Chapter 114 The New Magician
After morning classes ended, the 5 of them decided to have lunch together. The meal prepared in the conservatory was surprisingly large compared to what Sara usually ate.
Even at lunch, it's common for aristocratic families to serve each dish one by one, but since arriving at Grandchester Castle, Sara and Rebecca had been so busy that they usually had all the dishes laid out at once. However, they didn't gobble it down hastily, mindful of their manners.
"Considering there's a big eater among the boys, isn't this too much?"
"There's His Excellency the Marquis, Sir Robert, and Sir Jeffrey coming, too."
"Is my grandfathers coming? Is it okay to have lunch in this format?"
"Yes, it's fine. His Excellency said it's no problem."
"Okay."
Blaze, sitting on the opposite side of the table, looked tense when he heard "Marquis."
'Well, it can't be helped, right?'
"Blaze, don't be nervous. It's not like you need to be tense, since you're the one who saved the day."
"But, Sara, the other person is His Excellency the Marquis..."
"Yeah, but he's just my grandfather, right?"
Just then, the Marquis and the others entered the room from behind, laughing. It seemed they had overheard Sara's voice.
"Haha, just as Sara said, I'm just an old man. Blaze, you're a young magician who prevented the crisis in Grandchester and the conflict between Avalon and Roisen. Hold your head high. If anyone looks down on you, I'll take care of them."
"Yeah, as the governor of Grandchester, I'll formally thank you too."
"Ah, yes Thank you!"
As the Marquis and Robert expressed their gratitude, Blaze's face turned bright red, but he responded properly.
"Phew, you're already a hero at your age. I need to work harder too."
Scott slapped Blaze's shoulder with a bang.
"Hmm, it seems like you're getting along with Scott too. Jeffrey, is it true that you want to adopt Blaze as your son?"
"Yes. If Blaze is okay with it, I and Scott will welcome him with open arms. It might be tough being part of a noble family, but..."
'It's clear that he's being favored, but with this kind of pressure, Blaze might not be able to refuse even if he wants to.'
"Hey Blaze, Sir Jeffrey is saying he wants to adopt you, but if you don't want to, you can refuse. You can still work as a servant or a knight-in-training in this household. If you want to pursue a different career, the family can support you. But your magical power is too great, so you need to learn how to control it. Otherwise, you might lose control again. Whatever path you choose, the Grandchester family will take responsibility for your magic training."
"I want to become Sir Jeffrey's son. I don't know what the future holds, but I want to practice sword fighting and study with Scott and you, Sara."
Blaze looked up and answered clearly.
"Then it's settled, Blaze. From today on, you're my brother!"
Scott was also beaming with joy.
'Good, Blaze and Scott are both happy.'
"Hmm, it seems like Jeffrey has gained a new son. I'll take care of the paperwork and all that. Ah, and let's send a horse as a congratulatory gift. Blaze will need to train in horseback riding too. I was thinking of getting Sara a horse, so let's pick one out for Blaze as well."
"Thank you, Your Excellency the Marquis!"
Blaze showed his gratitude to the Marquis with the biggest smile so far.
"You look really happy. Do you like horses, Blaze?"
"Yeah. In the mercenary group, only the leader and vice-leader had horses, but I was the one who took care of them. I always wanted to ride one."
"You took care of them but never got to ride one?"
"I'll get killed if I ride it without permission. There was a mercenary who rode the captain's horse without permission, and the captain whipped him with a horse whip until he couldn't move for 3 days. I hope those horses are okay. I don't want them to die because of my magic or anything."
Seeing Blaze's sad expression, Robert replied.
"That captain is probably walking behind his prized horse right now, with his hands tied and surrounded by other mercenaries. He's tied up with ropes and attached to the horse, so if he stops suddenly, he'll get dragged along."
'Ugh, is the treatment of criminals in this world too harsh?'
"Good, I'm glad the horses are okay."
Despite Sara's surprise, Blaze genuinely rejoiced at the horses' survival. It seemed that this was the norm for treating criminals in this world.
However, Sara judged that this conversation was inappropriate for mealtime and decided to change the subject.
"Did Grandfather decide to have lunch here to meet with Blaze?"
"That's part of it, but I also have something to tell you, Sara."
"What is it?"
"The merchant guild registration is complete, and we've finished applying you to join the Commerce Guild. However, the guild manager is being difficult, saying that a merchant guild without a chairman isn't worthy of joining the guild."
"Well, the Commerce Guild manager is a hard worker, after all."
Of course, Sara herself understood that the guild manager was just pretending to be difficult, and all they wanted was to investigate the new merchant guild. No matter how much they tried to hide it, it would soon be known that Marquis Grandchester was behind the establishment of the merchant guild. Such a merchant guild wouldn't be an ordinary one, and there wouldn't be any ordinary merchants involved.
"Then we'll have to get Sophia to move."
When Sophia's name was mentioned, Blaze, who was sitting on the other side of the table, flinched slightly, but he had the discretion not to interrupt the conversation.
"If we mention Grandchester's name, there will be complaints, but we shouldn't stand out here. Sorry, but we have no choice but to get Sophia to show her face."
"Yeah, Sophia probably wants to avoid standing out too much, don't you think?"
Indeed, if they push through with the Grandchester name, most things will go smoothly. However, if they do something too flashy, their secret might get exposed. Since the truth about the embezzlement has already been revealed to the royal family, it might not become a huge problem, but they should still be cautious here.
"The main store's building renovation is complete, so it can start operating right away. The only issue is... how to handle the personnel..."
"Maybe Sophia and Grandpa should discuss that later. We also need to consider our response to the Commerce Guild."
"Hmm, that's true."
'Personnel, huh... I want office maids, but it's too much to ask the Merchant Guild to send them, and I don't know what to do. We need people who can keep secrets...'
"Shall I convey to Sophia that we'll adjust to Grandfather's schedule? When would be a good time?"
"Hmm... The sooner the better, but I shouldn't make women work too late at night."
"How about a few hours after dinner? It's not like she can move around easily during the day anyway..."
"I still have a lot of work to do tonight. We can do it tomorrow night."
"Understood."
Scott suddenly chimed in.
"I've been wondering, who is Ms. Sophia, anyway?"
Jeffrey shot a sharp glance at Scott, his voice firm as he scolded.
"Scott, you were there when Blaze asked about Lady Sophia, weren't you? Don't pretend you don't remember. Lady Sophia is a woman connected to Grandchester, but you shouldn't pry any further. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Ah, I apologize for my rudeness."
Jeffrey stood up, bowed deeply to the Marquis, and apologized.
"Please forgive my son's careless words. It seems his education is still lacking."
"It's all right. He's still in the process of learning. Scott, you should learn from your mistakes while you're still surrounded by us. Never show weakness outside of Grandchester."
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind."
Scott also stood up, bowing his head to the Marquis just like his father.
"Well, let's sit down and continue our meal. Today's a special day, after all, since we're welcoming a young magician to our family. Welcome, Blaze Grandchester."
The Marquis smiled at Blaze with a sly grin. Blaze, who met his gaze, turned bright red but still smiled back happily.
"Blaze is my friend, and now you're also my cousin. Let's get along from now on, okay!"
"Yeah, okay!"
And so, a new magician was born in the Grandchester family.
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