The matter consumed him for the rest of the day as he fell into deep thought. It was truly difficult to decide whether he wanted to have his product development done in-house or outsourced to another R&D company.
The bags under his eyes, the very next day, spoke to just how little sleep he had gotten over the choice he faced at the crossroads. He reluctantly freshened up and prepared for classes, trying to cover up how bad he felt.
Alas, it was entirely visible to Kelton, Natana, and Sorenon who encountered him in the dormitory corridor.
The three buzzed about him with concern in their eyes, barely managing to control their curiosity until they reached the classroom complex.
"Are you ok?" Natana shifted a tuft of her brown hair out of her eyes, gazing at him with concern in her purple eyes. "You don't seem to be doing that okay…"
"You gotta be a man, big brother!" Kelton blasted him on the back with some heavy slaps.
"Did you have that much trouble with theory?" Sorenon asked as he shifted his glasses. "If you want, I can help you with it. I am very good at theory, you see."
Cæ shook his head, heaving a soft sigh. "It's not non-academic. It's not something I can discuss, unfortunately."
Before the three of them could even respond to his dismissive response, a fifth voice drew their attention.
"Mr. Cæ, I'd like to request you for a moment of her time."
Her voice was friendly yet powerful.
It demanded attention.
Her wavy, green hair swayed in the gentle morning breeze while her confident golden eyes peered right at his stoic gray eyes. A flashy wand hung to the side of her waist, armed with mana stones of various colors.
He could tell right away.
'She's wealthy.'
It was something about her mannerisms, her body language, and her voice inflections. Even if she wore the Institute uniform like everybody else did, it was plainly obvious that she had been groomed with etiquette classes, among other things.
Behind her stood two young men who eyed her with a hint of disdain.
A badge prominently glistened on her uniform, immediately drawing Cæ's eyes.
[Student Council President]
His eyes widened.
"My name is Mileila Karjakin," she smiled at him welcomingly. "I am the President of the Student Council and I'd like to speak to you privately about an important matter when class is done, if you don't mind."
Suddenly, Cæ felt like everybody's eyes were on him.
More than usual.
Students stopped by, curiously watching the exchange as they whisper with each other. Suddenly, it wasn't just the Mileila waiting for his response, but half of the student body all simultaneously heading to the class complex that also waited for his response.
"…Of course." Cæ's tone was calm and composed. "I most certainly can meet you after class."
Her smile grew friendlier. "I am glad to hear that, then, please be at the Student Council Headquarters at your convenience after your classes are over. Well then…"
She paused as she performed a little curtsy before departing from the scene.
It was as though everybody held their breath, waiting for her departure from the place entirely before the silence finally broke and the gossip was unleashed.
"WOAH!" Kelton exclaimed with amazement. "The President personally approached you?! That's insane!"
"I wonder what she wants…" Natana murmured, her tone strangely worried.
"I wonder if she was asking him out on a d-date!" Kelton's cheeks flushed red.
BAM!
"D-Don't be silly!" Natana complained, smacking him on the shoulder.
"Ouch! Are you trying to pick a fight?!"
"She was definitely not calling him for a personal matter," Sorenon shifted his glasses as he thoughtfully analyzed her words. "She introduced herself as the President, and she was accompanied by two members of the student council, and she said she wanted to speak to him about an important matter. She wouldn't do all that if this was just a small date."
Cæ heaved a sigh, ruffling Sorenon's hair with a hint of approval. "At least one of the three of you has brains."
He swept his gaze around as the gossiping apprentices rushed away from him with a hint of wary fear. He lightly shook his head, moving on with his day, ignoring the three chicks that kept hovering around him.
The rest of the day was a blur.
Between the two choices he had for product development when it came to micro-housing units and curiosity in regards to what President Mileila wanted from him, he was not as absorbed into the classes as he normally would have been.
If not for the fact that he had simply come to enjoy magic very passionately, he would not have been able to absorb anything that he learned in class. The practical classes, Magia mastery in particular, demanded full attention, leaving him drained, albeit less so than the first time he tried it out.
And thus, the day concluded smoothly enough.
And thus it was time.
"Good luck, big brother!" Kelton flashed him a thumbs up with a grin.
"I'm sure this will be a discussion of great significance," Sorenon remarked, shifting his glasses.
"I-If she asks you out on a date after all?" Natana asked with a nervous tone.
Cæ raised an eyebrow. "I will firmly decline, of course."
He had no intention of pursuing romance actively. He had already decided to dedicate his life to one and only one goal and knew that he simply would not give romance the time and emotional investment that it deserved.
He didn't want to string someone along if he could give them the emotional intimacy that they deserved.
A strange sense of relief appeared on Natana's face. "I see…"
"Well, off I go. You kids should go back as well."
He waved as he departed, heading towards the administrative block of the magicademy, a place he had only visited once when he was first invited to the Elendir Institute of Magic.
"That feels so long ago."
He mused with a knowing expression.
He wound about the expansive complex of the magicademy, taking in the bureaucratic wing of the institute in. It was certainly more plain and clinical than the academic and dormitory blocks, which focused on creating invigorating and stimulating environments for their students.
Soon enough, he had arrived.
[Student Council Headquarters]
CLACK
Cæ peered in as he opened the door slowly, drawing attention from the various staff members and employees that worked at the student council headquarters.
And yet, what drew Cæ's attention the most was the sheer volume of the headquarters.
They weren't kidding when they said 'headquarters.'
An expansive layer array of officers, managers, and other employees were spread about an enormous hall that was overseen by an elevated floor that towered over all the employees of the magicademy.
And there she was, sitting on a large throne-like chair that oversaw multiple screens, keeping track of various matters at once. Her demeanor was dignified and confident while the air around was commanding and unyielding.
President Mileila Karjakin was just a year younger than him.
A rather young woman.
And yet, nothing about her mannerisms, body language, or attitude indicated the free-spirited energy or the fading youthful maturity that one would expect someone in their young twenties.
She was a leader in every inch of her conduct.
A friendly smile emerged on her face as she caught the visage of Cæ from the corner of her eyes.
"I'm glad you came, Mr. Cæ," she got up from her chair as she walked down the stairs from her elevated platform. "Come, let us speak privately in my personal office."
She gestured him into a spacious office, visible through the glass doors immediately on the other side, directly connecting to the headquarters.
CLACK
"Have a seat," she gestured to the luxurious sofa at the very center of the office after closing the door.
Cæ couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the extravagance of her office. Not only was it spacious, but it was multi-compartmental for different purposes, private, and professional.
The main office space was almost as ostentatious as that of the Headmistress, with a wide magical artifact for a table, with several inventory functions among others. Numerous trophies, medals, and other certificates featuring her name were neatly arranged on the table and on the shelves.
It simply lent to the gravitas of her identity.
"Not too bad, is it?" her tone was a lot more informal than when she invited him in public. "These are the perks of being the student council president of the most prestigious university in the entire country."
"It does seem very attractive," Cæ replied with a stoic tone. "Still, I cannot help but wonder if taking up such a burdensome administrative job is worth dedicating your time if your goal is to become a mage."
It was what he didn't understand, especially when he looked at the sheer magnitude of the student council. It was far, far larger than a mere group of students planning activities in and about the school.
There was no way that this was not taking up a huge portion of her day.
She smiled endearingly, as though he had uttered an ignorant comment.
"Do you know what the background of all Presidents of the Mage Association has been?" she asked with a friendly smile as her golden eyes peered into his.
"…Let me guess, they were all once the president of the student council of the Elendir Institute of Magic?"
He hadn't even the faintest inkling if this was true, but given her line of questioning in response to his remark, he assumed that was the point she was making.
"Correct. The same is also true for the position of Minister of Magical Affairs. The same is also true for the position of Mageneral of the Mage Corps of the Military." she explained with a patient tone "Additionally, all former presidents in any of the thirteen institutes across the entire nation have gone on to achieve extremely coveted positions in the magical world, whether it is governmental, military, private, or international."
Cæ understood now fully understood, with that description alone, why students would covet this position even if it represented a tremendous amount of work and commitment. The sheer amount of fuel it was for any career was surely going to be an entirely different breed altogether.
"Is it because of prestige alone, or is it considered a highly accredited merit in and of itself?"
"Both," she admitted with a straightforward reply. "Naturally, the prestige of the Elendir Institute of Magic is attached to it, but so is the actual merits of the experience. This position isn't simply for show. I wield an almost unshackled executive authority over this entire magicademy and that does mean a lot when you understand the sheer flow of money I have control over."
Cæ grew impressed by her words. "But, what about the responsibility of the outcomes?"
"It will affect me alone," she replied matter-of-factly. "What I can tell you is that this institute had rail guards to essentially shield it from responsibility. And part of it essentially boils down to all the stakeholders of the Elendir Institute of Magic being already in complete agreement with imparting such heavy responsibilities to a bunch of students."
Cæ's eyebrows knit with a hint of confusion. "All of them in complete agreement? But… doesn't that include countless powerful interest groups and power blocks?"
There were three governmental bodies, the Ministry of Magical Affairs, the Ministry of Education, and the Magic Corps of the military. There was the Mage Association, the thirteen Great Families, the top magicorporations.
All of these powerful blocs and groups were in agreement with this?
"Of course." She answered with certainty. "The reason for this is very simple. And very powerful. After all, one of the fundamental errors that led to the Twilight Rebellion was poor leadership, after all."
The air chilled by a few degrees as she mentioned a controversial, sensitive topic.
One that people did not simply bring up in a casual conversation.