Reviving a Bankrupt Academy: My Financial Battle

Visit my patreon to see photos of the characters for free. 

patreon.com/zennin12

How many days had it been since I last returned to my room?

I had been quite busy lately with repair requests, approvals, handling the aftermath of the entrance ceremony, and matters related to the illusion magic department's investment, so I had been eating, sleeping, and working in my office.

Strictly speaking, I wasn't off work, but it felt strangely good to be back in my room. It felt like I had actually left work.

Savoring this subtle feeling, I moved the files and books piled here and there, took out the tea leaves stored in the corner, and brewed some tea. I couldn't guarantee the taste, but it was better than nothing.

While I was brewing the tea…

'Oh?'

Luckily, I found a cigarette butt on the floor. I had already smoked everything I had, and it was just one butt, but still, it was something to smoke.

I put it in my front pocket, and my mood improved for no reason. I took the brewed tea and sat down at the table… but.

What are you doing there?

"Are you interested in those books?"

"F-Finance Director, these books and papers are…?"

"For studying."

"Studying?"

"As you know, Your Highness, I'm… a bit lacking in experience and qualifications for the position of Finance Director. This is the minimum effort I put in to keep this position."

Honestly, this was a parachute appointment. It wasn't for no reason that the academy staff gossiped about me.

To dispel those rumors, and more importantly, to properly fulfill my duties as Finance Director, I needed to study.

I didn't have a status window or any otherworldly perks, so I wasn't suddenly going to gain the ability to manage an academy of this scale.

"I did hear that you became the Finance Director right after graduating from the academy…"

"It was chaotic last year when I first became the Finance Director. I couldn't understand the work, and I kept studying after finishing it and coming back."

There was no way a former civil service exam student could immediately take on the role of Finance Director of a large academy. So, I received a lot of help from the Headmistress at first.

Although the Headmistress was 'very' lacking in financial sense and management skills, she had been managing the finances, so she knew how to write financial statements and plan budgets. The problem was that she only had the knowledge and her practical application skills were very poor.

It was curious how someone with such dismal management skills was able to establish an academy single-handedly and become rich enough to fund almost all of its finances from her own assets, but anyway…

"So you studied all these books? In just one year?"

"You can do it if you reduce your sleeping hours. Now that I'm used to it, I can sleep four hours a day."

"...…."

If I had learned finance from other faculty members besides the professors and the Headmistress after becoming the Finance Director, there would have been immediate calls for my impeachment. That's why I went through a lot of trouble studying on my own.

I spent about 12 hours a day on Finance Director duties, and after work, I studied for another 10 hours, reading management books and papers by administration professors.

Thanks to that, I could only sleep for two hours a day, but I managed to endure with the help of the Aura the Headmistress shared with me and the artifact bed. As a result, I became quite proficient in just one year, so it was the right choice in the end.

Beatrice, momentarily speechless, looked around my room filled with books and papers, and then took out a book. It was .

Flip.

"…You've worked really hard."

"It's the effort anyone would put in."

As Beatrice opened a random page of the thick book, which was heavy for her to hold, she saw traces of my studying.

Explanations and notes I had written to understand the content, problem-solving methods, incorrect answer notes, and even traces of creating and solving application problems myself.

Ah, it brought back memories, even though it was just a year ago.

"Are you still studying?"

"That's a strange question. Of course I am."

Just a few days ago, I was studying a paper by a business administration professor. Even though it was still difficult to understand the paper, it was a world of difference from the days when I struggled with .

Well, enough with the small talk.

"Shouldn't we get to the main topic since we don't have much time?"

"…Alright."

Beatrice, after staring at filled with my notes for a while, put the book down and sat across from me. Was she interested in accounting?

I placed a teacup in front of her and urged her to continue.

"Then, I'll listen."

"Okay. Haa… Actually, the reason I wanted to meet the Headmistress was—"

And the story Beatrice told was exactly the same as the one I saw in the game.

She wanted to meet the Headmistress to return to her home country. That's why she gave me the bribe. In return, she could establish a Grandis Academy branch in the Delphia Kingdom, and so on.

Although I already knew, I pretended to hear it for the first time and then asked what I was really curious about.

"But why are you in such a hurry to return to the Delphia Kingdom? To be honest… as the fourth princess, it doesn't seem like it's because of the succession to the throne."

"This is the first time I've heard that said to my face. It's rude, but you're right. It's just that there's someone I need to meet."

"Who is it?"

"…The nanny who raised me like a mother is bedridden with an illness. She recently received a terminal diagnosis, and I don't know when she'll close her eyes, so I'm trying to return as soon as possible."

"I was being insensitive. I apologize."

"No, it's okay."

I didn't know this. Since the story of the companion wasn't fully revealed in the academy part I played in , I didn't know there was such a backstory.

Come to think of it, the protagonist did say something like that.

──Be careful of Lisha Claudia.

──Even if she herself is a good person, she might be different when she wields a weapon.

Was the weapon referring to the magic spear? I did see it when I went to her private dormitory to receive the bribe.

Just as I didn't know Beatrice's backstory, I also didn't know Lisha's personal story. I probably would have seen it if I had played the second part after the academy part. Damn it.

Then what about the protagonist who warned me knowing that?

Did he simply know it personally, or…

"Finance Director? Don't you have anything else you're curious about?"

"Ah, I apologize. I was lost in thought for a moment. Then, may I ask one more question?"

"Certainly."

"Why did you accept the duel with Chloe Piste?"

"...."

"You said you had to get something back. You must be referring to the item you were asked for after the duel with Miss Chloe, right?"

"…You're quick-witted."

Even in the academy part of , the bad blood between Beatrice and Chloe was frequently mentioned. For example, if you made one of them your companion, you couldn't make the other one your companion.

However, the reason wasn't explained in detail. There was only a description that Chloe had some sort of grudge against Beatrice.

If they were going to put me in the game, couldn't they at least have done it after I cleared it? In the web novels I read, only experts were transported into games, so why was it only me?

Anyway, if Beatrice, who was planning to return to her home country, accepted the duel, there must have been a reason.

And that reason was probably…

"Did you have something you wanted to demand from Miss Chloe?"

"To be precise, it wasn't an item, but a 'right.'"

"What?"

"You know that Chloe Piste is the disciple of the only Archmage in the Empire, the Tower Master, right?"

"Of course I do."

The Imperial Magic Tower came to enchant important buildings like the auditorium and the entrance exam site when they were repaired. Thanks to that, even though the wall of the entrance ceremony hall collapsed three times, the entire building didn't collapse.

This was also a privilege granted to the Headmistress by the kingdom. Allowing elite mages from the hegemonic nation to enter their territory? The fact that the Headmistress and the Archmage knew each other also played a role.

I did see that Archmage once, but anyway.

"And Chloe, as the Archmage's disciple, has a magic tool that allows her to communicate directly with her master whenever she wants."

"Did you demand that magic tool?"

"No way. Even if I did, she wouldn't give it to me, would she? What I demanded was the right to use that magic tool."

The right to use a magic tool that could communicate with the Archmage. Finally, things were starting to make sense.

The reason Beatrice demanded that was obvious.

"Is it because of your chronic illness?"

"…You saw it yourself in the duel, didn't you? My disgraceful magic that wasn't even magic."

The Archmage was Rank 8, like the Headmistress, and one of the strongest individuals in the Empire. Since the Empire was the hegemonic power of the continent, it would be a long shot for Beatrice, a mere fourth princess of a small country, to meet the Archmage.

Therefore, Beatrice aimed for the right to use the magic tool possessed by Chloe, the Archmage's disciple.

To ask the Archmage for a way to treat her chronic illness, the inability to control her own magic.

"When I was born, the Archmage was staying in the Delphia Kingdom while traveling the continent. And at my father's earnest request, he saw me as a baby and assessed my talent."

"...."

"There, I was judged to have the talent to become a great mage, and my father was overjoyed and showered me with all kinds of support. However…"

Beatrice had a chronic illness. Although her magical talent itself was extremely outstanding, she had a fatal weakness: she couldn't control the mana she used with that talent.

What was the use of being able to use high-level mana with that outstanding talent? Uncontrollable mana was nothing more than a bomb waiting to explode.

Therefore, Beatrice fell from being the kingdom's promising talent to a burden. To the extent of becoming a hostage under the guise of studying abroad.

"Surely the Archmage knows a way to treat my chronic illness. No, he must."

"If the Archmage, the pinnacle of mages, doesn't know, is it because there's no way to cure it?"

"…Finance Director, haven't you heard that you're too blunt?"

"People who manage money usually prefer to be direct rather than beat around the bush. Anyway, if what you demanded was the right to use the magic tool, what did Miss Chloe demand?"

"...."

"Your Highness?"

"A pendant. It was the most precious item I had."

A pendant?

Was it something expensive?

"Is it an artifact, or does it have expensive jewels embedded in it?"

"No, it's just a cheap pendant with no value in itself. But… it was a gift from the Archmage when I was a baby."

"From the Archmage?"

"I don't know why he gave it to me. Still, it was a token that I was acknowledged, proof that I wasn't half-baked, so I kept it preciously. Chloe wanted that."

"Why would she…?"

"You may not know this, Finance Director, but Chloe Piste takes great pride in being the Archmage's disciple. After the entrance ceremony, when we met, she kept provoking me about my chronic illness, so I retorted in frustration that I had a gift from the Archmage…"

"That's why."

"Well, Chloe probably didn't like me from the beginning. She thinks she should monopolize our esteemed master's attention. I, who was acknowledged by him for my talent, must have been an eyesore."

So that was the reason.

But in the original story, Beatrice never had a duel with Chloe? Nothing much happened until she took first place a year later and made a proposal to the Headmistress at the award ceremony.

Why was it different?

"If it weren't for that manticore… no, was it just a matter of time anyway?"

"What? What happened at the entrance ceremony?"

"The Headmistress protected the students, so I also tried using magic once, and of course, it went out of control, but it rampaged in a way that interfered with Chloe's magic."

"Ah."

"It was purely coincidental, but it seems to have caught Chloe's attention. She kept mentioning it every time she saw me in the classroom."

──Opposite of the entrance ceremony, isn't it?

So that's why Chloe said that during the duel?

In the end, because Professor Alon proposed the illusion monster attack at the entrance ceremony, the conflict between Beatrice and Chloe deepened.

And as a butterfly effect, I had to keep Beatrice, who could have been sent back early, here until she got that pendant back?

'When I get back, I'll suggest raising the investment share to 50%.'

While justified malice washed over Professor Alon, I faced Beatrice once again.

She was anxious, her confidence was shaken, she was wavering, but she still wasn't giving up on that pendant.

I wasn't impressed by her attitude… but.

'I need to get that pendant back as soon as possible so that this Building Destroyer will leave the academy.'

Only then could I reduce the building repair costs and somewhat normalize the academy's finances.

Things had gotten complicated.

"Is it possible to get the pendant back through a personal transaction?"

"Knowing Chloe's personality, she'll never give it back. It would be the same even if you, Finance Director, approached her. She's known for being extremely possessive when it comes to her master's belongings."

What a troublesome girl. In the game, I chose Beatrice as my companion instead of Chloe, so I didn't know she had such a bothersome personality.

Then, well.

"A duel would be the quickest solution."

"…I guess so."

Just as the pendant was taken through a duel, getting it back through a duel was the fastest way, even if not the most efficient.

Especially since Chloe wouldn't think she would lose at all, she would readily accept. In other words, I had to make Beatrice capable of defeating Chloe.

Then there was only one thing to do.

"But how can I, who can't even control mana—"

"If I cure that chronic illness, can you win?"

"───What?"

"I can't guarantee a permanent cure, but there is a way to treat it temporarily."

Besides, even if I told you about the permanent cure, you wouldn't believe me.

So, I had no choice but to tell you about the method she 'herself' discovered, which appeared in the second year part of the game, where she was the mid-boss, a little earlier.

However, it was a method I was reluctant to share in many ways, so I didn't want to tell her if I could help it.

But the situation was what it was. Getting Beatrice out of the academy was the top priority.

And Beatrice's face hardened as she listened to my words.

"…I'm not in the mood for jokes right now. Even if you're the Finance Director, that was a very unpleasant joke."

"It's not a joke."

"H-how can I… believe that?"

"Because I heard it from the Headmistress."

"…!!"

As expected, the Headmistress is almighty. Along with the all-powerful orphan, it's the best way to explain things. It's so convenient not to have to bother persuading anyone.

Of course, the Headmistress never said anything like that, but anyway, she did. We could just get our stories straight later.

Beatrice, with wavering eyes, approached me with ragged breathing.

"R-really…?"

"The Headmistress said something when your admission was confirmed. She said it was a shame that your chronic illness could be temporarily cured with this method."

"Ha, ha! Hahaha…!!!"

Beatrice, who burst into laughter that seemed both hollow and tinged with madness, grabbed my shoulder with a desperate and almost servile expression.

"I'll do anything. Anything! If I can cure this damn chronic illness even for a little while, I'll do anything!!"

"Your Highness?"

"A-anything the Finance Director wants! Even if you tell me to get down on all fours and bark like a dog, I can do it!"

No, why would I do that? It's not like the budget will magically appear if you do that.

More importantly, did you just say you would do anything? And with your own mouth?

"Those words you just said."

"...."

"You shouldn't forget them."

The bed, which was the necessary tool, was right there. Perfect.

Now then, first…

"Shall we start by lying down on the bed?"