113. I Heard Keeping Tentacles as Pets Is the Trend These Days? (2)
113. I Heard Keeping Tentacles as Pets Is the Trend These Days? (2)
"It's been a while! Are you feeling all right?"
"As you can see, I'm perfectly fine."
Karina was the best. Even basic healing magic had made my body feel light enough to fly. That was why everyone revered the Saintess. If she hadn't been forced through so much unfair bullshit, she might have made "Nobody Ever Dies at Kalon Academy" a reality by now.
"What a relief. Do you know how shocked I was when I heard you'd been caught up in a rift as well? How in the world did you end up involved in that?"
To tell the truth, it felt less as though I had been caught in the rift and more as though Lewis's group had been caught in a rift targeting me. Thinking of it that way made me feel a little sorry for the dead priest, but I couldn't possibly deal with every piece of unfair bullshit life threw at me without warning.
If I knew that, I'd already have looted every dungeon with Easter eggs and valuable rewards while smashing the Bad Ending and the mastermind alike.
I'd have ignored that shitty Mission while I was at it.
"I got swept up in it by chance."
"By chance?"
"There was something about the emergency passage that was bothering me, so I was working on it. Unfortunately, it seems it was near the dungeon. When the rift opened, the impact collapsed the dungeon's outer wall and I got dragged in."
"Goodness, what a disaster."
He was narrowing his eyes. He couldn't interrogate me anyway.
The academy was in a tough spot regarding this incident. In a situation where cooperating with me—the one who saved the kids—was the only way to calm things down even a little, there was no way he'd do something insane like interrogate me.
I silently urged him to let it go. It would be better for both of us.
Maybe my unspoken signal got through loud and clear, because Gilbert took a sip of the tea on the table and immediately changed the subject.
"Well then, I'll get to the point. The Principal has summoned you."
"Me?"
"Indeed. He seems to wish to discuss this matter with you."
"I suppose it was about time."
It had been roughly three days since I'd escaped the rift.
The academy was in absolute chaos.
A student falling into a dimensional rift was serious enough, but it seemed the recent controversy over the academy's safety had flared up again. After two incidents in quick succession, followed by a dimensional rift, the academy had found itself in an extremely awkward position even if the latest disaster was natural.
Word was the head of House Nereid had shown up in person to raise hell.
It seemed that even Kalon Academy couldn't easily withstand the wrath of parents who'd lost a child. Thanks to that, I ended up under the protection of House Nereid, which wasn't a bad outcome for me.
"Got it. I'll get ready and come right away. Just give me a moment."
I also had something I could leave in his care, so I might as well take care of it now. I opened the reception-room door and rapped Millia on the head as she hovered outside, peeking in.
"Ow!"
"Don't eavesdrop on other people's conversations."
"B-But I was worried about Yohan—"
"Do I look like the kind of person who goes off and dies?"
"Th-That's not it! But you always get tangled up in things, so I can't help but worry..."
I could not think of any way to refute Millia's last reply, so I roughly ruffled her hair and said,
"I know better than anyone how to survive. So... don't worry too much."
---------------------------
"Principal. It's Gilbert. As you requested, I've brought Yohan Quartz."
"Come in!"
I stepped through the door Gilbert opened. The principal's office looked no different from the last time I'd visited. I sat down right across from Principal Merlin, fixed my gaze on him, and spoke.
"I heard you called for me."
"Indeed I did. There's much for us to discuss, don't you think?"
The ninety-year-old Archmage spoke with surprising kindness. Under ordinary circumstances, it wouldn't have been strange for him to speak down to me, but this was not an ordinary situation. Without my cooperation, the academy would inevitably find itself in trouble.
My official status was that of a mere Escort Knight, but my actual standing was anything but.
And Merlin seemed to know it, because even he was cautious in broaching the subject.
"As you may already have realized, our academy wishes to ask for your cooperation."
"Cooperation, you say."
I feigned ignorance and waited for his reply. The Archmage, with a beard grown long like a sage, watched me with an expression of interest as he stroked it. Then, with a kindly smile, he spoke.
"That's right. We need your help."
"I cannot do that for free."
"Hm, do you really need to be so stingy with me?"
"We should keep public and private matters separate, shouldn't we?"
He was trying to get something for nothing. Still, his expression made me uneasy. I rolled my eyes and stared directly at his face. He looked like someone hiding an ace up his sleeve.
What could it be?
Perhaps he noticed my stare, because he let out a hearty chuckle and spoke.
"Do you know why I called you here alone?"
"...Isn't it because you want my cooperation?"
"I wonder if the mithril served you well."
Tch. Had he caught me?
"...How did you find out?"
"I'm an Archmage."
That was a pretty convincing word.
"Are you thinking of using that as blackmail?"
"Do I look like that kind of person to you?"
"I don't really know you, Principal."
Though I knew the Principal from the game well enough.
"I am not one to betray a friend."
"I see."
"I only brought up the mithril to break the ice, so to speak. After all, it's also true that you properly repaired the emergency passage, is it not? Rest assured, there will be no repercussions for that from me."
How was I supposed to trust that? Still, he seemed sincere, so I kept quiet and gave a short nod.
There was no need to play my cards too early.
"Would you like a cup?"
"I'll gladly accept."
A teapot rose into the air by itself and poured tea into a cup. It was a sight impossible for anyone but a Wizard. I hadn't sensed even the slightest sign of magic being cast, yet he used it as naturally as breathing. An Archmage was an Archmage indeed.
"Try it. It's black tea produced in the northern Corinth Territory, a region famous for its high-quality leaves."
At his words, I lifted the cup of crimson liquid and inhaled its aroma. The familiar scent of black tea reached my nose. I could not tell whether it was truly high quality; I was hardly a tea connoisseur.
"It's fine tea... indeed."
"Indeed it is."
Merlin and I drank our tea in silence, taking time to organize our thoughts before the real discussion. Merlin spoke only when my cup was nearly empty.
"Would you care for more?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Then let's get to the point, shall we?"
The point... huh.
"We would like to announce that, at the academy's request, you hid inside the dungeon to provide security against unforeseen circumstances."
"In other words, you want to make me your collaborator."
"Correct."
"Then what do I get out of it?"
"What do you get?"
The crafty old Archmage smiled playfully, raised one hand, and formed a circle with his fingers. Anyone could tell the gesture meant money.
"I'm thinking of investing in you. Ah, and of course, you will receive separate compensation as well."
An investment?
"An investment... you say?"
The offer had caught me completely off guard. I'd assumed he'd simply hand me a decent sum of money. An investment? He suddenly wanted to invest in me? My surprise must have shown, because Principal Merlin grinned as though he had scored a point and explained why.
"You've been making something interesting in your workshop, I hear. A chair that allows even someone who can't use their legs to move around... Most intriguing."
"I never imagined you'd be interested in such an item."
Who would have thought he cared about a wheelchair? This was entirely unexpected. I'd assumed he would pay it no mind because it wasn't a magical item. Should I have built the workshop underground after all?
"I'm fond of curious inventions. That device of yours was unique enough to capture my interest. And you... you processed the mithril yourself, didn't you?"
"...Yes, I did."
"Mithril is difficult even for dwarves to process, despite its low purity."
Mithril did not appear until late in the game, and only designated smiths could process it, so I had always needed to make those tedious trips back and forth. Smiths capable of working it were probably rare in reality as well. I had only managed it by using a few workarounds...
"Someone your age who can process mithril would have received the academy's full backing if you were a student. People capable of working mithril are extremely rare."
"So, you're saying you want to invest in me personally."
"That's right."
That didn't seem to be the only reason.
I considered probing a little, but decided it'd be better to just cut straight to the chase. Beating around the bush wasn't my style.
I rinsed my mouth with the remaining tea, then asked him a question.
"It seems like there's another reason besides that."
At my question, he turned toward the window. I followed his gaze and saw the bustling city beneath the clear sky. He stared outside in silence for a while before abruptly asking me a question of his own.
"Another reason... Do you know how the world has been faring lately?"
"I'm not well-informed."
I hadn't heard much news from outside lately. Sif, my usual source of information, was away on vacation, which made matters worse.
Had something happened? Why did he look so serious?
Fortunately, Principal Merlin answered my questions immediately.
"Factions that have long lain dormant are running rampant. The Cult of Halphas, the Cult of Vepar, even the Cult of Agares—cults that worship evil gods, long thought to have vanished into the annals of history, have all revealed themselves at once.
"The Empire and the Church of Kalon have sent troops to hold them back, but the situation isn't good. We're desperate for talent, even a single additional person. That's why I wish to invest in you."
"I'm merely an Escort Knight."
"Someone who returned alive from a rift can hardly be called a 'mere' Escort Knight. Fewer than one in ten people caught in a dimensional rift survive, and most of those return alone. Yet you brought back everyone in Lewis's party except one. There is no precedent for that."
I felt like I'd heard something similar somewhere before. It gave me an oddly strong sense of déjà vu.
I modestly deflected his praise.
"I was just lucky."
"Luck is a skill too."
Put that way, I had nothing to say.
Perhaps taking my silence as agreement, he met my eyes again and spoke.
"I believe you will become a great figure."
"Isn't that a rather hasty judgment?"
"Call it an old man's intuition. My intuition is remarkably accurate, you know."
Principal Merlin smiled faintly.
Intuition. He called it intuition.
This was absurd.
To think I'd end up hearing the words meant for the protagonist.
I was only some transmigrator whose origins were unknown. I'd vaguely suspected something like this, but having it thrust at me so directly gave me a headache.
...Still, I had a job to do.
"Your back pocket's going to end up a lot lighter."
"It's money I have no use for anyway."
I clasped the hand he extended toward me. A wrinkled hand that bore the weight of years. I shook it up and down, signaling the end of the negotiation.
"I look forward to working with you."