"So that was the reason why you didn't appear, huh?"
The woman in front of me sipped on her coffee as she silently put aside some documents that were laying all around her desk, scattered.
"I'm sorry for the mess. I didn't have the time to clean up as I was suddenly called to the place of the Incident."
I just smiled and nodded in response, appearing sympathetic to her situation.
I immediately knew that something was fishy, though.
When I got out of the Depths, an hour had already passed.
Considering the fact that it didn't take me more than an hour to find and finish off the Fenriswolf, it would mean that there was only around a six minutes time difference between my arrival and the arrival of the two girls to the Overworld.
This would, in turn, mean that she was only called after the appointed meeting between us was supposed to happen, as she got called around six minutes before my arrival to the Overworld.
And by this time, the appointed time for the meeting was already supposed to happen, meaning that she didn't have any intention of cleaning up her office in the first place.
The sudden call was just a convenient excuse that she could use.
She didn't really have a reason to lie about such a thing, though. Maybe she was just the type of person who cares about the opinion of other people.
But if that was the case, wouldn't she have cleaned up her office before my supposed arrival?
I internally shook my head. I didn't have a reason to think about such useless things, but over-analyzing things was a habit that I had since childhood.
While it isn't necessarily a bad habit, it does make me indecisive at times, which got me in a lot of trouble in the past, as I just randomly started zoning out in a critical situation.
'Maybe it was because my mother always praised me for being so analytical? That would certainly explain w-'
I was doing it again.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Voidwalker?" The principal seemed to notice my mental absence as she looked at me with a slightly worried expression.
I didn't know what I was supposed to say to her, as I didn't want to tell her that I spaced out, questioning the truthfulness of her words and analyzing my own habits.
That would certainly make me look weird, wouldn't it?
After thinking about possible ways I could react to the situation, I suddenly remembered a piece of advice Mr.Roywid once said to me.
'When you face a difficult situation with a woman, you have to use your handsome face as an advantage.'
That was the wisdom that he gave me.
"No, everything is fine. I was just too mesmerized by your breathtaking beauty, principal."
What I said wasn't exactly wrong. The principal certainly was quite a beauty.
She had silvery hair that was tied back, using knots. Her fair, snowy skin seemed to shine in the darkness of the office and perfectly blended in with her silver draconian scales around her cheek and neck area.
Her yellow dragon-like eyes just glimmered with intelligence that seemed to put even a majority of so-called 'geniuses' in their rightful place, and her small, pointy nose and fair lips just formed a perfect balance, creating a very pleasant head to look at.
But that wasn't even the most peculiar part of her appearance. On her head, two large black horns were visible, showing off her half-draconian traits and perfectly contrasting the silver theme that she had.
"Oh- oh my, you're a little charmer, aren't you?" She chuckled lightheartedly before calming herself down, trying to suppress the laughter that threatened to escape from her lips. "While I do have to admit that I feel honored to be complimented by such a handsome man, I would recommend you to say that in a not-so-monotone voice the next time. I bet that would significantly raise the chances of you succeeding."
"I see." I nodded in response, taking in the advice that she gave me. "I will keep that in mind for the next time."
"Roywid, that guy...he certainly recommended quite an interesting person." She took another sip of her coffee as her eyes trailed away, getting lost in thoughts.
"I will take that as a compliment."
"Yes, you should. A dragon, even only a half-one calling you interesting, is quite an impressive feat." She then reached her hand out, took some paper off her desk, and handed it to me. "Well, take this for now."
"Even though you were already informed in advance, I think that it would be for the best if you would review it thoroughly once again. It's an indefinite contract. The salary is written on here, and we will also provide the accommodation for you."
I nodded, accepting the paper and reviewing the content once again.
'30 Gold a month is quite a sum. Considering the fact that a single piece of gold is worth the same as a thousand silver would mean that I would earn around thirty thousand silver a month, more than a majority of people earn in a year.'
As expected. Sylpheon truly is the best academy.
I even get a bonus each semester and at the end of every year. In addition to that, there are also bonuses for the performance of the teacher, and even side jobs are allowed.
"You seem quiet. Are you not satisfied with the salary? We could discuss it if you want." Even though she said it, she had no intention of discussing that topic with me. It was just a small test to see how I would react. I could see it in her eyes. The expectation of something to happen.
"No, thanks. It is not bad." I then handed the contract to the principal and opened my mouth. "I've already checked all the contract details."
"That's great. Then let's get along from now on, Mr. Voidwalker."
"Yes, I look forward to your cooperation, principal."
"Melina."
I raised an eyebrow as she suddenly said her name, not knowing why she did it.
"Just call me Melina. I am not very fond of all the formal things many societies have. Dragons tend to be much more simple in that case. You can just call me Melina."
"I see. Then you can also just call me Zenith, Melina."
Melina nodded in response, giving out her hand for me to shake it.
"I will gladly accept the offer, Zenith."
I shook hands with the principal, who then just smiled at me before I left the office.
***
***
"Zenith Voidwalker, huh?"
Melina, who was now alone in the room, just stood there, motionless as she stared at the place where the man just stood, lost in thoughts.
"He is a peculiar guy..."
Melina crossed her arms, thinking about the conversation that she just had with the new professor at the academy.
"I don't think he's human...although he certainly possesses the traits of a human?"
The whole conversation with that man was just confusing to her. Even though she was a half-dragon, who lived for over 200 years, she never met a person like him.
Something was weird about him. It certainly wasn't his looks or necessarily the way he acted.
It was the mana.
The surrounding mana.
It almost seemed like it....
"...it rejected him."