Thud!
The oppressive silence that had settled over the Headmistress's office at Uagadou, following Lakayla Adisa's startling words, was shattered by the sudden sound of a chair crashing to the floor.
Wentworth turned sharply toward the noise. Nala, who had accompanied him, had risen to her feet, trembling from head to toe. The chair behind her had toppled over, abandoned in her shock.
Her voice trembled as she spoke:
"Headmistress Adisa… What… what do you mean? Uagadou… how could it… how could it possibly be destroyed?!"
In response, Lakayla Adisa rose from her seat and slowly crossed the room. She gently righted the fallen chair, then guided Nala back down into it with surprising tenderness. Only after ensuring she was seated did she turn her gaze to Wentworth.
"How it ends," she said quietly, "depends entirely on the wizard standing beside you. Isn't that right, Wentworth?"
Wentworth couldn't help but offer a wry smile.
Whatever speech he had prepared was now meaningless. Adisa had taken control of the conversation the moment she opened her mouth, throwing his carefully crafted plan into disarray.
As he met her calm, inscrutable eyes, Wentworth felt a strange sense of familiarity—something elusive, intangible. It reminded him of the feeling he once had when facing Albus Dumbledore.
But where Dumbledore's gaze had pierced into one's very soul, Adisa's eyes held the weight of foresight, it was as if she could see the future itself.
He cursed inwardly: These sly old foxes… This was supposed to be the story of a young Dark Lord's rise, so how did it turn into a saga of wise elders and their final battles?!
Despite the sarcasm bubbling in his thoughts, Wentworth managed a cheerful expression and replied lightly:
"I'm afraid I don't quite follow your meaning, Headmistress Adisa."
She smiled faintly, but to Wentworth, that smile carried the sting of irony.
"Perhaps I don't understand it either," she continued. "But the moment you knocked on the door to this office, the stars whispered to me. They said you were the wizard who would bring Uagadou both its destruction and its rebirth. I was surprised, it wasn't Albus, after all, but the stars do not lie."
She fixed him with a steady gaze. "So. Why have you come, Wentworth?"
Scratching his nose awkwardly, Wentworth chuckled bitterly.
"With such an introduction, Headmistress, I hardly know how to begin."
Lakayla's tone was casual, but her words cut sharply:
"Then allow me to begin for you. Nala told you, didn't she? About my dealings with the Kalembo tribe. That I've been trading Uagadou-grown herbs, meant for student practice, for profit."
Wentworth blinked, caught off guard by her bluntness. Nala immediately sprang to her feet, perhaps to explain or defend herself, but Lakayla gently pushed her back into the chair.
Then she turned to Nala, her expression softening with amusement.
"Nala, you must've been what, fourth year? When you overheard that conversation between Juma and me in the secret chamber? A fourth-year witch, did you truly believe you could eavesdrop without me knowing? I may be a failed headmistress, but I'm still a fairly competent witch."
Nala stared at her, wide-eyed.
"You… you knew I was there?!"
Lakayla nodded slowly.
"Of course I knew. Juma didn't suspect a thing, but this is Uagadou. I'm its headmistress. You think I wouldn't notice another presence in the chamber?"
Nala sat in silence for a few heartbeats, then finally asked:
"Then why… why didn't you send me away?"
Before Lakayla could answer, Wentworth muttered under his breath, Foolish girl.
But Lakayla responded with unexpected patience:
"Oh, my dear child. Had I called you out back then, with Juma's temperament, and the way his tribe handles secrets, you might never have seen the stars that night."
Nala's expression shifted as realization dawned. Her eyes welled up, and tears gathered at the corners, but her voice rose in frustration:
"Then why did you do it?! Why would you do something like that?! It wasn't just the herbs, it was the school's enrollment slots! How could you sell something like that?! Do you have any idea what those Dream Messenger stones mean to people? They carry a lifetime of hope for many witches and wizards! You sold their future! You sold Uagadou's future!"
Lakayla listened quietly, her face unreadable. She let the girl's fury ring out until the sobs came softly.
Then, gently, she placed a hand on Nala's shoulder and turned back to Wentworth.
"Tell me, Wentworth, why do you think I did it?"
Wentworth, who had remained silent through the exchange, finally stirred.
He spoke slowly.
"People panic and scramble, for a few pieces of silver. But it's those few pieces of silver that can calm the panic of the world." He paused. "So, I'm guessing, Headmistress Adisa, you did it… for the money?"
Before Lakayla could respond, Nala burst out:
"Of course it was about the money! But… you're the Headmistress of Uagadou! What could you possibly need so much gold for?! I remember what you said at our first feast, you told us the magical world is vast beyond measure, that no witch or wizard could ever reach its end in a lifetime! And now you're chasing material comforts?"
At that, Lakayla suddenly laughed. Her voice was warm, almost affectionate.
"Nala, I'm glad you remember what I said. Never forget that. As long as you hold onto those words, one day, you'll become a world-renowned Potions Master."
"And as for me—"
But before she could finish, Wentworth cut in.
"It's because Lakayla Adisa is the headmistress of Uagadou that she needs the money. Schools are bottomless pits that burn through gold like Fiendfyre. Isn't that right, Headmistress?"
Lakayla said nothing, but Nala's voice rose once more in protest.
"I used to tell myself that too. But I could never convince myself it was right! Uagadou has stood for over a thousand years, none of the other headmasters or headmistresses ever did such a thing. Why is it only under her leadership that Uagadou's legacy… its very foundation, is being sold off?!"
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]