episode_0030

Time passes equally for everyone.

The main character who has completed all his volunteer hours, Beatrice who surprisingly doesn’t destroy the building, and the professors who have had their salaries reduced.

And even the chairman and I, who hadn’t made eye contact for several days.

I’m not even a freshman at the academy, and my time as the Finance Director has passed surprisingly quickly.

It’s already been a month since the main character entered school.

“This is a financial report for the past month.”

“Um… … … .”

“Except for fixed costs that are incurred each month, special costs include the destruction of the auditorium by student Ruth Spero, the collapse of five classrooms by Beatrice and Chloe, and the destruction of the youngest knight’s 32 practice swords.”

“Yes.”

“Except for the monthly income, there are bribes received from Lisha, Beatrice, and other bribed students, refunds for artifacts given by His Majesty Archendelminos, and the proceeds from the sale of measuring devices negotiated with dwarves.”

widely.

I chuckled and placed the final conclusion on the chairman’s desk.

“It’s a surplus. An overwhelming surplus!”

“Ah──Okay!!”

I quickly took a step back and continued speaking, fearing that my limbs would disintegrate if I were to be grazed by the Chairman’s fist as he swung it joyfully.

“Of course, the extra income from outside the plan and the artifacts given by His Majesty will make up a large portion, but starting next month, 40% of the investment in the School of Illusion Magic and a surplus equivalent to the professors’ salary cuts will be added to the budget.”

“The salary payment date was next month, right?”

“That’s right. Since the pay cuts are starting this year, everyone will probably shed tears of blood.”

“You took advantage of my kindness like that, so you deserve it.”

The chairman seemed more relieved after the incident on the rooftop last time.

Of course, that alone won’t solve all the problems in the chairman’s mind.

Still, um.

‘It’s better than crying.’

anyway.

It’s sad to see them rejoice over the fact that they made a profit this month, not this year, not this quarter. But can’t we see this as a big step forward?

The chairman was so happy that he almost cried, but it wasn’t a completely good situation.

“However, even if all the things I mentioned earlier are covered in next month’s budget, it will only reduce the deficit, and it will not be possible to turn a profit like this month. This month is entirely thanks to artifacts.”

“The artifact that Archen gave me was pretty good. So now.”

“Now that we’ve bought some time with these, we need to do something else in the meantime.”

So, after crossing that mountain, there was an even bigger mountain, and after crossing that, there was a sea?

I’ve done a lot of things, but it’s still not enough. If this problem could be solved this easily, I wouldn’t have had a hard time in the first place.

We got through this month well, but we need to make a profit next month as well.

“Please look at this.”

“What is this… … ?”

“Don’t you have midterms next month? Here’s the plan.”

“Yes? But isn’t the midterm exam always like it is?”

“I thought of a groundbreaking method.”

The original Grandis Academy midterm exam was like that of a typical academy.

There is a common written exam, and then there are separate major and practical exams for each field.

It seems simple at first glance, but there’s a bit of a problem with this.

‘Because we need to create different environments for each major.’

For example, in the magic field, the fire magic major must practice in a space with high fire resistance, and in the martial arts field, the monster duel must be performed by purchasing a living monster.

Moreover, there are almost no fixed test centers that are supposed to have some level of discrimination. Since the type and theme of the test changes every time, costs are incurred each time.

The administrative field has a relatively high proportion of written exams, but for construction majors, the academy has to prepare all the materials for the practical exam where you have to build a specific structure.

These things pile up by the hundreds, by major, by grade, by period.

If you collect them all together, it really costs a lot. Even though I know it’s an unavoidable expense, I honestly feel it’s a bit of a waste.

So I prepared.

“Minister of Finance, what is this… … ?”

“Isn’t that just right? The chairman also owns some of it.”

“That’s true, but then there are problems with the test’s progress and discrimination.”

“The amount of money you can save with this plan is roughly this much… … … .”

“Come to think about it, isn’t that something that professors should think about, not me? If you get paid, you should work accordingly.”

Good. He’s becoming more and more of a proper(?) chairman.

The chairman immediately stamped his approval seal without delay.

“Leave the announcement to me. I have some good persuasive material.”

“Huh? What do you have?”

“There was an accident at the Imperial Academy recently. It would be perfect if we could use that.”

“… … ?”

“Look forward to it. I hope it will be of some help to the Finance Minister.”

*

It’s peaceful.

It’s so peaceful.

“Ruth? Why are you suddenly like that?”

“Ah, nothing… … …no.”

No, why is it so peaceful? Why on earth?

Ruth Spero had many questions on her mind as she enjoyed tea time with Mina at the coffee house.

Because I just couldn’t understand it.

‘Originally, Beatrice was supposed to cause more trouble.’

Not only that, but the magic students have to rise up at someone’s instigation, or some professors have to show signs of secretly planning some kind of summoning ritual.

But nothing happened.

Of course, Ruth didn’t know that Professor Circe was semi-forcibly confined to her lab without being able to go outside, or that magic professors had received a severe pay cut and had to save money on summoning rituals and living expenses.

‘Why on earth is Professor Circe so quiet?’

Circe. A mortal enemy who must be killed and eliminated without fail.

In this academy, she hid her true nature, and after the academy collapsed and she moved to the Holy Land, her actions… Even thinking about it now, it’s horrifying.

One of the things that was supposed to happen was the commotion among the magic students, and Circe was behind it.

But why is it so quiet?

‘I went back to the past… didn’t I?’

At first.

I felt like I was being given a second chance.

I died at the last moment, and when I opened my eyes again, I was back in my childhood. I thought that it couldn’t have been a dream, so I thought that I had somehow returned to the past.

Since I knew what would happen in the future, I first trained my strength. Fortunately, the mental aspects, such as how to use the sword and how to achieve enlightenment, were still the same, so I was able to reach level 6 in a short period of time.

I also needed money. That’s why I got involved in a salt mine that I vaguely remembered and made a lot of money. It fell off a lot right after, but I didn’t care.

And I entered the academy somewhat reluctantly.

I didn’t need to grow any further, but I did need to meet my future colleagues.

‘But something is strange.’

The big picture is clearly the same, but the parts in between are constantly different.

It was normal for Adam Keynes to come to the entrance examination room, but something about his response or reaction was different.

Is it because I’ve gotten a lot stronger than last time?

‘Could it be that everything changed because of that?’

I just thought it would be a lot easier if I was stronger than before, but what if all the changes now are because of that?

But on the other hand, I also wonder if the future is really distorted because of that one thing. At this point, I was confused as to whether I had really come to the past.

“Ruth? Are you okay?”

“… … I was just lost in thought for a moment. Don’t worry too much about it. ”

“Well, that’s fortunate, but… … … .”

Still, what gave me confidence was Mina’s presence.

Mina Gleitzen. My most reliable and trustworthy colleague.

Because she was just like the girl Ruth knew, the same bright face that had first approached her when she was always at the bottom.

That’s why Ruth couldn’t help but have a headache, wondering if this was the past, or a completely different world, or if she was dreaming. Even though her certainty had become vague, there were still some things that did not change.

Circe is like that, and Mina is like that.

and.

‘… … … Adam.’

He did.

In fact, his very existence was the most fundamental cause of Ruth’s headache.

I need to check if I really went back to the past. I need to know if the future is going as I know it.

Yeah, that’s right.

‘Are you still… … okay right now?’

Because I can clarify my attitude towards Adam.

Isn’t this the time, in this confusing time, to meet Adam again? Ruth thought back to the contract she had made with Adam after the entrance ceremony.

‘If you break the restrictions again and cause financial loss… … we decided to have an interview.’

In other words, it means that it is an opportunity to meet the Minister of Finance, who you would not normally meet. That is why I signed the contract right away.

Unlike other faculty members, the finance director cannot even request an interview. In the first place, the position has no reason to contact students, and furthermore, it was only created last year.

Although one of the four princesses did meet with the finance minister, it was a half-forced result of her actively using her status as a princess. Moreover, Ruth did not even know that such a thing had happened.

In any case, it was something I really didn’t want to do. Even if I looked at Adam that way, I didn’t know if I could have a proper conversation with him ‘now’ given his personality.

But if there is no right way───

“Huh? Princess?”

“… … … Huh?”

“Hey, that’s Princess Beatrice. I heard she always stays in the practice room?”

At Mina’s words, Ruth quickly turned her head. As she had said, a familiar face was walking down the street.

Amatrius Delphia Beatrice. Originally, she was unable to control her magic, so she became increasingly neurotic and caused all sorts of accidents.

‘Unlike last time, this time Beatrice met Adam.’

In the future that I know, the one who met Adam at this time was Chloe Pisty. Of course, at the time, I was at the bottom, so I only heard rumors.

As I recall, I heard that after the Academy collapsed, Chloe went with Adam.

I don’t know if they were really together from the beginning, but at least Chloe followed Adam until the end.

… … Well, it was Ruth herself who took Chloe’s breath away.

She was the enemy of the world, having done all sorts of things following Adam. Even though she was my academy classmate, I had never even met her before, so I didn’t have any particular feelings for her.

But now it was Beatrice, not Chloe, who had met Adam. Ruth was certain of it, although she didn’t know exactly how the two had met.

“… … … I’ll be back for a bit.”

“Huh? Ruth, Ruth!?”

In one breath, he jumps down from the terrace of the coffee house and heads towards Beatrice.

Where did the fancy clothes she usually wore go, and she was wearing ordinary clothes.

And her cherishing a watch.

“Beatrice… … Princess.”

“Hmm? So, you’re Ruth Spero, right? That 6th-grade inspector. ”

“Yes.”

“Nice to meet you. So what brings me here? I guess our fields are different.”

It’s different from the Beatrice I remember. She was originally very sensitive at this time. She would get irritated when anyone approached her, and she would be frustrated due to her chronic illness.

But now, the Beatrice in front of me looked much more relaxed. Her outfit was also very different.

“Princess, excuse me, but what about your clothes… … ?”

“Oh, I sold it. I needed some money.”

“Are you talking about money?”

“I met someone who is the most in need and is dedicated to helping others. I’m saving up a little money to help him. I heard he even started a part-time job recently?”

A person who is dedicated and willing to help others when they need it.

There is no doubt now. Beatrice definitely met Adam, and they developed something positive.

Would this make Beatrice like that future Chloe?

The rumor that his chronic illness was cured must have been thanks to Adam. Ruth narrowed her eyes.

“Princess, I have a question──”

“Is it because of this midterm exam for you too? Even if there are restrictions, a 6th grade test is enough for a team.”

“… … … Yes?”

“Oh, didn’t you know? There was a notice this morning, right? This.”

Falak.

Beatrice took out a piece of paper with something written on it from her pocket.

Ruth looked at it in a daze.

“… … … Huh?”

One thing is certain.

This was something that did not exist in the future Ruth knew.