Chapter 27: Baron Namir Dagon
The buildings and paths were surrounded by a massive garden, and in the middle of the courtyard stood a huge fountain. Its scenery was picturesque and enchanting, drawing many couples for their romantic outings.
Namir watched the water gushing from the fountain for a while as he thought of the two queens and the princess. He recalled his last meeting with Queen Marika and smiled at her fulfillment of the promise despite its difficulty and psychological pain.
He continued to watch the fountain for a few minutes before regaining control over his emotions and resuming his way toward the administration building.
A few hundred meters past the fountain stood seven buildings arranged in a semicircle. In the middle, facing the fountain, was a building with its name engraved on its walls in clear script in the Vuden language: 'Administration Affairs Building'.
To the left of the Administration Affairs Building, in a spherical formation, stood three buildings, and to its right stood three buildings as well. The seven buildings formed a hemispherical shape, requiring seven more buildings to complete a full circle.
After Namir walked for a few minutes, he reached a glass gate with a simple wooden sign above it bearing the name of the building.
He extended his fist to the handle and entered the building. Before his eyes, he found low-backed sofas in the middle of the hall, and at the far end stood an ornate wooden table—the reception desk. Behind it sat a girl with short, blackish-green hair reaching her neck, wearing a yellowish dress with simple decorations, embellished with a modest gemstone at the neck. She was immersed in drinking tea and reading the newspaper.
The door made no sound when Namir opened it, and the girl did not notice his entrance, which forced him to cough deliberately while holding his bag with one hand and placing the elbow of his other hand in front of his mouth.
The girl placed the newspaper on the desk, stood up, turned her head toward Namir, and said with clear astonishment on her face, "Hello, sir. Do you have business at the University of Patis?"
Namir drew a smile on his face and said as he approached the girl, "Dean Herwick sent me an employment offer some time ago, and I sent him my acceptance a few days ago, informing him of my arrival. I am supposed to meet with him today."
When he approached the girl, he nodded his head forward and continued in a calm tone, "My name is Namir Dagon. I will be a professor of history."
The girl held the edge of her dress, nodded, and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Lara Bakr, and to my unluckiness, I am the reception supervisor."
Lara pointed her hand toward the sofa and continued in an endearing tone, "Please wait while I call Dean Herwick and prepare a drink for you to enjoy. What do you prefer? I am good at coffee, but I am better at tea—or would you like a cold drink?"
Namir shook his head, declining to burden her with preparing a drink for him, "It is fine. I will wait—I will just wait."
Namir noticed her cheek puffing with mild anger, and she said as she raised her finger at Namir and shook it, "No, no, no! When a girl asks you what you want, you just have to choose. You must not refuse. By my evaluation, your refusal deducts two points from you. But since this is your first time, I will let it slide. At any rate, I will go call the dean; I won't be long."
Namir smiled and chuckled softly, finding her spontaneity charming and delightful; she had managed to dispel a large portion of his previous dark feelings quite simply.
Lara glared at him, her angry feelings at his suppressed laughter clear from her facial expressions. She hummed softly and said as she walked toward a door behind the reception desk, "Hmm, this deducts four points from you. Your current total is six out of ten."
He wanted to banter back and was on the verge of feigning hurt in a sad tone, but she closed the door before he could speak. He laughed at the situation and put the two queens and the princess out of his mind... for the time being.
Upon her entry, he caught sight of a corridor behind the door, which meant there were rooms behind it, but he did not think much of them; he could enter at any time since he was now one of the staff.
After a few seconds, he heard the sound of something falling to the ground, and it occurred to his mind that Lara had collided with something heavy while searching for Dean Herwick to request his presence.
He kept waiting on the reception sofa, and a few minutes passed—countable on one's fingers—before he heard footsteps coming from the door.
The door opened, and Namir saw Lara approaching with a hot cup in one hand and a set of papers in the other.
She approached Namir and set the cup before him on the table while saying, "This is Red Lancer Tea. Enjoy it while we talk."
Namir sighed and said, "I recall that I declined."
Lara smiled as she sat on the sofa opposite him and said, "I recall your refusal of the offer, but this is your punishment for laughing. Enjoy it."
Namir was astonished by her stance and said with a laugh, "Enjoy it? Am I truly supposed to enjoy my punishment?"
Lara stared silently at his face for a few seconds before saying in a stern tone, "Pervert."
Namir laughed at her response and decided to take the tea and take a sip from it.
Lara sighed while he drank and said, "Unfortunately, Dean Herwick is out. He increases the rumors with his immature behavior. I apologize for the bad image you see of him as the dean, but he is not here. Fortunately, however, he left a letter on the desk instructing us on what to do upon your arrival."
Namir raised his eyebrows in surprise, "A letter? Why is he not here? I told him in the letter that I would arrive at this time."
Lara nodded her head and said, "Yes, he left a letter. He knows of your attendance, but despite this, he went out and dumped his responsibility onto me. I will demand a financial bonus from him for his neglect of his responsibilities and for burdening me physically."
Namir nodded his head in agreement, "He is childish... Well, I support your idea; you should demand a bonus from him. What did he mention in the letter?"
Lara replied directly, saying, "He didn't mention anything worthy of note, but he asked me to give you the schedule for your lectures and to apologize to you on his behalf. But I don't intend to do that; it's his problem."
Lara extended the schedule papers to Namir while continuing, "In the first semester, the schedule is divided by the dean, but in the second semester, you can create your own schedule and divide it as you wish."
Namir took the paper and looked silently at his schedule. His schedule was not as crowded as he had expected; instead of delivering the same lecture on a single day to several sections, he would have to deliver a single lecture in a massive hall that accommodated all sections.
Under normal circumstances, he would have to deliver at least two lectures for each section and present a lesson from the curriculum every week. With five different sections, he would have to give no less than ten lectures a week.
However, with the massive hall uniting all sections, his schedule was divided into four lectures a week. With permission from the dean, he could skip two lectures and limit the lesson to the remaining two.
His current schedule was divided into a lecture on Sunday morning, a lecture on Monday morning, a lecture on Wednesday afternoon, and a lecture on Thursday morning, all in the main hall of the Third Trakis Building—the theoretical lectures building. This meant he had two days until his first lecture.
Unlike other universities in the capital, which granted professors the freedom to choose lectures and their timing, the University of Trakis gave students two days off during which placing lectures was forbidden: Friday and Saturday.
Namir felt relieved by his schedule and its ease compared to his old schedule when he was a doctor at Nanan University, located in the city of Nanan. He breathed a silent sigh of relief and decided to postpone touring the university until tomorrow.
While Namir was looking at the schedule, he heard the creaking sound of the door pulling him from his thoughts.
He raised his head toward the sound and found a handsome man with blonde hair emerging from the door behind the reception desk. He wore a gray coat over his white suit, with trousers of the same color as his coat. His clothes were somewhat soiled, and it occurred to Namir's mind that Lara had bumped into him, causing him to fall to the ground—hence the sound he had heard earlier.
The blonde man initiated an introduction and approached Namir to shake his hand, saying, "Welcome to the university, Professor Namir. I am Salkov Wilhelm, a doctor of psychology."
Namir returned the greeting and invited him to sit beside them. Salkov agreed to his offer and sat on the sofa to Namir's left.
The three exchanged conversations about the university and the progression and methods of lectures, while Lara seized every opportunity to criticize Dean Herwick.
From Namir's perspective on their personalities, Lara was a girl of shifting moods; she created an enjoyable atmosphere in her conversations with her moody nature, yet she spoke her mind with complete honesty, flattering no one—even if it were her boss.
Salkov, meanwhile, was a man both empathetic and stern at the same time. He looked at Lara with condescension, as if he could not stand her personality. Namir presumed the reason for his look was his being a psychologist—someone who would look down upon those he does not understand.
..
After half an hour had passed, Salkov informed Namir that he had assignments to grade and was forced to go to his room in the theoretical lectures building to grade them.
Upon his departure, Lara sighed and pulled out a silver medal engraved with 'University of Trakis' from her dress pocket. She extended it to Namir and said, "Here, take this medal. Go to the nearest branch of the Nobles' Association and give them the medal; you will obtain the title of Baron through it. Or you can exchange it for money if you possess enough."
Namir drew a half-smile on his face and said, "And pass up the opportunity for social mobility? The title of Baron will grant me certain privileges I desire."
Lara nodded her head at his response and said, "Good, good. Your attitude is very good. I wished I could come with you, but I cannot leave my work and go; unfortunately, I am the only one at the reception today. What about you? Will you go and tour the university?"
Namir shook his head and answered her question, "No, I will come tomorrow and tour the university. In fact, I am wondering about my quarters, but the dean mentioned nothing about them in the letter. From your complaining, I bet he forgot to write it down."
"In fact, I am thinking of searching the university's housing area and acquiring a house for myself. I can use the medal to get a house, right?"
Lara shook her head and said, raising her hands in the shape of an X, "Believe me, you will regret that idea. Search for another house better than the university housing. Students will come to you daily to ask you about the lecture, and I bet some of the fools will cross the line with their actions—who knows, a student might even come with his girlfriend to spend the night at your house!"
At her silence, Namir hummed audibly, prompting her to add, "Fine, I understand what you want. Go to the Nobles' Association in the Al-Andalus district. You can go via the steam metro. When you arrive there, show the medal to the guard and he will let you enter. At the reception, tell them you want the title of Baron; they will ask you a few simple questions given that you possess the university medal. After they finish, tell them you want to buy a house or a mansion, and they will give you options. This is easier than searching through newspapers or public offices for a house."
Lara paused her speech briefly, pulled out a bronze medal engraved with 'Barony of Bakr' from her pocket, and handed it to Namir before continuing, "If you find a suitable house, give them the medal and you will get a discount."
Namir shook his head, declining to take her medal, and said, "Thank you, I am truly grateful to you, but I cannot accept it. I must take care of the payment myself."
Lara pointed her finger toward Namir and shook it, saying, "I didn't give you a choice to accept or decline it. I gave you the medal, and you just have to accept it. When a girl gives you something, accept it and do not decline—these are the basics of etiquette and romance."
Namir wanted to reply, but he stammered, his face flushing red. As he was stammering, Lara stood up from the sofa and walked to the reception desk.
She sat on the chair behind the desk and said, "Alright, now go to the Nobles' Association, search for a house, and get your title as a Baron."