The lecture by Julius, the Commander of the Royal Knights and deemed the strongest among Rank 7, is something many would want to attend, not only the academy students but also knights ranked below 6.
He is usually extremely busy, yet he has proposed to come to the academy and provide lectures and training for free.
Given Julius’s position and influence, it’s objectively a sufficient compensation. However, unfortunately for Grandis Academy, it wasn’t.
Cash… Money is supreme.
“Compensation, it’s gold, right?”
“As you can see in the estimate, it’s not just about burying the land and replanting trees. It includes labor costs, the magical expenses to help the trees grow quickly, the rental costs for the magic ship required to reach the island, and even the compensation fee for Kaern Deste, who tried to deceive the headmistress by mentioning the academy’s rules after causing the incident.”
“Hmm…”
“If necessary, we can also negotiate the estimate.”
Honestly, I think the compensation amount is a bit excessive. Each item is necessary, but I’ve inflated the prices by about 30-40% for each.
Am I a jerk? Honestly, yes. As the Commander of the Royal Knights, he may not have a good grasp of market prices, but he would know that this is an over-exaggerated amount. Still, I did this because the headmistress openly branded Julius as a “pushover.” I was just testing the waters.
If Julius had been a serious person, he would have handed over a normal estimate, but seeing how he interacted with the headmistress, he seemed rather approachable, so I presented this estimate.
Besides, Kaern was indeed at fault, so they couldn’t come down too hard on that front.
I discreetly crumpled the other estimate I had prepared and placed a pen in front of Julius.
“What do you think?”
“……”
Julius, who seemed to ponder over the estimate’s amount, then spread his two fingers.
‘What does that mean? Is he saying half? Or that he’ll pay only 20%?’
If it’s the former, he’s a real jerk; if it’s the latter, he’s just a pain.
Did he only act like a pushover in front of the headmistress? He’s the Commander of the Royal Knights, so he should be strict—
“I will pay double the amount.”
“Thank you deeply for your consideration, Julius!”
“It’s a natural amount since my foolish junior offended your mood. Rather, I have to thank the finance director for their consideration.”
“Consideration, you say?”
“Surely, you didn’t require this low amount deliberately to consider my feelings? If I had accepted your free lectures, my schedule would have been quite troublesome. Now I understand why you trust me to handle the job.”
Oh, so he’s calling this amount ‘low’ now?
I glanced quietly at the headmistress, who seemed to nod as if to say, ‘Didn’t I tell you?’ then I turned to Julius with a smile.
Julius the Pushover, Money Bags, Cash King.
Now I understand why he seemed to have that nickname among the攻略 communities.
I hereby withdraw my title of calling Julius a pushover.
From today onwards, beyond that title, Julius’s money and the academy’s finances would become one.
Any attack on Julius would be considered an attack on the academy…!
“Indeed, you are Julius. I’ve heard a lot from the headmistress, but I never imagined you would immediately grasp my intentions and declare a ‘proper’ amount.”
“Haha, you flatter me. Finance Director.”
“No, not at all. Even though I’m just a Rank 1, I think I understand well why Julius is considered the closest to Rank 8 among the Rank 7s.”
“You’re flattering me too much. Should I show more sincerity towards your sister this time?”
“Sincerity? As you well know, the headmistress is the wealthiest person in the kingdom. This amount is more than enough.”
“Now that you mention it, I feel even more motivated. It’s not just anywhere; it’s Grandis Academy with your sister. Ironically, she has been rejecting my donations continuously, which has been quite troublesome.”
Rejecting donations was something the headmistress had always done. Even if it’s a pure donation to Julius, others would perceive it differently.
If a Grandis Academy graduate were to join the Royal Knights, there would no doubt be rumors about how donations influenced the introduction of students. It’s something all the other private academies do.
However, people tend to cling to the faults of someone who has been known to be honest. Even though Grandis Academy has been operating solely on the headmistress’s fortune without support or donations until now, people would still point fingers and claim it’s all just the same as any other academy if any suspicions of foul play arise.
Of course, if there’s a justification like a ‘compensation,’ then it wouldn’t be an issue.
“I mentioned I would pay double, but I’ll make it three times.”
“Three times! Truly, you are the wealthiest in the kingdom! But, wouldn’t such an expenditure burden even someone like Julius?”
“Haha! I’m just fortunate to have succeeded in various investments. Just about a month ago, I had a major success in futures trading, and I have quite a bit of surplus.”
…Futures trading?
My smile slightly stiffened, and the headmistress’s face paled, as if her trauma had rolled back.
As expected of a Rank 7, Julius immediately sensed our change and had the expression of having stepped on a landmine.
“Uh, what kind of futures trading did you do about a month ago…?”
“…I did it with a salt mine.”
Oh wow.
You did that too, huh?
“Uh, by the way, I heard that several investors suffered a major loss because a certain accident caused the mine to collapse, preventing them from receiving their supplies…”
“……..”
“Headmistress, please don’t tell me…”
“Please do not say more than that…”
“…I will pay five times.”
“Thank you, Julius.”
Lift your head, headmistress. It’s true that the money forgotten is much larger but at least we received a larger compensation, right?
After all, if we can utilize money that’s going out like this, it’s a gain.
So, hey, Julius really made it work.
‘Maybe it’s not so much about the materials but more about his good fortune with money.’
Of course, if that made him the wealthiest in the kingdom, it goes beyond just good luck. But it seemed like he could easily spend that money he earned easily.
So this is why the headmistress called him a pushover. No matter how much I flattered him or how detailed that salt mine connection was, suddenly, the compensation increased to five times.
Shouldn’t I be thanking Kaern for causing this incident?
Anyway, I managed to extract a hefty compensation from the headmistress’s mental state as a mere resource.
“I deeply appreciate your consideration, Julius. I shall take my leave now; you may catch up with the headmistress.”
“…Understood, Finance Director.”
“I’ll be waiting outside.”
Clack.
After that, the headmistress, whose mental state had shattered due to the salt mine issue, hesitated for a moment before opening the door.
Does she want to comfort me? Honestly, considering she just blew two years’ worth of budget, any comforting would naturally turn into nagging.
It’s probably much better to just chat with Julius about old memories.
‘Let’s think about how to use that five times compensation.’
Isn’t this true creative economy?
Kaern Deste, you are now the guardian of the academy’s finances.
Why not just demolish another building out of anger?
*
After the Finance Director left the room, the headmistress snapped her fingers.
Immediately, the aura of powerful ki that spread from her fingers engulfed the entire room.
“Bash your head down.”
“Bash your head down!!”
Thud!
Without the slightest delay, Julius slammed his head onto the ground in the perfectly soundproof room as the headmistress crossed her legs.
It was quite different from when Adam was beside her.
“Julius, are you trying to bring out your old temperament again?”
“I’m sorry!”
“What did you do wrong?”
“I don’t know! I’m sorry!”
“Didn’t I just give you a warning just before I came in? To treat our Finance Director with utmost respect. And to behave sensibly.”
“Yes, you did!”
“And yet you go and slam your head down? Do you even know how startled I was?”
“I’m sorry!”
The headmistress, who usually spoke formally, now was glaring at Julius with an unusually fierce and arrogant expression.
Looking down at Julius, who was sweating profusely as he kept smashing his head down.
“Joking around is fine. I think the Finance Director is actually quite decent. But then you bow down? What do you think the Finance Director would think of me? How embarrassing would it make me look, making my junior treat me that way?”
“I’m sorry!!”
“Ugh… Just do it well, alright?”
“Yes!!!”
“…Alright, you can get up now.”
“Yes! Thank you for forgiving me!”
At the headmistress’s words, Julius immediately stood up and bowed at a 90-degree angle.
As if it was the most natural thing to do, it was such a familiar sight.
The headmistress frowned slightly at that sight, but she also naturally gestured for him to sit down.
“By the way, sister, does that Finance Director belong to you?”
“That director?”
“Why, I remember back in the day, you showed no interest in men at all, yet you’re going this far…”
“…”
“Could it be that you’re actually embarrassed right now? If our master had seen you, he would have drawn his sword, convinced it was a fake.”
“Do you want me to make you bash your head again?”
“…You’ve really changed, sister.”
Julius smiled faintly. Knowing what kind of person the headmistress had been made that smile even more meaningful.
The Mad Dragon, once known as the Human Butcher… she remained a symbol of fear and strict authority to Julius.
Honestly, thinking of her laughing while ripping apart monsters and thieves from back then still sends chills down my spine.
Since she became the headmistress of the academy, she changed her language from casual to formal and rarely resorted to violence. However, when she met Julius, she seemed to shed her formal persona like a suffocating outfit.
That’s why she bowed down. If she was her old self, she would’ve punched Julius for not bowing to her.
But now, she’s trying to maintain the ‘headmistress’ demeanor even when meeting Julius.
‘To see that such a sister stumbles in front of that young man.’
More than just seeing the human tank was actually a woman, it aroused a very personal curiosity.
“So how far have you gone?”
“…Julius.”
“Come on, I’m a married man! Just a few months ago, I even became a grandfather. Compared to you, who has never met a man, I’m definitely superior right now.”
“I… we kissed.”
“Oh! You’ve already gone that far!?”
Honestly, given the age difference, it was hard to purely cheer for her, but…
If this transformation happened due to the sacrifice of a Finance Director, it was a profitable deal.
“I guess soon you’ll be going all out, huh? Should I start preparing a wedding gift?”
“W-well, we’ve kissed, but…”
“…?”
“I did it while the Finance Director was sleeping… not on the lips but on the forehead, cheek, and nape of his neck…”
“What?”
Come on, arent you too old for being so creepy and ridiculous?
…Saying that would definitely get me hit, so Julius wisely changed the subject.
“Still, seeing how the Finance Director acted earlier, it’s clear she holds genuine feelings for you. Yes, without a doubt.”
“Really!?”
“Of course.”
I’m not sure if it’s a purely romantic feeling, but it was clear she had feelings. I wasn’t lying about that.
When I saw the headmistress brighten up with those words, I nearly threw up.
‘Now, from now on, I should maybe give some consolation money every time I meet that young fellow.’
As Julius quietly prayed for the peace of the Finance Director’s future, he looked at the now-smiling headmistress.
“By the way, sister. There’s something I need to relay.”
“Something to relay?”
“It’s a message from our master.”
“From my junior?”
Until now, it had just been simple small talk, but this part was serious, so Julius straightened up and said quietly.
“Recently, the movements of the Delphia Kingdom have been unusual.”
“…Hmm.”
“And, you know that the Fourth Princess from the Delphia Kingdom is currently at the academy, right? Our master seems to be worried about that part.”
“Just the other day, Aken also asked me to keep the Fourth Princess at the academy for as long as possible.”
“Our master’s territory borders the Delphia Kingdom, so he promised to contact us immediately if anything happens. Please keep that in mind.”
“Please say thank you to my junior.”
Oh, and…
I still had a small question.
“By the way, sister, why are you accepting money instead of my lectures? Surely, all that wealth should still be alright?”
“…That can’t be it, right? As I mentioned earlier, it’d be great if you came by to give a lecture, but realistically it’s not doable. Money is the cleanest solution.”
“Hey, I was just joking. Why take my joke so seriously? Unless you’ve been running your finances like a charity, your wealth should be safe. Hahaha!”
“Y-yes, of course.”
With that last joke wrapped up, both the headmistress and Julius stood up. They had discussed what they needed to, and there was no longer anything left to talk about.
The Finance Director suggested some leisurely chat, but it’s likely the headmistress wouldn’t prefer to relay old stories. After all, there was someone they had no choice but to talk about.
The headmistress and the Byeongyeongbaek, and Julius, who had traveled alongside them— the comrade who helped the headmistress the most in establishing Grandis Academy, the mage whom the headmistress still keeps a memento of.
Neither Julius nor the headmistress wanted to talk about it anymore.
*
Coming out of the room, I found the first guard captain, the one who guards the safest room in the world.
Upon seeing me, she shouted in a voice that was both excited and shaky due to her helmet.
“Adam! Did you finish talking!?”
“Not yet. The headmistress is still inside. I’m not sure how long it will take… but.”
Are you really planning to go into that room clad in this thick armor?
It doesn’t even look like you’d be able to sit in a chair. Come to think of it, how does she manage everyday life?
“…Captain, is there any chance you want to meet Julius in that state?”
“I once dreamed of becoming a royal knight. What’s the problem with meeting him in full armor as a knight?”
“Let’s rephrase that. You used to be a knight, which means you’re a former knight now. At least take off your helmet.”
“W-well, that’s…”
Well, I get it. She can’t take off her helmet. I know it better than anybody considering the unfortunate incident from my student days, which led me to see inside her helmet.
Since that point, I had been marked by her. That grudge has lasted until I became the Finance Director, and she’s truly a tough cookie.
More importantly, I had something to ask.
“Captain, has there been anything unusual in the guards’ duties recently?”
“Unusual? There was something, but I sent a report about it, so you should know about it too. Why do you ask?”
“Just had a bad feeling since earlier.”
I was trying to ignore it, but it continued to gnaw at me.
It felt like a significant event had been forgotten, and it was leaving me uneasy.
I was planning to check immediately after returning to the academy, but just in case, I asked first.
It’s been five years since I was transported into the Dark Kingdom. My once black hair has turned entirely bleached, and I’ve lost quite a bit of my knowledge about games because I was busy studying during academy days and working as a finance director.
I have an uneasy feeling that I might have overlooked some important event.
As for the first guard captain…
“Uneasy feeling? Is it possibly about that?”
“…That? What do you mean?”
“Oh right, since you were holed up in your office during that time last year! As the Finance Director, how could you possibly forget that?”
“Wha-?”
Wait, what recent academic schedule do we have coming up?
I barely remember any of it because I just rested away with no work for a week on a deserted island and then got buried in catching up on paperwork when I returned.
If it’s something that the first guard captain deems significant and scheduled post-midterms, then…
Oh.
“In a month, we have the academy festival. Is the bad feeling because of that? Is something going to happen at the festival?”
“…No.”
“Hmm?”
“The damned festival itself is what’s troubling.”
Oh crap, the festival.
Every year, after the midterms of the first semester wraps up, it becomes a party for the students where classes are suspended, and drinking and revelry run rampant.
And, it’s deadly for the finances while being a complete waste of resources causing nothing but loss.
“I’ll soon submit the patrol plans for the festival. Just make sure that gets handled…”
“No need for that.”
“Huh?”
“The festival is a completely pointless event for the academy.”
A festival? With me as the finance director, such a thing is not needed.
Last year, I was too preoccupied adapting to the workload to pay attention. But this year, it’s different.
“Let’s just cancel the festival altogether.”
“…Pardon?”
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