By the time the end-of-term party came to an end, the academy’s headmaster was beginning to truly feel what it meant to have his lifespan shortened.
Demands started pouring in from all directions.
The turning point came from the first queen of the Soladin Kingdom.
On the day of the end-of-term party, disguised, she came to tour the academy. It wasn’t clear what displeased her, but she immediately declared that she would place her people in the academy.
It was not a negotiation but an outright declaration.
At first, the headmaster resisted in order to maintain the academy’s independence, but under the pressure of the nobles who funded the academy, he was powerless to do anything.
Thus, the first queen’s demand was reluctantly accepted, more or less by force.
Soon after, the second queen came to make a similar request, saying she would also place her people in the academy.
The headmaster, who had anticipated that the second queen would step in as soon as he accepted the first queen’s request, let out a hollow laugh and acquiesced to her request.
The headmaster believed it would be better for the academy if the second queen’s people entered alongside the first queen’s, so they could keep each other in check.
The real problem, however, was that these requests did not stop. For the past three months, they kept coming one after another, and at the same time, the existing professors of the academy began to rebel.
The professors who had once raised their voices about the academy’s independence now left, and the power-hungry people who had entered through influence began to take their places, adjusting the internal dynamics and power struggles among the faculty.
The headmaster, who had aged significantly over the past few months, decided that as soon as the year ended, he would step down from his position.
He felt that if he stayed in this maddening place any longer, he would die from overwork before his time was up.
As the headmaster pondered how to exit gracefully, one of the academy’s professors, Carl, visited the headmaster’s office.
Carl, who rarely visited due to his duties as a knight and his role in serving his master, made the headmaster break into a cold sweat.
What’s going on this time? Why would a knight of the Arlen family come to see me? Is this related to the recent discovery of a follower of the Evil God on the street?
“A follower of the Evil God infiltrated the academy.”
Carl’s words were far worse than anything the headmaster had imagined.
A follower of the Evil God entered the academy!?
Doesn’t this mean the safety measures we created with the church didn’t work at all?!
The only good news was that the saint and the academy’s students had already subdued the followers.
Had it not been for the saint’s quick actions, a major disaster would have unfolded during the academy’s entrance ceremony.
“What’s the situation now?”
“There are no casualties, and the followers of the Evil God have already been escorted to the church by the saint herself.”
“...So, the aftermath has already been taken care of. I’m relieved. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that the saint is here with us.”
“The saint handled the situation...”
“...Hmm? What did you say, Professor Carl?”
“Nothing. I’ll take my leave now, having finished the report.”
“Right. Ah, also, please pass my thanks to the nobles, including the saint. I’ll visit them later, but I should at least express my gratitude in advance.”
However, the headmaster’s relief lasted less than a day.
Someone had somehow learned about the quietly handled incident within the academy, and the second queen’s confidant came to the headmaster’s office, presenting a crystal connected to the second queen.
“Headmaster. What is the meaning of this?”
The second queen’s confidant had come, bringing a crystal connected to the second queen.
She complained that after discovering the followers of the Void on the street, it was unacceptable to be lax in the academy’s inspections. The second queen’s protest about the verification of personnel was a reasonable one, so the headmaster had no response.
Of course, he could have said something. He could explain that the chaos caused by the royal family’s power struggle had made personnel checks impossible or that even though they had called the church for an inspection, nothing had been found.
“I’ll send someone to inspect the barrier again, so please understand.”
“Yes, understood. Second Queen.”
However, knowing that arguing would only make matters worse, the headmaster lowered his head in silence.
After that, the headmaster faced countless protests from various noble families and other academies, but each time, the situation was resolved before things escalated, and he was relieved.
If something had gone wrong, like last year, he would have had his head on the chopping block physically.
Just as he finally found a moment to breathe, a young girl appeared in the headmaster’s office.
She was someone who, until a year ago, had been despised by everyone in the kingdom, but now she was someone every faction wanted to recruit.
A noblewoman praised by the apostles of the Art Guild and other church followers as the incarnation of the goddess, possessing beauty that was said to be divine.
A genius who was evaluated as someone who might change the fate of the entire continent.
It was Lucy Arlen who had come to the headmaster’s office.
She entered the room wearing her school uniform, not even greeting the headmaster before casually seating herself on the sofa.
With a haughty posture, crossing her legs and giving the headmaster a subtle nod, Lucy’s attitude perfectly matched the expression of arrogance, but the headmaster could say nothing.
After all, the person who had prevented him from losing his head by solving many of the academy’s problems was the very noblewoman in front of him.
Once again, the headmaster, grateful for her favor, forced a smile and sat across from Lucy Arlen.
“What brings you here at this late hour, Lady Arlen?”
“I have news that will shorten our poor headmaster’s lifespan.”
“...News that will shorten my lifespan?”
“Are you curious? If you beg me, I might tell you this special piece of news.”
“Well... what is it?”
“Puhahaha. Your voice is trembling. I guess you’re really scared. How troublesome. I’m afraid if I tell you this, your heart might stop from the shock.”
Lucy tapped her chin, muttering to herself as the headmaster carefully lowered his head.
“Please, have mercy and tell me the news, Lady Arlen.”
“Hm. Seeing you so pitiful, I’ll help you out.”
Laughing softly, Lucy took a letter from her bag and handed it to the headmaster. When he saw the seal on the letter, the headmaster froze.
If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, the seal on the letter was from the Church of the Goddess.
“What are you doing? Open it and read it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”
Unable to resist, the headmaster tore open the letter, only to collapse onto the floor upon reading its contents.
The letter was from the Church of the Goddess, condemning the headmaster for his actions.
In other words, the most influential religion on the continent was directly accusing the headmaster.
“Wow. Are you so happy that your legs gave out? I’m glad you like it.”
“Is... is this really true?”
“Have you lost your memory from staying up too late? Who do you think my friend is, do you really think I’d lie?”
The headmaster, recalling who was standing next to Lucy Arlen, trembled with fear before quickly raising his head.
There had to be a reason she brought this to me. Otherwise, she would have just let me die!
“What do you want? Lady Arlen?”
“Me? Watching the incompetent headmaster struggle and die in misery sounds fun to me.”
“Please, I’ll do anything. Anything, just please help me.”
The headmaster believed he could manage to handle the protests from other nobles. After all, he was a noble from the Soladin Kingdom and a powerful figure, so it was possible for him to fall to the status of a retired old man.
But the Church of the Goddess? That was a different story. If the church condemned him directly, his acquaintances, family, and even the kingdom would abandon him.
“Are you really going to do anything?”
After begging repeatedly, the headmaster finally raised his head at Lucy Arlen’s voice.
“Yes. Of course, Lady Arlen.”
“Then kiss it.”
“...Pardon?”
“Am I speaking in a foreign language?”
Looking at the shoes shaking in front of him, the headmaster hesitated, muttering, before Lucy pushed his forehead, causing him to fall over.
“Puhuhuh. I was just joking, but you actually wanted to do it? You’re so old and pathetic, yet you still want to cling to life?”
“...”
“Swear that you will serve me. If you do, I’ll stop the Church’s condemnation. Even an old fool like you should understand this, right?”
“...Yes. I understand, Lady Arlen.”
“Oh, and one more thing. I’ll need you to bring one of my maids.”
‘I didn’t expect things to go so smoothly.’
After finishing the oath with the headmaster, I felt a sense of bewilderment at how easily everything had unfolded.
It was my grandfather’s plan, so I had thought it would go well, but I didn’t expect it to be this easy.
<What can you do? The other side’s mistakes were clear, so they were bound to get scared and back down.>
‘...Still, isn’t it strange that this incident hasn’t been made public yet?’
The fact that the followers of the Evil God infiltrated the academy had not spread anywhere. Unlike the disturbance on the academy streets, this matter was quietly handled.
Even the priests from the church who took the followers away believed that Feiby had done something, but they had no idea that the academy had faced a problem.
Then, what about all those who had been pressuring the headmaster until now?
Aside from the second queen, who had started it all, most of them were fakes created by the Newman family and the subordinates of Karya. The headmaster had been scared by the counterfeit protests and had succumbed to them.
This was my grandfather’s plan.
First, we used the second queen, who had ties to me, to scare them.
Then, mixing real and fake protests from my network, we pressured them. Finally, using the church’s letter, we delivered the final blow.
The strong accusations in the headmaster’s office had been part of the plan. That way, the headmaster wouldn’t suspect anything and would end up swearing allegiance.
<Well, what does it matter? It all worked out because he’s so foolish. Now, I just have to keep him on a tight leash.>
‘...I guess that’s true.’
Soon enough, the headmaster would realize he’d been completely deceived, but by then, it would be too late.
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Once he swore his oath to me, he would have no choice but to follow my commands. He couldn’t endure the dishonor of breaking his oath as both a scholar and a noble.
With that, I had found the right informant to replace Luka, who might act unpredictably at any moment.
People with normal thought processes are so much better. Unlike maniacs like Luka or Rasha, you can trust them to follow through with things.
<By the way, Lucy. Why do you want to bring your maid along?>
‘There’s no big reason. Erin is the only one who can do my makeup perfectly.’
<...You’re adding more to the contract just for that?>
‘It’s not just for that. It’s actually pretty important.’
My grandfather’s deity wants me to pray and do my makeup, after all!