ALL NOVEL Chapter 65
“So… you mean I’ll be living here with Ruth Spero from now on?”
“Yes, Headmistress.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
That night, after finally eating like a human for once.
I had brought my luggage, but my room wasn’t cleaned yet, and I still had to get my bed and wardrobe, so I decided to head back to my original dorm for now.
I’d probably finish moving in right after tomorrow’s classes.
But before that, it seemed this dorm could end up in ruins.
Thanks to the Headmistress, who was unusually furious.
“Cancel it.”
“But Headmistress…”
“This place is registered under the Finance Director’s name. It’s just not logical for another student to live here.”
I refrained from asking, “Isn’t it my name? Can’t I do what I want?” because the Headmistress had been like this for quite some time.
Having seen the Headmistress quite often, I had managed to categorize her anger into several levels like some sitcom drama.
And right now, her level of anger was strangely ambiguous. She was mad, but she had no way to convince the other party, which felt close to a childish tantrum.
Isn’t she over a hundred years old? This is usually how one behaves when going through menopause. Menopause… right? Either way.
“But I absolutely cannot tolerate the rent being 50 times higher!”
“Y-Yeah, but considering the Academy’s overall budget, that amount isn’t all that big!”
“That’s definitely true, but…”
“So…!!”
“It suddenly makes you exceptional, Headmistress, to see you blow two years’ worth of the Academy’s budget all at once.”
“…………”
Headmistress, down for the count.
I might be the only Rank 1 to have taken down a Rank 8. Anyway, after silently helping the collapsed Headmistress, I sat her down in a chair and handed her some tea I had prepared in advance.
It’s pretty expensive, but it’s her favorite tea. I kept it on hand for moments like these.
“Headmistress, you know I wouldn’t do anything harmful to you or the Academy.”
“……Even though Ruth Spero is another male student, he’s a Rank 6 swordsman. You remember that from the Entrance Ceremony, right? What if he suddenly goes insane and attacks the Finance Director?”
“Hmm.”
“I always protect the Finance Director with my Ki, but if a Rank 6 takes me by surprise and really goes at it, who knows what could happen?”
It’s not strange for the Headmistress to worry. I’m not just staying in this dorm for no reason.
Putting aside the old facilities, this is the ‘safest’ dorm. The back alleys leading here change every time, and only the Headmistress and I know the pattern of those changes.
But if I start living here, there’ll be one more person who knows that pattern. From the Headmistress’s perspective, it’s only natural she’d be worried.
I’m really weak as a Rank 1 by the Academy’s standards.
‘Honestly, if the Headmistress and I are sleeping side by side and someone decides to ambush us…’
Even so, I can’t be completely certain she can break through the protection of an Rank 8. But just the possibility is enough to make one uneasy.
If it was another student, the Headmistress wouldn’t have reacted like this. It’s because it’s a Rank 6 student capable of breaching Ki.
I understood that feeling, but…
“Headmistress, do you trust me?”
“Of course.”
“Then please trust my judgment too. Ruth isn’t that kind of person.”
“…………”
No, seriously, he isn’t. Why would the protagonist break walls and waste budgets? Excluding that, Ruth Spero is second only to the Headmistress in whom I trust. Above all, I trust money the most.
What’s more, I had a reason to convince the Headmistress.
“And right now, it might actually be more dangerous for me to be alone.”
“What do you mean…?”
“The members of the Wish Church. Excluding Millia, I suspect there are at least high-ranking members of Rank 6 hiding around. More importantly, even though I borrowed the power of the Dark Sword, they didn’t properly show up on your radar.”
“…Wish Church.”
“We can’t predict their capabilities. Especially since I was the one who provoked this terror, there’s a high possibility they’re tracking me. If they make their way to this dorm by any means…”
“They could harm the Finance Director.”
“That’s when Ruth will be a huge help.”
Of course, it’s best if such a thing never happens. After all, it would mean putting the protagonist in danger.
Not to mention it’s a problem to tell him, “Be careful, there are unidentified beings who might ambush you at night.” Why not just say a terror attack is going to happen at the Academy?
It was an ambiguous situation. Having the protagonist here could create problems, but it could also yield clear benefits. It seemed the Headmistress had somehow come to accept that part.
She probably just vented her frustration while already knowing the reality.
As I continued to smile and persuade her while drinking her favorite tea, the Headmistress seemed somewhat satisfied.
“If the Finance Director thinks so, I understand. And… you seem to be in good spirits.”
“Yes?”
“I told the cafeteria to increase the staff discount rate on purpose, but you didn’t take advantage of it, did you?”
“………Um.”
“I told you, you need to eat well since you’re already getting less sleep!”
Thanks to the dorm’s security, a chef couldn’t come to cook, nor could I order delivery. In the end, I’d have to either cook for myself or eat out.
Honestly, my cooking skills are just passable, and the Headmistress is busier than me, so she doesn’t have time to cook. Thus, dining in the cafeteria is the best option.
‘I mean, I’m buying boiled potatoes at a discount to eat.’
This was one of the few instances where the Headmistress would nag at me. I’m trying to save money on food, and she’s telling me to eat well.
I couldn’t argue about that. While she’s caring for me, I’m the one rejecting it.
But how will those saved funds turn out? Most importantly, if I pay too much attention to my eating habits, it feels like my repressed desires will bubble up awkwardly.
I’m just a person. I want to play, eat, and rest. Yet, I’m holding off thinking about the position of Finance Director and my future.
Seeing my bitter smile, the Headmistress sighed and gazed at me disapprovingly.
She knew that there was no point in talking further; this back-and-forth has repeated several times, so I was grateful the Headmistress was still looking out for me.
“….Anyway, what do you plan to explain to Ruth? If you’re not careful, he might suspect something is going to happen at the Academy soon. And that the Finance Director is involved. Plus, you can’t just not tell him there could be an ambush.”
“There’s a simple solution.”
“Yes?”
“Just don’t go into the dorm.”
“But Ruth has already moved his things…”
I don’t mean to go in. Anyway, with the final exams for planning a terror attack coming up soon, why not just spend two weeks in the office eating, sleeping, and showering? As long as I’m right next to the Headmistress, there’ll be no ambush.
For some reason, as the Headmistress turned slightly gleeful, she suddenly looked at me as if a thought struck her.
“But if you’re not going to stay in the dorm, doesn’t it make Ruth’s presence unnecessary?”
“………Um.”
“Seriously, just admit it. It’s because you couldn’t tolerate the rent being 50 times higher, isn’t it?”
“No way, how could I possibly tolerate that? It’s 50 times!”
50 times, I say, 50 times! You know, just sitting idle, money duplicates at 50 times!?
And in terms of the overall finances of the Academy, it’s a small amount, but even that small amount is outrageous right now!
Honestly, I couldn’t turn it down. It felt right to accept it first and then come up with reasons later.
“Anyway, our priority right now is the terror plan.”
“The Wish Church is bound to make contact soon, right?”
“I’ve already guessed their intentions, and since they mentioned they’d come, they will. We might also pay a visit to Millia, but…”
“Absolutely not.”
“……Understood.”
I don’t want to give the Wish Church the upper hand, but I must be the one to step up in this situation. If there’s even the slightest hint that the Headmistress is involved, the Wish Church will flee immediately.
Additionally, it’s almost a given that at least high-ranking members of Rank 6 or above are involved. If I go to meet Millia first in hopes of getting control, things could spiral out of hand.
For now, it was best to wait for the Wish Church to act first.
“Regardless, we’ve prepared strategic responses based on how the Wish Church reacts.”
“I’ve compiled everything I know about the Wish Church too. First, the Wish Church has been in existence since before the Sacred Nation became a hegemonic state—”
And so, I talked with the Headmistress through the night. I was tired, but perhaps because I had a hearty lunch and dinner, I managed to hold up just fine. By the way, dinner was omelet and pasta. Hooray for the protagonist!
Of course, I didn’t stay completely awake the whole time; when it reached around 4 a.m., I intended to part ways after just an hour of shut-eye.
“……Are you awake? Breakfast is ready.”
“………Ruth? How did you get here?”
“Why, does it burden you?”
“No, it’s just that…”
“Breakfast!”
“Thanks for the meal!”
Ruth, how’d you get in here? The alley patterns change every time!
Putting such trivial questions aside, I eagerly devoured the crispy sandwich and scrambled eggs. Eating food prepared by a guy right from the morning felt strangely mixed, but shoving it in my mouth came first.
And while the protagonist probably didn’t know, I like sandwiches with crusts toasted. The people in this world tend to cut off the crusts when toasting sandwiches, which is just heartbreaking.
Ruth probably just liked this type of sandwich too, but it was quite the remarkable coincidence. Even my favorite apple juice was here as well.
‘Do I really need to stay in the office anyway?’
The taste was enough to make me seriously consider that thought.
Is this what life is…
*
Rustle. Rustle.
Closing the curtains and barring the door, the room became pitch black.
Originally intended to be a girl’s dormitory, this space now.
Somebody moved within the messy confines, as if searching for something in the darkness.
“……Tsk, useless.”
Muttering that was the owner of this room. Millia, a Rank 3 Mage specializing in Administration.
As a rare Rank 3 Mage specializing in the Administrative field, she had received a decent solitary room among the dorms. But now, Millia was rummaging about in the dark, obviously irritated.
Crash!
“Not here either.”
Where on earth did I put it?
It was undoubtedly Millia, yet there was something unsettling about her presence. If other students understood ‘Millia’ the way she used to be, they would openly question if that person could be Millia.
It made sense. The person rummaging around was definitely Millia, but.
Simultaneously, she wasn’t Millia at all.
“You damn brat.”
Not the Rank 3 Mage of the Administrative field, but the once terrorizing leader of the Wish Church who threw the continent into chaos.
Even the 8th ranks sent by the Empire were slain, as she butchered her followers by the tens of thousands.
Claiming herself as both the savior and the new Pope, the ‘Millia’ that existed here was none other than her.
‘Utterly useless.’
Millia was gnashing her teeth at no one other than the original Millia.
Pope Millia was clearly dead. But for some unknown reason, she had awakened within the body of her past self.
Regardless of having claimed to be the Pope once, her potential was only that of a Rank 3 Mage, and she could hardly comprehend what had transpired.
Nevertheless, Pope Millia didn’t descend into confusion. Ignorance was her policy for anything incomprehensible.
However, the awakening of Pope Millia’s personality had nearly eradicated the original student Millia’s consciousness, leaving it incapable of resisting.
It’s hardly surprising. Unless governed by magic like some top-tier Rank 7 Wizard, normal consciousness couldn’t coexist otherwise. Much less should it be the same consciousness—if that even exists.
And because Pope Millia was superior to the student Millia in experience, knowledge, and temperament…
The personality of student Millia had neither the chance to resist nor even the power to voice herself.
“Damn you, just say something. I challenge you to say something!”
At first, Pope Millia hadn’t paid her much mind, but now a problem loomed.
How on earth had she awakened from her past self? What happened to her original identity? She didn’t care about any of that; what irritated her was the complete lack of acquisition of the memories or knowledge from student Millia because of having wiped her out unilaterally.
Didn’t it matter that it was her past self? She initially thought that way, but things changed.
This place was indeed a past, but it differed from the past that Pope Millia had known.
“I never used a room like this. I lived in a far better place. I majored in psychology, not some civil engineering nonsense. What in the world happened?”
No matter how much she pondered it in her mind, the student Millia existed just barely to respond.
There was no way she could provide an answer.
Frustrated by that fact, Pope Millia clicked her tongue and slumped down into the darkness.
“Where on earth is the contact method?”
Having infiltrated Grandis Academy as a member of the Wish Church, Millia naturally had a means of communication with the church.
In ‘her’ memories, it was a communication magic tool—a very expensive object but one that guaranteed secrecy. Thus, she thought it would surely be the same this time.
However, no matter how much she searched through this cramped, shabby room, she couldn’t find any communication magical tool.
Pope Millia found it extremely frustrating.
“That bastard Finance Director did propose a terror attack.”
Finance Director Adam Keynes. The person Pope Millia knew as both the most amusing and half-crazed individual. To propose a terror attack on the Academy he’s residing in is sheer insanity.
Wasn’t there a reason for that?
“Something about training? Helping the protagonist grow? That’s what he said.”
She hadn’t heard it clearly, but just that was enough for Pope Millia to assure herself that the Finance Director was mentally unstable.
Training? Protagonist? Growth, my ass. You can bet he’s hooked on some delusions or mental disorder for sure.
But regardless, the attack itself would be a tremendous boon for the Wish Church. To put it precisely, it would help Pope Millia immensely. So as soon as she awakened in her past body, she accepted the terror plan and immediately rushed to the dorm to assess the situation.
Yet the dorm she was supposed to have lived in was occupied by someone else, and even her major was different.
“That damn girl is a Rank 6?”
Ruth Spero. The very one who had eliminated Pope Millia—someone she had to dispose of beforehand.
Just hearing the rumors as she approached the dorm made Pope Millia realize something was off.
Thus, she planned to contact the church to ascertain if anything had changed on their end, or what the current situation was.
“Dammit.”
However, she couldn’t even find the communication magical tool.
Though she had previously roughly overturned the desk, letters were strewn about on it, but they wouldn’t have used such low-grade paper while they had money.
Intentionally darkening the room, trying to summon the Dark Sword’s power according to the church’s doctrine wouldn’t work either.
Later, she’d be robbed of it by that brat, but right now she believed the Dark Sword must still be with the church.
“Screw it, still.”
She had returned to her past. Just that fact alone caused Pope Millia to wear an exceedingly wicked smile.
If she could somehow eliminate Ruth Spero—the variable—this time she wouldn’t experience failure. As both a Pope and savior, she would reign at the top of this world.
For that, even…
“First, let’s reclaim the holy relic.”
While pretending to cooperate with that Finance Director, all she needed was to recover that holy artifact from the monstrous Headmistress.
The foolish headquarters of the church was unaware, but the holy artifact held by the Headmistress wasn’t merely a powerful artifact. Only Millia knew its true function.
Previously, she had risked her life to steal it when the Headmistress died and the Academy crumbled.
“This time will be different.”
If she could get her hands on the sacred artifact quickly, there would be no need to remain in this pathetic Academy. For the Academy to collapse, she’d have to wait for two more years, but Pope Millia would not suffer such meaningless time.
It looked like she’d have the chance to obtain the holy artifact during the coming terror, so…
Pope Millia broke into a wicked smile.
Truly wicked…
…and in a way, utterly naive.