Advent of the Three Calamities

"Sorry for the delay. It took quite a bit for us to figure out the logistics of the situation. We're done now so if you would then-"

The Head Elder of the Astrid family entered the room where all the cadets were held. As she spoke, her eyes scanned the room before pausing at a familiar figure and her words stopped. "You're here?"

She blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing wrong.

Following the events of the match, she had been trying to look for him. His absence was quite noticeable, especially considering how powerful he was.

If there was one person she was most worried about in the elimination games, it'd be him.

Who would've thought that even without him they'd still lose?

"The Empires are filled with monsters.'

The Kasha was lagging behind. If they were to catch up to them, then they'd need more time, and most importantly resources.

The exchange had opened the eyes of everyone present.

'Was this what you were trying to achieve by not coming to the exchange?'

Had he participated and won, some of the other House Heads might not have been as persuaded. However, by choosing not to compete and allowing the others to take part, they effectively opened the House Heads' eyes, revealing the gap between those from the Kasha and those from the Empires.

This made the negotiations extremely easy.

Looking at Julien once more, Rosanna had to keep her smile in check.

"To think he'd think so far...' The more she looked at him, the more impressed she became. Such a pity he wasn't from the Eastern Kasha.

As she lamented her situation, she glanced at the others, a faint smile gracing her lips, before reaching out her hand toward the door.

"If you all would follow me please..."

Despite her position, she spoke courteously, making the others feel more relaxed.

"There's a lot that we need to discuss. In the meantime, those from your Empires will be joining us soon."

Rosanna could already feel the presence of several powerful figures approaching their location.

They'd be here anytime soon.

***

Following the others past a long and wide corridor, I scratched the back of my head. For some reason, my neck was incredibly itchy.

That wasn't even the most troublesome part.

Oddly enough, the way the Head Elder looked at me felt somewhat weird. Whenever our eyes met, she'd return a kind and warm smile.

'It feels like she's misunderstanding something...'

But what exactly?

I wasn't too sure myself, but seeing how this wasn't a bad thing, I let it play on.

"She definitely misunderstood something."

Leon mumbled as he walked beside me. When I turned my head toward him, I noticed Caius walking alongside him, his expression calm and indifferent, his eyes bobbing up and down in agreement.

"She did."

"You two...?"

Leon ignored me and continued,

"I don't like this."

He looked at his hands.

"I feel somewhat disgusted and I don't even know why. It's as if he's taking credit for something he didn't even do..."

"...."

Caius didn't answer but instead squinted his eyes.

"It's likely she believes Julien intentionally skipped the exchange to let us stand out. His absence allowed the group's strengths to shine, which might have made her negotiations with the other Heads smoother since they didn't think we were as strong as them at the start."

Oh, wow.

Caius's words struck me like a bolt of lightning. The warm, yet pleasant gaze suddenly felt clear to me and the corner of my lip couldn't help but twitch.

'Is that so...?'

Well, it was the furthest thing from the truth, but in hindsight, his words do indeed make sense. Especially considering the timing at which I came back.

What a pleasant coincidence...

"What bullshit."

Of course, Leon was anything but happy with the situation. But what could he even do in this situation?

He had no idea where I had run off to, and as long as I didn't deny it, he wouldn't be able to

Say anything.

Ah, how satisfying... My chest unknowingly rose as I glanced at Leon. From his squinted eyes

To his downward-curving lips, he looked like someone who had just eaten shit.

'What a satisfying expression.'

It was such a pity that I didn't have my camera with me.

If only...

"We're here."

The Head Elder's voice pulled me from my thoughts as she led us into a vast hall. Upon entering, I noticed several dozen people gathered-some familiar, others unfamiliar. The hall was expansive, with tall pillars lining the sides, a spotless marble floor gleaming beneath our feet, and bright lights illuminating the space from above.

As we entered, all eyes fell on us.

"I've brought them."

Standing beside the Head Elders, I also noticed the Professors from the Academy, who had

Been summoned earlier by the Head Elder.

They looked somewhat embarrassed by our presence.

It couldn't be helped; they had been practically useless the entire time. Not that I blamed them-Julien's mother's spell had targeted them first, forcing them to leave us and create trouble with the other walls.

'I'm sure they'll get scolded by the Academy.'

I hoped they did. This way, they wouldn't send us out again. Even if the situation within the

Academy was worse...

I was rather exhausted.

'... It's a pity that I can't really decide how much I can rest.'

It all came down to the quests. While I wasn't exactly obligated to complete them, the

Rewards were far too valuable for me to pass up.

"I've already given the Professors a brief overview of our agreement, but I'll go over it again

So all of you can hear."

Rosanna Astrid began speaking, training our eyes in our direction while speaking.

"Given your role in helping us resolve many of our issues, the agreements will be extended to

Your Houses individually."

"Eh?"

"What did she just...?"

Several of the cadets showed looks of surprise, unable to fully understand the situation. I was also confused, not fully grasping the situation.

The only one who seemed to fully grasp the weight of the Head Elder's words was Aoife. Her eyes widened in surprise as she quietly mumbled, 'No way...'

Given her shock, this was surely something big.

I licked my lips in anticipation.

"I see that many of you are confused. What does it mean for our agreement to extend to your

Houses individually?"

She suddenly smiled.

"It means what it means. We will not have any trade deals with the Empires, but your Houses individually. The profits from the exchange will be shared amongst us in a fifty-fifty split." The Head Elder then began pointing at several people. Generally, they were the ones who had participated in the exchange, with me being the only exception.

Either way, it didn't really matter.

Leon and I belonged to the same Household.

"Of the Houses we've agreed to sign exclusive trading deals with, you eleven are the ones we

Believe have the most promising futures, and are therefore capable of upholding these deals

In the long term."

I could see the disappointment on the faces of several of the cadets who weren't selected, but

I understood where the Head Elder was coming from.

What she wanted was to maintain a good relationship with the top elites.

She likely saw us as the future leaders of the four Empires, and by securing trade deals with

Us, she aimed to maintain a close relationship. It was also a means to have us connected with

Them.

Considering the enormous profits the trades would bring to our households if anything were to happen to them, we'd have no choice but to come to their aid-unless, of course, we no

Longer cared for the profits, which was unlikely.

We were talking about a lot of money here. This was generally good news, but I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

'It would be nice if my Household were a good one, but considering the kind of person the

Family Head is, I'm not so sure a sudden deal like this would be a good thing.'

The deal would be like giving wings to a tiger.

There weren't many people who could scare me at this point, but something about Aldric

Genuinely made me feel uneasy.

He was someone that I couldn't read at all, and he was also someone who seemed to be able to

Read me completely.

I didn't know how to feel about the current deal.

"The Household becoming stronger and richer would benefit me too, especially if I want to acquire the Mirror Crack in Ellnor. But that's only if he's willing to provide the money for it.'

Once this was over, I needed to talk with Aldric again in order to strike a deal with him.

'...I'm sure I can work something out.'

"For those that haven't been called out, please don't worry. I'm sure all of you can understand

That we can't simply strike a deal with everyone. The reason why we chose the eleven of them

Is due to their contributions and talents."

The Head Elder didn't mince her words.

She directly told things as I figured them out to be.

"However, just because we aren't striking a deal with your family doesn't mean we aren't doing anything for you. If it's monetary compensation you're seeking for helping us here, we can provide it. If there's a resource you need, feel free to come to our treasury and take

Whatever you want. As friends of the Kasha, we will naturally treat you well."

Her words brought light to some of the cadets who previously looked disappointed. While

Their rewards paled in comparison to ours, which would bring a lot of money to our Households, their rewards were also quite good.

I watched the scene and nodded to myself.

'I guess that's fair.'

"Num... Num..."

I was a little envious though. I also wanted to choose something from the-

"Want some?"

"Sure."

Something sweet entered my mouth and I started chewing on it.

In any case,

"How is it?"

"Pretty good. A little too sweet tho-Uh?"

My body froze suddenly as I raised my head. A pair of black eyes stared back at me, squinting

At the side as if amused by my reaction, and my heart tightened in response.

Looking around me and seeing the world freeze, something formed at my throat as I managed

A soft mumble, "When did..."

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