Chapter 66

“What was that just now…?”

Yu Hwa, who was pinned under Lin, stared blankly into the air, muttering unintelligible words.

I still didn’t understand why she suddenly behaved like that, or what had happened.

It felt like I had drifted into a dream, and when I regained my clarity, everything was resolved.

Maybe I had done so many good deeds that Santa Claus had left a gift for me. Since it was a beastman country, would Rudolph also be in beast form?

I calmed my mind while contemplating that stream of consciousness.

“What will you do, Lord Cheonho? Do you still not intend to become our Lin’s master?”

Yu Hwa’s dazed pupils focused as she looked up at me.

“Are you telling me to go against heaven’s will…?”

“Rather than following the invisible will of the heavens, it is human duty to take care of the poor child right in front of us. Even a slave trader like me knows that.”

“In the end, countless innocent people will suffer. Are you not worried about the harm they will incur?”

“Haha, to my eyes, everyone has a bright and happy future ahead of them. It seems that clairvoyance isn’t all that impressive after all.”

“……”

Yu Hwa closed her mouth and lowered her gaze.

She seemed to be contemplating what was right.

After a while, Yu Hwa looked back at me.

“What do you want from me?”

“Just one thing: Teach Lin sorcery.”

“What if someone’s harmed due to the misfortune of the gumiho?”

“I will ensure that such a thing will not happen, but if it does, I will take responsibility. Covering for a slave’s mistakes is a master’s role, you know.”

“…Very well.”

Finally, a word of agreement flowed from Yu Hwa.

Color returned to her face.

“Then….”

“However, there is a condition.”

What is this?

This unsettling feeling.

“What is the condition?”

“Passing the test that I will set is the condition.”

“Ah.”

I wondered why that hadn’t come up sooner.

It seemed like it wouldn’t be brushed aside, and after going around, it turned into a test.

“No, thank you. Why should I take a test when I’m the one in charge now?”

“If you refuse, then there’s nothing I can do. Let the gumiho bite your neck. I’ve lived long enough, so I have no more attachments to life.”

Old people who say such things tend to have more attachments than anyone. If I threaten a little, I wonder if they would say, “I’ll give up the merchant and sorcery! Just spare my life!” while tucking their tails.

“I don’t know what scheme you’re plotting, but there must be a reason for raising this child into a gumiho. That means I can’t say it’s absolute justice.”

No.

This grandmother is determined.

The speed at which her mind works is extraordinary, just like Cheonho Yu Hwa.

“Very well.”

I couldn’t refuse this either.

After all, this was part of my original plan, so it’s not a problem.

“Then will you release this now?”

“What do you mean? We need to write a contract.”

“A contract…?”

“Come on~ You’re acting surprised for someone who’s already in the know.”

Yu Hwa looked at me with a wavering gaze, but it was useless.

Where is the verbal contract between merchants?

“I believe in slaves, but I don’t believe in people.”

I drafted the contract.

Signing a contract while the grandmother was lying on the floor felt a bit like elder abuse, but there was no other choice.

She might suddenly turn on me even though she said she believed me. I can’t think that luck will follow this situation again after it had worked out well once.

“Is this alright?”

Yu Hwa handed over the contract.

It was a contract created using her sorcery.

Any actions that harm us are prohibited.

If she passes the test, she will teach Lin sorcery.

Detailed matters will be discussed upon passing the test.

If the contract is broken, divine punishment will befall her.

“This is sufficient. Lin, please release her.”

“Grandma, if you do anything strange again, I’ll make sure to do some serious damage! Got it?”

Lin, who had been holding Yu Hwa’s arm, stepped aside. She made a throat-slashing gesture towards Yu Hwa, who was getting up, shaking off the dust.

Yu Hwa looked at Lin with a complicated expression and then shifted her gaze to me.

This was the best option for her too.

Please don’t look at me like that.

“Then now, let’s get to the content regarding the test. What exactly is it?”

“I merely want to confirm whether you possess the minimum qualifications to raise a gumiho.”

Qualifications to raise a gumiho.

Yu Hwa’s test.

“You’re also a merchant, right? Then aim to make a name for yourself as a merchant in Vestia.”

It was a tycoon.

***

“W-what? You met Lord Cheonho?”

“It just turned out that way.”

“How was it? As expected, a young and beautiful person.”

“I will refrain from commenting.”

After leaving the Celestial Pavilion, we had a small gathering.

It was Seira and Bolt.

Upon hearing that I met Yu Hwa, Bolt kept asking about her, but I didn’t answer.

I wouldn’t do something as malicious as injecting a red potion to shatter their innocence.

“So what happened? Is she going to help you?”

“Not exactly, but I took a test.”

“A test? What do you mean?”

“She told me to succeed in business in Vestia. If I pass the test, she will assist me.”

[Yu Hwa’s Test: Achieve recognition from Yu Hwa through business.]

Time limit: 30 days.

Reward: Yu Hwa’s assistance.

If this were a game, such a phrase would have popped up.

Why is business Yu Hwa’s test? It seems sudden, but in a way, it would be odd if it weren’t. After all, it’s fundamentally a tycoon game.

To succeed, I must run a store and earn a certain amount of revenue and fame within the time limit.

– You can learn a lot about a merchant: ability, wit, improvisation, and relationships. Moreover, having a gumiho by your side will likely make it easier than usual. The purpose of the test is to check if you have the capability to overcome any adversities.

That was exactly the reason.

The tycoon game I played with Lin had a higher difficulty level than usual.

Because it needed all gears to turn smoothly, having a problem in one part would affect all others, and when Lin was around, three or four gears would break down.

All sorts of unreasonable situations would happen.

– You look unsure. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to do it. Of course, that means failing the test.

– No, I will proceed. Please keep it together and wait.

This was my area of expertise.

Having been provoked, I absolutely could not back down.

“But suddenly asking for business? It’s nearly impossible to gain Lord Cheonho’s recognition without any initial capital in just 30 days. Besides, you…”

“Since I’m human, it should be easier for you.”

Beastmen tend to avoid humans.

But it’s not necessary to please the beastmen all the time.

“I plan to do business in District 6.”

“District 6, meaning you’re referring to Edenbar. Certainly, most humans in Vestia reside in Edenbar.”

Just like in Korea with Chinatown and in the United States with Koreatown, Vestia has places where humans gather.

The target customer base I need to focus on is humans, not beastmen. I will operate my business targeting humans.

“Seira, the street cat people have been quite troublesome, haven’t they?”

“Yes, they have, but why do you suddenly bring them up?”

“They will play a significant role this time.”

I already built the foundation as soon as I arrived in Vestia.

They are a race that tends to invite trouble.

Yet they are a race that has avoided extinction solely due to their cuteness.

“I will create a cat café.”

***

“Are you telling us to work, meow?”

I headed straight for the alley where the cat people gathered.

I shared my situation with them, but their reaction was cold. It was natural for the jobless ones, who spent all day playing and eating, to refuse when asked to work.

“Weren’t you the one who said during the first contract that we didn’t have to do anything at all, human? That’s a breach of contract, meow.”

The furry wheel was accusing me of breaching the contract.

I thought they only knew how to groom and eat fish. Quite impressive.

“That statement is correct. I clearly said that during the contract signing, right? You don’t have to do anything.”

“So…”

“However, the contract has been terminated, right? Then I can’t be accused of a breach of contract regardless of what I request. What I’m proposing is a trade.”

The death god of Mirabel shattered the chains of the cat people.

Contracts were one-time agreements.

Re-signing wasn’t possible.

I know this because I experienced it when I attempted to test if I could copy points during my first slave contract. The reason I’m careful when it comes to liberating my main slave.

Once liberated, that’s it.

This case with Mirabel is unusual.

In other words, they are no longer my slaves. However, even though they are not slaves, I am still consistently supplying fish.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I’m under no obligation to keep feeding you fish, either. I’m not some kind of volunteer.”

“How shameless of you!”

“That’s right! If you start something, take responsibility for it!”

The cat people clamored in unison. They were a group who enjoyed food comfortably rather than risking their lives to steal.

Animals who have tasted the hand of man cannot return to the wild again. They’ve lived too comfortably.

I’ll drive home that point.

“Responsibility? I will take it. However, there isn’t enough space for everyone, so I can only take the first ten.”

There are roughly thirty cat people, right?

Twenty of them would be eliminated.

“Don’t pass, meow! It’s a trap, meow!”

“Exactly! Let’s show our loyalty, meow!”

The cat people united.

“I forgot to mention, if you work at my shop, you’ll receive three full meals of fish and accommodations─”

“Meow!”

“You traitor! Don’t you have any pride in being a street cat person?!”

“Where’s the pride in being a street cat person? Those who kept their pride are all dead, meow!”

A divide emerged among the cat people.

Even if they are small, the moment there is a crack in their unity, the remaining ones will break apart in an instant.

“Okay, we’ve already filled one spot. Next. I need nine more to work at my shop. Hands up.”