Ch.98School Opening (3)

“Ahem, hello everyone. My name is Ellen, and I’ll be teaching you about medicinal herbology and first aid. The fact that you’re all here listening to me means you must have an interest in medicine.”

‘It’s nothing… it’s nothing… Being intimidated by them would be an insult to His Majesty…’

Good. It’s working.

They don’t look like those frightening nobles who cause trouble in towns and cities, just people who’ve come to learn from me.

Their expressions are still a bit scary, but with this self-hypnosis, I’m feeling much better.

*Swish*

“Ah, yes! Please ask your question.”

“Why did you stop speaking mid-sentence?”

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

“Don’t tell me Ellen is your full name?”

“…Oh.”

At that moment, a well-groomed young man raised his hand and asked an extremely difficult question to answer.

This young man is asking about my surname, which I simply cannot answer.

‘What… should I do?’

Because I don’t have a surname.

What surprised me when I came to Dijon was that most citizens have surnames, even if they aren’t nobles.

But the place I came from was a backwater village, and most people living there, including myself, didn’t have surnames.

“Well… you see…”

“Hmph.”

“Hmm…”

The eyes of the people gathered in the hall gradually grow colder.

Until just now, they had been looking at me with curious eyes, but now those gazes began to mix with hostility. Not just the nobles, but the commoners too.

By city standards, having no surname means you’re a slave, and being taught by a slave would be a great shame and an impossibility.

“Could it be she has no surname?”

“Well, she must have her circumstances. Let’s just move on.”

“This doesn’t seem like something we should just gloss over.”

“Haha, I initially thought the same, but seeing her attitude, this is clearly something we need to address… oof?!”

‘Huh?’

The noisy hall suddenly falls silent.

Those who were loudly chattering just moments ago made a short, loud sound of surprise and immediately shut their mouths. Following their gazes to see what happened, I saw the well-groomed young man sitting calmly, having defended me.

“Please continue.”

“Ugh…”

As the commotion completely subsided, the young man looked around, sighed slightly while shaking his head, then looked directly into my eyes and spoke.

Despite being so far away, I could clearly tell his gaze was meeting mine. His presence is no joke.

Ugh… it’s a bit embarrassing when he stares so intensely… but I should do as he says.

“Ah, ah… yes! I apologize for causing a disturbance. To continue what I was saying… what you’ll learn from me will be extremely useful in your lives even if you don’t become doctors—”

I couldn’t quite follow the flow of events, but there was something in that young man’s words that felt impossible—no, undesirable—to refuse, so I proceeded with my introduction as planned.

Though it was quite noisy just moments ago, now it’s so quiet it’s as if the commotion never happened. Only my voice fills the lecture hall.

Judging by people’s reactions, that person seems to be someone important… but being unfamiliar with social norms, I don’t really know who he is.

Hmm… well, what I need to do hasn’t changed, so I suppose it’s not that important.

Regardless of who that person might be, my job is to teach these people respectfully.

……….

‘Name: Ellen… from an unnamed countryside, scored high on the medical professor selection exam and passed His Majesty’s interview… I see.’

Based on the information gathered, she didn’t seem like some legendary genius.

Coming from the countryside, she probably didn’t receive a proper education, and having passed His Majesty’s interview, I thought she must possess tremendous talent, confidence, and eloquence.

But seeing her in person, there’s a huge discrepancy with the information.

‘Setting aside her apparent lack of confidence in her own words, she trembles helplessly under even slight pressure.’

There must be something more. It’s natural to think so.

Above all, that girl’s attitude is too irritating.

‘She must know who I am, yet she gives the impression of not caring about me at all.’

I am the heir to the venerable House Vermand, descended from the Burgon family on my mother’s side and from the founding ancestor of the former Lotaring Kingdom on my father’s side.

Since His Majesty’s ascension, our family, including myself, has led territorial armies to fight on the frontlines at Nevers, Bar, and elsewhere. When the Duchy of Burgon became a kingdom, House Vermand was rightfully elevated to a ducal house by His Majesty’s grace.

Even though I’m still an heir without a title, I’ve been granted many territories by His Majesty in recognition of my war contributions.

Anyone with minimal common sense would know about me or House Vermand, wouldn’t they? Even if they don’t recognize my face, they couldn’t possibly miss the Vermand emblem embroidered on my clothes.

In fact, those who were making a noisy fuss just now all shut their mouths instantly upon realizing who I am.

‘Suspicious, extremely so.’

I can’t believe someone knowledgeable enough to teach others would lack such basic awareness.

I should have someone investigate her background further.

……….

“Um… Elizabeta.”

“Aw, I told you to call me Elise when we’re alone.”

“Ugh… alright. Elise.”

Wow, he actually calls me that just because I told him to?

Judging by his slightly reddened face and the trembling around his eyes and mouth, this guy has completely fallen under my spell.

I shouldn’t let him get too close anymore. Who knows what this bastard might try to do to me?

“Here’s the list of people enrolled at the university. As you asked, I’ve organized it focusing on those who live in Dijon or have powerful families.”

“Wow, thank you.”

Let’s see…

As expected, all the notable nobles in the country have gathered here.

Well, with the royal decree granting bonus points for official positions based on university graduation and grades, not attending university would be absurd.

It might seem nonsensical to the noble lords, but the justification isn’t unreasonable, and there’s no way to oppose His Majesty’s towering authority.

“Good… everything is going according to plan.”

Although the university has dormitories, they can’t accommodate all students. If all students were commoners, it might be possible, but it’s unthinkable for nobles to share a room with three others.

As a result, nearly all high-end accommodations in Dijon are bursting at the seams, aren’t they?

Moreover, the noble lords don’t come alone, so supply can’t keep up with demand.

In this situation, the best way to make money is… real estate.

I’ve bought up all the land within 30 minutes of Dijon, and on that land, mansions of completely different styles are being built to reflect the tastes of nobles who hate having the same things.

That’s not all.

The various people working at the university will need money to live in Dijon, so I must make them depend on me by any means necessary. By leveraging my family’s centuries-long role as treasurers in Dijon, I’ll make all the nobles of Lotaring entrust their Dijon funds to me.

If that happens… I can become the de facto ruler of Dijon.

“But… will it really be alright?”

“What?”

“You know… using the precious metals from the treasury when you’re the treasurer. Won’t you be in big trouble if you’re caught?”

“Ah… don’t worry about it, it’s fine.”

Even after all my explanations, this idiot still doesn’t get it?

As he says, if it were discovered that I used the treasury’s precious metals at my discretion, I could find myself in an extremely dangerous situation.

I’d be marked by various nobles in Dijon, especially by the person sitting at the top of this country. At worst, I could lose my head.

But that won’t happen.

Why? Because nobles never withdraw all their gold at once.

Even if some noble went mad and tried to reclaim all their precious metals entrusted to me, there would still be plenty left in the treasury, so I could just give them their portion.

I can assert with certainty that the probability of all nobles who’ve entrusted precious metals to my treasury coming to reclaim them simultaneously is zero. Such a thing would only happen if the Kingdom of Lotaring were falling.

‘Hmm… I should still have some safety measures… Right, I’ll limit the duplication of treasury gold to a maximum of 50%.’

Still, this guy’s concern isn’t completely unfounded.

I’ve already purchased many properties on the outskirts of Dijon and buildings inside the city walls using [Gold Storage Certificates].

Most people who’ve received certificates from me aren’t as wealthy as nobles, so there’s a decent chance they might simultaneously withdraw gold from the treasury.

If they just hold onto the certificates without using them, I can increase my wealth without any risk, but if certificate holders use them, my available funds would be devastated, complicating matters slightly. For safety, I should only duplicate about 50% of the stored precious metals’ value in certificates.

“Um… ahem, Elise. Do you have time later?”

“Time? Oh… no, I’m sorry. I think I’ll be very busy today.”

“Really? Then tomorrow—”

“Sorry, I have to go now. I have too much to do today. I made time to see you despite my busy schedule.”

“Oh… is that so? I see… hehehe… goodbye then. See you again.”

I need to go manage the other men I’ve been working on, but this guy doesn’t know his place and keeps talking?

Sigh, it’s my fault for being born beautiful. My fault indeed.