ALL NOVEL Chapter 58
Kirke fainted. Isn’t she a Rank 6 Mage? Why is she so weak?
Isn’t it a bit over the top to say she shouldn’t leave the research lab until she develops a hair loss treatment?
‘Anyway, I need to develop it because of her baldness, right?’
I’m just trying to help with that, but it feels unjust. I was going to keep her salary at 2%, but now I’ll have to cut it to 1%.
Kirke, who fainted with her hair scattered, was left on the floor while I looked towards the door.
“Headmistress, Chloe the student. You came at a perfect time.”
“Uh, Finance Director. I’m sorry for being out for so long….”
“What kind of apology is that between us? It’s fine.”
“Finance Director…!!”
It’s a regular occurrence for the headmistress to forget her duties. It was the same during the entrance exams.
Of course, I do consider this since she handles absurd amounts of work on a daily basis. Today? I was irritated because she didn’t come at the agreed time.
More than anything, isn’t the headmistress over a hundred years old? At that age, it’s to be expected that she’d start forgetting things.
I watched the headmistress with a delighted expression, careful that she wouldn’t forget and make some sort of gift transaction, and turned my head back to Chloe.
…Why is she staring at my lips?
“More importantly, Chloe, are you free right now?”
“Y-Yes!? I’m free! Really free!”
“Oh, thank goodness. Then could you take Professor Kirke back to the infirmary?”
“………Huh?”
Isn’t she free? Then she should work. Initially, I didn’t pay her, but she’s now getting a scholarship and volunteer points, right?
It’s natural for someone receiving something to also give something in return. It’s not like I’m going to be concerned about the bribing students.
I lightly poked the fainted Kirke in front of the spaced-out Chloe.
“It seems that Professor Kirke is currently not in a condition to teach. I’m counting on you.”
“W-Well….”
“Is it that you don’t want to….”
“Absolutely not! I-I’ll do it….”
What’s up with that? She seems like she really doesn’t want to. Even while reluctantly agreeing, she’s shooting me a look that seems to want something in return.
Is that it? Is she hoping for extra compensation because it’s outside the originally scheduled time? This crafty little student.
How can I make her work without giving her extra pay? Even earlier, she hinted at wanting a communication magic tool, which makes me think she’s getting a bit greedy.
“And I have one more thing to ask of you.”
“W-What is it? Since it’s between me and the Finance Director, I’ll do anything!”
What do we even have between us?
Though I don’t think she’ll bring up extra pay, so I let it slide without asking.
“I’d like you to escort Professor Kirke from now on.”
“Excuse me? Escort?”
“Professor Kirke will be suspending her lectures and will remain in the research lab for recuperation. I originally thought of sending her to a spa, but she declined, saying focusing on research is her form of rest.”
It’s true. I did want to send her off. After all, once she pays off all her debts and resigns from her professorship, I could make use of her for some time.
I really have no idea why she declined, but since she did, this is the way to go. I had no choice.
“But why escort…?”
“Well, as you can see, Professor Kirke’s current condition is not very good.”
I pointed to the bald patch on Kirke’s head and the clumps of hair scattered around, and Chloe nodded as if she understood immediately. If she couldn’t understand that, she wouldn’t be human.
That’s why I could easily spin the truth into a convenient narrative.
“She’s quite stressed, leading to significant mental instability. She’s been trying to leave the lab when she wished, or even telling lies.”
“We have seen that in the Magic Tower as well. Mages are especially prone to mental instability.”
“And that’s why I’m asking for your escort. With Professor Kirke’s unstable mental state, I can’t predict what kind of accidents might happen outside the lab. We can’t afford exactly another hair loss treatment accident, can we?”
“Certainly, that was an incident we handled ourselves.”
Chloe’s eyes sparkled. However, she keeps glancing at the headmistress beside her—what’s up with that? Did they have a fight or something?
‘No way.’
The headmistress wouldn’t fight with a student who’s six times younger, and besides, if they really did have a fight, Chloe wouldn’t have made it this far.
Most importantly, if they really did make a fuss, it would also become a cost; I trust that the headmistress won’t cause further losses. I just want to believe that.
“Then what do I need to do specifically?”
“You just have to keep guard in front of Professor Kirke’s lab at the same time every day. I know Chloe’s class schedule, and if it overlaps, I can inform Professor Kirke.”
“Every day? That’s a bit….”
I know it’s something she might hesitate about. It’s not just a one-off task—she’s being asked regularly.
Chloe, who was hinting at wanting extra pay, wouldn’t miss this realization. More than that, she’s still a student. Even though she’s Rank 5 and has little to learn, she still needs good grades for political influence in the Magic Tower.
But honestly, there are no suitable candidates.
‘Teachers will either demand extra pay or resist duties outside their assigned tasks, and if I have the Guard Force do it, Kirke might just give up entirely and expose our deal.’
This isn’t just about placing manpower; I need to find someone within my influence, someone who recognizes the risks of the accidents Kirke has initiated, and someone I can trust enough that even if Kirke spills the beans, they would dismiss it as a lie.
There are very few people suitable for this, and they’re all too busy with their own issues to keep an eye on Kirke.
From every angle, Chloe was the best choice. She ticks all the boxes for the conditions I outlined earlier. Trust may still be a bit shaky, but judging by her reaction just now, she won’t believe Kirke.
Plus, if she readily accepts this, she won’t demand any additional pay.
‘What to do?’
Can I utilize her as cheaply as possible?
“Of course, I want to help the Finance Director, but standing in front of the research lab every day for a few hours is….”
“…That’s true. But you’ll need to report on Professor Kirke’s movements and condition to me daily….”
“I’ll do it.”
“Huh?”
“I said I’ll do it! Just trust me!”
What’s going on? Why the sudden 180 in her response?
But hey, good is good. From what I’ve learned during my brief stint in social relations, if something’s going well, there’s no need to dig deeper.
With a motivated expression, I grabbed Chloe’s hand immediately. No escaping from this one.
“That’s the spirit, Chloe! I’m so glad to have you!”
“Since it’s between me and the Finance Director, I’ll handle taking Professor Kirke….”
“Right away to the infirmary, please.”
“Just leave it to me.”
Honestly, this is something I could handle myself, but I really don’t want to meet that crazy medical director. I’d rather pull another all-nighter for a week than face her.
I waved goodbye to Chloe, who was strangely happy while magically lifting Kirke.
After Chloe left, the headmistress approached me.
“Finance Director, are you sure about this?”
“Yes? What do you mean?”
“Well, Chloe is handling matters with you, but…she’s still a student. The trust built between us and the Finance Director is certainly not there, and it’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”
“That is true, I suppose.”
It sounds completely insane, but I do have this instinctive feeling that I can trust Chloe.
This instinct, more emotional than logical, isn’t a trait I would associate with the Finance Director, but it feels strangely right.
There’s something about this headmistress and Chloe that feels like a trust beyond mere rationality. There may be other people like that, but I can’t figure it out no matter how hard I think.
However, saying that out loud will likely lead to me being lectured about what kind of instinct that is.
“I still judged that it would be fine. I’ll take responsibility.”
“…Responsibility.”
“Headmistress? Why the sudden expression?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Why are both Chloe and the headmistress acting like this? Did they eat something weird?
In any case, now that Chloe has taken Kirke away.
It was time to have a serious talk.
“So, Headmistress.”
“Yes?”
“Have you made your decision?”
“………….”
In my hand was a single sheet of paper. Out of the 60-plus plans submitted, I brought only the last one for security.
There was barely a letter written on it, making it hard to discern the content from just this.
But of course, the headmistress knew exactly what this meant.
“Finance Director, do you need more time?”
“I can give you more time. But it seems like you have already made a decision.”
The atmosphere I had sensed from the headmistress faded. She was entirely focused on the work at hand.
Just that simple signal told me she had already made her decision. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I had spent a whole year working closely with the headmistress.
However, asking for more time likely means she needs the courage to speak that decision out loud.
The courage to refuse my proposal or the courage to directly speak about the decision to terrorize the academy.
“The quicker the decision, the better. So I’ll say this one last time.”
“Finance Director.”
“If we fail, the academy will be in ruins; if we succeed, it will be normalized.”
And this academy is fated to go bankrupt if it remains as it is.
Of course, that alone wouldn’t be enough to motivate a self-inflicted terrorist act. A terrorist attack is not just going to drag me and the headmistress into this; it involves the whole academy as well.
But I know how to pull it off.
Not just thanks to the knowledge from the [Dark Kingdom].
But with the information I’ve gathered during my tenure as Finance Director, I’m confident I know how.
“The chance of success is.”
“I would say 100%, as there are no results other than success.”
“…In the end, this must also be my karma. What a joke. I’m the one who brought about all this situation and its causes, yet I’ve made the Finance Director take on the evil. Am I in a position to be pondering this?”
“………….”
“We are already of one mind. My decision is your decision, and your thoughts are mine.”
“Headmistress.”
“Since we’re doing this, shouldn’t we do it properly?”
Immediately after, the smile on the headmistress’s face showed not anxiety or nervousness but that of someone who had made a decision.
I smiled back at her, who had made a tough choice.
As the architect of this plan, I had to maintain a confident facade.
“Alright! So what should we do first?”
“While it’s great that you’re so enthusiastic, the timing of the plan requires careful consideration. Although I will need the headmistress’s help later, it’s fine for now.”
“That’s true, the plan you submitted indicated that the execution timing would align with the final exams.”
“Yes, that would be the optimal time if we’re to do it.”
Final exams. Why on earth did we pick the exam period for a terrorist act? The reason is simple.
The final exams at Grandis Academy are traditionally conducted as outdoor practical tests.
Which means, the academy will be deserted.
“And the perpetrators of the attack are.”
“I’ve already noted them.”
While it’s a self-inflicted act, we’re not actually doing the attacking. Only the headmistress would be present for the attack, and she’s going to need to be elsewhere.
After all, it’s a terrorist attack. We need actual people capable of wreaking havoc at the academy.
A terrorist act at the academy usually involves seizing opportunity to garner social infamy or send a message. Naturally, a terrorist organization would likely want to kill students to make an impact, but who would target an academy that will be empty for the final exams?
There are indeed targets.
“I plan to approach this student first.”
“……I was really surprised at first. Who would have thought they would still be targeting the academy?”
“Do you prefer someone else?”
“Of course not. In fact, if it’s this one, I can trust them for many reasons.”
With a flick, I showed the headmistress a single photograph.
It was an image magically captured in the streets of a typical academy, and at the center of that street.
There was a female student running frantically with a desperate look on her face.
“Millia.”
“She’s a Rank 3 Mage student in the administration field. And at the same time…”
I grabbed a book from the shelf next to me. It wasn’t a paper or self-help book that would seem to fit this kind of room.
It was a collection of fairy tales—surprising considering the headmistress’s age that such a book even exists.
One of the stories in that book is an old fairy tale passed down in this kingdom.
“In the beginning, there was a sword called the Light Sword in this world. The Light Sword had the power to grant wishes but fell into corruption due to the schemes of evil beings and became the Dark Sword.”
“It’s a story that’s now only known in some rural villages.”
“Yet a select few know this tale is true. And those evil entities from the story will be the ones to attack the academy.”
“…The Wish Church.”
“After all, they’re a heretical sect directly designated by the church.”
Millia is one of the members of that Wish Church who infiltrated the academy.
However, she’s still lying low. Typically, the actions of the Wish Church would unfold in the second year, not now.
But that’s not my concern.
“Thus, we first approach Millia.”
“…….”
“If we can’t get these guys moving, we can’t execute any plan.”
Despite the headmistress’s prior decision, if the Wish Church isn’t active, we cannot initiate a terror attack either.
So the immediate goal is to provoke Millia, or rather, the Wish Church.
The reason they previously once attacked the academy and the reason they have their infiltrator here now.
‘Sacred Artifact.’
One of the sacred artifacts the Wish Church worships is in the headmistress’s possession. Because she was famous for her artifact collection, she was able to acquire it. The church must still be after it.
However, there’s just one tiny, trivial issue.
“So let me ask.”
“Yes?”
“About the sacred artifact from the Wish Church that you secured, headmistress.”
“……….”
“You sold it to the dwarf last time, didn’t you?”
“Uh, yes….”
Wow.
What are we going to do now?