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"Of course, this is assuming we accept all of them."
"Naturally."
"Now we need to discuss that."
One might think, "Why are we discussing this now after the terrorist attack already happened?" But…
The problem was that 20 donation letters arrived in a single day.
It went too well.
'Six letters from territories adjacent to the academy, four from trading companies, and nine personal ones.'
The letters from the adjacent territories were understandable. They relied on the academy for various economic activities, such as tolls from people traveling to and from the academy, so they naturally paid close attention to the academy's situation.
Moreover, the ground must have shaken in the really close territories due to the Headmistress's Aura wave. Any lord with any sense would send a letter of comfort and donations to avoid getting on her bad side. No one would want to be disliked by the one who could create a basin with a single punch.
The same went for the trading companies. It took several days for letters to travel within the kingdom, but it was the trading companies and knight orders that were entrusted with transporting those letters. Those who were most sensitive to information, especially trading companies that supplied goods to the academy, would naturally send donations and letters.
The personal letters weren't a concern. They were literally from individuals, graduates who sent letters and donations, which were quite small compared to those from territories and trading companies.
The problem was…
"This letter."
"…This seal."
"Yes, it's from the royal family."
This, this was it.
What I meant by "assuming we accept all of them" was whether to accept this letter from the royal family. The other 19 weren't a problem.
Then was the fact that the royal family sent donations a problem?
Of course not.
"The distance from here to the capital is…"
"At least two days, even riding at full speed on horseback, unless it's a Rank 5 or higher mage who can use teleportation magic."
"But the letter arrived in a single day?"
"Yes."
It was plausible for a letter of comfort and donations to arrive. However, what concerned me was that the letter arrived 'already.'
Though there might be a royal mage stationed at the academy, Grandis Academy was practically the Headmistress's own nation, so there was no way such a stationed personnel would exist. This was especially true considering the subtle power struggle between the Headmistress and the royal family.
In the first place, they wouldn't waste a valuable resource like a Rank 5 or higher mage on something like being stationed at the academy.
And yet, as if there were a mage stationed there, news of the terrorist attack spread quickly, and letters and donations arrived immediately.
This meant only one thing.
"It seems there's an eye of the royal family within the academy that we don't know about."
"…Akendelminos, how dare they."
"They're still thoroughly wary of you, Headmistress."
The royal family wasn't wary of Grandis Academy. They were wary of the Headmistress.
The Headmistress was the greatest asymmetrical power the kingdom possessed, but at the same time, she was the most threatening competitor to the 'royal family.'
They couldn't help but be wary of the powerful individual who could overthrow the royal family and become the monarch herself if things went wrong.
However, thanks to the Headmistress dedicating herself to education and staying at the academy for decades, the royal family couldn't easily touch the academy. But…
"It seems they consider this an opportunity. But they won't be hoping for much."
"…They're probably hoping to gain some influence over the academy through donations. Or to diminish my authority."
"The influence of Grandis Academy has grown too much over the decades."
Frankly, whether it was the royal family or nobles from other territories, Grandis Academy graduates were sticking together, forming cartels, and supporting each other. It was no exaggeration to say that most high-ranking officials were Grandis Academy graduates.
Of course, that didn't mean the Headmistress could control them, but the fact that those who supported the pillars of the kingdom shared the common ground of Grandis Academy…
As long as she was the Headmistress of Grandis Academy, she could easily contact them in some way. That fact alone must have been a burden to the royal family.
That's why they were trying to prevent the Headmistress from being the Headmistress, or at least reduce her influence within the academy.
"Perhaps it would have been better to accept the dukedom they offered after the civil war and become independent…"
"If we had done that, we wouldn't have been able to create an academy like this. The nobles of the kingdom would avoid it."
"That's true… sigh."
Any nation, any community, would be wary of an individual with power and influence within their central authority. Even if they had no ulterior motives, their existence alone posed a threat.
In such a situation, the royal family sent a letter of comfort and donations. As if to flaunt their information network.
Moreover, the amount was considerable.
"If we refuse only the royal family's donation, the donations we receive will be less than half."
"Is it that much?"
"Of course, it's still half of what we've received so far. If news of the terrorist attack spreads properly, we'll receive even more donations."
"But if we refuse only the royal family's donation…"
"There will definitely be backlash."
It seemed there was no perfect solution. Actually, there was no perfect solution from the moment they had to resort to staging a terrorist attack due to their financial situation.
If they accepted the donations, the royal family would undoubtedly try to exert their influence somehow. They didn't know what method they would use yet.
If they refused, they needed a valid reason. Refusing only the royal family's donation would be too obvious, and refusing all donations would render the terrorist attack meaningless.
With both options causing headaches, the Headmistress fell into deep thought.
"But Headmistress."
"Yes?"
"This is what I've been getting paid for."
I gave the Headmistress, who had a "You barely get paid anything" look on her face, a confident smile. Just understand, okay?
In the current situation, either option would cause significant damage. Honestly, we had anticipated this outcome when we started this, but that's how the human mind works.
People only want options that are beneficial and try to avoid any loss. It's only natural.
And that's what the Finance Director was for.
"In a week, the entire kingdom will know about this terrorist attack."
"That's… likely, isn't it?"
"So we'll hold a charity ball in a week."
"Excuse me?"
It wasn't unusual. Using a ball as a means to discuss matters or receive financial aid was common among nobles.
However, it was the first time since the establishment of Grandis Academy. There was no need to hold a charity ball in the first place.
'They said that the children of great nobles gather similarly during the festival.'
This was just the academy version of that. Those who sent these letters and donations would all attend. Many graduates would also come, for the sake of their alma mater and the opportunity to meet and make connections.
In other words…
Almost all the high-ranking officials and nobles in the kingdom would gather in one place.
"To prevent the royal family from acting recklessly, to restrict their actions as much as possible…"
"...…"
"We'll make this a huge event."
Could the royal family scheme in a place where all the nobles and influential figures were gathered? In a place where they were clearly cautious, even to the point of the king personally delivering an artifact to the Headmistress?
I didn't think so.
"As expected of the Finance Director! If we finalize the donations at that ball, the royal family won't be able to say anything!"
"…However, there's one drawback to this plan."
"A drawback? Ah, is it about the venue or etiquette?"
"The budget."
"…Excuse me?"
"We're expecting numerous nobles and influential figures from the kingdom to attend, so the estimated cost of the ball itself is substantial."
I wasn't joking; it was the truth. Of course, it wasn't an insurmountable amount, but it was still an expense.
It was a necessary process, but it was a shame to spend so much money on a one-time event like a ball.
Seeing my serious expression, the Headmistress looked quite troubled.
"Th-then what should we do? Should I go catch another monster…?"
"Normally, I would have asked you to do that, but fortunately, the academy was attacked by terrorists. There's a method we can use in this situation."
It was truly fortunate. The Headmistress, who had to disguise herself and hide her power, wasn't very efficient at things like deep-sea fishing or monster hunting. If things went wrong, I would have been stuck with all the paperwork alone, but luckily, we had this situation.
"I heard the final exams were suspended due to the terrorist attack."
"Th-that's right. But since they were almost finished, we can grade them based on that."
"Let's resume the final exams."
"You mean start again in the forest? But everyone has already returned."
"Not the forest, but the reconstruction of the academy will be the final exam."
"Ah."
"We'll give extra points to those who help with the reconstruction in any way. To avoid fairness issues, we'll set a maximum score, and even helping a little will earn them the maximum."
"But wouldn't that make the grades meaningless? If all students get the same score, nothing changes."
"It's the same if everyone does it, but if they don't, they'll fall behind."
Moreover, even helping for a few hours would be enough. Most students would participate since they had an attachment to the academy.
Even if it was just a few hours for each student, with the total number of students in the academy, it would be an incredible amount of labor.
Free labor, of course.
"Let's have them help until the ball. The nobles and high-ranking nobles will be happy to help in exchange for extra credit. It's easier than manual labor."
"…There might be complaints later about mobilizing students with grades."
"What are you talking about? The students all helped 'voluntarily.'"
"Oh."
"There are no extra points or anything. Naturally, it won't be officially recorded. If things get complicated, we can just give them candy in the form of scholarships after receiving the donations."
"…I'm always grateful that the Finance Director is on my side."
"You flatter me."
Anyway, it was enough to bury everything under the commotion of the terrorist attack. Most students would be satisfied with the Headmistress expressing her gratitude for their help.
Those who would raise objections? Haha, their academy life would become a bit difficult.
'I don't hold grudges.'
If there was strong opposition, I could just give them money in the form of scholarships after the fact. Since the donations would significantly stabilize our finances, that wouldn't be a problem. Besides, it was still cheaper than hiring the Carpentry Guild.
Alright, then I should write a detailed plan—
"Cough! Cough!"
"…Headmistress? Headmistress!?"
"Cough!! …Sigh, I guess I overdid it this time."
"Are you coughing up blood?"
"It's been a while since I used this much Aura, so I think I injured myself internally. Don't worry, it's not to the point of my rank dropping."
Blood trickled down the Headmistress's lips as she spoke. I quickly checked her body by touch.
"F-Finance Director!?"
"Please stay still."
While the rest of her body was fine, there was one spot where even I, a Rank 1, could sense something was wrong.
The Headmistress's abdomen felt completely empty.
"What's wrong here?"
"…I used all the Aura in my body. It will recover within a week if I rest well."
"Why did you go so far? You didn't have to push yourself against someone like Malton."
"…He touched the Finance Director. He grabbed you by the collar, trying to kidnap you. Thinking about that made me a bit angry."
"Headmistress."
It wasn't that I couldn't understand her grandmotherly heart towards her grandson, but…
This was something to be cautious about.
"Please remember, Headmistress, you are the academy. Never push yourself unnecessarily again."
"But."
"Promise me."
"…Yes, alright."
Although she seemed displeased, the Headmistress quietly nodded. Even though we had already secured our safety with the trump card.
It wouldn't have been a problem even if Malton had grabbed me by the collar or slapped me… probably. I wasn't sure if it was absolutely safe against a Rank 7.
Anyway, after giving her a warning, a strange atmosphere lingered in the Headmistress's room. It wasn't a romantic atmosphere, but rather…
It was like the calm before the storm.
"Finance… Director."
"Headmistress?"
"You see… there's something…"
As the Headmistress took a step towards me, I took a step back. What was with this sudden atmosphere?
My intuition was ringing alarm bells.
"Actually, there was something I wanted to say during the festival."
"Excuse me? During the festival?"
"I couldn't go because of that incident. So I couldn't say it then…"
My intuition was screaming warnings. That I shouldn't stay here. That I had to prepare immediately.
But the strange thing was…
It wasn't the strange atmosphere of the Headmistress that it was warning me about, but the window—
Crash!!!!!
"Th-that tremor just now, could it be…!!"
"...…"
Click!
I hurriedly looked out the large window of the Headmistress's office and saw smoke and a collapsing building in the distance. It was an all too familiar explosion and tremor.
And what I saw in between…
"Purple chains, Chain Binding? And high-ranking fire magic… there are only two students who can use those."
"...…"
"Headmistress, we need to go now! I'll hear your story later!"
"…Yes."
So this was it. My intuition was screaming danger for a reason. The expense alarm in my head was ringing like crazy.
I quickly left the Headmistress's office and ran towards the center of the explosion.
It had been quiet for a while, but yes, this was Grandis Academy.
Now then…
'Chloe, Beatrice…!!'
You damn building destroyers.
What is it this time!?