Chapter 4: The Price of a Future

“I’d like to recommend a path that might be more suitable for you,” the principal said, his expression one of kindly benevolence. “Child, have you any interest in becoming a local priest?”

“Aren’t all the local priest positions filled?” Levi asked.

“No, no, the position for the Gray River District is still vacant,” the principal said hurriedly.

‘So, that means no,’ Levi thought to himself.

He was very familiar with the Gray River District; it was where he was from. It was one of the city’s slums, with the worst infrastructure and the lowest property values. The area was teeming with impoverished locals and foreign immigrants who had drifted into the empire, the majority of whom were the much-despised people from the Scorched Lands.

According to Church regulations, every district in a city should have a resident priest. But the post in the Gray River District had been empty for years. The residents there were almost entirely unwilling to donate, showed little interest in church activities, and made it nearly impossible to complete tasks assigned by the upper echelons of the Church.

As the empire expanded through conquest, it branded numerous foreign religions as heresy. Immigrants were generally resistant to the Holy Sect of Salvation, the state religion of the empire. The small chapel in the Gray River District was in a state of disrepair, with hardly a single intact window—most had been shattered by stones secretly thrown by the immigrants.

In other words, it was anything but a good post. The principal had clearly not read his file carefully, assuming he was just another poor student.

“Please don’t mock me for my origins, Principal,” Levi said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I grew up in the Gray River District. I know the situation there better than you do. No one wants to be the priest there. It’s a miserable job.”

The principal froze for a moment, then let out an awkward, dry laugh. “Is that so? I really wasn’t aware…”

“Principal, I think there are some things we can be open about,” Levi said, his expression turning serious. “Are you hoping I’ll give up my place for advancement?”

He was beginning to grasp the principal’s true intentions.

“I just feel that staying here might be more appropriate for you…” the principal continued his hollow pleasantries.

“So my place should go to someone more suitable? I wonder, what price is that ‘more suitable’ person willing to pay for it?” Levi cut straight to the point.

Only a handful of students from the regional academy could advance to the Holy See each year, but Levi was confident he was a strong contender.

The principal’s every word hinted at wanting him to abandon his advancement, which meant someone else would take the spot that should have been his.

It was hard to say exactly how much a spot at the capital’s Holy See Academy was worth, but it certainly wasn’t cheap. Levi didn’t believe for a second that the principal was trying to manipulate this without some personal gain involved.

“This… Are you suggesting you want someone to pay you to give up your advancement?” the principal feigned confusion.

Levi suppressed the urge to retort with sarcasm. The principal was a true actor, trying to sell the spot himself while painting Levi as the greedy one.

“There’s no point in speaking like this, Principal. You called me here because you hoped we could reach an agreement, correct?” Levi spread his hands. “If you keep beating around the bush, this conversation can’t move forward.”

The principal remained silent for a long moment before finally chuckling.

Unlike the kind and gentle facade he had maintained earlier, his expression was now much sharper, like a merchant ready to discuss business.

“Alright, you are indeed ‘clever’,” the principal nodded. “Then I’ll be direct. As long as you give up your advancement and sell me this thesis, I can negotiate a good price for you. One hundred silver coins.”

“Sell my thesis?” Levi frowned slightly.

“To be fair, your paper is truly excellent—its perspective is unique. Submitted to the higher Church, it would be a significant bonus for your application. Since you won’t be advancing, the paper is of little use to you. Better to sell it to someone who needs it,” the principal pressed his advantage. “And if you’re willing to forfeit your results from the advancement exam as well, the payment can be doubled.”

“So not only ghostwrite the thesis, but also take the exam for someone else?” Levi maintained a calm exterior. “Are you sure this won’t be discovered?”

“Child, the advancement exam is held right here. Have you forgotten who runs this academy?” The principal laughed heartily.

He was pleased to be making a direct deal with the boy. From the very beginning, his goal had been to transfer Levi’s spot to someone else. Given Levi’s consistent academic performance and this thesis, his chances of success were high.

The value of a spot at the capital’s Holy See Academy could be worth tens of thousands of silver coins. If it were up for auction, the wealthy locals with children would likely come to blows in the auction house.

When he heard Levi was from the Gray River District, Principal Nabo’s first instinct had been to frown. He had known Levi was a poor student, but he hadn’t realized he was from the slums. To have a student from the slums in this Southwest Holy Academy was, in his mind, a disgrace that lowered the entire institution’s prestige.

But he quickly saw the bright side. Since the boy lacked money and connections, he could be easily placated with coin, and it wouldn’t even have to be much. In other words, he could be bought off cheaply. Two hundred silver sun coins would cover a common family’s expenses for half a year. It was a paltry sum to Principal Nabo, but it ought to be more than enough to tempt a pauper from the slums.

“May I ask who I would be writing and taking the exam for?” Levi asked, feigning curiosity.

“That is something you don’t need to know,” the principal replied dismissively. “You just need to take the money and do the job. I will arrange everything else.”

“Is it Viscount Dumpty’s daughter?” Levi attacked from an unexpected angle.

The principal, not expecting such an accurate guess, widened his eyes instinctively. He quickly composed himself, his brow furrowing into a serious frown. “Don’t make wild guesses!”

He had hit the mark. Levi read the answer in the man’s fleeting expression.

It seemed what Camilla had said was true. Viscount Dumpty and Principal Nabo really did have a connection. The viscount had likely asked the principal to find a way to secure Camilla’s advancement long ago.

Levi’s lips curled into a silent, cold sneer. He couldn’t help it.

The fruits of all his hard work—and this wretched old man before him wanted to buy it and hand it over to his sworn enemy. He could see the utter lack of sincerity in Nabo’s offer. From the suggestion he become a priest in the Gray River District to the offer of two hundred silver coins, the principal had been trying to get rid of this poor student on the cheap from the very beginning.

“Are you ready to accept?” The principal misinterpreted Levi’s smile, believing he had the student figured out.

“And what if I refuse?” Levi asked.

“That’s enough. Don’t keep trying to raise the price. If you’re unwilling, I can find someone else,” the principal said, his face hardening slightly.

It was a bluff. The other candidates competing for a spot were all students with resources, whose families were prominent figures in the city. They would never give up their own chances.

“I’m not trying to negotiate the price. I’m saying I intend to refuse,” Levi stated plainly. “From what you’ve said, you’ve confirmed it for me: I am a strong contender for advancement. Since that’s the case, the spot is mine. I will not give it up. Thank you.”

The principal’s expression froze. He realized the boy had tricked him into revealing his hand.

“That spot is not yours,” the principal’s face darkened. “I am the principal here. I have ways to ensure you lose your eligibility for advancement entirely. Think about it. If I were to report that you have heretical tendencies, what good would your grades and your thesis be?”

“So you resort to threatening a student? Where is your dignity, Mr. Principal?” Levi scoffed.

“Wrong! I am reminding you, young man. I could have simply disqualified you, but I chose to sit down and talk, hoping to reach a mutually acceptable outcome. That is my dignity!” Principal Nabo said sharply. “Don’t be ungrateful.”

“Of course you wanted me to accept. If you simply disqualified me, I couldn’t ghostwrite the paper and take the exam for her, could I? Given Miss Dumpty’s abilities, competing for a spot without someone’s help would be rather difficult, I imagine,” Levi struck at the heart of the matter.

Seeing that threats weren’t working, Principal Nabo shifted his tone again, adopting the air of a patient elder. “Child, calm down. There are rules to this world that you don’t understand, and those rules have already determined that you will not get that spot. Don’t fight for what isn’t yours. If you persist, you will end up with nothing. How about this… I can give you one thousand. Not a penny more!”

He considered this offer genuinely sincere. After all, all the boy had to do was write a paper and take an exam for someone. With him, the principal, making the arrangements, the risk was practically zero. To get so much money for so little work, the boy should be grateful.

Levi was silent for a long time before speaking. “It sounds like I have no choice.”

“I’m glad you understand,” the principal said.

“But I still refuse,” Levi said, rising to his feet. He stood tall and straight, looking down on Principal Nabo.

“You…” Principal Nabo’s brow furrowed so tightly it seemed to knot. “Why must you be so stubborn?”

Rage churned within him. If not for decades of experience reminding him of his respectable position, he would have started screaming at this obtuse slum boy then and there.

“Farewell.” Levi turned to leave, unwilling to waste any more time on the old man.

“As long as I am here, forget about advancing. You won’t even get a graduation certificate! You will have no future in this city!”

As he opened the door, Levi heard the principal’s threat from behind him, like the hiss of a venomous snake.

Levi looked back over his shoulder. “Mr. Nabo, for a school that would have a beast like you as its principal, do you really think I care about its graduation certificate?”

With that, he shut the door, and from within, he heard the sound of something being smashed.