Chapter 32
In the early morning, before the other teachers started to arrive.
Eve, who had come to school early, sat down at her desk, opened the drawer, and took out a photo album filled with pictures of students she had taught in the past.
As she flipped through the album, familiar faces appeared, accompanied by sweet memories.
Having worked at the academy for so many years, the album was crammed with photos, yet Eve remembered each student captured in those images without missing a single one.
Her hand stopped as she came across a photo of a boy smiling brightly, his name tag reading “Yesst Ofer,” grinning next to her.
Gently tracing her finger over the boy’s cheerful face in the picture, Eve slowly recalled memories of that student, eventually closing the album with a sad expression.
No matter how many times she experienced it, the death of a student never became any easier.
The world once riled by witches was filled with a miasma, a toxic energy that was akin to poison for ordinary people.
And the magical beasts typically emerged from areas where the concentration of miasma was high.
The barrier established by ancient wizards to prevent the invasion of miasma signified a safe place where these creatures could not appear.
However, the space within the barrier was limited.
To secure food or simply to expand their living areas, people naturally felt the need to develop land outside the barrier.
Thus, they started to build devices that suppressed and purified the miasma around the barrier while occasionally fending off the magical beasts that appeared, gradually claiming the land.
Even if they installed devices to suppress the miasma, it was not possible to completely block it like the barrier did, so magical beasts occasionally appeared.
Beasts born in areas with low miasma were usually weaker, but for some reason, the beast that suddenly appeared near the barrier last weekend was not like that.
A veteran hero, who had thanked Eve for managing to keep his limbs intact for ten years, lost his life while buying time to evacuate people from the suddenly appearing beast.
After seeing a familiar name in the obituary message that arrived after yesterday’s class, Eve had tried to suppress her sadness, but controlling her emotions was indeed not an easy task.
Lost in her thoughts, Eve was startled by the crack of the teachers’ lounge door opening.
Expecting another teacher, she instead saw Scarlet Evande, a student from her class.
Not sure why Scarlet had come to school at such an early hour, Eve could tell by the way she walked straight toward her that there was something on her mind.
As Scarlet approached, she opened her mouth.
“Miss, I have a question.”
Not wanting to appear downcast while talking to a student, Eve forced a bright voice.
“Sure, Ms. Evande. What are you curious about?”
“Our gym building is incredibly sturdy, right? How much would it cost to build something like that?” Scarlet asked.
“The gym? Well, hmm, for materials alone, it would probably cost over a trillion won. But why the sudden interest? Are you into architecture?”
Even Scarlet, who usually wore a stoic expression, widened her eyes in surprise at the amount.
There’s a tradition among practical instructors where overly confident students are invited to ‘break down the gym wall and get an early graduation.’ It’s said that even students overflowing with confidence end up walking with their heads down the next day, like rice at harvest time; that sturdy building is the Aegis Academy gym.
With her eyes still wide, Scarlet returned to her usual expression and asked again.
“I’m not really interested in architecture; I was just curious. So, how much would it cost to put a door made of the same material at the gym’s entrance?”
“Hmm, you mean installing a door in a completely open space? About 2 billion won should do.”
Nodding thoughtfully, Scarlet stood still for a moment before speaking again.
“Uh, Miss. You said before that you were really rich, right? So, I have a favor to ask.”
“Like I said, I do have some money… What kind of favor?”
“Could you lend me 2 billion won? I’ll definitely pay you back somehow…”
Eve was momentarily dumbfounded by the student’s sudden request for such a large sum.
Then, recalling the conversation she just had with her, she hesitated to ask.
“Uh, Ms. Evande? Just to clarify, you’re not asking for 2 billion won to put that door on the gym, right?”
Scarlet nodded as if to say, “Exactly.”
Eve found herself momentarily speechless.
After a moment of stammering disbelief, she asked, “Why the sudden urge to put a door on the gym, Ms. Evande?”
“Well, you see… Our gym is also used as an evacuation location for citizens in emergency situations. So, I thought it might be safer if a monster broke through the barrier… maybe the door could help…”
As Scarlet spoke, she appeared like a worried child afraid that a monster might jump out and drag her away from under her bed, prompting Eve to smile gently and reassure her.
“Ahaha, Ms. Evande, you’re quite the scaredy-cat, aren’t you? We’re inside the barrier, so there’s no chance of a magical beast appearing here, so don’t worry too much.”
“But what if… you never know! What if a monster manages to get inside the barrier in some way…?” Scarlet replied, her voice still filled with concern.
Eve noticed Scarlet’s hands trembling, perhaps because of her anxiety. It made her wonder what could possibly instill such fear in a girl who, during training, could laugh even while being stabbed with a sparring sword.
Suddenly, Eve recalled the training session where students had to confront their worst fears, leading to Scarlet breaking into a cold sweat, trembling uncontrollably, and eventually fainting.
Putting together her reactions today and that past incident, Eve speculated that maybe Scarlet had gone through something tragic involving magical beasts.
Information about the students entering Aegis Academy was only accessible to the headmaster to prevent staff from treating students unfairly based on personal issues.
The academy had been established on the principle that all students should be treated equally on their quest to become heroes, so engaging in personal matters was strictly prohibited.
Still…
“Ms. Evande, would you mind telling me about your family situation?”
“…I don’t have one,” she said quietly.
Eve had suspected this might be the case, and felt bad that she’d inadvertently touched on a painful subject.
“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have asked that.”
“No, it’s alright. But can you lend me the money?”
“Even if I were okay with lending you money, it’s not like you can just decide to install a door on a school building because you want it!”
Scarlet’s expression hardened at Eve’s words.
Feeling a pang of guilt for putting her in that position, Eve thought maybe it wouldn’t hurt to grant her request considering the noteworthy nature of it.
Smiling softly, Eve proposed, “Well, I’ll talk to the headmaster about installing that door on the gym. Your reason seems pretty sound, so I suspect it might go through quickly.”
“Really? Then please ask them to do it as soon as possible. Thank you so much! I want to do something to repay you—how can I show my gratitude?”
Scarlet’s face, which had been tense, visibly relaxed and brightened.
Eve remembered how grateful Scarlet had been for even a slight help regarding her uniform expenses, and smiled while saying, “In return, I’d like you to mention one thing you want.”
“If it’s something I can do, I’ll do anything!” Scarlet replied earnestly.
“Then let’s make a promise.”
Eve extended her pinky finger.
From the past until now, there was only one thing she had always wanted from her students.
“Don’t die, Ms. Evande.”
Scarlet’s eyes flickered as they landed on the pinky finger Eve had extended.
After a moment’s hesitation, she locked her pinky with Eve’s.
“I won’t die. Ever,” she replied with determination.
As she watched Scarlet bow and leave the teachers’ lounge, Eve took out her phone.
“Right, as soon as possible,” she had said.
Since it was a request from such a sweet student, she figured she should do her best to fulfill it.
Eve scanned through the countless contact numbers of her wealthy clients.
As a master of illusion magic, she earned money by showing customers their desired fantasies.
Among those who had succumbed to the overwhelming realism of genuinely experiencing their fantasies were quite a few well-known figures, including the chairman of a company prominent in material distribution and construction.
“Hello, Mr. Chairman. I apologize for contacting you so early. We’re planning to install a door in our academy gym. Yes, yes, you ask what material the door will be? Oh, of course, it should match the gym’s material perfectly. You say it might take a month due to a backlog of orders?”
“That could pose a bit of a problem for you, right? What if there’s a front-page article tomorrow claiming the chairman of a renowned company has a peculiar hobby of becoming a cute girl to attract attention from other men? Is this blackmail? Oh, I would never! But, if you could expedite the installation, I’d be happy to move yours up the queue. What do you think?”
“Wow, really? You’d start construction tomorrow? You’re quite the big spender, Mr. Chairman. Oh, I’m in a good mood. When would you have time this week? What about today? Sure, that works! How much will it cost? Yes, I’ll pay in full today. See you tonight, my dazzling angel~.”
Ignoring the plea to refrain from such public titles, she hung up.
After sending a group message to her clients about postponing their bookings by a day, her phone started going off like crazy with responses, so she simply turned it off.
As for the construction, she could inform the headmaster later. After all, she had covered all the costs for building the gym, so adding a door was nothing requiring special approval.
Eve reopened the album she had closed earlier, gazing at the photographs of her students.
How many funeral services had she attended for heroes who had once been her own students?
No matter how much money she donated for their welfare and survival, there would always be deaths.
It was a painful reminder to Eve that there were many things in this world that money and power couldn’t control.
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