We have finally returned to the Royal Academy, and…

… What a mess!

Let's start with the good news.

Thanks to Klein successfully defending Seraphina, we were able to protect her from being abducted by her own father. The man will also face a panel for his unprofessional behavior on school grounds and for assaulting a High Noble.

But the High Noble in question—Klein—is also in some serious trouble.

While defending Seraphina, Klein openly admitted to his relationship with her. Of course, this made me proud, and also deepened her affection for him, but that single act officially exposed their affair… and the Academy now knows.

This, of course, cannot be ignored.

Romance is strictly forbidden among staff members of the Royal Academy, which means that these two will have to face the Disciplinary Board, and one of them will have to retire from their position.

At first, Seraphina's father was glad about this development and thought it would finally allow his plans for his daughter to come to fruition.

But Klein has already expressed his intentions to step down as an educator.

I am also in full support of this.

Just as Klein told me, it's almost impossible to balance so many things at once—working as a Professor in the Academy and pursuing a degree at the University. He was only able to get this far with the Potions, and now that he has stopped taking them, it's clear he will no longer be able to keep up with so many things at once.

Hence, by forfeiting his Senior Professor status and focusing on his University education, he will be able to cope a lot better.

It's not like Klein is that hard strapped for cash, considering how relatively wealthy he is for his age. Among Barons, he is certainly one of the more well-to-do ones. As such, I don't think funding his education will be a problem for him.

The only issue is Professor James Lindester, Seraphina's father.

Although he is on suspension at the moment, he will eventually resume in his Department and try to give Klein a hard time.

Which is why… I have decided to support him with my connections.

Although I have decided not to overtly flex my reach for personal gains, helping a friend like this is something I can manage. It will certainly be interesting watching that stupid old man's reaction to all of his schemes failing.

Seraphina feels a little guilty about Klein's decision, but she'll get over it.

In the end, it will all be worth it.

Once Klein becomes a Grand Scholar, Professor Lindester won't be able to stop their union.

And, I've also told Klein to inform me if any issue arises with Seraphina's family. I also think he's beginning to suspect that I'm special in some way, but strangely enough, he has refused to ask me any questions about that night and all my other suspicious behaviors.

Should I be worried or thankful?

I don't know.

One thing that was certainly hard to get around was explaining what I was doing at the location before Justin Bieberlake and the other Academy Staff that he gathered arrived. I had to use some bullshit explanation like Potions and my High Rank Knight Status to explain my circumstances. Thankfully, they bought it without undergoing further investigations.

That's how I was able to escape that situation.

But my experiences this past few weeks, especially with Regulus, have opened my eyes to certain truths about myself.

I'm too sloppy at hiding my Leviathan identity.

I mean, it's already next to impossible for anyone to prove the existence of Leviathans, and unless someone is really looking, they won't even be able to find a single trace of Leviathans in their entire lives.

However, people like Regulus Heathcliff exist in this world.

I failed to take that into account before.

I was very careless with a lot of moves, thinking they couldn't be traced back to me because of an absence of Trace Elements, among other things. But logical deductions and other methods of investigation exist.

Also, if I'm up against another Leviathan, my sloppiness would easily give me away.

Hence… I have to be more careful.

Winter Term will soon resume, which means yet another school term for me to endure.

This Term tends to be the busiest, because the Summer Term is usually filled with all kinds of festivals, which lessens actual academic work in the curriculum and pushes it to the Winter Term.

I felt the brunt of this during my time as a student.

And the worst part was… I didn't even take part in most Academy Festivals!

That aside, though, there was some good news waiting for me when I arrived in the Academy.

A letter from Leon.

'An emissary of the Dark Guild finally reached out and would like to meet with me!'

I don't know if this is a good time or not, but it's certainly something I'd like to conclude before I get overly occupied with Academy work.

I can also select a location close to the Academy, so I don't have to travel too far.

This is great, actually!

Once I finalize this whole arrangement with the Dark Guild, I can complete my entire scheme involving the Randalorion Kingdom. If everything concludes smoothly, I won't have any reason to remain here.

The only question is this—

'Will this emissary be a Leviathan? And if they are… what Rank?'

*************

Leon and I sit quietly as we wait in the designated location.

As a sign of goodwill and trust, the Dark Guild emissary actually let us pick the meeting location, so I'm less nervous than I would normally be.

Of course, this could also go to show this person's level of confidence.

At this point, I'm almost certain they are a Leviathan.

We actually booked an entire building for this meeting, with Leon handling most of the details. The place of business is one of the affiliates of the Dark Guild, so the process went off without a hitch, and we can be guaranteed that, other than the Emissary, who has the secret code, no one will have access to the building.

To while away time, I cast my gaze and observe the lounge that we both occupy for the umpteenth time.

It's enormous and relatively empty.

I figured any flamboyant designs could be used to hide traps, which our guest might not be comfortable with. A pleasant fragrance fills the air, and despite the plain appearance of the vast hall, the furniture in it is of top quality.

But this is the Dark Guild.

Practicality matters more than comfort, and trust is the highest priority.

That's what we need to establish.

Right as I'm having these thoughts, the doors finally open, and a distinguished gentleman wearing a tall hat, a flamboyant suit, and a walking cane proceeds beyond the threshold.

He certainly looks the part of a rich aristocrat.

But I am still disappointed.

After all… this person is no Leviathan!

"Where is your superior?" I ask with a deep frown.

The man pauses for a moment, appearing dazed for a moment, before smiling warmly.

"He told me you might say that… and that if you do, I should do my best to cooperate with you without asking any questions."

So, just as I suspected, his superior is a Leviathan. But why isn't he here?

"You haven't answered my question," I respond curtly.

"I apologize, but he is currently indisposed. He does send his regards and has told me to represent him to the best of my capacity. Normally, out of Courtesy, great beings in our organization like to stay out of each other's territory so there aren't any misunderstandings. He only wanted to show you respect, which is why he sent me instead."

"How considerate…" I dryly retort.

It could be that this superior of his is simply cautious and is trying to test the waters with me.

This makes it almost certain that I'm dealing with a Rank 1.

Upon recognizing this fact, I heave a sigh of relief and let my body relax a little.

'As for the matter of staying out of each other's territory, I did see something like that in Zarius's journal, so I guess it checks out. I just thought this meeting would be different, considering the peculiar nature of it.'

"I understand your worries, sir, but there is no need to worry. The Dark Guild does not interfere with conflicts between great beings such as yourself. As long as profits aren't too affected and business can be renegotiated, we stay neutral even among other groups."

"I see. Makes sense…"

'So the Dark Guild is indeed run by Leviathans, which opens the possibility of other Leviathan organizations. Among them, the Dark Guild is neutral, so—at the very least—I shouldn't be worried about offending another Leviathan body by joining this one.'

If I also look at it from another angle, being affiliated with the Dark Guild could also give me a level of protection and status among Leviathans.

But, seeing as they aren't even upset about Zarius' demise or even bringing it up, I shouldn't count on them to help me in any way. They're likely neutral towards their branch managers and consider them replaceable. For them to treat Leviathans like this means there must be other higher-ranked Leviathans among them.

Rank 1 Leviathans are likely not very special to the true Dark Guild.

I have to be careful here…

"Alright. Please come… have a seat."

Throughout our discourse, the man has stayed on the fringe of the room. He only further advances once I beckon him closer.

It seems he understands his place as a mortal, seeing how he shows no resistance at all.

"Will you not search me in case of hidden Armaments and Potions?" He asks upon sitting down, bowing lightly while taking off his hat. He casts a glance at Leon for a moment, but doesn't say anything more.

"I already have," I tell him truthfully.

During our conversation, I already used Frontflow to search for him.

Of course, I wouldn't expect the Dark Guild to be foolish enough to send a compromised human as a declaration of war, but one can never be too careful.

But it turns out there was no need to worry.

He's clean.

You might also be wondering why I chose to use Frontflow and not stick with my initial plan of saving up Tracing for a potential retreat.

Well, prior to Frontflow, I actually had not used Conception for over an hour.

I indeed planned on switching to Tracing if a Leviathan showed up, but after confirming that I would be dealing with a human, I changed my plan.

As for Leon, I have already ordered him to be silent and not interfere with my dealings at all.

He is simply an entourage.

Regarding Uncle Damon, he is right outside the room, and he informed me when this gentleman arrived. Since these two are already involved in my business, I figured I might as well make them privy to this meeting.

After all, I intend to tell them all about my Leviathan status once this is all over.

"I realize I haven't introduced myself yet, Sir. My name is Snake. Of course, it's not my real name, but for the purpose of business, it is what I prefer to be called."

"You can call me J," I tell him. "I believe your superior already knows my true identity."

"Yes, sir J. Of course, he didn't tell me… out of courtesy to you."

"Of course."

A wry smile forms on my 'face.'

In truth, this isn't my real face. It is a false appearance conjured up by Potion of Mirage Skin. I also had Leon take the same Grade 3 Potion, so his identity is also obscured.

Me rightly guessing that his superior knows my identity is a matter of perspective from my end.

If Regulus Heathcliff could gather so much information as an ordinary mortal, how much more a Leviathan of the Dark Guild? I haven't exactly been too subtle, and for a man hidden in the shadows like him, I figured it was to be expected.

I certainly know it wouldn't be too hard for me to find my own identity if I had a lot of experience and time to prepare.

This is why I have to be really cautious from this point on.

"Alright, Snake… let's get down to business." I smile while looking at him. "You people reached out to us, right? Tell us what's on your superior's mind."

The gentleman nods and returns my smile.

"Then, I will be direct, Sir J. My superior wishes to continue doing business in the Randalorion Kingdom. He is one of the Guild's Branch Supervisors, and the Randalorion Kingdom falls under his jurisdiction. He'd like you to cooperate with the other Branches and allow for an unhindered flow through your channels. Naturally, you will also benefit from this cooperation and continuous transaction."

"Oho…" My eyes brighten up. "That's a good deal."

"Indeed. My superior simply wishes for business to go smoothly so that everyone wins."

"I want to agree, but I have certain terms that need to be met before I can do that." Since we are being forthright with each other, I decide to be open about my desires.

"Please let me know, Sir J."

Although I can detect flickers of dissatisfaction from his countenance, it seems he is unwilling to show me any of that emotion.

'Well, I prefer it like this too… hehe!'

"I want a list of Special Resources and Potion Ingredients I'd like to get delivered to me. I can't get everything in the Randalorion Kingdom. Since your superior is a Branch Supervisor, I'm sure he has other Kingdoms under his jurisdiction, so obtaining these items shouldn't be too hard for him."

"S-Sir J, that is…."

"Don't worry about the cost. I will cover the expenses, of course. However, looking at the scale of purchase, even if I hand over the funds I have on hand, there will still be a deficit. But you don't need to worry. My being in your debt will mean I owe the Dark Guild, or rather, your superior money. This means I won't be able to easily extricate myself from our arrangement, and that I fully trust in our cooperation."

"…."

Snake is silent for a moment, clearly ruminating on the meaning behind my words.

So, I decide to nudge him a little more.

"Think about it, if you do this for me, the Dark Guild's business will flow uninterrupted. With enough time, all my gains can be accumulated by your superior until the debt is paid. That way, even if I am unwilling to pay the rest, he can simply take my cut from the deals. With that, he'll be able to get his money in no time."

It's only after saying these that Snake relents and decides to accept the proposition.

To be honest, I could have chosen a different way.

I actually have enough money and channels of resources to afford the Ingredients I want to obtain from the Dark Guild. Even if I didn't, I could just reduce the quality to something I can afford.

But doing things like this is necessary.

This way, the other Leviathan and I will be bound by mutual interests.

He will have a hold on my weakness, which means he will be able to trust me, and this assures him that business will continue and flow as smoothly as he wants.

I also get a large batch of ingredients, which I can use to brew the Potions from Sir Arthur Snow's recipe, so it's not like I'm losing out. In fact, having this mysterious Leviathan take his cut from my business means he will be more invested in it, allowing him to manage the Dark Guild activities better than I currently can.

The scale will be magnified under his supervision, and I will make sure my subordinates learn the ropes until they are able to carry on without his interference.

My proceeds from the Dark Guild earnings will also be enough to pay off my debt after about a year, so it's not like I am personally in debt. There is honestly no downside in this for me, although I would have liked to know who it is I'm dealing with.

Unfortunately, we don't always get everything we want.

To attain the most benefits, I have to be willing to sacrifice some things as well.

But I have no regrets.

This is a beneficial agreement for both parties.

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