85. Survival Rule #4: An Escape Route Is Essential (3)
85. Survival Rule #4: An Escape Route Is Essential (3)
"How much will it take?"
"What?"
"How much will it take?!"
What was wrong with this old man? A half-crazed grandpa grabbed my wrist and spouted an embarrassing line straight out of a drama. Flustered by the sudden turn, I looked around, but everyone else wore the same dumbfounded expression.
"I am Karina's... Escort Knight."
"Ha, of course. The first rule of negotiation is to drive up your price. Wise for such a young man."
What kind of bullshit was that?
There were limits even to making things up as you went along. I tore my gaze from the out-of-his-mind old man who was talking and agreeing with himself and wordlessly appealed to Gilbert for help with my eyes, but he awkwardly avoided my gaze too.
What a nuisance. I'd expected the board of the world's greatest academy to consist of dignified, unflappable people, not senile old men. I gently pressed down the hand of the old man who was seriously trying to pull money from his pocket and made my refusal clear.
"I am Karina's Escort Knight. I have no intention of leaving this post."
"Could you not reconsider?"
Good grief. Just look at him tightening his grip.
In the midst of this absurd spectacle of a power struggle between someone trying to give money and someone refusing it, a person who finally seemed sane opened his mouth.
"James, calm down. What disgraceful behavior is this?!"
"You only say that because you don't know this man's worth! Look at his abilities!"
"Don't know, my foot! Do you think I, a great merchant, wouldn't know the value of a man who does the work of hundreds of laborers by himself?! I'm telling you not to blatantly try to poach him!"
"Ha! You'd know less than me, the Guild Master of the Civil Engineering Guild! You money-grubbing baldy!"
So this grandpa was the Guild Master of the Civil Engineering Guild. Bad memories from the Civil Engineering Guild came to mind, and I immediately averted my eyes from him. I wasn't going there, of all places.
"What did you say?!"
Their ugly battle of pride was getting tiresome. I had come for construction approval, not to watch a dogfight. I sat in a chair made with my Skill and leisurely waited for them to finish. Experience told me that once they took things too far, someone else would step in and stop them.
"Would you like to sit?"
"...I'll ask for one too."
"Craft."
"That Skill looks awfully convenient."
"Not as much as you'd think."
"I see."
Bored, I glanced at Gilbert. Unable to hide his discomfort, he crossed and uncrossed his legs as he waited for the commotion to end.
Though, what could a mere Guard Captain do here anyway?
I looked away again and yawned as I watched the high-and-mighty board members engage in a squabble that wasn't even entertaining.
I really wanted to go back soon.
I would have gotten more out of watching Millia race around on her scooter.
"Will the two of you stop this?!"
I had no idea how long I had spent lounging crookedly in my chair and watching the chaos when a roar announcing the end of the fight shook the tunnel.
Finally, he showed up.
I looked at the old man who had just entered the tunnel, radiating a beastlike intensity. The old man began rebuking the two of them with a ferocious face that looked ready to draw his sword at any moment.
"You are both old enough to know better! What in the world are you doing?!"
"Principal Merlin..."
As expected, this man was both Principal and Chairman of the Board. He was one of the few Archmages on the continent and descended from a collateral branch of the imperial family—an extraordinary background. If I acquired a Wizard-related job, he would be the first person whose favor I needed to cultivate. The old man's gaze met mine.
A scrutinizing gaze.
I boldly met the stare that seemed intent on peeling back my very essence. I had no reason to be intimidated. His eyes weren't as frightening as the Hydra's.
"Ho-oh. Quite the find."
"Principal Merlin, he's an incredible talent. Look at this! A passage dug in just ten minutes!"
"Ten minutes?"
One of the unidentified board members pointed toward the tunnel I had dug—the demonstration I had prepared to persuade them. Principal Merlin initially looked as though he could not see what the fuss was about, but after illuminating the tunnel with magic, he turned to me and asked,
"There's no trace of magic."
"I dug it myself with a shovel."
"With a shovel? That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in my entire life."
Did I have to dig again? I quietly raised my shovel and chose a suitable spot.
The moment I stopped after choosing a spot, countless gazes poured onto my back. I'd received them so often by now that I was used to it. I scratched a line into the wall with the shovel to get an estimate, then stepped back a few paces and adjusted my grip on it.
I might as well get started again.
My shovel blade mercilessly dug into the hard soil.
Dirt splattered across my face. Nothing new. On the uninhabited island, I'd once been attacked by a skeleton while digging, so this was child's play by comparison.
One.
Two.
Three.
I worked the shovel relentlessly. For this kind of job, maintaining a hard pace was more efficient than taking it easy. I dug forward without pause, estimated the distance by eye, smoothed the soil with my Skill, then dug again. Once the passage seemed deep enough, I turned around and came back out.
"...Impressive. To think a human could do something like this."
...This grandpa's eyes looked a bit dangerous.
I remembered the Wizard Guild examiner asking whether I would consider becoming a test subject. Merlin had exactly the same look now—one of intense fascination.
Before the Principal could speak, I quickly opened my mouth.
"What do you think? Are you interested in investing?"
At my question, the Principal stroked his beard and fell into thought. Once he had reached a conclusion, he looked at me and asked,
"I heard what you said, about being able to do it alone... Is that true?"
"That's correct."
Other people would only get in the way. Working with my shoveling and my Skill was far more efficient. After consulting the board members, the Principal approached me again and asked,
"Three percent of the budget. Would that suffice?"
I didn't know the exact figure, but three percent of the academy's total budget would be enough. It had to amount to at least a thousand gold coins.
"It's sufficient."
I quietly accepted the Principal's outstretched hand and shook it.
Contract secured.
It was time to start preparing.
---------------
"...Hoo. You really are... something else."
Reni carefully folded the letter in her hand and handed it to me. When I opened and read it, the name Silver Wood, the great merchant, caught my eye. This guy even sent me a letter? I should've realized when he was scuffling over me.
"Couldn't you keep at least some of this under wraps? At this rate, I think overwork will kill me first."
Reni's exhaustion was written all over her face. Should I help with the administrative work? I would not understand any of it even if I looked.
"How about requesting a priest to be dispatched specifically for administration?"
"How would you know if they're trustworthy or not?"
Now that I thought about it, she was right. I'd forgotten for a moment, but traitors had been emerging from the Church one after another. Even if we requested someone, we couldn't be certain that the person truly belonged to the Church of Kalon. Recruiting trustworthy people was difficult. It might be better to hire someone useful from among the people we already knew.
Nepotism or whatever, talk could arise, but what mattered was trust. As long as their ability was at a passable level, we could just train them up and use them.
"I see."
"Well, let's move past this issue. Anyway, you secured the project. A considerable budget has been allocated to our side, and we also received a pretty large-scale investment from the Silver Wood Trading Company. They seemed rather worked up, wanting to recruit you."
I was not sure whether to be happy about that.
Once I had some spare time, perhaps I could take construction contracts from them and make serious money.
The more capital I had, the better if I wanted to reach the ending. Building up funds would also make it much easier to make full use of my Skill.
My Craft Skill could only use materials present nearby. If I bought expensive, powerful materials and kept them on hand for the Skill, everything would become much easier.
A Skill that grew stronger by flinging money around.
That was Craft.
"So, when are you planning to start? I'd like to set up a schedule..."
"Starting today."
"What?"
"Today. I'll finish within fifteen days."
Specifically, before the final exams.
Since the next incident was scheduled to occur during the finals.
"Fifteen days? Really?"
I nodded. Reni gave me a doubtful look, unable to decide whether to believe me. Did fifteen days sound too short? I thought I could manage if I cut back on sleep for that long.
"Give yourself more room. A month would be fine..."
"I finally got a junior, but it doesn't feel like I have one..."
"Sorry."
"No. It's work for Karina, after all. Right?"
It was a response typical of Reni, who became lenient whenever Karina was involved. As she had said, I was indeed building the escape routes for Karina.
"I'll get it done as soon as possible."
"No. Do it safely, safely. If you do it rashly and it collapses from shoddy construction, it'll be a complete disaster."
"Got it. Also, I'll call someone to help me with the work."
"What? Who?"
"I have a suitable person for the job."
Then I should get going. I needed to fetch the people who would help before starting, so the sooner I left, the better.
I left the office and headed briskly toward my next destination.
I really hoped they wouldn't refuse.
Though if I dangled gold coins in front of their eyes, the thought of refusing wouldn't even occur to them.