Chapter 8: Making the Deal
I looked in Julien’s eyes as they stared back at me.
"Hello, are you by chance Julien?"
"Um... yeah," he nodded in confirmation.
"Do I know you by any chance, sir?"
He seemed uneasy due to my presence.
Well, if a rich noble appeared at someone’s door in a slum, it would be right to think about their motives.
My act was suspicious for someone who had no connections in noble society.
"You don’t have to be scared of me. I am here for a job offer. Care to listen?"
Julien’s eyes went wide, and he began to hurriedly nod his head.
Although he was wary of me, for someone who was struggling to even meet daily ends, hearing about a job must have been a blessing.
"Please come inside, uhh... or we can talk somewhere else."
He gave an awkward smile while looking at the state of his house.
I just smiled back and let him lead me to a coffee stall in the market area.
For someone who didn’t have much money, he sure knew the manners to host a guest.
"Two cups of coffee please, and keep the sugar low."
"No, sir, you don’t have to pay for it," Julien muttered in a startled voice as I handed credits to the shopkeeper.
"Don’t fret about it. Where do you work currently?"
"Um... a trader has just settled here, so he hired me to teach his kids."
"Oh... never took you for someone highly educated. Which academy did you attend?"
I asked, knowing he had no formal education.
"I... you can say I am a self-taught person. I might not have formal education, but I have a good understanding of the basics. I can at least teach the kids."
He fumbled while speaking.
"And what made that trader hire you instead of someone else?"
Julien’s expression crumbled.
He didn’t need to say anything.
The trader must have been paying him some titbits for services that would have cost quite a lot if he had hired a proper private instructor.
"You see, Julien, I am someone with a great eye for talent. And guess what? I can see it spilling from you."
"Ha ha! You must be joking."
"..."
"You seriously think I have any talent? I can’t even use mana properly. Surely you can’t use me for combat."
"I never intended to."
I stepped closer to him and placed my index finger on his forehead. "You have a great talent right here."
I poked his forehead with my finger.
Julien just kept staring at it blankly.
"So how can I be of help to you?"
If someone trusts your talent, whether it’s present or not doesn’t matter.
I just have to grab this opportunity might be what was going through his mind.
I liked it.
"Let me introduce myself. My name’s Kael... Kael Frost. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
I extended my hand for a handshake.
"Frost... huh?"
Julien absent-mindedly took my hand as recognition dawned on him.
"Frost? You mean House Frost?!"
His voice was filled with reverence and something closer to fear.
Realizing something, he immediately knelt on his knees. "My apologies, my lord, for not recognizing you. I swear I didn’t mean any disrespect!"
He repeatedly bowed his head.
The people nearby turned their attention toward us. Before it led to a bigger scene, I picked Julien up by his hand.
"Don’t worry about it, and stand up. You are embarrassing me!"
Understanding his mistake, Julien immediately stood up.
"I am sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you."
He offered an apologetic smile.
"Are you hungry?"
Before he could respond, his body answered with a low rumble from his stomach.
"Let’s talk over dinner. Follow me."
I led him toward a spacious restaurant nearby.
It might have been his first time in such a luxurious place, as could be seen from his stumbling steps.
His clothes surely didn’t fit the place.
"You don’t have to be nervous about it. You are with me, so there’s no issue to worry about."
I gave him my most disarming smile.
And it seemed to work wonders as he calmed down.
As we took our seats at one of the corners facing the open sky, the waitress came over to take our order.
She paused her gaze over Julien for a second longer, but didn’t dwell much on his rag-torn clothes.
"What would you like to order, sir?"
She asked in a polite tone, not carrying any malice toward Julien’s appearance.
A professional indeed.
"Just give us your best dishes."
I said without looking at the menu.
"..."
"Please wait for a few minutes. Your order will be ready."
The waitress bowed once and then politely walked away.
Why not see the menu?
Well...
Rich people don’t care about prices.
That is how nobles should act, was my logic from all deductions.
I had to appear a little commanding so as to induce subconscious servience in Julien even before making the real offer.
And it seemed to have worked perfectly.
Julien just kept looking at me with wide puppy eyes, his mouth a little hung open.
Of course, the prices of every food item here were ridiculous.
And me ordering the best dishes without even seeing them was even more ridiculous.
His reaction was justified.
Now that we had all the time, I prepared my mind for some angelic offer.
"Here’s the deal, Julien..."
As our order arrived, I kept explaining my plan to Julien without leaving anything out.
Why tell everything before he even joins?
I knew he was going to accept the deal.
It was too good for him to back out—unless he was a fool.
And as always, my assumptions were proven correct.