There was no other sound in the room apart from the breathing sounds of those present.
Until…
“What… did you just say?” Malachi said, disbelief clearly written all over his face.
But it wasn’t only him.
Everyone else in the room was looking at Ysara as if they were staring at an animal that had just spoken. A mythical creature that shouldn’t exist in reality.
Ysara crossed her arms beneath her chest and said with a smile that wasn’t really a smile, “What? Why are you all looking at me like I’m crazy?”
Too late to stop herself, Adira couldn’t help but utter, “What you said was indeed strange.”
The dean turned toward her and raised an eyebrow, seemingly asking her to continue.
Having already spoken up, Adira didn’t restrain herself anymore and asked what she, and the others, wanted to know most.
“Just who is this old crook? And, I presume, you’re the swan, right?”
Ysara puffed up her chest and nodded. “You should already know about the fierce competition that goes on between the four major academies, so I’ll skip the details.”
“I’m the dean of our academy because we haven’t yet found a suitable candidate to take my place, while the previous deans of Altura, Mazin, and Tritus, Caelan, have already stepped down from their positions. But…”
She leaned forward. “Fenric, the dean of the Univara Academy, has no reason to keep being dean. The Federation, unlike us, has many candidates to replace him, yet he’s still firmly holding onto that seat for dear life, and that’s because of me.”
This time, it was Darius’s turn to ask, somewhat strangely, “Of you?”
None in the room knew about this detail, if it could even be considered reliable, and their reactions were proof that this was indeed the first time they had ever heard of it.
Why would the dean of the most prominent academy in the most prominent city on Earth keep his position just because of Ysara?
It was already a miracle that Fenric had kept his seat as dean for so many years when the others had either been too weary to continue or had been forced to step down. But for Ysara to be the reason, when she barely even left Quarath, was even more unbelievable.
“Yes, of me.” Ysara nodded and leaned back. “I’ve known him for a long time and, while he doesn’t dare admit it, he’s been obsessed with me ever since the first Birth of Deities took place. Over the years, it’s only gotten worse. When Univara won first place, he came to me with a bet.”
“The dean of the academy that wins the fewest first-place spots between Univara and Quarath over the next decade will have to step down from their position and serve under the other.”
“And I, as rational as I am, of course…” Ysara paused for a moment to take in the many widened eyes in the room before finishing, “accepted.”
Cassidy’s voice was calm, but only she knew how exasperated she was inside. “Why would you accept without telling us? And why did it take you so long to say anything? It’s already been half a decade since you made this bet.”
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If Ysara weren’t a key member of Quarath, and, by extension, Nemesis, no one would have said anything. Every member had the freedom to do whatever they believed was best for themselves. But that freedom wasn’t always absolute.
For key members, those in positions of power who couldn’t be replaced, it was a different story.
Their freedom, while still present, was partly tied to the collective, and as such, before making any important decision, there was a need to first bring it up with the other higher-ups.
In this case, Ysara betting her own position and freedom with Fenric was a huge deal. If she lost the bet, Nemesis wouldn’t only lose their most qualified dean, they would also lose a powerful member, and, more importantly, Jasmine would be greatly affected by it.
“I didn’t think we would even be able to lose the bet, so stealing Fenric from the Federation and placing him as the dean of our academy would have been the best outcome for me to step down and enjoy my retirement.” Ysara shrugged. “Who better to manage an academy than the dean of another academy?”
For a time, nobody could say anything. If they didn’t take into account the fact that she had just bet her own freedom on future students she knew nothing about, then her logic might have been flawless.
After a moment of thought, Cassidy muttered, “So this is why you want to increase our efforts to raise the students, and why you won’t take a single surplus resource.”
“Exactly.” Ysara smiled slyly. “But if things keep going this way, with Univara slowly surpassing us, and we don’t do everything we can to help our students grow stronger, then we’ll lose the best opportunity to gain a seasoned dean.”
“Can you now see why I did that?”
The expressions of the generals eased, but they didn’t fully relax.
Hector, who hadn’t spoken much until now, said slowly, “While what you did could be considered both reckless and smart, you should’ve discussed it with us instead of going ahead and agreeing on your own. Now we’re being forced to split some of our training time to guide a few students. I don’t think Boss would like it if he were here.”
His words earned many nods around the room.
As generals, they had only two duties from the beginning.
Train and manage their organizations.
And the latter was mostly their own choice, as if they wished, they could delegate most of their responsibilities to their commanders.
However, they now suddenly found themselves with a third duty they had never asked for and had never discussed.
It was stifling, to say the least.
Following Hector, Malachi, Darius, Adira, and even Nox all had words to say, none of them thrilled by this unilateral decision that directly implicated them.
Ysara, while focused on solving the problem of lacking a replacement for the dean’s position, had forgotten about every other matter, and now, all at once, she was being reminded of them.
“This could be considered one of the worst possible times to learn about this bet, with the tournament starting in three days. Even if we personally guide those three students you speak so highly of, there’s only a slim chance they’ll learn anything useful to apply in a fight,” Cassidy said calmly as she assessed the situation.
Alaric chimed in, “Instead of wasting time, we can directly give up on this year’s tournament and hope those three can win on their own without any guidance, while we prepare to guide the next batch, if there’s no other alternative.”
Since the bet was based on who won the most tournaments over a decade, giving up once now wouldn’t be that big of a deal.
First of all, Univara had only won once, and that was during the year when the bet first started. Even if they won this year, it would only tie them with Quarath, thus making the real competition begin next year, with both academies starting from the same point.
“I agree. Let our academy’s students do their best to win this year, but even if they don’t, it won’t be a big deal,” Adira said as she crossed her legs and twirled her red hair.
As more and more generals agreed to this suggestion, and Ysara was powerless to do anything other than remain a silent spectator, Cassidy said, “Wait.”
She swept her gaze across the people in the room. “There’s a possibility we not only won’t have to give up on this year’s tournament, but you also won’t have to split your time teaching the students.”
Many curious eyes turned toward her, but she remained unbothered.
“I know someone who can teach them in your place, though I’m not sure they’ll agree. Still, it’s worth a shot. If it goes well, you won’t have to do anything. If it fails, we’ll proceed with Alaric’s suggestion.”
Cassidy stood up, looked at Ysara, and said, “I’ll go and talk to them. Make sure those three students are ready at a moment’s notice.”
Without waiting for an answer, she left, leaving the generals and Ysara wondering just where she was going in such a hurry.
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