After parting ways with Princess Beatrice, I instead turned my direction toward the office rather than meeting the bribery candidate I originally intended to.
There was no particular reason; it was just that the bribery box was ridiculously heavy.
‘That maid carried this without a second thought!?’
It seemed like inside the box were gemstones like gravity stones and condensed stones, which were much heavier than their size. A box no bigger than two palms felt like it was easily over 20kg.
You want me to carry this to meet another candidate? As if the bribery plan only needs to happen before the entrance ceremony. I decided to do it tomorrow and focused on moving the box first.
Damn my body. If I were at least Rank 2, I could lift this with ease.
In a place packed with students, rolling around and sweating while moving a small box would draw far too much attention. So, I tried to look as casual as possible while somehow making it to the office.
“Such a damn weight.”
Thud!
Finally arriving at my office next to the headmistress’s room and setting the box on the desk, a sound came that spoke volumes about its weight.
Wiping the sweat and dusting off my hands, I stared at the valuables inside the box and fell into thought.
‘How do I deal with this?’
Risha’s bribe is on a different wavelength. She can secretly transport gold coins through various channels since she’s from the same kingdom, but the only valuables I took when Princess Beatrice was taken hostage were these gemstones.
And naturally, I can’t just use these gemstones in the budget. I’d need to exchange them for gold coins to use them for research funds, labor costs, repair costs, maintenance fees, and so on.
‘Should I borrow the headmistress’s connections?’
I glanced at the headmistress, who was in the next room handling a pile of documents, but quickly turned my head away.
That would make things too simple, but it would be tough to handle every time I received jewels from Beatrice through the headmistress.
It’s not a matter of conscience about having to seek help every time. It’s purely an efficiency issue.
‘It’s much quicker to find a jeweler in the adjacent city than to borrow the headmistress’s connections.’
However, if I utilize the headmistress’s connections, I could sell it for a better price than an ordinary jeweler would buy. But it would take time for the exchange.
What should I do?
Can I use these gemstones as they are?
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
“……Adam.”
“Oh, Laura?”
I was wondering who it was with the sudden knock.
But what’s up with her all of a sudden?
“It’s a call. That guy’s here.”
“Huh?”
A call? That guy?
I couldn’t quite grasp what she meant at first.
“The dwarf. He arrived in just one day.”
“Oh!”
“Adam… be careful. Dwarfs are notorious for being rude and tricky.”
Dwarf. Right, I called a dwarf because the measurement device was broken.
As I thought about the costs to repair the device, my insides twisted at the thought, and my rage boiled towards the protagonist who broke it, but I held back.
But a good idea suddenly popped into my head.
“Right, there were those ground dogs, right?”
“……Don’t say that in front of the dwarf.”
Why? They call me human-human, so isn’t this kind of speciesist remark okay?
Anyway, the idea that came to my mind was none other than.
‘A place where I can use gemstones outright.’
And just like that, it appeared.
Now all that remained was…
…to brace myself.
*
“Bring me alcohol, alcohol!”
“……I’m sorry, but drinking in the reception room is prohibited.”
“That’s not my concern! Just bring me alcohol! Is this how you treat esteemed guests!?”
“Besides, the alcohol provided by the academy itself…”
“Hey! Am I just going to leave? If it goes on like this, you all will suffer!”
I wanted to kill him.
Countless times I thought of murdering the academy staff in charge of hosting the ‘esteemed guest’ as I waited for them to show up.
No matter how much I tried to put on a smile and act kindly, the opposing party was stubborn, turning my smiles into awkward chuckles. And the esteemed guest in front of me definitely seemed to revel in teasing me further.
A dwarf half the height of an adult male, with bulging muscles and a bushy beard.
The guest, the dwarf, scratched his belly and demanded loudly for alcohol.
The staff, blaming his bad luck for drawing the short straw in the drawing lots, did their best to calm the dwarf down.
“Grandis Academy values friendship and business with dwarfs. If you could just wait a moment…”
“Friend? Business? Watch your words! It’s not like our dwarf is obligated to put up with your nonsense!”
Can I not kill him? Hitting him once should be okay, right?
As the dwarf roared, saliva spraying everywhere, the staff’s gaze wandered to a chair nearby. At that moment, the reception room door swung open, and two figures entered.
“Thank you for waiting. I am Finance Director Adam Keynes.”
“Finance Director…!!”
The finance director, who I usually heard complaints about from young ones, felt like a savior at this moment.
The staff, who vowed never to speak ill of the finance director again, constantly bowed in gratitude to Adam and quickly exited the reception room.
As Adam Keynes, the finance director, sat across from the dwarf, Laura Edelvine stood behind him.
Right at that moment.
“That kid I saw last year, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Humans sure lack talent. You’re bringing out the runt who hasn’t even sprouted hair yet. Why? Are you going to hide behind that headmistress like last year and wag your tail?”
“……!! How rude───”
As Laura glared at the laughing dwarf, she contorted her face, but before the dwarf could reply, Adam waved his hand, and she fell silent again.
The dwarf snorted at the scene. With his legs crossed and one arm bent behind, he looked down at Adam with a cocky demeanor.
“Seems you’ve learned some patience since last year, huh? You little brat?”
“I’ve seen dwarfs before, but you really are a species known for your straightforwardness.”
“……What?”
“With the city crumbling from the monster wave and knowing that the headmistress isn’t around, are you rampaging because of that?”
“…………….”
“Whether it’s a monster or the headmistress, you know the strength, huh? You bow before the strong and act tough before the weak. That’s the pinnacle of your straightforwardness.”
“You bastard.”
“Oh, are you getting prickled by the words of a little brat who hasn’t even sprouted a single hair yet? A guy with fur all over down below?”
Puh-huh!
As Laura stifled a giggle at Adam’s words, the dwarf’s face twisted in discomfort.
For dwarfs, having their city semi-destroyed by monsters and talking about their beards was a taboo.
The dwarf, who seemed ready to hurl insults and leap at Adam any moment, finally took a deep breath.
“……Hmph.”
He took a few deep breaths and changed his posture from cocky to one where he rested an arm on his chin, his voice dripping with disbelief.
“That monster of a man isn’t by your side, so what gives you the right to act so big?”
“Though you may act rudely, this is still Grandis Academy. Even if you smash my head, you’ll still end up facing punishment. Your life is guaranteed, no?”
“Tch, you must be one crazy human.”
“Be thankful I didn’t call you a ground dog.”
“I just did, didn’t I, you crazy human? By the way, you are quite aggressively hostile, huh?”
“I was angry thinking about what our staff suffered earlier. Now that I’m calmed down, let’s get to the point.”
“………….”
Watching Adam pull out a contract casually, as if the previous tense conversation was nothing, made both Laura standing behind and the dwarf across feel slightly taken aback.
“The repair contents include one rank measurement device. The core has been completely destroyed. I assume you’ve heard the report?”
“Yeah, I don’t know who it was, but they certainly did a number on it. Clearly, someone above rank 6 must have drawn their sword while we just stood there.”
“F*ck.”
“What?”
“I’m just echoing your sentiments. F*ck my measurement device.”
“……….”
There’s a reason he agreed to a tuition fee five times rather than double. According to regulations, that amount would require rewriting the contract.
I intended to sneak it in by bundling the costs for repairing the demolished entrance exam hall and the measurement device. If I scatter the costs, they won’t notice.
Of course, even so, it wouldn’t be fixed right away, so a string of curses naturally slipped out.
The weight distribution was about 7 for the protagonist and 3 for the dwarf.
“B-but, I checked it. To get to the point, the repairs are certainly possible.”
“How long will it take?”
“If you bring the materials, it won’t take more than three days. Now, shall we get to the real topic?”
Like the dwarf said, everything thus far was merely a prelude.
The real thing is, ultimately, the repair estimate.
“It’s quite different from last year, but the cost hasn’t changed much. Roughly this much?”
“Are you out of your mind? You’re saying we have to prepare the materials ourselves?”
“Well, we could provide them, but additional fees would apply.”
And the amount the dwarf proposed was beyond just a scam; it approached robbery.
The rank measurement device is an incredibly useful item. It’s used in the entrance exam, mid-term evaluations, and even the final assessment before graduation. It’s practically essential.
And though only ten exist, each one is valuable.
The dwarf surely saw through the academy’s predicament and presented an amount devoid of conscience.
“You’re going to have to take it anyway, right? So just accept it,” he must have thought.
Nevertheless, Adam merely grimaced slightly.
“Then let’s just forget this.”
“What?”
“Though the measurement device is necessary for the academy, I can’t bear to pay for that amount. Whether it’s ten or nine, there isn’t a large difference, is there?”
“Human, are you serious?”
“To be frank, I’m not the one using the measurement device. If I tell students that the waiting times for the measurement device will increase a bit, that’s the end of it.”
Adam’s remarks were the epitome of audacity, but they weren’t entirely nonsensical.
If it were a singular measurement device, that would be a different matter, but with nine still available, it means we’re not extremely short on quantity.
Originally, students had to sign up in advance and wait a few days to use the measurement device anyway.
Now adding a day or two to that wouldn’t cause a student riot. There wouldn’t be a large disruption to the academy’s operations.
Though to the headmistress, it might weigh differently, but as the finance director, I could comfortably say that amount wouldn’t be worth spending over minor inconveniences.
“………….”
“…………….”
Yet, Adam didn’t storm out like he did in the last negotiation with Raven Trading Company to apply pressure.
He knew very well that such a bluff wouldn’t work on this opponent, and while he said that, ultimately fixing the measurement device was still the right thing to do.
At the same time, the dwarf also wasn’t in a significantly different situation. The city of the dwarfs was half-destroyed due to the monster wave, and twenty years later, they’re still in the process of recovering.
Spending astronomical amounts on city repair meant that all distributions or salaries to dwarfs wouldn’t flow smoothly. Thus, the dwarfs operated on a results-based scheme.
In simpler terms, it meant that once the contract was signed, he’d get paid based on the results.
Thus, for the dwarfs, this measurement device repair deal was something they couldn’t afford to give up.
Completing this one transaction would mean a windfall beyond imagination.
In the end, it was like a game of chicken. Both sides had reasons to finalize the deal and might hurl insults or nonsensical claims, but neither party would ultimately leave.
The silence that seemed to endure forever finally schismed.
“Well, let’s take a look at this.”
“Huh?”
Thud.
Adam suddenly dumped a small box onto the table, making a resounding crash.
That box boasted an ominous weight, and inside it…
“Oh, oh, oooooh……!?”
“What do you think?”
Inside were jewels and gold exceeding the value proposed by the dwarf by a long margin.
Intricately crafted golden ornaments, high-purity gravity stones, and condensed stones with tiny sizes weighing over 10 kg.
Each of these was valuable in the dwarven world.
“Now, are you refusing to be paid in gold coins like last year?”
“After all, the dwarfs convert gold coins into jewels or precious metals, don’t you? It’s more convenient just to prepare that from the start.”
“That’s true. Goodness, what’s the worth of all this…?”
“With this, do you think it’s enough for the repair costs?”
“Absolutely! Of course! It’s more than enough!!”
Despite being notorious for their lack of conscience, even the dwarf couldn’t think to play coy when such gemstones lay before him.
If Adam were to take the box away, he’d end up with nothing. The dwarf’s eyes were glued to those gems and gravity stones.
Therefore.
“Oh, really?”
“……Huh?”
The dwarf was oblivious.
Here was a Rank 1 finance director, someone he could easily anticipate defeating with one hand.
Clang!
Adam drew out a single dagger.
Crack!
He drove it right next to the dwarf’s face.
“Y-you idiot!?”
“Do I look like a fool to you? Is this enough? How dare you be so greedy?”
“Are you serious right now?”
Thud.
As the dwarf gripped Adam’s wrist with his hefty hands, an ominous sound filled the air.
After all, Adam was Rank 1. The dwarf was barely above average but still over Rank 4. The gap in strength was too vast.
Even so.
Adam just kept on smiling shamelessly.
“Screwing over an amount that’s at least double the repair costs really puts you right back in the grave.”
“………….”
Can this be truly called a negotiation? It seemed more like a quarrel among street hoodlums.
Yet, Laura, standing behind Adam, understood.
While that may hold true for humans, against “dwarfs,” all of this felt more like the process of negotiation. Just as Adam previously jested, dwarfs don’t hold proper negotiations or conversations with the ‘weak.’
Thus, employing such brazen methods to engrave his existence into the dwarf’s head was necessary for him to be acknowledged as an equal.
Only then could the dwarfs set aside their rudeness and engage in proper negotiations. This was also the reason why all academy staff avoided dealing with them.
Not only was enduring their bullying tough, but the idea that one had to utilize such means just to be recognized for a single negotiation wasn’t easy either.
The dagger merely inches from the dwarf’s neck and the stare exchanged with Adam.
After countless rough exchanges of glances.
“……Half.”
“Originally, half is suitable. But since you’re being difficult, let’s just go with a third.”
“Do you think I’ll accept that?”
“Just now, I cut it down to a quarter.”
“Repeat that; I’m saying half.”
“One-fifth.”
“That doesn’t indicate half of the repair costs. I mean half of the box you just showed. In return, you’ll repair the measurement device and… give me an extra one. How about that?”
“The contract states just a third; you’ll be pocketing the difference, huh?”
“Good to have keen insight.”
“Fine, not bad.”
Thus,
Starting with insults, exchanging jabs along with abuse, trying to outsmart one another, and even brandishing daggers, the negotiation concluded.
What merely moments ago was filled with threats transformed into satisfied smiles as the dwarf and Adam shook hands.
“……You know, Adam, you suit being a graduate student far more than a finance director.”
Laura muttered the most unsettling words in that room.
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