Chapter 18

Jonathan Kingfisher was a lower-ranking noble in his fifties.

He had held a royal office for nearly thirty years.

Given his years of service, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to have landed a key post by now, but it was only recently that he managed to rise from the bottom.

This was due to his consistently poor performance in personnel evaluations. Ranging from poor results to bad character and repeated failures in promotion exams.

However, in recent times, Jonathan had been rapidly climbing the ranks.

You could say he had caught the wave at just the right time.

Ever since he gained a powerful sponsor, Jonathan had been on the fast track to promotion. So much so that some even speculated he might become a court official within five years.

That is, if he hadn’t suddenly been appointed as the academy’s dean.

Damn it, I was next in line for a director title, and they dump me in a backwater post like this? Bastards, after all the money I funneled their way, this is how they repay me?

While the dean of the academy was, in terms of protocol, treated on par with the director of a government department, in practice, it was a far less powerful position.

The dean’s authority only held within the academy.

He had no real influence on matters outside the school, which naturally meant his political clout weakened as well.

So there was no one who’d be pleased to be sent to the academy.

No one, that is, except the current academy Headmaster, who was a bit of an oddball.

There’s no way I’m burying my career in a place like this. I need to get back to where I belong as soon as possible.

And for that, he needed results.

And so, from his very first day at the academy, Jonathan had been summoning professors from the Magic Department one by one for meetings.

It was to seize control of the department.

Jonathan knew very well—

Just how lazy subordinates could be.

To extract labor from them, one had to skillfully balance the carrot and the stick.

And anyone who looked like dead weight had to be stomped out early.

Maybe it’s because they only deal with kids, but seriously, none of them were impressive.

So far, all the meetings had gone smoothly. He had secured a promise of cooperation from every single person.

Now, only one remained.

Winter Winslet.

The prospect of meeting that man made Jonathan a little nervous.

It was precisely why he had saved him for last.

No matter how you look at it, he’s not someone who belongs in a place like this.

Winter Winslet’s standing at the Laurencia Royal Academy could be summed up in one phrase:

An environmental disruptor.

Most of the professors at the academy were either commoners who had graduated from the institution or bottom-rung nobles with neither influence nor talent.

Anyone even slightly more capable would typically land a post in one of the royal departments.

And yet, Winter Winslet who was the eldest son of a count with a vast territory in the South, and a famous mage even in Karaf had come to the academy of his own accord.

Though the world believed he had cut ties with his family, blood wasn’t something so easily severed.

Trying to manage a man like that made Jonathan deeply uncomfortable.

Still, there was no denying his abilities. If Jonathan could somehow win him over, it would greatly aid his own return to the fast track of promotion.

“Say, have you ever considered becoming one of my people?”

That was the first thing Jonathan said in their face-to-face meeting. An offer born from all those considerations.

A brief silence followed that was heavy with tension.

The tall, blond man crossed his legs leisurely and replied,

“I’m a busy man.”

“…….?”

“I didn’t come here to listen to idle nonsense.”

“Hmph. Just as I expected.”

He was every bit as arrogant as the rumors suggested.

But Jonathan hadn’t come unprepared.

“You know? I heard an interesting story before I was appointed here.”

“Not interested.”

“Come now, just hear me out. It has something to do with you.”

“With me?”

Jonathan smirked.

“Isn’t it true that the Magic Department spends more money than any other part of the academy? So the moment I was appointed, I looked into the financial records. And guess what….I found a strange flow of funds.”

“……”

“I suspect someone’s been feasting on government funds.”

In reality, he didn’t just suspect it. He was sure of it.

As the saying goes, “The more you’ve eaten, the better you eat”. Jonathan, who had been earning a considerable side income since his time in the Royal Department of Magic, was, in truth, an expert in embezzlement and breach of trust.

He could sniff it out instantly.

“That’s why I wanted to ask if anything came to mind when I mentioned it.”

He said this fully aware that Professor Winslet was the culprit.

It was a warning—

If you don’t want to be accused of corruption, you’d better cooperate with me.

That was the implication.

Jonathan watched Professor Winslet’s reaction with anticipation.

But the cold, stone-faced man didn’t so much as flinch.

He only gave a brief reply.

“A petty threat.”

“Oh, come now! A threat? Don’t be ridiculous. Someone might overhear and get the wrong idea. I simply don’t want any secrets between us. If I’m misunderstanding something, I might end up unintentionally interfering in your work as we run the university together.”

Of course, it might not be unintentional.

“I’m saying I’ll make sure that kind of unfortunate situation doesn’t happen by accommodating your needs. In return, you just help me out a little. How about it? Isn’t this what they call mutual support? I feel like this could really strengthen our relationship. Don’t you agree?”

But Professor Winslet’s expression remained indifferent to the end.

Dean Kingfisher who started nervously shaking his leg in impatience finally decided to bring out the item he had prepared.

“Hmmph. I had planned to give this to you at the end, assuming things went smoothly, but judging by your reaction, I suppose now’s the time. Here, take this.”

With those words, Jonathan placed a small box about the size of a jewelry case on the table.

Professor Winslet narrowed his eyes.

“Are you trying to bribe me?”

“Oh, no, no. A bribe is something a subordinate gives to a superior. This is simply a small token of our friendship. Go on, open it. Aren’t you curious what’s inside? I dare say it’ll be the most surprising gift you’ve received in a while.”

“A surprising gift? What, is there a finger in it or something?”

“A finger? Hahaha, who in their right mind gives something like that as a gift? You didn’t strike me as the type, but you’ve got quite the sense of humor for a young man.”

Worried that Winslet wouldn’t accept it, Jonathan opened the box himself and showed him what was inside.

What appeared inside the box was a small, expensive jewel—

A spider-shaped jewel of intricate craftsmanship.

“Wow, it still looks amazing no matter how many times I see it. The base is platinum, each leg inlaid with tiny diamonds, and the body is decorated with a 140-carat, top-grade royal blue sapphire. Just selling the gemstone alone could get you three luxury villas, easy.”

Professor Winslet stared silently at the jewel and a frown formed on his face.

He titled his head slightly and muttered,

“…It’s definitely a rare piece.”

“Right? I knew you had an eye for these things. Rare items belong to someone who can truly appreciate their value. So go ahead. Take it. No need to feel burdened. Come on, now.”

Professor Winslet reached out toward the table.

At the sight, Jonathan smiled inwardly.

See? I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t like money.

He had acted all high and mighty, but in the end, Winter Winslet was just another materialist like the rest.

At least, that’s what Jonathan thought.

But then, a moment later—

Instead of picking up the jewel, Professor Winslet’s hand reached across the table… and grabbed the Dean by the hair.

Right at the crown, where not much hair was left.

“Argh!”

Jonathan didn’t even realize what was happening at first.

“Wh-What the hell?!”

“Don’t get cocky, Dean Kingfisher.”

“What?!”

Jonathan’s eyes grew wide in outrage, and stared back at him only to fall silent.

An arrogant, cold gaze bore down on him.

Just meeting Winslet’s eyes sent a chill down his spine.

Then, with measured fury, Winslet spoke:

“Did you really think I’d fall for such an obvious trick?”

***

I gripped the Dean’s hair with one hand and picked up the jeweled spider with the other.

A cluster of gems that practically screamed wealth.

Among them, the body of the spider—the sapphire that the Dean had been babbling about, claiming it was 140 carats—I pinched it between my thumb and forefinger and pressed down hard.

At first, the blue gem seemed to hold firm…

Crack!

With a sound like a biscuit snapping, the center of the gem caved in.

At the same time, the spider’s legs began to move.

Kieeeek!

What had appeared to be a spider-shaped jewel was, in fact, a living spider.

[Gem Spider – (Monster)]

(Automatically identified by B-rank black magic)

– A spider that disguises itself as a gem-crafted ornament. It inhabits areas with high concentrations of magical power.

– (Concealed) It possesses traits specialized for hiding to evade predators.

– (Bound) Currently under someone’s control.

– (Enchanted) A low-level black magic spell was detected.

Gem Spiders were mimic-type monsters commonly found in dungeons or ground zero zones.

Like mimics, they specialized in camouflage.

There was even a famous tale of an adventurer who returned from a ground zero site with a wagon full of treasures from a fallen kingdom…only to discover that all the treasures had escaped by the time he got home.

If one were to tame and train this monster as a familiar, its ability to hide its presence was so advanced that only someone with “S-rank” perception, equivalent to the limits of human awareness, would be able to detect it.

Whether it was simply bad luck for the Dean or the result of his own misdeeds,

The black magic embedded in the spider revealed the true nature of the gift he had intended for me.

It made sense. Winter Winslet was a villain gifted with B-rank black magic.

And “black magic” was a skill that only characters with an evil alignment could learn.

“To pull such a trick on me… You’re walking around with your life on the line, Dean Kingfisher.”

“W-Wait, that’s… how did you…?”

“Isn’t there something you ought to say before asking that kind of question?”

Crunch, crunch.

The sound of frost being crushed beneath my feet.

A powerful mage was like a magnet. At times, the surrounding mana responded to their emotions.

Winter Winslet’s fury surged cold and forceful, just like the season he was named after.

The Dean made a quick decision after his face went pale.

“Uh, um… Please spare me.”

Moments later, Dean Kingfisher was on his knees before me, confessing everything.

As a bonus, his attitude had become far more respectful than when we first met.

To summarize his plan, it went like this:

“So you tried to give me a tamed spider as a familiar to exploit my weakness? Then use that to control me?”

“Y-Yes… that’s right.”

Haah.

“You sure pull some cute tricks for someone who looks like you.”

The black magic the Dean had embedded in the spider was a weakening curse.

A method that, if left unchecked over time, could sap a person’s strength to the point of death.

Sweating profusely, the Dean tried to justify himself.

“O-Of course, I never intended to kill anyone! I’ve never gone that far! I’d just wait until someone showed signs of illness, then swoop in like a savior with fake medicine and pretend it worked. In return, I’d ask for a little… help.”

His explanation brought to mind an old tale.

Back when Jonathan Kingfisher was with the Royal Magic Department, they said he had no support from his subordinates…. but his performance numbers were always top-tier.

That’s why there were rumors he knew how to manipulate his subordinates.

“So this is how you’ve been turning people into puppets.”

But there was something suspicious about Jonathan’s explanation.

“When people fall ill, they usually go to a healer. But all healers are clergy of the Church. Wouldn’t that mean a high risk of your black magic being discovered?”

Jonathan shook his head.

“None of the victims would’ve gone to a healer. The part of the body I targeted with black magic is something healers can’t do anything about.”

What on earth did he target?

When I asked, Jonathan averted his gaze and replied.

“The scalp.”

“The scalp?”

“Yes. That is… I made them go bald.”

Smack!

Before I knew it, my hand flew out.

Instead of slapping his cheek, I gave a sharp smack to his shiny bald head.

“You piece of trash.”