Chapter 207
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 207
Rebecca slowly pushed her sunglasses up onto her head and looked at me.
“Nice speech. I enjoyed it.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Like Alfredo, Rebecca was in a slight disguise, but I could easily recognize her by her aura and her distinct way of speaking. It was a surprise to see her in such a crowded place; she must have grown restless being cooped up in the underground city.
‘Well, I heard things down there have mostly been sorted out.’
A significant amount of time had passed since the underworld conflict ended and Carmilla stepped down. The organization's structure had stabilized, and they had finished cleaning up the messes left behind by the other branch managers.
The underworld, long divided, was now united under Rebecca’s banner. Soon, the true power of the Panopticon would be revealed to the world.
‘Which means the amount of cash wired to me each month will increase, too.’
With the post-conflict cleanup finished and her control solidified, a steady stream of funds should start rolling in. I felt a slight pang of guilt, as if I were merely reaping the sweet rewards of their hard work, but considering my contributions, I deserved at least this much.
While I was exchanging pleasantries with Rebecca and Alfredo, someone tapped me on the arm. I looked down and saw a girl with ultramarine hair. It seemed Lize had come along with them. She handed me a journal.
“Roen-nim, here you go.”
“Oh? Is the analysis already done?”
It was Roen's journal—the one I couldn't read because of the magic cast upon it. I had asked Lize to analyze it, and since she had brought it back, it seemed she had finished the deciphering process.
“Not all of it. But I've opened up the beginning so you can read it. I couldn't understand it, though, since it's written in a language I've never seen before.”
“I'll handle that part. You did great, Lize.”
After all, I possessed the ability to interpret almost any language—likely a perk of being a "player."
“Hehe.”
“Have a drink while you're here.”
I grabbed some sodas and passed them around to my underworld family. After taking a sip, Lize's eyes sparkled.
“This is delicious!”
“Yeah, a branch will be opening down there soon, so you'll be able to buy as much as you want. Don't drink too much, though.”
Soda isn't exactly health food for growing kids.
Rebecca seemed to quite like the drink as well. She examined the label on her cup and turned to her companion.
“Old man, I like this.”
“It's a bit sweet for my taste, but it will certainly be popular. Roen-nim, how about signing a distribution contract through us?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I'm planning to look into other options as well.”
It was always better to have multiple financial pipelines. I couldn't keep relying solely on the underworld's black money; I needed a way to launder a massive amount of assets. This soda distribution business would be a perfect route for that.
Furthermore, with the new academy I was founding, I planned to run a foundation alongside it. Operating the academy solely with my own funds would be a massive burden, not to mention it would draw unwanted attention. It would be far better to accept outside investments and sponsorships.
“Understood. Well, there are eyes on us, so we'll be on our way.”
“Alright. Enjoy the festival.”
Yulina watched the underworld crew leave the booth and quietly leaned in.
“...Who are those people?”
“They're acquaintances of mine. You're better off not knowing.”
*
The next day.
The academy festival continued in full swing. Matches were held in Voltimir's new mega-stadium and other massive arenas across the Union.
The "Super Bowl" event, which had been an inter-academy competition during the sports festival, was now primarily a clash between knight orders dispatched from various kingdoms and noble houses. The matches held during the academy festival served as the grand finale of the year-long Super Bowl event.
In soccer terms, it had the prestige of the Champions League; in gaming, it was the World Championship. This was only natural, as the Union's academy festival was the only event where the knight orders of every family and kingdom gathered in one place. The Union was, after all, the most politically neutral territory—a place that symbolized the bonds between the various powers of the continent.
Tens of thousands of spectators cheered as they watched the games. Of course, none of this had much to do with me personally. The only connection was that a larger crowd meant I could sell more drinks.
Before opening for the day, I stood in front of the booth and rallied the club members.
“Alright, everyone, let's work hard again today. I'll be giving each of you a bonus of one percent of the net profit we make during the festival, so give it your all.”
“Yes, sir!”
The thought of working hard for a week and walking away with millions of Krone motivated everyone instantly. Of course, I couldn't just make them work nonstop without giving them a chance to enjoy the festival.
Clap, clap.
I clapped my hands, and a dozen or so sturdy workers entered the booth.
“These are laborers who will help you out. Show them the ropes.”
I had asked the Lombard Merchant Association to lend me some hands. This way, the club members could take shifts and enjoy the festival themselves.
“Trish, I'm counting on you.”
“Leave it to me.”
I left Trish in charge and smoothly opened for business. Just as I stepped outside the booth, I spotted a figure standing awkwardly in front of our stall.
‘That person is...’
It was a woman holding a suitcase in one hand, wearing the long robes characteristic of a mage. It was Roxana, the faculty candidate I had tried to recruit at the Olympiad yesterday.
Roxana seemed to have spotted me too, as she gave a small wave. I greeted her with a smile.
“Perfect timing. Shall we go somewhere quiet?”
*
We headed to a high-end cafe with a sophisticated atmosphere on Traum Street. The dark, calm, wine-bar-like interior suited Roxana well. I glanced at her as she sat across from me.
She gave off a calm, blunt impression—a stark contrast to the ever-confident Hildegard. Her hair, dyed a dark green, gave her a subdued feel, making me doubt she was even from the same family.
I took a sip of my tea and broke the silence.
“How was the Magic Olympiad?”
“It was easy for me.”
Roxana expressed her confidence with quiet composure. True to her word, she had blazed through the general problems at a top-tier pace before tackling the Millennium Riddle. It was the level of skill one would expect from a promising talent of the Astraia family.
Though, of course, she had failed to solve the riddle itself.
“By the way, that girl you brought, Bell. She's something else.”
Roxana showed interest in Bell, having apparently recognized her potential even while focused on the competition.
‘I knew someone like Roxana would recognize Bell's talent.’
“Yes, she is. Too much so to be left in Eredor.” I set down my teacup and got to the point. “At the new academy I'm founding, you'll be able to teach talented students like her. Raw gems with untapped potential, those who have yet to make their talents bloom. Have you read the contract?”
At my words, Roxana took out the contract, offered it back to me, and sighed deeply.
“Yes. I'm sorry, but I have no desire to be an educator. I'm not the right kind of person for it.” Roxana quietly closed her eyes and lowered her head. “I'm... not qualified.”
“...”
I slowly nodded, recalling her history.
Roxana Astraia had been exiled from the academic world for a forbidden experiment. The Astraia family originally practiced a different branch of magic from other mages—magic that involved observing the stars and awakening latent abilities by receiving the power of the constellations.
In truth, it was closer to a shamanistic ritual than to conventional magic, which studies the world's providence through human reason. These rituals typically used the 108 constellations known to the academic world, but there were also unknown, peculiar stars that held stronger, more dangerous powers.
In the past, Roxana had borrowed the power of a forbidden constellation to save her younger sibling, who was dying from a fever, but the ritual had failed. In the end, she lost her sibling and the brilliant future that lay before her. All that remained was the stigma of being an academic exile.
But that part wasn't important to me. The only thing I cared about was Roxana's ability. I mentioned her past in a consoling tone.
“That was just an unfortunate accident. You did nothing wrong.”
What wouldn't a person do for their own flesh and blood? While it may not have been the "right" thing to do by academic standards, it was completely understandable.
“And whether you're an exile or frowned upon by academia, it won't be a problem at the academy I'm building. After all, I was cast out by my own family.”
I was a scoundrel infamous across the entire continent. Compared to my reputation, Roxana’s notoriety was practically non-existent.
Roxana tilted her head. “...Is that supposed to be a good thing?”
“It means you don't need to worry about what others think.”
It didn't matter if someone was of low birth or an exile cast out from academia. Anyone with talent, anyone who yearned to learn, could knock on the doors of Valerian Academy. An open mind, unbound by class systems and social status—that was the one thing that set me, a modern man, apart from the other elites of the continent.
Of course, the current Union also accepted commoner talents like Bell, but the financial pressure of tuition was too great. Unless you stood out from the very beginning and earned a scholarship, the tuition was unthinkable. And then there were living expenses, food, and textbook costs.
I planned to provide free tuition and living expenses to every student who enrolled in Valerian Academy. It would cost an astronomical amount of money, but that was fine. I had plenty of it, anyway.
I calmly explained my ideas and plans for the academy, and Roxana listened intently. Concluding our long conversation, I stood up from my seat.
“If you're still hesitant, take some more time to think about it and contact me. I'll be waiting.”
“No, I'll sign.”
Scratch, scratch.
Roxana wrote her name on the contract and handed it to me.
“Thank you for your bold decision. You won't regret it.”
“...Right. I'll be taking my leave now.”
After Roxana left, a few other individuals came to meet with me. However, unlike the dignified Roxana, they all seemed to have a screw loose or personalities ill-suited for teaching. For instance, one of them asked for lodging as soon as he signed the contract.
“Uh, is it possible for you to arrange a place to stay right away? I'm currently homeless...”
Bart Murray, a man from a fallen noble house who was now utterly penniless. I heard he was recently fired from his position as a duke's family tutor for embezzlement. Still, his talent for teaching was exceptional, so I decided to take him in for now.
I let out a small sigh and handed him a check.
“If you offer a little extra, you should be able to find a place. Use the rest for living expenses.”
“Th-thank you! Thank you!”
“Right. Don't lose the contract.”
Such were the faculty candidates—all with a few screws loose. It was only natural; these were the types of people who would blindly apply to a suspicious academy founded by a notorious scoundrel like Roen.
In any case, what mattered was ability, not personality. Using my game knowledge, I conducted interviews, filtering out the unsuitable candidates and selecting the right people. In the end, I signed employment contracts with a total of seven people, including the exile Roxana.
This was a huge success. Once word got out that they were properly appointed as professors and receiving good treatment, many more candidates would likely apply.
With Bart being the last one, the interviews for the day were over.
‘Alright, time to go.’
Having finished a round of work, I headed to Voltimir with a grin on my face. An interesting event was waiting for me.
*
The Voltimir territory.
Cafe Le Blanc, located near Albheim Hall.
The place was bustling with a massive crowd, as the special academy festival maid cafe had opened here. The surrounding streets were so packed it was hard to move. I deployed Aegis around myself to carve out some space and pushed through the throng.
“Please, form a line!”
“Hey, no cutting!”
As I pushed through, a male student shouted in a harsh voice.
“What, you got a problem?”
“R-Roen?”
I gave him a slight glare, and he immediately tucked his tail and backed off. For your information, I'm the biggest sponsor of this festival. I invested a hundred billion. In other words, you could say I'm a key figure who made a brilliant contribution to the opening of this maid cafe.
...Of course, right now, I'm just a visitor here to have fun. This was the true taste of power.
And so, I smoothly made my way through the crowd and stood before the cafe entrance. The cafe was largely divided into two sections.
First, there was a butler cafe that employed handsome male students, including Leonhardt. The male students, dressed in aristocratic and stylish attire—some with their hair tied back in a ponytail, others wearing monocles—greeted the customers.
“This way, my lady.”
“Ahhh! Oppa!”
It seemed a bit cheesy, but it was incredibly popular. It looked like it was mainly frequented by female students.
And then, my destination.
I turned my gaze to the maid cafe next to it. It was a maid cafe created with the cooperation of Ciel and the comics club, centered around Kiriel. Judging by the massive crowd gathered here, it was extremely popular.
I confidently opened the cafe door and walked in.
Tinkle.
With the pleasant chime of a bell, the proprietor of this maid cafe, Kiriel, greeted the customer in a barely audible voice.
“W-welcome...”