Chapter 58
Chapter 58
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Magic Tower Genius Hides Physics
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After finishing my visit to the vault with Dolloren,
I asked the teller to summon the bank president.
"Um... I'm sorry, but the Central Bank President is a bit different from the branch managers."
I get it, I get it.
He's the Central Bank President, after all. Not someone just anyone can meet on a whim.
I told the teller,
"Please tell him that School Head Dolloren is calling for him."
I pointed to Dolloren standing behind me.
The teller muttered,
"...It's really her?"
The teller's face drained of color.
He hurriedly stepped away, then returned moments later, sweating profusely.
"He'll be here shortly!"
And so, a three-way meeting was arranged.
Me, Dolloren, and the Imperial Central Bank President.
In terms of my past life, it was like summoning the Governor of the Bank of Korea?
...Dolloren, you're scary.
The Bank President—no, the Imperial Central Bank President—kept wiping the sweat streaming down his forehead.
Drip, drip.
The sweat trickling over his bald scalp made it even more conspicuous.
The bank president finally spoke.
"So... you're saying you're transferring this to your disciple?"
Dolloren gave a curt reply.
"Yes."
"..."
The bank president's gaze dropped to the floor.
At the end of his line of sight lay the wreckage of a shattered table, with the spatial distortion pouch sprawled in the center.
...I'd just set the pouch down on the table for a moment, and it collapsed under the weight.
Guess even artifacts can't fool actual mass.
It felt awkward to pick up the scattered pieces, so I'd left it like that for now.
"..."
"..."
I locked eyes with the Imperial Central Bank President.
The corners of his eyes twitched. A sign of panic and fear.
It was a perfectly understandable reaction.
If I took this money and speculated on the capital's real estate, the market would crash overnight.
Sure, it might stabilize in the long term, but in the process, the bank president would get grilled by his superiors.
The bank president clenched his fists and addressed Dolloren.
"School Head Dolloren... Handing over such a massive sum like this could impact the Imperial economy."
"So you want me not to give it? Is it okay for the Empire to trample on a mage's rights like this?"
"...That's not what I mean."
Drip, drip.
The lamplight licked at the sweat beads on the bald bank president's head.
...This is enough.
The bank president looks too pitiful.
I cut into their conversation.
"Bank President. I have no intention of dumping this gold into the market recklessly. I don't even have any immediate need for a large sum right now."
"Then...!"
"In exchange, while this fund is held at the bank, I'd like you to agree to a few conditions."
"Name them—anything!"
There probably wasn't anything like a sovereign wealth fund in this era yet, so I needed to aim for something similar.
"First, guarantee the highest imperial interest rate on this capital, and waive the storage fees for my personal vault for life."
This money would make a perfect base fund for the 'Uphills Foundation'.
I'd had steady cash cows trickling in so far, but I'd been short on the lump sum to form its backbone. Perfect timing.
"...Is that all?"
"Yes."
"Thank you—truly, thank you, Uphills researcher!"
The bank president grabbed my hand, his voice choking with emotion.
"Contact me anytime you need help."
"...Sure."
Since this world's central bank president wasn't elected, owing him a favor like this could prove useful later.
Afterward, I drew up a contract with the bank president and left the bank.
As I walked back to the lab, I glanced sideways. Dolloren's lips were pursed in a prominent pout.
...Is it okay for a school head to wear her thoughts so transparently on her sleeve?
"What's not to your liking?"
"No! The Empire survives on what mages feed it anyway—why block us from spending it as we please?"
"...School Head. You approved restrictions on personal withdrawals yourself."
"That's different from giving a gift to my disciple!"
I'm truly grateful for how much she thinks of me, but...
Her direction is a bit scary.
I said to Dolloren,
"Do you know how bread is made, Dolloren?"
"Not really."
"What if I spend the money recklessly, mess up bread prices, and a food shortage hits?"
"..."
Dolloren paused, pondering.
"Just chew wheat straight?"
"...Let's just be a little careful so that doesn't happen."
"Fine. Whatever."
Fortunately, Dolloren took my advice well.
For a moment, I recalled our first conversation when we met.
-'Imperial law limits land transactions to the 'surface.' Did you buy the subsurface development rights too?'
She's so disinterested in worldly affairs, yet knows the law inside out.
What a peculiar person.
When we reached the lab, a unfamiliar man was waiting for us.
The moment he spotted us, his eyes lit up.
He held parchment and a pen in his hands.
Dolloren chuckled beside me.
"Looks like I still have fans these days. Ha, it's been ages since anything like this."
But the man breezed right past Dolloren and approached me.
Dolloren froze like stone.
"Isaac Uphills! I'm a fan. I came all the way to the Magic Tower because of you!"
"..."
...No. Why on earth would you make that choice?
Dolloren muttered sullenly from behind.
"I... got passed over..."
Dolloren wordlessly entered the lab first.
I signed for the freshman and asked,
"...If you're enough of a fan to come this far, you must have applied to our school too. Thank you."
The freshman's eyes sparkled.
"Yes! It's a shame I didn't get in, but I'm happy with the school I was assigned to."
"Hope that lasts."
I wished the Magic Tower freshman well.
Now that you're here, you might as well get your master's before leaving.
"Oh, if it's okay, could you explain the problem you set this time?"
"I can't give away the answer, but I can point you to materials that might help."
I jotted down some keywords and a list of relevant papers for him.
"Wow! Thank you so much, senior!"
"No problem."
The freshman bowed deeply and dashed off down the hall.
Probably heading straight to the library for those materials.
Still so pure and unjaded.
The best time.
"But... why are all my fans guys?"
I stared blankly at the neighboring lab.
Normally, Magic Tower enrollment is more common in September than March.
Undergrads need about half a year after graduation to recover from thesis defense fatigue.
But Daniel took the Magic Tower exam right after graduating.
He'd originally planned to become a field mage.
Most commoner mages end up that way.
Even if they enter the Magic Tower, it's hard for commoners to rise high.
But one day, rumors of a certain person started swirling in his ears.
Isaac Uphills.
...His achievements were too numerous to list without tiring his mouth.
This time, word was he'd leveled a mountain and built a foundation for war orphans there...
No idea where he'll stop.
Naturally, Daniel and all his commoner mage friends became Isaac Uphills fans.
"Hey, we're all putting the same first choice."
"If it weren't for Uphills, I wouldn't even think of the Magic Tower."
Over drinks with his magic university classmates, they all shared the same dream.
They firmly believed they could stand by Isaac's side and assist him properly.
And now.
Daniel knew better.
Over a thousand people had dreamed of the seat next to Isaac, and not a single one had passed.
'Maybe it's a blessing we all failed together?'
He might have been jealous if even one had made it.
Staring blankly at the ceiling, a file folder dropped onto Daniel's forehead with a thunk.
"Snap out of it, newbie."
"Ah... Sorry, senior."
It was Ellara, his senior from the same school.
Both commoners, they'd gotten close quickly.
Ellara asked him,
"What's got you spacing out like that?"
"...Well."
Daniel couldn't continue.
Saying it was because his first choice rejected him would make it seem like he had no love for their school.
"Ahem. I see. You applied to the Magic Survey School too, huh?"
"No! I want to dedicate my life to our school!"
Pfft. Ellara laughed.
"Your acting's too obvious, kid. It's fine. All the other schools are in chaos right now anyway."
"...Really?"
"Yeah. Tons of this semester's freshmen are like you. So..."
Ellara trailed off.
'How do I tell him rumors are spreading that second-choice transfers are ruining lab morale...'
She couldn't say that in front of her already tense junior.
Instead, Ellara told him,
"This wasn't my first choice either. But look at me now—master's in hand, living well."
"...Thank you."
"If it bothers you that much, go ask Isaac at his lab after work."
In that instant, Ellara looked different to Daniel.
Calling a hero by name like that.
Ellara continued,
"With Isaac's personality, he'll happily explain. Though he won't get why you're asking."
"Can... I really do that?"
"Your call."
The moment work ended, Daniel left with a grin.
Thus ended his fantastic meeting with Isaac...
Daniel ran to the library, heart pounding.
Good thing he hadn't become a field mage.
The Magic Tower isn't so bad after all.
...But the shelf where the materials should have been was empty.
"What? Did someone check them out?"
The elliptical orbit problem's deadline had long passed.
Did that mean someone was actually researching it out of pure interest?
Daniel was horrified.
Why tackle something as dusty as planetary orbits?
Looking around, in the corner of the stacks, a young girl had piled up the exact materials he wanted and was reading them.
Straight posture, haughty demeanor...
The vibe screamed nobility.
Ahem.
Daniel cleared his throat and approached the girl.
"Little miss, are you done with those materials by any chance?"
"Yes."
The girl answered curtly.
But to Daniel, it didn't look like she was reading properly.
She was flipping pages way too fast.
'Just posing for show.'
She was nobility, but as quasi-nobility himself, he could claim the materials with good reason.
Daniel decided to test her.
"Do you know Mars's orbital period?"
"Sidereal period is 687 days, synodic is 780."
"..."
Differentiating the two periods meant she wasn't a total novice.
...Still, why memorize constants like that?
Daniel hadn't expected an answer.
The girl said to him,
"If you're interested in this problem, check old records instead of these."
"...A senior told me to look for these specific ones."
"Senior?"
The girl's gaze shifted to the memo in Daniel's hand.
Her eyes sparkled.
"...That's your big bro's handwriting?"
"Pardon? What?"
"Where'd you get that?"
"..."
The girl's attitude changed.
Far friendlier, though...
She seemed a bit desperate too.
The girl pressed again.
"Tell me."
"Urk!"
"...Something wrong?"
"No, nothing..."
He'd nearly buckled at the knees.
Immense mana was pulsing around the girl.
She seemed oblivious, but Daniel was already breaking a cold sweat.
'What kind of mana capacity is that...!'
Overwhelmed by her presence, Daniel spilled everything.
Isaac's entrance exam, the all-fail tragedy, shamelessly seeking hints.
When the whole story ended, the girl said,
"No one solved it, so no one passed..."
"Yes. That's how it went."
The girl grinned.
"So if you just solve it, you get into the Magic Survey School, right?"
"...Pardon?"
Absurd.
The problem was only for applicants, and the time limit had expired ages ago.
She seemed smart—why the misconception?
'...Ah. I skipped that part in my explanation.'
Before Daniel could clarify, the girl spoke.
"Perfect timing. I just reached the conclusion."
She handed him the astronomy materials and continued,
"I'm heading out first. Use them well."
The girl skipped joyfully toward the Magic Tower.
Probably off to the Magic Survey School.
"..."
Daniel watched her go, dumbfounded.
He wanted to say it wouldn't change anything now, but...
The words wouldn't come.
'Hard to say something harsh to a kid smiling that brightly...'
Daniel's conscience held him back.