The green-haired female mage was a woman who had lost her noble status.
She called herself Longueville and currently served as Headmaster Osman's secretary.
But she also had a hidden identity.
Her real name was Matilda de Saschen-Gotha, a recently notorious phantom thief who called herself Matilda as Fouquet.
Hayashi Maki had already noticed her gaze; he gave the secretary a small smile. An unusual glint flashed in his dark eyes.
Longueville—green hair tied back in a ponytail—felt her pupils tighten, her heart give a jump, as if she'd been seen through.
A hallucination?
"It's not a hallucination, Miss Longueville—or should I say… Matilda de Saschen-Gotha?"
A man's whisper sounded by her ear, and Longueville instinctively stepped back two paces.
At some point, Hayashi Maki had silently appeared behind her.
"Or should I call you the Matilda as Fouquet?"
At that, Matilda's body trembled; she fixed him with a dangerous stare.
"Mr. 'Familiar,' how did you know?"
Hayashi Maki's mouth curved in a mysterious smile.
"Never mind how I know, Miss Matilda. What matters is—what do you choose?"
"What choice?" Matilda watched him warily, fingers secretly tightening around her wand.
Hayashi Maki snapped his fingers; a crushing pressure rolled over her. She found she couldn't move—not even lift her arms, much less wield her wand.
Absolute mana suppression.
Mages transmit mana to a wand and reinforce it with incantations—mental suggestion—to release magic. Hayashi Maki couldn't be bothered. Simply unleashing his mana was enough to create a suppressive field. As for why he used a sword—purely to look cool. Every man dreams of roaming the world with a blade; Hayashi Maki was no exception.
"Wh-what did you do? What do you want?" Matilda gritted her teeth, fear edging her voice. He was supposedly a familiar Louise had summoned by accident—and yet he wielded this kind of strength?
"I don't think I've offended you."
Hayashi Maki smiled, stepped behind her as if it were nothing, and lightly put an arm around her waist.
"What do you think a man wants, Miss Matilda—a former noble, with a remarkable figure?" His warm breath at her ear made her blush.
"You want my body?"
"No, not just your body—I want you. I don't like beautiful women as enemies, so I find ways to persuade them."
"So, Miss Matilda, will you become mine? In return, I can help you regain your noble status."
Her eyes flickered—tempted. For a noble, losing one's rank was the greatest humiliation. Without it, she could only live as a mercenary. If Headmaster Osman hadn't hired without caring about noble status, she wouldn't be working here at all.
But even tempted, Matilda didn't accept immediately. She sneered instead.
"You'll make me a noble again? Based on what? Mr. Hayashi Maki, you are just a familiar—not even a commoner in your own right, just Miss Vallière's servant."
Hayashi Maki didn't get angry. He stroked her hair, pinched her cheek, and grinned.
"What if I told you the so-called 'familiar' sigil is on Louise?"
Her pupils shrank. "You mean Miss Vallière is your familiar?"
"Strictly speaking it's a follower contract. She's an important follower—like family."
"So, Miss Matilda—what will it be?"
"I'll think about it," she said. She'd only just met him; she wasn't foolish enough to sell herself on the spot. Anyone can spin a grand promise.
However—
Hayashi Maki had made his position clear; he wasn't afraid of refusal.
"Unfortunately, you don't have the right to refuse."
He grabbed her and teleported to the town they'd visited earlier, took a room—and pressed a forceful kiss to the secretary's lips. Such a beauty was wasted as the secretary to that lecherous white-bearded headmaster; she ought to be a demon's secretary.
Matilda's eyes flew wide. "Mmm—no, wait—"
"No."
He imposed his will—the kind of power a strong man wielded—over a thief whose resolve wavered.
When it was over, Matilda, cheeks red, lay leaning against his chest, a storm of emotions in her eyes. The stark red on the sheets left her aggrieved and humiliated. She'd never imagined a man would take something so important from her like this.
Hayashi Maki patted her hair with a wicked smile.
"So—have you decided, Miss Matilda?"
She sighed. "Do I have a choice? After this, I can only stand on your side."
"What do you need me to do?"
"Simple. Be my secretary and work for me. I'll help you regain a title—whichever country you prefer. My goal is to stand above empires. As my secretary, I'll see you get what you want, too."
"You've got some nerve," Matilda muttered.
"But of course," Hayashi Maki said, pinching her cheek, delighted by her indignant-but-subdued look. "So—why take a job at the academy? To steal that so-called Staff of Destruction?"
"You know that too?" She felt like he could read minds.
"Haha. If I know your identity, knowing your aim isn't much. But you may be disappointed—the Staff only has one shot. Yes, it's powerful, but it's consumable—one and done."
"Really?" she breathed.
"Really. Think about it—if Tristain truly had such a weapon, would Albion dare threaten war? Stealing it is pointless; your puppets are more useful."
"Alright. Time to head back. The contract stands—you're mine now. Be good." He dressed her and teleported them back to the academy.
The mysterious instant teleportation stoked Matilda's greed; she got a fresh measure of just how extraordinary he was.