Reviving a Bankrupt Academy: My Financial Battle

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Chloe didn't use Forget magic after all. She decided to leave the dream alone for now.

Instead.

'Adam Keynes.'

She was going to learn more about the Finance Director.

If it were her master, the Archmage, those bastards from the Magic Tower, or even Beatrice who appeared in her dream, she would have understood. That it was a curse from someone who hated Chloe, or that her own inferiority complex was manifesting in the dream. Then she would have used Forget magic without hesitation.

But why was it Adam Keynes, the Finance Director, whom she had only met once, who kept appearing? Moreover, it wasn't even a particularly positive encounter.

And why was she looking at Adam so pathetically in the dream? What was the meaning of the words she muttered?

Chloe was extremely bothered by it.

'So I need to learn more about the Finance Director.'

Well, couldn't it be that the Finance Director, secretly in love with Chloe, was making himself appear in her dreams? It was absurd even to her, but she had to keep the possibility open.

Anyway, she would have a better idea of why he was appearing in her dreams if she knew more about the Finance Director.

And so, Chloe used her connections to investigate the Finance Director, and…

[Adam Keynes, Finance Director of Grandis Academy, presumed to be an orphan.]

[Lived alone in a remote cabin in the Langria Mountains before suddenly appearing in a nearby city.]

[Earned tuition by doing all sorts of manual labor in the city and entered the administration department of Grandis Academy.]

[Maintained excellent grades for three years after enrollment and graduated with the highest grades in 24 years as a Rank 1, final grade was second place.]

[Immediately employed by Grandis Academy after graduation, but promoted to Finance Director after only one month, catching the eye of the Headmistress, and currently working.]

[As a special note, the cabin where Adam Keynes is said to have lived was quite far from the village and was considered an empty house. It is presumed that Adam Keynes, an orphan, entered the cabin by chance and lived there secretly.]

[No talent for magic or martial arts.]

[Has a family name, but the existence of the 'Keynes' family name has not been confirmed. It is highly likely that he is from a fallen noble family or is using the name falsely.]

[He is favored by the Headmistress to the extent that there are rumors among the staff that he is her secret lover.]

…That was all.

This wasn't what Chloe wanted to know. She wanted information that could be related to her, like his past, or that he had magical talent that could curse her, or that he knew someone who could cast a recurring dream curse.

She wanted that kind of information, but the information they gathered after their investigation was just trivial personal details. With this, there was no way to know why the Finance Director kept appearing in Chloe's dreams.

Therefore, Chloe decided to use the last resort.

"Th-the weather is nice, isn't it, Finance Director?"

"…It's completely overcast."

"Ah. I-is that so? I was just saying!"

To directly approach the Finance Director and find out.

For this, she had been secretly following the Finance Director for a while to figure out his daily routine. She had to approach him at the most natural timing, not just for a simple greeting, but at a time when she could interact with him more.

And finally, she found the perfect opportunity just a while ago. The Finance Director was walking down the street, lost in thought.

It was the same habit Chloe herself had, so she could be sure. Of course, even then, it was uncertain whether the Finance Director, a faculty member, would ask Chloe, a mere student, for help, but.

Fortunately, the Finance Director accepted her offer to help, so she was able to accompany him somewhat naturally (?).

However,

"Miss Chloe, you can relax."

"I-I'm already relaxed? I've seen you before during the duel, so of course I'm relaxed!"

"…Is that so? You keep averting your gaze."

"It's your imagination!"

She just couldn't face him properly.

Every time she faced the Finance Director, that dream came to mind.

The voice that echoed in the dream.

──Is that dead woman more important to you than me, who is here right now…?

'Ugh.'

It made her feel strange emotions.

Chloe wasn't an idiot. She knew that this emotion was more than just goodwill, that it was close to love.

But this wasn't Chloe's own emotion.

'It's similar to my time at the Magic Tower.'

Under the pretext of selecting talented individuals through competition, the Imperial Magic Tower was rampant with schemes and manipulation.

They hired thugs to break their rivals' arms and legs, spread false rumors about accidents happening to their families, and even used mind magic to control their competitors.

That was why Chloe was so sensitive to dreams. She had already experienced this kind of false emotion many times. Moreover, since Chloe was beautiful, there were even cases where people did those things not to eliminate her from the competition, but out of lust.

Of course, Chloe overcame all that and won the competition to become the Archmage's disciple. She made sure to cripple and expel every single one of those who looked at her with lustful eyes.

Therefore, she thought this was similar. A trick to make her fall in love and use her.

She just wanted to know why it was the Finance Director, and why this urge was so much stronger than during her time at the Magic Tower.

That was all.

"S-so what are we doing now?"

"First of all, I'm not going to ask you for anything unreasonable, Miss Chloe. Even though you're a Rank 5, you're still a student. It's just that it's something I can't do myself."

"Something you can't do, Finance Director?"

"I'm only Rank 1, you see. I need a capable mage."

A capable mage.

It was just flattery, so why was she so excited?

'Damn these fake emotions.'

Let's just find out what kind of person the Finance Director is and erase it with Forget magic. Even if the Finance Director was the mastermind, even if this was all a trap and he had bad intentions, Chloe had already made thorough preparations.

She was circulating her mana so that she could use magic at any time, and she even brought an escape scroll imbued with her master's mana. Even if there was a powerful mage behind this, cursing Chloe, it wouldn't be a problem.

Objectively speaking, there were only two mages on this continent who were stronger than the Archmage, and both of them were Rank 8s from the Empire. They weren't people a mere Finance Director of the academy would know.

It was thanks to these preparations that she was able to approach the Finance Director directly.

While trying to suppress her gaze that kept turning towards the Finance Director, Chloe waited for him to continue.

"There's a place I have to go for work."

"A place you have to go…?"

"Yes. I need you to go there instead of me. It's already been taken care of, so it's not dangerous."

"What do I have to do there?"

"Just check what I tell you and record it. I received a report, but I still have to check it myself as part of the procedure. I don't know much about magic, so I need your help, Miss Chloe."

"Magic? What kind of magic is it?"

The Finance Director hesitated for a moment.

And then he continued in a voice filled with disbelief.

"…Summoning magic."

"What?"

"The one banned by the Empire and the kingdom."

***

Summoning magic.

Literally, magic that summons something. From small items at home to large-scale summoning of spirits or monsters.

Precisely because of that, summoning magic was banned in the Empire and the kingdom. Because it could summon monsters.

'It hasn't happened yet, but…'

Ruth, while cleaning her old sword as usual, recalled her past memories.

An incident that happened when she was a first-year and a perpetual last-place student.

Several professors gathered in one place and attempted summoning magic, but failed and summoned a Rank 5 monster.

Seeing the illusion of the Manticore at the entrance ceremony, and then witnessing the Headmistress obliterate the Kraken in a single blow during the deserted island midterm exam has made them seem a bit less intimidating, but… fundamentally, a Rank 5 monster is a monster itself.

It could destroy a small village on its own, and if a city didn't have strong walls, it could turn it into a wasteland.

To kill it safely, at least three Rank 5 knights or mages had to gather. Why couldn't the Empire even dare to subjugate the Rank 8 monsters in the western wilderness? Why did they give up even though they knew there were all sorts of expensive resources like magic stones there?

'Because even if all the Rank 8s in the Empire went, it would be a 50/50 chance.'

Although they were called ranks for convenience, the ranks of monsters weren't the same as human ranks. After the 'Mountain King,' one of the Rank 8 monsters, single-handedly drove the Holy Kingdom, the previous hegemonic power before the Empire, to the brink of destruction, the Empire wisely gave up on the western wilderness.

And the Empire and the kingdom, seeing the example of the Holy Kingdom, which was once a hegemonic power but now barely surviving on the edge of the continent, immediately banned summoning magic.

Monsters were the enemies of humanity, of all those who lived on the continent. And summoning magic was capable of unleashing those enemies in the middle of cities.

'They said there were many incidents in the past.'

Actually, if they were going to ban summoning magic for that reason, shouldn't they also ban other destructive magic? But summoning magic had a long history of incidents. It was the most favored magic of terrorist groups and was often involved in the rise and fall of nations and massacres.

Even during the time of the Holy Kingdom, summoning magic wasn't banned, so it was simply banned at the whim of the hegemonic power. Perhaps summoning magic wouldn't be allowed again until the Empire collapsed.

Anyway.

The summoning ritual that had summoned a Rank 5 monster could have been a huge problem, but thanks to Circe, who happened to be passing by, the monster was killed and the professors were taken away by the kingdom and imprisoned, and the incident was vaguely concluded.

It was a big deal, even for Ruth, who was focused on training, and it was also an event that further solidified Circe's fame and position as a young, talented female professor.

However, she was guessing that the incident disappeared because the future changed for some unknown reason, but…

'It's over there.'

Ruth's senses as a Rank 6 were further amplified through her sword. Her senses were even sharper than those of a Rank 7.

Coincidentally, this old sword wasn't an ordinary sword.

Thinking about how she suffered because of this sword in the past, she wanted to cut it in half right now, but she couldn't because she was currently receiving its help.

"Let's go."

Slice.

Ruth lightly cut her hand and smeared the blood on the sword, and the sword's form began to change.

The handle, the crossguard, the blade, all turned black. It transformed from a worn-out sword into a demonic sword that exuded an ominous aura.

The Dark Sword.

Ruth, holding the sword once called that, put on the mask and hood she had prepared beforehand.

'Let's take care of it before it blows up.'

Perhaps because she had cut down countless summoning magic circles used by those fanatics with the Dark Sword, she could vaguely sense when and where summoning magic was being constructed while holding this sword.

From her observations over the past few days, the professors only briefly constructed the summoning magic circle at this time and then returned. It seemed like they were trying to be slow and cautious, knowing that it was forbidden magic.

It would be better to move at night, but since she planned to arrive at the summoning magic circle before the professors and ambush them, she had no choice.

Without waiting any longer, she leaped out the window. Wearing a hood and mask, with her whole body covered in a black robe, she looked undeniably suspicious, but.

"It looks like it's going to rain soon."

"Let's hurry up and go inside."

"...."

The students on the street didn't notice Ruth passing right by them.

It was possible thanks to the dark weather with thick clouds. In this darkness, she could use the power of the Dark Sword to conceal herself.

'So the future hasn't completely changed.'

Although the timing was different from what Ruth remembered, the summoning ritual incident still occurred. To be precise, it was about to occur.

Ruth nodded with a sense of relief that something she knew was happening, that the future wasn't completely changing in an unknown direction.

'The forest… is even darker. Good.'

The artificial forest located within the magic department. This place, where various herbs and magic herbs grew, was quite vast.

Due to being artificially created, the mana swirling within was quite rough, preventing those Rank 1 or 2 from entering.

Naturally, the Security Unit was deployed to prevent theft of the magic herbs, but even within the Security Unit, those with Rank 6 or higher abilities were extremely rare. She was able to enter without any problems.

An abandoned basement somewhere in this forest was Ruth's destination.

'They said the summoning incident happened in the magic department's forest before.'

Even the location was the same, leaving no room for doubt. It was the same future Ruth knew.

Originally, Circe, who 'happened' to be passing by, would kill the monster and protect the students, rising as a hero, but there was no way Circe was really there by chance. It must have been Circe's plan to summon the monster in the first place.

Now, she just had to end the incident beforehand, without Circe's intervention.

As Ruth, coming to that conclusion, entered the dark forest to change the future.

Rustle.

"…!!"

At the sound of footsteps coming from somewhere, she hurriedly concealed herself using the power of the Dark Sword.

Ruth wasn't surprised because of the sudden footsteps. As she had done on the street earlier, those Rank 6 or lower wouldn't notice her.

It was just that the voice accompanying the footsteps belonged to someone she knew well.

"Where is it?"

'…Chloe Piste?'

Why was she here?

No student could enter the magic department's forest without prior permission. Was she just coincidentally permitted to enter today?

As Ruth was trying to grasp the situation at the unexpected appearance.

"Ah, there it is."

Chloe soon found the door to the basement hidden among the bushes, and…

Creak.

Without hesitation, she entered, and after a short while, she opened the door again and came out.

Ruth, momentarily dumbfounded as she watched Chloe leave the forest, opened the basement door and went inside.

"…As expected, it's summoning magic."

As she expected, there was a huge summoning magic circle inside the abandoned basement. However, there was nothing else besides that, and strangely, there was no mana remaining in the summoning magic circle.

It was suspicious that there was nothing but the magic circle, but she checked the basement anyway. She had seen countless summoning magic circles, so even Ruth, who lacked magical talent, had no problem confirming it.

The only strange thing was that they used cheaper materials instead of magic stones to draw the magic circle. It wasn't like the professors were short on money, so why did they use such low-quality materials?

Anyway, although it was partially erased, it was definitely a summoning magic circle.

'Then, naturally, Chloe must have seen the summoning magic circle as well.'

Did she not know it was a summoning magic circle? It was hard to believe that Chloe, the Archmage's disciple and a Rank 5 mage, wouldn't recognize it.

More importantly, there was no way she would find and enter this hidden basement for no reason, so she must have come here with a purpose.

Why did Chloe leave as if there was no problem after seeing the summoning magic circle?

'Could it be…'

That she already knew about the summoning magic? And even that it was being constructed in this basement?

Who told her?

…Well, it was obvious.

'Circe.'

Chloe Piste, connected to Circe?

Ruth's eyes wavered at the sudden thought.

'But Chloe followed Adam after the academy collapsed…?'

If she was Circe's companion or pawn, shouldn't she have gone to the Holy Kingdom with her?

What were the other possibilities?

'Did she betray Circe? Or was it to monitor Adam? Or was she simply cooperating with Circe for the summoning magic?'

Thoughts became complicated, and all sorts of possibilities came to mind, but at least one thing was certain.

Chloe was currently connected to Circe. Otherwise, there was no explanation for how she found this basement and returned without any agitation after seeing the summoning magic circle.

Only the professors who cooperated with Circe would know about the summoning magic circle. The academy in the previous timeline was unaware of the summoning ritual, and the Headmistress even issued a public apology. There was no way anyone else would know.

Ruth's thoughts deepened in the dark basement.

'…The professors will be here soon.'

Should she ambush them and stop the summoning ritual as originally planned? Or should she follow Chloe?

The deliberation was short.

Dash!

Ruth, pulling her mask and hood deeper, hid herself in the darkness and soon caught up to Chloe, who was slowly walking out of the forest.

"Ek-?! …Who are you?!"

"...…."

A mysterious figure with a strange mask and an ominous sword.

Naturally, Chloe, not recognizing the disguised Ruth, shouted at her, who suddenly appeared from the darkness.

Clang!

She immediately pointed the Dark Sword at Chloe.

[[Answer only what I ask.]]

"What the hell are you talking about…"

Thanks to the mask artifact, Ruth's voice was distorted grotesquely. Chloe would never know who was blocking her path.

She transformed her identity from a Rank 6 freshman with restrictions to an unknown entity wielding her full power. It seemed like she would frequently use this identity to handle various matters in the future.

As the sharp tip of the sword pointed towards Chloe, Ruth steeled her resolve.

If, and she couldn't believe she was even thinking this, but.

'After the academy collapsed…'

If Chloe didn't follow Adam after he fell.

──But rather, Adam fell because of Chloe?

If Chloe, who was connected to Circe in some way, corrupted Adam for some reason?

'Circe only used men as test subjects. And Adam is a man.'

It was an absurd thought, a leap in logic, a mere hypothesis.

Why would she attach Chloe to Adam when she could just kidnap him? Was Adam, a mere Rank 1, worth that much? The Adam and Chloe she met in the remote kingdom clearly had a relationship where Adam was in charge. And if it was about being a man, wasn't half the world male?

Many refutations came to mind, but even then, Ruth couldn't stop the 'what ifs.'

After all, Adam was a benefactor and a good person who remained a good memory for Ruth.

It was hard to accept his downfall even after seeing it with her own eyes, so it was closer to self-defense to shift the blame to someone else.

The Chloe from the past, who screamed for massacre while burning down countless countries and cities, and the Chloe who was still just a student, overlapped. Even now, Ruth could hear the screams of people and see the corpses burning to death.

Hostility gradually filled Ruth's eyes behind the mask.

[[You must have seen it in the basement.]]

"…You, could it be…?"

[[Tell me everything honestly.]]

Through countless what ifs—if Adam really fell because of Chloe. If she could find the evidence, the grounds, to be certain.

Then Ruth wouldn't hesitate.

…She had already, once, cut Chloe's throat with this very sword.

Killing people was something she had done countless times.

[[How did you know about the summoning magic?]]

The Dark Sword gleamed ominously.