Chapter 45: Was Mistaken for Daddy-Long-Legs (4)

A few days after the Priestess and her daughters signed the scholarship recommendation letters.

Before the ink on the letters had even dried, an invitation arrived at their home.

[You are invited to the Merkur Trading Company Human Resource Development Foundation Scholarship Student Welcoming Banquet.]

The invitees were the eldest daughter, Valeria, and Ayla.

The sender was, of course, the Scholarship Officer, 'Director Schun'.

The venue was the .

It was a top-tier restaurant located in the commercial district of Civitas Square.

'Good heavens...'

It was a restaurant even the Priestess knew.

It was famous for being a place where a single meal cost as much as an Intermediate Healer's weekly income.

At the thought of her daughters being summoned there simply for a meal, the Priestess's hands trembled slightly.

Such good conditions.

Such kind treatment.

Ominous thoughts began to spiral one after another in her mind.

'Could it be...'

The few reasons why nobles or the wealthy sponsored the poor in this world came to mind.

To make the child one of their henchmen in the future, or to claim the child's research accomplishments as their own.

If not that, then...

'Don't tell me... he wants to make them his mistresses?!'

The Priestess didn't know Director Schun's age.

From the start, everything about him was shrouded in secrecy, aside from the fact that he was a genius.

But judging by his genius and accomplishments, it was highly likely he was a man over thirty.

'A Scholarship Officer meets them in person and has regular meals with them? And he even chartered an entire top-tier restaurant like this?'

At some point in the Priestess's imagination, Director Schun had transformed into a greedy, pot-bellied, lecherous old man after the purity of young girls.

A shiver ran down the Priestess's spine.

Those in power never aim for just one thing at a time.

As if generously donating a large scholarship to silence her wasn't enough, it was clearly a vicious scheme to target her two pretty daughters as well!

The Priestess unwittingly brought a hand to her mouth.

Watching her mother bite her fingernails from the side, the younger daughter, Ayla, tilted her head in confusion.

'Why is Mom acting like that?'

*

And so, the Priestess's misunderstanding deepened.

The day of the promised dinner arrived.

The Priestess was fixing her two daughters' attire as they prepared to go out.

'Mom, that's enough.'

The eldest daughter, Valeria, took a step back, avoiding her mother's touch.

"Fix your collar. The restaurant might be cold."

"I'll do it myself."

A blunt reply. But the Priestess didn't back down.

"And your belt is crooked. Come here."

"Ah, really..."

Valeria sighed and reluctantly approached.

Sixteen.

Her eldest daughter had become quite prickly with the arrival of the hormone storm.

On the other hand, the younger daughter, Ayla, was meekly accepting their mother's fussing.

"Mom, how do I look? Is anything out of place?"

Fourteen years old, looking up with bright, innocent eyes.

"Yes, our Ayla is pretty."

"Hehe."

Ayla spun around in place.

The hem of her slightly worn but neatly ironed dress fluttered.

The Priestess finished adjusting her two daughters' attire.

For a long while, the Priestess silently gazed 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.

Dressed in pretty clothes, it was as if two angels had made their advent into the mortal world. (At least, that's how it looked from a mother's perspective.)

'...'

But the more beautiful her daughters looked, the more the Priestess's anxiety grew.

Unable to bear the anxiety, she finally grabbed both of her daughters' hands.

And with a serious face, she began to speak.

"Girls. Listen to your mother carefully."

"What are you jumping the gun about now."

"Remember. If that Scholarship Officer makes any strange requests, you must politely refuse. Understood?"

Hearing those words, Valeria's expression soured.

Ayla tilted her head in confusion.

But the Priestess continued with a grave expression.

"And no matter what excuse he gives, if he asks to create a private meeting with just the two of you, you must never follow. Even when you go to the restroom, make sure you both go together, holding hands."

"Ah, okay..."

"And no matter what, you must never drink any alcohol, like an aperitif. You have to remember that."

At her mother's suffocating warnings, Ayla just blinked, while Valeria let out a deep sigh of disbelief.

She knew what her mother was worried about.

Of course, it was something Valeria was a little concerned about as well.

Stories of a supposedly kind sponsor who was actually after a girl's purity were not uncommon.

Perhaps there was a chance Director Schun was also that kind of person.

But Valeria didn't care.

She was 16.

An age where she would be a proper adult in three years.

She was long past the age of not knowing the ways of the world, and old enough to withstand its trials and tribulations.

(At least, Valeria herself was confident of that.)

Even if Director Schun tried something, Valeria was confident she could get herself and her younger sister out safely.

"I get it, so we're leaving now. We can't be late."

"We'll be back, Mom!"

"We're leaving."

"Make sure you take good care of Ayla!"

Leaving her imploring mother behind her, Valeria headed for the front door.

A sleek black carriage was waiting for them in front of the house.

The crest of the Merkur Trading Company was engraved in gold leaf on the carriage door.

"Wow!"

'Wow...'

Ayla's eyes shone with pure admiration,

while Valeria struggled to maintain a mature, expressionless face.

"We're going then."

"Alright? Be very careful..."

"I said I get it."

Valeria closed the door, looking fed up.

"We'll be back!"

Ayla peeked her head out of the carriage and waved brightly.

Soon, the luxurious wheels began to roll smoothly.

The carriage quickly exited the alleyway and disappeared toward the glamorous heart of the Capital.

In the alleyway, where the acrid smog settled.

The Priestess watched the dust kicked up by the carriage, wringing her hands anxiously, now all alone.

"Please, protect my children..."

Amidst the great current.

The Priestess earnestly prayed that the mysterious Scholarship Officer, 'Director Schun,' whom her daughters were about to meet, would not be a lecher.

***

— Clip-clop, clip-clop. Ssshh.

On the way to the restaurant.

While riding in the ebony carriage, Valeria and Ayla couldn't help but be amazed by the overwhelming ride quality.

'So this is the power of money...'

'Wow, Director Schun must be rich.'

The luxurious wheels finally came to a gentle stop.

"We have arrived, Young Ladies. Please step down carefully."

The coachman bowed politely and opened the door.

Valeria carefully stuck the toe of her shoe out first.

Ayla followed her sister and jumped down from the carriage.

And upon exiting the carriage, the sisters couldn't help but gasp.

The commercial district of Civitas Square, shrouded in darkness.

Among the many buildings, a massive white one with a stunningly overwhelming presence looked down on them.

A top-tier restaurant that only major trading companies or knights could frequent.

The lighting from the brilliant golden chandelier decorating the entrance brightly illuminated the street as if it were daytime.

On the stairs covered with a red carpet, gatekeepers in uniforms with gold leaf decorations stood guarding the entrance.

At its overwhelming grandeur, Valeria unknowingly swallowed a dry gulp.

The girl, who just moments before had thought of herself as an adult by the power of puberty, found herself feeling infinitesimally small.

"Woooow..."

Ayla, on the other hand, was too busy gaping at the magnificent building, which looked like something out of a fairy tale.

In front of the restaurant, luxurious carriages similar to the one they had arrived in were pulling up one after another.

Boys and girls their age were getting out of the carriages. It seemed they were also scholarship students sponsored by the Merkur Trading Company.

Most of them appeared to be commoners.

Completely intimidated by the splendid building, they just exchanged awkward glances with each other.

Counting them, there were about ten people in total.

"This way, please. The rest of your party is waiting in the Private Room."

The manager, having spotted the students, approached them.

Guided politely by the manager, the ten students began to walk down a marble-floored hallway.

"Our restaurant, 150 years ago, by the First Manager, Arlmond..."

On the way to Director Schun, the hallway was lined with numerous works of art.

A high-class restaurant was not merely a space for dining.

The meal began with the emotional preparation of appreciating art before even picking up the cutlery.

The students, unaware of this fact, could only think that a high-class restaurant's hallway was something special.

The manager introduced each work of art to the students as he slowly led them deeper into the restaurant.

After spending about 30 minutes introducing the art.

The manager glanced at the clock on the wall.

"It is time. I hope you have a pleasant evening."

As the door opened, polished silverware on a long table came into view.

The students sat stiffly in their assigned seats, barely daring to breathe.

After the manager bowed politely and left, a suffocating silence filled the firmly closed Private Room.

None of the students dared to speak first, only staring blankly at their crystal glasses and swallowing.

Valeria, too, was tightly holding Ayla's hand, glancing toward the door, ready to flee at any moment.

How long did that suffocating silence last?

"Everyone seems so tense. Why don't we introduce ourselves before Director Schun arrives?"

Unable to bear it any longer, a boy broke the silence first.

It was Kal, a fifteen-year-old genius making a name for himself in the Academy Middle School Division's Swordsmanship Club.

At his suggestion, a few students cautiously nodded.

"I'm Kal, from the Swordsmanship Club. Nice to meet you."

Kal forced a relaxed smile and picked up the silver steak knife on the table.

"To lighten the mood, I'll show you something interesting."

The silver steak knife he held was enveloped in a red energy.

Fighting Aura.

A special ability for knights and warriors, different from magical power or divine power.

It was a special ability with worse efficiency than magical power or divine power, one that even a professor couldn't maintain for more than a few minutes a day.

But Fighting Aura had one advantage.

Unlike magic or divine power, you could use it even if you weren't smart.

That's why another nickname for Fighting Aura was the Miracle of the Idiots.

Anyway.

Kal intended to use that Fighting Aura, which was difficult to maintain for even a few seconds a day, right here and now.

"If you imbue this dull dinner knife with Fighting Aura, you can slice a falling napkin like a razor blade."

This was a form of gaining the upper hand and self-appeal.

Fighting Aura was a power that one could typically only handle freely after graduating from the High School Division.

Naturally, it was a power a Middle School Division student could hardly dream of.

But Kal had awakened this Fighting Aura at an early age.

It wasn't for nothing that he was second in class in the Department of Swordsmanship.

'I should save the Fighting Aura I plan to show the Director.'

With that thought, Kal picked up a white napkin with his other hand.

And he lightly tossed the napkin into the air.

The napkin fluttered as it fell.

The students' gazes all turned to the hand Kal held the knife in.

Kal mentally braced himself and drew out the Fighting Aura into the knife.

'...Huh?'

But a problem occurred.

The most important things for Fighting Aura were concentration and will.

However, Kal, who was extremely nervous due to the restaurant's grandeur and the unfamiliar atmosphere, found it difficult to concentrate as he normally would.

Thwip.

As a result, the steak knife, not imbued with Fighting Aura, passed futilely through the napkin.

The students tried to look away from Kal.

"Ahem."

Kal made a dry cough and picked up the napkin.

"A mistake. It must be because it's silver that the Fighting Aura didn't flow well. I'll show you again."

He couldn't mess up this time.

Growing desperate, Kal swung the knife with all his might just before the napkin touched the table.

His intention was to tear the napkin apart with sheer force, even if the Fighting Aura failed to form.

Fortunately, the Fighting Aura formed on the knife just in time.

'It worked!'

But unfortunately, Kal's palm was sweaty.

Swoosh-!

The knife, which had been cutting through the air with all his strength, slipped smoothly from his sweaty palm.

"Ah."

A dazed gasp escaped Kal's lips.

The silver knife that left his hand shot through the air at a terrifying speed, flying straight for the forehead of Eli, the top of the Department of Alchemy, who was sitting across the table.

At the suddenly flying blade, Eli couldn't even scream and froze.

Valeria also held her breath, her eyes wide.

Just as the horrific tragedy of a person being impaled by a knife was about to unfold before their eyes.

"Well now. Is this how kids play these days?"

"..."

"...?"

Everyone in the room rubbed their eyes in disbelief.

Just an inch before it reached Eli's forehead.

A red-haired woman, who had appeared out of nowhere, was standing in front of her face.

Neatly dressed in a woman's suit, she—Erika—had the steak knife that had been flying through the air calmly pinched between her index and middle fingers.

'What... Who is that? When did she appear?'

Goosebumps erupted all over Valeria's spine.

The same was true for Kal.

Although he was only in the Middle School Division, his senses had been honed with a sword since childhood.

But he hadn't detected the woman in front of him appearing.

The red-haired woman broke the knife pinched in her hand with a hand imbued with Fighting Aura and spoke.

"Is this the welcoming ceremony for the Academy's Department of Swordsmanship? Surely someone who makes a swordsman's living wouldn't drop their blade."

Kal stared, frozen, at the red-haired woman—Erika.

"...W-Who... are you, Teacher...?"

"Me? I'm the Director's assistant. Today, I'm his bodyguard and secretary."

Erika tossed the broken blade into a trash can and walked to the doorway.

Creeak.

And as she opened the door, a man appeared from the other side.

"You ran off in such a hurry by yourself. Did something happen?"

"No. It's just. I felt Fighting Aura from where the kids were. I just ran ahead to check, Teacher."

"What happened?"

"Umm..."

Erika glanced at Kal for a moment, then,

"It was nothing. Just a welcoming ceremony."

She shrugged, letting the matter drop.

At Erika's words, the man nodded.

The man, having finished his brief Q&A with Erika, walked toward the students.

The first thing that caught their eye was a neat and stylish, top-quality suit.

And a wide-brimmed black fedora was pulled down low on his head.

The students realized it wasn't just a simple hat.

It seemed to be a magic tool enchanted with perception-altering magic, as a deep shadow was cast below the brim, revealing only the tip of his nose, his sharp lower face, and his lips curved in a faint smile.

The man, who had entered the room with a relaxed gait, opened his mouth.

"I apologize for making you wait."

It was a low, soft voice that gently resonated throughout the room.

As if that one phrase was imbued with a strange magical power.

The students, who had been trembling just a moment before, all straightened their backs and corrected their posture as if on cue.

Valeria's eyes widened slightly.

'He's not the pot-bellied, greedy, old pervert Mom was talking about...?'

She could tell just by the line of his lower face, his voice, and his gait.

He was far younger than she had thought, a person who exuded an overwhelming dignity.

He was a far, far cry from her mother's ominous imagination of him seeking a mistress.

"His voice is so nice..."

Ayla muttered quietly, her cheeks blushing slightly.

This time, Valeria didn't bother to shut her sister up.

The man in the suit—Yulian—naturally took his seat at the head of the table and gave the children a gentle smile.

"There's no need to be nervous. Please, sit comfortably. Today, you are the protagonists, not me, the Scholarship Officer. Ah, my introduction is late."

— I am Director Schun.

At the man's final introduction, the eyes of the students, except for the sisters, went wide as saucers.