episode_0026

The area where the professors’ labs are located is one of the worst magical realms in Grandis Academy.

It’s partly because the graduate student dormitories and magic labs are where the most collapses occur in the academy, but more than that, the entire area has a strange atmosphere.

“What should I eat for lunch today?”

“Are you satisfied with the results of that study?”

“Nam Isa. The person who went in with you is already in defense───”

bang!!!!!

“──Aren’t you getting ready? That means let’s eat well.”

“Okay, honey. Let’s go cut up some meat.”

A research lab left in ruins, a building next door suddenly exploding. Still, pedestrians do not panic, but use defensive magic or use their weapons to knock away the debris, then continue walking around, muttering.

It was a place where ordinary students would not dare to enter, so the only people walking around here were professors or graduate students.

The professors and graduate students here always reacted like they were going their own way no matter where something happened.

They were walking around talking about their research or gossiping, but soon they saw someone and froze. The same was true of the graduate students who had just casually cleared the rubble.

“Good morning, Adam, Treasurer!”

“Good morning!”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Soon they lowered their heads, so nervous that they began to speak in strange tones.

The position of finance director of Grandis Academy had considerable power. This was because the finance director was in charge of deciding on the budget for the lab and the support for research.

Although there may be some who do not like him, basically, professors and graduate students under him were respectful to the finance director. If research funds were cut because he was unnecessarily viewed in a bad light, how could they be held responsible?

“The Finance Minister, the professor contacted me and said he would like to meet with me──”

“Mr. Finance Minister, this time our research───”

“It would be a great honor if you could attend our lab defense───”

“Preparing for this paper──”

At the same time, a large number of people flocked to the finance minister to get even a little bit of research funds. They were a pack of wolves hungry for budget and research funds.

And then I politely declined their request and headed towards the person who had been waiting for me from afar.

As if there was an invisible barrier, the more I approached the person, the more the graduate students fell away, and finally an old man with a white beard smiled kindly at me.

“Long time no see, Minister of Finance.”

“Dean Billend. I apologize for not being able to visit you often due to my busy schedule.”

“What are you sorry about? It’s a well-known story that the Finance Minister works overtime countless times. Let’s go in.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Dean Billend. He is from the Imperial Tower and was once a colleague and rival of the current Tower owner, the Archmage.

A person with outstanding skills but was pushed out by internal factional strife in the Magic Tower and settled in the kingdom.

After that, he caught the chairman’s eye and became a professor, and eventually became the dean who oversees the entire field of magic.

Although I am treated as a vice president by school regulations… … … I am actually treated as a level above the vice president due to my skills as a 7th-grade teacher and my experience as a faculty member who has stayed at the academy for the longest time after the vice president of academic affairs.

The only good thing is that the reason he was kicked out of the Academy was because of a political factional dispute, so he has no intention of getting involved in any factional or political issues within the Academy.

After chatting for a while, I arrived at the Dean’s office with Dean Billend and took my seat.

“Yeah, you said you wanted to interview Professor Circe.”

“I think Dean Billend knows well what happened at this year’s research budget planning meeting.”

“It was said to be a magical potion that could restore damaged hair and regenerate hair from a scalp where hair had been permanently lost. Honestly, if it hadn’t been Professor Circe who said it, I wouldn’t have believed it was possible.”

“Is it because it is impossible even in church?”

“At least in the areas of healing and regeneration, the current magical academia has yet to catch up with the church. Isn’t it the case that even the church has given up on the development of hair loss medication?”

“So if development is really successful, the profits will be huge. That’s why I came to see Professor Circe in person as the finance director.”

“Hmm.”

“And above all.”

As I narrowed my eyes slightly, Dean Billend, who had been maintaining a kind smile, quietly looked at me.

The story that is coming out now is one that both I and the Dean know well.

But that’s not in the school rules.

“… … Didn’t Professor Circe already receive ‘welfare’? For research on improving healing potions. ”

“They say it’s welfare… … and are they doing it for you?”

“This is a matter that the Chairman has acknowledged. What should I say?”

“That’s fine, but honestly, I was worried. No matter how much of a ‘custom’ it was, Professor Circe’s actions clearly crossed the line.”

“Do you think I came to you because of that reprimand or discipline?”

“Otherwise, how could Professor Circe keep the fact that she did the ‘custom’ a secret? I’m the only one who knows, as the Dean. That’s why I was quite anxious, but fortunately.”

Aside from the fact that Dean Billend does not want to get involved in political issues, his insight and intuition are quite quick. If he had no political ability at all, he would not have been able to become the Dean.

And Dean Billend was talking about ‘welfare’ and ‘customs’.

That is precisely why I did not immediately dismiss Professor Circe, and why the Chairman, after much deliberation, took her case into consideration.

Anyway, the dean was relieved because he knew that my purpose was not to discipline or reprimand him. He said that he was also quite anxious inside.

“Then, is it okay if I go and meet Professor Circe right away?”

“Of course. I heard you’re busy preparing for your research these days, so please tell me. I heard other professors are worried too.”

“… … Okay. Oh, and Dean.”

“Huh?”

“The chairman called the dean. He asked him to come today if possible… … .”

“Chairman? Okay, I’ll go right away.”

It was a common occurrence for the chairman to call the heads of magic, martial arts, and administration. So Dean Villand immediately agreed and prepared to head to the chairman’s office.

… … Now, the dean can leave it to the chairman.

It’s time for me to do what I have to do.

*

Professor Circe’s laboratory was a three-story building.

Not only was he appointed as a professor in his early 30s, but he also continued to conduct research and build up his achievements.

It is no exaggeration to say that he is the most famous professor in the entire current magical field, to the point that Dean Billend frequently mentions him at the Dean’s Meeting.

There are even rumors going around that they are trying to push him to become the next head of the magic department, so I’m sure the lab will treat him accordingly.

As I stood in front of a building that seemed more like a research building than a laboratory, a neat-looking graduate student guided me.

“Chief Financial Officer Adam, I’ve been waiting for you. Professor Circe is in the other room.”

“Thank you.”

If the other party were a regular faculty member or a strict security guard with a superior-subordinate relationship, I would easily use informal language, but although the working departments and professors, including myself, are deeply connected, they are considered to be different categories when viewed broadly.

Therefore, professors treat their students kindly even if they are junior faculty members, and faculty members also respect graduate students, including professors.

The room we entered was quite well decorated, as if it was intended for reception rather than research purposes.

And Professor Circe, who had been sitting on her chair with a somewhat anxious look, got up and approached.

“Welcome, Mr. Finance. I apologize for the delay in contacting you about the interview. I have been busy with my research preparations recently… … .”

“Isn’t that the hair loss treatment research that the church declared impossible? Of course I understand. But since 60% of the research budget was taken from the magic field this year, I guess there won’t be any financial problems.”

“… … Yes, that’s right.”

I briefly asked the chairman about a research funding issue among the documents I received, and the response was better than I expected.

Is this something he wants the other person to know, or is it something he’s hiding because he wants to keep it a secret?

Since it would have been meaningless once the conversation was over for today anyway, I sat down across from Professor Circe with a smile.

“I heard you are busy, so I guess we should skip the small talk. The reason for this interview is because of the hair loss treatment research you are conducting. And I… … .”

“Once a hair loss treatment is developed, its intellectual property rights will be jointly owned with the Academy, and if any profits are generated in the future, the Academy has the right to take 80% of them.”

“… … … … .”

This is a preemptive strike.

To be honest, it was a bit unexpected. Considering Professor Circe’s ‘purpose’, it was a natural action, but I thought she wouldn’t give up easily since there was a benefit to be gained.

“Isn’t that what you came here to talk about? I know that what I did last time… …’custom’ clearly crossed the line.”

Some call it welfare, others call it custom.

In fact, every organization has a tradition called custom. Colleges discipline new students, the military has a new recruits’ orientation ceremony, the legal profession treats all officers with special treatment, etc.

These are not explicitly stated in the rules or regulations, but they are traditions that have been practiced in the organization for a long time and have been passed down naturally.

Grandis Academy also has several such practices. For example, the top graduates in the administrative field are guaranteed admission to the academy when they apply, or there is some differential treatment for commoners who enter the magic or martial arts field, or new faculty members must live as youngest students for at least a year no matter what.

Sometimes called a custom, sometimes an evil practice, sometimes a bad habit, sometimes a tradition.

What Dean Billend and I mentioned, and what Professor Circe just mentioned, was one of those practices.

To be exact, it is a custom created by the chairman and a welfare for professors.

“When Grandis Academy was first established, the chairman promised high salaries, a great research environment, and various other benefits to recruit talented professors.”

“… … … … .”

“And among those welfare benefits, there was one that the chairman separately permitted, although it was not specified.”

All these problems stem from one problem: the CEO had too much money.

The more money the better, but why is that a problem?

To be more specific, the chairman of the academy in its early days had so much money that he did not even accept the kind of support that a normal academy would naturally receive. He also refused donations from graduates.

Anyway, the Academy and its chairman had a lot of money. So they probably didn’t want to receive grants or donations that could lead to unnecessary interference.

To put it positively, it was an example of enforcing one’s beliefs about education, but to put it negatively, it was arrogant.

The budget of a normal academy is mostly secured through grants, donations, tuition, and research results. However, grants and donations were rejected, and tuition is at the lowest level under the belief that it guarantees equality in education. This would have been absolutely impossible without the existence of the chairman.

A custom and welfare derived from that, exclusive to professors in the field of magic.

“Only one, the professor has full ownership of his/her research results.”

“… … … … .”

“It’s a tradition that’s been going on for decades, and it’s the best benefit that only magic professors have.”

From the moment you hear it, it is content that makes you question whether this makes sense. Of course, without professors, research cannot proceed, but does that mean that the academy, which provides research funds, facilities, and an environment, has no role at all?

Professors and the academy are in a mutually beneficial relationship in research, and it is natural that the research results are shared rather than being unilaterally owned by one party… … … But.

The chairman of the board ended up turning a blind eye to the ‘welfare’ at the suggestion of the deans at the time. Even so, the professors at the time had a conscience, so they limited the achievements they had to personal goals or to a level where they could earn a little more money, but they had no great significance.

In the first place, not all research can generate profits, and in some fields, there are many cases where you can spend your entire life researching without making any profits. This research on improving healing potions is unique, but research of that level is not something that comes out often.

So, ten years, twenty years, decades passed. In the meantime, the custom gradually became a tradition, a privilege and an evil that any magic professor was entitled to enjoy.

Anyway, does that mean that it was really a stupid and foolish idea?

‘Of course, fuck.’

……but.

It is true that there are also benefits gained from it.

“Thanks to that, professors who wanted to transfer to Grandis Academy flocked to the academy in an instant, and in just a few years, it became the best in the kingdom in the field of magic, and thanks to the high-quality faculty, the educational performance also improved noticeably.”

“… … Yes.”

For example, let’s say a startup recruits employees by offering them four major insurance plans, the ability to work from home, the highest salary in the industry, and other benefits.

Some might say, “Are you crazy for a new topic?” The reason other companies don’t do it is because it costs too much money. There’s no reason to go to such lengths to recruit and do it.

However, there will eventually be countless employees who want to work for the company, and the CEO (chairman) can gather only the experienced and capable among them and greatly raise the level of the new company in an instant. And it will rise to the top of the large corporation in one breath.

I don’t know the source, but there was enough money to run the company for decades without any problems, so there were no problems with operations.

The problem was piling up little by little.

Now, the chairman’s money has run out and he has finally gone broke.

“Professor Circe said she knew that her customs were out of line.”

“… … … Usually, what is owned as a custom is a small study for personal satisfaction or a study that guarantees a small profit to ensure retirement.”

“However, the professor’s research on improving healing potions was research that could bring enormous benefits. Naturally, it had to be shared with the Academy.”

“I needed money… … urgently. I couldn’t afford the income that would come in slowly later. I needed the money right away.”

“Professor.”

“That’s why I planned this hair loss medication research. So that I could at least make up for my mistakes through this research!”

Even if I make concessions a hundred times over, I can understand Professor Circe’s thoughts.

Because he needed money urgently, he took possession of a study of a scale that would not normally be recognized as customary and sold it to the church.

Because they knew it was wrong, they tried to cover up their crime by conducting research that would guarantee greater profits. They even went as far as saying that they would share intellectual property rights and give up 80% of the profits.

Considering Professor Circe’s abilities, it might have been possible to overcome it somehow.

But the problem is.

“So, how long do you expect the research to take?”

“Yes? Well, I’ve been developing healing potions since I got my master’s degree, so it took about 10 years… … … I’m expecting the hair loss treatment research to take about 20 years. ”

“I see.”

It’s in this gap.

Of course, if they succeed in researching a hair loss cure, even if it takes 20 years, it will be a great change. Professor Circe is a recognized authority in life magic, and since she has already succeeded in outstanding research, she will receive support without much difficulty.

But the current Grandis Academy doesn’t have the luxury of waiting 20 years. They’re going to go bankrupt in 3 years.

therefore.

“The customs and welfare I mentioned earlier.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you think it’s no longer necessary?”

“… … Yes?”

“The current Grandis Academy already has a sufficient and abundant faculty, and its location is unrivaled, so there is no reason to go to such lengths to bring in more professors.”

“That, that’s what… … … .”

“So I intend to abolish what has been passed down in the name of tradition, welfare, and custom. To me, as the Minister of Finance, it just seems like bad habits and corruption.”

“Minister of Finance… … !!”

“The Academy is not a place that considers individual interests or circumstances. It is simply a place to educate students, conduct research, and develop knowledge.”

This is about normalizing finances and, by extension, the academy.

You’ve done everything for me so far, professors. Top-notch salary, excellent benefits, a research environment with no shortcomings, and even a research achievement in the name of convention.

The Academy has sacrificed and dedicated itself for you.

Now it’s your turn to serve the Academy.