The Academy is Doomed

Chapter 119

Amon was lost in contemplation watching the sun rise outside the window.

‘Finally, the long-awaited culture festival day has dawned.’

Today’s sun would be special not only to him but also to the students.

While drinking chamomile tea that helped calm his mind and body, he barely managed to steady his excited heart that was pounding with expectations of making a big profit today.

‘It seems Gold Road Trading Company has been promoting it well, as even occasional passersby have been asking when the culture festival would be held.’

What was unexpected was that Gold Road Trading Company, known for their strict business dealings, readily agreed to promote the culture festival.

Later, he found out that when Brestle went to place orders for ingredients, she pleaded with such intense eyes that the branch manager had no choice but to agree.

‘Even merchants yield before true madness. Anyway…’

Amon looked out the window.

The stages prepared for today were located near the main gate.

This was because there weren’t many booths operating in the first place.

‘Still, we’ve gathered them well so the density looks high. Besides, we’ve prepared quite thoroughly so it should be fine.’

A stage for magic demonstrations, a booth for handmade doll making, animals waiting only for Chloe’s commands in a spacious enclosure!

And on top of that, various food booths that Brestle put her heart and soul into!

‘…How did the food booth end up being the biggest though?’

With dozens of different food items, the Academy’s chef would probably be clutching his secretly prepared resignation letter while shedding tears of blood today too.

‘Anyway, the most important thing is Rustianel’s gold-eating stage.’

Amon looked at the table and chair positioned at the center.

There, Rustianel would devour the gold coins showered upon her.

And half of the remaining pieces would be Amon’s share.

‘When the Gold Road Trading Company’s branch manager visited, I asked him to especially promote the gold-eating stage well…hehehe.’

The numerous nobles staying in Amur are starved for entertainment, so success would naturally follow!

Amon leisurely sipped his tea while looking at the culture festival grounds bathed in dawn light.

* *

The leisure was short-lived.

‘Crazy. What is this?’

Amon had somewhat underestimated the capabilities of Gold Road Trading Company.

Aside from their ability to make money well, they hadn’t particularly done anything to build trust until now, so he couldn’t help it.

But now he had to revise that thought.

“They say there’s a magic demonstration over there?”

“Let’s go right now!”

Dozens of people of all ages rush toward Boris and Marion like they’re going to devour them.

“Wow! They’re making handmade dolls over there for just the cost of materials!”

“Let’s go right now!”

Young girls rolled like balls toward Raymond and Kai.

“Horses! Mom, I want to ride a horse!”

“Let’s go right now, dear!”

Just as Chloe had predicted, boys who yearned for large animals urged their parents to lead them to the animal experience area.

And as always, food knows no bounds of gender or age.

“The chicken skewer smell is amazing!”

“Let’s eat right now!”

Despite it being early morning, the academy was bustling with hundreds of people of all ages.

Moreover, each stage set up by the students was doing brisk business!

Even Sloth, who had planned to just provide animals and relax, was sweating profusely greeting guests due to unexpected crowds, and Fiora, who thought she would just help occasionally since there were no students in charge, was running around helping here and there with her eyebrows fluttering.

Then what about our Amon’s gold-eating stage!

“Brother.”

“…What.”

“I think we’ve failed.”

Amon closed his eyes tightly at Ami’s observation.

Surprisingly, despite there being so many people, not a single person was showing even a grain of interest in Amon’s gold-eating stage.

Thanks to this, while other places were bustling with people, only the gold-eating booth was deserted as if it were in a different world.

“Should I really jump through a ring of fire…?”

“Ami, your brother trusts you.”

“Can’t you jump together with me, brother?”

“Hmm…Should we?”

While Amon and Ami were whispering, Rustianel, who had been maintaining her position solemnly, spoke in a grave voice.

“Teacher, Miss Ami. Don’t act rashly.”

“Rustianel!”

“There are many ways. For example…”

Rustianel pulled out a pouch full of gold coins from her bosom.

At that sight, Amon’s eyes flashed with greed, and realizing this, Rustianel quietly hid the pouch while saying,

“When selling things, you show samples first. Moreover, since gold-eating is an unfamiliar spectacle, we need to show an actual example.”

“Ce-certainly…”

Actually, the gold-eating booth wasn’t a completely deserted frontier from the start.

At first, customers approached with interest, but when they heard the viewing fee was one gold coin, they ran away in disgust.

It was an unavoidable fee since it was a show about eating the gold coins given as viewing fees.

“So Miss Ami, please handle the customer solicitation.”

“Okay. Leave it to me.”

Ami stepped forward confidently.

And as if proving that her claim of having worked at a fruit store wasn’t a lie, she called out in a sweet voice:

“Come oooone! Everyone! Look heeere!”

Living up to being Amon’s sister, Ami let out a loud shout, and when the attention of passing customers focused on her, she clapped her hands and continued speaking.

“Thank you for coming to Amonis Academy’s culture festival. Ah! Is everyone enjoying themselves!”

Having gathered attention in one breath, Ami quickly shouted:

“Come oooone! For those who aren’t enjoying themselves yet, a sight to see! This person here is the famous alchemist Rustianel from the Arma Mountains! Please welcome them with applause and cheers!”

Amon, who was blankly watching Ami spinning around and encouraging applause from the crowd that had somehow gathered in a circle, fell into thought.

‘She said she worked at a fruit store, but didn’t she work with circus performers or wandering merchants…?’

The kind of pitch that suspicious goods merchants would make!

She also sneakily transformed Rustianel into ‘Alchemist Rustianel.’

‘Moreover, she mentioned the Arma Mountains, an extremely remote region, and appealed to people’s interest by emphasizing the unique occupation of alchemist. Ami, you are really…’

Could his sister have the talent of a con artist!

Furthermore, Rustianel seemed to have made a quick judgment as well, as she began acting like an alchemist in line with Ami’s words.

Swoosh-!

A trick of instantly melting gold coins and floating golden liquid in the air!

Amon nodded.

‘Ah, I see. It seems Ami and Rustianel practiced together beforehand… No, that’s not it. That rascal Rustianel is sweating because this is an unexpected situation.’

Anyway, thanks to that, they succeeded in gathering interest and curiosity.

By now, even people from the food booths were approaching here with interest.

And just as people were exclaiming at Rustianel’s trick while focusing their attention.

Ami gave a signal with her eyes.

‘Now!’

Recognizing that signal, Rustianel opened her mouth wide and the melted gold coins spinning in the air were sucked in like noodles.

“Whoa! What! She ate that!”

“What did she just eat!?”

At the expected reaction, Ami looked around at the audience in a circle and said,

“The accomplished alchemist Rustianel! Right here, right now! Eat gold!”

The audience was shocked and astonished!

“Don’t believe it? Rustianel!”

Rustianel tossed a gold coin and caught it in her mouth.

And people screamed in shock at the sight of her crunching and chewing it.

“Waaah! Sh-she’s eating gold!”

“Mom! She’s eating gold!”

Ami began to incite the people, adding momentum.

“You think it might be just food covered in gold foil? No, it’s not!”

Ami picked up a gold coin and flicked it with her finger, making a clear metallic sound ring out.

Then she put it in Rustianel’s mouth, who again crunched and chewed it!

“Waaah! That child is eating gold!”

“Mom! I’m telling you she’s eating gold!”

Ami smiled slyly.

The mood was ripe, so it was time to wrap things up.

“Now! For those who still don’t believe, put your own gold coins directly into Rustianel’s mouth! But, as you all know, since Rustianel will eat that gold coin, you won’t get it back!”

* * *

At Rustianel’s gold-eating corner, now a wasteland without people.

Ami was making a sad face.

“Why aren’t there any people? Did I do the soliciting wrong?”

Amon shook his head.

“No. Although you were a bit like a medicine peddler, people’s reactions weren’t bad.”

“…Should I really jump through a ring of fire then?”

People looked at Rustianel eating gold coins with curiosity, but they wouldn’t take any out from their own purses.

In the end, the only gold coins Rustianel ate were her own.

Moreover, having eaten quite a few gold coins for soliciting customers, Rustianel was sadly looking at her now somewhat thin purse.

‘The empire’s generosity has hit rock bottom. Even though Rustianel appears to be a child on the outside despite being a dragon, and is so hungry like that, not a single person thinks to give gold coins! How can the world be so cold!’

Amon, who couldn’t help but lament, looked around.

As time passed, more and more people were gathering.

Nevertheless, they showed no intention of approaching this booth.

Occasionally when someone asks ‘What do you do here?’ and we answered ‘This person eats gold!’, they would only show interest but no one would take out their gold coins.

‘Strange, this is strange. What’s going on? Among all these people, there’s not a single wealthy person or noble? That’s impossible.’

Something was definitely wrong.

So just as Amon was about to head to the main gate to check on the guests waiting to enter.

“Ah, Senior Amon!”

Fiora, who came running as if rolling, said with a haggard face.

“You’re free! There are too many people at the animal experience area, please help!”

At that moment, Marion also came running, panting.

“Amon! There are too many people to control! Help us out!”

Kai, who had so many customers that he had started making dolls himself, came running with hands full of needle pricks.

“Senior! Please help us!”

“Kai, you rascal! Even water has its proper order! Our magic demonstration stage comes first!”

“Animal experience comes first! The Headmaster told us to bring Senior Amon!”

“Can’t you see my hands are full of holes! Please save me just this once!”

Seeing them quarreling to take him away, Amon slowly closed his eyes.

At that moment, Brestle passed by while eating and pointed accusingly.

“Tsk, playing alone while everyone’s busy.”

With his heart becoming heavy, Amon’s eyes welled up with tears.

* * *

Reinbelt was glaring at the line of people waiting to enter.

‘This time, I won’t let a single intruder in!’

Due to this mindset, Reinbelt’s aura was unconsciously surrounding the academy like an iron fortress.

This ominous aura had no effect on ordinary people who knew nothing about mana, but it was different for knights and magicians who had learned even a little mana.

‘I heard there’s a culture festival there today, but seeing this unsettling aura, better not go.’

‘Wow, look at that aura. Can’t even breathe if we go there.’

The knights from the knight order, who happened to get their paychecks today, turned away without even looking in the academy’s direction.

And the situation wasn’t different for wealthy nobles and merchants.

This was because the knights and mercenaries guarding them strongly discouraged them.

“Baron Barton, what do you mean we shouldn’t go to the culture festival?”

“There’s an unsettling aura flowing there. It’s a tremendous force that I simply cannot handle. Honestly, my legs are trembling even now.”

“If you, a Sword Expert knight, say so…I understand.”

For this reason, those entering the academy were only commoners!

There was no way ‘gold-eating,’ which was intended as an extravagant spectacle for nobles, would work out well.

But Amon, unaware of this fact, held onto hope while helping at the animal experience stage.

‘Yes, wealthy nobles will come in the evening! That’s when our stage really begins!’

Absolutely! No matter what! There was no possibility of that happening.