With a credit line achieved, Cæ has achieved the debt financing conditions that the business needed, even if it wasn't the most optimal option that he would have liked, it was still the best that they had.
Additionally, Cæ was certain enough in his business idea that he was confident that it would ensure that the retroactive interest rates would be low, and he would be able to upgrade to a better credit financing plan.
While he handled the financing, Feidin and Seliphaz worked on hiring the necessary skilled labor in the form of production operators who would engage in actually producing the housing units.
Once they produced forty-eight units, they could immediately begin with their advertisement campaign; they needed to hurry, for only in the heavy monsoons that would ensue over the next two months would they be able to advertise in the Colohen Slums.
They were very close to commencing their advertisement campaign and production runs.
Unfortunately for Cæ, while Feidin and Seliphaz could immerse themselves in the very final stages of production of the company, he needed to handle his newest obligations. From the very moment he signed the contract with the Headmistress, he was obligated to commit to the Student Council.
CLACK
The glass door to the Student Council Conference Room opened as Cæ nonchalantly walked in with his former uniform donned. His gaze swept across the many members of the Student Council gathered on either side of the long table that stretched to accommodate all members of the Student Council.
"Sorry if I'm late."
The gathered members of the student council shifted in unison as they each turned to fix their intense gazes on Cæ. The coordination of their movements was almost that of a rehearsed coordination, catching Cæ off guard.
He raised an eyebrow as his impassive dichromatic gray eyes peered at his fellow student council members, gazing at him intensely. Their eyes were filled with hints of envy, jealousy, and resentment, as well as grudging respect and admiration, all mixed in a muck of emotions.
The commoners among the student council members regarded him with greater respect and other positive emotions, while the affluent students regarded him with more conflicted outlooks.
The atmosphere grew a little charged as their intense gazes bore on him.
"You're not late at all, Cæ." President Mileila smiled at him with a welcoming expression. "Come, have a seat. Today's meeting is special. We cannot begin without you."
She gestured to a seat right beside her.
A seat of the former vice-president who had very recently graduated from the Senior Program in the previous academic year.
Cæ raised an eyebrow, but simply accepted her wordless invitation.
"Now that all existing members of the Student Council are gathered, I would like to convene the first Student Council meeting pertaining to the new academic year," she began with a confident tone. "Last year, we of the Student Council have managed to hit all our executive targets and timelines with perfect success, earning each of us a personal letter of recommendation from the Headmistress herself upon our respective graduations."
A wave of pleased delight lit up the eyes of the members.
A letter of recommendation from the Headmistress of the Elendir Institute of Magic herself, a master mage of the Democratic Republic of Elendir, was extremely heavy and would surely benefit their career upon graduation.
Indeed, the perks of the job were worth all the hassle. Especially the perks of doing a job that earned the approval of the Headmistress herself, as they had in the previous year.
"As always, our first and foremost agenda with each academic year are tackling the Elendir Institute of Magic's response team and provisions to the magic aptitude test's highest scorers," she continued, "each year, we arrange for extravagant and ostentatious welcoming offers to the highest scorers of the magic aptitude test. While the scouts of lesser magicademies around the country are limited to simply going there in person and hounding the applicants like hyenas, we will, as always, intercept and extend an offer in a manner befitting the prestige of the Elendir Institute of Magic."
The other members of the Student Council nodded with serious expressions as they recalled all the measures that they had taken the previous year.
"In the previous year," she continued, "we engaged in extremely powerful gate magic that relied on magicademy's space-time gate artifact and the personal intervention of Master Grimwal himself to calibrate the enchantments of the artifact all to project our executives across the entire country. This time, we will need to display another new form of magic to dazzle the commoners of this country."
Her tone was not one of insincerity or malice.
No, but Cæ still noted an underlying elitist tone that not even she appeared to be entirely cognizant of. He had spoken and interacted with her many times over the past year, so he knew that she didn't have any conscious hostility towards him or any student, for that matter, which was a shocking surprise considering her background as a member of the Karjakin Family, one of the Ten Great Families of Elendir.
She shifted her wavy, green hair behind her ears as her golden eyes of confidence swept across all her fellow students.
"This year, we need to come up with something new," she remarked with a composed tone. "Something that we haven't seen before."
One of the members of the Student Council raised a hand with a frown on her face.
"Yes, Miss Mirwin?"
"Must we come up with something new each year, President?" Mirwin asked with a curious expression. "Would it not be more convenient to recycle a standard ten tricks one after another?"
It wasn't an unreasonable question.
Magic was expensive.
Especially showy and powerful magic, it truly consumed a lot of magicapita.
And yet, just based on that question alone, Cæ could deduce that she was most certainly a commoner student who had yet to have her mindset altered enough to understand that her perspective didn't apply to the Elendir Institute of Magic.
President Mileila shook her head. "It would certainly be more convenient to answer your question, but yes, it is necessary that we come up with new tricks each year. The reason is rather simple…"
Her tone grew more certain. "…It's in order to ensure that the magical prestige of the Elendir Institute of Magic is not tarnished."
Mirwin frowned. "…Huh?"
"By coming up with new ways to utilize magic to intercept the highest performers of the magic aptitude test, we display the endless diversity of the Elendir Institute of Magic's mastery of magic. It is all to reinforce the nation's view of us as the greatest haven and paradise to pursue the abyss of magic," she explained. "We do not do this to simply flex our magical mastery but also the endless breadth and length of the Elendir Institute of Magic's magical solutions."
Cæ personally found it to be rather wasteful and an unfathomably extravagant expenditure of magicapita, but alas, he understood that the expenditure of magic from the perspective of the Elendir Institute of Magic.
What followed was an extensive debate on exactly what manner of exciting fancy magic the magicademy would be using for the interception of the highest-ranking applicants. While Cæ understood why this discussion mattered, he simply couldn't bring himself to care about what the Elendir Institute of Magic did with its magic show.
He mostly deigned to remain silent, offering token inputs here and there to keep up the facade of contributions while he waited for the agenda he actually cared about.
Soon enough, she finally got to talking about what he genuinely cared about.
"Another highly important agenda on our docket is, of course, the Outer District Talent Acquisition Program," she continued. "As all of you know, the Headmistress had commenced a new program of acquiring magical talent within the slums of Colohen City in an unprecedented move to begin conducting magic aptitude tests among the residents of the outer districts. Naturally, as the executive of the magicademy, we will be tasked with executing this program."
She comported herself perfectly well, not revealing any emotion regarding the rather groundbreaking and controversial decision of the Headmistress.
"I have personally spoken with the Headmistress and confirmed the importance and significance of this program," she remarked with a knowing expression. "She has instructed me to inform all of you that success in the execution of this program will merit heavy financial compensation as well as privileges surrounding the resources of the magicademy that would otherwise be out of reach."
The students seated at the table grew deeply ecstatic at those words.
These powerful incentives motivated all of them to ensure that the job was perfectly well done.
"Additionally, regarding the leadership of this program, the Headmistress was quite clear about the leadership of this program," she continued with a knowing expression. "She has made extraordinarily clear that the leader of this program will be Cæ here himself."
She smiled at Cæ. "As I'm sure you already are aware, you have been named the leader of this particular program. From this moment, you are in charge of all operations of the Student Council regarding the program."
She stood up, offering her seat to Cæ with a friendly expression.
Cæ's gaze shifted from her to the seat, before a soft sigh escaped him.
"Very well."
He took his seat at the very head of the able, sitting back in the much larger and ostentatious chair of the president. His gaze swept across the mixed reaction of the many students who watched him take the place of the president as the highest leader regarding this matter.
And then, he began.
"The purpose of this program is simply to secure the highest quality of magical talent from the slums."
His tone was clear.
"If, at any moment, you have any questions regarding why I choose to do things a certain way, then simply revisit those words," he remarked. "And you will have your answer."
They stiffened at his words even as he continued.
"I was chosen for this job because I have great experience and understanding of the slums," he coolly informed them. "I was chosen because I am the most fit for this particular job. I have lived most of my life in the slums, and I have an intimate understanding of how these people think, behave, and act."
His heavy gaze slowly shifted from person to person.
"I do not have the time to debate each and every single minutia of my plan or strategy with each and every single one of you."
His eyes sharpened. "There is a reason that the Headmistress went out of her way to make me the highest leader of the operations. I expect you to simply adhere to my instructions. Should you have any problems with my leadership, you may take it up with the Headmistress herself, is that clear?"
"…"
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