BXBX NOVEL Chapter 104 - Ismera’s Great Forest (3)
Chapter 104 - Ismera’s Great Forest (3)
I woke up early in the morning.
Today is the day I promised to talk with Ismera one-on-one.
I plan to reveal everything about my past to Ismera and strongly emphasize that I have absolutely no interest in becoming the Headmaster.
Last time I mentioned it, she didn’t listen at all, but this time I’ll bring Merilda along to back me up.
Honestly, I originally didn’t intend to be this proactive.
Ismera has been hostile toward me, and I’m not the type to meddle in others’ business like Linus, poking my nose in everywhere with a do-gooder attitude.
It’s ridiculous to go out of my way to reassure someone who arbitrarily dislikes me and feels stressed out for no reason, saying, "Don’t worry, I’m not going to be Headmaster~."
But now the situation has changed a bit.
During the preparation period for the competition, I saw up close how diligent, capable, and kind Ismera was to the kids.
Being under the same roof, spending the whole month together, she felt completely different from how she had seemed when I watched from a distance before.
Human emotions change frequently depending on the situation and circumstances.
So I decided to ease Ismera’s burden, even just a little.
At least she shouldn’t be stressed because of me. Not that I’ve done anything to cause it in the first place.
As I was heading to work, I saw Kirrin flailing her arms wildly and running toward me.
“Diiiaaan!!”
“What’s the matter so early in the morning?”
“There’s an appointment order from the Imperial Palace!”
Kirrin waved the official document in her hand like crazy.
A bad feeling hit me.
An appointment at the end of the semester?
There’s no reason for a professor to be replaced, and if it weren’t about a professor, Kirrin wouldn’t be causing such a fuss.
No, there is one thing.
That matter about the Head Theoretical Professor that Kaiden recently mentioned.
I clearly told Kaiden not to accept the offer, so there shouldn’t be any official document coming down.
But the fact that one came down anyway…
“Is it really that Kaiden?! The mage from the Demon King Slayer Task Force?”
“Yes, but why?”
“That person is coming as the Head Theoretical Professor?”
“Bring the carriage!”
As soon as I heard Kaiden’s name, I immediately shouted toward the assistant’s office.
“Wha-what? Why the carriage all of a sudden?”
“I have ‘inquiries’ to make about this appointment order. I’m heading to the Imperial Palace today.”
“Wh-what?! You’re going all the way to the Imperial Palace…?”
Legally, there’s nothing wrong with the Second Princess replacing the Head Theoretical Professor.
The Second Princess is the superior of the Imperial Special Mission Academy and can reassign personnel without prior notice.
And no one would care if an ordinary professor had objections to it.
But it matters to me.
I only came to the academy because I compromised, to some extent, due to Linus.
For Linus’s convenience in raising his child, I’ve tolerated the Second Princess’s intentions so far.
Anyway, the Second Princess can never use us as her chess pieces.
She can only keep us where she can see us, ensuring we don’t fall into the hands of her enemies.
I comply with the Second Princess’s plans to some extent, and in return, she’s content with keeping me here without interfering further.
This was the unspoken boundary and rule we both had to follow. She’s crossing the line.
“Uh, um, Dian….”
Kirrin hesitated in confusion.
“But Professor Ismera has served longer than you, so wouldn’t it make sense for her to become the Vice-Headmaster instead of you going all the way to the Imperial Palace…?”
“What? Vice-Headmaster?”
I snatched the official document from Kirrin’s hand and read it.
Appointment Order No. 00-000
The personnel appointment of the Imperial Special Mission Academy is as follows:
New Appointment: Kaiden / Head Theoretical Professor
Position Change: Ismera / From Head Theoretical Professor to Vice-Headmaster (newly established)
Vice-Headmaster?
# # # # #
“Are you satisfied now?”
The Second Princess asked Kaiden, who was reviewing the appointment order.
“I believe Dian will be satisfied.”
Kaiden responded.
An appointment order that sends Kaiden as the Head Theoretical Professor and promotes Ismera to Vice-Headmaster.
The Special Mission Academy doesn’t have a Vice-Headmaster.
The academy is smaller in scale compared to others and already has two Head Professors.
Despite that, a Vice-Headmaster position was created and Ismera was promoted to it because of Dian’s request relayed by Kaiden.
“Did Dian really ask you not to take the Head Professor position? Why?”
“Because there’s already a Head Theoretical Professor at the academy.”
When the Second Princess turned to look inquiringly, her personal aide standing behind her explained.
“It’s Professor Ismera. An elf who lost her forest in the war and came to the human city, obtaining a master’s degree before being appointed to the academy.”
“Ah, right. That pretty and dignified pureblood elf.”
In truth, the Second Princess had forgotten about Ismera’s existence entirely.
To be precise, it wasn’t that she forgot; she simply never paid attention to her, so she faded from memory.
The Second Princess, as the Head of the Security Office, holds the highest position in the Empire and commands countless subordinates and organizations that operate in the field. She handles almost all of the Empire’s intelligence.
Given that, it’s only natural that she has little interest in an educational institution like the Special Mission Academy.
“So, Dian asked for that elf professor’s position to be protected?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, surprising.”
This was something she hadn’t expected at all.
It’s difficult to understand why Dian suddenly got involved in this.
“He said it was unfair?”
“Yes. He expressed strong resentment over the idea of dismissing someone who has worked diligently for the academy up until now in such a manner.”
To the Second Princess, the position of Head Theoretical Professor at the academy is something that can be replaced at any time as needed.
It’s like how a military commander can’t be expected to know the circumstances of every captain or major under them.
It’s a natural and unremarkable thing, neither unusual nor wrong.
The Second Princess has too many tasks and concerns to take care of individual circumstances.
And above all, she has the authority to do so.
But now, it’s like a general or a regimental commander saying, "Leave this person alone and just let them be."
This was something the Second Princess did not anticipate.
In a normal situation, it would be appropriate to ignore this and proceed as planned.
But Dian is not someone who can be handled within the bounds of ordinary logic.
The Second Princess made a quick decision.
She must secure Kaiden, who has finally come out of the Tower of Illusions.
It’s not that she wants to use him for anything specific. It’s simply to prevent him from being swayed by other forces, keeping him somewhere she can always see him.
To achieve this, when Dian proposed using illusion magic, the Second Princess countered by offering Kaiden the position of Head Theoretical Professor at the academy in exchange for using illusion magic.
On the surface, it’s an absurd proposal.
Using illusion magic to enhance the quality of the competition should already merit generous compensation for Kaiden.
However, the Second Princess saw through everything during that brief conversation with Kaiden.
Kaiden likes Dian. He’s willing to do anything for him.
The fact that Kaiden, who ignored countless invitations and remained secluded in the Tower of Illusions, personally showed up just to cast illusion magic for this competition speaks volumes.
So, the Second Princess proposed to Kaiden, ‘How about doing this much in exchange for giving Dian what he wants?’
"It’s an opportunity to be with Dian, whom you like, so it’s not a bad deal, right?"
And the Second Princess’s insight was spot on. Kaiden responded that he would seriously consider the offer.
Everything was fine until suddenly, Dian opposed the replacement of the Head Theoretical Professor, calling it unfair.
Despite this, the Second Princess intends to place Kaiden at the academy.
But completely ignoring Dian’s request carries significant risks.
During the war, as the commander of the 3rd Army, the Second Princess operated separately from the Demon King Slayer Task Force and had no direct encounters with them.
After the war, she only directly interacted with Linus and Celine.
Dian disappeared, Lormane returned to the church, and Kaiden retreated to the Tower of Illusions.
The Second Princess assumed that the rest of the Task Force members had similar personalities to Linus and Celine, who were both mild-mannered.
But upon meeting him, she realized that Dian is not that kind of person.
Dian quietly became a professor, developed the academy, and even awakened Kirrin’s potential.
So, morally speaking, the Second Princess had to accept Dian’s request.
Thus, the compromise was to create the position of Vice-Headmaster.
If even this doesn’t satisfy Dian, she’ll have to come up with another solution.
Since it’s been half a day since the appointment order was issued and there’s no news of a carriage barging into the Imperial Palace, it seems Dian accepted the Second Princess’s compromise.
“If I may speak freely….”
The personal aide cautiously addressed the Second Princess, who had spent the entire morning in her office, staring out the window toward the drawbridge in the Imperial Palace.
“If you keep giving in to every demand like this, it might become unmanageable later on.”
“What are you saying? They were unmanageable from the start.”
The Second Princess laughed and turned around.
“Do you know what the only good thing the Emperor has done so far is?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s giving the Demon King Slayer Task Force generous rewards. If they had become dissatisfied with their treatment, our Empire might look very different today.”
“I see….”
“So don’t express any objections to me granting Sir Dian’s requests.”
“Understood.”
“I don’t expect Sir Dian and Sir Linus to fight on my side. They never would anyway. But at the very least, I must prevent them from becoming my enemies. If they just turn a blind eye when I take major actions in the future, that alone is practically the same as supporting me.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
The personal aide bowed his head.