2. The Protagonist Doesn't Hide His Power
2. The Protagonist Doesn't Hide His Power
To properly understand Risha's dilemma, a bit of context was necessary.
Fundamentally, an academy was a place for learning. Any student who wasn't certifiably insane like the protagonist would naturally train under capable instructors, raise their Rank, and graduate.
But among the student body, there were always those who viewed the academy less as a place of learning and more as a stage for showing off — the applicants who arrived already preceded by their own fame.
'The princess from the neighboring kingdom, the rising star of the Magic Tower, the youngest knight in history.'
And now, standing before me, the Margrave's youngest daughter.
To be blunt, none of them actually needed to attend an academy. Their reasons for doing so were obvious. Grandis Academy was simply the most prestigious venue for amplifying their reputations.
'Oh, they do learn things along the way, sure. But more than that, it's about securing first place and using that to pad out their standing in high society.'
They could have stayed home and trained quietly, grown famous that way eventually. But demonstrating their superiority at Grandis Academy, where the finest talents from across the Kingdom gathered, was far more efficient for building a legend.
That said, you couldn't call them un-studentlike. Their goal wasn't learning itself but being first, and they bled for that rank, studying and training with terrifying intensity.
In a sense, they were the most fervent pursuers of instruction anyone could find. Risha's hands alone — covered in calluses — were proof enough.
And naturally.
This kind of competition for first place inevitably produced a loser.
In the current year, even more so.
'The Magic Tower prodigy and the princess will go into the Magic Department. The youngest daughter and the youngest knight, into the Martial Arts Field.'
The Administration Department? Nothing to see there. No prodigies or nobles chasing fame enrolled there — it was where commoners bled themselves dry studying, all for the sake of a job.
In any case, since their whole purpose was to elevate their name, none of them could tolerate second place. When they debuted properly in society, claiming they had held Grandis Academy's top spot for three entire years without faltering — not just once — carried vastly more weight.
But that created a problem. The applicants with those ambitions never cooperatively arranged themselves one per department per year.
This year was mild. In worse years, four or five of them would crash into Magic or Martial Arts at the same time, all clawing for rank. Even back when I played through the academy arc, it had been the same.
And Risha Claudia — youngest daughter of House Claudia, one of the kingdom's preeminent great families and the Margrave's own blood — was naturally forced into a direct contest with the youngest knight for the top spot.
'The youngest knight is early 5th Rank. Risha could break through soon, but she's still 4th Rank for now.'
To put it plainly, the competition was overwhelmingly likely to end in Risha's defeat.
Rank alone didn't decide everything, of course, but it wasn't an exaggeration to say it settled eight or nine out of ten bouts. She might snatch a win here and there, but the youngest knight held the clear advantage.
Delaying her enrollment by a year to avoid the matchup, however... that would mean whispers that she'd fled out of fear. The social scorn that would follow made that option nearly impossible.
Doubly so for someone with the pride of being the Margrave's youngest daughter — an 8th Rank peer of the Chairwoman herself.
Which was why she was seriously considering my proposal.
'If she's going to lose anyway, losing alongside a sudden Irregular is far more palatable than losing alone to the youngest knight, the rival she's been tied to for ages.'
And as luck would have it, the protagonist wasn't even a commoner. His house had fallen, but he still bore a noble surname. Throw in the absurdity of a 6th Rank at his age, and he was a perfect fit.
Nobody mocked you for failing to beat a typhoon. A 6th Rank wasn't just a strong student — at the academy, he was practically a natural disaster.
Just as a 4th Rank like Risha had slim odds against a 5th Rank opponent, a 5th Rank had no conceivable path to beating a 6th Rank protagonist.
Risha must have been worrying about this constantly. Outwardly she'd carried herself with unshakeable confidence, but inside she'd have been anything but.
To her, the protagonist must have looked like a miracle escape route.
"Finance Director Adam, if it wouldn't be too great an imposition..."
"My apologies. I find I suddenly need to excuse myself to the restroom — may I? I believe it will take about ten minutes."
"Ah, of course!"
I didn't actually need the restroom. This was because the matter wasn't something Risha could decide alone.
We were talking about leveraging the influence of House Claudia — one of the realm's acknowledged great noble powers — to suppress objections from other aristocrats. There was no way she had the authority to make that call by herself.
House Claudia would have sent an advisor, someone with real decision-making power, to accompany her. Risha asking for my patience was essentially her asking if she could step aside for counsel.
But by noble custom, a host leaving a guest alone in the reception room was a profound breach of etiquette — even worse when the guest was a ranking official of the academy they'd be attending for years.
So I excused myself first, using the restroom as a pretext. That way Risha could receive her advice while still waiting for me in the reception room.
The sudden brightness in her voice at the end had been thanks to that.
'Good thing the Chairwoman drilled me on noble etiquette.'
My position as Finance Director required occasional meetings with merchant guilds and noble houses, so the Chairwoman had coached me on a number of things. It was proving remarkably useful.
As soon as I stepped outside, one of the maids approached and bowed politely.
"Allow me to guide you."
"Please do."
I'd deliberately mentioned the ten-minute timeframe, so all I had to do was kill about that much time before heading back.
The maid seemed to have picked up on the arrangement; she simply led me on a winding route through the exclusive dormitory, pointing out features as we went.
I was taking in the extravagant decorations when something familiar caught my eye.
"That piece?"
"A gift bestowed by His Excellency the Margrave when the young lady departed for the academy. I understand it is an armament His Excellency once wielded himself."
Ah. So that was the Magic Spear.
It had only ever been pixel art in Dark Kingdom, so I hadn't recognized it, but now that I saw those distinctive ornaments, it clicked.
In the game, when you recruited Risha Claudia as a companion, this was the weapon she used.
'Looks perfectly ordinary to me.'
Honestly, I had no idea why it was called a magic spear. The item description just said it was a magic spear concealing its true nature — that was it.
Probably some plot thread meant to pay off in the second or third arc. At least during the academy arc, it had never caused any problems.
I filed it away in memory and kept walking. After a few more minutes, the time was about right.
I gave the maid a look, and she smoothly guided me back to the reception room. Incredibly convenient.
'Having subordinates really is the way to go.'
Renewing my vow to escape from being a Finance Director with zero staff, I re-entered the room. Risha's expression had already settled into resolve.
"House Claudia will cooperate fully."
"My sincere gratitude for your cooperation."
House Claudia really didn't mess around.
With that, no noble would raise any objection to the protagonist's admission. If House Claudia had already endorsed it and some minor house still sent a protest, that would simply mark them as socially oblivious.
And the quintuple tuition?
'Swallow it whole.'
The protagonist had casually tossed out a five-times offer, so he clearly had money. More to the point, what exactly had he done to be 6th Rank and loaded before the academy arc even began? Did he use cheats?
Frankly, how the protagonist got strong wasn't my problem. He wasn't out there earning revenue for the academy or single-handedly preventing bankruptcy. If anything, considering he'd have qualified for the Tagal Scholarship with those skills, even quintuple tuition was a loss on our end.
Anyway, the situation was resolved. Which meant it was time for my real objective.
"I'm truly relieved you accepted, Lady Risha. I confess I was sweating considerably."
"Pardon? Surely the knight didn't attempt to—"
"No, no. The youngest knight makes much of that 'youngest' label, but his house itself is a mere baronetcy. Quite modest."
"It is rather laughable, isn't it. Was there some other trouble, then?"
First, I emphasized that there was no connection whatsoever between me and the youngest knight, then I touched on the very thing that was the youngest knight's sorest point: his lineage.
That would let Risha feel just a fraction more affinity toward me. Then—
"The Chairwoman was quite displeased."
"...The Chairwoman was."
"From her perspective, you see, this was all just games played with regulations. My coming here to speak with you, Lady Risha, was already a fairly unreasonable request on my part."
"I... I see."
Was the Chairwoman actually displeased? Sure, whatever. If I said so, then she was.
My own conduct toward her might often be irreverent, but the Chairwoman was an 8th Rank, the same rank as Margrave Claudia, the head of House Claudia. And even among 8th Ranks, she was unequivocally stronger than the Margrave.
She wasn't of noble birth, but at the 8th Rank, origins ceased to matter. She was a national-level strategic asset in her own right; even the royal family tread carefully around her.
Grandis Academy was the kingdom's finest institution partly because of its educational quality, but more than that, because it was the academy the Chairwoman had founded.
And who was I? Her closest aide, the Finance Director — rumors and all.
If I claimed the Chairwoman was displeased, Risha had no grounds to doubt it.
"I had to persuade her that there was no need to speak with House Claudia at all. I'll likely get quite the scolding when I return."
"...I truly cannot thank you enough, Finance Director Adam."
"The Chairwoman may deem it unproblematic, but as the person responsible for this academy's finances, how could I not extend every courtesy to House Claudia? I hope we may continue this favorable relationship for a long time to come."
"Those are words we should be saying. Please accept my gratitude once more for your goodwill, Finance Director."
For a martial house like Claudia, expressing thanks twice meant genuine gratitude.
This should suffice. Surely they weren't planning to settle this with just words.
"I hope this isn't... overly presumptuous."
"Presumptuous? Please, speak freely."
"As you know, the Chairwoman is a person of unwavering principle. In her role as head of Grandis Academy, she is ever concerned with the education and well-being of her students."
"I have heard the same often from my father. She is someone I have always held in deep respect."
"As such, she does not look kindly upon these sorts of affairs. Yet an academy of this scale cannot always operate with perfect cleanliness and rectitude, now can it?"
"...Of course. That is so."
"As House Claudia has offered thanks twice, permit me, discourteous though it may be, to say this plainly one more time."
"..."
"I wish to maintain favorable relations with House Claudia for the long term."
There.
You've got the message by now, right?
"..."
The earlier matter had been a bonus. This was the main event from my side.
At my veiled solicitation, Risha closed her eyes for a moment and fell silent.
"...Naturally. House Claudia, too, has long wished to form ties with a capable talent such as yourself, Finance Director."
"You honor me too greatly. I hardly know what to say."
Risha — or more precisely, House Claudia — had accepted.
Exactly the sort of transaction I'd implied: the kind of slightly dirty deal the Chairwoman, with her so-called unwavering principles (?), didn't much care for.
An arrangement was now in place: I, the Finance Director, would keep looking after House Claudia's interests in various ways, and in return, House Claudia would reciprocate with appropriate tokens of sincerity.
'Was that Risha's own decision, or House Claudia's intent?'
Had she already discussed bribery with her advisor? Or was this level of gesture something Risha was authorized to handle on her own?
Did it matter? Not much right now, but in the context of my broader plans, it was a variable I needed to track.
Either way, Risha would send the bribe my way.
And that money would be used, diligently and without fanfare, to slow the academy's slide toward bankruptcy.
'A new recurring budget stream.'
I'd secured the protagonist's admission. I'd sealed the deal with House Claudia. I'd locked in a new source of funding. A genuinely ideal outcome.
Long live the Chairwoman, in every conceivable sense!
*
"...So you sold my name for all of that and came back?"
"That is correct, Chairwoman."
"You— ngh...! You—!"
"The Chairwoman's honor remains untarnished. The one taking bribes is me, after all. Your name was merely used as a pretext."
"That's exactly the same thing! You think it's fine to just toss my name around like that?!"
"...I apologize, Chairwoman. It seems I failed to consider your feelings."
"Wh— what? Finance Director, why the sudden—"
"I should have shown you this first."
"Huh?"
Fwip.
"What... is this?"
"A small token of sincerity, sent by House Claudia. The proper bribes will begin arriving on a regular schedule later."
"A small token is... this much...?"
"Congratulations, Chairwoman. With this, we can delay the academy's bankruptcy by four days!"
"..."
"Shall I refrain from mentioning your name at all going forward?"
"...Fine. Sell it."
"Oh-ho."
"This, too, is for the academy...!"
"As expected of you, Chairwoman! I never doubted! All you need to do for me to keep selling your upright, incorruptible name is continue to radiate dignity going forward! And once in a while, when I ask, put on a little performance of righteous fury for me!"
"...Why am I tearing up?"
"Tears of joy, I'm sure."
And more than anything—
"This is only the beginning."
"B... beginning?"
"Last year, having been thrust so abruptly into the Finance Director role, I was limited to merely processing whatever paperwork landed in front of me."
But now, with a little experience accumulated and some room to maneuver—
I could do this.
"I intend to apply an old proverb to its fullest."
"A... proverb?"
"The public official who rises early receives the bribes."
"...? What kind of bullsh—"
Bribes.
I held it as an article of faith, unshakable, that bribes were the future lifeblood of this academy!