Chapter 4: The Day of the Meeting, Part 2
“Well, do your best, Byleth,”
Elena urged as she pushed Byleth towards the reception room…
“Um, thank you very much for the invitation today! I have long heard of Count Leclerc’s reputation,”
Byleth said nervously, bowing his head and initiating the first contact.
“Ha ha ha. Welcome indeed, Byleth Saintford-kun. I have been looking forward to this day,”
the count chuckled heartily, approaching with a smile on his clearly defined face and extending his hand.
” …… ”
“Oh?”
“I-I’m delighted to hear you say that!”
Taken aback, Byleth hesitated for a moment before reaching out to shake hands.
It was unexpected.
He had imagined a dignified and reserved personality, but the count’s demeanor was quite different.
“Yes, yes. Please, have a seat.”
“Oh, thank you, sir.”
Once they released hands, he politely gestured to the chairs.
Following his instructions, they both sat down. The count raised an eyebrow slightly and spoke.
“Byleth-kun, not fond of formalities, I presume?”
“Ah, y-yes… you’re right. I apologize.”
His observation was sharp. He saw through Byleth with just their first contact.
Byleth bowed his head again, and the count laughed heartily, seeming pleased.
“Gahaha, you haven’t forgotten that your position is higher than mine, have you?”
“Well, I haven’t done anything as impressive as Count Leclerc.”
“Is that so? Interesting.”
An ambiguous response.
Formally, a count held a higher title than a marquis. From birth, their positions were absolute, but compared to the count, who had made significant contributions to society, Byleth, who had yet to make his mark, wasn’t on the same level.
This difference in perspective might seem out of place, diverging from common sense, but it was something he couldn’t change even if he tried.
“Well, it may be odd given our positions, but let me put it this way. Shall we dispense with formalities? I, for one, dislike stiffness. I prefer easy communication.”
“That would be really helpful. I’ll take you up on that.”
“Haha, no need to worry. Just this exchange alone satisfies me.”
Although it was their first meeting, there was no sense of awkwardness.
It not only created a gentle atmosphere but also guided the conversation.
“By the way, are your parents doing well? Are they currently away in the countryside?”
“Yes, they are currently engaged in developing the territory, so it will take a while.”
“It must be lonely not having your parents around at your age.”
“It would be a lie to say I don’t feel lonely, but I have many people serving me, so I don’t feel inconvenienced.”
“Should I set up servants for you here?”
He merely stated a fact, but the difference in sensibility was evident.
The count smiled pleasantly.
“Well, you should endure a little longer. Your parents are eager to transfer the territory to you.”
“Huh?”
“Hm? You didn’t hear about it, Byleth?”
“Uh, yes.”
“…”
“…”
There was a three-second pause.
“I see. Then let’s pretend you didn’t hear that just now. Hahaha! I’m really sorry!”
“Ah, haha. Don’t worry about it.”
He must have realized immediately that he had revealed the surprise from his parents. After laughing heartily, he bowed to apologize.
He wasn’t in a position to lower his head so easily, but perhaps it was because of this that Elena and Alan were able to grow straight without being swayed by their prestigious status.
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“Ahem. Shall we move on to the main topic around here? To make better use of our time.”
“Of course.”
“Then let me take advantage of your kind words.”
With that polite preamble over, the count’s demeanor changed in an instant.
It was like he flipped a switch. He bowed deeply with a serious expression, as if he were working.
“First of all, I want to thank you for helping Alan. I mentioned it in the invitation, but I want to thank you again.”
“N-No! You don’t need to thank me for that…”
“No need to be modest. I heard from my daughter that you went to find Alan for a consultation after hearing Elena’s troubles. Not many people would devote their time to that extent.”
“Um…”
The first thing that came to Byleth’s mind was ‘[Coincidence].’ He wanted to point it out immediately, but the timing never presented itself.
“As a father, I’m truly grateful. Due to my job, I don’t have much time to spend with my children.”
He thanked me first.
“And now, back to what Alan asked for. And I’ve also heard what advice you gave him. I was hoping we could have a more in-depth conversation about that today.”
“As you say it’s a deep conversation…”
It goes exactly as Luna had anticipated. Having simulated it beforehand, he had the presence of mind.
“Yes, indeed. I was quite intrigued. It was too accurate,” he said. “You might have guessed by now, but today I wanted to probe your opinions a bit further.”
“…,”
[I wouldn’t have guessed anything if it weren’t for Luna’s words] but of course, the Count wouldn’t perceive it that way.
“Anytime,” he continued, seemingly misunderstanding her silence.
“Firstly, Alan set a goal to reduce food wastage, didn’t he? Rather than discarding, he planned to offer the surplus to those in need for free. Essentially, they were aiming for an ideal concept where both parties minimize losses.”
“Yes, that’s correct,”
As expected of a businessman, he laid out the conversation’s path and explained it clearly.
“And you thoroughly pointed out the risks, didn’t you? What if someone fell ill from the free food? What if it was fabricated? The other party’s aim is money, and even if proven innocent, rumors would tarnish our reputation, resulting in losses for the business.”
“Yes,” he agreed.
“Furthermore, you must have explained why they were discarding the ingredients, right? There are plenty of people who exploit goodwill for personal gain. Not everyone in this world is good. If the business doesn’t thrive, they can’t support the livelihoods of their employees.”
“Well, yes…”
Byleth, surprised by the detailed information, could only draw one conclusion:
Alan had remembered the consultation content and relayed it all to his father.
“Persuading Alan, who is involved in management, and being able to express opinions to this extent, only a handful of students can do that. It’s undoubtedly clear that you’re outstanding.”
“Th-thank you…”
With memories from a previous life, it was natural for Byleth to be considered excellent.
“I’d like to ask a question to such an excellent Byleth. You judged Alan’s concept as ‘difficult,’ but you didn’t say it was ‘impossible.’ Meaning, there was a possibility to fulfill the ideal, but you chose to remain silent to provide an opportunity to think. That’s what I speculate, what do you think?”
No longer feeling anything, the atmosphere was friendly when they met face to face.
It felt like being interviewed under pressure but also like interacting as fellow professionals.
“Well, it’s true as you say, but I think similarly to Count Leclerc.”
“Go on.”
“To fulfill his ideal, the most important thing is to pass on surplus ingredients or dishes to partners who won’t betray goodwill. If you select the partners carefully, there’s less risk.”
“I see.”
“……If it were me, I would be very selective about who to offer it to.”
“It’s difficult to say that to Alan, who seeks to provide ‘to anyone’.”
“While I cannot deny that, I believe it’s a good opportunity to gain experience.”
“I see.”
Byleth nodded, tilting his head. However, even doing just this would reduce food waste. It allows one to help others.
“Well, you mentioned being selective about the recipient. Let me ask you then, who would you choose?”
“I think I would provide it to the orphans living in the orphanage.”
“Oh?”
“If I am to suggest recipients who would not betray good intentions, then it must be those who have no merit in betraying those good intentions. The orphanage is a place where children are raised preciously despite their poverty, so it’s hard to imagine them betraying the merit of being provided with ingredients just for the sake of betrayal.”
“I see.”
Without interrupting, the Count remained entirely receptive, his purpose being to listen to the other’s perspective.
It felt like a test.
“However, even with risk management, the risk of betrayal will always exist. What do you see as the ‘return’ worth bearing the risk for?”
“One possibility is that when the children from the orphanage grow up, they might provide labor. It would be difficult for them to betray the kindness shown by providing food. Also, when it becomes known that we’re supporting the orphanage, we could gain further trust from the local community.”
“Don’t you think that return is weak? We’re risking losing the business here.”
For the first time, he expressed an opinion.
This was probably the final test.
There was pressure in his gaze, but the content of the meeting had been simulated many times. Byleth met his gaze firmly.
“……I don’t think so,”
“Oh?”
“As I say it myself, the benefits of labor are weak. However, trust is something money cannot buy, and trust can also lead to attracting customers and sometimes lending a helping hand in times of trouble. In the long run, I think it will bring great returns.”
“Hmm, impressive. There’s no room for rebuttal,”
the count, showing his white teeth, dispersed the oppressive atmosphere.
Il Cestas, showing his white teeth, let the atmosphere of pressure fade away.
He threw this question with a friendly atmosphere, just like when we first met.
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