holds 16 percent.)
That's why Yulian was also cheering inwardly, calling it the Mvidia Stock Miracle.
But his expression was as cold as ever.
Because of his character image.
“This is truly a good thing.”
“It's all thanks to you, Director!”
The Guild Master suddenly burst into tears and tried to hug Yulian.
Yulian leaned back slightly, escaping from the Guild Master's clutches.
Fortunately, the table between them blocked the Guild Master from reaching Yulian.
The Guild Master sat down again, looking sheepish.
Back in his seat, he took out a handkerchief to wipe his tears and spoke.
“But you know...”
“?”
“With the promotion, don't the taxes increase as well?”
“...”
“Sob. How is a small business owner like me supposed to make a living? This country takes everything.”
Yulian stared at him without a word.
He desperately wanted to retort that he was talking nonsense.
In this world where everything is stratified by class, a rise in a trading company's rank is not merely an empty honor.
A trading company's rank is a type of noble title.
When a company's rank goes up, it can obtain some of the rights of the nobility, even without a bloodline.
A Class 2 Trading Company is equivalent to a Baron or Viscount.
In other words, the Guild Master had now gained the right to freely enter Sanctum Hill without permission.
In the first place, even doubling the tax isn't a harsh measure.
Considering the privileges and monopoly rights given to Class 2, he'd only pretend to cry even if the tax were tripled.
Thus, Yulian looked at the crying Guild Master Gustav with a cold, unimpressed stare.
Thinking that the Guild Master's nouveau riche image didn't seem to be just because of his looks.
*
At that moment, Erika.
She was faced with the choice of a lifetime.
“Lamb or pork...”
A tiny space left in the corner of her plate.
The problem was what meat to put there.
Just then, a voice came from behind her.
“Excuse me, Young Lady.”
When she turned, a white-haired old man was standing there.
A neat black suit. His back was slightly bent, but even that was overshadowed by the dignity emanating from him.
It was a face she had seen before.
The old man who had seen the Young Master off at the mansion in Sanctum Hill.
He was the Head Butler of the Nihilrit Family.
“...Huh?”
Erika blinked.
“You're... the Head Butler, right? But why are you here...?”
The Head Butler gave a gentle smile and bowed his head.
“This old man couldn't overcome his curiosity about the person the Young Master has kept by his side for the first time, and has committed a rudeness.”
“Did you follow us?”
“Let's call it a bodyguard detail.”
Erika was at a loss for words.
“I am Wilhelm, the Head Butler. It is an honor to meet you.”
“No, no. Please don't do that.”
Erika hastily waved her hands.
The highest authority she knew until a few days ago was Wangcho.
That was the limit of the 'sky' the people living in those dark alleys could imagine.
But now, faced with a feast of a Young Master, a Guild Master, and now a Head Butler who made even Wangcho seem like a 'nobody,' she couldn't keep her wits about her.
“You shouldn't greet me like that. I'm just... just an assistant.”
At her denial, Wilhelm's eyebrows twitched minutely.
“Pardon my rudeness, but where are you from?”
“...Limbus Pit, Tanner Street.”
Erika answered honestly.
There was no point in hiding it. It was bound to show eventually.
Besides, she didn't dare lie in front of that experienced head butler.
But the Head Butler's reaction was different from what she expected.
“Is that so.”
He bowed even more deeply.
“In that case, I must show you even more courtesy.”
“...What?”
Erika was bewildered.
The Head Butler quietly continued.
“Young Lady. Do you know who it is that chose you?”
“Teacher Schnabel... no, the Young Master.”
“The Young Master... haha.”
The butler's gaze turned toward the private room in the distance.
Through the window, she could see Yulian talking with the Guild Master.
Unlike the nouveau riche Guild Master, an untouchable dignity emanated from Yulian across from him, even through the window.
“To describe him with a mere word like 'Young Master' might perhaps be rude.”
Erika fell silent at the Head Butler's subtle point.
Her gaze fell upon Yulian beyond the window, holding a teacup with an indifferent expression.
He looked like a born noble, dealing with the excitedly chattering nouveau riche.
“...I know that, too.”
Erika mumbled, her head hung low.
“That's why I don't get it. The Young Master is a genius. He's like a wizard who can whip up medicine with a touch of his hand, so why did he have to take me... Is it okay for someone like me to be by his side...”
An undeserved fortune given to a slum orphan.
It felt less like a blessing and more like walking on thin ice that could break at any moment.
But the Head Butler shook his head.
“You are mistaken, Young Lady.”
His voice was low, but firm.
“The reason I called the title 'Young Master' rude is that it is not his bloodline that makes him noble.”
“What?”
“For the same reason, calling him a genius might also be rude. That word... it feels like praising only the result, without knowing the effort he has put in behind the scenes.”
The Head Butler paused and gazed at Erika.
Erika nodded blankly.
The Head Butler signaled for Erika to follow and slowly walked toward the food tables.
His steps were as natural as if he were taking a stroll.
Erika followed him without realizing it.
“Do you know how many times he has failed, Young Lady?”
“...I don't know.”
“Of course. People always see only the finished result. They don't know how much blood and sweat is required to create that result.”
The Head Butler stopped in front of the warmly heated meat section.
He glanced at Erika's plate.
There was still some empty space.
“Ah, I recommend the lamb. The rosemary aroma here is exquisite. There's nothing better for an introduction to lamb.”
“Ah... yes.”
Clatter. The Head Butler picked up a pair of silver tongs and placed the meat on Erika's plate himself.
“...!”
As Erika tried to pull back in surprise, he continued speaking softly.
“Young Lady. Would you answer this old man's question?”
He spoke in a low murmur, gazing at the steaming steaks.
“A noble born with nobility engraved in their bloodline.
A genius blessed with talent by God who easily changes the world.
And...”
The Head Butler's gaze slowly fell upon Erika.
“A person born with nothing, who walks a thorny path alone, shouldering a noble mission.”
His eyes deepened.
“Among these, which title do you think shines the brightest?”
Erika held her breath.
She wanted to answer, but her lips would not part easily.
As if her reaction were the correct answer, the butler gave a satisfied smile.
“Then, I will ask one last thing. To stand beside such a person, what kind of person do you think you must become, Young Lady?”
“...”
Erika's lips trembled, but no sound came out.
It wasn't because she didn't know the answer.
It was because she sensed the weight she would have to bear the moment she spoke that answer.
Did he read her hesitation?
The Head Butler's eyes curved into a gentle smile.
“You do not need to give an answer right now. If the clothes are too big, you simply have to grow into them. I can see that you have more than enough potential, Young Lady.”
“...”
“Now, let us go. The meat will get cold.”
As if he had never said anything heavy, the old man turned toward the dessert corner with a gentle smile once more.
Then he stopped abruptly as if he'd just remembered something, and whispered quietly enough for only Erika to hear.
“By the way, did you know?”
“?”
“This old man, too, used to hate nothing more in the world than getting a cricket's hind leg stuck in his teeth while eating a No. 13 Supply-type Block.”
“...Huh?”
The No. 13 Supply-type Block.
The cricket nutrient bar provided by the city to the poor to maintain a minimal labor force.
And for the Head Butler of Sanctum Hill to mention that fact meant...
Erika's eyes went wide.
But the Head Butler just went, Shh, put a finger to his lips, and gave her a wink.
“There is no reason a young lady like you cannot do the same, so you may be confident.”
“...!”
He bowed politely and turned his back to her.
“Please enjoy your meal, Young Lady.”
Left behind, Erika couldn't move for a long while.
In the middle of the bustling noise of the buffet.
She felt that the plate in her hands was incredibly heavy.