ALL NOVEL Chapter 63
Creak.
The entrance I walked into was making an annoying sound. Maybe it wasn’t oiled properly, or perhaps the door was just stubborn when I opened it.
The dormitory wasn’t very big. It was only two floors high, and the first floor was empty except for a barren living room and kitchen without any rooms.
Fortunately, there weren’t any cobwebs or dust piling up.
‘…That’s not fortunate at all.’
The living room was simply referred to as a living room, but in reality, it was being used like a storage room.
Documents, books, documents, books, documents. It was filled with traces of all sorts of writings and studies.
“……….”
Flap.
When I picked one up, it was about an economics thesis. Next to it were financial operation reports from other academies.
Of course, there were no important documents or reports from Grandis Akademi here. What was present was nothing that anyone would look at twice.
But the sheer volume of it took up most of the living room.
“Ruth Student, would you like a drink? It’s Elixir.”
“…Yes.”
At least the living room was better off. The situation got worse as I headed toward the kitchen.
The kitchen utensils looked like they hadn’t been used in ages, and the heating device using magic stones was broken, leaving only the refrigerated magical items in use. What on earth was I supposed to cook with?
Inside, there was only a stockpile of Elixirs. After sipping one handed to me by Adam, I felt the unique magic power of the Elixir.
‘It’s too low quality.’
Unlike the high-grade ones that mages or knights usually drink, this was just a subpar product. Considering Adam was Rank 1, I guess this was sufficient for him.
However, when I thought about the fatigue and dark circles always on his face, the story was different.
Even among students from administration fields who didn’t need Elixirs all the time, many would drink intermediate or higher quality ones for their additional effects like exhaustion recovery, forgetting for a moment that the original function was to restore magic power.
It was likely that only poor students in the administration field, ones who hadn’t received scholarships yet, would be drinking something like this at Grandis Akademi.
And yet, the Finance Director, Adam, was consuming it. He even had a stash of it inside his refrigerated magical items.
‘Why?’
He must not be lacking money, so why live like this? Ruth simply couldn’t understand it.
In his previous life, Adam was quite well-off. Although he wasn’t one to enjoy excess or spend extravagantly, his life was perfectly normal without any shortages.
Even when supporting Ruth, he didn’t hold back his money. The first sword, protective gear, and the private tutor he arranged were all funded by Adam.
How many times had she wept under the covers, vowing to herself to never take that kindness for granted, to always see Adam as her benefactor? Ruth couldn’t exist without Adam now; his presence was a miracle to her.
But why, oh why, were you living like this?
“I’m really sorry for contacting you so late. We had some issues on our side…”
Adam was saying something, but Ruth wasn’t focused on that.
She hadn’t imagined he would be living like this in such a place. When he mentioned he was living in a different dormitory, she had vaguely thought he must be in a more luxurious one. She was curious about what had changed.
But this was a different story.
And because of that, when she looked at Adam again, she noticed something.
“It’s partly my fault, but it’s entirely that student council president Cassandra’s fault…”
His clothes were too old. They looked like they were washed daily, yet still wrinkled everywhere, with threads coming undone and fraying at the ends. Had she ever seen him wear anything other than that?
His hair was too brittle. It hadn’t been great before, but it wasn’t this devoid of shine. It was proof he was suffering from fatigue or some other side effects.
The dark circles around his eyes and his fatigue never seemed to fade. When she first saw him at the Entrance Exam Hall, she thought it was because he was coming from work. Adam was always busy balancing work and study after all. But that persistent exhaustion was something that shouldn’t have been happening.
‘When Adam wasn’t tired…’
It was only after the headmistress had died, the academy had collapsed, and he had fallen into despair.
But what about now? He had only been at the academy for less than six months, yet it felt like he was on the verge of collapsing from overwork any moment.
Why?
What was the reason?
“Still, I prepared this as a token of apology…”
In a secluded area that took winding alleys to reach, a dilapidated dormitory, a room barely devoid of dust, and a pathetic life filled with chronic fatigue.
When they occasionally met during exams or on the streets, she hadn’t noticed or paid attention.
Only when coming to this dormitory did it become glaringly obvious.
“Anyway, so…”
“Food.”
“Pardon?”
“How does the Finance Director eat?”
“What about me?”
“How do you usually eat?”
Cooking wasn’t possible in this kitchen. After all, what could she cook with when there was only an Elixir inside the refrigerated magical device?
The heating magical device hadn’t been used in forever, and there were no remnants of anything previously eaten.
Then what?
“Um… I just eat appropriately.”
“Appropriately?”
“Boiled potatoes or eggs. They fill you up and they’re nutritious. The grocery store right in front sells boiled ones, and since I’m a faculty member, I get a discount on groceries. It’s cheaper to buy them than to make my own.”
“Ha.”
“Ruth Student?”
Boiled potatoes, boiled eggs?
No. That’s not it.
Adam, you…
“You love fruits, especially apples.”
“How did you know? I do like them, but…”
“And you like meat. Steak, for example.”
“Well… I do like it.”
“Then why?”
“Because it’s expensive. It’s about saving money. Saving.”
Saving? Is that really what you call this scene, this life?
Furthermore, the fountain pen poking out from the Finance Director’s pocket was the cheapest one from a general store. She remembered saving money to buy a decent fountain pen for Adam in the past.
It was ridiculous. A half-hearted laugh escaped her lips.
“Ruth Student?”
“…Aren’t you the Finance Director? Shouldn’t you be getting some decent treatment? Why are you living in a place like this?”
So she asked plainly. It was a question born from frustration, but it made sense.
No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t make sense for a high-ranking faculty member like the Finance Director to live in such a shabby place.
Adam’s expression faltered slightly, almost as if he was looking around the old dormitory for excuses.
“Um, does it look really bad?”
“Terrible.”
“Hmm… I’ve heard that before, but it seems to be a common sentiment.”
…Had someone said something about this dormitory before she arrived?
Before she could ask, Adam awkwardly continued.
“But as long as I’m satisfied, isn’t that okay?”
“Satisfied? With this kind of life?”
“Calling it ‘this kind of’… that’s a bit hurtful.”
“Look at this dormitory. What’s on the second floor?”
“A room, a bathroom, and an empty room.”
“Are those similar to this? Bare and empty, lifeless?”
“…Um.”
“People can’t be satisfied living in places like this.”
It was frustrating. If only Adam were genuinely poor, it might be different. But as the Finance Director, he must have been earning a good salary. Why was he living like this?
Where was all that salary going, living like this?
“Do you perhaps earn very little?”
“Ruth Student? That’s my privacy, and it’s not appropriate for a student to ask a faculty member.”
“I’m just curious. Truly, I’m very curious.”
“I earn enough to live.”
So, you’re telling me you earn enough and still live like this? In this place, in this state, looking like that?
Always steeped in exhaustion, eating boiled potatoes, and drinking low-grade Elixirs?
Ruth’s eyes turned bloodshot. She superimposed the Adam before her with the old version of Adam.
This was a feeling she’d had before. When she had seen the fallen Adam during the midterm exam on the deserted island. That time, it only triggered trauma.
But now.
“Ruth Student? Why are you suddenly like this?”
──Ruth, are you okay? Why are you crying?
“Nothing.”
“Uh, would you like something to eat? I have some leftover boiled potatoes…”
──Do you want to eat something? Should I add a lot of salt for the first time in a while? Oddly enough, there’s plenty of salt at the academy.
“No.”
“Ruth Student? Student?”
──So don’t cry, Ruth. I’m right here.
“…It’s nothing.”
Tears didn’t spill out. Ruth was already worn out. She had gone through too many things.
But emotions, regrets, sank deep down… accumulating.
In front of a bewildered Adam, reacting abruptly,
Ruth stared at him with empty eyes.
“I’ve made up my mind.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m moving in here.”
“Wait, what? What are you saying?”
In the midst of his shock, forgetting the honorifics, Ruth looked up at his lips, swollen from fatigue. Wasn’t it because he was only eating boiled potatoes?
Now that she learned about Adam’s living conditions, she certainly couldn’t leave them as is.
Leaving aside the reasons for why he lived like this.
She wanted to give back what she received.
“I’ll do the cleaning, the laundry, and cooking. I’m good at it. I’m used to it.”
“That’s not what I’m saying! How could a male live in a faculty dormitory—”
“This isn’t a real faculty dormitory, and it’s not that easy to get here. No one will find out.”
“Then that’s not the point—!!”
Adam was flustered. It was a natural reaction. Ruth had been just as flustered when Adam first suggested they live together.
What had Adam said back then? She remembered every word he had said to her, from calling her the protagonist to everything else.
…Right, because it was Adam.
She was left with no choice but to use the most effective method with him.
“I’ll pay rent.”
“Uh… are you trying to buy me off with money?”
“Three times what’s normal.”
“I can tell you’re feeling confident after succeeding in bargaining for tuition at the Entrance Exam, but you’re underestimating me.”
“Five times.”
“No matter how much you offer, it’s not going to work…”
“Ten times.”
“…Do you have any idea how much that amounts to?”
“Of course I do.”
She had more than enough money on her. The reason she wasn’t spending it was in case it was ever needed.
The profit from the salt mine had amassed to a considerable amount. With the rent she was offering, she could live with Adam for the rest of her life.
Being a Rank 6 inspector, she had deposited it in the imperial bank, where it would only accumulate interest, instead of decreasing. The imperial bank had vaults right beside the royal palace, boasting unmatched double security and trust, reserved for those of Rank 6 and above.
“Is that insufficient? Twenty times.”
“You know how cheap the dormitory rent is. It’s all for the welfare of the students. With twenty times, you could stay in a decent place for the rest of your studies at the academy.”
“Thirty times.”
“Ruth Student! Are you really going to push it this far!?”
“Fifty times.”
“Which room will you be using?”
“The second floor, the one right next to the Finance Director.”
“I’ll clean it up right away and wait. You can take your time moving in!”
“…Okay.”
So Adam was weak to money. It seemed like his obsession with it had intensified compared to before.
Well, considering he was living like this under the pretense of saving, he must have a valid reason for needing money.
‘Unless.’
If Adam, the Finance Director, was being forced to live like this.
There couldn’t be many who could pressure him or threaten his salary.
‘…The Headmistress.’
She knew this was a bit of an overreach. But shouldn’t a rational superior not make their subordinate live in such conditions?
On top of that, working to the point of exhaustion was undoubtedly the headmistress’s fault. The previous Adam had always handled a lot of work.
Of course, Adam had fallen after the headmistress died, but that was likely due to gaslighting or other reasons.
With a burning animosity towards the headmistress, Ruth glared at Adam’s back as he hurriedly went upstairs to clean.
In those ragged clothes, he hadn’t been eating properly and was working himself to the bone.
But things would be different from now on.
‘I will repay the favor to Adam.’
This was solely to repay the kindness she had received at the academy. The fallen Adam, after the academy’s collapse… would conclude this affair independently of that.
She simply couldn’t ignore the kindness she received.
At the same time, by repaying Adam’s favor, maybe she wouldn’t have to keep troubling herself over him anymore. Once she freed herself from all the emotional debts, she might be able to oppose Adam completely.
And even more so.
“I need to buy groceries.”
Although it would be different dorms, the fact that she would be living in the same place as Adam and cooking for him brought back memories and nostalgia.
Ruth smiled for the first time in a long while.
It was a smile so faint, someone might not even notice it.
The broken reincarnator’s first smile.