Chapter 102
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Suspiciously Wealthy Grand Mage (1)
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People often say it.
Money comes and goes.
Money isn't a condition for happiness.
Money isn't an essential part of life.
Well... none of that's wrong.
But it's true that without money, life gets exhausting in all sorts of ways.
The biggest hassle when I was living in that cabin in the woods was definitely the lack of cash.
I don't care much for dressing up, and I'm not picky about food.
Still, I can't exactly go around naked or starve myself.
Even just to buy a fantasy novel to read in bed... no, a history book, I needed money.
Nothing's more depressing than forcing yourself to work when you hate it.
So, if I had to pick one reason why I need to be rich...
It's to seize the freedom to do what I want when I want.
Or more precisely, the freedom to not do what I don't want.
-I... gotta make some money.
That's why it bugged me when Estelle said she'd been hustling part-time jobs all vacation.
It'd be a real problem if that talented senior was wasting her gifts on something so random.
She's supposed to be my personal magic tool crafter, but some weird gig is stealing all her time.
Then a thought hit me.
How much money do I even have right now?
I rolled around on the bed, tumbling this way and that, counting off on my fingers.
First off, those 100 gold coins the black mage tossed me are still mostly intact. The academy covers room and board, so no expenses.
On top of that, there's the cash from selling the Basics of Natural Mana theory book, plus whatever the Imperial Mage Corps is sending.
After the Mage Tower auction ended, I opened an account at the Imperial Bank in my name.
Makes sense—you can't lug around hundreds of vulgar gold coins.
"Yaaawn~"
Conveniently, it's Thursday, no classes today.
"Might as well grab a late lunch and swing by the bank to check..."
I dragged myself out of the heap on the bed and finally left the room.
The princess's guard knight stared at me like, Are you sure you're a student?
About time I started leaving her room properly. No clue when my bed's arriving.
*
The Imperial Bank has branches everywhere.
Elterion Academy even has one right on campus.
Being class time, the place was pretty quiet.
"Welcome! What can I do for you?"
The teller in uniform greeted me with a textbook smile.
Her nameplate said she was a fourth-year Economics major on internship.
Corporate internship experience—important stuff.
"I'd like to check the balance on my account."
"Balance inquiry, got it. May I have your name?"
I rested my chin on my hand and replied indifferently.
"Lunaris Evermoon."
"Yes, Lunaris... Huh? L-Lunaris?!"
The teller's shoulders twitched at my name.
"...?"
Wondering what the issue was, I just stared. She frantically shook her head.
"S-Sorry! J-Just a moment... I'll check right away."
Whispers leaked out: The famous Lunaris in person...
On my shift, of all times...
Intern vibes—her professionalism was a bit shaky.
As I watched with a sour expression, her senior teller hurriedly infused mana into the ledger to check something.
Soon enough, her shoulders twitched again.
"Uh, u-um..."
Her face was dynamically horrified, like she'd seen a ghost.
She glanced back and forth between the ledger and me several times before asking in a trembling voice.
"Are you... really Lunaris Evermoon?"
"Yeah."
"Even if you say so, for verification... Could you infuse some mana here, if you don't mind?"
The teller suddenly shoved a transparent crystal orb in my face.
Apparently, mana served as ID here.
Makes sense—they had me register it with the account.
Wonder how someone like the mana-less First Prince handles business...
Anyway, my mana flowed into the orb, lighting it up softly.
Seeing the glow, the teller shot to her feet.
"V-Verified, ma'am!"
"So, how much is there?"
"Terribly sorry, but could you wait here just a sec? Won't take long!"
"Sure, whatever."
She bolted into the back office in a panic.
Crashing chairs inside.
Super hectic for a simple balance check.
She returned quickly with a sharply dressed middle-aged man in tow.
He rubbed his hands and bowed nonstop at the sight of me.
His grin was unnaturally wide.
"Aigoo~ Welcome, Miss Lunaris!"
His waist bent exactly 90 degrees.
Unlike the intern, his form was perfect.
"Oh, right—I haven't introduced myself! I'm the branch manager of the Imperial Bank's Elterion branch."
"Ah, hi."
"What an honor for such a distinguished guest to visit our humble establishment!"
"..."
This guy's reactions are over the top.
Really... awkward.
I stepped back cautiously.
"Uh, I just came to check my account balance."
"Aigoo~ Of course!"
The manager fussed, rubbing his hands again.
"No need to stand here—let's head upstairs!"
"Pardon? Up where?"
"To the VIP room on the second floor. Too sorry to handle this at a regular counter—please!"
"...?"
This is way too much hassle for checking my balance.
But he's not asking me to do anything weird. Shrugging it off, I followed the manager up the stairs.
*
The second-floor VIP room felt different from the start—airier, luxurious.
Unlike the bustling ground floor, it screamed money poured into every detail.
A guest was already there.
"The manager rushed down so frantically, I thought Princess Celestina had dropped by..."
Familiar face—it was someone I knew.
"It's you, Miss Lunaris."
"...Dean Cloud?"
Raymond Cloud, Head of the Magic Department, waved lazily at me.
I bowed awkwardly.
"Hello."
"Take a seat. Their tea's out of this world, at least."
I sat across from the dean.
"What brings you here? Need a loan or something?"
"Haha, good one."
Dean Raymond chuckled, setting down his teacup.
"Just checking if my money's growing nicely. For an asset manager like me, bank visits are daily routine."
"I always pictured you as the type who blows cash nonstop..."
"That's only possible because I manage it well."
He shrugged and crossed his legs.
"Never expected to see you here, though. Figured you'd swing by eventually..."
Then the manager dashed in, sweating bullets, arms full of documents.
"Sorry to interrupt! Miss Lunaris, shall I show you your account balance?"
"Yeah. So, how much?"
I sipped my tea nonchalantly.
"Your current balance is... roughly this much. Note we've rounded off silver and copper units for simplicity."
The manager's hand trembled as he slipped me a note.
"Let's see. One, ten, hundred, thousand...?"
Casually glancing at it, the number was way beyond anything I'd imagined.
I squinted at the manager.
"These numbers accurate?"
"Ab-absolutely! I brought the full transaction history just in case!"
"So, this much in gold coins?"
"Precisely calculated in Imperial gold coins!"
Not even silver.
This much in gold...?
As I kept tilting my head, the manager started shaking all over.
"P-Perhaps you need the precise rounded figures too?"
"Nah, don't need that much detail..."
Then Dean Raymond, sipping tea beside us, chimed in curiously.
"What's up? Short on funds?"
"No, not that."
I checked the note again.
"It's just... more than I expected. Way more."
Five digits in gold coins alone.
Over ten thousand, easy.
When the heck did I get this rich?