Chapter 400 - Strata Magic School (3-11)
"It's you. Strata's top student... Seong Su-ho."
As his voice whispered into my ear, a window displaying his disposition began to materialize before my eyes.
Rick Hof
[Commercial Genius], [Sharp Instincts], [Silver Tongue], [Bully the Weak]...
He was the epitome of a merchant, both in appearance and essence.
But all I could discern was that this man was indeed a merchant.
His disposition window offered no clues as to how he knew my name.
As silence stretched between us, broken only by the pre-dawn breeze, the man let out an awkward chuckle to shatter it.
"My apologies for the rudeness. But after seeing you hounded by the other merchants, I figured if I didn't speak up now, the chance would slip away."
"...Fine. So what do you want with me?"
The merchant named Rick Hof brightened at my willingness to engage, flashing a wide smile as he introduced himself.
"I'm Rick Hof, head of the Loebe trading company, based out of the Levin Kingdom."
His introduction fell flat for me.
I'd never heard of Loebe, nor of Rick Hof.
What mattered was that he knew my name and my movements.
Sensing my indifference, Rick Hof read the room with a light laugh and cut to the chase.
"To be direct, then: I'm here to offer you our support, Seong Su-ho."
"...Support?"
I couldn't make sense of it.
Support implies a transaction—something they stand to gain now or in the future.
But I'm just a student, my background murky at best.
Why invest in someone like me? There had to be an angle.
Meeting my skeptical gaze, he pressed on swiftly.
"The reason is simple. Our company... wants to be part of your future."
"Ah..."
Now it clicked.
The reason everyone in the kingdom dreams of enrolling at Strata Magic School.
It's all about that graduation certificate.
And its primary perk: the right to settle as a resident of Strata City.
Not everyone takes advantage of it, though.
Nobles, for instance, usually head back home to bask in glory.
Then there are the poor.
Even with residency rights, no money means you're homeless inside those walls—unless you plan to camp out.
And Strata's prices are sky-high.
Land costs a fortune.
For students barely scraping by graduation, settling there is no small feat.
That's where companies like his come in.
"We'll provide enough funds for you to live comfortably for life."
"Hmm..."
This piqued my interest even less than pleas to meet the dean.
Simple reason.
Once I graduate, I'm waving goodbye to this world anyway...
Money and a future here meant little to me.
A bit for dates with Luna would suffice.
And even that's covered by Enel.
No point dealing with a guy who couldn't read my true thoughts.
Undeterred by my apathy, Rick Hof handed me a sheet of paper with a beaming smile.
"Hm? What's this...?"
It was A5-sized, adorned with ornate script, bearing the company name and his own.
As I scrutinized it, he explained.
"Our company operates worldwide from Levin Kingdom hubs. If you ever need help, just show this at any branch—we'll assist to the best of our ability."
"Oh..."
Not just cash, but help with sticky situations too.
Money solves a lot, but not everything.
This could prove useful.
Yet that made me hesitate to accept.
Taking it felt like slipping on a collar.
But Rick quickly clarified.
"This is given freely, no strings."
"...Freely?"
"You're meeting me for the first time today. Offering support out of the blue would naturally raise suspicions. Consider it a pure gesture of goodwill."
In other words, a no-cost investment to build initial trust.
I inspected the document closely—no red flags.
If issues arise, I can just ask the dean to sort it.
[He seems to hold you in high regard, Su-ho.]
More importantly, it wasn't a huge loss for them.
Running a trading company means handling national-scale finances.
I tucked the certificate carefully into my uniform pocket.
"I'll gratefully accept this. If it becomes unnecessary, I'll return it immediately."
Translation: Try anything funny, and we're enemies.
"Haha! Keep it forever if you like. Should you ever need us, visit me in Levin. May the sun shine brightly on your path ahead, Seong Su-ho..."
With that flourish, Rick Hof bowed and departed.
In a way, he was a good guy—no pointless time-wasting chatter.
"Loebe, huh... I'll ask Luna about it later."
Muttering to myself, I resumed my slow walk to nurse the hangover.
..
..
In the carriage, Luna's eyes widened as she heard my tale.
"The Loebe company head... approached you with an investment?"
"Yeah. You know them?"
"Of course..."
Luna, seated beside me, stared in astonishment, while the man opposite voiced what her expression conveyed.
"Impressive. For Loebe to reach out like that... they must see you as a major player in the making."
The speaker was Karl, Sonya's husband.
No aggressive merchants today, so we'd boarded leisurely, letting Karl join our carriage.
Those merchants... coulda been more persistent...
[….]
I masked my thoughts with a smile.
"Me? Nah, I'm just a student."
"Loebe making contact—the head personally—means they rate you extremely highly."
Karl primarily dealt in musical instruments, headquartered in Strata.
Even he had traded with Loebe but never met the head.
"He rarely shows his face."
"Oh? Real big shot, then."
"Beyond big shot."
Luna broke her silence to elaborate on Loebe.
"It's said over half the Levin nobles are tied to Loebe."
"Tied?"
The word carried a sour note—like a single company puppeteering the kingdom.
But meaning belongs to the interpreter.
Luna fell into that category.
"That's just what people like me—who aren't tied to them—say. Those with ties tell a different story."
Loebe started by lending money to nobles, gradually expanding from there.
I couldn't fathom it at first.
Lending to nobles seemed less gamble, more guaranteed loss.
Money moves the world, sure—but in a class-ridden society, merchants get no respect.
And lack of respect hampers debt collection.
Highborn borrowers might stiff you on principal alone.
Repaying a merchant? Humiliating for nobility.
"Loebe... waives interest on noble loans and even forgoes principal intentionally."
"What?"
Then why lend at all?
Loans exist to turn money into more money.
Yet ironically, their success stemmed from not collecting.
"A sort of... legal bribe."
"Haha..."
Clever bastards.
Loans to nobles don't profit directly, so they weaponized the money instead.
Landless nobles are perpetually cash-strapped; even landed ones often feel pinched.
Some are never satisfied, no matter the taxes.
Loebe fills that gap, earns trust, then leverages it for bigger deals.
Handing me that certificate? Same principle.
Free gifts make people feel valued, breeding trust.
Even I hadn't refused it outright.
Karl examined my certificate, then handed it back assuredly.
"Checked it over—no issues. Use it well."
"Good to know."
I pocketed it and voiced my curiosity.
"But why me? And why the head himself...?"
For a powerhouse like that, sending a smooth-talker would've been more efficient.
Luna offered first.
"The most logical reason is Loebe's weakness."
"Weakness?"
"Yes. Loebe... hasn't established a foothold in Strata yet."
"What...?"
A dominant Levin force, shut out of Strata? Baffling.
"Loebe's younger than you think. Barely a decade old."
"Whoa... impressive in its own way."
Growing to that stature in ten years? The head's a genius.
"They're probably eyeing Strata now, investing in students. A ten-year bet, like before."
That explained their interest in me.
The head's personal involvement underscored its importance.
Invest in promising Strata students, weave a web of connections—eventual entry guaranteed.
But that didn't fully justify the head's appearance.
"Maybe using me as an excuse to link up with the dean?"
"Unlikely."
Karl refuted firmly.
"The dean's trip was decided same-day. Gathering intel and dispatching the head in two days? Impossible. His target was you from the start."
"Still... doesn't add up."
Our discussion pieced most of the puzzle together.
Luna pondered aloud.
"Even so, the head personally..."
"I can't quite grasp it either."
No matter the long game, this felt excessive.
The lone missing piece irked me as the rest nearly fit.
"Eh, no problems with the certificate, so I'll stay cautious. No malice apparent."
"Still, be careful. Tell us if anything crops up."
"Got it."
I accepted Luna's concern, then thanked Karl.
"Thanks for all the info."
"Anytime. You're both always welcome."
As the mystery settled at a reasonable level, the carriage slowed to a stop.
Lunchtime.
I stepped out first, raising a hand to Luna with calm words.
"Shall we, Miss Luna Staatfeld?"
"...Thank you."
She responded with a soft smile, taking my hand to alight, then whispered.
"I never cared for this sort of thing... but you've taught me well."
Basking in her praise, we headed for the table when Karl called me back.
"A word?"
"Sure."
"I'll head on."
Luna caught the hint, leaving us alone.
Now just Karl and me, we watched the group gather afar.
Louis glared at me briefly before approaching Luna.
The dean, post-magic circle request, brooded silently; Sonya played secretary.
Sonya stood out most.
Heading to Levin for business, now stuck as the dean's aide? Tough break.
She'd hoped for a vacation vibe, but work intruded.
As we observed, Karl spoke up.
"Poor Sonya—swamped with work lately."
"Exhausted from the assistant professor push too... Shame."
I chimed in, reading his intent.
Suddenly, Karl handed me something.
"This is...?"
Paper, styled like my certificate.
As I stared, he murmured low.
"Our company's certificate."