In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 30

Galahan and Clerivan sat facing each other. Surprisingly, Clerivan had offered Galahan the seat of honor. Though awkward, Galahan sat in the soft chair as Clerivan indicated, moistened his dry mouth, and began to speak.
“I know you’re busy, but I’ve come here to seek your advice.”
“You needn’t have troubled yourself to come all this way; you could have simply summoned me to the Dyurak Merchant Guild.”
“This isn’t about the Coroi business. I’ve come for advice on my personal venture.”
Galahan Lombardi’s personal venture. Clerivan found himself quite intrigued. The words “Galahan” and “business” didn’t really go together; he usually spent his time buried in books in the mansion’s library or his own study. The previous Koroi-Yung business had, in a way, been forced upon Galahan. But now he was planning a personal venture? Clerivan thought he might need to re-evaluate Galahan.
“I don’t know how much help I can be, but please, speak freely,” Clerivan said in an unusually generous tone. To be honest, if it were anyone else, he might have dismissed them, claiming he had no such free time. But for some reason, Clerivan seemed to have a soft spot for Florentia and her father.
Galahan, too, seemed surprised that Clerivan would so readily agree to listen, his eyes widening. Seeing his flustered hesitation, Clerivan stated coolly, “I am not listening to you because I have time to spare, Lord Galahan.”
“Ah! My-my apologies. So, my plan is…” Clearing his throat, Galahan began to explain in a cautious voice. It was a slightly more organized introduction than the rambling explanation he had given Florentia that morning. However, it was still just as verbose, and Galahan had to speak without pause for quite a long time.
When the long explanation finally ended, Galahan’s throat ached. But unaware of his own discomfort, he was busy, tense, observing Clerivan’s reaction. Clerivan said nothing. This sent a jolt of fear through Galahan. Was the plan that bad? So bad that it rendered him speechless?
Time slowly passed, and just as Galahan’s shoulders drooped in disappointment, Clerivan suddenly spoke.
“It’s incredible.”
“…Pardon?”
“Of course, there are areas for improvement.”
“Th-that’s natural. What points are those?” Galahan asked eagerly. But Clerivan didn’t give him the answer right away.
“There’s one condition.”
“What is it?”
“Allow me to join you in your business, Lord Galahan.”
Galahan blinked his eyes. He wondered if he had heard correctly.
“As I said before, Lord Galahan’s business proposal is incredible.”
“So, you mean it’s good?”
“Yes. Frankly, it’s astonishing.” Clerivan admitted that he had underestimated Galahan Lombardi. “But if that business achieves great success with my advice and I’m not involved, I would feel very sour. So, if you accept my condition, I will tell you the areas for improvement.”
Galahan’s face, initially beaming, suddenly turned serious.
“But Mr Clerivan, aren’t you under an employment contract with the Lombardi family? This business is my personal venture, not Lombardi’s…”
Galahan desired independent assets not tied to the Lombardi name. He wanted the power to protect Florentia from the storm that would one day brew over the next family head position. As much as Clerivan’s help was vital, he couldn’t rely on Lombardi’s power again.
But then, a smile spread across Clerivan’s face. It was a very satisfied smile. “Such prudence, even better.” And then he spoke, as if to reassure him. “My contract with the Lombardi family is not a lifelong contract, but a fixed-term employment contract. Also, I’ve included a clause that allows for side businesses, so don’t worry.” This was a new contract he had drawn up when he moved to the educator’s position at the Family Head’s request.
“In that case, I should be the one asking you! Let’s do it together, Clerivan-nim!” Galahan’s face lit up, and he extended a hand. Clerivan looked down at it for a moment before extending his own. After a brief handshake, Clerivan said in a more relaxed voice, “First, let’s defer the details of profit distribution to a later time. I’ll start with the improvements.” Galahan nodded enthusiastically at Clerivan’s words. Clerivan secretly smiled, finding him reminiscent of Florentia in class.
“The market for this business should be commoners, not nobles.”
“Commoners?” This was the exact opposite of Galahan’s plan.
“Yes. So naturally, the store’s location should be Heslot Market, not Sedacuna.” Heslot Market, located opposite the Sedacuna shopping district, was a massive commercial area in the center of the Emperor’s direct domain. Unlike the relatively quiet Sedacuna, Heslot was always bustling, boasting an enormous floating population of people from all over the empire.
“And…” The two continued their discussion for a while. If Clerivan hadn’t had to go to a meeting, it might have continued until sunset. Clerivan watched Galahan, who looked a little tired from the enthusiastic discussion, as he stood up.
“Was it the Family Head?”
“What do you mean?”
“The person who told you to come to me for advice.” Clerivan was more than half certain. He believed Rulac had pushed his youngest son towards him to give him strength. But Galahan smiled and shook his head.
“No. It was Florentia.”
“Yes…?”
“Actually, I haven’t even mentioned it to my father yet. I was afraid of being scolded for it being a mere fantasy, and this is strictly a personal venture. So, I was pondering it alone when Florentia said, ‘You should ask Teacher Clerivan.'” Galahan, though embarrassed, expressed his sincere gratitude to Clerivan. “It’s proof that you always teach our Florentia so well, Mr Clerivan. Thank you.”
Clerivan, who had unexpectedly received a parent’s thanks, couldn’t bring himself to smile. It could have simply been a child talking about a teacher who seemed to know everything. Galahan seemed to think so. But for some reason, Clerivan kept recalling Florentia’s bright, clear eyes. And he kept having a strong premonition that Galahan’s visit wasn’t just a product of coincidence.
***
As soon as my father left for work, I went to Dr. Omally’s laboratory early in the morning. Fortunately, it was early, and only Estira was in the lab. She must have been in a bad mood after missing out on the recommendation letter right in front of her and hearing Jason’s sneers. Yet, today, she was steadily doing her work as if nothing had happened. A desire to help Estira resurfaced within me.
As I quietly opened the door and entered, Estira, who was diligently wiping the lab table, greeted me warmly.
“You’re here, Young Lady.”
“Good morning, Estira!”
“You seem to be in an even better mood today.”
“I thought of a good way!”
“A good way?” Estira’s eyes widened.
“A good idea to get Estira a recommendation letter.”
“Young Lady Florentia…” Estira looked at me, touched, with a rag in her hand.
“Estira, you know that book you showed me before?”
“My grandmother’s recipe notebook?”
“Yes, that one. Can you show it to me again?” While going back and forth for my wrist treatment, I had asked Estira many questions. First, to get closer to her, and second, to learn as much as possible about her. One of the things I learned was about Estira’s grandmother. Even in a small rural village, where there was no doctor, she apparently helped people using various herbs she could find nearby, with traditional healing methods passed down through her family. And because of that influence, Estira also encountered herbs early on and had thought about wanting to help sick people herself.
“Of course. Please wait a moment.” Estira brought a notebook from her desk in a corner of the lab. It was an old, well-worn notebook. I took it and flipped to a page somewhere in the middle.
“Can you explain this medicine a little more?” Estira looked at the part I was pointing to and said, “It’s a medicine my grandmother made and asked me to bring to people in the village when they sprained an ankle or injured a shoulder while working.” Estira smiled nostalgically, reading her grandmother’s handwriting. “It’s a medicine that’s been passed down orally in our family for a long time, so it’s not written in formal books… It reduces swelling and somewhat lessens pain.”
“How was this used? It’s not for eating, is it?”
“No. You soak a cloth with this medicine and place it on the affected area.” I had only skimmed it once, but my memory was indeed correct. I asked a few more important questions that weren’t written down.
“Can this medicine be used for a long time?”
“Yes. When you work, everyone has aches and pains somewhere. Some people even used it every night for months.”
“And the smell? Is the smell unpleasant?”
“No. It’s more of a sweet smell. The main ingredient is dried tree fruit.”
Perfect. But I tried to hide my excitement and spoke calmly. “Let’s change this a little. Can you make it concentrated, like the Melkon medicine from before?” Estira nodded immediately at my words. She didn’t even ask what it was for.
“Yes, Young Lady.” Her eyes were filled with trust towards me. I grinned at Estira. If this plan worked, I could send Estira safely to the Imperial Academy.
“Oh, and by any chance, are there any herbs that give a cooling sensation when eaten or applied to the body?”
“A cooling sensation… there’s a tea leaf called Hipsy.”
“Ah, Hipsy!” I had tried it before. It was like mint, leaving a cool sensation in the mouth when drunk.
“Prepare that as a separate concentrate too.”
“Why Hipsy…?”
“Even food tastes better when it smells good, right? Medicine will be the same. It’s important to make it feel like it’s taking effect.”
“Ah, I see…” Estira now even looked at me with respect. I shrugged as if it were nothing.
“I’ll get some beeswax and oil sent here. We’ll mix those two concentrates with them.” The medicine that reduces swelling and has a slight calming effect, the mint-like cooling tea leaves, and beeswax. Just thinking about the medicine that would be born from their combination made me smile.
An ointment with a tiger drawn on it. I was trying to recreate that, which was once called the “national ointment” and used as a panacea for everything from arthritis and headaches to stuffy noses. And with that, I would send Estira to the Academy. With two shining recommendation letters! Older people like my grandfather and Broshel wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation of this ointment. If this medicine was successfully completed, there was only one thing left to worry about: whether my grandfather’s sore knee was the left or the right.