Chapter 103
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Suspiciously Wealthy Archmage (2)
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I went to bed and woke up to find myself a millionaire overnight... no, a ten-thousand-gold tycoon.
Of course, it wasn't really overnight; a bunch of stuff must have trickled in to make it that way, but still.
"Just how much is it...? Could you maybe show me?"
"Here."
When I casually shoved the note at him, Dean Raymond flinched in surprise.
"No, I was just saying it offhand... What am I supposed to do if you actually show me when I ask?"
"What's the big deal? Anyone else, maybe, but you're not the type to hit me up for a loan."
"Well, that's true, but... still, you shouldn't just flash your assets to anyone. Anyway, let's take a look."
The dean clicked his tongue and checked the number on the note.
"I had a hunch when you got the VIP treatment, but even accounting for that... it's an insane amount."
No matter how much of an archmage she is, this is way too much for a mid-teen kid to be holding, he marveled, sticking out his tongue in astonishment.
Though his reaction wasn't quite as dramatic as the branch manager's.
As expected of the dean—someone who rolled with ten thousand gold like it was pocket change.
"So, where on earth did you rake all this in from?"
"I'm kinda curious about that myself."
"Even if it's from the Mage Tower auction house, after paying the fees and commissions, it'd only be a thousand or so gold, and you haven't even started getting your archmage pension yet..."
"Oh yeah, I heard from Dean Lilliana that you recently landed some magic tool supply contract with the imperial family."
"Ah, the supply contract! Those can be surprisingly lucrative."
Dean Raymond smacked his knee as if it all made sense now.
"Does supplying the imperial family really pay that well? Thousands of gold just pouring in?"
And she hadn't even been delivering for two weeks yet. It took a good while after summer break started to finish the Apple Phone mk2.
"Of course, not everything supplied to the palace turns a profit, but if they deem it highly practical, the imperial family doesn't skimp on the gold."
"I see."
"That said, I've never seen a Maengineering student swimming in this much cash before. And this is from that magic tool you made in class, right? What was it again? Apple Phone?"
"Yep. A video communication device. Well, technically the upgraded version."
"Then it makes sense that it's raking in this much. The palace must have valued it highly, and since it's an improved model, you're probably monopolizing the royalties all by yourself."
Dean Raymond nodded approvingly, saying that scatterbrained Lilliana was surprisingly good at looking out for her students.
It wasn't all good, though... A corner of my heart felt a bit uneasy.
Lilliana and Senior Estelle had helped a ton with making it, but I was pocketing almost all the royalties solo. That sat a little wrong.
"You'll keep piling it up from here on out, too. No wonder you turned down personal sponsorships from me and the other nobles."
The dean added with a mischievous grin.
"You've already got more money than you know what to do with, so why bother hearing sob stories?"
"No. More like, I didn't want to be tied down by sponsorship strings."
I shrugged and continued.
"You always have to pay it back double in the end."
"Harsh as it sounds, you could ghost them clean and it'd be fine."
"Eh, better not to leave any openings. They'd obviously start nagging later with 'do this for me' or 'do that' after slipping you a bit of gold."
Dean Raymond looked shocked at my answer.
More shocked than when he'd seen my account balance.
"...I thought you were just dodging hassle in general, but it's more than that."
"Well, hassle's part of it."
"Haha, Lunaris... You seem like you never think about anything at all most days, but then you drop something like this and show how deep you really go."
The dean smiled faintly and nodded.
"Makes sense why you aced the entrance exam and had the Political Science and Economics deans eyeing you."
I blankly stared at the number on the note again.
I knew it was a massive fortune, but it didn't really hit home.
Nothing I wanted to buy right now, nothing I was craving to eat.
If I had to pick one, maybe getting a bed like Princess Celestina's for my room.
But that's a palace custom edition—you couldn't buy it for money.
"No clue what to do with it. Maybe withdraw it all and build a vacation home on some deserted island no one can reach..."
"H-Hiiik?!"
The branch manager standing nearby let out a shrill scream at my absentminded mutter.
"C-Customer...? I wouldn't recommend withdrawing your entire account balance at once..."
"Why not? It's my money; I should be able to do what I want."
"N-No, that's not it! I'm saying it's way more profitable to leave it with us! VIP clients get extra interest, so the money breeds more money..."
The branch manager was on the verge of tears.
He babbled desperately, trying to talk me out of it.
I furrowed my brow, wondering what the fuss was, and Dean Raymond clicked his tongue, translating for me.
"Truth is, I recently withdrew a ton of gold from this branch for some academy business. If you pull yours out too, their liquidity gets razor-thin."
"Ah, that explains it."
The moment I nodded, the branch manager dropped his facade and started begging for mercy.
Fair enough—hauling out ten thousand gold would be a hassle for them too.
"Not withdrawing. It's not like I need it for anything urgent right now."
"Th-Thank you... Thank you, Lady Lunaris! Um, if you'd like, we could invest your assets in various places and grow them for you...!"
"Nah, pass. Too much hassle."
What good's making more money if I have to babysit it?
The stress would be no joke.
"Still, you should start managing it properly from now on."
Dean Raymond said, stroking his chin.
"If I'd had that much at your age, I'd have grown it aggressively."
By now, he'd be richer than any kingdom, he sighed with real regret.
"Ahh—I'm so jealous. That youth, that wealth, and talent on top!"
"But so what if you've got tons of money? Unless you're like the dean, blowing it all in luxury shops demanding everything in the catalog, what else is there?"
"Hm?"
"Besides, doesn't the world have way more things money can't buy?"
Especially in this class-ridden society.
Titles aren't something you can just buy with gold.
Dean Raymond fiddled with his teacup at my cynical question.
"True... Money can't bring the dead back to life or turn the talentless into archmages or swordmasters."
He continued in a calm, subdued voice.
"But saving those on the brink of death or letting once-in-a-generation geniuses bloom fully? That all boils down to money in the end."
He's seen countless people die from treatable illnesses just because they couldn't afford a few coppers for medicine.
So many with spirits' overflowing favor waste it on making one extra fruit on a tree or a single extra grain in some rural village.
Dean Raymond's expression carried a hint of bitterness as he spoke.
"You're right. Dean Raymond personally sponsors so many."
The branch manager, who'd been watching nervously, jumped in with flattery now that the moment felt right.
"A good number of academy students have received living expense scholarships from him."
"Ahem! Well, it's a hobby. Nothing makes me happier than those kids growing up, going out into the world, and raising my name high."
Dean Raymond shrugged with pride.
"Recently, some famous novelist dedicated their book to me in the afterword. 'To the great archmage Raymond Cloud, who eased my student days' hunger.'"
"I hear most people set up scholarship foundations to skim off slush funds—nine out of ten, at least."
"No, how do you even— I mean! My sponsorships are purely selfless!"
"All to elevate your own honor?"
"Of course! Oh-ho-ho-ho!!"
Dean Raymond sure hasn't changed.
At least that's a relief. While the other characters' backstories keep twisting bit by bit, he's still exactly as I remember.
Scholarship foundation, huh...
"Sponsorship... That doesn't sound like a bad idea."
Talent and patronage.
This era, transitioning from medieval to modern, is still full of shortages.
But modeled after the Industrial Revolution, it's brimming with explosive growth potential.
So many people out there could bloom with the right support.
Until now, I'd been trying to build a creator ecosystem all by myself, with just my circle.
Thinking about it, that's impossible. I'd be running ragged until the day I die.
So.
"Dean, are there any restrictions on who you sponsor?"
"...Not really."
"Can it be done anonymously?"
"Nothing stopping it, but doesn't that defeat the purpose?"
"No. Anonymity means less hassle. As long as I can send a message along with the funds."
I'll become the hidden benefactor, the sponsor for buried talents.
Fund Senior Estelle and the Maengineering seniors to develop modern magic tools.
Back talented playwrights, actors, painters.
And if I can get novels, comics, and movies made to my taste?
"This is perfect auto-farming, isn't it?"