Dream Life Vol II Chapter 32: “Conversation with Councilor Wagman: Part 1”

　October 2nd.

　After receiving information from Sai Furman, an adventurer specializing in information gathering, I was thinking about what I should do.

(Let’s start by sorting out the information from where we know for sure. First of all, there is no doubt that Bennett – our homeroom teacher, Aric Bennett – tried to kick us out of the academy. There is also no doubt in the first place that Archie Croft, the tutor of our classmate, Quentin Wagman, gave instructions to Bennett…) (ZAck)

　So far, the information is almost certain.

　We then scrutinize the information that Sai has provided us with.

(Croft has been with Councilor Wagman for eight years. And the impetus for this was the recommendation of Councilor Isherwood. …Isherwood has a relationship of mutual exploitation with Councilor Wagman, and he intends to oust him if the opportunity arises. Furthermore, he is in a cooperative relationship with Councilor Ibbetson – chairman of the Personnel Committee and a political opponent of Wagman’s. …So far, so good, but how do we use this information…) (Zack)

　I had no intention of reforming the Magicians’ Guild, nor did I intend to get involved in a political battle between Councilor Wagman, Councilor Isherwood, and even Councilor Ibbetson.

(…All I want is for us to live quietly, but I feel that the information has become too complex for us to move against. There is no guarantee that the information we have is correct, and the relationship between Wagman, Isherwood, and Ibbetson is so complicated that we have no idea how much of it is true. Under the circumstances, I can’t deny the possibility of getting involved in a political fight if I make a bad move. And it does not mean that Councilor Wagman is righteous, and Councilor Isherwood and Ibbetson are evil. Nor does it seem that Councilor Wagman is an innocent man…) (Zack)

　I couldn’t think straight, so I consulted with Liddy and Sharon.

“It’s all the information I’ve gathered, but the information is too complex to use. What should I do?” (Zack)

　In response to my question, Liddy said,

“You know this much, so you should go ahead and reform the Magician’s Guild and the academy. You can do it.” (Liddy)

　I smiled at her carefree words and said,

“That’s too shallow, but the Magician’s Guild is an organization that rivals a country. It takes more than one or two people to reform such an organization. You have to be more realistic.” (Zack)

　Liddy was about to say something more, but Sharon began to speak hesitantly, so I held my tongue.

“I’m not sure I understand but wasn’t what Master Zack wanted to do to make sure that you were getting proper lessons?” (Sharon)

　Sharon’s words made me realize that I had forgotten my original purpose.

　If the classes were suited to the abilities and aptitudes of the students, at least something like this would not have happened. In reality, it would be quite difficult to provide a personalized education to each student in a class of 40 students. However, if the quality of teachers is improved, and if teachers’ assistants are assigned to assist teachers, or if an elective course system is adopted, it should be possible to improve the situation considerably.

　Furthermore, if they introduce a grade acceleration program, they will be able to send out talented people to the world without wasting time in the classroom as they do now.

　I remembered what my purpose was and patted Sharon on the head as a way of thanking her. For some reason, she seemed happy when I patted her head.

“That’s true. If I had taken the classes properly, none of this would have happened in the first place. Yeah, that’s all true. Thank you, Sharon.” (Zack)

　Sharon blushed and turned her head down, “You don’t have anything to thank me for…”

　Seeing this, Liddy laughed a little and asked, “So, what are you going to do?”

“Well, I guess I’m going to have to go directly to Councilor Wagman. He’s been very active in reforming the school. If I can get him to talk, I might be able to get some decent classes.” (Zack)

“But from what I’ve heard, I don’t think we can trust this Wagman guy either.” (Liddy)

　Liddy said looking a little worried.

“I guess it’s not enough just to talk about it normally. I’ll think about it more.” (Zack)

　I said, trying to figure out what to do.

(The main thing is to use Councilor Wagman to improve the management of the academy. I don’t think the Councilor would listen to the opinion of a student, a child of only ten years old. Then, what should we do? Make him want to listen to you. The best way to do that is to make him think that there is a benefit or a danger to him as well… Yeah, let’s go this route, at least this way. In that case, even if we fail, there should be almost no disadvantage to us.) (Zack)

　I shared to Liddy and Sharon my thoughts.

“…and this is how I’m going to take it to Councilor Wagman. Is there anything strange or out of line with your thinking?”

　Both Liddy and Sharon shook their heads.

　Liddy said, “But we’re dealing with a big-time politician. Are you going to be okay? If we go to them with honesty, what’s the point of all this?” Liddy asked.

“That’s right. The other party is a successful politician, so I’ll probably be nervous. But after all, it’s just an argument. It’s not a matter of exchanging lives. When you think about fighting monsters, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Right?” (Zack)

　Liddy nodded in agreement, but Sharon began to speak, saying that she had a few thoughts.

“Um, how do you meet a member of the council? He’s a person of great influence, right? Will meeting him be something the students of the academy can easily do?” (Sharon)

　Sharon’s words hit a blind spot, I thought.

“That’s true. The other party is a busy politician. He must be meeting dozens of visitors every day… Well, this hand should be fine…” (Zack)

　I was a student at the academy, but I had only one connection to Councilor Wagman.

　It was his son, Quentin Wagman.

“I have something important to tell him about Quentin. If I tell him that I need to talk to him directly about something in his life at the academy, I think he will give me enough time to do so.” (Zack)

　Councilor Wagman married the daughter of a court magician in Saltus, with whom Quentin was born. But then his wife passed away seven years ago. He was remarried five years ago, and for Quentin, his current mother is his stepmother.

　In this situation, it wouldn’t be so strange to talk to Quentin’s father, a councilor, instead of going to consult his mother.

　I left the house first thing in the afternoon to go to the Magician’s Guild headquarters to request a meeting with Councilor Wagman.

　When I left the house, Liddy wanted to follow me. However, considering the content of the conversation, it felt more comfortable for me to be alone, so I asked her to endure.

　The headquarters of the Magician’s Guild is housed in the private residence of a former lord of the fortress city.

　Therefore, unlike other buildings that are uniform and drab, the walls and window frames are decorated, giving it a slightly elegant feel.

　Standing in front of the huge double-opening doors, two guards stood guard with spears, and I smiled at them and showed them the orb of the Magician’s Guild. I told them I had come to see someone I knew, and they let me in.

　I was told that if I didn’t have the orb of the Magician’s Guild, I would have to fill out an application for a visit and be asked persistently about the purpose of my visit.

(In a manner of speaking, since I am a member of the Magician’s Guild, I can enter rather freely. Well, it’s like a local employee can easily get into the Tokyo Head Office by showing his employee ID card… maybe a bit different.) (Zack)

　With this thought in mind, I pass through the door.

　Inside is a spacious lobby, just like a lord’s mansion, with an elegantly curved staircase leading to the second floor. At the front is a booth that looks like a reception desk, where a soft-looking female employee in her late twenties is sitting.

　I was determined to get to the top, so I spoke to the female staff member at the reception desk.

“My name is Zacharias Lockhart, a first-year student at the Tyria Magic Academy.” (Zack)

　I made a thoughtful expression as I spoke, and the receptionist, perhaps realizing who I was, looked a little surprised. However, her expression immediately tightened up and she asked, “How may I help you?”

“I have a very important matter to discuss. Could you please inform Councilor Wagman that I have something to inform him about a certain classmate of mine, well, it is about Mr. Quentin actually. It’s really important…” (Zack)

　I add a little excessive acting and bow my head deeply to her.

“The Councilor is a busy man. Could you please elaborate? I will pass it to the Councilor.” (Receptionist)

　She seemed to think that I was asking for a meeting with the councilor even though I had nothing important to say to him.

“It’s about Quentin’s life at the academy. I can only speak to his family, and that too, if only they are blood relatives. …If I don’t do this, he will be in trouble. I will wait for hours because it is for my fellow students in the same class. Please pass it on.” (Zack)

　I say this with a sad expression on my face, and she begins to panic a little.

“Is the Councilor’s son in some sort of trouble… can you tell me just a summary?” (Receptionist)

　I shook my head and said,

“I can’t divulge it. It’s a matter of honor. It’s going to be really hard…” (Zack)

　Finally, she broke down, made a brief note, and handed it to another staff member.

　She said, “The Councilor is a really busy person. I don’t know how long it will be, so please be quiet and wait in the waiting room in the back,” and she pointed to a waiting room in the back.

　I thanked her and headed for the waiting room.

　When I entered, there were several people in the waiting room, including a well-dressed merchant and a man who appeared to be a servant of a nobleman.

　As I walked in, all eyes were on me at once, but they quickly lost interest in me, thinking I was probably there to visit a relative.

(They’re all reasonably well dressed. Good thing I’m in my academy uniform, because I don’t have nice clothes to meet big fishes in.) (Zack)

　I thought about that for a moment, but soon started thinking about what I was going to do.

(First, I have to get the Councilor’s attention, otherwise, I can’t talk to him. It’s important to get the story right the first time…) (Zack)

　I run the simulation over and over in my brain, consuming time as I go.

　The bell rings at 2:00 p.m., then 4:00 p.m., and I am still not called.

(Worst case scenario, it would be on his way home. If so, what time would it be? Well, the Old City is safe, and the gates are never closed, so it doesn’t matter what time it is. …But my butt is starting to hurt after sitting there for so long…) (Zack)

　And after two more hours and the 6 p.m. bell rang, the call did not come. The sun was setting outside, and the glowing red light coming in through the open wooden windows had faded completely.

　I was already the only one waiting in the waiting room, and I was killing time by doing my daily calisthenics to loosen my stiff back and hips.

　Another hour passed, and it was already dark outside. The waiting room was lit by a magical device of lights, but there was a peculiar loneliness in the waiting room where I waited alone, like a hospital waiting room at night.

　Just when I thought it was going to be a bad day, a young man in his mid-twenties entered the waiting room.

“Mr. Lockhart. Councilor Wagman is going to meet you. Come with me.” (Staff)

　I thanked him and got up, heading for the Councilor’s room on the third floor.

　Many staff members were busy walking around in the guild, and it didn’t look like they were done with their work yet. As I walked down the corridor, illuminated by the magical device of lights, I was reminded of my time in Japan.

(We used to work overtime when we were close to deadlines. When I looked outside, it was dark before I knew it, and I thought that I’ll never get home before the date changed again today. I wonder if the staff here are thinking the same thing…) (Zack)

　After about five minutes, I was in front of the Councilor’s office.

　The staffer who came to pick me up went inside first and immediately asked me to come in. I said excuse me and went inside.