The loud knocking on the door woke me up.
“Instructor Vio, are you inside?”
So it finally came.
Since there was no summons last night, I figured they’d call me today.
I just didn’t expect them to come looking for me this early in the morning.
“One moment.”
I quickly got dressed and opened the door to find a large man with a serious expression standing there.
“Who?”
“I’m Head Instructor Berman. The headmaster has summoned you regarding what happened in the dining hall yesterday, so come with me.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
After responding, I followed the head instructor out of the dormitory.
What are you going to do?
What do you mean what? I’ll just go and explain exactly what happened.
I’m perfectly fine, and while the other party did end up with a broken arm, he was the one who used force first without even saying a word.
Besides, by now he’s probably already been treated.
This academy is full of mages, after all.
The justification is on my side. There’s no reason to be afraid.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
After walking for about ten minutes, we arrived at the headmaster’s office.
When I opened the door and went in, there were already guests besides the headmaster.
The instructor whose arm I broke in the dining hall yesterday; another instructor whose name I didn’t know who had backed off saying this wasn’t over; and a greedy-looking, pot-bellied middle-aged man.
Marquis Heinz? He’s probably here because of his son.
Back when I worked at the Intelligence Bureau, I had seen files on Marquis Heinz.
In the family section, it mentioned that he had four wives and only managed to have a son with great difficulty.
How could he not lose his mind after I laid a hand on a son he had struggled so hard to have?
Fortunately, judging by the fact that he wasn’t showing any particular hostility toward me, it seemed he didn’t know that I was the one who dealt with his son’s group.
“Instructor Vio, Instructor Teres here says that you broke Instructor Ryan’s arm yesterday. Explain what happened in the dining hall last evening.”
“Headmaster! I already told you everything, didn’t I? There’s nothing more to hear. How can someone like him even be an instructor? You should fire him immediately!”
From the looks of it, that instructor I hit must have come first and told the story in a way that favored himself.
“Instructor Teres, that’s enough. Marquis Heinz is present. What kind of behavior is this?”
“But he insulted me.”
“I’ve heard your side already. Now shouldn’t we hear Instructor Vio’s account as well to be fair?”
Oh? As expected of a mage. He was quite reasonable.
“As for what happened in the dining hall yesterday, a group of students were causing a disturbance, so I was about to step in, but they suddenly collapsed. I was about to go back to my meal, but then that instructor over there came with a colleague and started pressuring the students who had been the victims, so I intervened.”
“You’re saying Instructor Teres was pressuring the victims?”
“That’s nonsense! Ryan and I were simply trying to take them in for questioning, and you were the one who insulted us and interfered!”
“Questioning? So at Veliyard Academy, threatening the victims with expulsion counts as ‘questioning’? I’m new here, so I didn’t know.”
At my sarcasm, Instructor Teres’s face flushed bright red.
“I understand the situation. Still, breaking a fellow instructor’s arm is clearly wrong.”
Right, and who started it?
“It’ll be faster if I show you rather than explain.”
As I finished speaking, I pulled a small dagger from my coat.
“Instructor Vio?”
I swung the dagger toward the headmaster at a controlled speed.
Thung—
A transparent barrier deflected the dagger.
The sting in my wrist told me I might’ve put a bit too much force into it.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“As you can see. In fact, yesterday was worse. At least I gave a warning before demonstrating. Unlike that instructor over there, who threw a punch without saying a word.”
“You’re saying Instructor Ryan struck first?”
“That’s right. He suddenly threw a punch, so I tried to defend myself, and it just so happened that his arm was too fragile and broke.”
“Y-You were the one who insulted us first, weren’t you?!”
“What insult did I make?”
With people of higher standing watching, both of them seemed too embarrassed to speak properly.
“Teres, explain.”
“We were trying to investigate to understand the situation, and that rude man said the sound of dogs barking was too loud…”
“When the students were causing trouble, you couldn’t even make a sound and just kept your heads down. But once they collapsed, you came running over and started pressuring the victims, even threatening them with expulsion. Seeing that, do you really expect anyone to think you’re instructors? I mistook you for dogs.”
After saying it plainly to their faces, the two of them…no, make that three.
Even Marquis Heinz, who had been watching with an amused expression, turned red. It seemed he had only just realized that his son was part of the group causing trouble.
“I see.”
“Headmaster!”
“Silence. What exactly are you so proud of? You used force first without even making a proper duel request, and now you complain after getting your arm broken?”
“……”
The instructors clearly backed down, but the look Marquis Heinz was giving me was far from ordinary.
“You there…your name was Vio, right? You keep talking about ‘causing trouble’. What exactly are you claiming my son did?”
Is he really asking because he doesn’t know?
Honestly, I’d like to throw water in his face right now so he could experience even a fraction of his son’s behavior, but I can’t.
“He pressured other students over a ridiculous excuse. He shoved them to the ground and even poured soup over their heads. Even if I, as a newcomer, didn’t recognize their faces, those two instructors certainly should have. But they completely ignored it and let them run wild…”
I wanted to add a comment about what kind of upbringing led to that behavior, but I held back.
That would truly make an enemy out of him.
“That’s absurd! There’s no way my kind son would do such a thing!”
“Marquis Heinz, that part has already been confirmed. Student Damian and his group threatened two other students simply because they were sitting in their seats.”
The head instructor, who had been silent until now, unexpectedly spoke in my defense.
If I’d known this would happen, maybe I should’ve pushed a bit harder.
“Hmph, so you’re saying they sat in the wrong seats?”
“The dining hall at Veliyard Academy does not have assigned seating.”
“Ahem, regardless, my son is still unconscious right now!”
Like father, like son. Both are shameless.
“The examination showed no particular abnormalities, so he should wake up soon.”
“Marquis Banks? If it were your son who collapsed, could you speak so lightly?”
“I’m unmarried.”
“…Anyway.”
It seemed like things were starting to wrap up, so I was about to leave when the headmaster suddenly fixed his gaze on me.
“Instructor Vio?”
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to know anything? You said you were watching the whole time earlier.”
I was momentarily flustered, but it didn’t seem like he had noticed anything. He was simply asking because I had said I was observing.
The sleep needle’s effect lasts about two to three days.
At the earliest, they’ll wake up tomorrow, or the day after at the latest. I considered playing dumb, but then a better idea came to mind.
“It’s not that I have no guesses…”
“You have an idea about my son’s condition? What is it?!”
At the mention of his son, Marquis Heinz immediately rushed me.
“Would it be possible to speak with you in private, Marquis Heinz? If my guess is correct, it may be difficult to discuss this openly.”
“If it will wake my son, then fine. Let’s go.”
I left with Marquis Heinz and entered an empty classroom nearby.
“Speak. Why did my son suddenly collapse?”
“Please wait a moment.”
I cast a soundproofing spell so our conversation wouldn’t leak out.
“In my opinion, it seems your son and his group may have used Maricho.”
“M-Maricho? What are you talking about?! That’s absurd!”
His face flushed red as he erupted in anger. It was a good thing I had set up the soundproofing spell.
Maricho is a plant that mainly grows in the southern regions of the eastern continent. When consumed or its smoke is inhaled, it causes hallucinations and even addiction, which is why the Emperor has strictly banned it.
Even mere possession, let alone distribution, is punishable by death for commoners, and for nobles it means immediate loss of status and confiscation of property.
There is even a separate agency dedicated to cracking down on it.
“Among those who have used Maricho, there are cases where they suddenly collapse and lose consciousness.”
“Couldn’t there be another reason? How dare you make such an accusation!”
“Marquis, I am an instructor for the Ranger class. Herbal studies are part of a ranger’s training, and before taking this position, I briefly worked at the Maricho Enforcement Bureau in the south.”
I opened my subspace and took out a silver badge proving I was an officer of the Maricho Enforcement Bureau.
It was something I had used on a past mission, and I was glad I had kept it.
“Ahem… then can you confirm it?”
“I still have the silver needle used in enforcement. I can test him with it.”
“Then let’s go and check first. I’ll need to see it with my own eyes to believe it.”
“Understood.”
I headed to the infirmary where they had collapsed, together with Marquis Heinz.
After sending the medic away, only Marquis Heinz and I remained.
“Go on, do it.”
“Yes. If your son has indeed used Maricho, the needle will change color.”
I took out a small needle from my subspace, lightly pricked the tip of Demian’s thumb, and pulled it back out.
As he watched the process, Marquis Heinz’s face soon turned pale.
The needle, stained with red blood, was gradually turning black.
“Judging by how slowly it’s changing color, it doesn’t seem to be a severe addiction yet.”
“I… I see. He must have only tried it a few times out of curiosity.”
“That’s likely. He was probably led astray by some bad students around him.”
As I played along, Marquis Heinz looked at me with a strange expression.
“If we leave him as he is, he should wake up as early as tomorrow, or by the day after at the latest. However, I happen to have an antidote, and if we give it to him, he’ll wake up immediately. It’s a special formulation used by the Enforcement Bureau, and it also has a purifying effect.”
“Purifying?”
“It completely removes the Maricho from his system. If he doesn’t use it again, even an inspection later will show nothing.”
Perhaps deep in thought, Marquis Heinz’s eyes wavered.
“Is there something you want?”
“Ah, it’s not like I said that because I wanted something.”
“I like honest people. Judging by your actions, you must want something, don’t you?”
“I mean it. I’m not particularly attached to Veliyard Academy anyway. I simply want to help you out, Marquis, since you have so much on your plate.”
As I spoke, I opened the son’s mouth and pushed the antidote in.
Of course, it wasn’t an antidote for Maricho but one for Rafflesia.
“He’ll wake up soon.”
“Can I truly trust you?”
“I can keep my mouth shut. However, quite a few people saw your son collapse this time. Moreover, I’m concerned that the headmaster and the other instructors might investigate and question me about my involvement in his treatment.”
“You shouldn’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it myself.”
“Understood.”
“Huh? Demian!”
Demian stirred, looking as if he was about to regain consciousness.
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
I gave a slight bow and left the infirmary.
What are you doing? You’re the one who knocked him out in the first place.
I have a plan.
It was a hastily made plan, so I had been a bit worried, but it worked out exactly as I intended.
What plan? You shouldn’t be dealing with someone like that in the first place.
What was that saying you told me before? Something like, “Even orc dung has its uses”?
Aren’t you misunderstanding the meaning? If you were going to negotiate, you should’ve done it properly. He’s a pretty high-ranking noble. You could’ve asked for money and he would’ve given it to you.
Of course, as Ark said, I could have demanded money, but I already had the 100,000 gold I made from selling artifacts.
Right now, what matters more to me than money is getting fired.
So I deliberately brought up the possibility of an investigation to Marquis Heinz, implying that I might be questioned.
I had already said I wasn’t attached to the academy, so he’ll likely send me somewhere else.
I thought I’d be stuck teaching for at least a semester even if I slacked off, but now it looks like I might go home without teaching a single class.
Explain it so I can understand.
Ark still doesn’t get it at all.
I gave a brief summary.
You came up with that and put it into action in such a short time?
What’s so surprising about that?
This guy…earlier he was calling my skills pathetic, and now he’s praising me.
From what I saw earlier, you were quite smooth with your words. You might even have a talent for being a con artist.
A con artist? You saw my memories last time, didn’t you? It all comes from training and experience.
Black agents also carry out missions where they go undercover as spies to gather information, so rhetoric is part of their training.
On top of that, unexpected variables often arise during operations, so you have to be good at improvising.
Even if it was three years ago, I used to be at the very top of those Black agents.
But you’re not officially fired yet, are you? Isn’t it a bit too early to celebrate?
Don’t jinx it.
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