The image was clear, and the sound even carried a faint echo, making it particularly grating in the spacious office.
A wisp of magic power lingered around Greg's fingertips as he made sure the Recording Stone was working properly. Then he looked up and gave Olivia, whose smile had instantly frozen on her face, a positively harmless smile.
"Academy Head, wouldn't you say this recording is well worth keeping? I think if I made a few copies, and they accidentally found their way out into the world... they'd spark all sorts of interesting discussions, wouldn't they?"
He paused, his smile deepening.
"So, we have two options here."
"A. We both go down together. Sure, things might not go well for me, but you'll never again squeeze so much as a copper out of the academy's public funds under any pretext to buy your precious booze."
"B. You agree to one condition. Once it's done, this precious recording will disappear from the world forever, and we can both carry on in peace."
"Well? Which will you choose?"
Greg waved the Recording Stone in his hand, making the magical projection sway.
The smile vanished from Olivia's face entirely.
When Greg casually mentioned the possibility of her "never buying booze with public funds again," her pupils contracted almost imperceptibly, as though she had heard the most terrifying curse in the world.
She could already imagine countless long nights ahead, staring at an empty liquor cabinet with nothing but plain water to drink...
The scene was so miserable that she dared not think any further.
So she simply gave up resisting. "Fine. I agree to your condition."
"Mm, that's more like it. As expected, our Academy Head is reasonable and sees the bigger picture-wait! Why are you taking off your shoes? Wait! Why are