episode_0018

A small room on one side of the entrance ceremony auditorium.

I was sitting across from Ruth in a room that was cramped for two people and one table.

“Ruth Spero, I saw you again during the entrance exam.”

“… … That’s right.”

“It will take some time until the entrance ceremony resumes anyway. It won’t take long, so don’t be nervous.”

“… … … Yes.”

Unlike me, who was smiling leisurely, Ruth looked somewhat uncomfortable.

It’s a perfectly understandable reaction when you think about meeting the highest authority in the Academy, but why is it?

To my eyes, Ruth looked… …a little restless.

A reaction that is a little different from tension.

But instead of looking closely at Ruth, I took out the documents I had brought with me.

“Anyway, you probably already know why I came.”

“… … I know.”

Ruth trembled a little more at my words.

Soon, he took a deep breath as if he had made up his mind about something, then raised his head and looked at me.

Why are you suddenly like that?

“If it’s because of the restrictions, I remember. Even so, you used the sword on purpose and───”

“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“… … Didn’t you come here because I just wrote a review?”

“No? That’s the job of the student council president, a guy who works overtime and has dark circles under his eyes. As you know, I’m the finance director. ”

“Well, rum… … ?”

“The reason and circumstances for using the sword can be explained to the students who come later, but this is why I came.”

The writing on the document I took out was simple.

Tuition notice.

“… … Uh.”

“At the entrance exam center, they said that I would pay 5 times the tuition fee. Do you remember that I told you that I would prepare the documents myself?”

“Yes… … .”

“I’ve been busy these past few days because of the entrance ceremony, but I just happened to have the time to prepare it.”

By law, you can’t really get exactly 5 times the amount just because you’re saying you’re going to pay 5 times more. If you were going to do it that way, there would be no reason to set the tuition fee clearly.

Isn’t it impossible to accept the tuition fees that are multiplied several times when nobles or merchants ask for the care of their children?

Still, the reason I accepted the protagonist’s 5x bet is.

‘There was no need to specifically block admission… … .’

Because now, I needed a situation where I could directly interfere with the tuition bill.

“Here is the newly created tuition notice.”

“… … Something has increased.”

“It’s a kind of trick.”

What if you can’t just get five times the tuition? The answer is simple: create something that didn’t exist before.

Academy donations, undergraduate operating support funds (optional), stationery purchase costs, curfew extension costs, etc.

Other students can also choose to pay additional fees when paying their tuition, but these are details that would be unreasonable to do so.

I applied all of that. I looked through all the old rules and everything that was there. It was quite a struggle.

That’s the amount that came out.

“About 5 to 6 times.”

“… … … Hmm.”

“Are you not willing to pay 5x more?”

“Oh, no. That’s okay.”

“Then there will be no problem!”

That’s a lie.

Of course, the explicit amount is between 5 and 6 times the existing tuition fee. However, the contract must be read in detail.

Below the tuition notice, written in small, dense letters, are the royal laws pertaining to tuition and other miscellaneous matters.

I inserted a few lines in between.

Ruth, that’s because the main character’s sprout was yellow.

‘This kid has already broken two walls.’

And it wasn’t just a wall, it was a fairly large building with one entire wall blown away.

Just thinking about the cost of the repairs makes me feel out of breath and my body trembles, so I naturally reach for a cigarette. When I met the main character again earlier, I almost impulsively threw a punch, right?

That’s why I set up a separate safety device so that even if the main character breaks the wall again, I can do something about it.

“Here’s the pen, so just read it slowly and sign.”

“… … … … .”

Of course, it’s not like we’re demanding compensation every time we destroy a real academy facility.

The safety device I put in is that it only breaks walls or other structures ‘when restrictions are violated’.

If you just demand compensation every time you break something, that’s an unfair contract. Of course, when I see the main character acting like that, I want to make an unfair contract, but if something like this gets nitpicked later, things can get really annoying.

So I set a condition that it would only be applied when the restrictions were violated. This part was important.

Even if you are a 6th-grade inspector, it is difficult to completely destroy a building wall or facility without a sword.

‘It’s just a crack at best?’

If it’s to that extent, it’s okay. It’s okay because you can just take care of it as a bonus when repairing the smoke bomb that breaks all the time.

The restrictions promised to the Academy are ones that the protagonist must basically keep for the entire three years. Therefore, there was no problem adding compensation.

It’s as if there’s no problem with adding a clause that says you shouldn’t drink and drive, but then also says you have to pay damages if you break a wall while drinking and driving.

I originally thought it was necessary because the main character had become a monster student of the 6th rank instead of the lowest rank student in , but when I think about the cost of the things he destroyed today, I think it’s essential.

In the end, I accepted five times the main character’s tuition to add this content.

‘Should I have just taken 10 times the amount?’

I seriously regret it, but I had already made a promise.

I waited like that until the main character signed.

“… … … … .”

Write.

This kid looks at the notice more closely than I thought? I told him to read it slowly, but don’t most kids your age just skip over it?

Surely you don’t read every single line of the royal laws and other matters written below? They’re all densely written on the back of the notice, too.

‘Are you worried that you’ll get caught?’

Of course, if you get caught, there’s no problem… … No problem. I’m going to follow the restrictions anyway, so what’s the problem? You wouldn’t break the restrictions and break the wall like you did today, would you? That would be a perfect answer.

But why is there a drop of cold sweat running down my back?

Ruth read each notice as if she was used to checking these contracts in detail.

“… … … !”

‘I got caught.’

My gaze was fixed squarely on the spot where I had placed the safety device.

“… … … … .”

I thought he was thinking about it for a moment.

Sweep.

“Here, I finished signing.”

“… … Congratulations on your official admission to Grandis Academy.”

“Thank you.”

What? You noticed the safety device, but why didn’t you mention it?

Is it because you won’t break the restrictions anymore anyway? Or because you did something today?

‘The exact contents of the safety device are… … .’

──Article 13, Paragraph 6. If Ruth Spero (hereinafter referred to as “B”) violates the restrictions she has made with the Academy, and if any damage to the Academy’s property or destruction of facilities occurs as a result, B will compensate for the damage. However, considering that B is a student, whenever such an incident occurs, Adam Keynes, the Minister of Finance, will meet with B and, if he has the discretion, may disregard this provision.

It’s exactly what I wrote and what I remember.

In addition to the safety measures for damages, there is also an interview section where I can intervene in the events that the main character will experience in the future development of the original game.

I thought that since it was a level 6, there might have been some way I didn’t know about that had altered or distorted this safety device, but no matter how I looked at it, it was fine.

I need to go back first and show it to the chairman and make sure there are no problems.

“Well… …please.”

“Huh?”

“In many ways… … …for 3 years, all of them.”

It was only then that I saw Ruth show emotion for the first time.

A slightly sticky eye smile that you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely. At the same time, Ruth’s eyes were sunken deep somewhere.

I flinched without realizing it──what should I do?

“Yeah.”

“… … … … … .”

“Please take good care of me.”

I’m more scared of the cost of wall repairs than the original protagonist who broke the existing development and became a 6th grader.

Ruth probably didn’t feel anything at all, but she shook my hand with all her might and prayed earnestly in her heart.

Please don’t break anything.

If you’re going to break something, break it by breaking all restrictions, really.

Shouldn’t you graduate before the academy goes bankrupt?

When I was about to leave the room after shaking Ruth’s hand so heartily.

“… … Beware of Lisha Claudia.”

“Huh?”

“Even if she herself is a good person… … .”

“Because she can be different with a ‘weapon’.”

*

A few days have passed since the noisy entrance ceremony.

Even after the entrance ceremony, there were many rumors among the new students and guests about the attack by the manticore built from fantasy. The only difference was that the new students were full of all kinds of heroic tales, while the guests were full of stories about investments and the future.

And the faculty and staff, who were surprised by the fantasy beyond their imagination even though they had heard about it in advance, enjoyed the lively atmosphere immediately after the entrance ceremony.

This is the good part about working at the academy. Unlike a workplace where you are immersed in work every day and only see familiar faces, you get to see young people every year.

When I see the sight of the newly arrived chicks chirping or sparring, I feel satisfied that my work was not in vain. I feel satisfied that the young students can be so happy because of me.

The reason why the turnover rate of faculty and staff working at Grandis Academy is not high… … … is of course due to the salary that is several times higher than the industry standard and the enormous welfare benefits, but in any case, it helps relieve mental fatigue.

Oh, of course.

It was a story from a different world from mine.

“The total cost of this entrance ceremony and the fantasy magic event.”

“… … I was prepared for it, but the immediate expenses are huge.”

“I did get some extra bribes and profits by selling information on the event, but it’s not even enough to cover the costs of the fantasy magic event. But I heard that a significant amount of money has been decided on for the fantasy magic department this time.”

“Ahem, I tried my best.”

“The problem is that it takes time for the actual investment to come in. Since the amount of the investment is a large amount, it will probably be next month at the shortest when it is actually transferred. It will take at least two months to cover the cost of this entrance ceremony with 40% of that.”

“Ugh… … .”

2 months. Considering that it would take a month for the investment funds to properly come in, this means that the entire cost of the entrance ceremony was covered in just one month. Considering that the entrance ceremony was the most expensive event at Grandis Academy, it was a huge amount. It’s scary to think that this amount is 40%.

But what the chairman and I were worried about was not whether the investment in the School of Fantasy Magic would continue at the current rate.

Since the investment money was not a salary and was invested by big spenders, once it became known, there was no need to worry about the investment money decreasing, but rather increasing for a while.

The problem is the timing until the investment money comes in.

It was that one month gap.

“And this is the expected cost for the next month.”

“… … It’s so close.”

“That’s the problem.”

Grandis Academy will go bankrupt in three years. This is a groundbreaking proposition that shows the current situation.

However, there is a part that can be misunderstood. If it goes bankrupt in 3 years, it can be thought that there will be no problems in operation at least until then.

Of course not.

‘It took three years for us to carefully allocate the fixed costs and surplus needed each month.’

Let’s say you need 1 million won this month. The academy or organization doesn’t prepare just 1 million won.

Since you never know how things will turn out in the world, it is normal to prepare some amount of surplus in addition to fixed costs. If not, just have a lot of initial capital.

Grandis Academy was the latter. The chairman had so much wealth that he just took it out whenever he ran out.

The problem is that that method doesn’t work anymore.

The problem is that even variables have been admitted in large numbers.

“There are four people to watch out for.”

“Are you talking about this year’s freshmen?”

“Two in each martial arts field, and two in the magic field.”

Fortunately, the administrative field is still intact.

The other guys are the problem.

“Ruth Spero, a 6th-grade inspector. During the entrance ceremony, she broke the restrictions and used her sword, completely damaging one wall of the auditorium. Since the auditorium needed to be used urgently, she paid several times more for repairs. It’s been quiet since the entrance ceremony, but the damage alone is the greatest. ”

“Kaerin Desté, the youngest knight to be appointed. He has a righteous personality, but he has a strong competitive spirit toward Ruth Spero, and his training intensity is very high, so he has used more than 20 practice swords on his own. ”

“Amatrius Delphia Beatrice, the fourth princess of the Kingdom of Delphia. Her talent itself is considered to be enough to become a great magician, but she is unable to control her magic, and has already blown up the classroom and other rooms several times.”

“Chloe Pisti, a promising student of the Magic Tower. She has no particular problems, except for her extremely arrogant personality, but she does not get along well with Princess Beatrice, and provokes her whenever they meet. Because Beatrice fell for her provocations, two lecture halls were blown away.”

Are you guys some kind of Academy Finance Destruction Four Heavenly Kings? You really piss me off one by one.

In , it was often described that the Academy building was blown up as a daily occurrence. It was said that it was natural since it was a place filled with energetic students. In fact, when I played the game, I felt a sense of exhilaration when I destroyed the building.

But then you have to fix that broken building and pay for the repairs, and that really sucks.

Even more so when you consider that a whopping 20% of Grandis Academy’s entire budget goes towards those damn repairs every year!

‘In the web novels I’ve read, the academy is destroyed and terrorized one day.’

Is this just the fate of the Academy? But why is this happening when I’m the Finance Director?

To be blunt, all my previous finance chiefs were chairman of the board, and back then, buildings collapsed often. It’s not just me who’s doing this.

Of course, that’s a cool-headed view, and like most office workers, my current goal was to curse reality, so it didn’t really matter to me.

‘If only Professor Circe hadn’t been acting like a dog.’

Does it make sense to donate all of our money and research to a church? If we had noticed it in advance, we would have stopped it, but we couldn’t stop it because we went to the church on the day of successful development and wrote a certificate of transfer of rights. It was also difficult for us to take a strong stance because the other party was a church.

It’s not officially announced yet, so is it because they don’t know what their image in the academy will be like if the church officially announces this? If they did it knowingly, it would be more problematic. Anyway, since we made a promise about hair loss treatment research, let’s grab it then.

Students who break buildings, professors who donate research funds or nag at me for more research funds, faculty members who are hostile to me, and even the chairman who lost the most money through gift trading.

While I was sighing endlessly for a moment, the chairman, with a serious expression on his face as he looked at the Four Heavenly Kings of Financial Destruction, asked me.

“There is no way to predict what these students will do in the month that the investment money comes in.”

“Yes.”

Do you know what the most frustrating reason for a company going bankrupt is? It’s because they don’t have the money right now, when they should be getting money soon.

The current academy was exactly like that. Last year, the repair costs were somewhat manageable, but these Four Heavenly Kings blew up 20 practice swords, one wall of the auditorium, five lecture rooms, and two research labs in less than a week after the entrance ceremony.

Compared to the repair costs of this time last year, they have already more than doubled. With these added to the existing repair costs, the financial statements are screaming that I will die if this continues.

… … Assuming this trend repeats for a month.

The Academy doesn’t even last one year, let alone three. I didn’t even think about it being worse, but it was like this.

To put it simply, my plan was to spend 1 million won per month for 3 years.

If the monthly expenses increase to 2 million won due to a ‘variable’, the period of time you can endure will be cut in half.

‘You’re called the golden generation. But why are you doing this to me?’

This is not the golden generation, but the devil’s generation. Devil’s children who take bribes and other budgets that have been barely earned.

Therefore, special measures are needed.

That was also the reason why I was facing the chairman with a serious expression on my face right now.

“Each person of interest requires action, but the most urgent is… …this student.”

“… … Princess Beatrice.”

“I already told you about Princess Beatrice. Do you remember?”

“Apparently, he received a bribe on the condition of helping me return to the Kingdom of Delphia.”

“That’s right. If you want it so badly, shouldn’t you send it to me?”

Otherwise, he’ll destroy the classroom or lab again tomorrow. We really need to send him away as soon as possible.

As expected of the building destroyer, you never disappoint me. Please don’t disappoint me, please.

“It’s almost been a month since we promised, so let’s send it back now.”

Go, Beatrice.

Please go away!