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A Visit from the Sage
I should have applied as a student, so why am I the homeroom teacher for Class S? There was no way this wouldn’t turn into a problem.
“So what happened, you delinquent sage?” I asked Sieg, who was sipping at his water in Raindrop Inn’s dining room.
“Delinquent. That’s the one thing I don’t want to be called by you of all people.”
“So? What happened!?” I yelled when he kept babbling on. Spare me the small talk.
“‘I order Baron Grey Ines Navarro to take charge of the Imperial Magic Knight Academy’s Class S. Upon serving four years in this position, you will be allowed to graduate. So try your best to serve the empire!’ or so says his Majesty.”
I feel like I’m getting a migraine.
“Look here. That’s not a reason.”
“Even if you tell me that, someone like me couldn’t even begin to understand his Majesty’s thoughts.”
After Sieg grandiosely shook his head, I got a feeling of who the true culprit was.
“Really, what are you planning?”
“I said it wasn’t me, it’s his Majesty.”
This bastard. Does he plan on pushing everything onto the emperor?
“So like, can I turn it down?”
“Of course not. It’s an imperial command.”
Shit. I’ve been played.
“Why is my name Shirabe? In fact, where’d you even hear of that name?”
“It doesn’t look like you take that name, so there’s no way I would know,” he chuckled with an ‘ohoho.’ An instinct to kill him right here flashed through me as I saw him laughing like the vice-shogun of a certain shogun who brings his seal with him everywhere.[1]
Shirabe is the name I use with the Commerce Guild. The name must have popped up when he was investigating me.
“Why keep my name private?”
“How unexpected. You wanted to publicize it?”
“Don’t answer me with a question. I’m done with your sophisms.”
“There are some who are opposed to your enrollment here, so it serves as a camouflage of sorts.”
“And yet another forced reason.”
There’re people opposed to my enrollment. That in it itself isn’t that surprising. I mean, an examinee changing the rules would surely bring about some opposition. I’d be surprised if it didn’t, in fact.
That said, impersonating an instructor was just too far.
“I swear on it; I’m not lying.”
“Thought it’s not like you’re telling the full truth either!”
“Well, you could say that.”
This bastard. He didn’t hesitate at all with that reply.
“We’re going nowhere.”
I only agreed to enroll into the academy as a student. I never even imagined that I’d impersonate an instructor.
I really held back this time, but there’s no reason to listen to their arbitrarily self-righteous orders. In fact, I never was the patient type.
“The academy wants to accept you as an instructor.”
“Ha! I never asked for that.”
Sieg elatedly perked up and said, “Instructors at the Magical Knight Academy gain the right to browse any library within the empire, no strings attached.”
“Any library within the empire, and with no strings attached……” I parroted back.
Shit, they got me good. Books were like an extension of my thoughts, and they were humanity’s most precious treasures.
No matter how much money I make, that will always be something I want.
“How about it? Do you still want to refuse?” asked Sieg.
“Do you really need to ask that?”
Sieg nodded in satisfaction.
“Baron Grey Ines Navarro, we appreciate you taking the position as the academy’s representative,” he said, standing up and bowing bombastically.
“Stop saying stuff you don’t even mean. It’s really unpleasant.”
Sieg looked up with a creepy smile.
“That’s not true in the slightest. Being an instructor at the Magic Knight Academy is fantastic. You’ve a lot of authority, a high salary, and if you decide to build your own academy in your land, the empire will place it under their protection.”
Build my own academy in my lands, huh. That could certainly prove interesting.
In any case, I’d need to raise the young ones to change this empire. This’ll be like a model case.
“So when do I start?”
“The month after the next, in April. When you take up your position as an instructor, you’ll be elevated to a viscount. You’ll probably need to poke your head into the imperial palace for the ceremony.”
My peerage is going to rise again in such a short period of time. Ironic, as that’s the very thing I’m trying to abolish.
“Got it.”
“Here, this is your instructor’s robe and pendant. We don’t do replacements, so don’t lose ‘em.”
Sieg placed a cloth bag with golden embroidery onto the table and exited the inn after saying ‘that’s all from me.’
God, that guy. Still, I can’t deny that this is extremely beneficial for me. I’ll make the best of this situation.
“Now then,” I muttered to myself.
I’ve confirmed my enrollment, so I’ll travel back to my new territory tomorrow. I’ll need to pack some essentials for that.
Currently, Raindrop Inn was undergoing remodeling, so I’ll just be in the way if I stayed here any longer.
So with the sounds of hammering behind me, I left the inn behind.
[1] Pretty sure they’re referring to Mito Koumon if you were curious.