Ch.274274. Saint Claudia seems to be really good at making jokes.

“Today, Lady Enna’s treatment is complete. You can consider her fully recovered now.”

“Saint Claudia, thank you so much for your hard work.”

“It’s nothing. I thought I might have to leave without seeing you, so I was quite fortunate.”

A light tea time with Saint Claudia in the reception room.

I nodded while holding the teacup in my hand.

“The treatment took longer than expected, didn’t it?”

“I deliberately took my time. That way, I could see Lord Selden Alphonse one more time.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m joking. Was it funny?”

Then, finding something amusing, Saint Claudia covered her mouth with her hand and began to chuckle.

It was clear that her madness had crept up on her at some point.

I had gone to Estella territory and met Lillian, Bianca, and the current Guardian Corps members, and even Rupert.

After returning to Lake territory, I avoided meeting Saint Claudia under the pretext of Guardian Corps training.

On top of that, I attended a noble gathering where I met Isabel Montero and even visited the Montero family.

Quite some time had passed, so how was Saint Claudia still here?

I definitely felt that this wasn’t a joke.

Though I felt a chill, I quickly composed my expression and spoke casually.

“Haha… I suppose it’s time for you to return, Saint.”

“Are you disappointed?”

“Of course. You’ve been such a tremendous help to me all this time.”

“Then should I establish a Lake temple here in the territory?”

And once again, Saint Claudia smiled brightly.

Hiding my bewildered expression, I set my teacup down on the table.

“Saint Claudia, you really do have a talent for jokes.”

“I’m not joking though?”

“…Pardon?”

“Oh, looking at your face, you fell for it again! It was a joke!”

Why did I still feel so uneasy even though Saint Claudia kept saying it was a joke?

I needed some kind of countermeasure.

It would be troublesome if I maintained this relationship and ended up getting entangled, wouldn’t it?

I used to think that the more connections, the better.

I thought they might be useful to me someday.

However, I realized it was unnecessary.

I already had enough complications with two princesses; there was no need to add another woman.

Especially not Saint Claudia with her mad character.

I made my eyes light up as if I’d just remembered something.

“Seeing Saint Claudia reminds me that I’d like to introduce you to some colleagues I respect.”

“…Colleagues?”

“Yes, Serion Lycus and Rio Sergan—they’re much more handsome and impressive than I am.”

“Handsome…? More than Lord Selden Alphonse…?”

“Everyone has different tastes, but Serion Lycus in particular is truly handsome.”

He wasn’t the protagonist for nothing.

Plus, his personality wasn’t rotten like mine; he was a gentleman with good manners.

He was so pushed around by crazy women that people said his story was like a sweet potato—too frustrating to handle.

Saint Claudia clapped her hands as if expressing joy and continued.

“Then we should meet them sometime. Though I don’t expect them to be more handsome than Lord Selden Alphonse.”

“Haha! Their personalities are excellent too. After all, a man isn’t just about his looks, is he?”

“Yes, he is.”

“…Pardon?”

Wondering if this was another joke, I blinked, but Saint Claudia adjusted her posture and put on a serious expression.

“When you first meet someone, you can’t gauge their personality, so looks are everything.”

“…Is that so? I prioritize personality when looking at women, so I wouldn’t know.”

“Then what do you think of my personality?”

At Saint Claudia’s question, I smiled meaningfully.

“Saint Claudia, your personality is truly exceptional. If you hadn’t chosen the profession of a saint and were free to date, I think you would have been aloof and not clingy to men at all.”

As I described the complete opposite of her image, Saint Claudia showed a slightly perplexed expression.

“…Aloof?”

“Yes. Now, as a holy saint serving God, you always speak kindly, but if you weren’t a saint, I think you would have been quite cold.”

“Ah… so you mean Lord Selden Alphonse prefers someone a bit aloof and cold?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And naturally, someone who doesn’t cling to others?”

“Correct.”

Saint Claudia suddenly stood up before our conversation had even finished.

I tilted my head at her abrupt action.

“Oh, where are you going?”

Then, Saint Claudia raised her chin high and spoke in a dry tone.

“…I’ll be taking my leave now.”

*

“Is everyone finding the food to their liking?”

At a light dinner with Rupert and the prospective professors.

In response to my question, the professors flinched and began to offer their comments one by one.

-I’ve visited Lumestia territory many times, but the food in Lake territory is even better.

-I’m quite picky about food, but I won’t have to worry about that in Lake territory, as the cuisine is excellent.

-Thank you so much for serving such exquisite food.

-Indeed. Especially the omelet with honey—it’s a dish one can’t get even with money.

-That’s right. Due to the climate, honey is much more abundant in the southern continent, making honey-related dishes rare in the eastern continent.

-It’s truly an honor to share Lord Selden Alphonse’s taste in food.

What was this atmosphere in the conversation?

How should I put it? Soulless?

It felt like a boss talking with subordinates.

I thought these professors who couldn’t stand Headmaster Giselle’s wrongdoings would speak their minds more freely, but perhaps it was still difficult for them?

Well, how much suffering must they have endured?

Being blacklisted by the Academy Association and unable to find employment must have been hellish.

But then.

Suddenly someone appears who doesn’t care about the Academy Association and offers professor positions saying they just need to teach students well—of course they’d be respectful.

I smiled awkwardly, and Rupert wiped his mouth lightly with a napkin before speaking.

“The professors have all been praising the food while staying at the mansion.”

“Is that so? By the way, the houses where the professors will stay are currently under construction in the northern area.”

Since this was a formal occasion, I spoke respectfully out of courtesy, which seemed to surprise Rupert a bit.

He quickly regained his composure and continued calmly.

“We, we are quite satisfied staying here.”

“No, this place is quite far from the academy, and with many people in the mansion, it can get noisy at times. Each of you will have your own house so you can focus entirely on the students, so please don’t worry about it.”

“Ah…”

“Of course, within the academy building itself, we’re also preparing private rooms for professors to work comfortably and even personal bedrooms where you can rest briefly.”

I deliberately spoke casually as if it were nothing special, and the eyes of the professors at the dinner table began to sparkle.

They must think they’ve hit the jackpot.

However, there’s an underlying premise that they must work hard.

With such good benefits, they’ll need to give their best in their assigned duties.

Rupert glanced at the expressions of the professors and then put on a somewhat triumphant face.

“The professors are prepared to teach the students of Lake Academy far better than those at other academies.”

“As they should. That’s why I mentioned offering double the salary you received before, didn’t I?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

These were professors who either stood up against Headmaster Giselle’s wrongdoings and were dismissed or resigned on their own.

While they were certainly people of good character, that was separate from teaching students well at the academy.

Therefore.

I judged it necessary to apply some pressure.

After all, I had invested a considerable amount of money here.

“In the future, please feel free to speak up about anything you might need. I want this to be the best academy in the eastern continent, so I’m prepared to make appropriate investments.”

“I understand your meaning perfectly, young master. When do you plan to start recruiting students?”

“We should begin soon.”

Rupert seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before carefully continuing.

“Will you really implement the tiered tuition system based on social class that you mentioned before?”

“Of course.”

“Then may I ask how you plan to make noble children want to attend Lake Academy despite this tiered tuition system?”

The professors at the dinner table were curious too, as they perked up their ears.

Knock-knock!

Just then, Federicks entered the dining room with a knock and bowed respectfully.

“Young master, if you’ve finished your meal, I’ll prepare dessert.”

“Federicks.”

“Yes, sir?”

As Federicks was about to turn and leave after finishing his statement, I stopped him and with a mischievous smile, I tilted my chin slightly.

“I need to send a letter to my father-in-law.”