The area where the professors’ research labs are clustered is one of the worst magical realms in Grandis Academy.
It’s not just that it’s the place where the most collapse incidents occur, with the graduate dormitories and magical research labs, but the entire area has a bizarre atmosphere.
“What are we having for lunch today?”
“Are you seriously thinking about food with those research results?”
“Nam, your peers who went in with you are already preparing for their defenses—”
Boom!!!
“—so let’s just eat something decent.”
“Alright, let’s go chop some meat.”
In research labs left in ruins and with buildings suddenly collapsing nearby, passersby don’t panic. Instead, they use defensive magic or clear debris with weapons, then continue to stroll about.
Although they are called passersby, ordinary students wouldn’t dare to enter this place; those wandering around are either professors or graduate students.
Despite being the kind of people who would react to explosions with a “whatever” attitude, they all stiffened upon seeing someone. Even the graduate students who had just casually cleared debris acted the same.
“Good morning, Finance Director Adam!”
“Good morning!”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
Soon they bowed their heads, tensed as if speaking in a strange tone.
The title of Finance Director at Grandis Academy held significant power. He was the one who decided the budget allocations and research funding.
Therefore, regardless of their personal views about him, professors and their graduate students treated the Finance Director with utmost respect. After all, how would they explain a reduction in research funding if they made a poor impression?
“Finance Director, the professor would like to meet with you—”
“Finance Director, our research this time—”
“If you could attend our lab’s defenses, it would be an honor—”
“This paper is being prepared—”
At the same time, many people flocked to the Finance Director, eager to secure even a bit of research funding. It was a pack of starving wolves regarding the budget and research funds.
After politely declining their requests, I headed towards someone who had been waiting for me from afar.
It felt like there was an invisible barrier; as I approached that person, the graduate students gradually drifted away until finally, an elderly man with a white beard smiled warmly at me.
“It’s been a while, Finance Director.”
“Dean Villend. I apologize for not visiting often due to my busy schedule.”
“No need to apologize! It’s a well-known story that the Finance Director works countless overtime. Please, come inside.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Dean Villend. A former member of the Imperial Mage Tower, he was once a rival and peer of the current Grand Mage.
Although he was exceptionally skilled, he got pushed out due to internal faction disputes within the Mage Tower and settled in the kingdom.
Afterward, he caught the headmistress’s eye, became a professor, and eventually became the dean overseeing the entire field of magic.
Officially, he was treated as a title-level supervisor like me… However, due to his exceptional ranking of Grade 7 and being one of the longest-serving staff at the academy after the Academic Director, he was practically viewed as superior to the title-level supervisors.
One fortunate thing was that, since he was ousted from the Mage Tower due to political faction disputes, he did not involve himself in academy factions or political matters at all.
Having exchanged casual pleasantries, I arrived at the dean’s office and took a seat.
“So, you wanted to have a meeting with Professor Circe?”
“I believe you’re well aware of the matter from the budget allocation meeting this year, Dean Villend.”
“The research potion for restoring damaged hair and regenerating hair from permanently lost scalp, if I recall correctly. Honestly, I wouldn’t have believed it if Circe hadn’t mentioned it.”
“Isn’t that because it’s something even the church declared impossible?”
“At least in the fields of healing and regeneration, the current magical academia has yet to catch up to the church. But the church itself has dropped the ball on developing hair loss treatments.”
“Then if successful, the profits would be tremendous. This is why I came to see Professor Circe as the Finance Director.”
“Hmm.”
“And more than anything.”
As I slightly narrowed my eyes, the warm smile on Dean Villend’s face faded, and he quietly gazed at me.
The story I was about to tell was well known to both him and me.
However, it was a tale not covered by any regulations.
“…Professor Circe has already received ‘welfare’, hasn’t she? Through her research on improving healing potions.”
“Welfare… is she really getting that?”
“It was acknowledged by the headmistress. What can I say?”
“Well, that’s certainly something to be grateful for, but to be honest, I was worried. No matter how much there has been ‘precedent’, Professor Circe’s actions clearly crossed the line.”
“Did you think I came here to reprimand or punish her?”
“Not really, otherwise Circe wouldn’t keep it a secret that she had ‘precedent’, right? It’s just me, the dean, who knows. I was feeling quite uneasy, but I’m relieved to hear it.”
Although Dean Villend avoided political matters, he was quick-witted and perceptive. If he had no political skills at all, he wouldn’t have been able to hold the dean position.
And he was speaking of ‘welfare’ and ‘precedent’.
That was precisely why I hadn’t directly reprimanded Professor Circe, and why the headmistress had considered her circumstances.
Ultimately, the dean was relieved to know that my purpose was neither punishment nor reprimand; it put his mind somewhat at ease since he had also been quite anxious.
“Then, may I visit Professor Circe right away?”
“Of course. I believe she’s quite busy preparing her research these days, so please send my regards. Other professors are also worried about her.”
“…Understood. Ah, and Dean.”
“Hmm?”
“The headmistress has called for you. She’d like you to come by today if possible…”
“The headmistress? Alright, I’ll go right away.”
It was not uncommon for the headmistress to summon the deans of magic, martial arts, and administration. Thus, Dean Villend quickly agreed and began preparing to head to the headmistress’s office.
…Now, the dean could be left to deal with the headmistress.
It was time for me to do my own work.
*
Professor Circe’s research lab was located in a three-story building.
Having become a professor in only her early 30s and continuing to build her achievements with various research, it would not be an exaggeration to say she was the most famous professor in the entire field of magic.
Rumors indicated that she was being pushed as the next head of the magic department, so the lab likely matched her status.
Standing before the building that seemed more suited to be called a research facility, a neat-looking graduate student guided me inside.
“Finance Director Adam, we’ve been waiting. Professor Circe is in the room over there.”
“Thank you.”
If I were dealing with regular staff or rigid guards, I might have let my guard down and spoken casually, but staff members like me and the professors are closely related yet broadly considered different categories.
Thus, professors treat even the newest staff with kindness, and staff members also respect the professors and graduate students.
As I entered the room, it looked well-decorated for receiving guests rather than for research.
Professor Circe, sitting anxiously in a chair, stood up and approached me.
“Welcome, Finance Director. I apologize for contacting you late regarding our meeting. I’ve been quite busy with recent research preparations…”
“Isn’t it the hair loss drug development research that even the church declared impossible? I completely understand. However, I heard the magical field took 60% of the research budget this year, so you should be fine financially.”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
I lightly poked at the research fund issue based on the documents received from the headmistress, and the reaction was better than expected.
Was she hoping for acknowledgment or trying to hide it well?
Since today’s conversation would render this matter meaningless, I smiled and sat across from Professor Circe.
“I hear you’ve been busy, so it might be better to skip the small talk. The purpose of this meeting is regarding your hair loss medication research. And I…”
“After the hair loss medication is developed, the intellectual property rights will be co-owned by the academy, and should any profits arise in the future, the academy has the right to retain 80% of it.”
“…….”
She’s playing her cards well.
Honestly, that was unexpected. Considering Professor Circe’s ‘intentions,’ it was a natural action, but I thought she’d find it hard to easily give up such a significant benefit.
“Aren’t you here to talk about this? I’m aware that what we did previously… ‘precedent’ clearly crossed the line.”
Some call it welfare, and others call it precedent.
In any organization, there are traditions often labeled as precedents. Things like military initiation ceremonies, university hazing, or special privileges in judiciary circles.
Such customs are not explicitly stated in rules or articles, but they have naturally continued throughout history.
Grandis Academy also has a few such precedents. For example, the top graduate among administrative graduates automatically gets accepted into the academy if they apply, or commoners entering into the magic or martial arts fields receive slightly different treatment, or new staff members must endure a minimum of one year of being the youngest.
Sometimes it’s called a custom, sometimes a remnant of oppression, sometimes a harmful tradition, sometimes just a tradition.
These were the topics discussed between me and Dean Villend, and what Professor Circe mentioned was also one of those traditions.
To be precise, it was a tradition created by the headmistress, a form of welfare for professors.
“Back when Grandis Academy was founded, the headmistress promised high salaries, excellent research environments, and various other welfare measures to attract capable professors.”
“……….”
“And among those welfare measures, there was one that wasn’t explicitly mentioned, but was separately permitted by the headmistress.”
This entire situation stems from one issue: ‘the headmistress had too much money.’
How could having a lot of money be considered a problem?
To elaborate, the headmistress had so much money at the founding of the academy that she didn’t even want to receive support funds that an ordinary academy would naturally obtain. She also rejected alumni donations.
After all, the academy—and the headmistress—had more than enough money. So, there was no need to welcome the interference that came from accepting funds or donations.
On the bright side, this was a firm commitment to educational beliefs; on the downside, it was also arrogance.
Typically, normal academies secure budgets through grants, donations, tuition, and research results. However, she refused grants and donations and kept tuition fees at a minimum under her belief in educational equality. Such a feat would have been impossible without being the headmistress.
This led to the establishment of a specific privilege and welfare that only the professors in the field of magic had.
“For one specific case, professors can fully own their research results.”
“………….”
“This tradition, lasting for decades, has become an ultimate privilege that only professors in the magical field receive.”
Hearing that, you might be tempted to ask if it makes sense for such a thing to exist. While it’s true that a lack of professors means no research can be conducted, it should also be acknowledged that the academy provides research funding, facilities, and environments.
Professors and the academy share a symbiotic relationship in research, so it’s only natural that research results would be co-owned instead of being one-sidedly owned… but.
Due to a suggestion from the headmistress, they turned a blind eye to that ‘welfare.’ Even though professors had a conscience back then, they limited the level of personal ownership of research results to personal goals or minor earnings.
Though it had little significance.
After all, not every piece of research could generate profit, and in many fields, there are cases where researching for a lifetime yields no profit. The research on improving healing potions was outstanding, but it wasn’t the norm.
And so 10, 20, and even more than 30 years passed. During that time, the custom gradually became tradition, transforming into a privilege for anyone who worked as a professor in the magical field.
Whatever the case, is it really foolishness or naivety?
‘Of course not, dammit.’
…But.
There are definitely advantages gained from it.
“Because of that, numerous professors flocked to Grandis Academy wishing to change jobs, and within a few years, thanks to the quality professors in the magical field, educational outcomes have also visibly improved.”
“…That’s right.”
For example, if a startup promises the best salary in the industry, work-from-home options, and various welfare measures to recruit employees, some might think, “Are they crazy for a startup?” The reason other companies don’t do that is that it would cost too much. There’s no need to go that far to recruit employees.
Nonetheless, there will surely be an abundance of employees wishing to work for that startup, and the boss (headmistress) could gather only experienced or skilled individuals, drastically raising the company’s status in an instant. And it could rise to the top corporation without a hitch.
It doesn’t matter where the funds came from; as long as the company was well-managed and had more than enough money to operate without any issues, that would be fine.
However, the accumulated problems now—
At this moment, the headmistress’s money has run out and the dam has finally burst.
“Professor Circe, you acknowledged that the precedent you’ve created crossed the line, correct?”
“…Normally, what’s owned through precedent is a small-scale research for personal satisfaction or a minimal profit to ensure a comfortable retirement.”
“But your healing potion improvement research could bring immense profits. Naturally, it should have been shared with the academy.”
“I needed quick cash. Making a profit gradually later would not cut it. I needed funds immediately.”
“Professor.”
“So I planned this hair loss medication research. I hoped to cover my mistakes with a worthwhile project this time!”
I can genuinely understand Professor Circe’s thought process if I were to make a hundred concessions.
She needed quick funds, so she claimed ownership of a research project that would not typically be permitted under the precedent and sold it to the church.
And because she recognized her wrongdoing, she attempted to cover it up with a project that could promise greater profits, offering shared intellectual property rights and 80% of the profits.
Considering Professor Circe’s abilities, she might have pulled it off somehow.
However, the problem is.
“What timeline do you expect for the project?”
“Excuse me? Hmm, the healing potion took about 10 years since I started it during my master’s… so I anticipate around 20 years for the hair loss research.”
“I see.”
There lies the gap.
Of course, if she takes 20 years to succeed in developing the hair loss medication, it would be a game changer. Professor Circe is a recognized authority in life magic and, having already accomplished prominent research, she would likely receive support without much struggle.
However, Grandis Academy can’t afford to wait 20 years. I’m talking about bankruptcy in three years.
So,
“Regarding the precedent and welfare I mentioned earlier…”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you think we no longer need it?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Right now, Grandis Academy already has more than enough professors and an unrivaled position, hence there’s no reason to go to such lengths to recruit more.”
“W-What do you mean by that…?”
“So I plan to abolish what has been continued under the names of tradition, welfare, and precedent. To me, as the Finance Director, it simply looks like a remnant and a flaw.”
“Finance Director…!!”
“The academy is not a place that considers individual profits or circumstances. It is a place solely for educating students, conducting research, and developing knowledge.”
This is about reforming finance and further normalizing Grandis Academy.
You professors have all received so much already. The highest salaries, excellent welfare, a sufficient research environment, and even managed to claim some research results under the label of precedent.
The academy sacrificed and devoted itself for you.
Now it’s your turn to think about the academy.
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