Reviving a Bankrupt Academy: My Financial Battle

My office is right next to the Headmistress's.

Originally, I should have been allocated a separate space like other departments, but since I'm the only one in the finance department and to emphasize that I'm the Headmistress's closest aide, it was decided that I should be here… or so the Headmistress explained.

Anyway, at first, I felt extremely uncomfortable having the Headmistress in the room next door, but that feeling disappeared as time passed. In fact, it was quite convenient to have the shortest route to scold the Headmistress whenever something happened.

In any case, due to the nature of my office, it's very rare for faculty members to come all the way to the Finance Director's office. They either have to be like Laura, who doesn't feel personally burdened by me, or at least a department head or a representative of their department.

The illusion magic professor, Alon, standing before me, didn't fall into either category, yet he was strangely confident. What was this about?

"So, you're saying you're going to release an illusion of a monster at the entrance ceremony?"

"That's correct. This is all for the betterment of the academy's educational quality!"

"…First, I have to ask, what kind of monster?"

"A manticore."

This crazy bastard.

I almost crumpled up the report the professor handed me after hearing the name of the monster and threw it in his face, but I desperately held back.

'A manticore? A manticore?'

A manticore was a monster with the face of a lion, a sturdy body, the tail of a scorpion, and the wings of a bat. Leaving out all the details and getting straight to the point.

A manticore was a Rank 7 monster whose appearance alone would put all nearby cities on high alert.

Excluding Rank 8 or higher monsters that rarely appeared outside the western wilderness of the empire, it was safe to say that the manticore was realistically the most powerful monster that could inflict damage on a nation.

And he was going to release that, even if it was an illusion, at the entrance ceremony? And as a surprise attack?

"Are you insane?"

"Finance Director, I know what you're thinking. You must be wondering if I've gone mad."

"Are you insane?"

"Unfortunately, I can't go mad until I reach the pinnacle of illusion magic. A strong mind is the most important thing in our field."

It seemed like we were communicating, yet we weren't.

This was a familiar sight. Professors weren't just educators and scholars; they were scholars who also happened to teach. They taught students, but more than that, they were deeply immersed in their own fields of study.

Especially among them, magic professors often couldn't help but unleash their specialized knowledge when their field was brought up, even if the other party refused.

I didn't know if it was because they spent all their time conducting research in their gloomy labs, or if it was to appeal for more budget, but anyway.

I interrupted the professor before he could go on about illusion magic.

"Professor Alon, I apologize, but I don't have much free time. So, I'll get straight to the point."

"…Very well."

"The matter you've brought to my attention is part of an additional event for the entrance ceremony, and considering the aftermath, it would inevitably make it impossible to proceed with the normal entrance ceremony proceedings. So, if we were to do this, it would have to be at the very end of the entrance ceremony."

"Exactly!"

"However, I don't have the authority to interfere with the order of the entrance ceremony."

"...."

Although I'm the Finance Director, and I handle all the expenses for the entrance ceremony and ultimately submit the final report, that doesn't mean I can intervene in other areas. Nor do I have any intention to.

Even considering the collapse of the entrance exam site, transporting the injured was the medical director's responsibility, and the subsequent examination process and announcement of results were the responsibility of the chief examiner. All I did was assess the repair costs and financial damage, in line with my position as Finance Director.

Therefore, Professor Alon's proposal was something he didn't need to bring to me in the first place.

And Professor Alon couldn't possibly not know that.

"If you wanted to propose a monster attack using illusion magic at the entrance ceremony, you should have gone to the academic affairs department, or at the very least, the planning department, which is in charge of the entrance ceremony."

"That's…"

"Of course, Professor Alon, you must have gone there first, and they probably told you that they would approve it if I gave my permission."

They weren't pushing the work onto me. Although the academy staff disliked me, it was only to the extent of gossip and discriminatory treatment.

It was probably because they really needed my approval.

"So, I'll ask you directly."

"...."

"Just how much will it cost?"

The reason Professor Alon came to me must be because his proposal exceeded the budget allocated for the entrance ceremony.

To spend more money than that, he absolutely needed my approval.

At my question, Professor Alon gulped and quietly took out a report, placing it respectfully in front of me.

Below various items, the final estimated cost was.

"What the f*ck."

"F-Finance Director?"

"Are you crazy?"

I dropped the formal speech and automatically switched to informal speech.

This guy was trying to shorten the academy's lifespan by a day?

"I, I know it's a considerable amount! But…!!"

"Spit it out."

"Pardon?"

"You've been strangely confident since the beginning. You must have something you're relying on, right?"

"Uh…"

"I'll hear you out, so speak. Convince me like the professor you are!"

The students who would be shocked by the manticore attack, even if it was an illusion? Students getting hurt while running away? Dealing with the aftermath of the illusion magic and potential complaints from parents?

I put all that aside for now. Of course, those were things to consider, but as the Finance Director, my priority was something else.

'It has to be profitable.'

Or at least worth the money.

Of course, the academy wasn't a business. That meant not everything we did had to generate profit.

Providing students with better textbooks, replacing training equipment, or hiring new professors were all things that only cost money, but I wouldn't object to them with harsh words and curses like I did just now. Those were things the academy naturally had to do.

But hadn't all those budgets been decided at the recent budget planning meeting for each department? The allocated budget was to be used at each department's discretion, so Professor Alon's proposal was probably rejected by the magic department and brought to me.

So, if he wanted to use money that wasn't already allocated, completely new money.

It naturally had to be 'productive.'

"Haa… Professor Alon, I apologize for my harsh words. Do you see the stack of documents next to me? I've been working overtime for two days straight, and I have to process all of this by today. I couldn't help but be on edge."

"Oh, no, it's okay. I understand, Finance Director."

"So please, please tell me you have a logical and rational reason. I don't want to use harsh words with you again."

My last words were sincere. I was already exhausted, and if he started rambling on about improving the quality of education and evaluating students' improvisation skills, I really would crumple up the report and throw it in his face.

As I tried to calm myself down, Professor Alon, looking nervous, took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

"According to a recent report published by the Imperial Magic Association, an analysis of trends over the next 30 years showed that illusion magic is the field with the highest potential for practical use. Illusion magic was classified as a part of shamanism used by barbarians just 200 years ago and didn't receive much attention, but times have changed."

"And so?"

"Thanks to this trend, the kingdom's ministers and the Mage Corps are showing a growing interest in illusion magic. And some of them attend the Grandis Academy entrance ceremony every year to grace the occasion."

The introduction was long. In any case, if I felt it was long, then it was long.

Perhaps sensing my impatience, Professor Alon spoke faster.

"If a manticore, created with elaborate illusion magic, appears at such an entrance ceremony, it will naturally draw attention to illusion magic."

"Is there a need to attract attention by causing such a commotion, or rather, a mock attack, at the entrance ceremony?"

"People tend to remember visually striking and surprising experiences longer. This is a way to test the students' improvisation skills, try a new evaluation method that breaks away from the existing framework, and attract attention to illusion magic all at the same time."

"If I'm not mistaken, everything I've heard so far seems to only benefit the illusion magic department… which is to say, Professor Alon's department."

Professors couldn't conduct research with just the academy's budget. So, I understood their goal of attracting investment from businesses and influential people to carry out their research.

But why should we use the academy's precious funds to do something that only benefits the illusion magic department?

Professor Alon lowered his posture slightly and continued in a quiet voice.

"The academy will receive 20% of all future investments in the illusion magic department as a donation."

"…Hmm."

"How about it?"

"The contract period is until 30 years from now. If the investment doesn't reach the basic target amount after one year, the percentage will increase to 30%, and the donation will be made in Professor Alon's name, not the illusion magic department's."

"Y-yes?"

"Those are my conditions."

"T-thirty years? And increasing the percentage to 30%…"

"I'll give you time to think about it. The deadline is before I leave work today."

"Wait a minute. It's already afternoon, and if it's before the Finance Director leaves work…"

"...."

"Ah."

What's with the exclamation, you bastard?

Seeing the mountain of documents piled up next to me, Professor Alon realized that he had plenty of time, at least until midnight today, and immediately bowed his head and left my office.

'No, maybe even tomorrow.'

Looking at the mountain of documents that seemed impossible to finish today.

I slumped down with a dejected look.

I want to go home…

***

"Uh, Finance Director? You seem to have become quite disheveled lately."

"I haven't left the office in three days, so it's inevitable."

"Your dark circles are also quite…"

"At least I'm washing up. You had this level of workload in mind when you built a bathroom and sleeping quarters in the office, didn't you?"

"Ahem, ahem."

Even though I was just going to the dormitory inside the academy after work, sleeping at home and sleeping in the office sleeping quarters were on completely different levels.

Looking at the superior who was the cause of my overtime, I naturally felt a surge of murderous intent, but I heard the Headmistress working in the next room while I was pulling all-nighters.

I couldn't complain when she was working overtime too. I just sighed and handed the Headmistress a document.

It was the same approval document I received from Professor Alon.

"Hmm? What's this…?"

"It's a proposal from Professor Alon of the illusion magic department in the magic field. To summarize it briefly in three lines for you, it's as follows."

1. I want to release an illusion monster at the entrance ceremony to promote illusion magic.

2. This will also be helpful for education.

3. So, give me money.

"That's all."

"…He came all the way to the office and submitted this directly to the Finance Director?"

"That's correct."

"You sent him back alive, right?"

"What do you take me for?"

Of course, if I were a selfless Rank 8, I would have smashed his head in, but I was a perfectly rational member of society.

Next year, for some reason, the budget for the magic department would be slightly cut. Probably.

"So, what else is there?"

"How did you know?"

"If this was all there was to Professor Alon's proposal, a certain Finance Director I know wouldn't have even reported it to me. He would have just crumpled it up and thrown it in the trash."

"…He then offered to donate 20% of all future investments in the illusion magic department to the academy."

"Oh?"

Was the Headmistress also changing little by little? The Headmistress, who would normally only express displeasure at such deals, now had a rather intrigued look on her face.

Still, I hoped she wouldn't change too much.

"However, I deemed the conditions insufficient and modified them. The details are also in the document."

"Specifying the deadline, conditional increase in percentage… and the name on the donation… These are essential points. They're also likely things Professor Alon deliberately avoided mentioning."

"They are scholars, not merchants. I can overlook this much."

If a trading company had done this, I would have immediately unleashed a combo of reprimanding them and smashing their heads in, but he was a professor belonging to the same academy.

More importantly, from my perspective, having conducted various negotiations and deals, this was a rather cute level of trickery, so I decided to let it slide… but.

The Headmistress's expression was somewhat strange.

"Headmistress, what will you do? In my opinion—"

"Wait. Would it be alright if I shared my opinion first?"

"…? Yes, I don't mind."

Well, was she going to say that we couldn't cause such a commotion at the entrance ceremony, or that only the students in the magic and martial arts departments would benefit from this while the students in the administration department would be mere spectators, or bring up the risk of injuries and stampedes caused by confused students?

Considering the Headmistress's personality, which prioritized students and education, these were things she would definitely say. Since I wasn't keen on this deal from the beginning, I was planning to simply agree if she opposed it, but.

"I think we should accept it."

"What? May I ask why?"

"Because if we inform Miss Claudia, Princess Beatrice, and the other candidates we received bribes from about this in advance, we can collect additional bribes!"

"...."