Reviving a Bankrupt Academy: My Financial Battle

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A little while back, on the third day of the deserted island test.

The combination of Beatrice, the princess, Ruth Spero, whose origins were unknown, and Milia, the commoner, was…

"…Is this really okay?"

"Y-Your Highness? Is there a problem…?"

"It's because there are no problems."

…smooth sailing.

Contrary to their expectations, there really were no problems.

Beatrice looked around the 'base' they had built.

A well-made log cabin, meat drying on a rack, a fish trap placed in the stream next to it, and even roughly made chairs because they had extra time.

Even now, she was sitting on one of those chairs, eating coconuts with Milia.

It was going smoothly.

Too smoothly, in fact.

'Milia's abilities were this great?'

The reason things were going so well wasn't because of Beatrice's determination or Ruth's strength as a Rank 6. Of course, they weren't insignificant, but.

The biggest contributor was undoubtedly Milia.

Surprisingly, Milia wasn't just an ordinary Rank 2 common in the administration department, but a Rank 3 mage.

"With this level of skill, wouldn't it have been fine for you to enter the magic department?"

"N-no way. How could I dare…?"

"Even if we assume Ruth cut and moved the logs, it was Milia who processed them with magic and designed the log cabin, fish trap, and drying rack. It's no wonder you received an invitation to join the student council."

"You're too kind…"

Although it was overshadowed by the presence of Ruth, a Rank 6, and Beatrice, nominally a Rank 5, a Rank 3 mage was by no means ordinary.

Rank 1, with almost no mana in their body, and Rank 2, with some mana, capable of something resembling magic.

These people made up the majority of the continent's population. Even a certain Finance Director Beatrice knew was Rank 1.

No matter how many commoners flocked to the administration department, most of them were Rank 2, and Rank 1s were extremely rare. This was because even a small amount of mana was a great advantage in terms of physical ability and mental processing.

Throughout the long history of the administration department, there were hardly any cases where a Rank 1 was among the top graduates. The most recent one was Adam Keynes two years ago, and before that, it goes back 20 years.

That's why she expected Milia to be Rank 2, but to think she was at the beginning of Rank 3.

'Honestly, she lacks the talent to go further than this.'

Even though she was weak, her skill in creating things using telekinesis magic, cutting magic, and so on was quite impressive. It was to the point where she could be mistaken for a master craftsman from the carpenters' guild, not an academy freshman.

Beatrice, excited to have drawn a winning ticket, asked in a bright voice,

"Is it your dream to join the Carpenters' Guild?"

"What? Uh… yes, it is."

"With this level of skill, you could join the guild right now, couldn't you?"

"That… I really wanted to attend the academy. It would be helpful for my career."

"Indeed, that's true."

A Rank 3 mage carpenter was impressive, but a Rank 3 mage carpenter who graduated from Grandis Academy would have an even greater premium.

Beatrice, looking at Milia with a slightly anxious look, nodded in understanding.

Milia's eyes were shaking intensely, but that was a natural reaction considering she was facing royalty. Beatrice didn't think much of it, as it was a reaction she had experienced many times in her life.

As they chatted and ate coconuts.

Thud!

"…I caught it."

"Ruth! Did you succeed again?"

"I'm going to butcher it now, so both of you look away."

"Y-yes! Understood…"

Crack!

Ruth, who naturally took charge of hunting, in other words, securing food, began to butcher a dead boar on the spot.

Although it was a somewhat gruesome act, the women, who had become accustomed to Ruth over the past few days, immediately turned their heads away. The gruesome sounds of flesh being sliced and bones being cut echoed.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the perfectly butchered boar meat was hung on the drying rack, and the blood and entrails were washed away or thrown into the stream.

At first, the smell of blood was unfamiliar, but it became bearable after a few days.

"By the way, Ruth, you're very familiar with butchering and survival, aren't you? You were the one who chose the location for our base."

"As expected of a Rank 6…!!"

"I'm used to this because I've had many opportunities to do it. I've been in worse environments for longer."

"Worse than this…? Did you go to a battlefield or something?"

Pause.

Ruth paused for a moment at Beatrice's curious question.

But then he shook his head and continued washing the knife in the stream.

"…There were just… various things."

"Anyway, you're reliable."

"Yes!"

Milia built the house, fish trap, drying rack, and so on.

Ruth secured more than enough food through hunting.

So what was Beatrice doing?

"Ah, it's almost time. I'll go clean up."

"Uh… Your Highness?"

"Milia?"

"No matter how I think about it, I should be the one doing that… Cleaning the toilet isn't something Your Highness should do."

"Didn't we already discuss this? The most useless person does the chores."

"Your Highness! What do you mean, useless…?"

"Isn't it true? Ruth is in charge of food, and you, Milia, built everything we need for survival. So, the other miscellaneous tasks are my responsibility. It's a natural division of labor."

"Your Highness…"

She literally did all the other tasks.

Picking coconuts, cleaning the toilet, washing clothes, checking the drying rack, keeping an eye out for food thieves, cleaning the surroundings, preparing meals, and patrolling the area.

Tasks that anyone could do if they were physically capable. That was Beatrice's role now.

'…It's harder to use magic than I thought.'

The measure Beatrice came up with for this exam where she couldn't bring artifacts was to create a space within her body to store the artifact's mana.

It was indeed a crazy idea. Rank 7 knights and martial artists could create an imaginary organ called dantian to store energy, but mages didn't need to do that. Their whole body was like a dantian, so why would they need something like a dantian?

However, for some reason, if mana was stored in Beatrice's body, in her heart, the magic she used with it would become uncontrollable.

That's why, for the past month, Beatrice had been researching a space to store mana, the so-called Mana Heart.

'It's a success, but…'

Perhaps because she was a genius acknowledged even by the Archmage, she succeeded in creating a small space within her body to store the mana absorbed from the artifact, without endangering her life.

If it were before, she wouldn't even be able to create the space, let alone have her whole body torn apart due to uncontrollable magic.

Anyway, the mana stored in that space, although somewhat unstable, didn't cause her magic to go berserk or out of control.

It was her greatest achievement and a revolutionary method, but…

'It's too small.'

The problem was that the space was still too small. With this much, her mana capacity was smaller than Milia's. A single high-level spell would deplete all her mana.

That's why Beatrice intended to take on all the chores from the beginning.

…It was a bit calculating, but if she, a princess, did these tasks, it would leave a strong impression. It was also easy to give the impression that she was doing her part.

Naturally, it would also help with getting a scholarship.

'Even so, cleaning the toilet is a bit…'

She had gotten quite used to it. Using an outdoor toilet wasn't as repulsive as she thought after letting go of various things.

Perhaps she was unexpectedly suited for this kind of life.

Just as Beatrice, thinking so, was about to get up to work.

[Supplies will be dropped from now on.]

"…!!"

"Th-this is!"

"Let's go! Everyone, grab your tools!"

Along with a magically amplified voice, something fell from the sky above the island.

This was the reason for rule number 6, to watch the sky carefully.

A box falling at a random time and in a random location.

It contained food, water, survival kits, and all sorts of items, playing a significant role in preventing students who had no knowledge of survival from giving up even on the third day.

Anyway, as soon as they confirmed the supply drop, Beatrice and Milia ran out, with Ruth, wielding his sword, leading the way.

If there was no one guarding it, the food and water they had stored at their base could be stolen, but.

"Haa…!!"

Crack!

[Chain Barrier]

Beatrice might have a limited amount of mana she could use, but her talent hadn't disappeared.

She squeezed all the mana from her Mana Heart and cast the highest level of defensive magic. Even if it were Chloe, ordinary students would have a hard time breaking through those multiple barriers.

It wouldn't take long to check the supply drop anyway, so they could quickly go and come back. Every person counted in the competition for supplies.

Ruth and Milia, seeing Beatrice's magic, increased their speed even more. The acceleration magic Milia had cast was already shimmering under their feet.

Dash!

After running for a while.

Beatrice's team was able to find the supply box that had fallen in a small plain in the middle of the island.

"I knew you'd be the first to arrive, Knight Ruth."

"…As expected."

"How is he so fast…?"

"I… can't… breathe…"

It was already evening, the sky dyed orange.

Although he slowed down for Beatrice and Milia, Ruth was still a Rank 6 swordsman. Restrictions didn't mean much when running.

Nevertheless, there was someone who arrived at the supply box even faster than them.

An eccentric wearing full plate armor in this hot weather, with a greatsword as tall as himself strapped to his back.

The youngest knight ever appointed, a promising talent.

The youngest knight, Kaern Deste.

He was staring straight at Ruth with a ferocious smile.

"It was difficult before because the timing wasn't right, but today is the day to settle this!"

"…I've told you many times. The rules prohibit the use of force between students."

"What does that matter! External shackles are unnecessary in a duel between knights! Now, let us cross swords! Knight Ruth!"

He might sound like a madman, but Kaern was a swordsman at the beginning of Rank 5. In the martial arts department, besides Ruth, he was the strongest, even defeating Lisha more often than losing to her.

Moreover, despite wearing that armor, his speed was comparable to Ruth, a Rank 6.

Why he didn't take off his armor even though he was sweating profusely from the heat, why he called Ruth a knight even though he wasn't one, and where his other team members were and why he was alone, were all mysteries.

But objectively speaking, because of that crazy youngest knight, all three of them had to move.

While Ruth faced Kaern, Milia and Beatrice had to secure the supply box, which was quite heavy to carry alone.

"If you attack me, you'll be disqualified. Your grades are something you should be concerned about, right? If you want to escape from being that Baron you hate so much."

"…Hmm, those are still irritating words. I don't know why you know so much about my circumstances, but…"

Thud!

"I can't hold back anymore. Here I come!!!"

"…Oh dear."

Crack! Clang!!

Ruth's sword blocked the greatsword of Kaern, who was accelerating with a powerful stomp.

Despite the charge that clearly carried his weight, Ruth blocked it with one hand. It was only natural since his restriction was to use only one hand, but it was also a move that clearly showed the difference in strength between Kaern and Ruth.

Of course, Kaern didn't mind at all and continued his onslaught of attacks.

"I'll make you use both hands!"

"…It's not time yet."

"Then, as a knight, I'll just have to force that time to come!"

Woong!

"You…!?"

Suddenly, something resembling Sword Qi appeared on Kaern's greatsword.

And he swung it down towards Ruth!

BOOM!!!!

The tremendous roar, the trees being uprooted, the blowing wind, the rising smoke, the crater created by the tremendous impact.

It was enough to startle Beatrice and Milia, who had been secretly securing the supply box since the clash began.

"Sword Qi…? Could it be, Kaern Deste has reached Rank 6!?"

"…No, Your Highness. It's just for show."

"Hmm, is it still lacking compared to a true Rank 6?"

The smoke cleared, and Ruth, who had blocked the attack with one hand, was visible.

Ruth, who gave a simple answer to Beatrice's exclamation, glared at Kaern with a slightly changed expression.

"…Could it be, at the entrance ceremony?"

"That's right! I imitated the Sword Qi you showed back then, Knight Ruth! If I continue training like this, I'm sure I'll reach Rank 6 someday…!! As expected, fighting you was the right choice! You are the best teaching material!!"

"Tsk."

So he didn't just attack recklessly without thinking? But giving up on the midterm exam seemed like a foolish idea.

Perhaps it was a mistake to refuse all of Kaern's duel requests.

The other students who had gathered at the supply box flinched at the sight of the huge crater in the middle of the plain, and with Beatrice and Milia securing the supplies and keeping an eye on the surroundings.

"Stop! Kaern Deste, the use of force between students is strictly prohibited in this exam!"

"Ah, no more coconuts…"

"Put down your sword, Kaern Deste. You're disqualified."

The Exam Supervisor and several professors rushed over and surrounded Kaern and Ruth.

One of the female professors seemed to be lamenting something, but anyway.

Despite only exchanging one blow and being disqualified from the midterm exam, Kaern's expression was one of satisfaction. It seemed like fighting Ruth, even a little, was a great help to him, but perhaps he still had some lingering feelings, as he didn't let go of his sword.

Kaern, who continued to hold his sword, and the Exam Supervisors, who were raising their mana and Aura as he continued to ignore their warnings.

In the gradually escalating atmosphere.

"What's going on here?"

"Who… Adam, the Finance Director?"

"Greetings, Finance Director!"

"F-Finance Director! Weren't you with the Headmistress? What brings you here…?"

"I came after receiving a report from Exam Supervisor Dalcoon. The Headmistress is behind me; I came to check the situation first."

The Finance Director, with his bleached hair and worn-out robe, appeared.

"…Ah."

While the gathered students and Exam Supervisors whispered about who he was, fell silent, or fidgeted.

Ruth stared straight at Adam, who was walking out of the jungle.

The setting sun, a cigarette in his mouth, his head slightly lowered, his eyes looking up as if asking, "What are you all doing?"

Perhaps he had slept somewhere, as unlike before, there was no sign of fatigue. His eyes, which had been bloodshot and somewhat red, were clear.

He was just extremely ordinary, the same Finance Director he had always been, except for the lack of fatigue, but…

…precisely because of that, something overlapped.

"Ah, ah…"

"R-Ruth?"

"Mr. Ruth?"

Memories overlapped. 'Past' memories, that scene, forcibly superimposed on his vision.

Yes, it was the same back then.

After the academy collapsed, the Headmistress died, and the news of Chloe following Adam came.

Ruth wandered around for a while and arrived at a small kingdom in the remote regions due to certain circumstances.

And what he saw there was…

The same setting sun, a cigarette in his mouth, his head slightly lowered, his eyes looking up.

And that appearance, not looking tired at all.

Behind him was a burning castle. A burning village. Corpses burning to death. Crows flying around trying to peck at the corpses.

In that place filled with only death and ruin.

Ruth met Adam. He had met him.

Therefore.

Clang!

"W-wait, Ruth!? Put down your sword! What is this…!!"

"Ruth Spero! Put your sword away right now! Why are you pointing your sword at the Finance Director?!"

"Protect the Finance Director!"

"...."

"…Mr. Ruth?"

Ruth couldn't understand at all.

Whether the person in front of him now…

Was Adam Keynes, his benefactor who approached and helped him when he was a perpetual last-place student, an ordinary Finance Director…

…Or Adam Keynes, who burned and destroyed the world with Chloe.

He couldn't…

…be sure.