In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 30

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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This Life, I Will Become the Clan Head Episode 30

Gallahan and Cleribane sat facing each other.

What was surprising was that Cleribane had given Gallahan the seat of honor.

Though it was awkward, Gallahan sat in the plush chair that Cleribane had indicated and moistened his dry lips before speaking.

“I know you must be busy, but I came to see you like this to seek advice.”

“There was no need to trouble yourself by coming here. You could have simply summoned me to the Durak Guild.”

“This isn’t about the Koroi-Jung business. I came to seek advice about my personal business venture.”

Gallahan Lombardi’s personal business venture.

Cleribane felt quite intrigued.

The word “business” seemed completely mismatched with Gallahan, who always lived buried in the manor’s library or his study, reading books for pleasure.

The previous Koroi-Jung business was, in many ways, forcibly thrust upon Gallahan.

But now he was trying to start a personal business venture.

Cleribane thought he might need to reassess his evaluation of Gallahan.

“I’m not sure how much help I can be, but please speak freely.”

Cleribane spoke in an unusually gentle voice.

Honestly, if it had been anyone else, he might have driven them out, saying he had no time for such idle matters.

But strangely, Cleribane showed a soft side when it came to the Pirenthia father-daughter pair.

Gallahan also seemed surprised that Cleribane would so easily agree to listen, his eyes widening.

Seeing him hesitate in confusion for a moment, Cleribane said coldly.

“I’m not offering to listen to your story because I have time to spare, Gallahan.”

“Ah! I’m, I’m sorry. So the plan I have is first…”

Gallahan cleared his throat and began explaining in a careful voice.

It was a somewhat more sequentially organized introduction than the rambling explanation he had given Pirenthia that morning.

However, it was still verbose, so Gallahan had to speak for quite a long time without rest.

When that long explanation finally ended, Gallahan’s throat hurt.

But without even noticing his condition, he was busy nervously watching Cleribane’s reaction.

Cleribane said nothing.

This made Gallahan suddenly afraid.

Had it been such a terrible plan?

So bad it left him speechless?

As time passed like this, just when Gallahan’s shoulders finally drooped with disappointment, Cleribane suddenly spoke.

“It’s tremendous.”

“…Pardon?”

“Of course, there are points that need improvement.”

“Of, of course there would be. What points are those?”

Gallahan asked hastily.

But Cleribane didn’t immediately give him the answer.

“I have one condition.”

“What is it?”

“Please let me join your business venture, Gallahan.”

Gallahan blinked his eyes.

He wondered if he had heard correctly.

“Let me say it again – your business proposal is tremendous, Gallahan.”

“Then, you’re saying it’s good?”

“Yes. Honestly, it’s surprising.”

Cleribane admitted that he had been underestimating the person called Gallahan Lombardi.

“But if your business becomes a great success through my advice and I don’t participate, I think I’ll be quite envious, so if you accept my condition, I’ll tell you the points for improvement.”

Gallahan smiled broadly, then suddenly became serious.

“But don’t you have an employment contract with the Lombardi Family, Cleribane? Since this business is my personal venture, not the Lombardis’…”

Gallahan wanted independent assets not tied to the Lombardi name.

He wanted the power to protect Pirenthia from the storm that would arise someday over the next clan head position.

No matter how desperately he needed Cleribane’s help, he couldn’t borrow the Lombardi’s power again.

But suddenly, a smile spread across Cleribane’s face.

It was a very satisfied smile.

“That caution makes it even better.”

Then he spoke as if to say not to worry.

“My contract with the Lombardi Family is not a lifetime contract but a fixed-term employment contract. Also, I included a clause allowing concurrent employment, so don’t worry.”

It was a contract that had been newly created when he moved to the instructor position at the clan head’s request.

“Then I’d rather be the one asking you! Let’s do this together, Cleribane!”

Gallahan brightened and extended one hand.

After looking down at it for a moment, Cleribane also reached out his hand.

After a brief handshake, Cleribane spoke in a more relaxed voice.

“Let’s discuss the detailed profit distribution later, and I’ll tell you about the improvements first.”

Gallahan nodded enthusiastically at Cleribane’s words.

That sight reminded him of Pirenthia during class, making Cleribane smile inwardly.

“The target of this business should be commoners, not nobles.”

“Commoners?”

It was the complete opposite direction from the plan Gallahan had established.

“Yes. So naturally, the shop’s location should be Heslot Market, not Sedacuna.”

Heslot Market, located opposite the Sedacuna Shopping District, was a huge commercial area situated in the center of the Imperial Domain.

Unlike the relatively quiet Sedacuna, it was always bustling and boasted an enormous floating population of people gathered from across the Empire.

“And…”

The meeting between the two men continued for quite some time after that.

If it hadn’t been time for Cleribane to attend a meeting, it might have continued until sunset.

Looking at Gallahan, who was getting up with a slightly tired face from the enthusiastic discussion, Cleribane asked.

“Was it the clan head?”

“What do you mean?”

“The person who told you to go get advice from me.”

Cleribane was already more than half certain.

That Rulak had pushed his youngest son toward him to give him support.

But Gallahan smiled and shook his head.

“No, it was Pirenthia.”

“Pardon…?”

“Actually, I haven’t even brought it up with Father yet. I was afraid he’d scold me, calling it a foolish delusion, and also because this is strictly a personal business venture. So I was worrying about it alone, when Pirenthia said I should ask Teacher Cleribane.”

Though embarrassed, Gallahan expressed his sincere gratitude to Cleribane.

“This must be proof that you usually teach our Pirenthia very well. Thank you.”

Though he had suddenly received thanks from a parent, Cleribane couldn’t smile.

It could have simply been a child talking about a teacher who seemed to know everything.

Gallahan seemed to think so.

But for some reason, Cleribane kept thinking of Pirenthia’s bright, intelligent eyes.

And he had a strong premonition that Gallahan’s visit to him was not such a product of coincidence.

* * *

As soon as Father left for work, I visited Doctor Omari’s research lab early in the morning.

Fortunately, since it was early, only Estira was in the research lab.

She must have been in a very bad mood after missing the recommendation letter right in front of her and hearing Jason’s sarcasm.

But today too, she was steadily doing her work as if nothing had happened.

Seeing such an Estira made me feel anew that I definitely wanted to help her.

As I quietly opened the door and entered, Estira, who had been diligently cleaning the research lab desk, greeted me warmly when she saw me.

“You’re here, Young Lady.”

“Good morning, Estira!”

“You look especially cheerful today.”

“I thought of a good method!”

“A good method?”

Estira’s eyes widened.

“A good idea to get you a letter of recommendation.”

“Pirenthia Young Lady….”

Estira looked at me with a moved expression while holding her cleaning cloth.

“Estira, you know that book you showed me before.”

“My grandmother’s recipe notebook?”

“Yes, that one. Could you show it to me again?”

While coming and going for my wrist treatment, I asked Estira many different questions.

First was to become closer, and second was to learn as much as possible about her.

One of the things I learned that way was about Estira’s grandmother.

In a small rural village without even a clinic, she seemed to have helped people using various herbs available nearby with traditional healing methods passed down through the family.

And influenced by that, Estira had also been exposed to herbs from an early age and had been thinking she wanted to help sick people too.

“Of course. Please wait a moment.”

Estira brought the notebook from her desk in the corner of the research lab.

It was an old notebook stained with fingerprints.

I took it and flipped to around the middle pages.

“Could you explain a bit more about this medicine?”

Estira looked at the part I was pointing to and said.

“This is medicine that Grandmother used to make and tell me to bring when people in the village sprained their ankles or hurt their shoulders while working.”

Estira smiled nostalgically as she read her grandmother’s handwriting.

“It’s medicine that’s been passed down orally in our family for a long time, so it’s not written in official books… It’s medicine that reduces swelling and relieves pain to some extent.”

“How was this used? It’s not medicine you take orally, right?”

“No, you soak a cloth with this medicine and place it on the painful area.”

I had only read it briefly once, but my memory was correct after all.

I asked several more important questions that weren’t written in the notes.

“Can this medicine be used for a long time?”

“Yes, when you do labor work, everyone has aching places here and there. Some people used it every night for months.”

“What about the smell? Isn’t the smell unpleasant?”

“No. It’s closer to a sweet smell actually. The main ingredient is dried tree fruit.”

Perfect.

But I suppressed my excitement and spoke calmly.

“Let’s modify this a bit. Can you make it concentrated like the Melcon medicine last time?”

Estira immediately nodded at my words.

She didn’t even ask what I intended to use it for.

“Yes, Young Lady.”

Those eyes were filled with trust toward me.

I smiled broadly at Estira.

If this goes according to plan, I can safely send Estira to the Imperial Academy.

“Oh, and do you happen to have any herbs that give a cool feeling when eaten or applied to the body?”

“A cool feeling… There are tea leaves called Hipsi.”

“Ah, Hipsi!”

I had tried it before too.

Like mint leaves, it made your mouth feel refreshingly cool when you drank it.

“Prepare that as a concentrated extract too.”

“Why Hipsi….”

“Food tastes better when it smells good, right? Medicine would be the same. It’s important to give the feeling that it’s somehow effective.”

“Ah, as expected….”

Estira now even looked at me with eyes of respect.

I shrugged my shoulders as if this was nothing special.

“I’ll arrange for beeswax and oil to be sent here. We’ll mix the two concentrated extracts into that.”

Medicine that reduces swelling and has mild soothing effects, tea leaves that give a cool feeling like mint, and beeswax.

Thinking of the medicine that would be born from combining those ingredients made me smile naturally.

An ointment with a tiger drawing on it.

I was trying to recreate here what was once called the national ointment and used as a cure-all for arthritis, headaches, and even stuffy noses.

And with that, I would send Estira to the Academy.

Along with two shining letters of recommendation!

There’s no way elderly people like Grandfather and Broshul could resist the temptation of this ointment.

If this medicine is completed successfully, there’s only one thing left to worry about.

The question of whether Grandfather’s aching knee was the left one or the right one.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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