Chapter 249
After the meeting of Arbol Frutal ended.
Vargan, Alicia, and Erica stepped out.
Suddenly, Alicia became the second chairwoman.
Her face darkened under the heavy burden of responsibility and issues concerning her sister.
Vargan glanced at Alicia’s expression and said,
“Alicia.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Lift your head.”
“Yes.”
Vargan brought his finger, loaded and ready, to Alicia’s forehead.
Even though she knew she was about to get a flick on the forehead, she didn’t squeeze her eyes shut.
Her expression was so devoid of spirit that it was almost withered.
“…….”
“Eek…?”
Her forehead was gently nudged.
Alicia, who expected a jolt, made a strange sound at the unexpected sensation and looked up at Vargan.
Vargan spat out his words, unimpressed.
“Were you surprised that I put you in charge?”
“…To be honest, yes.”
“I suppose the reason comes from your low self-esteem, right?”
“…….”
Alicia couldn’t reply.
Actually, it wasn’t just about low self-esteem.
She could proudly say her self-esteem had risen significantly compared to the beginning.
However, the timing was poor.
It was only a few days ago that she learned about her sister’s recent situation.
Just that one thing alone would have overwhelmed her, and now with other duties piled on top, it naturally became hard to accept.
“Alicia. I understand your mind is complicated.”
“…No, I’m fine. Young Master.”
“You can’t even act, and you only know how to talk.”
“…….”
Alicia already knew she could not afford to stand still.
The proof? Despite the enormous shock, she never let her training slip.
So, there was nothing for Vargan to criticize her about in that area.
Alicia had been correcting her mental state sufficiently since the past.
Vargan said to Alicia,
“Putting you in charge was part of the plan from the beginning.”
“Plan… are you saying?”
“Yes, it ended up overlapping with other matters, but I’m not just trying to keep you occupied so you won’t think about other things.”
“…….”
Alicia seemed lost in thought.
She didn’t ask Vargan, ‘Why me?’ or anything like that.
He didn’t.
This was due to the unshakeable faith that Vargan had shown in himself until now.
Even if it was more about the talent that Alicia possessed than the person itself.
The fact that Vargan trusted Alicia didn’t change.
So, after some contemplation, Alicia slowly nodded her head.
“I understand, Young Master.”
The smile she managed to produce resembled her usual one, albeit slightly.
“If that is your will, I will take full responsibility and lead Arbol Frutal.”
“Good.”
Vargan also smiled slightly.
Then he added while reaching out his hand towards her.
“However… if you’re going to be the head of a group from now on, should you really be so intimidated?”
Vargan gently lifted Alicia’s wrist.
Alicia flinched at the sudden contact, but it turned out he was just stroking the familiar that was wrapped around her wrist.
—Kyu?
As Vargan touched it, the ordinary furball’s face peeked out.
Maybe it liked the attention, as it shivered with delight before reverting back to a regular furball.
Although Alicia’s novice familiar magic meant it couldn’t participate in combat yet, it would surely be a helpful assistant soon.
Vargan, who had been fond of Alicia’s familiar, withdrew his hand and looked at her.
When their gazes met, he continued the conversation.
“Practice expressing serious words and actions whenever you can.”
“Serious…?”
Alicia contemplated the meaning of serious.
She then cautiously recalled a representative figure in her mind and asked.
“Like you, Young Master… is that what you mean?”
“Hmm.”
Vargan imagined Alicia mimicking him, spewing nonsense at others and being disdainful.
Realizing this wasn’t quite right, he shook his head.
“Interpret it in your own way. It’s not bad to refer to others, but I wouldn’t recommend replicating them exactly. After all, you won’t be able to do it verbatim anyway.”
“I understand… I’m not quite sure yet, but I will practice to show a demeanor suitable for the president as much as I can.”
“That’s good.”
To be honest… all he needed was to maintain a presence when beating Altife.
Vargan thought this to himself as he turned his body.
There were some visitors eager to speak with him since a while ago.
“So, what do you want?”
Vargan looked down at two students who appeared to be new students.
The first to introduce herself was the girl with brown hair standing before him.
Seems like she was a bit nervous, as she opened her tight lips.
“I’m Adalhyde, and I just got admitted to the Academia… I’ve come to seek membership in Vargan-senpai’s Research Society.”
*
Adalhyde.
He knew a bit about her.
She was one of the new students admitted when Liam and the protagonist group reached the second year.
Among them, she was the most outstanding female student.
The male student who arrived with her, Machenia, was also notable for his competency, so he remembered him too.
These two were the only new students who survived the tragedy in the Academia and had actually made significant contributions during that time.
They are the new students.
Children of the Troa Empire, from the Robed family.
Machenia, who carries that blood, may not be celebrated as an esteemed familiar magician, but he’s quite the talented prodigy.
On the other hand, Adalhyde, his same-aged peer, possesses even greater talents, particularly in anti-magic techniques.
In other words, his defensive magic is remarkable, having saved many new students’ lives during the tragedy at the Academia.
Moreover, his expression, completely devoid of movement, resembles his solid anti-magic prowess… Hmm?
“……”
Adalhyde’s eyes met mine.
For some reason, he blushed and averted his gaze bashfully.
‘Adalhyde. Was he always this shy?’
It seems there’s a difference from the original story…
As I pondered, I picked up my knife and began slicing meat.
It just so happened I was about to have dinner, so I came to the dining hall with Adalhyde and Machenia to save time.
“Ugh….”
Machenia frowned upon witnessing Adalhyde’s reaction.
If we were going by the original story, he was known for his pretentious expressions, but seeing him show such sincerity suggests something must have triggered this change.
Anyway, that aside.
“You all may not know yet, but I am no longer the chairman of Arbol Frutal.”
I spoke to the two sitting across from me.
They looked shocked, clearly caught off guard by my unexpected announcement.
“Effective today, the chairman of Arbol Frutal is none other than Alicia here. Therefore, if you want to join the research society, it’s only right to speak to Alicia, not me.”
“W-wait…. So, does that mean Senpai Vargan is no longer part of the research society?”
Though her expression didn’t change too much, Adalhyde’s eyebrows knitted in confusion.
When I clarified that I was just becoming an ordinary member, Adalhyde finally seemed relieved.
I then turned to Machenia and spoke.
“You have something to ask me?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Go ahead.”
I had a hunch it involved me, so I felt it necessary to listen.
“I’ve heard that Senpai Vargan’s familiar magic is extraordinary. I, too, am a magician who handles familiars, just like you. I wish to conduct research alongside you.”
“Joint research, huh…? Sounds plausible, but I have nothing to learn from you. That means I’d be the one teaching you unilaterally.”
“…….”
Machenia couldn’t deny it and kept his mouth shut.
Even though he framed it that way, it seems he didn’t expect to be of help to me from the start. Noting my unenthusiastic reaction, he brought up his family name.
“I am a direct descendant of the Robed family. If I could just observe your research up close, I believe I could pay a substantial price.”
“In other words, you want to become my disciple in exchange for money, is that it?”
“If you view it that way, I have no objections.”
“Ah…!”
Adalhyde’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t considered that possibility when Machenia expressed his desire to be a disciple.
Then, he too chimed in, wanting to become a disciple.
Machenia shot him a displeased side-eye, but Adalhyde was unfazed.
Adalhyde shot a sideways glance filled with dissatisfaction, but it didn’t seem to bother him.
Seeing the two of them reminded me of someone from last year, and I spoke up.
“There’s a guy named Kaiman in the Research Society who once said something similar to you two.”
Even now, it felt preposterous.
Kaiman, who only dealt with swordsmanship, had once begged for my teachings as a magician…
“But now, he has come to realize his place and can’t spill such nonsense anymore.”
I turned my gaze to Machenia, who had brought this up first, and continued.
“You mentioned that you could help me with the support of the Robed Family, but I’ve already acquired almost everything I need here. Therefore, what you offer isn’t appealing.”
“……”
As the nuance of his proposal being rejected settled in, Machenia bit his lip slightly.
‘Well… I’d like to at least hear what people have to say until the end. That doesn’t mean I’m completely shutting them out.’
A moment of silence lingered.
I glanced around at the two who had become somewhat gloomy and let out a chuckle.
“Arbol Frutal is the Research Society. Naturally, they’re recruiting talent. I was about to post a recruitment notice soon.”
I shot a sidelong glance at Alicia.
This was also a message for her, as she would soon take on the role of president.
“Adalhyde. Machenia. I admire your courage to come and support me despite what I said in the auditorium. Whether you cursed me in your hearts or had other thoughts, you must have swallowed your pride to come here.”
Machenia seemed to feel a bit caught off guard.
Regardless of that, I continued to speak.
“However, that doesn’t mean I can accept you two as special recruits. Especially if it’s a disciple. So I will make you a new proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“Something….”
The two discovered a glimmer of hope and focused intently.
I told them I would give them ‘homework.’
“I have no intention of raising slackers. If I’m to teach, I’ll only be selecting those who go beyond their limits.”
The homework I was assigning would become an adversity to test their thresholds.
And when the time for selection came.
“Prove to me that you can achieve results that will shock me. If you succeed in overpowering Kry in a two-on-one match while having improved your skills, that would be enough to impress me.”
*Tap—!*
To help them understand, I wasted no time in making my move.
I summoned my precious chimera familiar, Kry, floating a spell beside me.
—Grrr.
Suddenly summoned in the dining hall was the muscular, furious-looking chimera familiar, Kry.
With a body of rippling muscles and a fierce golden mane sticking out, he exuded an impressive amount of mana that could make ordinary folks flinch.
As I lovingly petted Kry, a sly smile spread across my face.
Adalhyde and Machenia appeared to have grasped the danger that was about to befall them and swallowed hard.
“Your interview will specifically be replaced by a fight against this little one. If you can successfully complete the homework and overpower Kry in a two-on-one match with your sharpened skills, that would definitely be impressive enough for me.”
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