LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 22
“There are countless academies in the Valderich Empire.”
While no one officially ranks the schools, most people in the Empire regard the Artemia Academy as the cream of the crop.
At this esteemed Artemia Academy, a certain man holds the position of chairman.
Valtro Ulrigan, a dominant-grade magician.
Today, he received several strange phone calls.
“Uh… So, um, Teacher? What did you say? Sorry, could you repeat that?”
Valtro hesitated, holding the communicator to his ear.
This was quite a contrast to his usual proud and arrogant demeanor.
But he couldn’t help it; the situation compelled him.
On the other end was no other than Jane Alura, a boundary-grade magician of the Empire.
No matter how high and mighty Valtro was as a dominant-grade magician and chairman of the greatest academy, he was nothing in front of her.
If he dared to act up?
It would be like a firefly challenging a full moon.
No sane person would confront a boundary-grade magician recklessly.
They could wipe out a city without breaking a sweat if they wanted.
Realizing this made him instinctively bow his head.
Valtro unconsciously tilted his body as he listened to her words.
-Uh… So, a little kid and an adult man will be visiting soon, right? They mentioned something about wanting to enroll in the academy, so take care of it.
“So, in other words, they want to enroll in the academy. Is that right?”
-Yeah, probably. I’m not entirely sure, so you should meet them and talk. You know what happens if you mess up, right?
“But, Master of the Magic Tower, we can’t just accept anyone without following procedures…”
-Beep beep beep
The call abruptly ended.
Jane hung up without letting him finish.
“…”
Valtro trembled, turning off the communicator.
After all, I’m the chairman here.
What a disgrace this is.
Just as he was about to unleash his anger, the communicator rang again.
-Beep beep
“…This is Chairman Valtro. Who’s calling?”
-Ah, Valtro. It’s been a while. It’s Nordilla.
“Master of the Ice Tower…? Oh, it’s been a while! What’s the occasion for your call?”
-Actually, a guy named Enoch and a girl named Lacrina will be visiting soon.
“Huh? Oh… Sure…”
-They’ll probably want to enroll at the academy, so make sure you take care of it. You can consider it a letter of recommendation from me. Got it?
“Wait a moment, Nordilla. Even so, we can’t just accept someone without following the procedures…”
-Beep beep beep
“……”
Once again, the call cut off.
Just like before.
Valtro stared at the communicator in disbelief.
“What kind of ridiculous-“
-Beep beep beep
Another call came in.
Valtro thought seriously for a moment.
‘Should I just not answer?’
But that wasn’t an option.
If he ignored it and something went wrong later, who would be responsible?
Ultimately, it would fall on the chairman himself.
So, Valtro reluctantly answered the communicator.
With a hint of hesitation, he spoke up.
“…This is Chairman Valtro. I don’t accept proposals for favors or donations. I hope you understand—”
-Valtro. It’s the Guild Leader.
“……G-Guild Leader?! What brings you to call me…”
Once again, Valtro was taken aback and bowed his head.
It was none other than Logita Mantera, the leader of the Magician’s Guild.
He was a revered elder in the magician community and a true senior to Valtro.
What a fool he was to even entertain thoughts of favors and donations in front of such a figure.
Valtro felt an overwhelming urge to strangle himself from just a minute ago.
-Haha, what a coincidence! Do I need a reason to call you?
“Well, that’s true. Haha…”
-Actually, it is true. I do have something to discuss with you.
“…”
His mind was already swirling in confusion.
Valtro wiped his cold sweat, cleared his throat, took a deep breath to calm himself, gargled with his saliva, then cautiously and politely spoke.
“Guild Leader, could it be that you’re referring to Enoch bringing a student for a visit?”
-What? You’ve already heard? Correct, that’s the reason I called.
“…Guild Leader, I’m sorry, but we do have procedures. No matter how talented someone is, coming to the school without prior notice isn’t quite right, is it?”
Summoning up his courage, Valtro said as if he was spitting it out.
It was the result of his pride as a chairman and the power he gained from being a dominant-grade magician.
Of course, half of it was just a gamble.
After all, he was the chairman.
Surely he wouldn’t be killed for being a little cheeky, right?—he couldn’t help but think that.
-Hmm… You make a good point. Laws and procedures exist for a reason.
“Exactly! So, concerning the enrollment, that should—”
-However, Valtro? I’d like to offer you a little advice.
“…I’m all ears. Please, do share.”
-Sure. What I want to say is, don’t rely too heavily on those laws and procedures. A magician shouldn’t just lean on those. Just as there’s a knife for slaying cows, there’s a way for magicians. Sometimes the easy answer is actually the right one. Do you understand my point?
Logita advised, sounding wise.
Valtro felt like he was about to lose his mind.
‘You’re the Guild Leader! You should uphold the laws more than anyone else. If it were anyone else, fine, but not you! People shouldn’t act like that!’
Valtro cursed inwardly in every conceivable way.
Of course, he couldn’t express that outwardly.
For good reason, the life of a magician is long.
If he actually did that, who knows what chaos would ensue.
“…Understood. I’ll take care of the enrollment myself.”
-Haha, that’s the spirit. I’ll trust you on this one. Good luck!
-Beep beep beep
Logita chuckled as he ended the call.
Valtro remained frozen in place for a while after the call ended.
Eventually, when a piercing tone rang out, he finally turned off the communicator and let out a heavy sigh.
-Hoo…
“…So, Enoch? What on earth is he up to?”
A question stirred in his mind.
Until now, Enoch’s name hadn’t crossed Valtro’s thoughts at all.
But things started to take an unusual turn.
A man so notable that both the Master of the Tower and the Guild Leader contacted him.
Why has he never heard of such a person before?
“…It feels like there’s something more to him—”
-Beep beep beep
The communicator rang again.
“…”
Valtro shut his eyes.
He released another heavy sigh.
In resignation, he opened the communicator with great effort.
“…This is Chairman Valtro.”
-Ah, Valtro. It’s Bergot Tesail. I was just about to—
The caller was none other than Bergot, the Master of the Lightning Tower.
Valtro finally closed his eyes.
Four boundary-grade magicians had contacted him already.
Back when he had longed to meet them, he couldn’t even exchange a single word.
Well, it seems like this was the day to finally get that chance.
Valtro consoled himself with that thought.
And somehow, a tear rolled down his cheek.
‘Enoch, you little punk… I won’t let you off easy when we meet…’
It was a small vendetta against someone he had never even seen.
@
Meanwhile, in Magnus.
Enoch was dialing again on the communicator.
On the other end, Jane was grumbling openly as she answered the call.
-You crazy bastard. You’re really insane.
“What’s up, sis? Is there anything you can’t say to your adorable little brother?”
-Do I look like I’m in a joking mood? What? Your cute little brother is making me worry? Do you have any idea how hard it was to clarify your ridiculous message? Do you want to die?! Huh?!!
Suddenly, she yelled into the phone.
Enoch took the communicator away from his ear for a moment, then picked it back up after things calmed down.
“I’m always grateful. I won’t forget this favor.”
-You jerk! Were you even listening to me just now—
“Looks like the communicator’s acting up. Gotta go now. I’ll call back later.”
-Hey, you little %&@#!—
-Click!
After hanging up, Enoch scratched his ear.
Was it Jane who yelled, or was it just his imagination?
His ear felt a little stuffy.
‘Should I call the Guild Leader next?’
Enoch picked up the communicator again.
He input the direct code he had written down earlier.
-Ring ring ring
-Hello? Is this Enoch?
“That’s right. Guild Leader.”
-Great timing! Just got a solid answer for you.
Logita let out a hearty laugh as he shared the details.
He informed Enoch that he should expect a call from the academy in the next few days.
Additionally, Enoch’s appointment letter would be issued around the same time.
Finally, he mentioned how much effort he had put into this whole affair.
In summary, that was the gist of it.
“I owe you a big one. I won’t forget this favor.”
-Don’t mention it. No need for that kind of talk. I have my own expectations from you as well.
“Expectations? By the way, did you get a chance to taste the whiskey I sent last time?”
-Of course! It was absolutely phenomenal. What on earth was that whiskey? It heated me up in ways I didn’t expect!
Logita spoke with excitement.
Considering his tone, it clearly wasn’t just idle chatter.
He genuinely seemed to like it a lot.
‘I need to use that often.’
-Things dragged on a bit. Anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed the gift. I hope you enjoy mine as well.
“I’m already delighted by it. Oh, and I’ll send a few more bottles of that whiskey. If you run low, just let me know.”
-…You’re starting to feel like my real little brother. From now on, call me ‘big brother’ in private. That’s an order.
“Yes, big brother. Take care, and I’ll contact you again.”
-Click
Enoch ended the conversation with that farewell.
Then he stretched his stiff neck.
Next, he just needed to express his gratitude to Nordilla and Bergot Tesail.
Enoch picked up the communicator again.
At that moment, someone spoke from behind him.
“Hey, you arrogant rookie.”
“…?”
Enoch momentarily froze in surprise.
The only person who would call him an arrogant rookie was one specific individual.
He turned his head, hoping it wasn’t who he thought it was.
But it was exactly who he expected. Standing before him was none other than Raselin Iscuta, the Master of the Earth Tower.
“…Master of the Earth Tower?”
“What?”
“What brings you here without any notice?”
“Notice? Is that even important right now?”
The suddenly appeared Raselin looked distinctly displeased.
Before Enoch could ask why, she already spilled the beans.
“Enoch, you cocky little brat! Why are you ignoring me? Are you trying to exclude me?”
“Huh?”
“Why are you pretending to be oblivious? Do you want to die? How dare you leave me out while contacting everyone else! Don’t you know if I’m in the mood, I can find out just about anything happening on this planet?”
Raselin stomped her feet as she scolded him quietly.
Her green hair swayed chaotically with the motion.
“I won’t forgive you. Turn around—”
“Huh?”
“NOW!”
Raselin continued to push him while fussing with her hair.
After a moment, a sharp horn sprouted from her forehead.
It resembled a unicorn’s horn in some way.
Enoch instinctively stepped back a few paces.
“What on Earth are you trying to do?”
“Turn around immediately!”