Chapter 53: Change (8)

‘It feels just like looking at my junior sister.’

Yeriel Helmont thought so as he looked at the woman whose identity, aside from her title of Overseer, was shrouded in mystery.

Indeed, Windy May and the woman before him shared many similarities.

To start with something small, they were both women.

Both possessed skills that he could not begin to fathom.

Both radiated the unique aura of those who wielded a blend of disciplines, not merely pure magic alone.

‘And…’

Neither cared in the slightest about the gaze of others.

Above all else, this particular trait was the most alike.

‘…Is indifference to the eyes of others somehow a condition for enlightenment?’

Come to think of it, his master had been no different.

Recalling Archmage Edas, his teacher whom even Windy May had struggled to deal with, Yeriel suddenly felt a heavy wave of fatigue wash over him.

“Phew.”

Drawing a steady breath, he pressed between his eyes with his fingers hard enough to make a faint sound.

Strictly speaking, it could have been considered rude, but fortunately, the other party seemed not to care in the least.

The Overseer, like a squirrel, took snacks one by one from her pouch and nibbled on them, while Valdemar, sitting beside her, wore a look of calm detachment.

Rustle.

Rustle.

Crunch crunch crunch.

“Ahem.”

As if to cut through the persistent sounds beside him, Valdemar cleared his throat softly.

With a slightly awkward smile, the vampire slowly rose from his seat.

“Then, let us briefly revisit the conversation we’ve had so far.”

As he spoke, the sharp fangs like knife points faintly revealed themselves.

Yeriel stroked his beard and spoke.

“You requested land, specifically a portion of the commercial district near the Academy, did you not?”

“Yes. More precisely, we seek an area large enough to lease, where our merchant group may reside and open stalls…”

Valdemar trailed off for a moment, muttering.

“Of course, the detailed matters and final decision will be made later, during negotiations with the Imperial Family at the council. For now, it is enough if you support us openly at that time.”

“We only attend the council. We hold no real decision-making authority.”

“I am aware. Merely showing a favorable response to our proposal will suffice. If even then the outcome of the council proves poor… well, then that would be due to our own shortcomings.”

Yeriel fell silent for a moment.

“…It goes without saying, but nothing illegal or suspicious will be tolerated. As you said, what you ask is for us to stand as guarantors, and if things go awry, we too will have to shoulder the responsibility.”

“Of course, we fully intend to comply with the Empire’s laws. However, the word ‘suspicious’ is rather vague in many ways, so we shall need to adjust such details between us later. And for the sake of trust, you are always welcome to come and inspect our dealings at any time.”

Valdemar added smoothly,

“Cursed swords, armor, artworks… and items imbued with mana are, as you know, our pride. We intend to focus on those, alongside miscellaneous goods. Once we establish ourselves, we are also prepared to attempt more diverse ventures, such as auctions.”

Yeriel nodded.

Watching his reaction for a moment, Valdemar spoke again.

“In return, we will conduct a full-scale investigation into the items you requested, Yeriel Helmont. If I recall correctly… cocoons, eggs, and larvae of giant ants, along with matters related to mutants, yes?”

“Correct.”

Though the incident stirred up by Rahma had reached some conclusion, its true details remained unclear.

The more they investigated, the more the suspicious aspects only swelled.

In the end, Yeriel had no choice but to judge that uncovering the truth behind the incident was beyond their power alone.

‘That size of colony, including mutants, could not have been prepared by one man alone. It simply makes no sense.’

Most of all, Rahma’s complete domination of the artifact remained unexplained.

Just activating it would have been beyond most mages’ abilities, yet not only had that priest activated it, he had also controlled it so perfectly that even the Academy’s faculty failed to notice?

It was certain someone had aided him from behind the scenes.

‘If I think in simple terms, those who stand to benefit from this incident… in other words, perhaps these very people before me may have conspired with him. But…’

That was too shallow a conclusion.

It was far more reasonable to assume they were unrelated.

Just as Yeriel reached the end of that line of thought—

“There is one thing I am curious about. May I ask?”

Professor Shagas, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke.

Valdemar nodded.

“Yes, by all means.”

“Why are you so intent on forging a connection here? I mean, it wouldn’t have to be this country in particular, would it?”

“Is it so strange that a merchant seeks out the greatest market?”

“That is exactly what puzzles me. Merchant. That someone like you would call yourself a merchant.”

At his weighty words, Jode, who had also remained silent, straightened his posture.

“I shall answer that in your place, one-legged Watcher.”

So saying, he pointed to his empty right arm.

“This is the answer.”

“…I would like you to explain a bit more.”

“They say you lost your leg in Garusol, didn’t you? I too lost this arm in the war.”

At Jode’s words, Shagas glanced slightly at his own leg.

“Whether human or demon, losing something always brings about a change of heart. Yes… back when my body was whole, I stood opposed to Valdemar. But after losing not only my right arm but other things as well, my thinking changed.”

“Opposed.”

“In plain words, factions. Hardliners and moderates, isolationists and conciliators… and so on. To put it simply, just like you, we too are divided into many factions.”

Jode took a breath and continued speaking.

“In the past, I believed it was right for us to rule this continent, and that force was the rightful means to do so.”

“Even now that he’s retired and just an old man, in the past, if anyone listed the most prominent hardliners, his name was always mentioned.”

Valdemar murmured, his tone carrying a hint of longing.

Shagas slowly nodded.

“So the war changed your outlook?”

“Something like that.”

Jode agreed with a bitter smile.

“From the look of it, you don’t seem all that different from me.”

“……”

Shagas gave no reply.

As he fell silent, Valdemar continued speaking as if to disperse the awkward atmosphere.

“When nations open their roads and exchanges become frequent, relations between them will naturally improve compared to before. As you know, when one knows nothing of the other, only fear and hatred grow with time.”

Valdemar, the handsome vampire, spoke in a low voice.

“I had my fill of war 300 years ago. I have no wish to experience it again. Not for myself, nor for my children.”

“Hm…”

“Now, does that give you a reason?”

Even if it had been long since he withdrew from the frontlines, he knew well how much effort Valdemar had invested so that the demon merchant group could set foot on Imperial soil.

In the end, he could only nod quietly.

Valdemar offered a small smile.

“I can only be grateful for your understanding. Now, let us return to the main matter. The next item is…”

Thus, they reviewed their discussion once more, reaffirming its points.

Since the purpose of this meeting had from the beginning been nothing more than light coordination of opinions, the confirmation process ended smoothly without issue.

“Ah, I nearly forgot this.”

As the session neared its end, Valdemar drew a small wooden box from his robes.

Placing it on the round table, he gently slid it toward Yeriel’s side.

“Please, open it.”

At his suggestion, Yeriel reached out and picked up the box without hesitation.

And when he opened the lid, he let out a small involuntary gasp.

“…A Philosopher’s Stone.”

“Yes. That is correct.”

Though no larger than a pebble, its value was immeasurable.

Just how much time, resources, and manpower must have been consumed to create such a thing…

With a sighing calculation, Yeriel closed the box and set it back down.

“Nothing has been firmly decided yet, so you should just take this back.”

“That is a gift from us regardless of the outcome of the council, a token of our praise for the Academy’s history and tradition.”

Even at Valdemar’s smiling face, Yeriel remained impassive.

‘Poison bait.’

If he accepted it too readily, there would be no escape later.

In truth, the right decision would have been to firmly refuse then and there…

‘…But with this, the Academy’s security could be reinforced severalfold.’

In the end, he could only nod slightly, as though to say he would hear them out.

At that, Valdemar allowed the faintest smile.

“For such a large-scale institution, we have tried time and again to replicate your success, but the results have been poor. Well, perhaps our efforts were not wholly wasted, since only now have we managed to gather something resembling proper form.”

“Hm.”

“Still, compared to your scale and educational system, ours is pitiful. Whenever we try something, we lack both experience and knowledge, making it no easy task.”

That is why…

Valdemar licked his dry lips with his tongue and spoke slowly.

Though he still wore a smile, his eyes were those of a predator about to strike.

And those eyes declared this moment the perfect time to finish the hunt.

“…Would you perhaps consider accepting exchange students?”

By the time I returned, the performance had already long since ended.

I worried I might have missed them, but fortunately I soon found my companions.

Cecilia and Allen were sitting idly on a bench, waiting for me.

They treated each other as if they were complete strangers, not out of dislike, but simply because both of them were reserved with new people.

“Lian.”

“I was worried.”

As I approached, Cecilia and Allen stood almost simultaneously.

I immediately offered them an apology.

“Sorry I’m late. There were more people than I expected… Did you wait long?”

“No.”

Cecilia shook her head.

“The play kept us entertained, so we didn’t notice the time.”

“Yes, it ended just a short while ago.”

Allen chimed in, backing her words.

Clearly, they were trying to cover for me so I wouldn’t feel awkward…

Instead of making a fuss, I gratefully accepted their thoughtfulness.

“Since we still have some time, shall we get something to eat nearby? I know a decent place.”

“Ah…”

“Hmm…”

At my suggestion, both of them hesitated, mumbling meaningless sounds.

To ease their hesitation, I added,

“It’s nothing fancy, so don’t feel pressured. After all, I’m the one who called you both out, and I’d feel bad if we parted ways without at least sharing a proper meal.”

Only then did they slowly nod in agreement.

Seeing that, I let out a small sigh of relief.

“Shall we go, then?”

As I began walking, Cecilia and Allen silently followed at my sides.

…Why was it, I wondered.

For some reason, it felt as though I had become their caretaker.

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