Chapter 340 Burden and Stakes (2/2)
Alavethe stairs three at a time to the fourth floor
‘I feel personally attacked You knohat, I’ less venoht, princess?’
Despite is—or perhaps because of it—I felt better by the ti on the office door of a man named Edmon of Blood Scriven, a mid-tier clerk within the administration office
A reedy, nervous voice invited me into an office that wouldn’t have looked out of place in one of the old detectiveartifact suspended froray haze over the s a simple desk piled with parchment and scrolls with the man hunched behind it
“Close the door,” he said idown in the worn chair across from him
“Edmon, I’m—”
“I know bloody ho you are,” the thin, pale man snapped as he wiped at his nose with the sleeve of his brown robe “What that son-of-a-lurk-wor you in here, I swear to the Vritra I have no idea…” the rumbled under his breath, as if unaware that I could still hear hilared at each other over the top of his desk for a h “What do I need to know, Edain as he shuffled through soned your contract, you can have your schedule and curriculum, and be on your way Once you’ve left this office, I sincerely hope not to see you again for the remainder of your tenure here”
Based on the reement with Alaric hadn’t been entirely equitable
Edmon shoved a stack of parch the details of on I was surprised to note the pay, which hadn’t even crossed my mind
“In the event that you don’t understand soed his hunched shoulders “It’s notthe offered quill, I wroteletters I had used to sign official docu Edmon’s spiderish hand snapped the contract away the instant I’d finished, and he replaced it with a single flat piece of parchs
“This”—he indicated the parchment—“has your schedule on it, while these”—he waved at the scrolls—“are your curriculum for Melee Enhancement Tactics and a list of the acadehly, because I swear by the Vritra, I will not go down for your cri to lose my patience with the man’s snide remarks, “I don’t knohat sort of deal you and—”
“Deal?” he hissed, his eyes wide “That no good drunk bullies and coerces art of a nephew, and you call it a deal? Just because he thinks you’re worth this risk, doesn’t et the hell out of my office, and don’t come back, or I’ll—”
The man’s mouth snapped shut ashied, insectlike, and his fingers clawed at the surface of his desk, disrupting several of the scrolls
“I’m just as happy to pretend this conversation didn’t happen as you are,” I said, my voice quiet and emotionless “But I won’t be threatened” To e as the pale man’s breath was choked off by the pressure “I don’t knohy you’re afraid of Alaric, but it would be wise to extend those feelings towardthe papers from his desk, I released my aetheric intent and swept out of his office
‘What did I is asked, the
Justmore friends, I joked You know me
My coain as he went to “sleep,” which for him was more of a meditative mindset while he absorbed aether froround level, the front-desk clerk looked up when I stepped out into the entry hall “All done here at adive you a tour of campus or introduce you to the other faculty?”
“No, I’ve had a long journey here and would just like to see iven to the high e at the Ascenders association “Can so , Professor Grey Let’s get you settled in Adelaide?”
“H woman looked up from where she had her nose in a scroll at another desk
“Can you watch the front desk while I show Professor Grey to his rooms?”
“Hm,” she said in affir
Shaking his head and givinght We passed between two hip-height hedge rows that separated large, grassy areas where students were lounging and talking, reading scrolls, and wrestling around
“Classes haven’t started yet, obviously, but students are expected to arrive early, and the ad back from the recess can enjoy theuide continued to chatter away, apparently feeling the need to give me the tour despite my insistence that it wasn’t necessary He told s, yards, and plazas, as well as the history of the fah I had questions, I wasn’t co thehtly bored aloofness No need to give the talkative young man any reason to be suspicious abouta dark building that see that truly interestedat the rune-carved stone arch It looked exactly like the teleportation gates in Dicathen
“Sure is!” uide said enthusiastically “As I was just about to say, the Chapel”—he pointed with his thuift fron himself, and houses Central Academy’s collection of relics and artifacts It was placed here exactly because the High Sovereign wanted it to look down over and guard the Relicto portal of energy hanging in the air inside the frame at the moment, but I could see a faraning ht of Dicathen and htnovelpubco, actually,” o, these kinds of portals were everywhere, connecting all of Alacrya But during some ancient war, most of them were disabled or destroyed The whole Central Academy was built on this spot—which used to be well outside of Cargidan City—exactly because that portal still existed”
I waited
The young clerk grinned at ic ns had it retrofitted into a tempus warp set to take you directly to the second level of the Relictombs You have to have a token to activate it, but yours should be waiting in your rooht Even if the portal still operated norht not have reached all the way to Dicathen, and connecting it back to erous anyway
‘Maybe you can use Aroa’s…thingy to fix it?’ Regis pointed out ‘Like you did with the portal back in the Relictombs’
If we ever need to leave Alacrya and don’t plan on co back, I’ll try, I replied But for now, I need access to the Relictoain control over the aspect of Fate
“So the acade?” I asked as we ht Central Academy used to be like a city to itself It still operates separately frorin Caelum,” he answered ins place a very high value on the education and better soldiers and ascenders, which is why schools like Central Academy have their own place in the politics outside of the standard governments and blood structure”
I relaxed as I realized this youngI wanted to know as he happily continued explaining what must have been basic, well-understood facts about the acade a sined how his constant strea for an actual Alacryan professor
For uide, and allowedmyself away
Finally, nearly an hour later, I sagged into the deep-cushi+oned couch incalled Windcrest Hall Apparently it had been nahblood family in thanks for their contributions to the academy, but I’d tuned out most of the iuide
The three-roonificantly nicer than I had expected Apparently Central Academy treated even their new professors to the finest acco area contained a private projection crystal, like the one I’d seen outside the accolades shop, as well as a sht me to play in the Relictombs
There was an e desk, as well as the couch I was sitting on, and a large baythat looked out over campus A co area
I had been surprised to see there was no kitchen or any other way to cook within the private rooly assured me that I could have food or any book froht up to my roois said from where he lay curled up on the floor “Would have been nice if they’d given us a second bed for you, but I guess you’ll be fine on the couch, right?”
I let out a tired snort Despite the fact that it was only early afternoon, my journey froht for days, even weeks on end, but dealing with this subterfuge and drama exhausted me
It was hard to believe I’d soain a teacher But this tiher