"Regis...the folks in my class are quite popular, eh?..."
Damian chuckled with a smile as he suppressed his annoyance. "Quite popular" would be a grave understatement. Each member of his class was a big-shot celebrity who'd have a massive impact on society once they'd graduated.
"Could I ask why I was given the honor of being the advisor of such a class?"
From their conversations, Damian had thought that Regis was a wise man, but if he genuinely thought that this was a good idea, then he was a terrible judge of character.
"Well, our board of directors has determined you're qualified for the role. I mean, your grades and records from when you graduated from the capital impressed us and-"
He went on and on, explaining Damian's made-up history and embellishing it as an excuse.
Damian didn't buy it one bit.
He could think of a couple of reasons why they'd shove this on him.
Either it was because no other professor wanted this job.
Or they were hoping to use him as a scapegoat if something happened to the class.
Whatever the case, it seemed that Damian had no choice in the matter. He could try to protest, but he could definitely see the head dean either making a smooth excuse or just directly telling him to do it. At the end of the day, he was a newbie, and doing the dirty work that no one else wanted was just part of the course.
It was a pain in the neck, but for the sake of the mission, he needed to have a good standing within the academy to gather info about the upcoming great evil.
"I see...well, if you really think that I'm fit for the position, then who am I to refuse?"
He gave a polite bow as he continued to look at the list once more.
Though Regis was the one explaining why he was a perfect fit for the job, he seemed surprised at Damian's response. After a while, though, he snapped out of it and cleared his throat.
"That's excellent, Damian. Seems we're right to hire you for the job."
With that, both of them stood up and shook hands once more, sealing the deal.
"Welcome to Thorfen Academy."
"Thank you, sir."
Damian suppressed a sigh as a sense of worry began to brew in his heart.
.
.
.
[---]
Once Damian had left the room, it was only Regis and Elise left. An atmosphere of silence dawned upon them before it was cut by the head dean taking a sip from his cup of tea on the side of his table.
"Hm, that's strange. I was expecting him to protest more, but he seems fine with it."
"Isn't this better for you? Saves you the time of convincing him to take the mantle."
Regis sat back in his chair as he let out a tired sigh.
"Normally, that'd be true, but something about this just feels off. Anyway, I suppose that's fine for now. Just make sure to keep an eye on him and his class, yeah?"
"Understood."
Elise left it at that, and silence descended once more. He had forgotten because he and Damian had been happily chatting earlier, but it seemed that he always had to take the conversation by the wheel whenever he was with her.
"So, I heard that he used to be an officer of the military. I'm curious, as a soldier, what was your impression of Damian?"
"..."
"...Miss Elise?"
"Before I answer that question, I have a question of my own. What made you decide to hire that man? I heard that he graduated from a prestigious university on the mainland and has a good track record, but there must have been way more suitable candidates, no?"
"Why, eh?...well, initially I wasn't planning on taking him in, but the majority of the board of directors pushed for him. I did my background check on him, and he also seemed to be fine, so I hired him."
"Really? And are you certain that he used to be an officer at the rear?"
"That's what our informants say...why, was there something about your interaction earlier that seemed strange?"
"...No, I wouldn't go that far. It's just that compared to the rear officers I've encountered, he seemed to be a different breed. He's kind, well-spoken, and isn't arrogant about his status. If anything...he reminded me of someone who used to fight on the front lines."
"Hmm, would you like me to do a background check on him again?"
"No, that's unnecessary. I'll see what his true nature is with my own eyes."
"I see...well, I'll leave him to you then. On another note, how's the situation with the slums?"
Regis' expression darkened as he looked directly at Elise.
"It's just as you feared. That place is growing worse each day. It's been corrupting everyone they get into their clutches, including the students. Forgive me if I might seem blunt, head dean, but I reckon we should just raze that place to the ground."
"Believe me, the other head deans before me have tried. That place just keeps coming back no matter what...and I believe it has something to do with a shadow leader who's manipulating things from the backstage."
"A shadow leader?"
"Yes, each time we did a massive clearing operation into the slums, we would catch different leaders spearheading things...but the way they operate, as well as their tactics, feel similar. There has to be someone pulling the strings, and until we find and eliminate him, there's no end to this."
"Would you like me to touch on that as well?..."
"No, this is something I must investigate on my own. And besides, you professors will be busy this semester so-"
"-!"
Before Regis knew it, Elise had immediately moved behind him and suddenly opened the window behind his desk.
She poked her head out of the window and began to scan the area with a cautious expression.
"What's wrong?"
"No...it's just, I could've sworn I sensed someone's presence watching us..."
"Are you sure? This room is protected by a highly advanced barrier made by the Tower of Babylon; the alarm should've been tripped if someone was foolish enough to snoop by..."
"..."
"Hm, but if your instincts say so, then I suppose we need to end our conversation here. We'll talk about this another time, Elise."
"...Understood."
In the end, neither of them noticed the shadow looming above them.
As the figure walked down from the roof of the building and to the gardens of the academy, he looked up at the sky, now cloaked in darkness. He sat on one of the benches as he gazed at the stars and the moon.
"Professor Elise is sharper than I thought...seems I need to be more careful around her."
Damian couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
He could see how someone like her would get the position of teaching combat in such a prestigious academy. If the Imperial royal guards were barely able to sense him, this meant that she was possibly of a higher caliber than them.
But more importantly...
"Seems that immediately accepting the proposition was a strange move in their eyes. Sheesh...I'm still amateurish when it comes to interacting with folks..."
The majority of his life was spent on the battlefield, and there were barely any moments for actual social interaction. Even as he became an assassin, he only had to keep up acts for short amounts of time.
"Haaaa..."
As he laid back on the bench, he could only see the image of a crimson-haired girl as he closed his eyes. In the end, he sat around in the gardens until curfew was imposed and he was forced to go to his lodgings.
.
.
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[---]
There was still a day off before the first day of class, so Damian decided to continue roaming around the island and conduct his reconnaissance. He stopped by the primary market square of the island and walked around before stopping in front of a familiar store.
"...I see they already have a branch all the way over here, huh?"
A grimace spread across his face as he looked at the sign of the store that read:
---[Emilia's Tea and Bakeshop]---
It was one of the many businesses owned by his first love. He never really had the chance to visit it in its infancy since he was way over the front lines, but he had heard of it opening in the capital back when the flames of war weren't at their peak yet.
Now, they have over fifty branches spread across the world. It was also the place where Damian would relax whenever he had free time.
Initially, he just planned on doing it to support his former childhood friend from the sidelines, but ironically enough, he developed a sweet tooth for the cakes they serve and a taste for the tea they brew.
In a way, he was also doing this as penance for a grave sin he committed against her in the past.
Letting out a sigh, he walked through the front door.
He was expecting a relaxing atmosphere to welcome him, but such a thing was just not possible when he saw a figure sitting all the way in the corner of the room...