Tea Leaves (1)
"Is... is that him?"
"It's true. I saw it with my own two eyes. Back then, even the spectator seats... it was absolute chaos."
I had become famous. It was expected, but that didn't make it any easier to accept.
The hassles had multiplied. The number of eyes watching me had grown.
Sigh...
Even when I stopped the Behemoth, the way people looked at me was merely as 'the dark mage next to Claire.'
Unless someone was exceptionally well-informed, they didn't even know the monster was a Behemoth. Whatever the reason, a beast of that caliber appearing at the Academy was something that simply shouldn't have happened.
The faculty desperately tried to cover it up, and they wanted Claire and me to keep the monster's identity a secret as well.
It was a bit annoying that there was no monetary compensation despite their demands, but whatever.
"So Lady Katarin... wasn't the strongest dark mage?"
"I'm telling you. Even if Claire was with him—"
Because of that, the attention I received back then and the attention I was receiving now were bound to be vastly different.
Compared to an amorphous monster, Katarin had accumulated quite a reputation—or rather, notoriety.
Despite her young age, she was a woman who had already survived several battlefields. Even those who despised or mocked her only demanded retribution for her misdeeds; they never questioned her strength.
And I had fought and defeated her. Using the power of dark magic.
There's still some time left before the main tournament...
In any case, I had no intention of defeating the Imperial Princess. I would defeat the opponents I was allowed to beat according to the bracket, and then forfeit when it came time to face her.
So, I needed to take care of what I could do right now.
"Hello."
Opening the door and stepping inside, I saw the blonde female knight sitting behind a large desk.
"Ah, you've come. Thank you. I have something important to discuss, so please, have a seat."
Wearing a gentle smile, she brought over a kettle that had been sitting in a corner of the student council room.
"Are you brewing it yourself?"
"Indeed."
"You could have had another student do it."
Pouring two cups of tea with elegant posture, she replied with a brilliant smile.
"Embarrassingly, I have grown too accustomed to the tea poured by the imperial tea ladies."
A refined aroma tickled my nose.
It was refreshing yet deep. Luxurious, yet without boasting of its quality.
"If the brewer's skill is even slightly lacking, I find myself frowning without realizing it. It is a shortcoming of mine. Quite ridiculous, really."
"I understand."
"I did not say this to seek your understanding. To think that I, who once gulped down water far filthier than this on the battlefield, would frown at a tea brewed just a moment too long. It is an immaturity... one I must prune away."
The sensation of the tea touching my tongue was beautiful.
I didn't think it was perfect. I had never tasted this tea before, and I possessed no knowledge of what its 'perfect' state should be.
Yet, it was undeniably a novel, charming, and flavor-rich tea.
It was to the point where I felt that anyone who had never experienced this sensation would fail to comprehend my feelings, no matter what words I used to describe it.
"It is no grand skill, but perhaps because I brewed it myself, I cannot help but be generous with the taste. What do you think?"
"It is superb. This is, without a doubt, your tea, Your Highness."
"Thank you for saying so. But how could the beautiful aroma of this tea belong to me alone?"
The Princess closed her eyes, savoring the aroma of the tea she had poured.
"It is Silver Moon Tea, made from leaves harvested in the town of Silverfall. A product crafted by good people raised on good soil."
"Something so precious..."
Even in the game, it was a rare item capable of lowering the party members' stress levels with just a single sip.
It was the ultimate tea leaf, whose performance could not be surpassed even by narcotic drugs that had to be taken at the risk of all sorts of side effects.
"Everything in the Empire is spent for my sake. My strength, grace, honor, appearance, wealth. Not a single thing does not belong to the Empire, and I must rightfully use it all for the Empire in return."
Her eyes met mine.
"You are worthy of receiving it."
After taking a sip of the tea, Yurisia set her teacup down.
Her clear eyes were gazing at me.
"Before we begin our conversation in earnest... I must say this first."
"What... is it?"
"Thank you."
She bowed her head.
It was the head of the Imperial Princess. Even if it was in an empty room with no one else around, the weight of that gesture was immense.
"For staying alive. Even though I failed to protect you... even though you were caught up in a conspiracy that was likely aimed at me, thank you sincerely for surviving to face me again."
"It is not something you should blame yourself for, Your Highness."
"There is nothing on this earth for which I should not hold myself accountable."
I could feel the heavy burden of responsibility weighing down the Princess's shoulders. I knew. She had always been that kind of person.
"It is fine. Truly. I know that you did your best, Your Highness."
"I see. Then, we can finally get to the main point."
The Princess finally relaxed her stiff expression and regained her smile.
"First, I would like to congratulate you on your victory."
"It was nothing grand."
"If the ministers had heard the humility you just displayed, they would surely have tried to kill you. With that single victory, you achieved something significant enough for His Imperial Majesty to remember your name."
Her hand gently rested on mine, which was resting on the desk.
"Take pride. You have achieved with your own hands what no other person in the Empire could... the defeat of Lady Katarin of the Erst family."
Her touch was so soft it was hard to believe she was a swordswoman.
"Therefore, I have a proposal for you."
"What is it?"
"Would you care to join the student council?"
I had anticipated she might make such an offer. However, I hadn't expected the Princess herself to propose it in such a warm atmosphere.
"This is sudden. But I wonder if I am qualified to join..."
The Academy's student council was practically a coalition of small nations.
The Princess, who had only recently enrolled, naturally took the position of student council president. Even the ordinary officers and secretaries were princesses, princes, or members of ducal families from various nations.
The student council had to negotiate with the faculty and control the students. No matter how much authority an officer held 'within the Academy,' if their social status was low, the students wouldn't listen to them.
"Actually... there is a sort of unspoken quota system. The faculty has been pressuring me, questioning why we haven't admitted a dark mage into the student council."
"...I see."
The student council was a coalition, so it naturally had to serve as a symbol of unity.
However, the Princess was someone rather distant from such values. Fortunately, I seemed to have become her 'exception,' but fundamentally, she loathed dark magic.
Well, this is going according to plan so far...
A trustworthy dark mage, a safe dark mage.
A dark mage who could serve as a token of non-discrimination while being unlikely to cause trouble.
Landing in that position was a positive development, not something to refuse.
"It is an honor. I am lacking, but I will do my best."
"Thank you."
The teacup was now empty. However, it seemed her words were not yet finished.
"The application process will begin. We will handle the tedious paperwork on our end, so you need not worry."
"Understood."
"And... though I did not summon you solely to assign this task, there is something you must do."
I quickly rolled my brain, analyzing my position and the Princess's train of thought.
A few events came to mind.
"Recently, I heard that there are some dark mage cadets distributing dangerous drugs."
"Drugs... you say?"
It wasn't surprising. Dark mages naturally gravitated toward the forbidden and were far more easily swept away by their desires than others.
This was a place where countless dark mages gathered. There would be those who had used drugs from the start, and cadets who dabbled out of curiosity after seeing others do it.
"If it's distribution, then the scale of the issue is quite large."
"Indeed. If the cadets were merely consumers, we could simply cut off the external distribution channels, but..."
It wasn't a particularly grand event. It was just a matter of defeating a few 'evil dark mages,' confiscating the drugs, punishing those involved, and gaining some reputation.
"If the situation escalated any further, the student council was planning to intervene in earnest. The professors would cooperate, of course, but there are some matters that are best handled among students."
"I understand."
The professors each had their own duties. We couldn't ask those already busy teaching students to perform police work.
However, deploying a formal investigation team would blow the matter out of proportion. The Academy's credibility was already shaking, and they would want to resolve this incident as quietly as possible.
"You are a dark mage. It will be easy for you to verify the truth of the matter and discover the culprit. You will also face less suspicion."
"That is true."
Katarin's grip on power had weakened. Dark mages tended to worship the strong, and they were gradually beginning to respect me.
"I will look into it."
"Thank you."
She took my hand once more. I felt a warm heat.
She was a good person. A righteous person. Nevertheless, I couldn't bring myself to smile mindlessly.
Because I knew all too well what kind of person she truly was.