Gram adjusted the collar of his tunic as he approached the three soon-to-be instructors standing beneath the shade of the eastern courtyard tree. The morning breeze rustled the long leaves overhead, and the scent of freshly trimmed hedges lingered in the air.
Alright. Time to talk business.
He came to a stop just a few feet away, offering them a polite smile. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice."
The trio turned to face him properly for the first time.
Esstrus spoke first, brushing a strand of dark-blue hair behind her ear. Her gaze shimmered with lazy arrogance. "Esstrus Hail, Archmagess of the Veiled Lunar School, recognized prodigy of the Central Arcanum Council, and two-time winner of the Polaris Conjuration Cup."
She tilted her chin slightly, expecting awe.
"…Right," Gram nodded slowly, unfazed. "A pleasure."
Fredrick gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Fredrick. Imperial Sword Instructor, retired. Not thrilled to be here. Let's leave it at that."
"Noted," Gram replied, keeping a straight face.
Then William bounced slightly on the balls of his feet. "William Devotin, alchemical enthusiast, freelance inventor, triple-guild-certified in compound mixing, and thrilled to be working with such a well-funded client! Really, thank you for the opportunity, Lord Yuval. I'll do my best! Or blow up trying!"
"Let's aim for the former," Gram replied dryly.
He folded his arms, tone shifting.
"Now, I'll cut to the chase. Why did you three agree to come here in the first place?"
The instructors looked at one another briefly.
And then, as if rehearsed, they answered in perfect sync:
"The Money."
Gram blinked. Once. Twice.
Then sighed. "Of course it was."
He shouldn't have been surprised. But the utter shamelessness of it all…
"Just to check," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "are all three of you… broke?"
The silence that followed was deafening.
Esstrus looked away, clearly offended by the question. Fredrick scratched his chin with his remaining hand, eyes conveniently drifting to a passing bird. William gave an awkward little cough and began adjusting the straps on his belt, pretending to inspect a vial.
"Thought so," Gram muttered.
In the novel, it had all been laid out plainly enough. Esstrus blew her inheritance on rare spellbooks, high-end jewelry, and a new wardrobe every month. Fredrick drank away whatever honorariums he got, seeking solace at the bottom of every bottle in the kingdom. William spent absurd amounts of coin on rare ingredients, black market artifacts, and unstable rune tech that had a 1-in-3 chance of self-destructing.
Reckless doesn't even begin to cover it. Still… that's what made them lovable idiots.
He straightened, voice even. "Alright. How much do you want?"
Esstrus, still pretending she wasn't embarrassed, lifted her chin. "Five thousand gold."
Fredrick scratched the back of his head. "Seven thousand."
William, without hesitation, piped up, "Ten thousand! Non-negotiable! For material costs and legal hazard fees."
Gram nodded calmly. "Done."
A silence stretched across the courtyard.
The three of them stared at him as if he'd just sprouted wings.
"…Huh?" William blinked.
"You'll… pay that?" Fredrick asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
Esstrus narrowed her eyes. "You're not trying to trick us, are you?"
Gram gave a casual shrug. "You asked. I agreed. That's how negotiations work, no?"
He turned to Runa, who had appeared silently behind him like a shadow. "Could you retrieve the funds and prepare payment? Full amount."
Runa beamed like the sun. "Of course, Young Master!" She dashed off, unusually chipper.
As her footsteps faded, William leaned forward curiously. "Do you really have that much money just lying around?"
Gram shrugged again. "I'm a Yuval. You do the math."
William's mouth fell slightly open, his golden eyes swirling with absentminded awe.
Fredrick, however, remained unconvinced. "You're not just trying to win us over and skip the bill later, are you?"
"I don't make promises I can't keep," Gram said calmly. "And I don't waste time with fake deals."
Fredrick scratched his head again, glancing at the others. "Alright, alright…"
Then Esstrus stepped forward, arms folded, gaze sharper than before. "Then answer me this, Lord Yuval. Why are you willing to pay us this much? You—of all people—want us to teach you the basics?"
Her tone wasn't mocking exactly. But it was incredulous. Skeptical.
Gram looked her dead in the eye. "Because despite what everyone says about you three… you are brilliant."
They blinked.
"I want to see if I can learn from people labeled as 'impossible to learn from.'" His tone didn't waver. "If I can keep up with your lessons, then maybe I can prove that I am more than my title."
Esstrus opened her mouth, then shut it. She looked… conflicted.
Fredrick whistled low under his breath.
William scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "Huh…"
They were all silent for a long moment, unusually introspective.
Gram smiled inwardly. Got them thinking at least.
Truthfully, he'd expected this negotiation to be harder—he was ready for triple-digit demands. But they settled for what amounted to petty cash in the grand scheme of the Yuval estate.
He knew why. Because I'm a Yuval.
In the political world, trying to squeeze money from a noble house like Yuval wasn't just frowned upon—it was suicidal. These three had no noble titles. No official backers. No connections worth mentioning.
Even if they were brilliant, they knew better than to poke a lion.
One upside to being born with a golden spoon in Gram's mouth, Owen mused. At least they know not to overstep.
—
A few minutes later, Runa returned with three neatly prepared pouches, heavy with clinking coin. She handed one to each instructor with a graceful bow.
"Your payment, sirs and madam."
The three accepted the pouches, each reacting differently.
William immediately began shaking his like a rattle, eyes twinkling. "Ooooh, this is gonna fund so many unstable concoctions!"
Fredrick stared at his silently for a moment, then let out a relieved exhale. "Finally, a reason to buy something that isn't whiskey."
Esstrus inspected the pouch with a critical eye… then tucked it away delicately, as if it had always belonged in her possession.
"Alright then," Fredrick said, looping the bag onto his belt. "You bought our time. What now?"
"Yeah," William grinned. "We starting tomorrow? Or today? I already have lesson plans! …Well, fragments of ideas! …Okay, a napkin sketch!"
Esstrus said nothing, her expression unreadable.
But Gram raised a hand, interrupting their growing momentum.
"One last question," he said quietly.
The trio turned to face him again.
"What do you think of my current potential?"