My office is right next to the Headmistress’ office.
Normally, I would be assigned a separate space like other departments, but since I’m the only one in the Finance Department and to emphasize that I’m the Headmistress’ closest aide, I was placed here… or so the Headmistress explained.
In any case, at first, having the Headmistress in the room next door was extremely uncomfortable, but that feeling faded over time. It ended up being convenient because I could quickly consult her whenever something came up.
Anyway, due to the nature of my office, staff rarely come to the Finance Director’s office. Only those like Laura, who don’t feel personally burdened by me, or department heads and academic department heads from other areas would come.
The professor of Illusion Magic, Alon, in front of me, didn’t fit into either category and looked strangely confident. What’s up with that?
“So, you’re saying you want to unleash a monster illusion at the Entrance Ceremony?”
“Yes, indeed! This is all for the better educational quality of the academy!”
“… Let me ask first, what kind of monster are we talking about?”
“It’s a Manticore.”
What the actual hell.
Hearing the name of the monster, I almost crumpled the report handed to me by the professor and threw it at his face, but I desperately held myself back.
‘A Manticore? A Manticore, you say?’
A Manticore is a monster that has the body of a lion, a scorpion’s tail, and the wings of a bat. To sum it all up without going into details…
A Manticore is a Rank 7 monster that, upon being sighted, requires all nearby towns to enter a state of partial mobilization.
Considering that monsters above Rank 8 usually don’t appear in the western wilderness of the Empire, it’s safe to say that this is one of the most powerful creatures that can realistically cause harm to the nation.
And you want to unleash something like that, even if it’s just an illusion, at the Entrance Ceremony? Out of nowhere?!
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Mr. Finance Director, I know what you’re thinking. You’re probably wondering if I’ve gone insane.”
“Have you lost your mind?!”
“Unfortunately, I must maintain my sanity until I fully grasp the extremes of Illusion Magic. After all, a strong mind is the most important thing in our field.”
It felt like we were communicating, but at the same time, we weren’t.
It was a familiar sight to me. Professors aren’t just educators; they’re scholars first and educators as a side gig. They teach students but are often deeply engrossed in their specialties.
Especially magic professors tend to endlessly share their expertise whenever their field comes up, even if the other party refuses.
I don’t know if it’s because they merely conduct gloomy research in their labs all day, or if they’re appealing for funds to devour the budget, but whatever the reason…
I interrupted the professor before he could go on about Illusion Magic.
“Professor Alon, I’m sorry, but I don’t have much time to spare. So let me ask the core question.”
“… Understood.”
“The issue you brought up is part of an additional event for the Entrance Ceremony, and considering the aftermath, conducting it will inevitably make the usual course of events impossible. Therefore, it should be at the end of the ceremony if it’s going to happen.”
“Correct!”
“However, I have no authority to intervene in the order of the ceremony.”
“…………”
As the Finance Director, I’m handling all the costs for the Entrance Ceremony and responsible for the final report, but that doesn’t give me the right to meddle in other fields. I had no intention to do so either.
When the Entrance Exam Hall collapsed, the responsibility for escorting the injured lay with the Medical Director, and the subsequent exam administration and results reporting was the duty of the Chief Examiner. All I did was assess repair costs and financial damages suitable for my role.
So, the professor’s proposal is something I shouldn’t even be involved with in the first place.
And Alon surely knows that too.
“If you wanted to suggest an Illusion Magic monster attack during the Entrance Ceremony, you should’ve gone to the academic affairs department or, at the very least, the planning department.”
“That’s…”
“Of course, Professor Alon, you must have gone there first, and I imagine you heard that they’d likely pass it if I gave my permission.”
He didn’t throw a project at me out of nowhere. Though the academy staff dislikes me, it usually stays at the level of backbiting or slighting.
In reality, he probably had to come to me for my permission.
“So, let me bluntly ask.”
“…………”
“What kind of funding do you need for this?”
The reason why the professor came to me is that his request exceeds the budget set for the Entrance Ceremony.
To spend beyond what has been allocated, he must have my approval without exception.
Professor Alon swallowed hard and quietly presented a report that he placed in front of me respectfully.
Under various headings, the total estimated amount was…
“Are you kidding me?!”
“W-What, Mr. Finance Director?”
“Have you lost your mind?!”
Even my formal speech dropped naturally to blunt words, that’s how outrageous it was.
Is this guy trying to cut a day off the academy’s lifespan?!
“I know this is a considerable sum! But…!!”
“Go on then.”
“What?”
“You’ve been suspiciously confident all along, haven’t you? You must have something you believe in!”
“Uh…”
“I’ll give you one chance to speak. Convince me like a professor should!”
Students getting traumatized by an illusionary Manticore attack? Students getting injured while running away? The aftermath of managing the aftermath of Illusion Magic and the potential parental complaints?
All of that is put aside for now. The most critical factor for me as the Finance Director is different.
‘It needs to be profitable.’
Or it must be worth spending that amount of money.
Of course, the academy isn’t a business. Not everything we do has to generate profit.
For instance, spending money to improve textbooks for students or replace training equipment, or hiring new professors are all expenditures, but I wouldn’t oppose those while mixing in curse words like I’m doing now because they’re all things that should naturally happen at the academy.
But weren’t all those budgets decided at the budget allocation meeting not too long ago? The allocated funds are supposed to be spent wisely within their respective departments, so Professor Alon’s proposal must have been rejected in the field of magic and come to me as a last resort.
So if we’re talking about spending fresh cash, it must be ‘productive.’
“Ugh… Professor Alon, I apologize for my harsh tone. Do you see those piles of documents beside me? I’ve been working overtime for two days, and all of that needs to be processed today. I couldn’t help but be on edge.”
“I-I understand, Mr. Finance Director.”
“Thus, please, please bring logical and rational arguments. I really don’t want to speak harshly to you again.”
I genuinely meant that. I was already tired to death, and if he continued to drone on about improving educational quality and such nonsense, I might finally snap and crumple the report to throw it at his face.
Having calmed down somewhat, the tense-looking Professor Alon took a deep breath and began to speak.
“According to a report released recently by the Empire’s Ministry of Magic, an analysis of trends over the next 30 years has shown that Illusion Magic will become the most efficient field of study. Illusion Magic, which was classified as savage tribal witchcraft 200 years ago, now shines as times change.”
“So?”
“Thanks to this trend, nobles and mage societies are expressing increased interest in Illusion Magic. Some of them attend the Grandis Academy Entrance Ceremony every year to grace the event.”
The introduction was getting long. If I feel it’s long, it is long.
Noticing my narrowing gaze, Professor Alon hastened his words.
“If a finely crafted Manticore made through Illusion appears at such an Entrance Ceremony, it will inevitably pique interest around Illusion Magic.”
“Is it really necessary to evoke such a commotion, even if it’s for interest during the Entrance Ceremony?”
“Ordinary people tend to remember experiences that are visually shocking and astonishing for longer. This approach not only tests the students’ adaptability but can also be a new way to evaluate that breaks existing molds, bringing attention to Illusion Magic.”
“If you’re not mistaken, from everything you’ve said, this only seems beneficial for the Illusion Magic… that is, Professor Alon’s department.”
Professors cannot conduct research based solely on the academy’s budget. Therefore, it’s understandable they want to attract investment from guilds and powerful individuals to further their research.
But why, using the academy’s hard-earned money, should we only do a favor for the Illusion Magic department?
At this, Professor Alon lowered his posture briefly and continued quietly.
“I’m willing to donate 20% of all future investments that the Illusion Magic department receives to the academy.”
“… Hmm.”
“What do you think?”
“The exact contract date is set for 30 years from now. If the investment doesn’t reach the baseline target within a year, the percentage will increase to 30%, and the donation will be in your name, not the Illusion Magic department’s.”
“W-What?”
“Those are the conditions I’m proposing.”
“30 years? And increasing the rate to 30%…”
“I’ll give you time to think. The deadline is before my workday ends today.”
“Wait a moment. It’s already afternoon; if it’s before your work hours end….”
“…………”
“Oh.”
What’s with this guy’s exclamations?!
Noticing the mountain of paperwork stacked beside me, Professor Alon realized I would have at least until midnight to mull over the proposal and bowed his head and left my office.
“No way, it might even last until tomorrow.”
Staring at this mountain of paperwork I felt would never end, I slumped down with a gloomy expression.
I just want to get off work…
*
“Um, Mr. Finance Director? You seem to have gotten quite scruffy lately.”
“I haven’t left my office for the past three days; it’s unavoidable.”
“There are dark circles under your eyes…”
“At least I’m clean. You set up a bathroom and a sleeping area in here because you expected this level of workload, didn’t you?”
“Hmm, cough.”
Even though I’ll just go to the dormitory after work, there’s a whole dimension of difference between sleeping at home and sleeping in a work sleeping area.
Seeing my supervisor, the cause of my late nights, naturally makes my resentment boil, but since the Headmistress is working right next door at the same time, it’s hard to complain.
With her also burning the midnight oil, I simply sighed and handed her a sheet of paper.
It was the same approval form I had received from Professor Alon.
“Hmm? What’s this…?”
“This is a proposal made by Alon, the Illusion Magic professor. To summarize it in three lines for you, dear Headmistress.”
1. Unleash an Illusion Monster at the Entrance Ceremony for promotion of Illusion Magic.
2. This will be beneficial for education.
3. So, ‘give me money.’
“That’s all.”
“… You came all the way to my office to submit this to the Finance Director directly?”
“Correct.”
“Did you at least spare him?”
“Do you seriously think I’d let him off lightly?”
Of course, if I had reached only Rank 8, I would have smashed his face right away, but being a perfectly rational social person, I’ve digested his pitch.
Next year, for reasons I couldn’t fathom, the budget for the magical field would get slightly slashed, or so I thought.
“So, what else is there?”
“How did you know?”
“If Alon’s proposal was just this, some finance director I know wouldn’t have mentioned it to me. He’d have crumpled it and thrown it in the trash.”
“… And he also suggested that 20% of all future investments in the Illusion Magic department would be donated to the academy.”
“Oh!”
Is the Headmistress changing a bit? Normally, she would show displeasure if such deals were brought up, but she looked genuinely intrigued.
Still, I hope she doesn’t change too much.
“However, I judged the conditions as insufficient and altered them. That detail is also in the document.”
“Conditionally increasing the percentage and specifying the donation name… These are essential details that he probably deliberately omitted.”
“Scholars aren’t traders. I can overlook this much.”
If some trading guild had done this, I’d have given them a skull-crushing combo immediately, but since he’s a professor from the same academy…
What’s more, for me, who’s gone through many negotiations and deals, this little scam was just adorable, so I decided to let it slide… but.
The Headmistress had a strange expression on her face.
“Headmistress, what will you do? Personally, I think—”
“Wait. Would it be okay if I express my opinion first?”
“… Sure, I don’t mind.”
Well, she could easily argue against causing such chaos at the Entrance Ceremony, that the only beneficiaries would be students from the magical and martial arts fields while the administrative students would be mere spectators, and that the shocked students could incur injuries or even risk being trampled.
Given the Headmistress’ character, who always emphasizes students and education, those points would have definitely come up, and since I wasn’t inclined to agree with this plan from the outset, I was ready to concede if she opposed it.
“I think it should be accepted.”
“Really? Can you explain your reasoning?”
“If we inform the daughters of the Claudia family, Princess Beatrice, or the other candidates who received bribes, beforehand, we can pocket additional bribes!”
“…………”
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