Unfortunately, while Aria's family might appear warm and loving among themselves, they were cruel and twisted when it came to outsiders they looked down on. Or rather, they never regarded people like Sayo and Ieyasu as human in the first place.
Watching his wife and daughter interact so affectionately, Kaven smiled mildly, then turned to his wife, Kalitan, and said,
"By the way, Kalitan."
"If I remember correctly, Mr. Yoriichi's two students want to make something of themselves here in the Imperial Capital, don't they?"
One look at Yoriichi's face told Kaven that he was not the sort who could be easily manipulated through temptations.
Since he had already decided to maintain friendly relations with Yoriichi, Kaven planned to work through the people around him instead. Compared to Yoriichi, the thoughts of outsiders like Sayo and Ieyasu were practically written on their faces. They were far easier to handle.
"Father, of course they want to make something of themselves here."
"Every outsider who comes to the Imperial Capital wants that."
After hearing her father's words, Aria chimed in with a cheerful smile.
"Weren't all our previous toys the same? They all came to the Capital because they wanted to rise in the world."
As a Count's family, Aria's household only needed to display the slightest bit of friendliness, and those outsiders who flocked to the Imperial Capital dreaming of success would throw themselves at them desperately.
Through that false mask, Aria's family had already stained their hands with more blood than anyone could count.
Whenever they ran out of "toys," they would go out "patrolling" late at night. If they came across outsiders like Yoriichi, Sayo, and Ieyasu sleeping on the street, they would extend a helping hand.
"My dear, what exactly are you thinking?"
"It's quite troublesome to help outsiders make something of themselves."
"And who knows how far Mr. Yoriichi's family is from here?"
Compared to Kaven, Kalitan was less interested in establishing goodwill with Yoriichi.
The Empire's current situation was unstable, with four foreign tribes constantly threatening its borders. In Kalitan's view, it was nearly impossible for Yoriichi's family to cross those hostile territories and reach the Empire.
In fact, she felt that even if they simply made Yoriichi disappear, there probably wouldn't be much trouble.
Though they were a Count's family, one still had to act according to circumstance in the Imperial Capital. Kalitan didn't believe investing in Yoriichi would yield any worthwhile return.
More likely than not, they would never even live to see any benefit from him. In her view, it simply wasn't worth it.
"Yes, you do have a point, Kalitan."
"Mr. Yoriichi's family really is too far from the Empire."
Kaven fell silent for a while, considering how to handle Yoriichi going forward.
The image they had already established still needed to be maintained. At the very least, they had to preserve the appearance of being charitable and generous.
But at the same time, Kaven was unwilling to invest too many resources.
"Forget it. Mr. Yoriichi does seem fairly promising, perhaps even worth investing in. But there's really no helping it."
"As it happens, a few positions in the Imperial Capital's Guard have opened up."
Considering that letting Yoriichi stay in his home for too long might disrupt his family's lifestyle, Kaven finally decided to do them a small favor.
He would arrange for Yoriichi, Sayo, and Ieyasu to be accepted into the Imperial Guard.
That way, once they had proper employment, they would naturally move out. Then his wife and beloved daughter could go back to finding new toys and enjoying themselves.
Soon, the morning passed, and it was time for lunch.
When Yoriichi taught Sayo and Ieyasu, he did not cause much of a commotion.
Only Sayo and Ieyasu could clearly feel the immense change in him when he used the Breathing Techniques. People farther away sensed almost nothing.
After all, Yoriichi had lived for more than eighty years in his previous life. His control over his own power was extremely trained.
When demonstrating for Sayo and Ieyasu, he did not allow any of it to leak outward.
If Aria's family had personally felt the pressure and presence that Sayo and Ieyasu had experienced from Yoriichi earlier, they would likely have thrown caution to the wind and rushed to cling to him.
After all, anyone with even a little understanding would know that what Yoriichi casually displayed just now was at least on the level of a Teigu user.
"Mr. Yoriichi, Miss Sayo, Mr. Ieyasu."
At the dining table, Kaven looked at Yoriichi, who sat across from him, and smiled as he spoke.
"There happen to be a few vacancies in the Imperial Capital's Guard at the moment. The pay is quite good."
"Mr. Yoriichi, your homeland is likely very far from the Empire, and unfortunately the Empire's borders are constantly at war."
"I have a good ties with Captain Ogre of the Imperial Guard."
"If you don't mind, Mr. Yoriichi, you could take Miss Sayo and Mr. Ieyasu there to report for duty."
Kaven got straight to the point and laid out his arrangement.
If these were ordinary bumpkins, he might have worried they wouldn't understand what he was implying. But if it was Yoriichi, that was no concern.
In Kaven's eyes, Yoriichi was clearly someone of notable background, and he would definitely understand what was being said.
If Yoriichi failed to take the hint and intended to remain here, then Kaven would be left no choice but to act against him.
Everything Yoriichi had shown so far merely made Kaven feel that it wasn't worth the trouble to move against him.
But if Yoriichi proved tactless, Kaven would not hesitate any longer.
Kaven knew very well that his precious daughter Aria had taken quite a liking to that peasant girl named Sayo.
"The Imperial Guard?"
"I've heard the benefits of joining there is very good."
Upon hearing Kaven's words, Sayo—who had been quietly eating, suddenly brightened, her eyes lighting up as she turned to Yoriichi expectantly.
The Imperial Guard was responsible for law enforcement and patrols within the Capital. It held decent authority, and even the lowest-ranking members received generous pay and proper benefits.
It was more or less equivalent to a stable modern government job with strong protections.
If they could truly join the Imperial Guard, Sayo quickly calculated that her and Ieyasu's combined wages would probably do a great deal to ease the burden on their hometown.
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