SSS Talent: From Trash to Tyrant-Chapter 506: Meeting with the Directors [III]
The room emptied quickly after Selara spoke.
Chairs shifted back. Footsteps crossed the floor. The four students left first, each carrying the meeting away in a different manner. The wolf-lycan left steady. The bat-lycan did not waste a glance behind him. The two elves carried their resentment with them, quieter now, pressed down by Kaelen’s warning but not erased by it.
Kaelen was the next to go, crystal staff tapping once against the floor before he turned. Althea followed without a wasted motion, black fabric brushing past the table like a passing shadow. Eryndor gave Trafalgar a brief look on the way out, part amusement, part approval, and disappeared through the door as well.
That left only three people in the room.
Selara.
Aubrelle.
Trafalgar.
The change was immediate. The weight of authority had not vanished, but the room had lost its official edge. Trafalgar let a small portion of his own stiffness go with it.
"You wanted something, Selara?" he asked.
Selara’s head lifted at once. "Selara?" She put a hand to her chest in exaggerated offense. "Director Selara, if you’re feeling respectful. Or Professor Selara. I worked very hard to collect titles."
Trafalgar did not even try to look apologetic. "You wanted something, Director Selara?"
"Much better." Her smile returned at once. "And yes. I wanted details about the wedding."
That caught him off guard more than the meeting itself had.
’I thought she wanted to talk about the war. Or something worse.’
Aubrelle, meanwhile, seemed perfectly content with the direction of the conversation. She had already taken a seat and, without the blindfold, somehow looked even calmer than usual. Selara leaned across the table slightly, her pointed elven ears twitching with bright interest.
"I also noticed," Selara said, turning to her, "that you’ve finally stopped using that blindfold. It suits you to go without it."
"Thank you, Professor," Aubrelle replied, a soft smile touching her lips. "Would you like to hear the details? Sit down. I can tell you everything."
Selara sat faster than a woman with her status had any right to. Papers were pushed aside. One of the strange little tools near her elbow nearly rolled off the table before she caught it with two fingers and ignored it immediately after.
Trafalgar stayed where he was, standing a few steps away while the two of them fell into conversation with almost insulting ease.
Aubrelle began speaking in that smooth, measured voice of hers, and Selara listened like someone being handed state secrets. The more interesting the detail became, the more her ears shifted.
Trafalgar watched the scene in silence for a few beats.
’I feel out of place here.’
That feeling only grew stronger once Selara started asking follow-up questions.
"And what did he say when—"
"Did Pipin behave during the ceremony?"
"Wait, no, go back. Tell me what Aubrelle’s dress looked like in the light."
Trafalgar rubbed at his brow once and decided he had endured enough.
"Can I leave?" he asked.
Aubrelle gave a small nod, as if that was perfectly reasonable.
Selara lifted a finger. "Not yet. There’s one thing I need to tell you first."
Trafalgar stopped half a step into turning away. "And that is?"
"It’s about the final exams." Selara folded her hands over the table, suddenly sounding much more like a teacher than a curious spectator. "You know they’re close. Being from one of the Eight Great Families will not earn you any special treatment."
"I know," Trafalgar replied. "The academy makes that clear often enough."
"Good. Because that part is true." Her grin came back, lighter now. "Which is why I’m happy to inform you that you’ve already passed the cooking elective."
Trafalgar stared at her.
"What?"
Selara looked delighted by the reaction. "You heard me."
"I don’t have to do anything?"
"No. Consider it a gift." She waved a hand vaguely. "You clearly need one. It will let you focus on your other classes, especially the ones that are thick with theory. As for the practical side..." Her smile turned sly. "Judging by what I’ve heard from the war, I doubt that will be where you struggle."
He had not expected that. Not from her, and not today.
"I see," he said after a pause. "Thanks. I wasn’t expecting it."
"That’s because you lack imagination." Selara propped her chin on one hand. "You may go now, my dear Personal Chef. Though remember this carefully: if you want that passing grade to remain blessed and untroubled, you still owe me something good to eat."
Trafalgar did not bother answering that properly. He only lifted one hand in a brief parting gesture and headed for the door.
He had barely crossed the threshold when Selara’s voice floated after him.
"Is he always this curt?"
Aubrelle’s answer came smooth and immediate.
"He’s colder when you’re here."
"Ah." Selara sounded more amused than offended. "I see. Good. Continue."
Trafalgar did not stay to hear the rest.
By the time their voices faded behind him, he was already walking through the corridor toward the dormitory building. The academy had quieted more with evening approaching, though traces of movement remained here and there. A few students passed him on the stairs. Somewhere farther away, laughter rose and died.
His mind had already shifted elsewhere.
He needed to contact Caelum.
There were two things to deal with. Mayla, first. Darian, second.
Trafalgar’s pace stayed even as the thoughts arranged themselves.
’I’m still not sure whether to tell him about the Void Creatures. Not yet. Better to see him first. Better to measure how he’s handling everything with my own eyes.’ His mouth curved faintly, without humor. ’Still, having that much force under me is something. One of the Eight Great Families, tied to the bastard of the Morgains. It’s a start. And even that does not compare to Euclid. Next to a whole Great Family, Euclid is like a small country standing beside an entire continent.’
By the time he reached the circular platform that served as the lift, the thought had already narrowed into intent. The platform carried him upward toward the highest floor, the one reserved for heirs of the Great Families.
Only three people lived there.
Zafira.
Trafalgar.
Alfons.
He stepped off the platform when it stopped.
’I haven’t seen Alfons in a while, now that I think about it. Better that way. He’s exhausting. I wonder what he’s doing.’
A moment later he was inside his room, the door shut behind him. He kicked off his shoes without ceremony, crossed the space, and dropped onto the bed with a long breath.
A faint pulse of mana gathered over his palm.
The item materialized at once.
[Item – Shadowlink Echo, Rank - Rare]
Description: A compact mana-infused node capable of recording and transmitting encrypted voice messages over long distances. Requires a small infusion of mana to activate.
Trafalgar turned it once between his fingers.
’It’s been a while.’
He fed mana into it.
No waiting message came from Caelum, which was fine. Easier that way. Trafalgar held the item loosely and began to speak.
"Caelum, I need you to do two things. First, inform Father that I’m going to have another wife. It’s Mayla. He already knew about her, but I doubt he expects me to marry her. If he has any complaint, remind him that my SSS talent can remain mine alone if I choose. Second, the academy’s first year is ending soon. I need you to arrange a meeting with Darian. Tell him I want to see him. It’ll probably be in about a month."
The mana inside the Shadowlink Echo dimmed once the message finished transmitting.
Almost immediately, the item vibrated in his hand.
Trafalgar pushed mana into it again and listened.
Caelum’s voice emerged clear and calm.
"Young Master, understood. I will handle the meeting with Darian. I will go to him personally and inform him of your intentions. I can also say that he has, indeed, been doing well. I have kept an eye on him and on the decisions he has been making. Once a date is arranged, I will inform you. There is no need for concern. I will schedule it according to your availability."
A brief pause followed.
"Now, regarding your second wife. I will be honest with you, Young Master. Rumors will spread. I will try to suppress what I can, but this decision may invite movement against you. Until now, Mayla’s existence was largely hidden from the family. Only your adoptive father and a handful of others knew. Publicly acknowledging her may place her in danger."
Trafalgar lay back against the mattress and listened without interrupting.
Caelum continued in the same measured tone.
"That said, I do not believe Lord Valttair will oppose it. He has already made his position clear before. As long as you continue to support the family while he respects certain boundaries, the matter should remain manageable. Keep that in mind, but do not trouble yourself over it excessively. I will contact you again when I have more information about the meeting. For now, focus on your final exams."
The message ended.
The Shadowlink Echo dissolved from Trafalgar’s hand, breaking apart into threads of dim light before disappearing entirely.
He stared up at the ceiling for a while, one arm tucked behind his head.
’Good. That’s handled.’
The thought came easy enough this time.
’Now the exams.’
