episode_0006

Kwaaang!!!!

I was working on some paperwork in my office when I suddenly heard a loud noise.

The sudden noise made his face turn pale, but… … that was all.

“Looks like you broke something again.”

Where is it? A martial arts training center? A magic research center? A herbal medicine factory? Or a graduate student dormitory?

At Grandis Academy, explosions like this are a regular occurrence once or twice a month. It’s not for nothing that monthly repair costs are treated as fixed expenses.

Of course, that’s the daily life of a professor or student, but to me, the finance director, it was just bullshit.

‘I guess that won’t be a problem though.’

Because the gymnasium, research institute, and graduate student dormitory are so prone to explosions, even repair shops offer discounts. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this was my greatest accomplishment last year.

There is no discount for other buildings, but lecture halls and auditoriums won’t just collapse.

But honestly, if it’s being repaired to this extent, shouldn’t one building be fixed for free?

I grumbled as I stood up from my seat, putting down my pen to look at the building that had just collapsed.

“Hey, Finance Minister! This is a big problem!”

“I haven’t seen your face before. Are you new?”

“Huh? Oh, that’s right. I joined the testing department this time!”

“Then know this in advance. It’s not uncommon for buildings to collapse in this academy. You don’t have to shout so urgently──”

“The collapsed place is the entrance examination room!”

“What the heck?”

No, why is it collapsing there?

There was no such event during the entrance exam in the game… … ?

“The chairman happened to be at the entrance examination room, so he prevented further collapse, but the person in charge told me to call the finance director right away! ”

“Let’s go!”

“I will guide you with magic!”

“Is this transfer magic?”

“It’s acceleration magic!”

Since he can’t use teleportation magic, he must be around level 5 in chin-ups. His skills are ambiguous for entering the department in charge of testing.

Well, I guess he got hired because he had other advantages.

After receiving the acceleration magic from the newbie, I jumped out the window without hesitation. My office was right next to the chairman’s office, so it was quite high up, but fortunately, I was quick-witted, unlike a newbie, and instead of panicking, I used shock absorption magic and was able to land safely.

The shock-absorbing magic device that the chairman installed for me also did its job.

I ran straight to the entrance examination room with the new students.

“What is the damage status!?”

“Huh? Well, fortunately, there are no casualties! Of course, there are no deaths.”

“No, I’m talking about financial damage!”

“n, yes?”

What good would it do for me, a finance minister and a mere first-class officer, to tell you the status of the casualties?

Of course, assessing casualties is important, but that is the job of the medical director, and I have my own job as the finance director.

Ultimately, I will be the one taking care of the medical expenses and mental damages for the injured person, but the reason this new recruit’s superior called me over was probably not to transport the injured person, but to check the extent of the financial damage.

“Come on!”

“That… …One wall of the entrance examination room was destroyed! Even the magic that had been built up collapsed, creating a huge hole, and debris covered the surrounding area. Oh, and. ”

“And?”

“One of the rating gauges was broken, but compared to the collapse of the wall… … .”

“No, my meter and wall repair costs!!!”

Meter? The meter is broken!?

This is a bigger deal than I thought. While the new recruits were startled by the screams of the soul I let out and quickly shut their mouths, I was able to quickly arrive at the entrance examination room with the help of acceleration magic.

“What is that?”

“This is the first time I’ve seen an entrance exam room broken.”

“Wow, you took this down with one swing of the sword?”

“Everyone, please step aside.”

“Huh? Adam Sun──Ugh.”

“Hey, now you’re the Academy Finance Director! Don’t call me that just because you met me once in your first year… … !!”

I thought I heard a familiar voice, but I ignored it.

As I passed through the noisy students, the tragedy that the newcomer had described unfolded.

“The wall… … … .”

“Fortunately, the other wall is unharmed. Thanks to the chairman’s quick response.”

“Chairman?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Why did Chairman Lee come to the entrance examination site instead of doing the paperwork I asked him to do?

I would have liked to keep nagging, but thanks to the chairman, a bigger collapse was prevented, so I will just overlook it for now.

Rather, let’s look at the condition of the collapsed wall.

“Hey, Finance Minister! You’re here!”

“It’s been a while, Test Manager Darkun. What is the exact damage situation?”

“As you may have heard from the newbie, the wall itself did not collapse much. It could have easily led to a major collapse, but it was thanks to the chairman’s intervention. However… … .”

Yeah, to me, the collapsed wall itself was just okay.

Of course, the scale of the incident is enormous, as half of one wall of a huge building collapsed, but in an academy where entire buildings are frequently destroyed, this is nothing more than a bit of a joke.

If it had been normal, the weight would have been concentrated and the building itself would have collapsed, but they spent a lot of money on magic to prepare for times like this. And since the chairman helped out, it ended up like this.

‘This won’t cost much.’

Considering that the entrance examination building is not used much except during the entrance examination period, there is no need for urgent repairs, so you can take your time. Naturally, you do not have to pay additional fees for expedited processing.

But the Darkun test manager cut his words short.

As scary as it was to hear, I knew what was coming next.

“One of the rating gauges… …was destroyed.”

“Repair is… … ?”

“That may be possible, but as the Minister of Finance knows very well.”

“… … plague.”

The Darkun test manager, who realized that I was in a bad mood, took a step away.

While I was despairing over reality, I heard the newbie and Darkun whispering.

“That, Mr. Examiner? Why is the Finance Director reacting like that?”

“Come to think of it, you came in a month ago, right? That measuring device was made by a dwarf.”

“… … Yes? Is it true?”

“Yes. The chairman bought it from the dwarves 50 years ago. And as you know, during those 50 years.”

“The dwarven city was destroyed by the monster invasion.”

“That’s right. And because of the repair costs, the dwarves started to greatly increase the repair fees for the magical tools they made. Since no one but a dwarf can fix something made by a dwarf, they have no choice but to give it to anyone who asks.”

“But, is that really that much money? Even so… … … .”

“It’s expensive, right? It’s more than you or I could earn in our lifetimes. But more than anything, the dwarves are really cheap. They’re just saying that since no one else can fix it, they’re just going to take it. Last year, the chairman’s office almost went up in smoke.”

“Oh.”

What the hell is going on here, you little shits?

When I glance at the whispering Darkun and the newbie, they immediately stand at attention, which makes me even more angry for some reason.

But even if I gossip with Darkun and the newbies here, the repair costs won’t decrease. It’ll only make me feel a little better, and it’ll definitely get worse when I face reality again.

In the end, the two who were just salarymen were left alone, and I, who was positioned between the person giving the salary and the person receiving the salary, entered the entrance examination room through the collapsed hole.

Of course, there were hardly any people in the testing room. The test takers had already been evacuated from the building.

Yet there were those who remained, those who had to remain.

“Ah, Minister of Finance!”

“… … You’re here, Minister of Finance.”

“… … … … .”

There is one chairman who waves his hand brightly as if he has done something.

In complete contrast to the chairman, there was a woman with a cold impression.

And there is one candidate who appears to be the culprit behind this.

“Thank you for your hard work, Chairman. Instead of processing paperwork in the Chairman’s office, you prevented the building from collapsing. I am amazed at your foresight.”

“Haha, right… … right.”

If it were just the two of us, I wouldn’t mind, but I can’t speak rudely to the chairman in front of others, so I said something like, “What are you doing here? But you did well, so I’ll let it slide…”

I turned my head towards a woman who was so cold that she was almost emotionless.

“Ciel General Examination Officer.”

“Yes, Adam, Treasury Secretary.”

I just speak informally to new recruits, but I speak appropriately to the test administrator, Darkun, considering the difference in their age and experience.

At least in front of this woman, I had no choice but to speak to her politely as if I were speaking to the CEO.

A 7th-rank inspector and the general examination officer in charge of all exams at Grandis Academy.

He is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Academy, who hold real power under the absolute ruler, the chairman.

Oh, by the way, I am one of the other Four Heavenly Kings. Although I am the weakest in terms of actual power.

“I heard you called me urgently.”

“Yes. If it was just a wall collapsing, a postmortem report would have been sufficient, but since something unexpected happened, I decided it was right to call the finance minister.”

“… … You mean the measuring device.”

“I think it would be quicker to understand if you see it for yourself.”

Wherever Chief Test Officer Ciel’s eyes went, there was a piece of scrap metal whose original shape could not be guessed.

To be precise, it’s a piece of scrap metal that’s going to suck up a ton of money.

‘Fuck.’

I was prepared because Darkun said it would be a complete destruction, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.

Just thinking about seeing that shameless dwarf I met last year again made my resignation letter dangle before my eyes.

“Adam, Treasurer, don’t despair too much. I heard that even dwarves are relatively gentle with their frequent trading partners, so it should be better than last year. ”

“… … Yes.”

As you can hear, both Darcun and Ciel are taking the broken measuring device very seriously, but it’s only because of the ‘dwarves’.

As the Minister of Finance, I feel sorry for having to negotiate with a dwarf who is known for being cheapskate, but I’m not paying attention to the ‘repair costs’.

It’s expensive, but I think the Academy can afford it without any problems. They don’t know about the desperate financial situation of bankruptcy in three years.

Since the only one who seemed uneasy was the chairman, I went up to her and told her the truth.

“Everything you earned this time is gone.”

“… … … !!!”

The chairman, who had blushed for a moment, soon blushed for a different reason and glared at the culprit of this incident.

Right, now that I think about it, he’s the culprit.

What kind of kid broke the measuring device? This thing can measure up to level 5. If it’s higher than that, doesn’t that mean it’s level 6?

‘With these skills, why don’t you go to the royal family or the empire instead of the academy?’

What are you talking about? Are you trying to belittle those who are weaker than you?

The culprit that we looked into with that thought in mind is.

“… … Hmm?”

“Ruth Spero, currently estimated to be a Level 6 Inspector.”

“Hello… … How are you?”

He’s the main character.

Isn’t that the guy who got the lowest score on the entrance exam?

No, there’s something more important than that right now.

‘Can we pass on the cost of repairs to the applicant?’

Since you’re the main character anyway, won’t you pay it back and grow quickly? Besides, if you’re this strong, don’t you even need to grow?

Huh? Then I don’t have to come to the academy?

“Ruth Candidate, can I ask you one thing?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you want to enter the Academy? This is a place for learning, not a place to prove your strength. If you are a Ruth applicant, you will be recognized as a knight or adventurer.”

“… … If I’m strong, can I not enter the academy?”

“Not necessarily, but I don’t think three years at the Academy would be of much help to a Ruth applicant.”

When I cleared the Academy part of Part 1 of , I was around level 4.

But you’re only a 6th grader on the entrance exam? Why are you really coming to the academy?

It wasn’t a completely strange sound. Even the chairman, who had lost his week-long job on an ocean-going fishing boat, and Ciel nodded in agreement.

It’s like someone who already has a doctorate degree is trying to get a master’s degree again. There’s no need to do that in the first place.

To my question, the protagonist.

“… … I will pay double the tuition.”

“Ruth Applicant, it’s not for the money───”

“5x.”

“Welcome, Student Ruth! Grandis Academy welcomes you!”

“Thank you.”

“… … … … … .”

“… … … … .”

what.

What do you want me to do?