I had no complaints about the fact that the finances were handled by the royal family and nobility while the Academy and student council took care of everything else.
To be honest, I’m not great at managing money. I’ve often lived on a tight budget, spending on games and merchandise, only to find myself unexpectedly short and starving. Things changed when I started earning my own money, but at least until I graduated college, I often went hungry.
Even after coming to this world, I didn’t really think about budgets and just spent freely. Looking back, the amount I’ve spent would probably leave anyone dizzy. Forget buying a gun; turning Marmaros into bullets and running around in some insane enhanced exoskeleton that couldn’t even be made with the technology from my previous world were all possible because of the royal treasury backing me.
If I ever got my hands on that budget as a member of the student council, I’d definitely splurge extravagantly, leading to all sorts of trouble!
The other students in the council weren’t poor enough to embezzle money, and more importantly, they were politically savvy enough not to risk mixing the funds from various noble houses with the royal treasury and foreign monarchs. So, I really didn’t need to worry; I could just watch the Academy gradually change for the cultural festival.
“Uh, Crown Princess?”
It was only when one of the students from the council came to find me and called me that.
“What is it?”
The little girl, who looked like she’d shrink away just for talking to me, jolted when she heard my voice. Well, you called me, didn’t you?
“U-Uh, the teacher asked me to bring you to the Crown Princess…”
“Me?”
I tried to think of the teachers’ faces. Carolyn had no real reason to call for me. It’s not that we had a bad relationship; we just really didn’t have any overlapping matters.
Sure, we had swiped a jewel from the Northwood territory, but that was something Duke Northwood wouldn’t know about.
So, the only teacher who could be calling me would be Jennifer.
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I felt a bit uneasy. Jennifer knew that my abilities had vanished, so she wouldn’t tell me to head to the battlefield. But still, I had this nagging feeling that something so annoying was waiting for me.
“The teacher?”
Alice, who was sitting next to me, asked the same thing. The student who’d tried to talk to me looked like she was about to disappear into thin air from all the tension. With Charlotte’s gaze on her too, she looked like she was physically choking.
I knew her name. She’s from the noble class B.
Speaking of which, Jennifer was the homeroom teacher for class B. So it would be Jennifer, then.
I stood up from my seat.
“Then, I’ll go.”
“…Should I go with you?”
Alice’s suggestion made me pause for a moment.
“…No, I don’t think it’s necessary.”
If she were a really awkward person, maybe I’d consider it, but with someone like Jennifer, it seemed like there wouldn’t be any major issues. Not that I’m saying she’s easy to deal with, but I hadn’t done anything to get myself into trouble in front of her.
I had gone into debt before, but I repaid that by charging into the battlefield. At the time, Jennifer didn’t even realize I had settled my debts.
“Then, please guide me.”
“Ah, understood.”
The girl straightened her back like she had been given an order and answered.
*
“Oh, you’re here?”
Despite being a prominent figure in the imperial family, Jennifer’s attitude towards me hadn’t changed.
I thought that was a relief. If she had acted all formal like the Headmaster lately, I would have turned and bolted out of there.
But honestly, given Jennifer’s personality, she probably would treat me the same way even if I became the Emperor. Truly a case of ‘like master, like student.’
“What was the reason for calling me?”
“Well, it’s not anything serious.”
Jennifer picked up a document from her desk and handed it to me.
“I just thought we might need to hire another teacher.”
“…Why did you call me about hiring another teacher?”
I asked as I held the paper she presented to me.
“Because the person who might fill the teaching position is someone you know well.”
“….”
I looked down at the paper.
There was a whole lot of empty space that made it hardly a proper resume. The only things written were a date of birth and minimal self-introduction; the rest was blank, as if the person thought that was sufficient.
Or maybe they figured it wasn’t even necessary. Just one glance at the image they pasted would say it all.
“…The Sword Saint said he wants to be a teacher?”
Jennifer shrugged.
“Right? I also don’t know why he said that, which is why I called you.”
“Isn’t calling me going to yield the same answer?”
I replied, stunned, and Jennifer shrugged once more.
“Well, I figured you might be able to explain the reason.”
“….”
How would I do that?
If we’re talking about the time I spent with the Sword Saint, it’s safe to say it was quite lengthy. I had trained while rewinding time, and I had picked up some techniques along the way. Eventually, the Sword Saint came to the palace and helped us train as well.
But even so, there shouldn’t be any particular reason for him to mention me.
If we’re talking about proper disciples, there were at least several people who had been his student for many more years than I had, like Jennifer and even Claire, Leo, and Alice who had way better talent than I ever did. Yet somehow, he held me in higher regard?
“Just because I’m not able to read his mind—”
Seeing my complete lack of understanding, Jennifer slowly opened her mouth as if she were adding more explanation.
“The Sword Saint doesn’t just favor those with talent. I hear he had many students beneath him before me. Most died in battle, though.”
“…….”
“The Sword Saint keeps saying you have ‘no talent,’ but he never said you weren’t his disciple. In fact, if you really want to get specific, he considers you a student like any other. Honestly, I haven’t seen any of his students whom he called ‘talentless’…”
Up until that point, Jennifer peeked at me for a second, as if she felt sorry for repeatedly calling me untalented.
But I didn’t react. The fact that I was talentless was true.
“What I mean is, for someone like the Sword Saint, generally, his students would fall off the radar before even reaching him. Do you understand?”
I wouldn’t say I fully understood, but I could imagine it.
After all, he was the Sword Saint. He was hailed as the best swordsman in the empire, maybe even on the continent, so anyone wanting to become his disciple would naturally consider their own talent.
And eventually give up. ‘No way I could be eligible to learn under the Sword Saint.’
That’s the image of a skilled master, isn’t it?
“In that sense, you might be viewed a bit unusually by the Sword Saint. You came boldly and asked for his teaching even though you have no talent, and you’re one of the few students who managed to learn something from him.”
“…….”
Hmm.
That does explain why I was called, though.
But to think the Sword Saint had been caring for me like that?
The Sword Saint?
Seeing my utterly unconvinced expression, Jennifer chuckled softly.
“Anyway, that’s why I called you. It’s a somewhat unclear reason, but I still want you to have a short conversation with the Sword Saint.”
…A conversation?
“After all, you can’t just hire a teacher without any sort of interview. But I know my master, the Sword Saint. He doesn’t easily reveal his true feelings to anyone.”
“So you want me to dig that out of him?”
“I thought you could pull it off.”
Wait a minute, am I being overestimated here?
Even with all my prior blunders piling up on me like a tsunami while I was rewinding time, she’s asking me to extract information from the Sword Saint now?
“…Isn’t that something the Academy should handle?”
“That’s true, but honestly, it’s not like the Sword Saint is just an ordinary applicant either.”
“….”
It really looked like she wouldn’t give up convincing me no matter how much I protested.
I let out a dramatic sigh, trying to show my reluctance, but Jennifer just kept smiling.
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