USM | Chapter 7.5

Opera House’s Private Room.

Inside, Teton watched the opera without even a glass in hand. Recently, the opera house’s revenue had plummeted, and he was contemplating whether to withdraw his investment. He planned to sort out his thoughts while watching the opera one last time.

Unexpected guests filled the private room today: Shashar Elpaf and Black Panther.

“Oh, how gentle.”

And Teton’s familiar.

As soon as Shashar entered the private room, he looked around curiously and then made a request to Teton.

“I’d like to examine your familiar, could you call it for a moment?”

Teton asked suspiciously.

“Is it necessary for treatment?”

“If you know the reason for the forgetfulness, you understand the importance of communication with the familiar. It’s important for them to relax by seeing their owner’s face in a private space. If anything happens, I’ll handle it immediately, so please call it.”

Teton sighed and eventually summoned his familiar. The Black Lion emerged slowly from the shadows, looked around, and then up at Teton. For some reason, its expectant stance irritated him.

“Stay calm.”

Shashar began to gently pet the Black Lion, which sat quietly and observed its surroundings.

“What’s this friend’s name?”

“…Blain.”

“Is it short for Black Lion by any chance?”

“…”

“…Sorry. I’m quick-witted.”

Hmm. Clever. This was the first person to immediately guess the origin of the name Blain. It was a name given in ignorance during childhood, and unless renamed, familiars’ names were often like this. Most nobles renamed them for appearances, but he had always left it as it was.

In hindsight, it suited quite well.

“Seems like naming sense runs in the family. Even calls his familiar Leo, probably short for Leopard. He used to call it Pencil.”

“What’s your familiar’s name?”

“Swan.”

“You’re no different. Is your familiar a white bird?”

Shashar briefly furrowed his brows, then smiled softly.

“Indeed. It seems Pontina nobles prefer simple and clear names.”

“Isn’t it nice? Naming your familiar something that suits them with a pure heart.”

Teton, he too once had such a heart. When he first awakened as a familiar handler and held his newborn familiar, he spent several nights thinking of a name. He believes those past memories are filled with such emotions.

But as one ages, responsibility takes precedence. The more he discarded the old and embraced the new, the more solid his surroundings became. Perhaps his perspective and attitude had become drier as well.

He rarely felt greatly disturbed by anything anymore.

At that moment, Teton realized Shashar had extended his hand to him. He looked at the young man’s hand with a puzzled gaze. Shashar spoke.

“Duke, you should touch it too.”

Shashar nudged the Black Lion’s head toward Teton’s hand. It was within reach. Teton refrained from saying no, seeing Shashar’s persistent demeanor. His old ways didn’t work on a stubborn man like him.

Wrestling with a young man at his age was just a waste of energy.

And there was no reason to refuse.

Teton slowly placed his hand on the Black Lion’s head. The warm, soft fur wrapped around his hand as if embracing it. Strangely, Teton felt at ease. The Black Lion seemed to feel the same, as it leaned against Teton, closed its eyes, and lifted its head.

Shashar chuckled and finally took a seat. Teton exhaled deeply while stroking the Black Lion’s neck.

“Will you follow me tomorrow too?”

Shashar pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and answered.

“Yes. I received a week’s schedule from Zenzen. It’s necessary for the treatment, so please bear with it. Besides, isn’t it more comfortable for you if I’m around?”

“That’s true. If Blain goes wild, it could endanger not just me but those around as well.”

He allowed Shashar to accompany him as a precaution. Even if Shashar hadn’t accompanied him, he would have taken appropriate measures by leaving the Black Lion at the manor, but he wouldn’t have felt as at ease as he did now.

For a familiar handler, a familiar is like a garment that must be worn. Unless one has a strong mental fortitude, separating from a familiar brings a great sense of emptiness and void.

Even he, who lived with his familiar confined in the shadows, couldn’t easily conceive the idea of separating from it. Thus, keeping this shameless man by his side was deemed necessary in its own way.

A week.

Teton had a feeling that week would feel very long.

And it would be a moment to determine his future.

Shashar Elpaf accompanied him for a week.

When they visited the merchant guild, Shashar asked if he could procure what he needed. When told there was no need to pay, he quickly disappeared inside the guild. Teton, who thought it would be fine as long as it wasn’t rare items, was shocked when he saw the invoice brought by the staff.

“Did it really come out to 30 million gold?”

“Well, that’s because he took 100 servings of food and alcohol, three tons of marble, and even the high-quality fabric we recently imported from Mahati…”

“What did he say he’d use them for?”

“He asked for delivery, and upon checking, it was to the cathedral. He said it was a gift for the goddess statue…”

“The cathedral, huh. Alright, just leave it be.”

Teton felt a stiffness in his neck that he hadn’t felt in a long time. Especially the fabric from Mahati, which he was considering presenting to the emperor after inspection. Does he have a good eye? After finishing his work quickly, Teton headed to the next destination.

“I’m sorry, but familiars are not allowed entry.”

It was a meeting to adjust the profit ratio with a brand store within the guild. As they were entering the meeting room, a staff member stopped Shashar because of the Black Panther hanging on his shoulder.

“To enter the meeting room, you must put away your familiar.”

Shashar glanced at the Black Panther and scratched his forehead awkwardly.

“No choice, we’ll wait here. Oh, before you go, please call Blain.”

Teton obediently called Blain. He judged it safer for Shashar to have it than himself. After all, Zenzen would accompany him in the meeting room, so there was no danger.

“Blain, let’s play with us. Duke? Leave the busy person alone… Oh, I get it. Don’t sulk. He’ll be out in an hour, right?”

An hour. He had never left a meeting room in less than two hours for any reason. Teton entered without responding to Shashar’s gaze and took a seat.

“Can we finish in an hour?”

The meeting concluded in an hour and ten minutes. When he exited the meeting room, Shashar was playing with the two familiars by the door and looked bewildered when he saw Teton.

“Did you finish already? You could have taken your time with the meeting. Or maybe it wasn’t as important as I thought.”

Teton let out a hollow laugh for the first time that day. Inside the meeting room, countless staff members were still unable to leave their seats, trying to wrap up the meeting Teton had hurriedly concluded.

Teton patted the Black Lion’s head once as it approached him and moved on.

One day, they attended a charity party. It was a party where donated items were auctioned, and the proceeds were donated. It was also a place to establish important business connections, so Teton attended with donated items, planning to buy a few as well.

However,

“Four thousand.”

“Number 12, four thousand.”

“Five thousand.”

“Number 19, five thousand.”

“Seven thousand.”

“Number 12, seven thousand…”

“Nine thousand.”

Shashar finally lowered the number 12 card with a satisfied face.

And soon, the next donated item was presented.

As soon as someone called five hundred, the number 12 card quietly rose.

“Two thousand.”

“Number 12, two thousand.”

The first bidder glared at Shashar, then raised the card and shouted.

“Three thousand!”

Shashar quietly lowered the card again. He participated in every auction afterward. Did he want the donated items? When asked, Shashar just smiled, and Teton initially thought his actions were for fun, then considered them mischief.

Everyone here was born and raised as nobles. There was no reason to be interested in unnecessary items or raise prices without reason. Shashar consistently drove prices up. Even knowing it was mischief, nobles who wanted the donated items never backed down.

“Number 4, nine thousand…”

“Ten million.”

“Number 12, ten million.”

“Damn, aren’t you overdoing it? Didn’t I say I’d kill you if I saw you again?”

“Host, it seems the opponent has given up…”

“Thirteen million!”

“Twenty million.”

“Number 12, twenty million…”

“Thirty million, damn.”

Thirty million for an old mirror. Teton sighed at the absurd price, thinking Hesia Tarantula had been properly caught by Shashar.

The mirror, which started at three million gold, was auctioned to Hesia Tarantula for thirty million gold due to Shashar’s tactics.

Only then did Teton realize Shashar’s goal was to increase the donation amount. Charity party. He was fulfilling that purpose more faithfully than anyone else here.

When the opponent gave up, Shashar handed the purchase rights to Teton.

“People around you will like it as a gift.”

The total number of gifts purchased was four, amounting to sixteen million gold. It was three times the amount he had planned to spend. After the charity party, the total donations amounted to one hundred twenty million gold. Compared to the average thirty million previously, it was a remarkably unusual amount.

“Shall we leave before Hesia catches up? Blain, Leo, let’s go. Stop playing and come.”

The Black Lion and Black Panther, which had been let loose in one place, approached Shashar at his words. Teton suddenly felt eyes glancing at him. More precisely, they were likely looking at his familiar.

“Is that Duke Teton’s familiar?”

“What wind blew? I’ve never seen it before.”

“Me neither. It looks as brave as the rumors say.”

“But that person doesn’t really…”

Until now, he hadn’t thought about how he was perceived. But listening for a moment, it seemed he was viewed as someone who avoided familiars. Contrary to rumors, he didn’t particularly feel good or bad about familiars.

“…Alright.”

Teton spoke to the Black Lion, which was about to enter the shadows. As he walked ahead, two familiars and one person followed.

Teton thought of the next schedule. Suddenly, he realized it had already been a week since he started moving with Shashar.

It seemed it was time to finish the last schedule.

❤︎ • ❤︎ • ❤︎

Teton quietly observed the sunset painted on a size 150 canvas. A painting by Montecheu, known as a prominent artist. Despite the buzz, the exhibition period was only five days. Teton rented the museum for an hour to view this painting.

Shashar, who had been looking around, approached and stood beside him.

“Have you seen everything else?”

“Yes. This is the last one.”

“It’ll be a good ending.”

The arrangement of paintings in a museum is important. The paintings displayed at the entrance are used to convey the theme to both newcomers and those with deep knowledge of art. After that, the audience interprets the individual meanings of the paintings in the arranged order.

Understanding the theme, interpreting it, and seeing its depth.

If he had come here, Shashar must have reached his own conclusion.

Teton exhaled deeply and spoke.

“So, do you know what kind of person I am now?”

Shashar flinched for a moment, then slowly smiled.

“You already noticed.”

“There’s no other reason for you to stick by my side. You must have been testing me to see if I’m someone worth helping.”

“Yes. I was contemplating whether it’s right to help you, as you said.”

“But you didn’t think I’d evaluate you too, did you?”

“…Did you evaluate me?”