Chapter 90 : Chapter 90

Chapter 90

The day of the interview with the Westin Post.

Eddie finished his five-day training and came out of the Pantheon.

His condition upon returning to Corkis was, in a word, a sweat-soaked wreck.

Far from recovering, he looked even more gaunt.

Gail and Parita were horrified, and Leodimir also looked at Bex with eyes that said, 'What happened?'

But Bex just blinked his tired eyes on Eddie's shoulder as if to say, 'Don't even ask!'

As if to support that reaction, Bex's condition was worse than Eddie's.

His body was a mess of tangled feathers and dirt here and there.

Moreover, his blue feathers fell out with every movement.

It was all the result of taking care of Eddie at the Pantheon for five days straight.

Knowing that Bex would help him if things went wrong, Eddie pushed himself with even more intense training.

Not only did he raise the training difficulty from 5th and 6th-star spells to 6th and 7th-star, but he also endured the pain to the end and activated his mana circle even when a power struggle with Rakan's mana broke out.

Thanks to that, Eddie fainted more than 30 times during the training.

And each time, Bex had to wake him up in various ways.

'Still, thanks to Bex, I can now control the power of up to 7th-star spells.'

Eddie smiled awkwardly as he watched Bex fly over to Leodimir's arm and perch there.

"Could you spare me a moment, Master?"

"Ah."

In return, he had to endure his disciple's heartfelt nagging.

* * *

Time flew by as he was examined by Gail and chatted with Leodimir about various things.

Before he knew it, it was almost 10 p.m., the time of the scheduled interview.

Eddie, who had come up to Leodimir's office, prepared to head to the Westin Post headquarters.

He was wearing an academy uniform instead of the clothes he had brought from Kirhausen.

The Wester family already saw Eddie's affiliation as the academy, not Kirhausen.

So Eddie intended to affirm their speculation with his attire rather than a lengthy explanation.

Depending on their reaction to that, it would be decided whether they were friend or foe.

Finally, Parita handed him his wand, and Gail injected a painkiller into Eddie's arm.

Eddie stared at the dwindling liquid in the syringe.

He had gotten used to living without painkillers, but what he was about to do was a meeting with an opponent whose side he couldn't distinguish.

There was no reason or need to show any weakness.

If they were an enemy, Eddie's weak state would be reported to Kirhausen.

Even if they weren't an enemy, a weak appearance was disadvantageous for negotiations.

That's why Eddie took the painkiller, thinking this would be the last time.

When all the preparations were finished, Leodimir took out his wand.

It was to create a portal to transport Eddie to the front of the Westin Post headquarters.

But Leodimir's hand holding the wand soon faltered.

Eddie knew well what that hesitation was for.

"Are you still worried about my body?"

At Eddie's words, which pierced his heart exactly, Leodimir let out a small sigh.

"How about having Parita accompany you, even now? The Westin Post reporter will already be there, so they won't cancel the interview just because you have one companion."

"You don't have to worry so much."

"Of course, I don't think this meeting is a trap set by Kirhausen either. But if the Wester family happens to have other thoughts……."

"I'm not just blindly trusting the Westers either. But there's one thing I'm sure of."

Eddie cut Leodimir off mid-sentence and said in a low voice as he straightened his sleeves.

"The Westers won't take my side, but they won't take Kirhausen's side either."

The Westers were a faction of the same kind as the Penroses.

They had ambition and greed, but they didn't use it recklessly.

It meant they had a neutral disposition that didn't easily lean to one side.

"So withdraw the Mercuries you've placed outside the headquarters building now."

“…You knew.”

"I know your heart, but if we do that, we might end up breaking the axis of neutrality they've been protecting."

“…Yes, Master. My thoughts were short.”

As Leodimir bowed his head and apologized, Eddie waved his hand as if it was alright.

Watching that, Gail and Parita were silently amazed.

Not only his insight to see through his disciple's move, but also his proficient grasp of politics and power dynamics exuded a deep sense of experience.

Bwoong-

Leodimir swung his wand and created a portal in the middle of his office.

Eddie stepped into the glowing circle without hesitation.

* * *

The Westin Post headquarters, located in the center of Grainsville.

Eddie, who had appeared in front of it through the portal, raised his head and took in the magnificent exterior.

The headquarters building was much larger than he had seen in his past life.

In the 30 years Eddie was gone, the Westin Post had grown even more.

The number of branches in the provinces had doubled, and they were now actively expanding outside the empire.

"It seems Jared West's son is leading the family well."

The face of the Wester family head he remembered came to mind, and Eddie smiled faintly.

He, who must have passed away by now, remained in Eddie's memory as a tough and wise journalist.

"Let's see how they maintain that steadfastness."

Of course, just because they were doing well didn't guarantee that their internal affairs were in order.

Muttering to himself, Eddie entered the headquarters building.

The building was empty, without a single soul.

Moreover, all the lights were off, and it was pitch black.

The only place with lights on was the largest office on the 10th floor.

It was a rather unusual sight, but it was exactly as Eddie had requested in his letter.

Thump, thump, thump-

Having arrived on the 10th floor, Eddie headed straight for the lit office.

'I asked them to send only one reporter with the family head's seal.'

It seemed this had also been carried out as requested, as the presence felt from the office was that of a single person.

At the very least, it seemed the family tradition of valuing trust remained the same.

'If the company's atmosphere is still the same, they might have sent a young reporter like before.'

This Westin Post was a place where they gave the opportunity to get a scoop to anyone with skill, regardless of age.

He was curious about what kind of unique reporter would be here this time.

Eddie quickened his pace towards the office a little.

And the moment he opened the door.

'Ah….'

Eddie was a little disappointed.

A space that looked like a high-ranking executive's office at a glance.

And the back of the woman who seemed to be the owner of this office was clearly that of a middle-aged woman of considerable age.

But the moment she turned around and revealed her face.

"Uh…!"

Eddie let out a small, surprised gasp without realizing it.

At that, the middle-aged woman smiled and asked.

"Are you surprised that the office is in such a state? I did my best to clean it to welcome a guest, though."

“……”

She smiled a little awkwardly and uncrossed her arms.

Then she approached Eddie and offered a handshake first.

It was a completely different attitude from her seemingly cold impression.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Eddie Summerson. I am Gemma Adler, the Chief of the Press Bureau of the Westin Post."

"Ah."

Having heard Gemma's name, Eddie finally smiled faintly.

Even after seeing her face, voice, and her considerable height for a woman, he had thought, 'could it be?'

The moment he heard her name, it became certain.

Gemma Adler.

The rookie reporter from the Westin Post who had bravely come to Shainborough over 30 years ago.

The assertive female reporter who had handed her business card to the butler, saying she wanted to interview Edmund, who had become a great mage.

He had thought her unusual even back then, and now she was the Chief of the Press Bureau.

Eddie smiled slightly as he accepted Gemma's handshake.

He had secretly hoped that a reporter like the one from back then would show up.

'To think the person herself would show up.'

He was so pleased, despite the situation, that he almost broke into a wide smile.

"Shall we sit down then?"

"Yes."

As he sat down across from Gemma, Eddie took in the objects on the table.

A pen, a notebook, a business card.

And the seal of the Wester family head.

The reason he had asked them to bring the seal was to make sure that the family head was also deeply involved in this matter.

The seal was a direct expression of the family head's will.

As long as the seal was here, it was as if the family head was also present in this place.

'There's no guarantee they won't cut their losses, after all.'

As long as he didn't know the Wester family's true intentions, he had to be wary of the responsibility-shifting that large newspaper companies used whenever they caused a controversy.

'A subordinate acted on their own.' was a classic excuse, then and now.

But today, it seemed there was no need to worry.

Before he had confirmed it was Gemma, he had been disappointed at the appearance of a high-ranking person, but on second thought, didn't it mean there was no concern of them cutting their losses?

Gemma seemed to have read that worry in Eddie's gaze as he looked at the seal, and she smiled faintly.

Then she opened her notebook, picked up her pen, and started the interview.

"First of all, before we get to the main topic, congratulations on your recovery, Mr. Summerson."

"Thank you, Madam Chief."

"Is your current physical condition good enough to proceed with the interview?"

"Yes. I'm fully recovered now, so it's fine."

"That's a relief."

Gemma briefly jotted down Eddie's condition in her notebook.

As she wrote, she smiled as if she had remembered something and said.

"By the way, the president was quite pleased when he received your letter, Mr. Summerson."

"He was pleased?"

"Yes. Because it was a prompt reply without delay, and it even had clear requests. He thought you wouldn't be doing an evasive interview."

"I see. But it seems my requests haven't been met."

At Eddie's words, Gemma's hand, which had been moving the pen, stopped.

Her answer was a little delayed, as if she hadn't expected to be pointed out.

"In what way is that?"

"What I requested was one 'reporter.' Not the 'Chief of the Press Bureau'."

It was close to nitpicking, but it was a nitpicking out of an abundance of caution.

If she wasn't in her capacity as a reporter, the interview could be treated as a private conversation.

But this time, there was one thing Eddie had missed.

"Ah, so that's what you were concerned about. But I am also an active reporter, Mr. Summerson."

"Pardon?"

Gemma showed her business card to Eddie.

Next to her name written on the business card were two titles: [Chief of the Press Bureau/Reporter].

Moreover, the crystal she had briefly shown was a magic recording device used by reporters.

It seemed it had been an unnecessary nitpick.

As soon as Eddie confirmed it was a misunderstanding, he meekly apologized.

"Well, I've been rude."

"Not at all. Everyone already thinks it's strange for someone my age to be out doing interviews myself."

"I see."

The atmosphere became warm again, and the interview began in earnest.

Eddie's basic personal information.

The path to becoming Kirhausen's tail.

And his life at Shainborough, the questions at the beginning were light ones.

But of course, hidden among the light questions were elements that struck at the core.

The question, 'How did you feel living at Shainborough?' was to gauge the treatment of a tail.

When she asked, 'What do you think is the role of an assistant?', her ulterior motive to deduce the reason why Kirhausen had taken in a tail was evident.

Of course, Eddie noticed these intentions as soon as he heard the questions and answered within a safe range.

Because this was not where the real questions the Westin Post wanted to ask would come out.

And as expected, as soon as the topic moved to the academy, the questions became sharp.

"I heard that you played a heroic role in saving the life of a student you had an argument with during the entrance exam. What kind of magic did you use then?"

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