Guided by Uma Karen, Lucan was led to the company's reception room. The room was filled with luxurious furniture and paintings depicting battle scenes, exuding nouveau riche taste. Lucan sat on a plush sofa, and a female employee soon brought tea and sweets.
They have enough money for these luxuries but starved Maris... Makes it easy for me to please her, Lucan thought, laughing quietly. Giving Maris a bit of happiness is enough to form a strong bond. He was glad she never had anyone kind to her besides her mother.
But Lucan had to admit, he was being treated well.
"Ahem... President Karen, the reason for my visit today..."
"No need to explain, please accept this." Uma Karen handed over a finely embroidered pouch. "A donation. Please accept it."
Though Uma smiled, it was not unusual for merchants to make donations to temples. It wasn't an obligation like taxes, but neglecting the temple could harm a merchant's reputation.
"Thank you. I appreciate your faith."
"No, no, it's nothing."
Lucan smiled and accepted the donation. He had a lot of money, but getting more was never bad.
"By the way, I'm also here for another matter."
"Huh...?" Uma looked puzzled. He couldn't think of any other reason for a priest to visit.
"I came because your daughter, Miss Maris, visited the temple yesterday."
Uma's face twisted in a grimace, briefly showing a vile expression before he masked it with a smile. "I see... Did she cause any trouble?" Uma nervously rubbed his hands together. "That child is the offspring of a mistress and is poorly behaved. She's always causing trouble at home. It's quite the problem."
"I see, that must be difficult," Lucan said.
"Yes, very. Despite strict discipline, she never learns proper behavior."
Oh, so those bruises on her body were discipline, thought Lucan. I thought these parents were sadistic, enjoying beating Maris. Hehe, great, if I don't beat her when she makes mistakes, she will think I'm kind. Thank you for being bad to her.
Lucan smiled. "I discovered during her visit that Miss Maris has a talent for holy magic."
"Holy magic...? That failure of a girl...?"
"Yes, she could become a great priestess. I'd like to take her in at the temple."
"Hmm... Is that so..."
Uma frowned. He had been treating Maris like a slave, planning to sell her off when she grew up. Although slavery was illegal except as a punishment for criminals, wealthy people often sold children as second wives, mistresses, or servants.
"That girl... She's not very capable, and becoming a priestess would only bring shame to our family..."
"I think you don't understand. She has the talent to become a great priestess, so I want to take her, train her, and send her for further studies at the royal academy."
"Royal academy?"
"Yes," Lucan said, placing the donation he received on the table along with more money. "This is for all the hard work you did raising her. Please accept it."
"What...!" Uma gasped at the sight of the gold coins, far more than the donation he had offered earlier.
"Is it really okay to give this much...?" Uma eyed Lucan suspiciously, probably calculating the situation quickly.
"Yes, it's fine. My family is wealthy."
"The Ironfist family, I see. So you still have strong ties with them."
In reality, it was true. Although he had left the family, Lucan had a good relationship with his mother and siblings. If he got in trouble, he could ask for help or money. The money he just gave Uma was only one-tenth of Lucan's wealth. When he left his family, he had made sure to take as much as he could to live a good life.
"If it's my daughter you're taking in, I'd be delighted. Please, use her as you see fit."
"Great... In that case, could you sign this document?"
"This is...?" Uma looked puzzled at the document, which completely transferred parental rights to Lucan, renouncing any future claims.
"Giving up parental rights seems quite drastic. Why go so far?"
"I want Miss Maris to focus on her studies without worrying about her home. There's no other reason."
"Ah, I see. That's understandable."
Uma smiled. But now he was kind of regretting. He didn't know what Lucan saw in his daughter that he was willing to pay so much money. He thought Lucan might have lewd intentions towards his daughter but realized that the money Lucan gave was enough for Lucan to have more attractive girls than his daughter.
So it might be true that his daughter had great talent for holy arts, good enough for Lucan to spend this much money, even wanting parental rights.
"Priest Lucan, Maris is still my child. I can't do this."
"Didn't I say? She has good talent for holy arts, and I'm planning to train her. I have a recommendation letter from the Ironfist family to send one person to the royal academy, so I'm sending Maris there when she grows up. I don't want her to think about her home when she leaves this place."
"Very well, I'll sign it."
Uma signed the document, officially severing all ties with Maris. Even if he demanded her return, Lucan was under no obligation to comply.
In fact, now Uma didn't want to do this, since he sensed that Maris surely had great value that he failed to see. But he also knew that even if he kept Maris, he couldn't utilize that value. Not to mention, Lucan said he would use the recommendation letter of the Ironfist family, which meant the Ironfist family was also involved.
So it's better to send his daughter away and be happy with the money he got.
"Thank you. I'll ensure she becomes a fine priestess," Lucan said as he maintained his smile until the end, secretly pleased with the outcome. Now, he is father of Maris by law.