Chapter 334 Fever Illness Countermeasure Meeting I
That day, the guild members gathered in the conference room of the administrative building in Grandchester Castle early in the morning, carrying a heavy atmosphere without a single word spoken. The administrative building, where the bureaucrats work, has many conference rooms, but this is the largest one.
In this room, key figures from the Commerce Guild, Alchemy Guild, Pharmacist Guild, and Adventurers Guild were all present, along with several knights and their commander seated nearby. This was the administrative building of the Grandchester territory, so it was natural for there to be bureaucrats and clerks present.
Even in the tense atmosphere, the office maids moved around busily, serving drinks to the participants. Of course, it was also the office maids who prepared the materials placed in front of everyone.
At that moment, Robert and Sara entered the room, with Robert escorting Sara. Following them were Sophia, escorted by Daniel, and then Alicia, Amelia, and Rihito entered. By the way, today's golem is Sophia.
The last to enter were Marquis Grandchester, William, and Young Marquis, Edward. Everyone in the conference room stood up and bowed their heads to Marquis Grandchester.
"Don't worry about it. Everyone, please sit down. We don't even have time for such formalities right now."
After Marquis Grandchester spoke, his 2 sons and granddaughter Sara took their seats, and the other participants followed suit.
"Everyone knows that a fever outbreak is happening again this year. It's something that happens every year, but this time it started earlier than usual, and it seems like a big epidemic is on the way. There has already been a confirmed case of mass infection in the Grandchester Knights' dormitory. It's likely that soon, many patients will be visiting the pharmacists in the capital city."
The members of the Alchemy Guild and the Pharmacist Guild were not surprised by Marquis Grandchester's statement, but the other guild members looked pale.
"Paracelsus, you should explain this better than I can. Can I ask you to explain the situation to everyone?"
"Understood."
Rihito stood up and gave a slight bow to the participants.
"I'm called Paracelsus, an alchemist and also a pharmacist. I'm also the great-grandfather of Theofrastos from the alchemist guild over there."
"What!? Paracelsus-dono is still alive! And judging by your youthful appearance, you must have formed a friendship with fairies, right!?"
Jean from the Adventurers' Guild leaned forward to ask Rihito.
"That's correct, I have a fairy friend. Plus, thanks to the fairy's magic, I was asleep for about 40 years, so my time has stopped."
"I heard you suddenly disappeared one day... so you were put to sleep by a fairy's curse?"
"No, I asked my friend to do it of my own will. I was exhausted after spending such a long time."
"I see. So why did you wake up now?"
Rihito chuckled softly and glanced at Sara.
"Actually, I was woken up by Miss Sara here. I seem to have overslept a bit."
"I didn't mean to wake you up so roughly..."
That's a lie. If Arata hadn't opened the door, Sara was fully prepared to break the glass dome to wake him up.
"Thanks to that, I am now an alchemist and pharmacist working for the Sophia Merchant Guild."
"What! You're not part of the Alchemist Guild?"
"Oh, young people might not know this. I'm not a graduate alchemist from the academy. In this country, I am considered a self-proclaimed alchemist and pharmacist, so I can't belong to both guilds. Even so, it was the previous His Excellency Marquis Grandchester who invited me to the Grandchester territory."
Jean, surprised, looked at the members of the Alchemist Guild and the Pharmacist Guild, noticing that they were gazing at Rihito with admiration.
"To monopolize such talent in one merchant guild is quite a waste. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's a loss for the Grandchester territory, or even the whole nation."
"Well, it seems the Adventurers Guild really dislikes us. I thought we had been accommodating to the adventurers..."
Sophia tilted her head with a troubled expression.
"Oh, no. I'm not saying that the Sophia Merchant Guild is at fault. I just want to say that Mr. Paracelsus's knowledge should be for the benefit of all the people of Avalon."
"Mr. Jean, Mr. Paracelsus is the one who decides how to handle my knowledge. I belong to the merchant guild, but the rights to what Mr. Paracelsus discovered or invented belong to him, not the guild. The knowledge from when he was under the Grandchester family is owned by them due to a contract. By the way, Miss Sara currently inherits those rights."
"R-Really?"
Rihito also agrees with Sophia's explanation.
"Yes, Mr. Jean. My intellectual property rights are officially guaranteed by the Sophia Merchant Guild. We have a written contract as well. I've heard that others working on research and development at Maiden's Tower have similar rights."
The maidens quietly nod, acknowledging the conversation between Sophia and Rihito.
"Moreover, for past discoveries and inventions that the Grandchester family holds rights to, Miss Sara also gives me a portion of the commercial profits. I am deeply grateful that this is possible because of the close connection between the Sophia Merchant Guild and Miss Sara."
"Mr. Paracelsus, we don't make that matter very public."
"Oh, my apologies, Miss Sara."
It's a very obvious exchange, but there's a plan behind it to reveal the connection between Sara and the Sophia Merchant Guild to those annoying people who might start asking questions. Rihito was surprised that they didn't set Sophia's age higher, but either way, it's undeniable that Sara and Sophia look alike. If that's the case, the members of Grandchester, including Sara, agreed that it's better to stick to the "setting" they prepared so that people don't think they're using their abilities to transform. So, they decided that "Sophia is a distant relative of Sara."
The one who jumped on this was Kojimo, the Guild Manager of the Commerce Guild.
"Well, we also noticed that Guildmaster Sophia and Miss Sara look very similar, so please don't worry too much."
"Hehe. With looks like this, there's no way to hide it. We're supposed to be distant relatives, but we look surprisingly alike, don't we? Adelia and I grew up like sisters."
With a bright smile, Sophia's golem tells a big lie that fits the setting. Since it's not a person, there's no worry about changing expressions or attitudes when lying.
"May I ask why you started a merchant guild in Grandchester?"
"I have been saving money while working at a merchant guild in another country. It has always been my dream to have my own merchant guild someday. Just when I was thinking about starting a small merchant guild, I heard the news of Adelia's passing and hurried to Grandchester. I knew she had eloped and married Sir Arthur, so I thought I would take in Miss Sara. However, I found out that Miss Sara was already taken in by the Grandchester family and was living happily, so I planned to just say hello and leave..."
"I held back Sophia."
Until then, Sara had been silent, but she quietly continued speaking.
"Sophia looks a lot like my late mother, and I couldn't bear to part with her. When I heard about starting a new business, I suggested that it might be good to start it in the Grandchester territory. Also, I did ask my grandfather for a little help."
"Ask, you say?"
"Yes. I asked him to help me so that we could smoothly establish the Sophia Merchant Guild."
With this statement, everyone around realized that the Grandchester family was investing in the Sophia Merchant Guild. While it was true for the initial establishment of the merchant guild, only those connected to the Grandchester family and bureaucrats knew that they were borrowing more money from the Sophia Merchant Guild than they had invested.
At that moment, Marquis Grandchester interrupted.
"Let the sparrows talk about such trivial matters later. This is not the time for that."
With this statement, the guild members understood that Marquis Grandchester probably didn't want to discuss the relationship between the Sophia Merchant Guild and the Grandchester family any further. However, Marquis Grandchester himself thought it was really a minor issue. It was only natural, considering he knew it was a lie.
"I-I apologize for that."
"Hmm."
When Kojimo apologized, Marquis Grandchester nodded.
"I'm sorry. It seems I spoke out of turn and led the conversation off track."
Jean hurriedly apologized as well, but Rihito jumped in to continue the discussion.
"No, Mr. Jean. Actually, we haven't strayed too far from the topic."
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