episode_0039

A lecture by Sir Julius, the commander of the Royal Knights and considered the strongest of the 7th rank. Probably not only the Academy students but also any knight below the 6th rank would want to listen to it.

Even though he must be crazy busy on a regular basis, he offered to come to the academy and give lectures and training for free.

Considering Sir Julius’ position and influence, it is objectively sufficient compensation. Unfortunately, however, it was not for Grandis Academy.

Cash… … money is king.

“Compensation, it’s gold.”

“As you can see from the estimate, it goes beyond simply burying the ground and replanting the tree, and it also includes the labor costs, the magic cost to make the tree grow faster, the cost of renting a magic ship to get to the island, and a protest fee against Kaerne Desté, who tried to deceive the chairman by mentioning the academy’s rules even after committing the crime.”

“Um… … … .”

“If necessary, we can also negotiate the price.”

To be honest, I think the compensation amount was a bit high. Each item is necessary, but I would have called it 30-40% higher for each item.

Are you a punk? Honestly, yes. The Royal Knight Commander may not be very knowledgeable about these prices, but he would know that this is an excessive amount. Nevertheless, the reason he did this was because the chairman personally called Sir Julius a ‘fool’. He’s just going to stab him first.

If Sir Julius had been a more serious person, he would have handed me a normal estimate instead, but from what I saw while talking to the chairman, he seemed to be a rather lenient person, so I handed him this estimate.

Above all, it’s true that Kaeren was at fault, so they can’t come out strong on the other side.

He secretly crumpled up one of the two estimates he had prepared in advance and placed a pen in front of Sir Julius.

“What do you think?”

“… … … .”

Sir Julius seemed to be pondering the amount on the estimate for a moment.

He then spread out two fingers.

‘What? Does that mean half? Or you’re only going to give 20%?’

전자면 개새끼고 후자면 씹새끼다.

Did he act like a fool only in front of the chairman? He is a knight of the royal family, so he is strict in this regard───

“I will pay double this amount.”

“Thank you so much for your consideration, Sir Julius! ”

“It is a natural amount for a foolish disciple to have upset his sister. Rather, I am grateful for the consideration of the finance director.”

“What do you mean by consideration… … ?”

“You didn’t ask for such a low amount on purpose to be considerate of me. If you actually accepted the free lecture I mentioned earlier, your schedule and time would have been quite difficult. I understand why you trust me and leave the work to me.”

Well, that’s it.

Are you saying that this amount is ‘low’ when you see it now?

I looked back at the chairman quietly, under Sir Julius’s gaze that seemed impressed.

As the chairman nodded as if to say, ‘I told you so, right?’, I immediately smiled and looked at Sir Julius.

Hogus, Dontongus, Donboksaus.

I can see why he was nicknamed that at first glance in the strategy community.

As of today, I am renouncing calling Julius Hoguus.

From today onwards, Julius’s money and the Academy’s finances will become one.

Any attack on Julius will be considered an attack on the Academy… … !

“As expected, it’s Sir Julius. I’ve heard a lot from the chairman, but I never imagined that he would immediately see through my intentions and call for an ‘appropriate’ amount.”

“Haha, that’s too much praise, Mr. Finance Minister.”

“No. I’m only a 1st grader, but I think I understand why Sir Julius calls me a 7th grader, the closest to an 8th grader.”

“I don’t know what to do with myself because you’re giving me so much space. Should I use this opportunity to show more sincerity to my older sister?”

“Yes, sir! As Sir Julius knows, the chairman is the richest man in the kingdom. This amount of money is more than enough.”

“Your words make me even more motivated. I don’t know about other places, but it’s Grandis Academy where my sister is. I was already having a hard time because my sister kept refusing my donations.”

Refusing donations is something the chairman used to do. Even if it was a pure donation from Julius’ perspective, it would be perceived differently by others.

If a graduate of Grandis Academy were to join the Royal Knights, there would be all kinds of rumors going around that they received donations and introduced students. In fact, that’s what all the other private academies do.

But don’t people obsess over the flaws of someone who was once clean and pure? They will point fingers at Grandis Academy, which has been run solely on the chairman’s assets without any support or donations, and say that they are all the same, and there will also be more people who try to manipulate others with donations or support.

Of course, if there is a ‘justification’ for compensation like now, it doesn’t really matter since it’s not a donation.

“I said double earlier, but I will triple it.”

“3 times! As expected, you are the richest person in the kingdom! But wouldn’t it be difficult for even Sir Julius to spend that much?”

“Haha! I was just lucky enough to have made a few successful investments. Well, I had a huge success with futures trading about a month ago, so I have quite a bit of money left over.”

… … gift trading?

My smile hardened slightly, and the chairman’s face turned pale as if the trauma had rolled back.

Sir Julius, who noticed our change as soon as he was 7th grade, made an expression as if he had stepped on a landmine.

“Hey, what was the gift transaction you did a month ago… … .”

“… … It’s a salt mine.”

Oh.

You did that too?

“Oh, by the way, I heard that there were several investors who suffered huge losses because they couldn’t receive their supplies due to the mine collapsing due to some accident… … ”

“… … … … .”

“Sister, really?”

“Don’t say any more… … .”

“… … I will multiply it by 5.”

“Thank you, Sir Julius.”

Raise your head, Chairman. Of course, the amount of money you forgot was much larger, but you did receive more in compensation, right?

Since it’s money that’s already been spent, it’s beneficial if you can use it in this way.

By the way, Julius succeeded.

‘Rather than having commercial talent, is it more about having good luck with money?’

Of course, if that made him the richest man in the kingdom, it was more than just luck. However, since it was money he had earned easily, it seemed easy to spend.

That’s why the chairman said he was a fool. Even though I promoted him and we had a common denominator called the salt mine, the compensation increased fivefold in an instant.

At this point, shouldn’t I be thanking Kaerne for causing an accident?

Anyway, the chairman’s mental health was damaged and a huge amount of compensation was received.

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Sir Julius for his consideration. I will be leaving now, so please say goodbye to the Chairman.”

“… … Okay, Mr. Finance Minister.”

“I’ll be waiting outside.”

Click.

The chairman, whose mental state was deteriorating due to the salt mine, opened the door after a while.

Comforting from the side? Honestly, when I think about the two years’ worth of budget that was blown, I find myself nagging while comforting them.

It would be much better to just talk about old times with Sir Julius.

‘Let’s think about where to spend the 5x compensation.’

Isn’t this the real creative economy?

Kaeren d’Este, you are now the guardian of the Academy’s finances.

Why can’t you just destroy one more building in a fit of anger?

*

The room after the finance minister leaves.

As soon as he closed the door and left, the chairman raised one hand and snapped his fingers.

Immediately afterwards, a strong energy spread from her fingers and covered the entire room.

“Blow my head off.”

“Blow my head off!!”

thud!

In a perfectly soundproof room, Sir Julius immediately laid his head on the floor and the chairman crossed his legs.

It was quite different from when Adam was around.

“Julius, do you want to keep showing your old personality?”

“Sorry!”

“What did I do wrong?”

“I don’t know! Sorry!”

“You told me to treat our finance director with the utmost respect and act tactfully right before I entered the room.”

“You sure did!”

“But you’re going to bow down right away? Do you know how flustered I was?”

“Sorry!”

The chairman, without the usual polite speech, had an extremely fierce and arrogant expression on his face.

I looked down at Julius, who was sweating profusely and working hard.

“Puns are okay. I think the finance minister thought it was okay. But bowing? What would the finance minister think of me if he saw that? What would I do if he thought, “Oh, that’s the kind of woman who treats her younger disciple like that?””

“I’m sorry!!”

“Whew… …Let’s do this well. Okay?”

“Yes!!!”

“… … Okay, wake up now.”

“Yes! Thank you for forgiving me!”

At the chairman’s words, who had returned to the previous situation, Julius immediately stood up and bowed at a 90-degree angle.

It was such a familiar sight, as if it were natural.

The chairman frowned for a moment at the sight, but she naturally greeted him and gestured for him to sit down.

“By the way, sis, is that finance minister yours?”

“That one?”

“Why, my sister, who used to have no interest in men, is doing this… … … .”

“… … … … … .”

“Are you embarrassed right now? If the Master had seen it, he would have pulled out his sword, convinced it was fake.”

“Do you want to hit my head again?”

“… … You’ve really changed a lot, sis.”

Julius smiled slightly. This was especially true when he knew what kind of person the former chairman had been.

She was called the Mad Dragon and the Butcher of Humans during that time… …She remained a symbol of fear and a thorough superior to Julius.

Honestly, I still get goosebumps when I think about her days of tearing apart monsters and bandits while laughing.

After she became the president of the academy, she changed her informal speech to formal speech and rarely used violence. However, only when she met Julius occasionally, she would return to her old personality as if she was taking off her stuffy clothes.

That’s why I bowed down right away. If I had been in my old ways, I would have immediately thrown a punch at someone who was higher up and asked them not to bow down.

But now, even when I meet Julius, I try to maintain the appearance of a ‘Chairman’ instead of the old one.

‘How can such an older sister be so flustered in front of that young man?’

It was more than I thought that this human tank was also a woman.

It was of very personal interest to me.

“So how far have you progressed?”

“… … … Julius.”

“Hey, I’m married too. I even had a grandchild a few months ago. Compared to my sister who has never met a man even at that age, I’m one step ahead of her now.”

“… … even kissed me.”

“Oh! You’ve already gotten that far!?”

To be honest, it was hard to cheer them on purely because the age difference was ridiculous.

If the tyrant chairman becomes so cautious due to the sacrifice of one finance minister, it would be a good deal.

“You’ll be rushing over soon. Should I prepare a congratulatory gift?”

“Well, we kissed, but… … … .”

“… … … ?”

“When the Minister of Finance was sleeping, I secretly… …not on the lips, but on the forehead, cheek, or nape of the neck… … …I did it.”

“No.”

Aren’t you too gloomy and reckless at your age?

… … Since it was clear that he would get in trouble if he said that, Julius wisely changed the subject.

“Still, looking at the finance minister earlier, it seemed clear that he was interested in my sister. Yes, that’s true.”

“Really!?”

“No, of course.”

I don’t know if it was a rational favor, but it was definitely a favor. I didn’t lie.

Julius felt a slight nausea rise in his throat as he watched the chairman brighten up at the mere mention of being kind, but he barely managed to hold it back.

‘From now on, whenever I meet that young friend, I should give him some consolation money.’

Julius, who had briefly prayed for the repose of the finance minister’s soul, looked at the chairman who was smiling in vain.

“No, Sister. I just had something to tell you.”

“Do you have something to say?”

“This is a message from the Master.”

“Your little brother?”

Up until now it had been just gossip, but this was a serious story.

Julius spoke quietly, sitting up straight.

“Recently, it is said that the movements of the Kingdom of Delphia are unusual.”

“… … … Hmm.”

“But aren’t there four princesses of the Kingdom of Delphia in the Academy? I think the Master was worried about that.”

“That Arken guy also asked me to keep the four princesses in the academy.”

“The Master’s territory borders the Kingdom of Delphi, so he said that if anything happens, he will contact me immediately. Sister, please be aware of this as well.”

“Please tell my brother I said thank you.”

Oh, and.

There was one small question.

“But Sister, why are you accepting my money instead of my lecture? Did you lose all that money you had?”

“… … That can’t be right? As I said earlier, it would be great if you could come and give a lecture in person, but realistically, that’s impossible. The cleanest solution would be to solve it with money.”

“Hey, it’s a joke, why are you taking it so seriously? If you didn’t run it by throwing away money, then you wouldn’t have lost all those gold and silver treasures. Haha! ”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

After the last joke, both the chairman and Julius stood up. They had said what they wanted to say and now there was nothing left to say.

The finance minister said to let it go, but the chairman would hate to talk about the old days. Then there will be someone who will have to talk.

He was a traveling companion with the chairman, the count, and Julius.

She was the one who helped the chairman the most in establishing the academy. The wizard who the chairman still keeps as a keepsake.

Julius and the chairman too.

I didn’t want to talk about it again.

*

As I came out of the room, there was the first captain of security guarding what was probably the safest room in the world.

As soon as she saw me, she cried out in a voice that seemed both excited and sad because of the helmet.

“Adam! Is the story over!?”

“The chairman is still inside. I don’t know how much longer it will take… …but.”

Are you planning on entering the room wearing this thick armor?

It looks like he can’t even sit on a chair. Now that I think about it, how does he go about his daily life?

“… … Captain of the First Guard, just in case, are you planning to meet Sir Julius in that condition?”

“I also once dreamed of being a royal knight. What’s wrong with meeting him in armor as a knight?”

“Let’s talk properly. You were fired from the Knights, so aren’t you a former knight? At least take off your helmet.”

“That, that’s it.”

Well, I know best that you can’t take off your helmet. When I was a student, I saw inside the helmet of the captain of the first guard, and it was a truly unavoidable accident.

From then on, I was obsessed with this woman. That grudge has continued even now that I am the Minister of Finance. It is truly a monopoly.

I had something else to ask.

“Captain of the 1st Guard, has there been anything unusual during your recent guard duty?”

“Something special? There must have been something, but I submitted the report, so Adam, you should know. But why?”

“I’ve had an ominous feeling since a while ago.”

I tried to ignore it, but it kept bothering me.

This uneasy feeling, like you’ve forgotten something important.

I was going to check with the chairman as soon as I got back to the academy, but I asked first just in case.

It’s been five years since I was transferred into the Dark Kingdom. My hair, which was once black, has all bleached, and I’ve forgotten a lot of my gaming knowledge, whether it’s studying at the Academy or being busy with work as the Finance Minister.

I feel uneasy, wondering if there might have been an important event among the knowledge I forgot…

The first captain of the guard is.

” Feeling ominous? Then isn’t it because of the security issue and what’s coming soon?”

“… … That? What is that?”

“That’s right, you said you were stuck in your office the whole time you were doing that last year? But you’re the finance minister, so you can’t forget that, right?”

“Huh?”

Wait, what’s on your recent academic calendar?

I don’t remember much because I spent a week on a deserted island resting and sleeping soundly, forgetting about work. Even after I came back, I just kept dealing with the piling up paperwork instead of the calendar.

If it’s something so important that the 1st Guard Captain would say something like that, and if it’s something that’s happening right now after the midterms are over…

ah.

“There’s an Academy Festival in a month. Isn’t that why it’s ominous? Is something going to happen at the festival?”

“… … No.”

“Huh?”

“The whole damn festival thing was ominous.”

Shit, that’s right. A festival.

A party for students that starts every year after the end of the first semester midterms, with no classes and lots of drinking and dancing.

And it is a fatal blow to finances, an unnecessary act that only causes a lot of losses and no gains.

“I’ll be uploading the guard’s festival patrol plan soon. I’ll handle that well… … … .”

“No, you don’t have to do that.”

“Huh?”

“A festival? That kind of thing is useless to the Academy.”

Festivals? I don’t need those things now that I’m the Finance Minister.

Last year, I didn’t even care about that because I was adjusting to the work itself, but this year is different.

“Let’s just get rid of the festival itself.”

“… … … What?”