“Hey Sopheina. Who asked for your opinion?”
At the words of Duke Ksaki, who was full of sarcasm and mockery, the shoulders of Sopheina, who was the deputy chief director at the time, shook.
Not only did he call Sopheina into the mansion as if she were his servant, but he also gave her an order out of the blue.
Even though Sopheina was a commoner, she was still the vice-president of an organization. She was definitely not someone who deserved such lowly treatment.
The self-esteem and sense of accomplishment that had been built up to this point through sheer skill was being terribly crushed by Duke Ksaki's every word and action.
But even the proud Sopheina could not say anything in front of Duke Ksaki.
The Ksaki family had recently promised Sopheina the position of the next director.
Originally, the head of the necromancer training institute was to be chosen by the imperial family, but in reality, everyone in the educational community knew that the Ksaki family, a prestigious necromancer family, had a strong influence.
The Ksaki family recommended Sopheina, a commoner but very capable, to the imperial family as the next chief director.
And the Serk Empire appointed Sopheina as the next director without much objection.
In half a year, when the current director steps down, Sopheina will become the first commoner to become a director.
The reason she was suddenly summoned today and came quietly to this arranged meeting was because she was grateful to the Ksaki family for giving her this opportunity.
If Sopheina had known she would hear such things here, she would have made up some excuse not to come.
“Deputy Director Sopheina, did you find what I said difficult? You’re smart, so I thought you’d understand this right away.”
“... I understood, but.”
Who said I didn't understand? It's something I don't want to do.
They had just given Sopheina the order to make the Princess of the Ksaki family who would be entering school next year into an imperial necromancer.
Imperial Necromancers are a select group of elites who must not only have the highest grades in their educational institutions, but also have letters of recommendation from various dignitaries, and above all, possess mana abilities that surpass those of their generation.
Most of the first-generation necromancers belong to this class, and those from the next generation are a privileged class that cannot even be looked at unless they are extremely good.
So, what Duke Ksaki meant was that instead of promoting Sopheina to the position of director, she should manipulate the grades and abilities of the Ksaki family's students and use them to make them have the skills to match.
'So that's why.'
Recently, there have been no first-generation necromancers from the Ksaki family. Despite this, they have continued to promote the necromancers of their family to the imperial family as if generation is not an issue.
Until she received the offer from the Duke today, Sopheina had always thought that students from prestigious necromancer schools were different.
But that's actually all...
How long have you been making secret deals with the director?
Perhaps the reason he readily recommended Sopheina as the director was that she was a commoner and therefore easy to manipulate.
Even the former heads of institutions who pretended to be noble have responded to such proposals until now.
Disgust welled up from the depths of her heart.
Sopheina opened her mouth after biting her lip.
“How can I... do something like that...”
Love for her students? There is no such thing. From her days as an ordinary professor to her current status as deputy director, she has never once been an object of respect for her students.
They are all adults who received God's love, and their descendants.
Whether they were nobles or commoners, they were treated the best in Serk simply because they were necromancers. The professors were all busy trying to please them, but among them, Sopheina was one of those who felt the most resistance to this.
Even though she couldn't understand what the professor, who was a believer in the God of Death, was thinking, she hated the situation where she had to please her students, who were not believers in the God of Death.
So, rather than working hard for the sake of students, she worked hard for fame and money.
So, she wasn't trying to say that it couldn't be done for the sake of fairness among students or anything like that.
The Duke's proposal is literally something she cannot do.
“I don’t know what level the student’s ability is, but I think it’s possible to create a grade that would allow her to apply for a position as a necromancer directly under the imperial household, as instructed by the Duke.”
Grades are just a numbers game anyway. The professor who grades them decides arbitrarily. Unless you are really bad at something, grades don't really matter.
But the problem came next.
“But the right to select a necromancer directly under the imperial family lies entirely with the imperial family. It’s not something that can be selected based on mere grades.”
This is something that even the Ksaki family cannot touch. The necromancer exists solely to protect the Imperial Family. The Emperor himself sees and selects them without any influence from anyone.
Grades can be manipulated, but skills cannot be manipulated.
How could Sopheina, who is not even a necromancer, raise the skills of a student who is not even at the level of a direct imperial official to such an absurdly high level?
Duke Ksaki laughed heartily at Sopheina's words as if he had expected it. Then he turned his upper body back and spoke arrogantly.
“Deputy director, many people have held the position of director, but there has never been a professor as capable as you.”
“...”
“All previous directors have been able to do it. Why can’t you? You can definitely make the Princess a necromancer directly under the royal family.”
As the Duke of Ksaki gestured, the butler placed a jewel in front of her.
“...What is this?”
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
It was a jewel that glowed red, just like the eyes of a necromancer.
As Sopheina carefully lifted it up, Duke Ksaki snickered and said.
“It is a jewel that absorbs the mana of death.”
“Absorbs the mana of death?”
“And it allows the user to release the gathered mana at will.”
“...It’s similar to the principle of a jewel that a necromancer uses to store his soul.”
Ta-aak!
At the words of Duke Ksaki, who was full of sarcasm and mockery, the shoulders of Sopheina, who was the deputy chief director at the time, shook.
Not only did he call Sopheina into the mansion as if she were his servant, but he also gave her an order out of the blue.
Even though Sopheina was a commoner, she was still the vice-president of an organization. She was definitely not someone who deserved such lowly treatment.
The self-esteem and sense of accomplishment that had been built up to this point through sheer skill was being terribly crushed by Duke Ksaki's every word and action.
But even the proud Sopheina could not say anything in front of Duke Ksaki.
The Ksaki family had recently promised Sopheina the position of the next director.
Originally, the head of the necromancer training institute was to be chosen by the imperial family, but in reality, everyone in the educational community knew that the Ksaki family, a prestigious necromancer family, had a strong influence.
The Ksaki family recommended Sopheina, a commoner but very capable, to the imperial family as the next chief director.
And the Serk Empire appointed Sopheina as the next director without much objection.
In half a year, when the current director steps down, Sopheina will become the first commoner to become a director.
The reason she was suddenly summoned today and came quietly to this arranged meeting was because she was grateful to the Ksaki family for giving her this opportunity.
If Sopheina had known she would hear such things here, she would have made up some excuse not to come.
“Deputy Director Sopheina, did you find what I said difficult? You’re smart, so I thought you’d understand this right away.”
“... I understood, but.”
Who said I didn't understand? It's something I don't want to do.
They had just given Sopheina the order to make the Princess of the Ksaki family who would be entering school next year into an imperial necromancer.
Imperial Necromancers are a select group of elites who must not only have the highest grades in their educational institutions, but also have letters of recommendation from various dignitaries, and above all, possess mana abilities that surpass those of their generation.
Most of the first-generation necromancers belong to this class, and those from the next generation are a privileged class that cannot even be looked at unless they are extremely good.
So, what Duke Ksaki meant was that instead of promoting Sopheina to the position of director, she should manipulate the grades and abilities of the Ksaki family's students and use them to make them have the skills to match.
'So that's why.'
Recently, there have been no first-generation necromancers from the Ksaki family. Despite this, they have continued to promote the necromancers of their family to the imperial family as if generation is not an issue.
Until she received the offer from the Duke today, Sopheina had always thought that students from prestigious necromancer schools were different.
But that's actually all...
How long have you been making secret deals with the director?
Perhaps the reason he readily recommended Sopheina as the director was that she was a commoner and therefore easy to manipulate.
Even the former heads of institutions who pretended to be noble have responded to such proposals until now.
Disgust welled up from the depths of her heart.
Sopheina opened her mouth after biting her lip.
“How can I... do something like that...”
Love for her students? There is no such thing. From her days as an ordinary professor to her current status as deputy director, she has never once been an object of respect for her students.
They are all adults who received God's love, and their descendants.
Whether they were nobles or commoners, they were treated the best in Serk simply because they were necromancers. The professors were all busy trying to please them, but among them, Sopheina was one of those who felt the most resistance to this.
Even though she couldn't understand what the professor, who was a believer in the God of Death, was thinking, she hated the situation where she had to please her students, who were not believers in the God of Death.
So, rather than working hard for the sake of students, she worked hard for fame and money.
So, she wasn't trying to say that it couldn't be done for the sake of fairness among students or anything like that.
The Duke's proposal is literally something she cannot do.
“I don’t know what level the student’s ability is, but I think it’s possible to create a grade that would allow her to apply for a position as a necromancer directly under the imperial household, as instructed by the Duke.”
Grades are just a numbers game anyway. The professor who grades them decides arbitrarily. Unless you are really bad at something, grades don't really matter.
But the problem came next.
“But the right to select a necromancer directly under the imperial family lies entirely with the imperial family. It’s not something that can be selected based on mere grades.”
This is something that even the Ksaki family cannot touch. The necromancer exists solely to protect the Imperial Family. The Emperor himself sees and selects them without any influence from anyone.
Grades can be manipulated, but skills cannot be manipulated.
How could Sopheina, who is not even a necromancer, raise the skills of a student who is not even at the level of a direct imperial official to such an absurdly high level?
Duke Ksaki laughed heartily at Sopheina's words as if he had expected it. Then he turned his upper body back and spoke arrogantly.
“Deputy director, many people have held the position of director, but there has never been a professor as capable as you.”
“...”
“All previous directors have been able to do it. Why can’t you? You can definitely make the Princess a necromancer directly under the royal family.”
As the Duke of Ksaki gestured, the butler placed a jewel in front of her.
“...What is this?”
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
It was a jewel that glowed red, just like the eyes of a necromancer.
As Sopheina carefully lifted it up, Duke Ksaki snickered and said.
“It is a jewel that absorbs the mana of death.”
“Absorbs the mana of death?”
“And it allows the user to release the gathered mana at will.”
“...It’s similar to the principle of a jewel that a necromancer uses to store his soul.”
Ta-aak!
Duke Ksaki snapped his fingers and nodded as if to confirm that statement.
“Your task is simple. Just steadily collect the death mana in that jewel and give it to the Princess.”
“How can I gather the mana of death...”
The mana of death is something that only necromancers can handle. That's why necromancers are special.
Then Duke Ksaki said, stroking his bulging belly as if it were nothing.
“Is the Mana of Death something special? It’s just something that comes out when a person dies.”
"...Yes?"
He stopped in front of Sopheina. Then Duke Ksaki chuckled and nodded.
“The current director mainly uses the employees of the institution to replenish mana.”
At that moment, Sopeina thought about the constant falling accidents that occurred in the servants' quarters every month.
Sopheina's face turned pale, but the Duke paid no attention and spoke.
“But Deputy director, the power of the necromancer weakens with each generation, and to be honest, our Princess is not that strong right now.”
“...What do you want to say?”
“I need more mana than ever before. How can I obtain much more mana than I have been able to gather so far?”
Sopheina looked at the Duke's face with a trembling voice. Was he really a human? Was he a demon of greed in human form?
She has never felt such disgust and fear as she does now. As Sopheina stared at the jewels in disbelief, the Duke approached her and spoke secretly.
“Come to think of it, there is a way. Aren’t there people who have much more death mana in their bodies than others? In your organs.”
“Oh, Your Highness!”
What are you talking about now...! Are you saying that I should sacrifice not only the servants but also the Necromancer students?
The Duke spoke without any guilt.
“Don’t touch the nobles. Focus on the common necromancers. You’re smart, so you should be able to avoid being caught, right?”
“That! ...What if I refuse? What if I say I won’t do it?”
No matter how much she thinks about it, she can't do something so crazy. Even if it means giving up her position as the director. She can't do something so scary. Isn't that murder?
The sun God that Sopheina believes in will never allow this to happen.
But the Duke said something even crueler.
“If you refuse, you will help increase the power of this jewel.”
“Are you saying that you’re going to kill me?”
“Of course. Haven’t you already heard the whole story? It’s a secret between the director and our Ksaki family. If someone other than the director knows about it and is still alive, that would be a real problem.”
“...”
You crazy man.
In the first place, Sopheina probably had no choice.
The Duke looked down at her and said.
“Will you die? Or will you enjoy the honor of being the director?”
“Your task is simple. Just steadily collect the death mana in that jewel and give it to the Princess.”
“How can I gather the mana of death...”
The mana of death is something that only necromancers can handle. That's why necromancers are special.
Then Duke Ksaki said, stroking his bulging belly as if it were nothing.
“Is the Mana of Death something special? It’s just something that comes out when a person dies.”
"...Yes?"
He stopped in front of Sopheina. Then Duke Ksaki chuckled and nodded.
“The current director mainly uses the employees of the institution to replenish mana.”
At that moment, Sopeina thought about the constant falling accidents that occurred in the servants' quarters every month.
Sopheina's face turned pale, but the Duke paid no attention and spoke.
“But Deputy director, the power of the necromancer weakens with each generation, and to be honest, our Princess is not that strong right now.”
“...What do you want to say?”
“I need more mana than ever before. How can I obtain much more mana than I have been able to gather so far?”
Sopheina looked at the Duke's face with a trembling voice. Was he really a human? Was he a demon of greed in human form?
She has never felt such disgust and fear as she does now. As Sopheina stared at the jewels in disbelief, the Duke approached her and spoke secretly.
“Come to think of it, there is a way. Aren’t there people who have much more death mana in their bodies than others? In your organs.”
“Oh, Your Highness!”
What are you talking about now...! Are you saying that I should sacrifice not only the servants but also the Necromancer students?
The Duke spoke without any guilt.
“Don’t touch the nobles. Focus on the common necromancers. You’re smart, so you should be able to avoid being caught, right?”
“That! ...What if I refuse? What if I say I won’t do it?”
No matter how much she thinks about it, she can't do something so crazy. Even if it means giving up her position as the director. She can't do something so scary. Isn't that murder?
The sun God that Sopheina believes in will never allow this to happen.
But the Duke said something even crueler.
“If you refuse, you will help increase the power of this jewel.”
“Are you saying that you’re going to kill me?”
“Of course. Haven’t you already heard the whole story? It’s a secret between the director and our Ksaki family. If someone other than the director knows about it and is still alive, that would be a real problem.”
“...”
You crazy man.
In the first place, Sopheina probably had no choice.
The Duke looked down at her and said.
“Will you die? Or will you enjoy the honor of being the director?”
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