Chapter 271: An Unusual Arrangement

By the following morning, Garen Vollbrecht had begun treating the Thirteenth Society as though he’d already become one of its senior members.

He’d even started referring to their upcoming gathering as an important appointment.

Ilya suspected the fellow was enjoying the exclusivity a little too much.

Still, he couldn’t blame him. Their second gathering had been surprisingly entertaining, and the negotiations had provided an opportunity to interact with students they ordinarily wouldn’t have encountered.

More importantly, their little group had performed rather well.

Tristan’s familiarity with aristocratic contracts, Garen’s practical understanding of commercial arrangements, and Ilya’s experience with academic research had complemented one another.

The result had even earned them a personal invitation from the society’s president.

There was only one problem.

The invitation required them to undertake an unspecified obligation.

"You’re thinking about it again, aren’t you?" Garen asked.

They were sitting in the academy courtyard during their afternoon break. Tristan had departed earlier to attend a departmental consultation, leaving Ilya to endure Garen’s enthusiastic theories concerning the society’s next gathering.

"I’m wondering why they won’t tell us what they want."

"Maybe it’s supposed to be a surprise."

"That’s generally a poor justification for agreeing to something."

Garen considered the objection.

The society had stated that candidates could refuse after hearing the conditions, which made the arrangement less concerning. Nevertheless, Ilya found it curious that an organization supposedly dedicated to academic excellence placed so much emphasis on obligations.

Their first gathering had tested social influence.

The second involved negotiating agreements and identifying unfavorable conditions.

Now the third would require them to perform a service.

Perhaps the sequence was intentional.

He wanted another opinion before deciding how seriously to take it.

Fortunately, he knew someone who was rather good at identifying troublesome situations.

"Senior, have you heard of the Thirteenth Society?"

Vera Adelheid Lischke was seated behind her office desk, examining a collection of documents concerning the Magic Department’s upcoming academic schedule.

She considered the name for several seconds.

"No. Should I have?"

"Apparently, it’s an unofficial student organization. They invite accomplished students to private gatherings and make them participate in unusual competitions."

"Sounds exhausting."

"Surprisingly, the food’s quite good."

"Then I suppose that explains why you’re interested."

Ilya smiled before explaining the society’s activities in greater detail.

He described the Old Astronomical Hall, the thirteen-star insignia, and the two gatherings he’d attended with Tristan and Garen.

He also mentioned the organization’s apparent history and its preference for keeping its membership private.

Vera listened while continuing to review her documents.

She had worked at Holy Trinity long enough to recognize most of its established academic associations, but the Thirteenth Society wasn’t among them.

That didn’t particularly surprise her.

Students frequently organized private gatherings without involving the faculty, especially when wealthy aristocratic families were concerned. Some became respectable scholarly circles, while others existed primarily to provide their members with expensive refreshments and opportunities to congratulate one another.

As long as their activities remained within academy regulations, the faculty rarely had reason to interfere.

"So what exactly is bothering you?" she asked.

Ilya produced the latest invitation.

Vera examined the letter.

Its contents were brief and politely worded. The society offered selected candidates an opportunity to participate in a private gathering, during which they would be asked to undertake a temporary obligation.

The invitation also specified that refusal would carry no penalty.

"Well, that’s considerate."

"Would you accept it?"

"I’d want to know what the obligation involves."

"That’s what I thought."

Vera returned the letter.

She couldn’t offer much insight into an organization she’d never encountered, but the arrangement itself wasn’t especially unusual. Private academic circles often required members to contribute time, resources, or expertise to collective activities.

What mattered was whether those expectations were reasonable.

"You’re a Belozersky," she remarked. "Surely someone has taught you how to read an agreement."

"Several people. Most of them wanted me to sign one."

Vera laughed.

"Then you’ve already received an excellent education."

Ilya explained that the society’s president had confirmed that no obligation would take effect until its terms were disclosed and accepted.

That satisfied Vera.

There was no obvious reason to abandon an interesting opportunity simply because its organizers enjoyed being mysterious.

However, she advised him to avoid making promises involving his family, academic work, or other people’s confidential information.

Ilya had already intended to impose those limitations.

Still, hearing them from someone else was reassuring.

"Anything else, Senior?"

"Yes. Stop expecting me to investigate every strange club you discover."

"I’ll save my next inquiry for something more important."

"Please do."

Their conversation gradually moved toward his magical training.

Ilya had been experimenting with distributing preliminary mana circulation through several freezing currents, following Vera’s earlier advice. Although the technique remained difficult to maintain, he’d begun identifying methods for reducing the concentration required.

Vera examined his latest calculations and pointed out a flaw concerning the timing of the currents.

The correction gave him enough material to occupy several afternoons.

By the time he left her office, he’d nearly forgotten why he’d visited in the first place.

Vera, meanwhile, returned to her paperwork.

As far as she knew, the Thirteenth Society was simply another peculiar student organization.

She had enough troublesome matters of her own without concerning herself with a club whose primary attraction appeared to be expensive pastries.

The next gathering took place on Saturday.

Ilya arrived at the Old Astronomical Hall alongside Tristan and Garen, who had somehow convinced himself that their invitation represented a significant advancement within the society’s hierarchy.

Tristan disagreed.

"You’re still a candidate."

"A distinguished candidate."

"According to whom?"

"The president."

"He said our group performed well."

"Exactly."

Ilya allowed them to continue arguing until they reached the entrance.

Margarethe von Adlerheim was waiting inside, accompanied by several students wearing the society’s silver insignia.

Unlike the previous gatherings, there were fewer participants.

Only twelve candidates had been invited.

The main hall had also been rearranged. Several tables occupied the central floor, each containing a collection of documents and sealed envelopes.

However, there were no instructions concerning an examination.

Instead, Margarethe welcomed the candidates and explained that the evening would introduce them to the society’s internal arrangements.

The Thirteenth Society maintained several committees responsible for organizing events, managing resources, and coordinating collaborative projects.

Members were expected to contribute according to their interests and abilities.

The organization also possessed a system of favors.

Students could request assistance from fellow members, provided they offered something of comparable value in return.

Such arrangements weren’t necessarily financial.

Academic assistance, introductions, research materials, and participation in projects could all be exchanged through the society’s internal network.

Ilya understood the appeal immediately.

A talented student lacking resources might gain access to valuable assistance, while someone possessing considerable influence could receive specialized expertise unavailable through ordinary channels.

In principle, it was an excellent arrangement.

Garen seemed particularly interested in the engineering committee.

Tristan, meanwhile, asked several questions about how the society recorded obligations and resolved disputes.

Margarethe explained that agreements were documented by the secretary’s office and reviewed by the relevant committee.

Disputes could be appealed to the president.

That was straightforward enough.

However, Ilya noticed a potential weakness.

If the president possessed final authority over disputes, the society’s fairness depended heavily on the character of whoever occupied that position.

He didn’t raise the concern immediately.

Instead, he continued listening.

The promised obligation was eventually revealed.

Each candidate would be assigned a request submitted by an existing member. Completing it satisfactorily would demonstrate their willingness to contribute to the society’s activities.

Candidates could refuse assignments they considered unreasonable.

However, repeated refusals would naturally influence the society’s assessment of their suitability for membership.

That sounded fair in principle.

The difficulty, Ilya suspected, lay in how the requests were selected.

Margarethe began distributing envelopes.

Tristan received his first.

His assignment involved assisting an upper-year student with a formal presentation concerning historical military strategy.

It suited his background.

Garen’s request concerned repairing an experimental measuring apparatus belonging to the engineering committee.

He looked delighted.

Apparently, the society had discovered the quickest way to earn his cooperation.

Then Ilya opened his envelope.

His assignment was different.

A member had requested assistance reviewing a set of academic records concerning several students who had recently withdrawn from competitive research projects.

The documents were supposedly related to an internal investigation into irregularities involving the allocation of research opportunities.

Ilya examined the accompanying instructions.

The request was academically relevant, and reviewing documents was hardly an unreasonable task.

However, the materials included information concerning students who weren’t members of the society.

He approached Margarethe.

"Are these records publicly available?"

"Some are. Others were supplied by members involved in the projects."

"With permission from the students concerned?"

Margarethe considered the question.

"You’re concerned about confidentiality?"

"I’d prefer not to review someone’s private academic information without knowing how it was obtained."

It was a straightforward objection.

Margarethe didn’t appear offended.

Instead, she explained that the society maintained restrictions concerning confidential materials and that candidates could request a revised assignment if they believed the original presented ethical difficulties.

Ilya appreciated the response.

He requested access only to records that could be verified as publicly available or properly authorized.

Margarethe agreed to consult the committee.

His assignment would be postponed until the materials had been reviewed.

That resolved the immediate issue.

However, as Ilya returned to his companions, he noticed something interesting.

Several candidates had already accepted their assignments without examining the accompanying conditions.

Most of the requests were probably harmless.

Nevertheless, the society had spent two gatherings teaching its candidates how to negotiate, identify conflicting interests, and recognize unfavorable agreements.

Yet now, some of those same students were accepting obligations without asking the most elementary questions.

Ilya found the contradiction amusing.

Perhaps the society wanted to determine whether its lessons had actually been understood.

Or perhaps its members simply expected candidates to be more cooperative once they’d received enough recognition.

Either possibility was worth remembering.

Nearby, Garen was already discussing the engineering committee’s apparatus with an enthusiastic upper-year student.

Tristan had begun reviewing the military presentation’s references.

Neither appeared to have encountered anything particularly suspicious.

Ilya decided to reserve judgment.

For now, the society remained an interesting collection of talented students with unusual traditions.

And he intended to enjoy the opportunity while determining whether those traditions were as reasonable as their organizers claimed.