I blinked.
Because I was staring at someone I never expected to see here.
The old man from the general store.
“Sir, what brings you here?”
“I came at the request of an old friend.”
“…Sorry?”
“The Academy Master of this place is an old friend of mine.”
The Academy Master of Righteous Person Academy is his close friend?
I had no idea.
“And what brings you two here?”
“Ah, we were asked to deliver a letter from the father of a student who enrolled here. And our merchant group also came to offer a bit of support.”
“Support, huh. That fellow will be pleased.”
Brother Jeong-ho hurriedly clasped his fists and bowed.
“Eun Jeong-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group greets you, sir.”
“Nice to see you.”
The one who took care of the assassin that barged into Brother Jeong-ho’s deputy merchant lord inauguration ceremony was this old man from the general store.
Maybe that’s why there was still clear gratitude in Brother Jeong-ho’s eyes as he looked at him.
The old man from the general store strode into the academy, then turned back toward us.
“What are you doing just standing there?”
“Ah! We’re coming! Coming!”
Brother Jeong-ho and I hurriedly followed after him.
We were led straight to the reception room.
Tea was served to us, though it wasn’t anything fancy.
But considering this academy ran on donations, it was obvious they were doing their best to treat us with sincerity.
“So, does the tea suit your taste?”
At the old man’s question, I nodded.
“It’s good enough.”
“I heard you’re rather picky when it comes to tea, though.”
“Whether the tea is high-grade or low-grade isn’t the problem, is it? What matters is the heart that’s put into it.”
At my words, the old man from the general store smiled.
After we waited for about fifteen minutes, an elderly man entered the reception room.
He looked to be around the same age as the old man from the general store.
“That fellow is the Academy Master here.”
At those words I quickly stood up, and Brother Jeong-ho followed my lead.
We clasped our fists and bowed.
“Eun Jeong-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group greets the Academy Master.”
“Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group greets the Academy Master.”
At our greeting, he answered with a gentle smile.
“I am Yeong Se-yun, Academy Master of Righteous Person Academy.”
He invited us to sit, and we took our seats again.
The Academy Master first looked at the old man from the general store and spoke.
“By the way, what are you doing here? You know these people?”
“Ah…”
He nodded.
“They’re rather famous where I’m staying these days.”
“Somehow I doubt you’re with them just because of their fame.”
The old man only smiled and didn’t answer.
The Academy Master turned his gaze to us.
“So then, what brings the two deputy merchant lords of the Eunhae Merchant Group all the way out here?”
As expected, he already knew we were deputy merchant lords.
Righteous Person Academy’s master, Yeong Se-yun.
His connections were a lot wider than I’d thought.
“First, we came to deliver this letter.”
I pulled the letter from my robe and held it out. The Academy Master glanced at the writing on the envelope and nodded.
“Ah, a letter from Student Yeon-sik’s father.”
“Yes. We were asked to deliver it.”
“Understood. I’ll make sure it gets to them. But… did you come all this way just for that?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“Our merchant group would like to sponsor this academy.”
“Sponsor it, hm… Doesn’t the Eunhae Merchant Group already run Apricot Blossom Academy in Beijing?”
“That’s right.”
I nodded.
“But Apricot Blossom Academy is for those aiming for the imperial examinations. It’s a different kind of place from here.”
“That’s true enough.”
“And I heard the tuition here is extremely low.”
Because the Academy Master’s connections were so wide, most of the costs were covered by donations from people he knew.
“We simply want to play a part in helping many people walk the right path at such a small cost.”
The Academy Master didn’t answer right away. Instead, he quietly looked into my eyes.
Unlike before, his gaze was sharp, as if he were trying to peel me open and read every piece inside.
“Are you perhaps planning to use sponsorship as an excuse to meddle in the academy’s operations?”
“No.”
I answered firmly.
“What gain would I get from interfering? Honestly…”
I let out a sigh.
“Even if you asked me to get involved in running this place, I’d rather refuse. I already have too much work on my plate.”
At my answer, the old man from the general store bobbed his head.
“That’s true enough.”
“But from the way you asked, it sounds like there were people before who tried to use donations as leverage to meddle with the academy.”
At my words, the Academy Master nodded.
“Of course. More than a few. Still… when I look into your eyes, it’s obvious you’re hoping for something in return.”
I gave an awkward laugh.
“Haha, you really are sharp. I do want something, actually.”
“At last, you’re saying it. What is it you want?”
“I want capable people.”
At my words, the Academy Master tilted his head slightly, and I continued.
“The students who enroll here might have gone astray in the past, but they’ve been corrected through this academy’s education. That makes them good talent in my eyes.”
I kept going.
“Don’t you agree?”
“Of course they’re talented! That much I can confidently guarantee.”
“That’s why we’re offering support—to secure a steady supply of those capable people.”
“In that case, the terms aren’t bad.”
Not just “not bad.”
From the Academy Master’s point of view, it was something he’d gladly welcome.
This place was called Righteous Person Academy, but more people knew it as a rehabilitation academy.
It was that renowned for turning delinquents around, but in truth that kind of work demanded a lot of patience.
It also required an unshakable philosophy and conviction about education.
That made it a very hard job.
In my previous life, the Academy Master never managed to find a successor and passed away, and this academy closed its doors.
From my standpoint, that had been a real shame.
Graduates from here had later spread out across the land and played major roles everywhere.
If I’d known about this place earlier, I could have brought as many of those people under my wing as possible.
There were a few things I regretted while growing the Eunhae Merchant Group in my last life.
The biggest regret was not having enough talent to place in all the right positions.
A merchant lord can’t do everything alone. You need people who can faithfully carry out the merchant lord’s will and fully demonstrate their abilities in the right place.
That was the kind of person I needed.
Thinking back on my past life, it’s people who make you money, and it’s people who lose you money.
That’s how important people are.
Especially talented ones—the money they bring in more than makes up for the cost of hiring them.
In other words, investing in people is investing in the merchant group’s future.
I looked at the Academy Master.
He was putting on a brave front, but I knew the academy’s situation.
Donations had been slowly drying up.
The poor harvest since last year was the problem.
As grain prices shot up to the heavens, running the academy became harder and harder.
The Academy Master had given up his own share of food just to keep the academy going, but in the end, after failing to find a successor and passing away, the academy had shut down.
There probably wouldn’t be anyone who cared for the students as sincerely as the Academy Master sitting in front of me right now.
“Honestly, once the kids leave the academy, they’ll each go off and do whatever work they can find… That worries me sometimes. But if they’re working somewhere reliable, like the Eunhae Merchant Group, I suppose that worry would lessen.”
“Then… you’ll accept our merchant group’s sponsorship?”
“If you sign a guarantee that you won’t interfere with the management.”
Meticulous, aren’t you.
“I’ll gladly do that.”
So the Academy Master and I drew up a contract regarding the sponsorship.
At that moment, Brother Jeong-ho asked a question.
“Would it be all right if we looked around the academy a bit?”
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
“Ah, but… there is one thing I should ask your understanding on.”
The Academy Master continued.
“As you know, this isn’t an ordinary academy. The ones who come here have all gone a bit astray. So the kind of education we use here isn’t ordinary either.”
“Is that so?”
“So if you see anything that makes you frown a bit, I hope you’ll overlook it.”
“Understood.”
“We will.”
At our reply, the Academy Master called out toward the door.
“Go and bring Assistant Instructor Wi!”
“Yes, sir!”
Assistant Instructor Wi?
A moment later.
A young man walked into the reception room. At the sight of him in a blue robe, Brother Jeong-ho blinked twice.
“Huh? Aren’t you… Warrior Wi?”
“Ah!”
It was indeed Warrior Wi Seung-jeo, the infamous delinquent of Sunyang County in Hubei.
I’d heard he was working here as an assistant instructor. But seeing him now, he was no longer the hopeless scoundrel he used to be.
His eyes were very clear, and his movements carried a disciplined sharpness.
The Academy Master nodded.
“Since the Eunhae Merchant Group is based in Sunyang County, you must know each other.”
“Yes.”
Warrior Wi Seung-jeo also nodded.
“I know their faces.”
“Good. Assistant Instructor Wi is one of our academy’s assistant instructors, and a very reliable talent. Assistant Instructor Wi.”
“Yes, Academy Master.”
“Please show our guests around the academy.”
“Understood.”
Warrior Wi—no, Assistant Instructor Wi—addressed us politely.
“Please, follow me.”
We followed Assistant Instructor Wi out of the reception room.
After Eun Seo-ho’s party left the reception room, the old man from the general store, Hwangbo Hui, looked at his old friend.
“So, what did you call me here for?”
“Before that… are you acquainted with this Eun Seo-ho?”
At that question, Hwangbo Hui frowned.
“Were you listening to anything I said earlier?”
“It’s just that it’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you take a liking to someone, I couldn’t help being curious. You normally don’t care much about people at all, do you?”
“…”
Hwangbo Hui didn’t deny it. Because it was true.
“Is he someone we can trust?”
At that question, Hwangbo Hui answered with a smile.
“Out of everyone I’ve seen so far, he’s the most entertaining, the most fascinating, the kindest, and the most relentless… Anyway, that’s the kind of person he is.”
Yeong Se-yun spoke with a surprised expression.
“For you to speak of someone like that… he’s the first since His Majesty the Emperor.”
“…”
“And if you’re saying that, it means he’s trustworthy.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Hwangbo Hui hurried him along.
“So, why did you call me?”
“For half a month, I’d like to entrust the academy to you.”
“What?”
“It seems something has happened in my clan. I’ll need to go back for a short while.”
“So you’re asking me to take charge of the academy?”
“As you know, you’re the only person I can trust with this place.”
“…”
“I don’t particularly want to go back either, but if my clan goes under, this academy will be the first thing that can’t be maintained, so I don’t have much choice, do I?”
In the end, Hwangbo Hui nodded, as if reluctantly giving in.
“Fine.”
Then he added,
“But in exchange…”
Following behind Assistant Instructor Wi out of the reception room, Brother Jeong-ho and I walked in silence for a bit.
Assistant Instructor Wi was the first to speak.
“I never thought we’d meet again like this.”
“Looks that way.”
At Brother Jeong-ho’s reply, he turned his body to face him, then clasped his fists and bowed his head.
“First of all, I apologize for my rudeness back then. Please forgive the things I did in my foolish youth.”
At those words, Brother Jeong-ho glanced at me. I gave him a small nod.
So Brother Jeong-ho also clasped his fists and bowed his head.
“I’ve already forgotten about it, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s just…”
“…?”
“I don’t know how my wife feels about it.”
“Ah…”
He made a regretful face, as if he understood.
“Thinking back now, I honestly can’t understand how I could fling such shameless words around like that. But what can I do? The things I did back then don’t magically disappear, do they?”
That’s true.
He really had been properly rehabilitated.
“So I’m going to do my best to atone for it. Please tell her that for me.”
“All right.”
“Then, I’ll show you around the academy.”
Righteous Person Academy was bigger than I’d expected.
“Over there is the dormitory, and that building is where the lectures are held. And that one…”
Assistant Instructor Wi guided us through the buildings of the academy one by one.
That was when it hit me.
Huh? This smell… alcohol?
I turned to Assistant Instructor Wi and asked,
“Is there some kind of banquet today?”
“Sorry? What do you mean all of a sudden?”
“I smell alcohol.”
At that, Assistant Instructor Wi’s eyes sharpened.
“Where is it coming from?”
I raised my hand and pointed to the side.
“From over there.”
Assistant Instructor Wi walked in that direction, focusing on his sense of smell, then nodded.
“Indeed… that really is alcohol.”
He immediately sprinted that way, and a commotion broke out from that direction.
“Uwah! It’s the demon!”
“I thought he’d never find this place!”
“Shut it! Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you cracking open bottles here?”
Whack!
Thump-thump!
A short while later, Assistant Instructor Wi came back.
That stuff on his face… looked a lot like blood spatters.
He gave us a crooked grin.
“They’re still in the lower years, so they try nonsense like that. By their third year, they don’t pull such stupid stunts anymore.”
Just then, a carriage rolled in from the other side.
The carriage looked oddly familiar.
Seeing it, Assistant Instructor Wi spoke.
“Ah, looks like the new student has arrived today.”
The carriage soon stopped and its door swung open. A boy was dragged out from inside.
“You bastards! Where is this? Why’d you drag me to a place like this?!”
Watching that, Assistant Instructor Wi commented,
“This new student is relatively mild.”
If that’s mild, just what were the others like…
That was when I heard someone call me.
“Seo-ho.”
“Yes?”
I turned my head and saw the old man from the general store.
“Come talk with me for a moment.”
–TL Notes–
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