Free Web NovelChapter 26: First and Third Year Principals
"Mhmm..."
Bard touched the dripping sweat on his bald forehead before using a handkerchief in his pocket to wipe it down.
He returned his handkerchief before he continued cleaning his office with glee.
His office was his prized collection out of all his treasures inside.
It’s had been ten years since he became the principal for the first-year students, and he has maintained this position with a strong iron grip. Various people tried to bring him down, yet they all fell off instead.
There are millions of people around the world, and only a few managed to become principals of the Sorcery Academy.
Everyone can aim, but not everyone has the capability to pull it off. Being a principal brought immense benefits that anyone could dream of, even after someone retired from it.
How can someone... like him pull it off?
Was he strong enough to do it? Was it his influence that induced fear in his opponents? Even if he’s ugly, is it his charisma that fawns that topples the lady and makes him be invited to their beds?
All of it was a reason, but he knew one singular factor as to why he managed to stand in his position right now.
Connections.
Bard Decker had close connections with influential people, and one of those people was the Lord of Viola.
Everything that the Lord is friends with is also his friend. Hence, whenever he’s in trouble, as long as he is within the Viola territory, he will never be convicted of any kind of crime.
As for what those crimes were, they have been well hidden from the prying eyes of others. The only ones who knew his secret were the ones above him.
’Such a life,’
Bard chuckled before suddenly hearing a knock coming from his door.
Turning his head, he made a frown, knowing he didn’t have any prior business for this time. If it did, it already happened earlier.
"Who is it?"
The door opened, and an amiable face sneaked in through the door. He had a very normal-looking face with a demeanor that made someone lose their guard.
His brown eyes seemed normal and average as well. Everything about this person spoke of ordinariness if you ignored his green hair that looked like seaweed.
But that is what makes him a mysterious individual for Bard.
"Sir Darwin?"
It was Darwin, the principal for the third-year students.
Darwin let out an amicable smile and chuckled.
"Caught you at a bad time?"
Bard immediately stood up and arranged his attire to make himself presentable to him.
"Oh no, not at all! I just finished cleaning just now and am pretty free. Is there something I could help you with?"
Darwin nodded before entering his office. He looked around the place before commenting evenly.
"Looks like everything is pretty back to normal. Neat and cozy, as expected from someone like you,"
Bard couldn’t help but receive his flattery with a smile as he retorted.
"That’s such... well, thank you. I don’t have any words to tell you. Right, your business, sir?"
Bard is nothing but friendly. He was greedy and an opportunist, only this time, he hid it because he was communicating with the principal for the third year, Darwin Moose.
Every time Bard tried to gather any background information regarding Darwin, any person he communicated with kept saying the same thing.
Just three words.
-Don’t even dare.
Looking at Bard with calm eyes, Darwin expressed.
"My business here is really simple. Since we’re both principals, I want to see if your situation is going fine. Cillian Sparrow, is he still bothering you?"
"Sparrow..."
Imagining the image of the student with that black hair, deep penetrating gaze, wearing smug lips, made blood vessels above Bard’s bald head due to how angry he was.
Still, he was in control.
Cillian somehow destroyed his prized possession, which is his office. He ruined some of his collections of trophies, and the prizes he got out of his hobby were mostly from collecting stuff all around the place.
It was a demoralizing time for Bard. It would’ve been better if he had hurt Cillian, but alas, he chose to do it in the school grounds, right in this very place.
If Cillian were out of the academy, he might’ve done something to punish the student.
"How’s that guy holding up, sir? Is he being punished enough?"
Bard asked, which made Darwin chuckle.
The third-year principal answered.
"Well, to tell you the truth, he is. He is being watched by the council president, and he has limited freedom. There’s a tendency that if he goes haywire again while being monitored by her, he’ll be immediately expelled. We’re only waiting for a chance,"
Those words struck a sigh of relief from Bard.
If Cillian had been expelled immediately for making a mistake, no one would have judged what Bard was about to do once they were out.
He’ll return what he did to his office threefold.
’This is good,’
Bard’s mood elevated.
"Right, let’s not talk about Cillian. He’s nobody. The main concern as to why I’m here is related to the upcoming celebration. Everyone’s excited, and as I roam around the academy earlier, the students are excited too."
Bard chuckled as he relaxed, feeling Darwin being friendly to him.
Bard returned the gesture by replying.
"Those students... Haha, they were very funny when they approached and asked what the theme of the celebration was all about. They appeared gentle and all but I noticed all of their faces, all greedy to take what I had. Unfortunately, they are not going to trick me. I’m properly guarding it under my safe. No one is getting past it as long as I’m here,"
Darwin’s face twitched ever so visibly from Bard’s view. It was very subtle, but the bald man noticed the slight changes.
’I see...’
Bard paused.
’He’s worried that it’s not safely guarded, worried that I exposed it too soon? It’s very unusual but not badly pressing.’
Bard shakes his head with slight contempt before standing up and walking towards the safe under a picture portrait of himself.
On the other hand, Darwin’s amiable face came back unblemished by any kind of reaction, seemingly regretting the ’mistake’ he had made earlier.
As Bard walked, he removed the awkwardness surrounding the room by cheerfully saying.
"You see, you should not be worried about me. The Student Council that you held, the other teachers gave the same plan, and some administrators might be the ones who slip these. Oh, even the second year’s principal, Zeist, might’ve already exposed something."
Bard paused and confidently declared.
"But not me."
Darwin remained silent as he continued watching Bard normally, like he used to.
Seeing no reaction after that declaration, Bard then opened the safe after clicking the code for it, and a list of papers rested in his hands.
He slowly walked towards the table they were sitting in and slid it through Darwin.
"It’s good as new. Nothing was exposed or any signs of being touched aside from me... and you."
Darwin leisurely grasped the list of papers that almost looked like a planner for the entirety of the event and began reading it. Well, it indeed it was.
From time to time, Darwin nodded at how clean the paper was and complimented Bard’s job of keeping it a secret.
Fifteen minutes had passed since Darwin had inspected it.
’He’s taking his time... so well?’
Bard mused with a hint of surprise before outwardly expressing. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"Is there something wrong with the planner?"
Darwin took a minute to reach the very last page of the planner before closing it and gave Bard a dashing smile.
"Nothing at all. As you said, it’s good as new. It didn’t look like it was crumpled, or a page was stolen. I’m really happy that you showed this to me."
Bard chuckled nervously.
"Well, I don’t know what you’re happy about showing you the planner that you already have... but I’m glad that you are contented,"
’This should give him an idea that I’m willing to be friendly with him, right? It’s not bad having another powerful connection.’
Bard added inwardly.
Darwin stood up and stretched his hand forward.
"Once again, I’d like to thank you. Talking to you hasn’t been the wrong choice at all."
Before Bard could receive his handshake, Darwin immediately turned around and left the room, leaving him hanging. freewёbnoνel.com
’Talking to me hasn’t been the wrong choice, huh.’
Bard repeated Darwin’s parting words inside his head as he couldn’t help but somehow shiver.
’Why does that sound ominous?’
...
Right at the moment the door was about to close, Darwin’s face and hair changed into something else, returning to normal.
There, a dark-haired man with a penetrating gaze walked out with his lips curled upwards.
He looked at his front, where the sturdy wall stood, and a window in the middle of it all. Then, gaze left and right at the end of each hallway where Phillip and Vin were nervously waiting for anyone who had business to do with Bard.
They had been waiting for almost half an hour, and finally, seeing Cillian’s figure come out with no bruise or chaos ensuing, they knew what had happened.
It doesn’t matter what method he used or how he was able to pull it off.
The signal Cillian gave to them was himself.
If he managed to leave Bard’s office unscathed, it’s time for them to leave too, without making it suspicious to others if there are indeed people observing them.
Both Phillip and Vin left their places.
After seeing them walking away at the same time, Cillian chuckled softly before moving into the hallway where Phillip had used to leave.
