Chapter 26
LdwPQThe professors and administrators of the academy were discussing how to handle the corpse of the sea dragon.iXLfG
nYabMore precisely, they were debating how to process the sea dragon’s byproducts and who would claim the biggest share of the profits.lZpURX
rZOThe corpse of a spirit beast as powerful as a sea dragon represented an enormous sum of money and valuable research material.sMcmTiL
x6l7“I believe the majority should go to me.”mCK
4b70Professor Grad from the Knight Department raised his voice vehemently.KTVe
yjEYIA“I was the one who distracted the sea dragon from the front and inflicted the fatal wound. Thanks to that, we were able to bring it down relatively easily.”bNTX8t
VafNo one could deny that he was the first to charge at the sea dragon, preventing casualties among the students, and that he had confronted it head-on to aid its defeat.GN6Ul
of4xBut in the face of greed, such facts became trivial.gYUB
Vgt“Hold on, Professor Grad. If not for my lightning magic, the sea dragon would’ve wreaked havoc for much longer.”Sl2tMWI
hntm5“I was the one who pierced its heart with my spear, Grad.”gWQ
PPg“If we’re going to say the kill matters most, then it’s unfair to ignore that I evacuated the most students.”BsOX2N
dJSH1The professors’ voices escalated one after another until the head of the Administration Department calmed them down.eea185S
qObMBK“Rather than the distribution, isn’t it more important to decide to whom and how it will be sold, and for how much? The split can come after.”gnaGO
ZC9KF90“…Not a bad idea.”TIm
4rtZK“I agree.”ccpyT3r
o0sSince the value of a spirit beast’s corpse decreases over time, several professors nodded.gutP
umTaiDy“And you’ll handle that?”iT2aWfw
dMMP“Of course. If it’s going to be sold in the academy’s name, it’s only right that we manage it.”uLFIev
K0Nvb“And in exchange?”FxXMF
yBd“We’re not asking much. Just a modest compensation for the effort…”h1oYx
GYYsx5“Ridiculous!”7Hnr4
muA“Don’t be absurd!”jsxgQWw
efmcWhile the Administration Department usually handled the academy’s internal affairs, it had no rights over the byproducts of monsters that appeared during practical classes.5IXMi
mpszThe attempt to quietly take a cut was rejected on the spot, and the department head crossed his arms in displeasure.3cS20hp
iZVCCtJ“But aren’t all of you busy? This isn’t a minor matter, and selling something like this takes effort.”I6z
OBOk“Pff, if there’s anything the academy has plenty of, it’s rich people and nobles.”LrLRtxl
aVHEven the heir to the richest family on the continent was a student at that academy.dMycpDj
jrJwY“No, wait a moment. I don’t want to sell anything. I’d rather receive the byproducts directly.”5KF
kTv“Same here. Especially the sea dragon’s mana core…”lvz
ylrXGc“Then pay the market price.”xZZ
2vvKE“What kind of nonsense is that?”x1PDk
MQIs0KpThe professors split into two camps: those who wanted the byproducts directly, and those who preferred selling them and splitting the profits.p6J
JTFD5After much debate, they finally reached a conclusion.XyP
67fyx“Then let’s sell to the highest bidder. And anyone who wants a specific byproduct must pay above that price. The money will be divided according to contribution.”AcC
PHEShJO“So be it.”NIo361M
n5DxQHbThe first to be contacted, of course, was Pellenberg.5D5Fd
AAiZ5Da***dWRtJux
1VYugvCThe sun had already risen.kz09N
2krwHearing the chirping of sparrows, Fernan finally stretched and loosened his stiffened body.R7qB
HgfTJKnock, knock.aBn
f6i“Come in.”Wkm9oy
HaKu“You haven’t slept at all, have you?”IX0oVdO
aK1d“I’ve always had it in my head, but when I try to put it on paper, I run into a thousand obstacles.”qWz
5sWZ1Dozens of papers and empty ink bottles were scattered across Fernan’s room.emYRP2P
016b“Well, the object in question deserves it…”F4LV5Gl
cKIA colossal 10-meter golem.lThNga
O64With much of its body made of mithril and adamantite. Nearly divine functions, difficult to integrate. And on top of that, autonomous consciousness.1Yh
bHbmNot something one could approach lightly.hSs7F
SIg4“But come on, if we’re going to build a golem with adamantite and mithril, it needs to have those kinds of functions. Otherwise, it’d be a waste of minerals.”9He3dPQ
f9RZI“That’s true… but is it really possible to build a golem with ego…?”ccFB
BM7gqVQAn “ego golem” had never existed in the world. If it were possible, it would’ve already been invented. And if one emerged, it would be a magical revolution.8AwEp
gT9Vfiv“Don’t doubt it. I’ve seen the potential.”1yrfX
9CDI6DThe proof was Gardner Alfenparsen’s legendary ego sword, left by the First Emperor. If a soul could dwell in a mithril sword, then it could inhabit a golem too.6WDeY2
mQpdecW“Certainly… I didn’t know mithril had that kind of potential.”3ZpGUu
hWMKHMagic dealing with souls was an extremely complex field.QzjAIxg
RjGju74“And if that were possible, what kind of soul do you plan to use?”6io9wf
a37From Hyde’s perspective, that was the biggest concern. It was doubtful anyone would willingly become a golem, and if forced, it was unclear whether they’d obey Fernan.voHLtD
Jyj“I’ll insert multiple obedience seals. There’s no scenario where something I create refuses to obey.”XvGVCE
VqU“If you use a living human soul, you might be considered a demon in the magical community.”9T8
z6h8Although there were madmen who ignored ethics, like in any organization, the magical community maintained a semblance of moral boundaries.4uqHl
aGuTeG9“Don’t worry. I’m not going to use just any soul.”pTcj
aNo0“…I still want to live, young master.”QH8
SzNHyde took a step back.IND
0R0Z“Don’t be ridiculous.”xOmhZlo
TJpgZmJ“Then, who do you have in mind?”rVPAkho
yi89t“A spirit.”Kfpv1q
IhiZefcFernan didn’t know how to manipulate a living human soul, nor did his vast Pellenberg network include anyone capable of such a feat.QRi
PGGIf it did, that person would be more of a disaster than a talent.oyXOux
3K1jDBut spirits were different. They were spiritual beings from the start, and had a certain level of intelligence.xitV
XEpThey were ideal candidates for an ego golem.6O3txcH
8z6U“Certainly, if it’s a spirit, there might be a chance but…”RFB
f3C91Just then—Chq
TRL2kj“Sir.”rqsA
jpqA staff member from the Golden Turtle Company appeared.C8eG
XfVe“What is it?”ufWc
vqJ1XFR“A client has arrived at the company.”WnZJmjw
DWRs91G“A client?”PlE3
nwTm4e“It’s just that…”qL1
I1gCFernan had the sudden feeling he could smell money in the air.VvZq
3ehzT***IkLYv
R4S“I used a bit of influence, Fernan. Everyone was saying Pellenberg would try to lowball the price, but I insisted you wouldn’t do something like that.”C8Ys4
ldMazFernan silently sipped his coffee.ZQzDU
d7Oc6aApparently, he had called this sudden meeting just to talk about that. But if it was on that subject, it was always welcome.tnA
J9XUJVA“They asked me if I’d accepted money from you, but I said of course not. The logical thing is to sell to the richest merchant.”ZyRMuh
PiViU“Certainly, you’ve never accepted money from anyone.”w4YL
orQHe had simply picked up a bag of coins that had fallen inside his house.ZK4xZO
2TQ“Exactly. But some people don’t know anything and keep going on about whether I took money from you or not, bah.”AQEV
nDE3Grad nodded shamelessly.6xOcLjn
BUk0gIn the end, if he didn’t have that level of brazenness, he never would’ve been able to keep profiting from Fernan.osyv0
GZN“So in short, our family will go first.”RbW5
CSa“That’s right. I came as a representative of the academy.”XwmbT
JkF1caB“But is it proper to approach a student like this directly?”Txvrs
mnCn1JGAt that question, Grad gave an incredulous look.YI1uww
IC5“You’re not exactly the one to talk, considering how you meet privately with the staff.”crkp
TwJx“Who knows.”9JMe61
qdG“The academy already sent a formal letter to the Pellenberg family.”inBhjYG
rJUdWMeaning this meeting with Fernan was just to further secure the deal.7jX
fUO“A sea dragon, huh? There are some parts I’m interested in.”jOS
y4eWlse“It won’t be sold in pieces. If you’re going to buy it, it has to be the whole thing.”6cK
2URs“That changes things a bit.”vPUKhB
7w3QpFZNot that it was a big problem.MbK
Xi41IRAs an assistant, Fernan had already inspected the sea dragon’s corpse.gQC
5kdXIts teeth and bones were hard enough to make weapons. Its blood and eyes were packed with mana and served as alchemical ingredients. The scales were perfect for making armor or other defensive gear.EOaHhv3
44dedAIt was a spirit beast without a single part going to waste. Whether bought whole or in parts, it was all useful.rSa
vOIJfzzBut that didn’t mean he had to give the impression of playing along.VYZZn
ryfKF“Let’s not play dumb. What do you really want?”EpDFqe
Gcdc“What does a merchant want? A better product at a better price.”aGstv
OBjkhv“Even if it’s limited to the academy, this is technically an auction. I can’t give you a special price just like that.”mVNBPB4
NRDxZPIFernan knew that too. And from the moment the sea dragon’s corpse went into the academy’s hands, he had expected this.Ngs3r
jrM0ZqQThat body was a source of magical materials for mages and weapon components for knights.AWC4DAX
1PG5QIzFrom the beginning, he hadn’t planned on offering discounts. He knew that if he did, he’d lose the chance to get it.zTul392
yIT“But… can’t I offer you something else in exchange?”mVQW
a6nHe couldn’t save money, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t gain some additional benefit.oskwtp
3IG6g“…What do you want?”PD6l
VfBXt9e“Exclusive rights.”ga4eBz
QiFJ8Qq“Exclusive rights?”9WQ
YKwh“If the academy is going to buy ships in the future, I want an exclusivity contract stating it will only buy from the Golden Turtle Company.”jC0Vy
79em5W6“Ships? Now ships?”Hbd
0dbX8GnYes, it sounded sudden. But from Fernan’s perspective, who had already seen the future, it wasn’t sudden at all.uNz
OfBYCENThe monster ambush. The sunken yacht. The noble heirs adrift at sea.PeU72N
LOJXAfter that incident, the academy would realize that limiting itself to teaching ground combat wasn’t enough and would open maritime combat classes.v9Htx1O
REnuhonAnd of course, those classes would require ships.wt0jgf
7B4awv‘And it’s not like they’d buy one ship and be done.’SHw0
Mpi37DThe course involved battling sea monsters as part of naval combat training.KqiXT
JG2oShips would be constantly damaged and require expensive repairs. And if one were completely destroyed, a new one would be needed. In short, it was a long-term business with massive profit margins.hls
iMQlUz9“…But how many ships do you think the academy would even buy?”SbH
AQmBtThe academy didn’t consume many ships on its own. Just a few ferries to cross the continent.cYu
m0pAnd those ferries were already escorted by the imperial navy, so they didn’t need replacing often.LwfZAhA
loQo“Leave that to me. You just sign the contract. If you do, I’ll buy the sea dragon corpse at a very reasonable price. And who knows, maybe a little pouch of coins might fall into your mansion, professor.”2ch
L9muIt was an absurd proposal… but Grad’s eyes gleamed with greed.tN5
vj6ezW2“…I don’t have the authority for that, but I’ll at least present the proposal to the rector.”yfpDv0
dioSg“Thanks.”eDJIl
F7I‘Grad won’t be able to do it alone. I’ll have to use other contacts to back the request.’Wdy3h2
s3UFFernan bowed his head.k42
ac93gd***Dghg
6A6o“……”cRsF
34a“……”Pl9Pms7
D3BtURA heavy silence filled the air. Fernan waited quietly until she chose to speak.doXjSF
u4X“That was an action I can’t understand at all.”chD
XVS5“Not at all?”08F8xhW
qAA7O“Isn’t it obvious? Skipping all your classes just for a temporary assistant post? There’s no better example of losing a lot for wanting too little.”HMzG
aUuFernan couldn’t agree with Luina’s words.6h4
Jfbd7hHe hadn’t lost much for little; he had gained a lot by risking a lot. If he hadn’t gotten involved, he never would’ve obtained that much mithril and adamantite.lhoXH
kicahE‘Though maybe I would’ve gotten the mithril even if I hadn’t gone.’oxRUeDN
CmgHvEMaybe, even if the future had followed its original course, Aint might’ve sold him the mithril due to the butterfly effect triggered by the Saint Bird.TTOdvO
pH1geWhatever that future might’ve been, the present was undeniably a much better outcome.d2xKn
pKlvbQ“It was necessary. If I wanted to match your grades, I had to push myself to the limit.”qrCyG
3rb8MNW“Don’t try to weasel out with that. Skipping other classes just to raise your grades—is that the right thing? What if there had been practicals or tests that week? What would you have done?”SNYMu
B192Fernan and Luina were partners in several classes.DDhvq
3bmFrom his perspective, they took classes like “Magical Survival Techniques,” “Combat, War, and Magic,” and “Study of Monsters and Magical Beasts” together.EOM3t
D0M7From hers, it was “Field Survival Techniques,” “Real Combat and War,” and also “Study of Monsters and Magical Beasts.”Z6LWr
PvowzNBut for a whole week, Fernan had vanished, and Luina had lost her partner.MnCgayU
BfU81“By some miracle there were no practicals. But if there had been, what would you have done?”9De
xENy“I had considered everything before accepting.”aDzKH
3y1jYC7“And what does that matter?”5Pkah
3t5A“…I apologize for not consulting with you first.”iDxoolX
4f2GYODIt was true, but Fernan couldn’t take a firm stance. It was the same reason as with Aint.C6m
zFKAint Armian was the hero destined to save the world—and the one who would ruin it if he failed—so he had to be handled delicately. And Luina was the one who would ignite that fuse. So the same applied to her.p71hQ
Z6Wd5ud“Nothing serious happened, so I’ll let it go. But please, don’t let it happen again.”ytdoG
2vio3“I’ll keep that in mind.”mXE
EvDK1Luckily, Luina accepted the apology without issue.Xg6bAc
Im6lDRJ“By the way, while you were a temporary assistant, nothing special happened?”yqV7Y
xDIwCQN“No. Most of the classes focused on theory last week.”1hk
NVDIt was normal that when one grade had practicals, professors and assistants from other grades helped out.SZ81v
snMuThat’s why most second-year classes were limited to theory.qbZkMNg
xpLJf“Oh, though something interesting did happen.”wU6YtG
IHa“Interesting?”z4xZDJ7
LXP“There was a duel in third year. The top student from the Knight Department faced off against the top student from the Magic Department.”cyM
TgF“That must’ve been chaos.”xCLDB
pTNRV2qThe academy officially promoted harmony and cooperation. But humans were naturally tribal creatures.e450
KcixUpEven if they were all students from the same academy, differences between departments created rivalry.2kX
AaVmlVvAnd the rivalry between knights and mages ran deep even outside the academy.j1ETcW3
uLxNeL“Yeah. And the top student from the Magic Department, Senior Liana, beat the top knight, Senior Barog.”XD5g27
3yQ“Then Barog must’ve become a traitor.”B4Do
meaqJH“That’s an exaggeration, of course, but they’re also accusing him of throwing the duel.”oIrI2R
YGK“Throwing it? Was there betting involved?”IPt5ng
NlEPvFernan tilted his head at the absurdity of the accusation. What sense would it make to throw a simple inter-department duel?dtGGV
Ufq‘Well, every time there’s a duel, betting tables do get set up…’8Tr
KuZhwJ4He had encouraged student betting, yes, but in a duel between top students, throwing the match didn’t make sense. At least, as far as he knew.dsKKXCk
tR9W“…Does your mind always go there naturally?”bxq7MY
wT6On0HEven under Luina’s suggestive gaze, Fernan remained unfazed.ye18hz
MWvp6cE“Money is truth. And any method of earning it is valid.”Ymn
LAAsl“I don’t care about your values. And no, it wasn’t about betting.”aWdT1ZK
1YEHhQ7“Then why do they say it was rigged?”ysUzz
0rj“They say the top knight and the top mage… are a couple. That’s why they suspect he lost on purpose.”JAwLNDb
eeF“…Now that’s an interesting story.”GcEW8Y
KKS2There hadn’t been any updates in his information network about that relationship, so it must be recent.WbudkfX
OzrJSA‘The Hernim family is quite wealthy… and if it’s Barog Hernim, he’s known to be very devoted.’8gM08
9uFXR6NIf expensive jewelry or magical artifacts were recommended, he’d probably buy several without hesitation.bPAOE
I9bjtpc‘I’ll have to make him an offer soon.’Z2e
MFn1fAfter all, selling to nobles was always a very profitable business.UZ4VtDQ
Vcy9“And now that I think of it, that wasn’t the main topic.”Kry7
vCCxKAr“Go on.”M1G
MK9This time, it had been Luina who asked to meet first.ShC
lcG8USShe’d requested this meeting with Fernan, and he didn’t think it was just to scold him about the assistant thing.lqPMHd
S8GxL“I think I found traces of a demon.”53T
CWnT“…What did you say?”KHf
okbzasAlthough he never imagined it would be that.Yjkt4
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