Research Life of a New Professor at Magic University

I was shocked, but maybe it wasn’t that surprising.
However, the conversation with Claire would have been very awkward.

“Is the second son still alive?”

“Yes.”

“Since the eldest son has passed away, why not speed up the succession process by appointing the second son?”

It might not be honorable, but it wouldn’t be severely criticized.
Wouldn’t breaking the monastery and reinstating the second son be better?
It’s the easiest solution to deal with the succession issues.

“That’s not possible. It was never even an option in the first place.”

“Why? Because he would be caught up in another power struggle?”

“You’ll understand if you listen to the end. The third son passed away when he was four years old. Shortly after that incident, the second son resided in the monastery. Why do you think he did that?”

Did the eldest kill the third and threaten the second?
No, there would be no reason for him not to return now.

The second killed the third and then got caught, consequently being excluded from the succession.
It was embarrassing for the family, so they covered it up and sent him to the monastery.

They can’t bring back a family member who committed fratricide and give him a position of authority.
It was a complete mess. Are all noble households like this?

“But would a capable second son really ‘restrain’ his younger brother to that extent?”

“That’s why it’s even more disgraceful.”

“Hmm… It’s not exactly a pleasant story.”

“Yeah. That’s why Stella tried to stop you.”

I should feel grateful to Stella for helping me avoid an awkward situation, but I didn’t feel that way at all.
Because Stella was the reason I was about to ask an impolite question!

If it weren’t for Stella, I wouldn’t have asked that question there.
She was talking about her family as if everything was happy and harmonious!
No, I probably wouldn’t have even known there were three brothers in the first place.

As Stella’s story unfolded, I was reminded that my questions weren’t fully resolved.

“But even so, why would the second daughter be considered the successor?”

“Technically, she’s the heir apparent. She hasn’t been officially designated as the successor yet. There’s no justification for it.”

“So, why are they trying to push forward a successor lacking justification and common sense? Hmm… I guess the eldest daughter isn’t the best choice either.”

Stella isn’t exactly perfect. She almost let slip her family’s situation to an unrelated party.
But there’s no apparent flaw significant enough to exclude her from the succession plan.

On the contrary, she’s quite skilled as a wizard and has good social skills, making her a decent candidate for a ruling lady.

“No one could have predicted that the succession issue would become so complicated ten years ago.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, that’s why Stella has had a promised engagement since she was young. She’s engaged to the second son of the Kamid Ducal Family.”

A political marriage? What’s the problem with that?
Nobles do it all the time, and if she’s the next successor, what’s the issue?

“What’s the problem with that? The Kamid family isn’t exactly lacking in status.”

“The problem lies not in being the next successor but the one after that.”

The headmaster seemed to be trying to explain a complex story.

“Then the title Count Honlake will go to Stella’s child.”

“…And?”

The headmaster seemed frustrated by my indifferent attitude.

“Stella’s child will bear the name of Kamid and become Earl Kamid. That means the title of the Earl Lacton will disappear! It’s as good as being absorbed into the Kamid family.”

“Is that really so important? After all, isn’t the bloodline still the same?”

I’m not sure. Is that such an important issue?
They even go out of their way to merge families. Noble behavior is hard to understand.
Even though I’m technically noble by title, being a baronet makes my perspective quite different.

“Don’t all nobles do this?”

“Well, in the past, it wasn’t as common as it is now. But these days, there are many cases of marrying into the family. Recently, there’s a trend to maintain the family name even when passing the inheritance to a daughter.”

Was there a specific reason for this? I’m not sure, and asking might unnecessarily prolong the conversation, so let’s move on.

“So, they intend to pass it on to Claire Lacton and make her marry someone into the family to continue the Lacton Earldom?”

“That’s right.”

“The problem is that there’s no justification for appointing the second daughter as the successor.”

Their intentions are clear now.
Since they wanted to maintain their dignity, they’ll surely be mindful of the son-in-law.
If they make a mistake, rumors about issues with their eldest daughter might spread.

“So, they want to elevate their status somehow. Invest quietly, then raise their name or achievements without making it obvious.”

“Exactly. They don’t want to break the engagement with the Kamid family. It would be unreasonable to openly reject a suitor for their eldest daughter.”

They need some kind of justification, huh?
If I were Duke Kamid, I don’t think any justification would satisfy me.

But did Claire have an engagement?
Stella’s the eldest daughter, so they must have focused on that.
No, they were successful since Stella had already been promised.

So what happened to Claire?

No use worrying about the complicated issues of the nobles; it’s truly pointless to understand how they think. Let’s ask the noble in front of me.

“It’s unusual that they only arranged an engagement for one of them when they’re around the same age.”

“They couldn’t arrange it. Miss Claire has always been stubborn and disobedient since she was young.”

She didn’t seem like that kind of person at all.
If anything, Stella seems like the type to assert herself and fix things through negotiation.

“Are you sure you didn’t mix up the names?”

“Miss Claire never studied, just swung a sword around, and despite opposition from the family, she left home. She spent a few years adventuring before joining the knighthood.”

“And what about Stella?”

“Although it’s hard to imagine from her current appearance, Miss Stella was very quiet and dignified when she was young.”

It’s truly unimaginable. Quiet and obedient Stella Lacton!

More than that, it seems that Stella mentioned Claire as the “family member obsessed with swords.”

Anyway, most of my doubts have been resolved.
Ultimately, her approach was for a stable succession.
I think what she really wanted was a friendship with me rather than the sword itself.

So Stella suddenly enrolling in Magic University at a late age—was it to delay marriage under the pretext of academics?

“But does Stella Lacton not have any complaints about this situation?”

“What complaints?”

“Regardless of the family circumstances, she was suddenly pushed aside from the succession when she had done nothing wrong. Wouldn’t she prefer her child inheriting a title rather than clinging to her maiden family’s surname?”

“I don’t know about that. But from what I see now, she doesn’t seem forced into attending the university. Though not as much as Miss Claire, Miss Stella also had very little chance of becoming the successor.”

“That makes sense. Was she unhappy with her fiancé?”

“I don’t know about that. She might have wanted to continue her studies. And maybe her beloved family witnessed that as well.”

That makes sense. Maybe Stella just really enjoyed studying.

Hmm… I understand the situation.
I feel quite sympathetic and want to support her, but right now, I can’t shake off the feeling of being used.

Now I understand the exorbitant fee and advance payment for this ridiculous request.
It was just to flaunt our friendship.
If anyone were to hear the details and the amount involved in this request, no one would consider it a normal commission.
They’ll think the Earldom is sponsoring me.

Of course, they won’t officially announce it, but they were still using me.

“I’ll ensure you don’t suffer any losses, so can you stay a little longer? There’s no need to do anything. We’ll handle everything, and once the successor is designated, we’ll take care of the rumors.”

However, silence is also a form of consent.
Whatever happens later, I’ll be seen as someone accompanying the Earldom.
And I’m not in a position where I need the cover of a mere Earl.

Was their intention to silence the Duke Kamid with just our friendship?
Judging by the amount, the Earl seemed to have expected it would be difficult to convince me, but it didn’t seem like a wise investment from the start.

The person I went to see in the headmaster’s office wasn’t Claire or Stella.

***

After class, I told Arien about what happened that day.
Arien was extremely startled.

A sudden request, a huge sum of money, and the Lacton family’s dark circumstances.
It’s a complicated story even for a human like me, so how would an elf react?

But there was one part that really surprised Arien.

“So you just accepted it without any thought? Without knowing anything?”

“It’s not like I didn’t have any thoughts…”

“You accepted first and thought later!”

It was indeed me who accepted all of this without even knowing the details. I can’t deny that.
I was just swayed by the mere 50 gold coins.
It’s a sum that couldn’t be ignored, but I was too hasty.

“How could you? You didn’t know what it was about, yet you accepted it first!? You told me to think deeply, to act cautiously, and yet…”

“Well… at least we’ve secured some research funds. Think positively. You’ll also need a lot of money for your research, so it’s not bad for you either.”

“I don’t think you were thinking about me then.”

Of course not.

But still, 50 gold coins are equivalent to ten years’ worth of stipend for Arien right now.
Wouldn’t it be okay to just let it go, considering I’ve secured that much funding?

“Alright, I get it. I’ve been duped.”

“Honestly, you can’t say the Lactons duped you. Even if you didn’t say it directly, you practically spilled your guts as soon as you met them.”

Why does a graduate student have to scold me like this?
I didn’t become a professor to end up in situations like this.

“Let’s not cry over spilled milk. I’ll try to find a way out.”

“Is there a way out? Besides breaking the contract?”

Breaking the contract would cause even bigger problems.
And this isn’t the kind of contract you can break.

They promised 20 gold coins regardless of the outcome.
I already took the money without taking anything in return, so I’m truly in their debt.

“So, what will you do?”

“What else but research?”

Arien looked at me as if to say, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
There was no hint of trust or respect in her gaze.

“It’s simple. The problem is that we received too much money from the Lacton family compared to the item’s value. So, let’s think the other way around. We just need to offer something of equivalent value from our side.”

“Do you think a magic-enchanted sword is worth that much?”

“That’s why we need to research. With our current options, there’s no way out. So we’ll have to do what wizards do. It’s going to be challenging.”

As we returned to discussing research, a glimmer of trust seemed to return to Arien’s face.
She appeared somewhat reassured.

Phew, I somehow navigated my way out of this situation.
Even if we fail, it’s not a huge loss.
It’s just a small annoyance of being taken advantage of and compensated with upfront money.

“Still, it’s fortunate that we can still focus on research.”

“I won’t let myself be someone who can’t focus on research just because of noble power struggles.”

However, my relationship with the Lacton family has become a bit awkward.
Originally, I didn’t think I would need to make a sword worth 50 gold pieces.
Plus, Claire’s future has been decided as a Countess rather than a Knight Commander.

Their pockets are probably running empty.

“Come to think of it, isn’t it ironic that the most reliable way out of this situation is to faithfully perform the commission?”

“Yeah. In a way, it’s counterintuitive. In the end, the right path is the fastest and most efficient. I almost made a foolish mistake from overthinking, but somehow, I can salvage it.”

Arien probably won’t pester me about this anymore.

But my prediction was off.

Arien didn’t miss the chance to give me a little jab.

“You almost made a mistake?”

Am I the one being lectured here?