Divei let out a long sigh as he took a step forward.
Clack. Clack.
Amidst the sound of the manager's footsteps echoing ahead, his mind was in turmoil.
'Is this right? It must be, right? It has to be, right?'
He thought he had already made his decision long ago, but now that the moment had arrived, it was not easy to remain composed.
Having shown his face to the assistant at the academy and holding the exam papers in his arms, he was now in a situation where there was no turning back.
It felt as if he had crossed a point of no return.
The envelope in his arms felt so heavy.
His tightly clasped arms trembled.
However, the real weight was not the envelope but Divei's heart.
"This is the place. I'll leave it here."
The restaurant manager said this, gave a light bow, and stepped back.
Divei gathered his thoughts and stood in front of the door.
'Now, really…'
There was no turning back.
The moment he opened the door and handed over the exam papers, he would become the main culprit in this affair.
Perhaps it was because of this hesitation.
It was not easy to muster the strength to push the doorknob.
Thus, he was merely savoring the cold touch of the metal when—
'Alright.'
Divei made his decision.
'Wasn't this what I had been thinking from the beginning? There's no avoiding the risks.'
After all, it was Goldrin.
One of the top three merchant guilds in the Eastern Continent.
A powerhouse that even noble families of high repute could not easily meddle with, a true pillar of the upper echelons of society and one of the continent's major power players!
If he could align himself with them, would this level of risk really matter?
On the contrary, the reward was immense compared to the risk he was taking.
Just before opening the door—
'Ah.'
Divei realized his mistake and knocked to announce his presence.
A voice soon came from inside.
"Come in."
Divei opened the door and stepped inside.
The door, which had seemed so heavy just a moment ago, felt incredibly light now that he had made up his mind.
In any case, he entered the room.
Divei looked silently ahead.
'…'
A young girl sat at the desk.
Behind her stood a man in a robe, whom Divei glanced at and then quickly averted his gaze.
He was a mage employed by Goldrin, whom Divei had seen once before.
Meanwhile, Evelyn continued to process the mountain of documents in front of her, even though Divei had entered.
While the amount would have been enough to make an ordinary person bored, Divei could not hide his admiration.
'…As expected.'
The difference in level was clear.
Born and raised in a merchant guild, Divei knew better than anyone what it meant for a merchant to handle documents.
Regardless of age, it meant that as a merchant, one's values and judgment were recognized.
Even in smaller merchant guilds, it was not easy to handle documents at such a young age.
Let alone in Goldrin.
'Even though she is the daughter of the guild leader… they don't lower their standards just because of blood ties.'
It was that significant.
How long had it been?
Thud.
Evelyn, who had just finished signing a document, raised her head.
When their eyes met, Divei involuntarily tensed up.
Unlike at the academy, her gaze was cool and piercing.
Evelyn got straight to the point.
"How did it go with the item?"
"…Here, I brought it."
Evelyn gave a look to the mage standing beside her.
The mage stepped forward, took the envelope from Divei, and quickly scanned its contents.
"First-year basic magic major, four subjects, two general subjects. It also includes the practical exam items and evaluation methods."
Divei, feeling unnecessarily nervous, added an explanation.
After a moment, the mage nodded.
"It's genuine. Not only the paper quality and the seal, but the magic pattern inside is definitely from the academy."
"…"
Divei swallowed hard at the mage's words.
It was not the content but the form that determined the authenticity.
He had not thought to check such details, never imagining such a method of verification existed.
"Hmm, it seems you've brought the right item."
Evelyn's expression showed no particular emotion as she nodded.
As if it were a matter of course.
Divei had gone through so much trouble, but her reaction was dry and unemotional.
However, Divei did not think too much about it.
It was difficult to persuade a seller, but anyone could deliver and hand over an item.
Even a street errand boy could do it.
What mattered was the risk involved in this affair.
In any case,
"Have you definitely familiarized yourself with the seller?"
"…Yes. I made it clear that I have been their sponsor for the past year. At first, they didn't believe it, but eventually, they came to accept it."
"Hmm, I see…"
Leaning back in her chair, Evelyn tapped her foot.
Divei, feeling a burning thirst, waited for her to speak.
How long did he wait?
Evelyn spoke just as Divei was swallowing hard.
"Good job. There were no issues this time."
"…Ah."
A simple "good job."
Divei's lips trembled.
"Me, I, then…"
"Yes. As promised, I will continue to give you opportunities, Divei. And support will be sent to the Phingrove guild. Of course, your contribution will be clearly acknowledged."
"Ah!"
The Phingrove guild was Divei's family.
But now, with support from Goldrin, and in his name!
'It's done! It's done!'
Divei celebrated inwardly.
Though he could not fully express his joy in front of Evelyn, his fist trembled visibly.
'Now, Phingrove is completely mine. Mine!'
He was the eldest, so he was supposed to inherit the guild naturally.
But because of his damn younger brother, he had not yet earned his father's trust.
Unlike Divei, who had magical talent, his brother had a natural talent for business.
However, if Goldrin's sponsorship became his achievement…
'None of that matters. I can get rid of that damn brat!'
Who in the family could refuse him now?
Now, all that was left was to become the undisputed master of Phingrove after graduating from the academy!
However,
Divei, who was dreaming of such grand plans, was met with a cold gaze from Evelyn.
A thorough, business-like look.
She spoke after Divei had calmed down somewhat.
"Then, come back at this time tomorrow."
"Tomorrow…?"
"We will thoroughly examine it and then hand it over. We need to distribute the exam papers to the customers, right? That will be your responsibility from now on."
"…Ah!"
Divei gasped in amazement and then looked at Evelyn with a different expression.
"Me, then, perhaps…"
"We'll prepare a copy for you as well. By the way, I don't recommend aiming for a perfect score. There will be plenty of opportunities to improve your grades."
"Ah, thank you! Thank you!"
Divei bowed repeatedly.
Without being told, he would not make the foolish mistake of aiming for a perfect score.
'As she said, there are plenty of opportunities to improve.'
Gradually, steadily.
Improving his grades gradually would avoid suspicion and look good.
She must have made this clear to the customers as well.
"Ah, then I'll be on my way…"
Divei, noticing Evelyn's intense gaze, opened the door and stepped out.
Creak.
Thud.
As soon as Divei left,
"…Stupid."
A low murmur.
The expressionless face from before was gone, replaced by a lazy one with a hint of annoyance.
A different side from what she showed at the academy and to Divei.
The emotion in her eyes was clear contempt.
She spoke after a moment.
"Is the operation going smoothly?"
"Yes, in a few days, the name 'Divei' and the 'Phingrove' guild will replace all the matters you were involved in."
"Proceed without mistakes. The only reason I'm using this fool is for that."
"I understand."
At the sharp response, Evelyn nodded.
Indeed.
Divei, without realizing it, had not only implicated himself but also his family.
It was not a matter that could be handled by Divei's name alone.
The money that had gone to the black market and the funds distributed to the academy's assistants over a year.
If it all came down to one student, Divei, who would believe it?
It was natural to involve the Phingrove guild.
'If he had thought about it a little, he wouldn't be so clueless.'
Evelyn shook her head.
By the way,
"Ah, the black market had something to pass on, didn't they?"
Evelyn, remembering something, asked the mage, who then spoke.
"Yes. It's nothing much. The black market is pulling out after this job. But the guild will send someone, so there shouldn't be any issues."
"The seller is leaving the academy, too?"
"Anyway, we have many assistants we sponsor. The question is how to turn them into sellers…"
"That's the black market's job. We pay the money, and they provide the expertise. It's not our concern."
Currently, the number of assistants Evelyn sponsors through the black market is considerable.
Unlike assistant professors, assistants are always struggling with financial difficulties.
However, corrupting them is a different matter, which is the black market's role.
In any case,
"You've taken a step forward."
"Just a step. You know how far we need to go."
"Yes, I know. It starts with the first-year basic class, but in the future, it should expand to the entire basic class, and then to the intermediate and advanced classes."
Evelyn nodded.
Just the first-year basic class?
Ridiculous.
Would she have created a black market for selling and buying grades in the academy, such a dangerous operation, just for one class?
To make the numbers work, the black market needed to expand to the entire academy.
Push the less important ones to Divei and manage the crucial ones herself.
Over time, this would…
'Goldrin can spread its wings.'
As the tyranny of noble families worsens,
These connections would be a great help in restraining them in the future.
Even a pack of wolves can bring down a lion, as the saying goes.
Just as she was thinking this,
Knock knock.
A knock and a voice came.
"Miss, the meal is ready. What would you like to do?"
"…Let's go down."
Evelyn got up and moved.
"Come on. We'll eat together today."
"Thank you."
The mage followed her.
Thus,
Creak, thud!
When the office was filled with a cold silence,
"…"
A man appeared in the darkness.
"…Aster."
Aster, looking amused, curled one corner of his mouth.
'I knew he was yellow, but…'
Not just yellow.
They say a good tree is known by its leaves, and Evelyn was yellow to the core!
"Hmm, what to do with this."
Judging by his manner, he didn't seem like he would stop after burning a few branches and setting a few fires.
He might even fund Deculan and ask for their silence.
'That won't do.'
The bear does the work, and the man takes the credit.
He wanted to be the man, not the bear.
No matter how he handled this, he would certainly proceed more secretly…
'Is there a good way?'
Aster sat down at Evelyn's desk and fell into thought.
His posture was so relaxed that he looked like he was sitting on his own sofa, not an intruder.
'Way, way…'
He had to ruin this and guide Evelyn so she wouldn't repeat the same mistake.
But he had no idea how.
He was always breaking things and causing chaos.
Of course, he could threaten her with the video recording device he had just used…
'That would be too valuable to use now.'
As he continued to ponder,
"…Ah!"
Snap!
Aster straightened up, snapping his fingers.
A good idea had come to him.
He could guide Evelyn, who was planning to cheat, and prevent her from doing it again…
'…A way to lead her on the right path.'
Aster immediately took out a piece of parchment from the desk and picked up a pen.
A natural action.
He glanced at the documents beside him, and something amazing happened.
Rustle, scratch… rustle.
Clearly, Aster was writing.
But the handwriting was exactly the same as Evelyn's!
When he had filled half the parchment, Aster put down the pen and examined it.
"Hmm, my skills haven't rusted."
Copying handwriting was a high-level skill that only a few troubleshooters could do.
He hadn't practiced it in a while, but fortunately, his skills were still sharp.
At a level where only he could tell the difference.
'Now, the other half…'
Aster looked at the empty space on the parchment.
The empty space needed to contain the list of customers who had agreed to buy the exam papers from Evelyn.
However, he didn't have the list now, so he left it blank for now…
'This will be clear tomorrow.'
As long as he followed Divei, it would be fine.
Aster stamped Evelyn's seal at the end of the letter and carefully put the parchment in his pocket.
How to describe it?
'Satisfying.'
He hadn't guided Evelyn yet, but he felt incredibly satisfied with his good intentions.
'You are already good.'
He might even shed a tear at the realization of his own goodness!
Aster, feeling satisfied, nodded and tidied up the traces he had left.
It took only a couple of breaths.
The scene was exactly the same as when Evelyn left.
'Good, shall I go now?'
Aster, holding the letter carefully, slipped out of the office.