Chapter 164: Negotiations for the Future (1/2)
Mike woke at his usual time, and grabbed a quick breakfast before heading out. The rest of his party had been pretty exhausted last night, so he tried to avoid waking any of them up. A few of the other inhabitants of the dorm were up and moving, but it looked like the majority were also late sleepers.
While he was walking towards his first class, and by extension the meeting with the Headmaster, he spent some time firming his resolve in preparation for turning down the offered nobility. For all the benefits he would reap from the promotion, the accompanying obligations were too much for him.
There were a pair of figures standing outside his Basic Elemental Magic classroom. He recognized his advisor and Instructor Johnathan as they walked forward to meet him.
”Have you made your decision?” Emmanuel asked neutrally.
”I have.”
The older mage nodded, ”Just so you know, whatever you decided, you will continue to be a student of the University.”
Mike wondered if that had even been in question, but not wanting to spoil the sentiment, he returned the nod politely.
”Well, get in there already. I've got a class to teach, and I can't rightly do that with the two of you jawing.” Johnathan broke in, waving him on with a shooing motion.
Not needing to be told twice, Mike stepped forward and opened the door. The Headmaster was waiting near the chalkboard on the far side of the room, staring off into space with his arms behind his back. At the sound of Mike's approach, he turned.
”So good of you to come. I was planning on asking you if you had come to a decision, but due to the events of last night, it doesn't really matter.”
”Ah, so you know about what happened.” Mike replied sheepishly.
”Of course. It's not every day that a full size dragon flies into the center of a residential district in the middle of the night, and roars loud enough to shatter every window in a half-kilometer radius.”
Mike winced, he hadn't really noticed the collateral damage in the heat of the moment.
As if confirming something for himself, the Headmaster nodded subtly, then continued. ”Don't worry about compensation, the Embassy of Nirethial is footing the bill for the damages. I believe they are interested in making amends for instigating a fight in the middle of the city. The whole affair has given the Prime Minister enough reason to postpone further diplomatic talks with the group, until the intentions of the Dragonknights can be fully discerned. All in all, the kingdom came out ahead, thanks to you.”
Taking a moment to think about the situation, Mike finally came to a realization. ”You can't offer me a title anymore, since it would comprise my standing as a diplomatic representative of the Dragonknights. Now that my identity has been more or less revealed, you can't afford to have anyone question my authenticity.”
”Close. You are wrong on two factors, though. Your identity remains secret, for now. However, the only thing keeping it hidden is the pressure we are applying to the Sun Elves. The events of last night have given us more than enough to hold over them in the short term, but it would probably be wise to act in the knowledge that you will be exposed at some point in the future.”
Alexander ran a hand across his bald pate. A nervous tic, from the looks of it. ”The second problem, is that people are already questioning your authenticity. After all, you've remained secretive. An enigma that many countries are trying to unravel. Thankfully, the sheer difficulty of acquiring a true dragon ally means that most will believe, simply due to your summoned creature, that you are who we claim you to be. As such, there should be no issue silencing dissenters, at least in the near future.”
”That's good.”
”Indeed. Now, as you mentioned previously, due to the delicate nature of the diplomatic situation, we can no longer offer you a position amongst our aristocracy. I was tasked with passing along the Prime Minister's hopes that we can continue to maintain a good relationship despite this. After all, in the coming conflict, we will need all the assistance we can get.”
It was Mike's turn to rub the back of his head. This complicated political stuff was a little over his head. He'd managed so far, thanks to what he recalled from the stories he'd read in his previous life, but it was starting to be too much.
Figuring that since they were essentially taking advantage of his existence, he might as well be equally shameless. ”While I have no problem continuing to assist the Kingdom of Almir, especially since I live here, I do expect to be compensated for my efforts.”
This brought a smile to the Headmaster's face. ”Of course. We expected no less.”
Sensing that he wanted to end the conversation early, Mike broke in. ”Before we conclude this conversation, I do believe we need to discuss my participation in the war.”
The older man cocked an eyebrow, ”Oh? Do you have some concerns?”