“......”
“P-President? Are you all right...?”
Professor Nia, President Pionia’s irreplaceable confidante, cautiously addressed her.
More than five hours had already passed since the Disciplinary Committee ended, yet the president was still wandering the halls with a stiff expression.
Fortunately, the president did not ignore her call.
“No matter how I think about it, it is strange.”
“Pardon? What do you mean...?”
Professor Nia of the Magic Department looked at her as though she had no idea what she meant, so President Pionia spoke again with emphasis.
“I mean that the way the chairman acted today was strange.”
The chairman, Sita Calyps, had acted in ways that could only be summed up with the word strange at today’s Disciplinary Committee.
Attending a Disciplinary Committee he ordinarily would not so much as glance at, suddenly appearing in formal attire, and instead of making a mess, keeping his mouth shut until the time was right before striking all at once.
Every one of those actions was strange enough to make Pionia doubt whether he was truly the chairman she knew.
However, Professor Nia, who trailed along behind her, blinked her round eyes and tilted her head.
“Was... that so? I thought the chairman was acting like his usual self...”
“In what way?”
“He appeared out of nowhere where no one expected him, threw aside what he was supposed to do, such as voting, then made a mess the moment an opportunity arose...?”
Come to think of it, that was not entirely wrong.
The chairman was the greatest scoundrel in Calyps Academy’s 485-year history, and a scoundrel was bound to look strange whether he did good or bad.
However, Pionia was a Grade 7 Knight who held the title Platinum, and her knightly intuition, sharpened through countless battles, continued to warn her.
The chairman had definitely changed, even if she simply had not noticed it yet....
On the battlefield, intuition was a comrade-in-arms who saved one’s life. In peaceful times, however, it was usually no more than a useless, groundless worry.
Pionia waved to the students who greeted her as she passed through the halls, then spoke with an uneasy expression.
“Certainly, what he showed today might have been like the chairman, but something still feels off.”
Perhaps she had sensed the concern in her voice.
Professor Nia, the youngest professor in the Magic Department, Pionia’s irreplaceable confidante, and an authority on illusion magic, cautiously offered a suggestion.
“If you are that worried... how about stationing someone in that Special Department? Then we could find out what the chairman is doing... And if he refuses to let someone in, that would prove he has some scheme of his own...”
“......!”
Pionia’s eyes sparkled at the ingenious suggestion.
Sure enough, the chairman had brought up the Special Department as though he had been waiting for the chance, bringing down the Disciplinary Committee.
Did that not clearly mean that some hidden scheme lay within the Special Department?
If she placed one of her people there as well, she would be able to uncover the chairman’s scheme even a little faster.
Pionia quickly considered whom she should send to the Special Department.
‘First, I need to send someone who is unquestionably on my side. They could be bribed by the chairman if things go wrong, so they need sufficient wealth and combat prowess. And for ease of communication, a magician would be better than a knight.’
They were demanding conditions just to think about.
As far as Pionia knew, only one person fulfilled them all, so her gaze silently shifted.
...Glance.
Her eyes landed on Professor Nia, who was following behind her.
Pionia cleared her throat and spoke to Professor Nia in a suggestive tone.
“Ahem. Professor Nia Filoni, Calyps Academy’s youngest professor and inheritor of the essence of the Illusory Dream Forest?”
“...Pardon? Why are you calling me that all of a sudden...?”
Perhaps because Pionia was calling her by name with all sorts of modifiers unlike her usual self, Professor Nia suddenly began backing away.
Knowing that Nia would flee even by using magic if she let her go, Pionia seized her shoulder at superhuman speed and smiled brightly.
“I think you will have to move to the Special Department for a little while. No matter how I think about it, there is no one more suitable than you.”
“...?!”
Professor Nia’s face, filling with horror and shock, looked as though she had heard that the world would end tomorrow.
However, an excellent superior had to pretend not to see a subordinate’s suffering from time to time.
Other than the faculty who had been bribed by the chairman, Pionia had few people she could trust. It was an unavoidable choice.
After saying that she would soon send an official notice, Pionia left.
When I returned to the chairman’s office, I encountered a bizarre status window before I could even savor my victory at the Disciplinary Committee, leaving me speechless.
[ You have instilled fear in many characters. ]
[ Trait - Noble Bloodline effect: 1 Trait Enhancement Ticket obtained. ]
...What is this?
‘I instilled fear in a lot of people? Me? When? No... More than that, what does fear have to do with Noble Bloodline that it gives me an enhancement ticket...?’
Just when I thought I had clearly resolved a problem, an inexplicable abnormality had appeared out of nowhere.
With a dubious expression, I forced myself to speculate about the situation.
‘Noble Bloodline is obviously a Trait that would suit a noble. So does it consider being feared noble behavior and give a reward for it...?’
All sorts of plausible guesses came to mind, but none made me think, This is it!
However, one thing was certain: it was a gain.
‘Well... I have it now, so I might as well use it well.’
It was not as though I could control the status window as I pleased, and what could I do about something I had already received?
I had something planned anyway, so I nodded, telling myself that a good thing was a good thing....
“Chairman, I have something I would like to ask.”
...Cough.
The secretary had approached without a sound, nearly making me choke. Though I was flustered by the change in someone who had done nothing but as they were told until now, I nodded first.
“Go ahead. Cough. What are you curious about?”
The secretary was someone I expected to be closely connected to a certain person who doubted my identity.
It was dangerous to rashly make an enemy of them.
If I made the wrong move and was exposed as not being the real chairman... Well, that day would be hell.
“What kind of education will be conducted in the Special Department?”
“Ah, the Special Department. Hmm... As its name suggests, it will be a department that gathers special students. Since it will be a temporary department where students stay for irregular periods, special education will be conducted.”
In truth, the name I had in mind for the Special Department was the Medio Countermeasure Special Department.
Medio possessed power rivaling the final boss—the Demon King—and would come to kill me. To prevent that situation, I inevitably had to recruit students with exceptional talent as well.
This was my true purpose, which I had not revealed at the Disciplinary Committee.
‘The chairman’s evil deeds are helping me for the first time.’
Every student the chairman had tormented was a genius whose talent brooked no comparison to others.
I would draw them into the Special Department, help their talents blossom with Appraiser’s Eye, and they would help me with those talents....
The secretary’s voice cut off my flight of fancy.
“Does that mean nothing has been planned yet?”
I cleared my throat softly before answering.
“There is a saying: ten people, ten colors. Every student who enters has a different situation, disposition, and talent, so it is too early to decide already. But why do you ask?”
“It was merely a small curiosity.”
“Is that so.”
It was not something I could simply wave aside.
There was no guarantee that what I had just said would not be conveyed through the secretary to some unknown person....
‘A mastermind, I suppose.’
The Special Department was essential to me, but if that mastermind began to wonder, Why is the chairman doing this?, would that not ruin everything?
Even knowing that, I could not press the secretary any further.
My strength was still weaker.
Once I had gained more allies and power, and learned the mastermind’s identity, it would be more than soon enough to pursue today’s question.
Feigning indifference, I picked up a pen.
“Then bring me today’s documents. How is the supply contract for the Border Subjugation Practicum we reviewed yesterday?”
“The Calyps Trading Company has agreed to take responsibility for procuring the entire quantity. However, since next semester’s practicum will be held for the first time in three years, the number of applicants is expected to increase substantially. I am concerned whether the necessary supplies can be procured...”
The Border Subjugation Practicum.
An activity where second- through fourth-year students of the Knight Department visited a border fortress and experienced real combat against magic beasts.
It had run smoothly until the previous chairman’s tenure, but the current chairman had canceled it through machinations because he wanted to divert the supplies used for the practicum.
I intended to revive that practicum.
‘Even if I have to act like the chairman, I cannot imitate his embezzlement. More importantly, Calyps Academy needs to be set right before freshmen worth recruiting will appear...’
“You need not worry about procuring supplies. The Calyps Trading Company can handle an increased order without issue. The problem is preparing the funds... If necessary, I will have to use my personal wealth.”
“You mean... you will use your personal assets?”
Meeting the secretary’s shocked gaze, I realized I had made a mistake.
...!
A chairman so obsessed with money that he embezzled academy funds was going to use his personal wealth to support students. It was a situation that would arouse suspicion in anyone, not just the secretary.
I quickly recovered from the situation.
“...I intend to raise the unit price paid to the Calyps Trading Company and submit paperwork to the academy stating that I paid with my personal wealth. Once I convene the board and reclaim the increased amount, it will be perfect. Do you understand?”
To think the day would come when I said with my own mouth that I would tamper with the ledgers.
It was shocking, but it seemed sufficient to convince the secretary.
“I see. May I ask just one more question? It is not related to the practicum.”
“As many as you like.”
“What is the Special Department’s true purpose?”
“......”
I pressed my lips tightly together.
To deal with Medio, who would come to kill me. To save the world from the Demon King.
Or perhaps for both.
Such an honest purpose could never be revealed to anyone.
Since the Empire was founded, the Demon King’s kind had never appeared even once. They were unknown enemies.
Even if I, the chairman of a prestigious academy and a high-ranking noble, shouted, “Everyone! Let us prepare for the Demon King’s invasion!”, it would be nothing but an empty cry.
So, I covered my real purpose with something more plausible.
“Gathering and nurturing talented students. Making those talented students dependent on a person called ‘me.’”
As I leaned back in the soft chair, understanding dawned on the secretary’s face.
Somehow, it seemed I had gotten past this suspicion as well.
[ ◆ Avoid the First Danger. (25%) ]
...It had to be.
“Special Department. Have you heard of it?”
“Ah... The thing the professors have been talking about lately?”
“Yeah! They say they are going to gather only troublemakers and conduct special education. Lute, what do you think?”
Lute, the head of Calyps Academy’s Fair Press Society, shook their head at their friend’s question.
“Our society discussed it a few times too... but we concluded it was not a subject worth paying much attention to. All we heard from several professors was that the Special Department would be a den of troublemakers.”
The Fair Press Society was a gathering not of knights who rode horses, but reporters who wrote articles.
The students, who had gathered to write fair articles, bravely pried into every corner of the academy over this new subject called the Special Department, but they had not obtained any meaningful information.
“Judging by the professors’ attitudes, they really seem to think it is not worth worrying about. Besides, considering that the chairman proposed it, it is obvious what the Special Department will be like.”
Considering that the professors had no reason to hide troublemakers or take the chairman’s side, there was more than a 99% chance that the Special Department was exactly what it seemed to be.
“What do you think it will be like?”
At their friend’s insistence on asking again, Lute cocked their head as though the answer were obvious.
“A mess.”
The chairman was a scoundrel, and what scoundrels loved most was a mess.
The sensible people of Calyps Academy did not doubt what the Special Department was really like.