Chapter 44: Was Mistaken for Daddy-Long-Legs (3)

On the outskirts of the Empire's Capital, a worn-down, cramped residential area where commoners gathered.

Civitas Square, at an evening where the sunset was gently fading.

The carriage carrying the Low-rank Priestess came to a stop in an alleyway paved with cobblestones.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Clutching the pouch of gold coins to her chest, the priestess got out of the carriage and looked up at her home, steeped in the sunset.

A narrow, vertically long, three-story red brick house.

Stained and blackened by smog, it was an old boarding house, the kind you could see anywhere in Civitas Square.

Her family lived by renting a single room on the 2nd floor of this narrow, steep building.

Climbing the creaking wooden stairs, the priestess stood before the firmly shut door of her room.

Perhaps because she had just been at the grand mansion on Sanctum Hill.

Today, her home felt particularly old and shabby.

Creak.

The door opened with the sound of a rusty hinge.

“Mom’s home.”

The priestess’s tired voice filled the cramped room.

From the space that served as both a living room and bedroom, and from the kitchen separated by a single door, two different replies came back.

“You’re back?”

A corner of the living room.

Her eldest daughter, lying on her stomach on the old sofa and reading a book, returned an indifferent answer without even lifting her head.

Her eldest daughter, Valeria.

At sixteen, she was going through puberty, and had become quite blunt lately.

In contrast, a cheerful voice came from the kitchen.

“Mom! You’re back? You must be tired!”

A fourteen-year-old girl approached with light steps.

Her younger daughter, Ayla.

Unlike Valeria, she showed no signs of puberty, a kind and innocent child without a hint of gloom.

In Ayla’s hand was a pencil stub and a worn-out notebook stained with ink.

She must have been studying at the dining table until just before her mother arrived.

Her older daughter had likely given up that table for her younger sister, studying on the sofa herself.

Imagining the scene, a corner of the priestess’s heart ached.

'I'm sorry, my dears...'

After being widowed.

She had persevered, working as a Low-rank Priest at the Cathedral during the day and moving between street stalls in Civitas Square at night.

Then one day, she suddenly awakened her divine power.

A priest who awakens divine power can become a healing priest and receive much better status.

Thanks to that, she was able to escape the life of a street vendor.

But reality was still harsh.

She was still in a position where she couldn't even grasp the edge of the middle class, moving from one cramped rental room to another.

Of course, a Low-rank Priest's earnings surpassed that of an ordinary middle-class person.

A single Minor Heal could earn as much as an artisan’s full day of income.

But the problem was the killer rent and her daughters' education expenses.

Within the walls where land was limited.

The right to set foot in the safe Civitas Square was by no means cheap.

On top of this, her two daughters, unlike her, had awakened their talents at an early age.

Her eldest was skilled in arithmetic and was able to enter the Academy Middle School Division,

and her younger daughter had awakened the potential for divine power and was attending the Seminary Children's Division.

On a Low-rank Priest’s salary, it was difficult to afford these education costs while also covering the rent.

'Still... for a while, I won't have to worry about money.'

The priestess clutched the pouch of gold coins in her arms.

The sum included payment for two Minor Heals, as well as the hush money.

Thanks to this unexpected reward, she could let her two daughters focus solely on their studies for a while without worrying about money.

Recalling that fact, she forced a bright expression.

“Mom’s a bit late, isn't she? You must be hungry. I’ll get dinner ready quickly.”

It was then.

Tuk.

The front door she had just closed behind her.

Something slid in through the gap under the threshold.

At the sound, the priestess’s head turned toward the front door.

Through the gap of the old threshold.

An obviously high-quality letter envelope was peeking out.

The priestess carefully picked up the letter.

The edge of the heavy, cream-colored parchment envelope was decorated with a gold border.

On the front of the envelope, a crest was embossed in gold leaf.

'Merkur... Trading Company?'

The Merkur Trading Company.

It was a company that no healer could fail to know.

The medicines created by this company were, without exception, revolutionary.

The southern fever, wasting disease, and even the pus plague.

The medicines produced by this company were saving countless lives.

Among healers, this company's medicines were practically essential.

“Oh? It’s the Merkur Trading Company, isn’t it?”

Her younger daughter, who aimed to be a healer, also knew this company well.

There was a good reason why this trading company had become famous among healers.

Right after this company first came to prominence.

Most healing priests were wary and displeased, considering them heretics.

It was because they believed the trading company would take away the healing priests' livelihood.

But that displeasure did not last even a year.

Because the trading company declared that they would only distribute medicine through healers.

— “Medicine can become poison depending on how it is used. Therefore, our company promises to distribute medicine only through experts.”

The company never sold medicine to civilians.

Instead, they entrusted all prescription and dispensing rights to healers.

It was a groundbreaking declaration that even healers had never considered.

An era where anyone could make and sell unidentified medicines.

An era where anyone could become a snake oil salesman, and anyone could buy such medicine.

In such an era, exclusive prescription rights through healers were enough to shake the world of healing.

“Ugh... Mom, I don’t like this company.”

“Hm? Why?”

“The medicines from this company are on my next exam...”

At her younger daughter’s grumbling, the priestess gave a bitter smile.

Of course, there were such minor side effects.

But even so, to the priests, the Merkur Trading Company was a grateful existence.

Originally, there is a limit to the amount of healing priests can use in a day.

But after gaining prescription rights thanks to the company, the fame and income of healers exploded to a level incomparable to before.

The company's decision was so praiseworthy that the Holy King and the Cardinals had even considered giving Insulin a blessing.

As for the vaccine, they blessed it immediately without a second thought, even before it was released.

'But why would this company suddenly...?'

The priestess stroked her whining younger daughter's head once.

She carefully broke the embossed gold leaf seal and opened the envelope.

And the moment she unfolded the thick document inside.

The priestess's eyes widened as if she had seen something unbelievable.

======================

[Letter of Recommendation for Admission to the Imperial Academy High School Division & Scholarship Certificate]

— Beneficiary: Valeria

— Support Details: Full tuition for the High School Division, monthly stipend for dignity maintenance, full cost of textbooks

— Special Clause: Mandatory employment at the trading company for 5 years after graduation

=======================

“G-Good heavens...”

Is this some new kind of scam?

As soon as she read the contents, the priestess felt her legs give way.

Meanwhile, her hands were unconsciously tearing open the second envelope.

======================

[Recommendation for Special Scholarship Student at the Seminary under the direct control of the Sun Cult Monastery]

— Beneficiary: Ayla.

— Support Details: Full tuition, free single room in a first-class dormitory.

— Special Clause: 15-year exclusive contract for the company's medicine after ordination

=======================

An elite course that the priestess felt she could never reach, no matter how much she struggled her whole life.

That opportunity was contained in this small envelope.

The priestess’s heart began to pound.

Please, let this not be a dream.

However, that excitement did not last long.

“...Ah.”

After her reason returned a little.

It was because she realized what these letters meant.

'This is hush money.'

The timing was too perfect.

Not even half a day had passed since she witnessed the miracle of the baronial family's eldest son curing the Demon Disease and received a chilling threat along with a pouch of gold coins from the head of the family.

An offer so perfect it was far beyond the common sense of a low-rank priest had arrived.

To dismiss this as a coincidence, the timing was just too impeccable.

The priestess swallowed a dry gulp.

This was neither a simple goodwill nor a new type of scam.

It was an exceptional and reasonable carrot dangled by a person of power, to definitively buy her silence.

'No. This is to be expected.'

She had not only made a mistake, but she had also witnessed the secret of a noble family.

Something that should never be known to the world.

And yet, her life was spared.

It was only natural that she should pay a price for that.

But instead of taking her life, they demanded her silence by opening a golden path for her two daughters.

There was no reason to refuse.

No, it was impossible to refuse.

She couldn't let her two brilliant daughters shuttle between a cramped kitchen table and a worn-out sofa, worrying about school fees.

'If anything... it's more than I deserve.'

The heavier her lips, the more brilliant her daughters' lives would be.

If she could just take this secret to her grave, she could break the cycle of poverty.

This was an opportunity. Not a leash.

The priestess clenched the documents, forcing strength into her trembling hands.

...But she couldn't stop her hands from shaking.

She was just a low-rank priest, living from hand to mouth.

And now, she had come into the sights of a noble family from Sanctum Hill and the largest trading company in the Empire.

An unimaginably high place, where gold and power intertwined.

The fact that someone from there would be looking down on her for the rest of her life was terrifyingly real.

Even if that gaze was a merciful one.

No, it was all the more frightening because it was merciful.

'...It's okay. I just have to keep my mouth shut.'

The heavier her lips, the more brilliant her daughters' lives would be,

and if her lips became light, all of this would become nothing but bubbles.

It was as simple as that.

In exchange for becoming part of a great secret, she had been given a great opportunity.

This was a blessing, not a curse.

'Yes... I must accept it gladly. No, I can't be thankful enough for a lifetime.'

The priestess felt shameless for feeling fear right now.

So she bit her trembling lips and steeled her heart.

“Mom? What’s with that expression? What is that?”

Just then, her younger daughter’s voice broke into her thoughts.

Ayla, holding the old notebook and pencil stub, tilted her head and asked.

Valeria, who had been lying on the sofa, also cast a sidelong glance.

“Oh... um, that is...”

The priestess, flustered, tried to hide the documents behind her back, but soon forced her stiff expression to relax and smiled softly.

“Well, it’s a letter from a place called a ‘Scholarship Foundation’.”

“A Scholarship Foundation? What kind of place is that?”

“Umm... I wonder?”

At her mother’s vague answer, Valeria furrowed her brow.

In this world setting, it was common for nobles or major trading companies to sponsor commoners.

But this was mostly for the purpose of using them as private soldiers or taking them as concubines.

Donations for research were also mostly for monopolizing the results of that research.

Thus, the concept of a 'Scholarship Foundation' that purely supported academics was unfamiliar and strange.

Therefore, the priestess also could not understand the intention of this Scholarship Foundation.

But her puberty-stricken eldest daughter's gaze was so sharp that the priestess pretended to know and fumbled through an explanation.

“W-Well. Since you both study so excellently and diligently at school... a wonderful trading company that has taken notice of your talents has offered to support all of your tuition and living expenses.”

Surprisingly, that was the correct answer.

Although her eldest daughter did not let go of her suspicious gaze.

In contrast, the unsuspecting Ayla jumped up and down with joy.

“Wow! Really?! Does that mean I can go to the dormitory now?!”

“Y-Yes.”

“Hmph. This is obviously some trick by the trading company. Don’t you know there’s no such thing as a free lunch?”

The sixteen-year-old girl lifted her chin, pretending to be chic and unfazed.

But the corners of her mouth were already twitching.

She couldn’t hide her anticipation that the misery of giving up the kitchen table for her sister and studying on the old sofa could finally end.

“I’ll take a look to see what kind of toxic clauses there might be. I’m studying law for the entrance exam anyway.”

Valeria, acting like an adult, snatched the recommendation letter from her mother's hand.

Before the priestess had a chance to stop her, Valeria, who was quickly scanning the document, tilted her head.

“Huh?”

“What, what is it? Valeria?”

The priestess's heart sank.

Could there be some scary phrase like a non-disclosure agreement written there?

But the part Valeria pointed out was completely different.

“There’s a weird condition.”

“A condition?”

“Yeah. Maintain a rank within the top 5. Maintain a neat and dignified appearance and no demerits at the academy. It's a natural demand if you look at it as an investment, but...”

Valeria’s finger pointed to the very last line of the document.

“But what’s this last condition? It’s a bit strange.”

“The l-last condition?”

The priestess hurriedly went to her daughter’s side and looked at the document.

At the very bottom, a special clause was written in small print.

[The beneficiaries of this foundation are required to have a mandatory meal with the foundation's scholarship officer once every six months to verify academic accomplishment and for exchange.]

[Assigned Scholarship Officer: Director Schun.]

***

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Yulian, who had conked out in the morning and woken up in the evening, was sitting in a rocking chair, deep in thought.

'A scholarship, all of a sudden...'

He woke up from his sleep to a message from the trading company.

It was about the Scholarship Foundation he had discussed with the Guild Master before.

— [My goodness, Young Master. The first scholarship students have been selected...]

“This quickly?”

Yulian asked, rubbing his eyes.

The Scholarship Foundation was a system he had thought of while sending donations to his Teacher.

On the premise that if he was going to support wizards, he might as well support other fields too.

'I only did it because that's how clichés in this genre work.'

Usually in web novels, it was a cliché for the possessor to support a talented raw gemstone from a young age.

However, there was a minor problem.

That was, Yulian hadn't read the original work, so he had no idea who he was supposed to support with pinpoint accuracy.

So, he decided to keep it simple.

'If I don't know who to support, I can just support a bunch of them in the hopes of getting lucky with one.'

And that was establishing the Scholarship Foundation.

He figured if he supported a few dozen people each year, at least one of them would be a hit.

It was a brute-force method that only Yulian, who was rolling in money, could choose.

And not even a few days had passed since the talk of that foundation came up.

The children to receive the scholarship had already been selected.

'Let's see...'

Numerous lists were piled on Yulian's desk.

Kal. 15 years old. Second in class at the Academy Middle School Swordsmanship Division.

Eli. 17 years old. Top of the class at the Academy High School Alchemy Division.

'Hmm? These ones seem to have more potential than the others.'

Valeria. 16 years old. Top of the class at the Academy Middle School Diplomacy Division.

Ayla. 14 years old. Awakened to divine power, an honor student at the Seminary Children's Division.

He committed the particularly eye-catching children to memory.

Having finished reviewing the documents of several dozen people, Yulian nodded his head.

“Excellent. Please proceed as planned.”

— [A splendid decision, Young Master.]

“Ah, before that, did you add the clause I mentioned?”

— [Pardon? Ah, the... special clause about having a mandatory meal with the scholarship officer once every six months?]

A hint of bewilderment was audible in the Guild Master's voice over the communicator.

— [Yes, I have recorded everything under Director Schun's name as you instructed, but... may I ask why you insisted on including such a cumbersome clause?]

“Is it a matter of cost?”

— [That’s not it. Buying a meal for students is no big deal for the company. But for you, Young Master, to personally meet with dozens of students one by one for a meal.]

It was a natural question.

All he needed to do was provide the money, yet he was going to gather commoner scholarship students he didn't even know and regularly feed them.

The Guild Master couldn't understand Yulian's intention to go out of his way to do such troublesome work, especially with his noble social status.

But Yulian dismissed the Guild Master’s question.

“It's my money being spent, so is it wrong for me to personally verify who I've invested in?”

— [My apologies. It was a foolish question.]

At Yulian’s reply, the Guild Master nodded in understanding.

This was Director Schnabel, the man who went out of his way to volunteer in the Limbus Pit just to check what was happening underfoot.

It was perfectly understandable that such a person would hold a meal for such a reason.

Besides, the Guild Master was no longer in a position to question Yulian about anything.

— [Please get some rest now, Young Master.]

“Goodbye, Guild Master.”

After finishing the call with the Guild Master.

Yulian was lost in thought again.

'It's just an extension of what I was already doing in the Limbus Pit.'

Discovering a talented child and placing them somewhere.

The so-called Orphan Lottery.

The name was a bit weird, though.

In any case, it was something he was already doing.

From the Orphan Lottery, he had discovered Erika.

That's why he believed in the power of the Orphan Lottery.

'Now I'm just doing it on a larger scale.'

This time, the targets were academy students, not orphans.

On a larger scale, against children who seemed to have more potential.

However, the reason Yulian added the dinner clause had nothing to do with a talent lottery.

'I've always wanted to try it at least once.'

The story of a certain boy who gets a ticket and tours a chocolate factory.

Yulian liked that story very much.

So this time, he decided to try and imitate it.

Regardless of him being the protagonist, or that it was a cliché.

Just because it looked fun.

If it got annoying, he planned to stop doing it later.

'Should I perhaps give them a tour of our pharmaceutical factory later...'

Then should I hire some dancing dwarves from somewhere?

Or should I just substitute them with actual Dwarves?

Yulian thought as such, tilting the rocking chair back and forth.

'For when I meet the kids, the dress code and restaurant should be...'

Yulian was already looking forward to meeting the children.