ALL NOVEL Chapter 2
Grandis Private Academy.
Compared to other academies in the kingdom, its history is quite short, but it boasts the best environment and education level as one of the very few private academies.
It is also famous for being run by a martial artist, ranked 8th—the only one of four in the kingdom—who became headmistress with the fortune he amassed over a lifetime, after having experienced countless conflicts.
With top-notch faculty, scholarships pouring in like splat, and facilities like swimming pools and gyms that are hard to find even in the ruling Empire, it’s the cream of the crop.
Even the headmistress herself was born to a poor family and couldn’t attend academy properly, so she made the tuition fee shockingly low for poorer students to attend.
There’s no way students wouldn’t flock here, especially for commoners, it’s practically a life-changing opportunity.
However, in one of Grandis Academy’s meeting rooms, the atmosphere was reminiscent of war.
“…………….”
“………Hmm.”
“Phew………….”
Grandis Academy is broadly divided into three fields: Magic, Martial Arts, and Administration.
Those fields are further split into various majors and schools, but generally speaking, that’s how it is.
While typically professors from the same field would be at each other’s throats over conflicting interests, this time they were dividing the air in the large meeting room into three.
The representatives of each field took their seats at the prepared three chairs, and nearly all the professors from that field sat behind them in a line.
“Well, it’s been a year, Professor Luster.”
“Elfinviser? To think you’re the representative again this year, just like last year. I didn’t know all martial artists were just muscle-brained.”
“Those gloomy folks who can only study magic dare to—”
“Aren’t you all tired of this every year? I doubt they chose you to represent the martial arts and magic faculty to brawl right here.”
“Once this time of year rolls around, pretending to be noble amidst the loudest topics—”
“Professor Ariel, wasn’t the administrative representative changed in just a day last year? Let’s not have another switcheroo before the meeting starts, alright?”
“………Tch.”
It was a rather childish banter for those capable enough to be professors at Grandis Academy, but for them, it was a necessary step. Demoralizing the other fields ahead of the upcoming ‘meeting’ was quite effective.
Even if it’s a bit silly and audacious, they must not lose their momentum. While the loudest voice doesn’t always win the meeting, having a soft voice makes winning—or even seizing the opportunity—almost impossible.
Thus, these representatives were more like fighting cocks than true leaders of their fields.
The loudest, most shameless, and best at arguing were chosen.
And the reason the professors of the three fields went to such lengths was—
Creeeeak.
“Are we all here? Due to unavoidable circumstances, the headmistress is absent, so we’ll skip the opening statement and get straight to the meeting.”
“There’s an unavoidable matter?”
“She went to the eastern coast for a bit.”
“Is she on vacation?”
“Well, it’s not a big issue.”
Suddenly, the news that the headmistress took a vacation to the eastern coast silenced the previously murmuring professors.
This meeting is a very important one that only occurs once a year. The headmistress not participating could be a problem, but instead, the professors’ eyes were fixed on one man standing in the center of the meeting room.
He was the youngest, had the shortest experience, and held the lowest rank among those gathered.
However, just like last year’s meeting, he was the one the headmistress entrusted with full authority.
The Finance Director of Grandis Academy, Adam Keynes.
Until last year, Adam was just a cheeky guy who caught the headmistress’ eye and shot to fame, but now he stood clearly in a position of power in this meeting room.
The fighting cocks from the three fields gathered, tense and wary, focused on Adam.
Thus, Adam Keynes, who held all the attention of the professors at Grandis Academy, declared,
“Well then, from now on…”
“Let’s begin this year’s budget allocation meeting.”
BAM!
He declared war.
*
The Magic representative Luster, Martial Arts representative Elfinviser, and Administrative representative Ariel.
The selected fighting cocks immediately brandished their claws and dove at each other.
“Last year, you took over 50% of the budget for magic! Let’s have some humility this year!”
“What are you talking about! That’s because Professor Circe from the Life Magic major submitted a paper on enhancing healing potions! The royal family even awarded her for it, so we deserve that budget!”
“If we’re talking about fairness, then we should only allocate the budget to the Life Magic department. After all, it was Circe who did well, not the entire magic field!”
“Elfinviser! Don’t sidestep the issue! Professor Circe is also part of the magic field!”
“This year, the youngest daughter of the northern duke is set to enroll. A renowned martial family—naturally, shouldn’t the budget be increased?”
“Are you trying to use an incoming student as an excuse to take our budget!?”
“Professor Ariel, you seem overly sensitive. Why, do you think the administrative field students won’t get budgets since most of them are commoners?”
“How can a professor say such a thing!”
“Anyone would think you’re discriminating against commoners! The duke’s youngest daughter won’t be enrolling alone! Numerous guards will accompany her, and her retainers will report on her educational progress! Don’t you understand how that adds to the academy’s status?”
“That’s about the prestige of the martial arts field!”
Ah, this coffee tastes great.
As I sat at the central seat, watching the clashes of the fighting cocks, even the bitter coffee slid down easily.
After all, at the beginning of the budget allocation meeting, it’s all just meaningless shouting. Based on last year’s experience, I knew it was best to quietly observe.
Outside of the field representatives, keeping silent was a rule for other professors. With over a hundred professors gathered, if everyone spoke up, it would turn from a meeting into a brawl.
That said, remaining completely silent wasn’t natural either. Every professor would want to showcase themselves in the face of a word like budget allocation.
More research funding and subsidies are always better. Any professor who says they don’t care if their research funding decreases is merely a traitor on the verge of leaving.
Even timid new professors, or those not used to this kind of atmosphere, were waiting with their prepared materials in hand.
Once the customary bickering ended—
That’s when the real beginning would come.
“Considering that most of the martial arts field’s budget goes towards purchasing training weapons and treatment costs, we should really be talking about support funds—”
“—Enough. We’ve heard sufficient arguments from all three fields.”
It was a voice neither loud nor strong, yet when I spoke, the representatives, who had been shouting to the point of hoarseness, fell silent.
They all knew. This kind of back-and-forth would not decide the budget allocation. But still, they chose to act like fighting cocks.
I pondered for a moment before saying,
“This time, we’ll hear stories in the order of the administrative field, the martial arts field, and then the magic field.”
“Sounds good…!!”
“Tch, unfortunate.”
“…No way.”
The order chosen by the fighting cocks dictated how they would speak. It was simply by sheer volume and bravado.
Claiming the order didn’t matter because they’d all be heard is amateur talk. Remember, all those gathered here are professors from the kingdom’s top academy.
And to secure additional budgets, they would explain their research and plans.
I had to judge and absorb all the specialized fields of magic, martial arts, and administration all by myself.
Physics, chemistry, genetic engineering, algebra, statistics, management, education…
Imagine if you had to attend a scientific conference and listen to all the papers and research explanations just to rank them. Naturally, presenting sooner is more advantageous.
Especially in the magic field, which is rich in jargon, getting the first slot is crucial. After listening to over a hundred professors pitch themselves, being bombarded with specialized terms and knowledge would be akin to economic suicide.
Anyway, as the fighting cocks hesitated, the magic field gently pushed in Professor Luster to retaliate while Administrative Professor Ariel began speaking with a bright smile.
“My current research is about the basic structure and construction plan of floating cities. Considering the recent royal intention to expand the eastern coastal city, it has significant practical applications—”
“A paper on improved road construction methods. You can see on page 124—”
“A proposal for new document formats applicable at the kingdom level—”
“Um, understood.”
The research discussions from the administrative field were relatively easy to absorb. It wasn’t because the subject was simple.
Most professors from the administrative side come from practical backgrounds and have mastered how to convey information effectively to higher-ups who lack specialized knowledge.
The know-how derived from experience was indeed pleasant to listen to. Not that I was on the same level as the professors, but I had some knowledge from my time studying civil service.
Moreover, the administrative field overall doesn’t require as much budget. At least compared to martial arts and magic, it’s a breath of fresh air. I genuinely liked it.
Feeling quite satisfied after hearing all their discussions, I turned my head toward the martial arts field.
“The recently developed training swords are very useful. They can detect the magical aura formed around bodies of level 3 or higher and automatically dull the blades, requiring a bulk purchase—”
“Construction of training halls for developing new training methods and swordsmanship—”
“To ensure smooth education for the youngest daughter of the northern duke, we need to prepare specialized equipment—”
“Uh… understood.”
Truth be told, there was really no research to speak of in the martial arts field. They’re more like folks who would rather practice sparring than sit at a desk mulling over new sword techniques.
Thus, most of the budget allocated to the martial arts field goes toward purchasing new training weaponry, expanding training halls, and preparing healing potions for quick recovery.
Honestly, I wasn’t too fond of this field. Constantly brawling tends to incur monthly repair fees for the training ground. If they could just swing swords and manufacture gold coins out of thin air, that’d be great.
Well, I’d keep my complaints internal; the martial arts field’s budget was still within the set range. I only grumbled because it consumed more funds than the administrative field.
Having heard enough from the martial arts side, I turned to the final field.
Specifically, the money-consuming hippos.
“For the development of new magical reagents, we need to purchase the latest magical devices developed in the empire—”
“For experiments comparing artificial magical stones that can engrave magic circles—”
“We need Etherium ore for basic magical research—”
“………….”
If I were the headmistress, I’d have slammed the desk and shouted, “You sons of bitches!”
What? Latest magical devices? Magical stone samples? Etherium ore?
I bet just those three items alone would require an amount of money that could feed an average family for 30 years.
Moreover, these guys are too trendy and ask for way too much. That professor asking for the latest magical devices was trying to buy research equipment for magical reagent development last year too, right? Did they swap it for garbage?
Not only did they try explaining in simpler terms, sensing my displeasure, but the budget they required didn’t go down.
No matter how much the magic field was the reason Grandis Academy reached excellence, this was a bit much, don’t you think?
Before I became the finance director, it seemed like the headmistress was addicted to throwing money around.
I can only imagine how close they were to bankruptcy back then, and yet the headmistress acted like there were no problems while showering down the budget like confetti.
“Is that it?”
Naturally, my tone was blunt. Some professors were momentarily taken aback, but if I gave them everything they wanted, it wouldn’t be three years until bankruptcy, but this year, we’re looking at potential job losses, folks.
Ultimately, I decided the budget allocations, and throwing a tantrum here would only hurt the professors. With the headmistress supporting me completely, I had no plans to step down from the finance director position either.
As discussions dwindled, I was about to draw a rough conclusion for the budget allocation when one professor raised a hand.
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“…This is Professor Circe. I’d like to speak about this research project to the finance director.”
“Please, go ahead.”
Isn’t she the professor from Life Magic who talked about enhancing healing potions?
Despite being a remarkable scholar, she once shockingly donated one of her research outcomes entirely to the church, which didn’t make for favorable comments.
The only reason Professor Circe remained in her position after that stunt is that it hasn’t been formally announced yet and that the headmistress opted to overlook it after some deliberation.
Of course, that’s the headmistress. I’m not her.
The headmistress’s clemency came because, aside from that blunder, she’s a great educator and scholar.
However, no matter how many healing potions she creates in cooperation with the church, if the academy had received just 10% of that revenue, the timeline for bankruptcy could have been pushed back from three years to six.
That’s why I was waiting for an opportunity, a stronghold over this budget-thieving professor.
Regardless, she’s an acclaimed professor in the magic field despite her young age, so I let her speak.
“We are researching a magical reagent that can recover already damaged hair and make hair grow again from permanently bald scalp tissue—”
“Accepted.”
Magic field.
60% of the total budget allocation confirmed.