***Platina's POV***
I nodded, indicating that what he said was reasonable, "I didn't think you have that kind of foresight, but I understand where you're coming from."
Kaius rolled his eyes, "Well, it's all from personal experience. Remember that I'm the only elf in the school, and there's a dwarf in the year below me as well. We were the token "diversity" representatives and I was head-hunted aggressively by the old man back when I was applying to a magic school. I don't know about other races, but the elves are notorious for being exclusivist - they have their own magic schools only for elves, despite claiming to be coexisting with humans and other races. Elves generally have superior magic aptitude compared to humans, so they think they are too good to go to a human school. Having an elf wanting to be in a human school is rare, and it is a status symbol if an elf chooses to go to a school, because that means the school offers a good magic education on par with elven magic schools."
I noticed that he referred to the elves as "they" rather than "we," meaning he did not consider himself to be one of the elves. I filed that away in my brain, but chose not to broach the topic for now. Kaius was generally open to talking about himself, but that didn't mean he did not have a bottom line. I would like to preserve our current friendly relations, so any possible touchy topics were to be avoided at all cost.
Kaius seemed particularly passionate about this current topic, so he prattled on, "Faestar Academy has been using me and other non-human students as poster children for "diversity." Now, with you, it's a bit different, you being here means something even more, because your existence in this world is one-of-a-kind. You are the key to unlocking the mysteries surrounding the "other world" that people have speculated about. We know we get our summoned familiars from there, but other than that, we don't know much else. And monsters can't talk, so not like we can learn much from them. You, on the other hand, are human - well, half. Imagine all the information they can get from you."
"Everything you said makes sense. I definitely haven't thought that far due to not knowing much about the world. It is good to know this perspective. Even so, while Faestar Academy can gain something from me, I can also gain something from them. Exchanging my knowledge for money is worthwhile at this time."
Kaius nodded, but his worried expression did not go away, "Yes, it is an equivalent exchange for now, but I'm worried it may not be to your advantage later on when more people know about your existence. I think you shouldn't reveal that you're only half human, or you might attract even more fanatics."
He had a good point, no reason to make my existence even rarer than it already was.
I then asked him a question I had been wondering about, "By the way, how much is 50,000 fae?"
"Shouldn't you find out the value first before agreeing to it?"
"Well, I figured since you looked so down when you lost 5,000 fae to Rilche, it must be a fair amount."
"I felt bad because I lost to someone like Rilche, not because 5,000 fae is worth a lot."
My face fell, "So it's not a lot of money?"
"No, it's a good amount, considering that you'll only lecture for 8 hours a month. Let's see, 50,000 fae is equivalent to half a laborer's monthly salary, and enough for a single person to live modestly."
That was pretty reasonable, considering that I would only be working for 8 hours a month, but lecturing also required a lot of planning, so I had to account for the hours for that. And, considering that I would be lecturing the entire school and possibly other magic scholars, I should be able to negotiate for more money. The best course of action would be lecturing for a month to show my usefulness. According to Kaius, other magic scholars, even famous ones, would come to hear my lectures. Once that happened and I become indispensable to the school, I will negotiate for a better amount. This will significantly improve my quality of life and I will not have to rely on Kaius to financially support me. I communicated my idea to Kaius.
"You know I don't mind supporting you, right? I'm on full scholarship and I even receive living expenses for my job as the diversity poster child."
That was nice of him to say that, he sure was so much more generous once we were no longer fighting each other, "I seemed to recall you complaining liberally when I asked for a sword."
"That was because you wanted a custom-made one. Custom made stuffs are super expensive."
"That is the price to pay for quality," I jutted my chin proudly, "It paid off in the end, didn't it? You certainly didn't win the performance assessment based on your shoddy spellwork."
The serious atmosphere dissipated and we bantered for a while. Now that I had a plan of action, I didn't worry as much about to incoming lectures. At that moment, neither of us could have imagined the effects it had on my and Kaius's future.