Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The True Nature of the Negotiation
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After asking for a moment to discuss and stepping outside, Kerun and the Dean returned.
As the heavy door closed with a thud, Darius and Deia, who had been standing like screens on either side of me, immediately turned and shouted.
"Were you never planning to go?"
"What? You're really not going?"
Seeing them like that, I couldn't help but relax my shoulders for no reason.
It was a perfectly in-sync chorus.
"Aren't those conditions a bit too excessive? And you said you'd settle for 150 million."
Deia asked with evident worry. It seemed less about my potential failure to return to duty and more about the possibility of me staying in Northsweden indefinitely.
"The demands are too steep. They could probably approve a private outing, but privatizing research equipment and access to the Millennium Library's forbidden section..."
Darius's face darkened as well, agreeing the terms were unreasonable. He probably saw me lingering here as a threat to his position as family head and wanted me gone quickly.
"They have no choice but to accept."
But that was just the two of them not fully grasping the situation. The Academy was out of time.
By my estimate, no one had died since the Necromancer was summoned, but plenty were still suffering.
The evil spirits had been thoroughly provoked, after all. It was unavoidable.
"You're really going back, right?"
"Yeah, I plan to."
As I sighed and answered Deia's anxious question, Darius crossed his arms and stroked his chin beside me.
"Honestly, I never imagined the day would come when you'd command such treatment. 200 million surpasses my personal assets by leaps and bounds."
"You have personal assets? I thought all cash was tied to the family."
"Ahem."
Deia immediately shot a glare at our eldest brother. It looked like once this negotiation wrapped up, the two of them would dive into their own bargaining.
"Anyway, you guys always have something stashed away somewhere."
I shrugged lightly at Deia, who glanced at me sharply.
"I don't."
"Of course you don't! Aside from that, you went and learned something dangerous like Necromancy! Putting the family at risk."
I had nothing to say about that, so I clamped my mouth shut. Deia let out an incredulous scoff.
"Anyway, no one thinks about the family but me? Both of you, just get lost somewhere quick! I'll become the family head and take responsibility!"
"Ahem."
Darius averted his gaze, pretending not to hear, while I gently closed my eyes, naturally ignoring my little sister's whining.
For a fleeting moment, I wondered if this was what family felt like, and the corner of my mouth twitched, but I quickly regained my composure.
A knock from outside interrupted. Deia, who had been grilling Darius, straightened up immediately.
Darius forced an uncomfortable expression onto his face as well.
This had been the plan from the start: give the Academy side the impression we weren't letting me go.
"Come in," I replied, and the Dean and Kerun took their seats at the negotiation table once more.
The Dean, whose face had been pale and sweating profusely just moments ago, now looked much calmer after cooling his head.
I expected Kerun to speak, but the Dean nodded first and answered.
"We'll accept the conditions. If it's not just a professorship you want, we'll give you another position. So please, reconsider reinstatement."
It was the right call.
Had he tried to haggle further, I would have tacked on more demands one by one.
He must have realized that, which was why Kerun had likely advised him that accepting quickly would minimize the damage.
"The Academy needs you. Not for me, but for the students. That's the one truth here. Our young students, full of potential, need your help."
"..."
"Please protect the place where these young children can grow."
The Dean pleaded in a voice laced with tears. Political motives were undoubtedly at play, but cornered as he was, he'd chosen to appeal through the students.
I pretended to mull it over.
I tapped my chin with my index finger. To him, this moment must have felt heavier than gold.
After dragging it out as long as possible, I gave him the answer he wanted, clear and straightforward.
"Very well."
"Aah!"
The Dean looked up with a radiant smile, genuine happiness shining on his face.
"But one more condition. I don't need another position—a professorship is fine. On top of that, I'd like to teach this year's freshmen."
"Th-that's no problem at all!"
The Dean nodded vigorously, saying this condition was the easiest of all.
This year's freshmen were the golden riders coveted by many professors, but with these terms, it was well within the Dean's discretion.
I stood and extended my hand for a shake. The Dean scurried over and grasped it firmly.
"Let's draw up the contract."
"Oh! Thank you!"
The rest flew by.
Revising the contract terms was quick anyway, and we'd already confirmed the details.
The Dean trembled as he looked over the contract, basking in the accomplishment of pulling off something major.
Kerun, who had been silently holding his tongue, stepped forward.
"Can you depart immediately? The Academy's situation is far from normal."
"Y-yes. The students are suffering even now."
I couldn't give them the desperate answer they wanted.
"Sorry, but that's not possible. I still have business in Northsweden."
I hadn't held Emily's funeral yet. I'd decided to see the girl through to her final journey, so I couldn't leave.
"Th-that's..."
"You two go ahead. Even if it takes the full two days, I'll follow."
The Dean clamped his mouth shut with a groan, while Kerun wore a troubled expression, realizing he couldn't push further.
The Academy's crisis must be dire enough that they wanted me there even a day sooner.
To reassure them, I offered comforting words.
"No need to worry. My exclusive maid has already arrived at the Academy and is preparing solutions in advance."
"...Already arrived?"
Kerun stared in disbelief.
"What do you mean? Lovern Academy is quite a distance from Northsweden—there's no way she could get there this quickly."
"C-could it be? Do you have someone who can use warp magic?!"
The Dean interjected mid-sentence from Kerun, but even Kerun's eyes widened as he turned to Darius.
Did the Verdi Family have a mage capable of deploying warp magic in actual combat?
But as if that expectation was burdensome, Darius and Deia subtly turned away, avoiding eye contact.
They looked embarrassed, like they were hiding some shady secret, but I answered nonchalantly.
"No, I sent her ahead in advance."
"Yes?"
The two gaped blankly. Everything that could be revealed was out anyway. All cards were on the table.
The game was over.
A magician doesn't explain tricks, nor does a gambler show their hand to the one who called "die."
But today, satisfied with the results...
I decided to reveal the true nature of this negotiation table to them.
"A few days before you two arrived, I already dispatched my maid. For the Academy's normalization."
The Dean still looked confused, but Kerun was different.
He let out a hollow laugh, smacked his forehead, and said in astonishment.
"You... you planned to return to the Academy from the very start, didn't you?"
I simply nodded gently without a word.
The Academy was crucially important to me too.
It was where the protagonist's party enrolled, a place where I could naturally aid their growth.
Especially the professor role—it offered me tremendous advantages.
So, if possible, I intended to return no matter what.
"Ha, haha."
Kerun wore a completely outmaneuvered expression. They'd thought themselves overwhelmingly on the defensive, but in reality, it had been a fairly winnable situation.
Hollow defeat seeped from his face.
* * *
"Whew, must be the city air. Sniff sniff, it weirdly reminds me of the Republic and sours my mood."
The white-haired maid, Pindenai, unloaded her luggage from the carriage and sniffed the air while surveying her surroundings.
How long had it been since she'd stayed in Northsweden, and now she was already near the heart of the Griffin Kingdom.
It felt strangely nostalgic.
Clap clap!
"Thanks for the hard work. Safe travels back."
She clapped the carriage, and the coachman waved farewell before whipping the reins to depart.
As the carriage pulled away, Pindenai shouldered her luggage and grinned at Lovern, hailed as the Griffin Kingdom's premier academy.
"Whoa, check out the shine on this place. Studying here would hype anyone up, even me."
Her revealing maid outfit drew sharp stares from passersby, but Pindenai, accustomed to such gazes, strode confidently toward the academy's main gate.