Chapter 1006 – #242_Magic University Tycoon
#1000
1.
I prepared to go out from the early dawn, when diligent birds were chirping.
After a light shower, I put on a white shirt and adjusted my sleeves with obsidian cufflinks.
“Uung…. Siwoo… Are you leaving already?”
As I came out of the dressing room wearing an eye mask, I heard a mumbling voice from inside the blanket.
It was Sharon, who had enjoyed the joy of social climbing with Siwoo yesterday.
Beyond the thin blanket, her fair, naked body was briefly visible.
“Yeah. Sleep a little more.”
“Uuuu, if you’re not here when I wake up… I’ll be lonely….”
Whether it was because of a hangover or the intense waist workout from last night, Sharon whined in a drowsy voice.
I gently brushed her tangled hair and kissed her forehead lightly, and she smiled bashfully as if she had never complained.
“I’ll be back.”
“Okay, have a good trip. I’m going to sleep a little more….”
Sharon fell back asleep, snoring softly.
I covered her with the blanket again and moved towards the portal inside the mansion.
So, at this point, I should explain the Emerald Tablet once again.
The Emerald Tablet is a massive school where the majority of alchemist witches in Gehenna belong.
The individual members of the school are considered to be slightly less elite than the Truth and Enlightenment Society, but they are 1.5 times more numerous, and their long history has been intertwined with the birth of Gehenna.
As a school with such a long tradition, the position of the first headmaster and current headmaster is that of a Count.
Her rank is 23, her witch name is ‘The Mysterious Witch,’ and her real name is Tia Cagliostro.
Actually, Siwoo doesn’t know much about her except for her name.
He has no personal connection with her, and he has never even seen her face.
“Come to think of it…. I’ve almost met them all.”
It is said that it is difficult for some witches to even see the face of one of the Seven Counts.
Siwoo has met all of the Counts: Jemana, Yesod, Adonai, Kohav, and Gremory.
If he meets Cagliostro this time, he will have met six of the Seven Counts.
I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of person she is, but I’m also a little worried.
My first concern is that there are too many unique types among witches.
Originally, individuality is something that is tempered by the world’s ups and downs, but high-ranking witches are not in a position to be tempered by the ups and downs, but rather in a position to temper the ups and downs of individuality.
That’s probably why there are shocking figures like Count Adonai.
She is the head of a large school, so would she be that eccentric? I thought, but then again, Count Adonai was also the owner of a large trading company….
Anyway, it’s a bit unpredictable.
My second concern is the intention behind the invitation.
I expected that an invitation would come someday or that I would have a personal meeting, but it’s much faster than I expected.
I thought I would be contacted when the school was much more stable than it is now.
While I was thinking about this and that, I crossed the portal.
The Emerald Tablet’s school building, also known as Alchemist Castle or simply ‘Castle,’ was located in the northeast of Ars Magna Town.
The reason why it is called a ‘castle’ is because the school building is literally surrounded by high walls.
In the center of the castle was Count Cagliostro’s mansion, and around it were several academic buildings. Since there were no other portals within this vast school grounds, Siwoo had to walk a long way through an arched bronze gate.
The overall atmosphere was, well…
Honestly, I was surprised.
Unlike the Truth and Enlightenment Society Hall, which resembled an old monastery, the Castle felt like a prestigious university in England.
Stately buildings made of flagstones and red bricks.
Renaissance-style spires that seemed to pierce the sky everywhere.
Cobblestone roads that connected narrow alleys and squares, and parks with green lawns.
There were academic buildings and lecture halls, but there were also dormitories, witches’ workshops, and small magic shops.
Should I call it a small city within a city?
Especially because of the atmosphere, I even felt like I had forgotten my cane and fedora.
It was still early, so there weren’t many witches to be seen, but it seemed like a place where you could feel the lively academic atmosphere in the afternoon.
As I walked along the road where the morning dew had not yet completely dried, I saw a witch rubbing her sleepy eyes and opening a window, a witch walking with a pile of books so high that she couldn’t see in front of her, and a… probably an apprentice witch sitting on a fountain and splashing her hands.
As Siwoo, who had made a comeback as a celebrity, received countless attention.
As the commotion grew, curtains were drawn back one by one, and gazes were focused on him.
“That’s Shin Siwoo over there.”
“Be careful what you say. He’s a Baron now, you know.”
“Hessed School? Magic University? I think I heard something like that.”
“Come here, little one. Let’s go home quickly!”
Fortunately, no witches spoke to me directly, so I maintained the most dignified gait possible and finally arrived at Cagliostro Mansion, the center of the Castle.
“I am Shin Siwoo. I have come at your invitation.”
I was guided by a maid who was waiting for me and went straight to the office.
The interior atmosphere was, needless to say, antique and luxurious.
“Count Cagliostro. Baron Shin Siwoo has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
The maid, who had announced my visit and opened the door for me, kept glancing at Siwoo’s face and returned to her duties.
So, how much of a shock will this Count give me?
With half anticipation and half worry, I opened the door and saw the scene.
At the office table, which was placed facing the door, sat a blonde beauty.
I was quite taken aback.
Witches don’t age, so even if there is no difference in appearance, they have a unique mature atmosphere and experience.
Therefore, you can roughly guess how many years a witch has been around, but the woman in front of me looked young no matter how I looked at her.
Other characteristics include her large, curly blonde hair, sapphire-blue eyes, and a dress that looked so prim that it seemed hot.
She had the kind of appearance that would pop out as a spinal reflex when you heard the words ‘noble upbringing.’
This witch is the head of the Emerald Tablet. ‘Indeed, she has a unique charisma,’ I thought.
“Oh my, oh my!”
She jumped up from her seat and greeted me with a bright smile.
“Welcome, welcome. You’re so handsome that I was just staring at you in a daze. I’m sorry. I’ve only heard rumors, but I didn’t know you were such a handsome man! Oh ho ho ho!”
“…Ah, yes. Thank you.”
She came on so strong.
Her voice itself was very loud, her tone was very high, she had a lot of nasal sounds, and her tension was no joke.
This is the first time I’ve seen someone with higher tension than R’lyeh.
Count Adonai was eccentric, but he had a unique dignity, but this one is the opposite of her image.
I was expecting a scholarly impression, but she felt more like an aunt who tries to be friendly at a sauna.
“Here, sit here. What would you like to drink? We have black tea, coffee, and brandy. Oh my, oh my, is brandy too much in the morning? How long have you been awake?”
“Brandy is fine. As a guest, I can’t be picky about what I drink.”
“Oh ho ho ho! Look at your wit!”
Count Cagliostro busily took out the brandy as I sat on the sofa.
“Oh, my goodness, look at me. Here’s my business card. I’m Tia Cagliostro, the head of the Emerald Tablet. Ho ho ho!”
She handed me her business card, which was printed in gold on white paper.
I had suspected that she might be a proxy from the Count’s workshop, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
“I don’t have a business card to give you yet.”
“Don’t say that. You’re busy preparing for the school, aren’t you? Anyway! Welcome, welcome. I really wanted to meet you. Actually, I heard about what happened at the ball yesterday from Miss Moyet. They said you were such a good dancer.”
“I’m just at a level that I’m not ashamed of.”
“Is that all? They were praising you so much during the home visit that I imagined you would be officiating the wedding! Ho ho ho ho!”
“Ha ha ha.”
Okay, I get it.
Even Siwoo, who never thought of himself as introverted, is having his energy drained.
The mask of Baron Shin Siwoo, which I thought was perfect, seems to be cracking.
After that, it was a festival of small talk.
“It’s a shame that I can’t show you around our school if we had more time. Should I assign Baron Moyet as your guide?”
“Ah, a scandal! That’s right. That happened too, didn’t it? Oh ho ho!”
“You can’t do great things if you worry about such things. I see that now that I’ve met you in person. If I were a little younger, I think I would have fallen head over heels for you. Ho! Ho! Ho!”
Actually, it was more like a one-sided communication where the Count would say a hundred words and Siwoo would answer one.
She said she was busy, but she’s been doing this for over 30 minutes.
The good thing is that I could feel a lot of goodwill towards Siwoo in the series of conversations.
She didn’t seem like a picky person, and I couldn’t find any of the arrogance unique to witches.
“It’s a blessing that we have such a promising talent as the Baron in Gehenna. A higher education institution that uses the university system. The idea is easy, but it’s not easy to put into practice. You’re a true role model for witches, Baron Siwoo.”
“It was more due to the help of those around me than my own abilities. So, I was wondering. May I ask why you invited me?”
I tightened the tension that was about to loosen in the high-tension conversation that was pouring out like a machine gun.
I sensed that this was the main point.
Count Cagliostro, who had been talking non-stop for 5 seconds, fell silent.
A smile appeared on her face.
“Good ideas need good investment. It’s true that the Hessed School has established a foundation, but isn’t the number of people you have prepared so far insufficient?”
“That is true, but we plan to gradually acquire them in the remaining time.”
“So, we, the Emerald Tablet, are going to support the Hessed School. Isn’t this for the sake of our Gehenna witch community? I can’t miss out on something like this.”
An unexpected boon.
But something feels off to swallow it so quickly.
“Thank you very much for your words, but I think I can only make a decision after hearing what the support means.”
“I’ll send ten great witches as professors. Of course, Baron Moyet will be included. We will also provide high-priced experimental equipment, alchemical materials, and promise regular academic exchanges with the Emerald Tablet. How does that sound?”
This is the support that is so desperately needed at this point.
If it goes as she says, there will be no obstacles to opening at least the alchemy department.
And this is none other than the support of the Emerald Tablet?
However.
It is true that she seems like a nice person, but is it possible that she has no desire for anything in return?
“What is the price for that?”
The Count’s tongue licked her lips thinly.
“There’s nothing grand about it. It’s just about discussing the future management policies together? And allowing us to place some of our Emerald Tablet personnel in some of the school’s minor positions. Ho ho ho!”
I knew it.
My head is getting cold.
No matter how sloppy she may seem, a witch is still a witch.
And not just any witch, but the head of a huge school.
‘I want to freeload on the school you worked so hard to create’ is the kind of thing you should say with a smile, right?
“Hahahaha.”
Siwoo smiled back at the Count, who was laughing heartily.
