The image was clear, and the voice even carried a bit of an echo, sounding exceptionally piercing in the empty office.
A trace of mana lingered at Greg's fingertips, ensuring the recording stone remained operational. He then looked up at Olivia, whose smile had instantly frozen on her face, and offered a smile that could be described as nothing short of harmless.
"Madam Headmistress, you see, don't you think these words are quite worth collecting? I feel like if I were to make a few copies and they accidentally leaked out... it would surely spark some very interesting discussions, wouldn't it?"
He paused, his smile deepening.
"So, there are now two choices before you:"
"A. We both go down together. Although I might not have a good time, you can forget about ever skimming another copper from the academy's public funds to buy your precious fine wine again."
"B. You agree to one condition of mine. Once it's settled, this precious footage will vanish from this world forever, and we both go on our merry ways."
"So, which one will you choose?"
Greg shook the recording stone in his hand, and the magical light and shadow swayed along with it.
The smile on Olivia's face vanished completely.
Especially when she heard Greg mention the possibility of "never being able to buy wine with public funds" in such a nonchalant tone, Olivia's pupils constricted imperceptibly, as if she had heard the most terrifying curse in the world.
She could even imagine the countless long nights in the future, staring at an empty wine cabinet, forced to drink nothing but plain water... it was a tragic scene.
The image was so heartbreaking that she didn't dare think about it any further.
Thus, she surrendered immediately. "Fine, I agree to your condition."
"Mm, that's more like it. You truly are a sensible person who considers the bigger picture, Headmistress—Wait! What are you doing taking off your boots? Wait! Why are you still undressing—What the hell?!"
His attempt to stop her was a step too late, or rather, Olivia's movements were too fast.
He watched as she nimbly kicked off her tall boots. Then, under Greg's dumbfounded gaze, her hands unhesitatingly reached for the leather belt adorned with a silver buckle at her waist. With a soft "click," she undid the latch.
"Hiss—it's actually purple!"
Greg sucked in a breath of cold air.
Olivia paused her movements, holding up her loosened waistband with one hand as she looked up at Greg with some confusion.
"Hmm? What's wrong? Didn't you want me to 'agree to a condition'?"
She tilted her head.
"I saw you bring out that recording stone to threaten me, looking so confident... based on what I've seen—cough, based on my life experience, isn't this what men want at times like this?"
She even shrugged her shoulders and added, "Although this is my first time making such a deal and I don't have much experience... if the partner is you, it doesn't seem like a bad trade."
Greg: "But it's a terrible trade for me, okay?! Who wants that?! Put your pants back on first!!"
Setting aside the fact that his Excalibur was temporarily out of commission, even if it were functional, he would never do such a thing with Olivia right now.
The reason was that their power levels were severely unbalanced.
If he did this, the best-case scenario Greg could imagine was: Olivia, a cowgirl in the prime of her thirties with appetites to match, once she tasted the sweetness and experienced the pleasure, would likely use her bandit-like personality of taking whatever she wanted to simply imprison him. He would become her private property, squeezed dry day and night. At that point, let alone freedom, even his personal safety would be in question.
The worst-case scenario was: a few days after this incident, an inconspicuous news item would appear in a corner of the Academy Daily News: "Greg Sass, a second-year student at Glory Cael Magic Academy, was found dead in the dungeon with a gunshot wound to the back. The preliminary cause of death was determined to be suicide. Headmistress Olivia expresses her deepest condolences."
In either case, the massive gap in strength would leave him unable to resist.
This meant his life or death would depend entirely on Olivia's mood afterward.
Greg had no intention of putting himself in such a completely passive and dangerous position.
Lust was a blade hanging over one's head; this blade was currently hanging too high and was far too sharp for him to touch.
So, he spoke clearly.
"My condition is that during the upcoming Hundred Academy Exchange, no matter what happens, you must explicitly stand on my side and help me."
Regarding the plot of the Hundred Academy Exchange in Act Three, Greg already knew of three major difficulties.
First, he had to find an opportunity to approach the current Saintess of the Holy Church of Light and find a way for her to remove that damned Excalibur flash effect from his body.
Second, he had to be extremely wary of the Primary Heroine, Melina, who officially debuted in Act Three but was clearly already active in the shadows. It was now certain that she was an incredibly dangerous character.
Finally, he had to worry about how to use his delinquent-level theoretical knowledge to achieve a result in the exchange that would at least qualify him for the subsequent Five Academy Tournament, thus fulfilling his first deal with Olivia.
Just these three known difficulties were troublesome enough.
And that wasn't even counting the various unexpected accidents that his -10 Luck stat might trigger on the surface...
So, if he could use those 120 gold coins to trade for Headmistress Olivia's help at this critical juncture, then for Greg, this deal wasn't just fair—it was a massive win.
After all, gold coins could be earned again, but he only had one life.
"That's it?"
As it turned out, after hearing Greg's condition, Olivia's face showed obvious relief.
She clearly wasn't aware of the complex troubles Greg was about to face and simply felt that this condition was almost too easy.
"Fine, I promise you."
She nodded without much hesitation.
"During the Five Academy Tournament, as long as you don't commit some heinous act with irrefutable evidence, the academy will have your back. I still have that much influence."
Having said that, she seemed to feel the deal was struck, so she leisurely put her clothes back on and tightened her laces.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, her hand casually brushed over the leather holster at her waist that looked like a mere decoration—
Greg's sharp eyes noticed the grip of a revolver-shaped magic conduit, its barrel engraved with complex magical patterns, flash between her fingers for a split second before she smoothly pressed it back into the depths of the holster.
Olivia looked up and met Greg's gaze again, her eyes flashing with undisguised playfulness.
"It seems your foolish persona at the academy was indeed a deliberate act to hide that special power of yours, wasn't it?"
"..."
Greg remained silent for a moment, neither admitting nor denying it, only responding vaguely.
"...Who knows. Perhaps."
He silently raised his hand to wipe a layer of fine cold sweat that had broken out on his forehead at some point.
When did she draw her magic conduit?
If I had really made some unreasonable demand just now...
A wave of lingering fear washed over Greg.
He realized he had still underestimated this seemingly cynical cowgirl.
Her relaxation and compromise were likely always built upon a foundation of absolute martial control and the confidence to turn hostile at any moment.
The worst-case scenario wasn't a later reckoning, but being "suicided" on the spot without any warning.
Fortunately, he had a clear understanding of the situation and was cautious enough to avoid walking straight into a dead end.
Rate on N.U.
