CHAPTER 128
CHAPTER 128
Shameless Uninvited Guests
“Ah… they probably paid a hefty tuition fee to get in. The academy administration isn’t that careless.”
Idnia calmed the fuming Persifier and decided to watch how things unfolded.
Vice Principal Deneuve looked at the influx of auditing students with clear displeasure.
All she wanted was to focus on magical research and training students without getting entangled in outside affairs. As a typical scholar, she had no interest in politics or the pride struggles between races.
But the tides of the world had already crossed the academy walls and were crashing inside. Whether she wanted it or not, there was no stopping it.
“Greetings. I am Randall Kelly, representative of the Blue Tower auditors. It is an honor to finally visit the prestigious magic institution we’ve long admired. You are Professor Deneuve, correct?”
A young man wearing an Ancient Robe stepped forward and greeted her.
“Kelly? What relation are you to Bryce Kelly?”
“She is my aunt.”
“I see. Then what is your business?”
“Where are our accommodations?”
“We didn’t expect you to arrive immediately after the council decision. No preparations have been made. It will be inconvenient for you, but please understand our position as well.”
“Under normal administrative procedures, I would. But this is the great Dunaise Academy, is it not?
And didn’t this academy teach that adaptability is essential for mages?
You throw students into bizarre assignments without warning, or drop them into jungles and tell them to survive, don’t you?”
At Randall’s pointed remark, the mages behind him nodded.
Deneuve flinched slightly when she noticed that some of them were former Dunaise students—those who had completed the basic curriculum and transferred to the Blue Tower.
Were they trying to repay the academy for its harsh teachings?
“That wasn’t my class… but I’m not in a position to argue.”
She felt unfairly targeted, but she couldn’t deny the academy’s reputation.
“In the Blue Tower, if something like this happened, we could prepare classrooms and housing within two hours. Surely Dunaise Academy wouldn’t fall short of us?
Though of course, we lack the prestige to attract this many students at once.”
His words were smooth, but every sentence was a provocation.
“Very well. Then let’s discuss tuition and living expenses.”
“What about this amount per person? Roughly double your standard tuition.”
“That won’t suffice.”
Deneuve immediately demanded five times the standard cost.
“What?! That’s too much!”
“You’re just feeding us the same terrible food anyway!”
“That bland, overpriced garbage!”
“If you expect to be treated the same as students who passed entrance exams and enrolled properly, that would be disrespectful to them, wouldn’t it?
And if I recall correctly, Sir Bryce Kelly likely anticipated up to five times the cost.”
Silence fell.
She had hit the exact upper limit they had prepared.
“…Then let’s settle at three times.”
“Very well. Then we will put it up for bidding.”
“…What?”
“We must also house the elves, dwarves, and demons. Shouldn’t we see how much they’re willing to pay?”
“But until then—”
“In the meantime, you will be given the lowest-grade accommodation.”
With a snap of her fingers, a portal opened.
Living armors and the gatekeeper Gibbles appeared.
“Guide them to a camping site at the Artichoke Spirit Plateau.”
“…The plateau?”
Even Gibbles hesitated.
“That’s a highland with an average temperature of minus twenty degrees!”
“How are we supposed to live there?!”
“That level of accommodation is appropriate for double tuition.”
“Randall! We’ll pay more! Four times if needed!”
“We’ll die out there!”
The former academy mages panicked.
Randall clenched his jaw.
“Surely a prestigious academy wouldn’t treat guests so poorly. That would damage your reputation, wouldn’t it?”
A veiled threat.
But it was a mistake.
“One of Dunaise Academy’s prides is training students in harsh environments. I trust you’ll adapt well.”
The portal opened.
The Blue Tower mages were forcibly pushed through.
A freezing mountain plateau.
Blizzard winds howled like blades.
“…This is insane.”
“Too cold!”
“Cold resistance!”
They cast spells—but the wind tore through their defenses.
“The cold is manageable—but the wind—!”
They could barely breathe.
A living armor approached.
It spoke with Gibbles’ voice.
“The tents are rented. Be careful not to break them. Melt the frozen ground before pitching them.
Toilets? Dig a hole.
Water?”
He scooped up snow.
“…You’re joking.”
“There’s plenty, isn’t there?”
He shaped the snow into a duck and handed it to them.
“Class resumes tomorrow morning. Try not to die.”
Silence.
Randall Kelly finally realized the true nature of Dunaise Academy.
“…What did we do to deserve this?”
“Shouldn’t have been related to the Guildmaster.”
They began melting the ground and pitching tents in the storm.
The next morning.
The Blue Tower mages stumbled into the cafeteria with hollow eyes.
“Dunaise Academy really…”
A young woman in modified hanbok robes stepped inside calmly.
“Still… it’s been a while.”
Then someone recognized her.
“Teacher Lindsay?”
“Dupont?”
A former tutor and her student met again—under strange circumstances.
“How is the academy?”
“I’m adapting well. But… are you okay? You look exhausted.”
“…I experienced the academy’s hospitality again last night.”
She sighed.
“What’s for breakfast? Still bland bread and porridge?”
“Today… it’s stale hardtack and fish scrap porridge.”
“…What?”
“Also, I use this seasoning.”
Dupont sprinkled something into his soup.
“What is that?”
“Bought from Lorenzo’s group. It’s expensive, so I dilute it with salt.”
“…You what?”
“They stopped adding salt to the soup, assuming we’d use seasoning.”
Lindsay stared at him in shock.
The refined young noble she once taught had turned into someone rationing seasoning with salt.
Even for someone who had experienced the academy before… this was something else.