episode_0032

There is a phenomenon commonly referred to as the five stages of death, or the five stages of acceptance.

The story goes that if someone is suddenly left on a deserted island with a terminal diagnosis or test, they go through a five-stage process.

First is denial.

“No, right? Are you kidding?”

“You’re going to live a week with just this? There’s nothing but useless-looking tools and water inside?”

“Could there have been some mistake? The ship should be returning even now. Even if it’s survival, this is ridiculous.”

Second is anger.

“Does this make sense!? Send me back now!”

“How can you spend a week in a place like this! There’s no dorm or cafeteria here!”

“You’re saying it’s a test, but you can do something like this!?”

Third is negotiation.

“Just let me take the original test even if I get a low score!”

“No matter what, I can’t live on this! Give me something more!”

“Do you know who my parents are!? No!”

“Are you better than the CEO? Are you a royal?”

“… … … … … .”

Fourth is depression.

“Hey, stop being so angry! What if the chairman or the test administrator hears you? ”

“What the heck, is this real… …? Real? I’m really telling you to survive on a deserted island?”

“Uh, what should I do… … .”

And the last one.

“Hey, fuck, I don’t know. Hey, let’s move.”

“What? Are you really going to do that?”

“I’ve been screaming and swearing here for an hour now. If you still don’t come back, it’s obvious. And isn’t this an opportunity?”

“When… …?”

“Can you easily give up on the midterm? It’s one of the most important exams in the entire school year. Those who can’t do it will just be the rugs for you.”

“… … Really?”

“I’m also from a noble family, so it’s a bit shit, but if things had gone the way they were, I would have been in the lower ranks anyway. I have to use this opportunity to get good grades.”

“Yeah, yeah! Let’s go!”

“Let’s do something!”

Accept, just accept it.

Although they cried for a moment in such an absurd situation, they were quite talented enough to enter Grandis Academy. Most of the students dispersed after realizing the reality, cursing the Academy or even waiting for an opportunity.

Those who applied for a team wear the badges that were distributed in advance, and those who move as individuals form alliances on the spot or simply enter the jungle alone.

The weather in the Luftragina Archipelago was quite hot, and the sandy beach where the students had just landed was nothing but a dense jungle, with no end to the beach.

Except for a very small number of students who simply gave up in extreme situations, all students began to move in their own way.

And only then did the students realize why the teams were made up of one martial artist, one magician, and one administrator.

“Hey, let’s go into the jungle first.”

“Milia? Is there a reason?”

“Ruth will be fine, but the princess and I won’t be able to last long in this scorching sun. If we sweat too much… ”

“Aha, I see.”

Usually, only those from wealthy families, nobles, or those with considerable talent learn martial arts, ki, or magic.

As such, the proportion of students in the martial arts and magic fields was very high among nobles, while the proportion of students in the administrative field was overwhelmingly among commoners.

And commoners usually had a bit more survival knowledge than nobles.

Of course, no commoner would have perfect survival knowledge on a deserted island, but it was still much better than three nobles.

Ruth also added that she knew something.

“… … You have to watch out for dehydration symptoms. There is water in the survival kit, but you have to drink at least the minimum amount to last a week. ”

“I guess the academy took some consideration. Since there are many children from precious families like mine, I guess they decided to at least provide water.”

“… … … It might be a little different.”

“Ruth?”

“It may not be out of consideration for us, but it may be because it is very difficult to find drinking water on this island or because the amount is limited.”

“Wow, that’s exactly what Ruth said. The water source is so small that it wouldn’t be enough to supply drinking water for over 200 people for a week, right? In our village, the well dried up often, so we had to drink sparingly… … .”

“Okay. Then, with that in mind, let’s go into the jungle first to avoid the sunlight. It’s definitely been a bit hot since a while ago. But before that.”

“n, yes?”

“Huh?”

“Shouldn’t we look at the rules first? You said you’d leave it in the sky, right?”

Certainly, once you enter the dense jungle, it may be difficult to read all the rules of the sky.

Ruth and Milia, who agreed with Beatrice’s words, also read the rules of heaven.

“… … I understand everything, but what’s the third one? Why is there only a self-sufficient missionary in the jungle… … … .”

“Lu, Ruth. I think I know… ”

“Milia? Is it because of something?”

“That, there are things like bathing and… … … toilets… … … Since it is a self-sufficient ministry, it has no intelligence and only carries out input commands… … ㅇ@◦

“Ah.”

“Ah.”

It was only then that Beatrice realized that this survival test would not be as easy as she had thought.

It seemed like there were quite a few people who gave up because of human dignity, as if they could not survive simply with motivation or passion.

Then, naturally, Beatrice and Milia’s gaze turned to the only male member of the team.

“… …Ruth? Your eyes seem to be twitching?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Ruth, seriously, please don’t steal a glance or… … … .”

“That will never happen. Yeah! Well, since the genders are different, they definitely have to wash separately, um. ”

“That’s obvious. What were you thinking… … ?”

Ruth’s words seemed to indicate that she was greatly perplexed but soon found a solution.

The two women gave each other cold stares.

Especially in Beatrice’s eyes, Ruth’s evaluation was lowered by one level.

‘Anyway, surviving for a week… … .’

It must have been a very difficult week for her, who had been living as a princess. Just thinking about the problem of going to the bathroom or washing up is already daunting.

However.

‘Adam will continue to suffer even now.’

If you think about it, isn’t it true that conducting the midterm exams in this way will reduce his workload as the Minister of Finance?

There’s no way Adam would have suggested that the test be conducted like this, and there’s no way it would have been accepted right away, so this survival test itself must have been planned a long time ago.

Even though I suffered greatly for a week.

‘I will definitely do it.’

Since I couldn’t work as a princess, I realized it after doing part-time work myself while hiding my identity with disguise magic.

How ridiculous it was that he had said that he would work hard and earn money to buy the artifact. Knowing this, Adam must have advised him to just buy the artifact with the precious metals he had brought.

She took for granted the wealth she enjoyed naturally because of her status as a princess. The money she earned through hard work and sweat was very little.

Still, the few coins I had earned through my own work felt heavier than the box of precious metals.

Beatrice was hoping for a scholarship in addition to her part-time job salary.

‘I hope you used the bribe I gave you last time well?’

If I could make Adam happier that way, if I could help him when he wasn’t being treated properly.

I can free Adam from the clutches of that wicked chairman who works people so hard!

‘I must take Adam with me when I return home.’

Even aside from the fact that he was the benefactor who cured his chronic illness, Adam’s abilities are unparalleled. No matter how hard he studied, he became the finance director of such a huge academy in just one year. If he helps him properly, he will be of great help when he returns to his home country.

Of course, I will let you live in a luxurious room, pay you a decent salary, and not force you to work while handing you military-grade stimulants.

In Beatrice’s mind, the chairman was the richest man in the kingdom, but he was also petty and greedy, and Adam was a poor victim who worked under such an evil being without receiving any treatment.

It was already forgotten that the source of the method to cure her chronic illness, as Adam had said, was the chairman.

People tend to trust someone who helps them and shows them the way right away more than someone they haven’t even met properly. In fact, if we’re going to look into the truth, it was actually Adam who told them, not the chairman.

Anyway, Beatrice, who received a scholarship for her excellent grades, planned to impress Adam by giving him a piece of work.

“Then, let’s go!”

“Yes!”

“… … Yes.”

No matter how difficult and challenging the test was, I had enough motivation to do my best.

Surviving a week on a deserted island.

Day 1, the beginning.

*

It’s the third day since the exam started. So, it’s the third day of rest.

It’s really fucking comfortable.

“Mr. Chairman, how does coconut taste?”

“It’s pretty good? The holes are a bit rough, but it’s sweet and good.”

“That’s right. Someone must have dug a hole to vent their anger.”

I was caressing a rough hole for no reason at all.

The chairman and I were happily eating the coconut that Circe, the queen of forced smiles, had given us.

Of course, it wasn’t the coconut I had asked for on the first day, but it was so delicious that I asked them to prepare it for me every morning.

The chairman, who seemed a little offended, tasted the coconut churai churai as soon as I made it and ate it eagerly.

The prepared house was honestly a bit too small to stay in all day. So, I lay in the hammock for a long time, and the sunlight was a bit strong.

“Chairman, please do more.”

“Leave it to me!”

Woof.

The problem was solved when the chairman created a strong energy and spread it out like a parasol. Isn’t this a panacea?

From the first day, my cheeks were a bit wet every time I woke up, but I think it was because I drooled while sleeping.

What can I say about waking up after a long sleep and feeling relaxed, eating sweet coconut while lying down comfortably like this?

“This is it.”

“Huh?”

“I work to enjoy this kind of life for the rest of my life.”

Once the bankruptcy crisis passes, I won’t be able to live like this in the future. I’ll hire a lot of people from the Ministry of Finance and hand over all the work. I’ll have to go out and have fun.

As a member of society, it may be an impure thought, but honestly, considering the intensity of the work and the problems that need to be solved, isn’t it a reasonable compensation?

I looked at the chairman lying next to me with a look of agreement, and the chairman chuckled.

“Of course. You can enjoy it comfortably for the rest of your life, for the rest of your life.”

“As expected, the chairman is the best boss.”

“Haha, I know it’s just empty talk, but I can’t help but laugh when I hear the Finance Minister say that. He’s the worst boss I’ve ever had.”

“That’s it… … .”

“It’s okay. I feel relieved after talking it out on the rooftop. To be honest, I’m not that smart.”

“… … … .”

“I’m confident in swinging my arms and legs, and I’m also confident in killing people, although that’s a bit much… … … I lived like that my whole life, so I didn’t use my head much. Even thinking back now, I was really ignorant back then. Well, since that kind of person founded the academy, it’s all your own fault. ”

“Chairman.”

“Still, I have a wonderful finance minister who follows me even in this situation. I will work even harder to become the best from the worst.”

… … I’m glad I realized it myself because I was able to self-objectify well. No matter how much I love you, it’s hard to say something like that in front of someone.

Anyway, enough of that talk, let’s just enjoy ourselves for now.

I almost finished eating the coconut, but I was wondering if I should call Circe one more time.

──Thud.

“Huh?”

“Did the vibration just now… … ?”

Although this island is part of the Luftragina Archipelago, it is probably quite far from the island where the students take their exams.

Still, the vibration felt so faint that the chairman and I got up from the hammock.

Yeah! Yeah!

“Huh? A communication magic tool… … .”

──Hey, Finance Director! This is Exam Manager Darkun! You told me to contact you immediately if anything unexpected happens, so I’m contacting you!

“This is Adam Keynes, the Secretary of the Treasury. Mr. Darkoun, what happened?”

──There’s trouble on Island 4!

Island number 4? That’s the island where Circe is.

What on earth have you done again?

“Please report in detail, Test Manager Darkun.”

──Since this just happened, I’m also rushing to figure out what’s going on, but based on what I’ve witnessed… … !

“If you look… … ?”

──Trees are being uprooted in the middle of the island with a huge shockwave!

“… … Yes?”

──It is not a natural phenomenon, but rather a battle between students! And judging by the scale of the magic and energy, it seems like students of at least rank 5 clashed!

Fighting between students is prohibited by the rules. But the problem now is not the rules.

The Darkun test supervisor determined that the battle was between students of level 5 or higher.

And there are only three students above grade 5 assigned to Island 4.

‘In fact, Beatrice can’t even be considered a 5th-grade person.’

The youngest knight, a 5th-grade beginner, and.

“Ruth Spero… … .”

“Minister of Finance, shall we move?”

“… … I think that’s what it should be.”

Most things can be handled by professors and exam administrators, but if Ruth is involved, it’s a different story.

Even though he was restricted, he was a 6th grader who was stronger than most test administrators, and he even brazenly broke that restriction during the entrance ceremony.

Anyway, since I had included a clause that I would interview him if he broke the restrictions and caused financial damage, it was my priority to check the situation.

‘It’s possible that it’s not Ruth, but the youngest knight or Beatrice.’

The weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings of Financial Destruction, who breaks several expensive practice swords every day, and the building destroyer who is thought to have been slightly rehabilitated but has a brilliant record.

In fact, it would have been understandable no matter who caused the incident.

“Please move, Chairman.”

“Leave it to me!”

Quadduk!!!

In the arms of the chairman, who jumped up with incredible strength, holding me with a loud crack.

I sighed.

‘It’s hard to even rest comfortably.’

Still, I guess it’s a good thing that I got to rest for a few days. Let’s take care of this quickly and come back to rest.

By the way, this is a practice kendo room, there are no walls or buildings, so what the heck…?