Chapter 161
Chapter 161
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: 14. Farther Than Love, Closer Than Friendship (9)
“Indeed, Young Duke Lebedev. Your discernment is impressive.”
“My father taught me how to judge goods and people from a young age.”
Why was I spouting such annoyingly pretentious nonsense? The answer was simple. Traitors were likely to be professors with significant authority, so I decided to meet them personally for tea time and observe them up close.
I had resolved to play the noble for a while, but smiling and sipping tea while facing professors whose mere sight made my blood boil wasn't easy.
Still, I understood their position.
What capable researchers needed above all was money. With funding, they could buy materials, pay assistants, and sustain themselves even if results came late.
That's why attempts to latch onto wealthy high nobles were inevitable.
Especially with demon territories bordering theirs—they'd be eager to secure projects under the pretext of developing magical tools or spells usable as weapons against demons.
“We're particularly focused on combat against demons, more than against humans or other races. Do you have any experts on demons or their magic here?”
“No one like that here.”
“Ah, they're researching elsewhere, then.”
“No. It's just that the person rarely steps outside.”
Hmm.
I'd put them on the suspect list for now, but honestly, they didn't seem the type.
If actively gathering and sending info to demons was their job, they'd need to move around and monitor the Magic Tower's activities.
For now, I'd just note the name Dennis.
The professors present today didn't raise much suspicion overall. They were the sort who genuinely loved their specialized fields and didn't care about much else as long as they could research.
Even their bootlicking toward me was purely about money.
After finishing the first round of tea times, I stepped out of the Magic Tower for a moment to breathe in the cold air.
The chilly air filled my nostrils and lungs, leaving me refreshed as I took deep breaths.
“Not easy, is it?”
“Yeah. Our perspectives differ, so conversations don't flow smoothly.”
“At least you can talk to me, right?”
“Dealing with people chasing worldly gains is easy—beyond easy, even.”
Elvin Professor, who had followed me out, burst into laughter at my words, only to sneeze right after.
My body was sturdy as a weapon, so I was resistant to this, but as a pure mage, he must have been freezing.
There had to be a reason he followed me despite knowing that.
“The four young professors here probably aren't the collaborators.”
“I got the same impression.”
“Do you know why a Magic Tower professor might invite demons in?”
“Coveting demon magic, or using demon power to extract gains from the Magic Tower.”
“You thought of the latter too?”
“Lady Gwenndolyn has held the top seat in the Magic Tower for so long; some must resent it.”
“If demons infiltrated the Magic Tower and she fought them, dying in the process...”
I shrugged.
Truth be told, if they had such a plan, our mere presence here—mine and Ermina's—would likely doom it to failure.
We could clean it up neatly without the Tower Master even needing to step in.
“That's one reason we invited you, Duke Yulius.”
“You want the Tower Master to stay in power longer?”
“Political players like me don't welcome sudden shifts in the landscape. I already have allies everywhere; it’d be trouble if their heads rolled.”
“Haha.”
It was a very pragmatic reason. He was the type who moved purely by profit, so from inviting me to setting up this meeting, he’d been calculating every step.
And so far, it was still profitable for him.
“Achoo. Anyway, let's use elimination. Plenty of people want to meet you, Duke Yulius.”
“Personally, I'm not thrilled.”
“Still, among parasites, these are the clean, disease-free premium ones, so please take good care of them.”
What an expression.
Most of what they wanted was probably for me to return to Lebedev immediately, drag my father from his seat, become duke, and grant their wishes.
Direct dealings with the Magic Tower would benefit the territory too, so no reason to block it.
If I truly chose to be with Alina, these meetings would all turn into gains later.
Really. Truly.
“Professor Elvin.”
“Yes. Ask away.”
“You're investing quite a long-term bet here.”
“...You caught that too?”
“I figured someone at your level wouldn't do this blindly.”
People in the imperial court would know things like 'The emperor recently has a favored man' or 'He's in a relationship.'
Naturally, such info would reach Professor Elvin's ears.
From there, searching for a man close to the emperor would lead to me.
Even if I'd abandoned my family in the Imir Kingdom, he'd speculate I'd return as duke for a marriage alliance with the emperor.
Thus, building connections with me now, when I couldn't offer much immediately, made sense.
“Sometimes I wish you were a bit less perceptive.”
“Better than having none at all, isn't it?”
“True enough.”
Now that we roughly knew each other's aims, and with him wiping his nose and sniffling as he swallowed, we headed back inside.
In the end, I'd gained nothing concrete from the meeting, so irritation bubbled up, but I suppressed it and went to join the others.
Leimi Big Sis and Professor Selene had personal schedules, coming and going, but Ermina was practically stationed here. I spotted her munching snacks.
“Ah, Yulius!”
“Morning schedule's done. Nothing out of the ordinary?”
“No.”
“No demon presences, their magic, or purification targets?”
“No. Not many people wander this area, and given the room's location, practically none of today's visitors came near.”
“Good.”
If the demons had a group of spies, it could spark a massive internal revolt, but it didn't seem that large-scale.
Considering they could have targeted Ermina—staying in a regular inn with little self-defense—long ago if they wanted, their lack of bold moves suggested insufficient power.
Or perhaps they were preparing something and had to hold out until it was ready.
For now, I thanked her for her hard work and sat across from her.
I poured some still-warm tea from the pot and took a sip. Ermina, watching me, hesitantly asked,
“Are you... planning to, um, with His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Not sure yet.”
In terms of probability and realism, it was the most likely, but...
Ermina seemed to agree, rolling her eyes before speaking again.
“If you take a second wife...”
“Yes.”
“How far... could it go?”
I fell silent. It wasn't a question I could answer.
Whether to accept one-sided feelings, or treat marriage so lightly.
I hadn't resolved those yet.
Without this summons here, I'd planned to mull over my feelings and past life, but it got pushed back.
“...Sorry. I shouldn't have asked.”
“No. It's something I need to decide.”
“Still, it wasn't for me to ask.”
Fair enough.
Where did it all go wrong? My luck with women.
In my past life, I had popularity if anything, dated some, but none ended well—making me even more anxious.
Failed experiences do make people shrink back; I felt that keenly.
“Ermina.”
“Yes.”
“Whatever conclusion I reach inside, I'll give you a clear answer.”
“...”
It wouldn't be a positive one.
To her unspoken hope, Ermina didn't cry, but her eyes welled up as she fought back tears.
Come to think of it, I'd never properly asked why she liked me.
Wonder if that day will come.
I took another sip of tea.
The awkward atmosphere was broken by Professor Selene, returning from her errands.
“Yulius is back too. Heard you had meetings with professors today.”
“Today's schedule is done. Nothing noteworthy.”
“If the first batch we screened has issues, that's scary in its own way. Feels like there might be just a couple of major traitors among tons.”
“Yeah. Both Ermina and I concluded there aren't many outright traitors, or researchers deeply into demon-style magic.”
“Sigh. As a fellow researcher, I hate this situation.”
Professor Selene looked a bit more fatigued than usual.
Ermina too, but her condition seemed off since arriving at the Magic Tower, so I asked,
“Something wrong?”
“Oh, there's a professor I'm not close with. And someone who mediated between us. But today I saw that mediator looking haggard; it worried me. Brought back old memories.”
“Old memories?”
“Yeah, from way back.”
I had nothing to say to the professor, who smiled wearily and brushed it off.