The news of Arvin Vedegra's blatant proposal to Ordion in Class 1-C spread at an impossible speed. The news was not only the hottest topic among the students during their break, but it had also pierced through the thick walls of the faculty lounge, finally reaching the ears of Dean Saires in his office.
Inside his spacious workspace filled with shelves of thick books, Dean Saires sat back in his grand chair. The middle-aged man rubbed the bridge of his nose, which had suddenly started to throb with pain.
"Good grief, that boy..." Dean Saires muttered softly at his desk, letting out a long sigh. "This is the first time a proposal has exploded in the middle of academy hours. Furthermore, it is a proposal between two male students."
Even though he had known about Arvin's orientation and had accepted Alrain earlier that morning, the scale of the commotion Arvin caused this time was completely beyond the Dean's expectations.
Not long after, in the midst of Saires' musings about how he should draft a report for the royal family, a sound came from the door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The knocking was steady and firm.
"Come in!" Dean Saires answered from his desk, slightly adjusting his seating position.
Creak...
As the door was pushed open, Dean Saires widened his eyes slightly. He was utterly shocked to see that the person who had just knocked was the very source of the trouble currently giving him a headache: none other than Arvin Vedegra.
The blue-haired student stepped in casually, his expression calm as if he hadn't just caused the entire academy population to nearly have a heart attack. Recognizing his guest, Dean Saires immediately understood why Arvin had come to see him at this hour.
"Please sit down, Arvin." Dean Saires said, gesturing to the chair across from his desk.
Once Arvin was seated, Saires cut straight to the point. "Have you come to see me this time because you want to handle all the document regarding Ordion from Class 1-C?"
The question Dean Saires fired was a direct hit. It made Arvin offer a thin smile, feeling he didn't need to bother explaining his purpose from the start.
"You are correct, Dean Saires." Arvin answered directly, looking at the middle-aged man with his sharp and serious. "And please remove Ordion's name from the commoner scholarship list. I will also have him move out of the academy dormitory today so he can live with us at the mansion."
Arvin paused for a moment, adding emphasis to his final request. "Also, once this break is over, please transfer him to Class 1-A, so we can all be in the same class."
Dean Saires noted the request in his mind. Given Arvin's status, transferring a student and canceling a scholarship to cover the costs personally was not an impossible task.
"Very well, that can be arranged easily." the Dean replied. "Is that your only wish this time?" Dean Saires asked for confirmation, preparing to pick up a quill and a form.
"Yes, for the matter of Ordion, that is all!" Arvin answered firmly yet kept his tone polite. "But..."
Arvin leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became much heavier and more pressing.
"...if you are asking whether there is anything else I want overall, the answer is yes. I want to take over this entire academy so it is completely under the name and power of the Vedegra family."
Hearing the request delivered in such an overly relaxed tone, Dean Saires froze. His hand, which had just reached for a quill, stopped in mid-air. The middle-aged man stared at his student with an expression of shock he couldn't hide at all.
"W-What? Take over the academy?" Saires repeated, his voice trembling slightly. "Do you truly understand the meaning of your request and words, Arvin? This academy is under the protection of the kingdom!"
"I am very certain, and I understand perfectly what I am saying!" Arvin answered firmly.
Without much talk, Arvin reached into his dimensional storage space. He took out five large coins that emitted a blinding white glow with the image of a king's crown and placed them on the Dean's desk.
Clink! Clink!
The sound of the precious metal hitting the wooden desk echoed. Those five coins were no ordinary money.
"5 Platinums!" Arvin said calmly, naming the highest currency denomination in Astoria Kingdom. An amount that was even enough to buy a small town and everything in it. "I will pay for the takeover of this academy in full, right now!"
Dean Saires' eyes bulged at the sight of the 5 Platinums lying there on his desk like pocket change. He swallowed hard with great difficulty.
"What... what exactly is your reason for wanting to take over this academy at such a high cost?" Saires asked in a tone now filled with caution.
"I want this academy is truly free from bullying and oppression!" Arvin answered without a hint of doubt, his eyes flashing with an undeniable resolve. "Until now, if we only rely on your authority as a Dean, you certainly have limits to your power, especially when facing spoiled students from high-ranking noble lineages."
Arvin leaned forward slightly. "In fact, you know yourself that the royal family often turns a blind eye and is reluctant to interfere in disputes between noble factions here. If this rotten system continues, there will never be a safe place for talented commoners, like Allen and Ordion, to get a peaceful and proper education in this academy."
The explanation coming from the mouth of the student who had been labeled as a 'troubled student' and the 'King of Terror' hit Dean Saires like a sledgehammer.
He is right in what he says. Saires thought, secretly feeling impressed and struck by the firmness and thinking of his student that far exceeded his age. Until now, if the perpetrator of oppression was only from a noble family at the level of a Count or Baron, I could still hand out punishments and fight back. But if the perpetrator comes from a Marquis family or even the Royal family, I am powerless to protect students from the common folk.
Saires looked intently at Arvin's face. This studentwas not trying to buy power to be abused. He was buying absolute protection. It seemed that transferring ownership and protection of the academy to the Vedegra family, a family that neutral and feared no one in this kingdom, was a very appropriate step so that the ingrained chain of oppression in this academy could soon end.