Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Order
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With my ascension to student council president, the atmosphere at Venderford had shifted in a peculiar way.
The princes' faction, which had acted as if it already held all the power in the student council, had been diminished.
Although I had declared my intention to recruit them as vice presidents, the scope of their authority had yet to be determined.
On the other hand, the students admitted through donations were feeling quite emboldened lately.
Frixon, in particular, always wore a look of immense pride.
Being the person closest to me, it seemed he was being unwittingly praised by the other students.
'I'll need to step in and make sure he doesn't get too carried away.'
If an executive made a mistake, the responsibility would ultimately fall on the student council president.
If I deemed him unqualified, I had no intention of giving him an executive position, friend or not.
Of course, he hadn't crossed any lines yet, so I decided to observe him a little longer.
*Knock, knock.*
"Come in."
After a light knock, a low voice drifted from within.
The place I had visited was the headmaster's office at Venderford.
Until now, the headmaster had been a figure shrouded in mystery, having never once shown their face.
However, through the student council president selection contest, I had been able to deduce the headmaster's identity.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty the Empress."
"You've come to see the headmaster, so it would be best to use a different title."
"Yes, Headmaster."
Surprisingly, the headmaster of Venderford was the empress of the empire, Marie Melies.
Despite her own sons failing to secure the presidency, she treated me warmly.
Usually, one favors their own, so her behavior was quite unexpected.
'It seems she doesn't really care whether the princes become president or not.'
But, as if reading my thoughts, the empress's eyes twinkled as she smiled gently.
"You seem a bit surprised that I'm the headmaster. If not that, were you perplexed by the lack of biased judgment?"
I hadn't shown any sign, yet she seemed to know everything.
Her words hit the mark, but I absolutely did not react.
My life as an assassin had been too long to be flustered by something like this.
"Not at all. I never had any doubts to begin with. And……. I had already predicted it."
"The fact that I am the headmaster?"
"Yes, Dean Klebitz mentioned that the headmaster would be joining the honored guests. Among them, only Your Majesty the Empress was a suitable candidate for headmaster."
"Ah, so that's how you figured it out."
Headmaster Melies nodded agreeably and gazed at me intently.
It was the same intrigued gaze from yesterday's award ceremony.
It felt as if she were wondering how to make use of me.
'She is someone who overcame the fierce political strife of the imperial court to reach the top. She's not a person to be taken lightly.'
As I stood there thinking, the empress gestured elegantly toward the sofa.
It was a signal to sit down and make myself comfortable.
I waited for her for a moment before taking a seat at the edge of the sofa.
"I heard you were admitted through a donation, yet your skills are quite remarkable. Where did you learn swordsmanship before enrolling?"
"Not at all. I was always interested, but the Imperial Sound Lock Sword I learned after enrolling is my first."
"Oh...? Is that so?"
Sticking to my established persona, I played the part of a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy.
I began acting like a pearl that had been buried in the mud, unable to shine.
But Marie Melies was not so naive as to believe my words at face value.
"I was under the impression that even outstanding talent fades with age."
"...I was fortunate. You could say I just barely made it in time. I am merely grateful to His Majesty the Emperor and Your Majesty the Empress for helping me display my talent."
I piled on all sorts of flowery language, diligently praising the imperial family.
At that, the empress's narrowed eyes slowly returned to normal.
It seemed she had somewhat set aside her suspicions about my origins and identity.
'She's so thorough. To think she'd confirm it in person even though she already knows so much about me.'
Hiding my unease, I looked at Headmaster Melies calmly.
She then began to casually flip through some documents, a meaningful smile on her face.
"May I ask a personal question?"
"Ah, yes. Of course."
*As long as you're not asking me out.*
I kept the impertinent joke to myself and put on a deliberately serious expression.
Now was the time to act like a more diligent student than ever.
"What do you think of my sons?"
"..."
Honestly, I hadn't expected such a question.
Of course, it wasn't that I hadn't considered it at all.
It's just that, given the empress's rather unique personality, I didn't think she would ask such a cliché question.
After a moment of contemplation, I sat up straight and opened my mouth.
"The Second Prince is skilled in swordsmanship and strikingly handsome. However, he is surrounded by wicked and incompetent people. Furthermore, he seems to lack self-control."
"Hah! Is that so? Then what about Ellington?"
"His swordsmanship is lacking, but he has many talented people under him. He is also intelligent and has clear judgment. However, his faction is small, and his actions are passive."
"..."
Headmaster Melies pressed her lips together firmly.
She probably hadn't expected such a candid answer.
Who in their right mind would give such a blunt assessment of the princes to their own mother?
But I deliberately spoke my mind.
I was portraying myself as someone naive and straightforward.
Isn't behavior full of baseless confidence the norm for someone my age?
'Just like Frantz.'
It seemed my intention got through, as the empress burst into cheerful laughter.
"Ohohohoho! How refreshing. That was quite an interesting assessment. Yes. So that's how it is?"
*Rustle! Rustle!*
Marie Melies quickly flipped through the documents on the table.
Then she stared intently at one particular spot.
I snuck a peek to see what it was, and it turned out to be an assessment report on the princes.
As expected, it was filled with nothing but vague praises, making it hard to gauge anything.
'There's no substance to it at all. No wonder she reacted that way.'
I deliberately averted my gaze to pretend I hadn't been snooping.
Presently, the headmaster closed the file and spoke with a gentle smile.
"This was an enjoyable conversation, student Ray Carter."
"Ah, the honor is mine, Headmaster."
"I hope we have another meeting like this. May I ask for your honest assessment then as well?"
"Of course. Please call on me anytime."
"Good. The scope of the student council president's authority will be established in the school rules soon. Do you have anything else to say?"
I paused as if in thought, tilting my head.
But I had already prepared what I wanted to say to Headmaster Melies before I even came in.
"Please grant me the authority to assign dormitories."
"Why that, all of a sudden?"
"I want to take the new building's penthouse for myself."
For a moment, the empress wore a look of utter disbelief.
My request was just that brazen.
But she soon let out a dry laugh and nodded.
"You truly are an interesting child. Very well. I'll have that established in the rules as well."
"Thank you."
I suppressed my joy and bowed respectfully to Marie Melies.
'Yesss! I'm finally escaping this dump!'
* * *
The weekend after the student council president selection contest ended.
I went out for the first time in a while and visited the Central Branch.
I had put aside my duties as president to come here because there was something specific I needed to investigate.
"Alright, let's get started."
"You're giving us 100 geld each this time too, right?"
"Yes, I said so, didn't I? You got paid last time, right?"
"Understood."
As soon as I arrived at the branch and called for people, the Grade 3 informants rushed over, their eyes gleaming.
Having given them a proper taste of money, they were much more nimble than last time.
"What are we looking for today, boss? Hehe!"
"Find information related to the empire's Second Prince, Frantz. Focus especially on the people around him."
"Oh... That's going to be a lot of material, isn't it?"
"You don't want to get paid?"
"Not at all! We'll get right on it."
"Don't forget. After midnight, the reward gets docked."
"Yes!"
The Grade 3 informants, now twenty strong, began to frantically rummage through the documents filling the information room.
Since it wasn't my own money anyway, I was prepared to generously spend the 2,000 geld.
I sat in a chair in the corner of the information room, enjoying a leisurely cup of tea.
All the while, I watched them work with a hawk's eye, checking if anyone was slacking off.
By late evening, three satisfactory bundles of intelligence reports lay before me.
"W-we're finished."
"You know the drill. Payment will be made after I review the results."
"Hehe! Of course."
The Grade 3 informants shrugged with confidence.
*So they're veterans now, are they?*
Letting out a small laugh, I quickly examined the three bundles of reports.
'There must be someone who was recruited into that bastard Frantz's circle.'
Naturally, a survivor of the Riverune family would be among them.
As I scanned through the Second Prince's close associates from twenty years ago to the present, a few suspicious individuals caught my eye.
They were three people who were not from noble families in the capital, yet they maintained close contact with Frantz.
It seemed I would have to shake these guys down a bit.
It was at that very moment, as I was lost in thought.
"What are you doing?"
The blunt voice coming from right behind me made me jump in surprise.
It was because I hadn't sensed anyone approaching.
I snapped my head around to see a woman with snow-white hair and red eyes standing there.
It was Kairam, the Acting Head of the Rantzverger family.
'No wonder I didn't notice.'
The presence of a supreme master who had reached the pinnacle of stealth—it was only natural that I, in my unguarded state, would not have known.
She was staring down at the documents in my hand.
"Are you planning to side with the Second Prince?"
"I'm still thinking about it. That's why I'm putting so much effort into this preliminary investigation."
I was so startled the hairs on my arms stood up, but I didn't show it and replied immediately.
"So you're spending all your activity funds on this."
"Haha, I have to take care of my colleagues first."
I let out an awkward laugh, saying something I didn't mean.
Kairam scanned the reports with a sharp gaze, then clicked her tongue and spoke.
"You should have been quieter about your work. It's noisier than I expected."
"That's not really my style. Besides, my methods were limited."
"Still, it was a good thing you distinguished yourself this time. It was a good decision."
"Thank you."
It seemed that even if she didn't like my methods, the results were as good as the Acting Head had hoped.
If they weren't, she wouldn't have offered such words of encouragement in the first place.
Tearing her gaze from the reports, she nodded at Faceless, who was standing by the entrance.
At that, the Central Branch manager led the Grade 3 informants out of the room.
Suddenly, I was left alone in the information room with Kairam.
'Ah, why is she being so intimidating?'
I felt extremely uncomfortable, but I kept my mouth shut and simply stared into space.
At last, the Acting Head broke the heavy silence.
"A new mission. I know you're busy, but you'll have to make some time."
"What? But I'm in the middle of a mission given by the Head."
"This is a new order from the Head."
"...Understood."
I lowered my head with a heavy expression.
Orders are orders. What choice do I have?
Still, I couldn't contain my curiosity.
"But what is the mission?"
Seeing my quick compliance, Kairam gave a small nod and continued.
"Raid the Gray Magic Tower."
*Wait, raid where?*