The gazes of the headmistress and the chief examiner are chilly.
It seems like there’s a misunderstanding; I’m not actually doing this because I’m tempted by the fivefold tuition fee.
Honestly, even with five times the usual fee, the Grandis Academy’s tuition is still quite cheap.
To put it simply, it would take paying five times the amount just to be on par with the tuition of other private academies. So, whether the protagonist pays five or ten times, it wouldn’t cover the expenses for the measuring devices and wall repairs.
Nonetheless, the attitude has changed immediately.
“According to academy regulations, if a certain amount of additional tuition is paid, you must renew your admission documents. Normally, this would be quite a complicated procedure, but I’ll take care of it right away.”
“Are you serious?”
“Believe it or not, I’m the finance director.”
More importantly, ‘Are you calling me old? We’re only five years apart!’
If this kid wasn’t Rank 6, I would have slapped him right across the face. Given the rank difference, I’d probably end up being the one who gets hurt.
Anyway, since I got a definite answer from the protagonist, I immediately sent him on his way.
“Normally, according to regulations, you would have to retake the exam, but Ruth Spero, the candidate, does not need to do that. Just wait a bit, and you will soon become a student of our academy.”
“…Thank you.”
“I should be the one thanking you for being such an outstanding talent.”
“Right.”
The protagonist bows slightly and turns to leave. He’ll probably wait among the other candidates.
Right after the protagonist leaves, I felt the gaze of Chief Examiner Ciel.
It was much colder than usual.
“Adam, the finance director, what is the meaning of this?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Ruth Spero, the candidate, is guaranteed admission without having to pay extra tuition. I never imagined the finance director would do such a thing to favor a candidate.”
“That sounds like I’m selling passing certificates for money.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Absolutely not. Chief Examiner.”
The person in charge of all academy exams, which are sensitive and subject to numerous rumors regarding results—this person’s character is almost set in stone.
‘Principled’ would be an understatement. They’re almost like a principle fanatic.
And at the same time… someone with very few friends or acquaintances.
I’m not joking. It’s a reality. Bribery and requests for result manipulation through connections are the strongest temptations for an academy examiner. And exam-related incidents are abundant.
Thus, that chief examiner’s must stick to principles tightly and should have as few friends as possible to prevent connections from influencing their decisions… that’s the headmistress’s belief.
‘Though I’m not sure how effective it is.’
At least that’s how the first headmistress thought when founding the Grandis Academy, and it became a tradition. Therefore, the current chief examiner Ciel is also a principle-lover and a total introvert. I sometimes see her in the staff cafeteria, always eating alone.
Hence, Ciel doesn’t quite grasp these so-called “political” matters. How do you persuade someone like that?
‘What to do?’
“Article 6, Clause 14 of the entrance exam regulations, concerning candidates’ restrictions on violence.”
“That is…”
“According to the regulations, candidates with ‘excessive’ levels of violence can be refused admission by the academy. You know this as well, Chief Examiner.”
“…………”
To persuade a principled person, you just need to throw their principles in their face. Since it’s a real regulation, Ciel probably can’t say anything back.
And that’s probably the regulation she hates the most.
‘This regulation was established after Grandis Academy was deemed the best in the kingdom.’
For necessity? No, it was created due to the secret demands of nobles wanting to enroll their children in the academy.
The reason is simple. If their child has to compete in the same year as a candidate with excessive strength, they won’t be able to achieve top grades.
You’ll know when you’re in society, but being first or second in your class is day and night. In the academy, it’s just one rank difference; once you step into society, only the first place is acknowledged.
‘If you ask who the fastest person in the world is, Usain Bolt comes to mind immediately, but if you ask who the second fastest is, no one can tell you.’
Of course, you could say that being fixated on academy rankings is silly, but for those who aim for the very top, that difference can be significant.
Moreover, a student who’s too strong doesn’t really learn much at the academy anyway. If the protagonist was pursuing fields unrelated to strength, like magic or administration, that might be different.
“Ruth Spero is aiming for martial arts, right?”
“…That’s correct.”
“It’s different for magic or administration, but the martial arts exams are mostly practical duels. What happens if we throw Ruth Spero into a group of first-years who just started?”
“That would…”
“Even graduates rarely achieve Grade 6. If the candidate Ruth Spero already has Grade 6, they would probably hold first place for three years straight.”
Would the noble families or knights accept that? And would it be a good thing for the students competing in the same year?
If they had a chance to train and win through effort, that might ignite a sense of competition.
However, with Grade 6, they could lead a knight order in any territory. What feelings do you think other students would have knowing such a strong individual is in their year? Would they feel defeated and just sense the absurdity?
While the pressure from nobles was concerning, the headmistress included that regulation because she worried about this aspect.
And Ciel, a commoner without a surname who rose to Grade 7 through sheer effort, thinks…
“…Understood.”
That regulation likely doesn’t sit well with her. Regardless, it still serves the cause of noble youths.
But please, just hear me out till the end.
“So, what I need is a justification to convince the nobles.”
“…Eh?”
“The justification of accepting fivefold tuition.”
“Ah.”
“Of course, we’ll need to set limits on Ruth Spero’s abilities as well.”
“That’s a given.”
Ciel’s expression brightens just a little, really just a tad. Perhaps she finally understands what I mean.
In essence, the fivefold tuition is merely a minimal justification. It isn’t just about accepting Ruth Spero.
When you break it down, the fivefold tuition isn’t for me, it’s for Ruth.
It seems Ciel just realized that now.
“I didn’t expect that.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve seen Adam, the finance director, before, but it was always in formal meetings. Seeing you handling matters for students directly has firmly convinced me that all those rumors about you are false.”
“…………”
What kind of rumors are circulating, I wonder? I purposely didn’t ask, fearing to hear something about the headmistress’s secret lover popping up.
Either way, leaving a good impression on a powerful player is always a welcome thing.
“I look forward to working with you, Adam, the finance director.”
“Please feel free to call upon me whenever you need.”
Which basically means ‘don’t call me.’
“Got it.”
Did you truly get it? You’re not going to call me just because you feel like it, right?
What I said was just polite, but knowing she’s a principle-oriented introvert with no social skills makes me a bit uneasy.
…Anyway, after a handshake, Ciel left to handle her duties. As for me, the only thing that needs my approval is the damage repair costs, while retakes and results notification to future candidates fall within the chief examiner’s jurisdiction.
With just the headmistress and me left in the entrance exam hall, the headmistress, who had been silent all this time, approached me.
“Good to see you again, Adam. I never imagined your actions were for Ruth Spero’s benefit.”
“You weren’t aware?”
“I had a vague suspicion. But, honestly, I thought the finance director had truly been tempted by the fivefold tuition fee. After all, you’d send the headmistress off on a fishing boat if you didn’t have money, right?”
“That’s gift trading.”
“…I’m sorry for teasing.”
Why does everyone assume I’m a wicked person? It’s so unfair.
The headmistress that I metaphorically sank with a single word took a deep breath and looked at me.
“That said, is fivefold tuition really sufficient? Even if it’s just for justification, I don’t think five times would be convincing to the nobles.”
“What on earth are you talking about? Of course, it’s utterly useless.”
“Just as I thought… wait, what?”
Huh?
Didn’t she realize it?
“Headmistress, is it possible that just fivefold would suffice? Even if we charge fifty times, the nobles who send their children to participate in martial arts will be outraged. Even with imposed strength limits, Grade 6 is still Grade 6. If I were told to compete with such a monster for three years, I’d swear nonstop.”
“Then why…?”
“Because I was trying to persuade the chief examiner. Whether we receive five or fifty times, she needs to be convinced for everything to go smoothly.”
“…………”
“It’s lucky she’s somewhat insensitive to various political matters.”
“…What do you plan to do about the nobles’ complaints?”
“I’ll just handle it. I’ll negotiate with them in secret.”
“But you’ve already said she’s guaranteed admission. If negotiations break down…”
“Then I’ll just say it was due to the pressure from the nobles when explaining it to the chief examiner. I’ll apologize to Ruth Spero as well.”
It looks like I won’t have to worry about the academy part after all.
Continuously facing off against the third-rate noble villains at the academy while handing out refreshing moments feels unnecessary. It’s probably more helpful to just hunt monsters or join the knight order.
Why continue with the growth arc when it’s already complete?
‘Besides, even if I fail, there’s no risk.’
Did I end up saying two different things to Ciel? Like, I just said ‘It was due to the nobles’ pressure.’ There will probably be some dramatic tear-jerking performance, which will lead to Ciel getting angry at the nobles for canceling the protagonist’s admission rather than blaming me.
The protagonist being too strong is the issue. If he just pretended to hide his strength, it would have worked out just fine, but why wouldn’t he hide it from the entrance exam? Seriously, isn’t it the norm to hide strength even if you’re strong?
If he had read even one academy web novel, it would have been fine, but now things have escalated.
“Finance director…”
“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m just saying that’s what I’d consider if negotiations fell through and went south. I’ll do my best, so don’t worry.”
“Finance director…!!”
“Then I must head to negotiations, so please handle the paperwork. That includes my share, of course.”
“…What?”
“I trust that you’ll manage it, Headmistress.”
Seeing the headmistress looking as if she lost her sense of the world, I offered a smile.
Then I headed straight to find my negotiation counterpart.
Who told them to slack off?
*
The position of finance director seems to have a gain of 3 but a loss of 7, especially when the academy is slated to go bankrupt in three years; it becomes a gain of only 1.
Ever since last year, fidgeting with my resignation letter has been routine, but there has been at least one good aspect.
“Adam Keynes, finance director, Miss Lisha is ready.”
“May I enter right away?”
“Of course. Welcome to the Claudia family.”
The exclusive dormitories for noble families within Grandis Academy. They serve not just the students, but also their attendants, cooks, coaches, etc.
This place, almost like a vacation home, is a privilege reserved for only the wealthiest nobles. The land taxes collected from here are quite hefty too.
And the family I was visiting was one of the few that owned an exclusive dormitory.
Passing through the lavishly decorated hallway, warmly welcomed by the attendants, I made my way to the reception room.
After a few knocks and hearing permission, I opened the door and stepped in.
“Nice to meet you, Adam Keynes, finance director. I’m Lisha from the Claudia family.”
“I’m Adam Keynes, the finance director. Thank you for hosting me on such short notice. As expected, the Claudia family is indeed revered as the kingdom’s shield.”
“You flatter me. How could one not welcome a distinguished finance director of the academy?”
With her golden hair tied in a ponytail, Lisha, a noble lady with smooth hands full of calluses, greeted me.
Such hospitality is precisely because of the position of a finance director.
Lisha Claudia.
The youngest daughter of the duke known for martial skills, mentioned in the budget allocation meeting among martial arts professors.
Simultaneously…
“But can I ask why the finance director is here all of a sudden?”
“As the insightful and capable Lady Lisha knows well,”
I said, sensing the unease in Lisha’s eyes.
I wiped my smile and continued, “According to regulations, the admission of Ruth Spero as a candidate is set to be refused.”
“………….”
She flinched.
Lisha Claudia, who was about to lift her teacup, momentarily trembled at my words.
However, I wouldn’t stop speaking.
“But as you well know, the conditions of that regulation state…”
“…that it pertains to candidates with ‘excessive’ levels of violence, correct?”
“It’s vaguely phrased for situations like these.”
Using the term ‘excessive’ rather than specifying ranks allows for flexibility.
I’m making this proposal for a powerful family like the Claudia family.
“So, Lady Lisha, I’m asking you,”
“What would you like to ask?”
“If we could approve the admission of Ruth Spero, would the Claudia family help to silence the objections from the nobles?”
“………….”
It’s a suggestion that breaks the very purpose of a regulation meant to prevent exceptionally strong candidates from enrolling to not threaten the noble children’s prospects.
At first glance, it seems unreasonable, ludicrous even, but…
“Could you give me a moment to consider?”
“Of course.”
Lisha Claudia had no choice but to think deeply.
Without the protagonist, she must face a ‘youngest knight’ that is undoubtedly stronger.
‘It’s better to compete and lose against a sudden ‘irregular’ than to lose against the youngest knight.’
To face two losses would be unfavorable, so she would likely choose the lesser evil.
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