Reviving a Bankrupt Academy: My Financial Battle

In a small room on one side of the entrance ceremony hall.

I sat facing Ruth in the room, just big enough to fit two people and a table.

"Mr. Ruth Spero, we meet again after the entrance exam."

"…Indeed."

"It will be a while before the entrance ceremony resumes. It won't take too long, so you don't have to be nervous."

"…Yes."

Unlike me, smiling leisurely, Ruth seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

It was an understandable reaction considering he was facing a high-ranking official of the academy, but for some reason…

Ruth seemed a little restless to my eyes.

A reaction slightly different from nervousness.

However, instead of observing Ruth closely, I took out the documents I had brought.

"Anyway, you probably already know why I'm here."

"…I do."

Ruth, who was trembling slightly at my words…

Seemed to have made up his mind, took a deep breath, and looked up to meet my eyes.

Why the sudden change?

"If it's about the restriction, I remember. The reason I deliberately used Sword Qi is because of you—"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"…Didn't you come here because I used Sword Qi just now?"

"No? That's the job of the Head of Student Affairs, a certain man who lives with overtime and dark circles. As you know, I'm the Finance Director."

"Th-then…?"

"You can explain the reason and circumstances for using Sword Qi to the people from the Student Affairs Department who will come later. I'm here because of this."

The words written on the document I took out were simple.

Tuition Fee Notice.

"…Oh."

"You said you would pay five times the tuition fee at the entrance exam site. Do you remember me saying that I would prepare the documents myself?"

"Yes…"

"I was busy with the entrance ceremony these past few days, but I managed to prepare it just in time."

According to the regulations, even if someone offered to pay five times the amount, we couldn't actually charge them five times the original tuition. There would be no reason to set a fixed tuition fee if we did that.

We couldn't accept it every time a noble or merchant offered to pay several times the tuition fee as a favor for their child, could we?

Yet, the reason I accepted the protagonist's fivefold bet was…

'Not only was there no need to prevent his admission…'

…but I also needed a situation like this, where I could directly intervene in the tuition fee notice.

"Here is the newly drafted tuition fee notice."

"…Something has been added."

"It's a kind of trick."

If I couldn't simply receive five times the tuition fee, what should I do? The answer was simple. Create non-existent fees.

Academy donation, academic support fund (optional), writing stationery purchase fee, curfew extension fee, and so on.

Detailed items that other students could also choose to pay in addition to their tuition, but realistically, no one would.

I applied all of them. I even went through old rule books to find every single one. I put in quite a bit of effort.

And the resulting amount was…

"Somewhere between five and six times the original tuition."

"…Hmm."

"Do you not want to pay more than five times the amount?"

"Oh, no. That's fine."

"Then there's no problem!"

That was a lie.

Of course, the explicit amount was indeed between five and six times the original tuition. However, one had to look at the contract closely.

Below the tuition fee notice, written in small and dense letters, were the kingdom's laws related to tuition fees and other details.

I inserted a few lines among them.

Because Ruth, that protagonist brat, was a troublemaker.

'This kid has already destroyed two walls.'

And they weren't just any walls, but entire sections of considerably large buildings.

Just thinking about the repair costs made me breathless and my hands tremble, making me instinctively reach for a cigarette. I almost threw a punch at that protagonist brat when I saw him earlier.

That's why I prepared a separate safety measure. So that I could do something even if that protagonist brat destroyed another wall.

"Here's a pen. Take your time to read it, and just sign when you're done."

"...."

Of course, I wasn't really going to demand compensation every time he damaged the academy facilities.

The safety measure I added was 'limited to when he violates the restrictions' and damages walls or other facilities.

Demanding compensation every time he broke something would be an unfair contract. Although, seeing what the protagonist brat was doing, I did want to make an unfair contract, but something like that could become a huge pain later if it was challenged.

So, I added the condition that it was limited to when he violated the restrictions. This part was crucial.

Even a Rank 6 swordsman would find it difficult to completely destroy a building wall or facility without using Sword Qi.

'At most, it would just be a crack?'

That much was fine. I could take care of it when repairing the training ground that was always being damaged, so there was no problem.

Moreover, the restriction agreed upon with the academy was something the protagonist had to basically abide by for three years. Therefore, there was no problem with adding compensation for damages.

It was like adding a clause about not drunk driving, and then adding that if he did drunk drive and damage a wall, he would have to pay compensation. There was no problem with that.

I thought it was necessary ever since the protagonist became a monstrous Rank 6 freshman instead of the lowest-ranked student in , but considering the cost of what he destroyed today, it was a must.

In the end, I accepted the protagonist's fivefold tuition to add this clause…

'Should I have just accepted tenfold?'

I seriously regretted it, but a promise was a promise.

I waited for the protagonist to sign.

"...."

Sigh.

He was examining the notice more closely than I expected? I told him to take his time to read it, but don't people your age usually skip it?

He wasn't reading every single line of the kingdom law and other details written below, was he? There was dense writing on the back of the notice too?

'Could he have noticed?'

Of course, even if he did, there was no problem… He was going to keep the restrictions anyway, so what was the issue? I could perfectly respond with, "You're not going to break the restrictions and destroy walls like you did today, are you?"

But why was there a drop of cold sweat running down my back?

Ruth, who seemed accustomed to carefully reviewing such contracts, read the notice item by item…

"...…!"

'He noticed.'

His eyes stopped exactly at the part where I had inserted the safety measure.

"...."

He seemed to ponder for a moment…

Swoosh

"Here, I'm done signing."

"…Congratulations on officially entering Grandis Academy."

"Thank you."

What? He did notice the safety measure, but why did he just skip over it without mentioning it?

Was it because he wouldn't break the restrictions anymore? Because of what he did today?

'The exact content of the safety measure was…'

—Article 13, Clause 6. In the event that Ruth Spero (hereinafter referred to as 'Party B') violates the restrictions agreed upon with the academy, and causes material damage or destruction of facilities to the academy, Party B shall compensate for the damage. However, considering that Party B is a student, the Finance Director, Adam Keynes, will have an interview with Party B each time such an event occurs, and this clause may be disregarded at the Finance Director's discretion.

It was exactly as I had written it, as I remembered it.

In addition to the safety measure regarding compensation for damages, there was also the interview part for me to intervene in the events the protagonist would experience in the original game.

I thought that maybe, because he was Rank 6, he might have used some method I didn't know to change or distort this safety measure, but it seemed perfectly fine no matter how much I looked at it.

I should go back and show this to the Headmistress and make sure there were no problems.

"Please… take care of me."

"Huh?"

"In many ways… for the next three years, everything."

It was then that I saw Ruth express emotion for the first time.

A slightly sticky-looking smile in his eyes that would have been unnoticeable if I hadn't looked closely. At the same time, Ruth's eyes were deeply sunken, making me…

Flinch—not really.

"Yes."

"...…."

"Please, take care of me."

I was more afraid of the repair costs for the walls than the original protagonist who broke the original storyline and appeared as a Rank 6.

Ruth probably didn't notice, but I put strength into my hand and shook his, sincerely wishing in my heart.

Please don't break anything.

If you do break something, make sure to break the restrictions and then break it.

You want to graduate before the academy goes bankrupt, don't you?

As I was about to leave the room after the heartfelt handshake with Ruth.

"…Be careful of Lisha Claudia."

"Hmm?"

"Even if she herself is a good person…"

"…She might be different when she wields a 'weapon.'"

***

The boisterous entrance ceremony ended, and a few days passed.

Because of the attack by the illusionary manticore, there was a lot of talk among the freshmen and dignitaries even after the entrance ceremony. The difference was that the freshmen were filled with tales of their heroic deeds, while the dignitaries were preoccupied with investments and the future.

And the faculty, who were surprised by the illusion that exceeded their expectations despite being informed beforehand, enjoyed the lively atmosphere after the entrance ceremony.

This was one of the good things about working at the academy. Unlike workplaces where you were constantly swamped with work and saw the same faces every day, you could see fresh faces every year.

Seeing the new chicks chirping and sparring made me feel that my work wasn't meaningless. It gave me a sense of satisfaction that I was able to contribute to the happiness of these young students.

The reason why the turnover rate among the Grandis Academy staff wasn't high… was naturally due to the salary and benefits that were several times higher than the industry standard, but it also helped to relieve mental fatigue.

Ah, of course…

That was a different world from mine.

"This is the total cost incurred for the entrance ceremony and the illusion magic event."

"…As expected, the immediate expenditure is significant."

"We did gain additional bribes and revenue by selling information about the event, but it's not even enough to cover the cost of the illusion magic event itself. However, I heard that the illusion magic department secured a substantial investment this time."

"Ahem, ahem, I put in some effort."

"The problem is that it takes time for the actual investment to come in. Considering the amount, it will be next month at the earliest when it's actually transferred. To cover the cost of this entrance ceremony with that 40%, it will take at least two months."

"Ugh…"

Two months. Considering that it would take a month for the investment to actually arrive, this meant covering the total cost of the entrance ceremony in just one month. Considering that the entrance ceremony required the largest expenditure among Grandis Academy's events, it was a massive amount. It was scary how much it was, even with 40%.

However, what the Headmistress and I were worried about wasn't whether the investment in the illusion magic department would continue at this rate.

Investment wasn't a salary, and once it became known that the influential dignitaries had invested, the investment would increase rather than decrease for a while.

The problem was the period until the investment arrived.

That one-month gap was the issue.

"And this is the estimated cost required for the next month."

"…It's close."

"That's the problem."

Grandis Academy would go bankrupt in three years. This was the basic premise that showed the current situation.

But there was a point that could be misunderstood. Because it would go bankrupt in three years, one might think that there would be no problems with operation until then.

Naturally, that wasn't the case.

'Three years was the result of barely allocating the fixed costs and a small margin for each month.'

Suppose the cost required for this month was 1 million won. The academy, the organization, wouldn't prepare exactly 1 million won.

Since no one knew how things would turn out, it was normal to prepare some extra funds in addition to the fixed costs. Or they would simply have abundant initial capital.

Grandis Academy was the latter. The Headmistress's assets were so vast that she simply took out money whenever it was needed.

The problem was that we couldn't use that method anymore.

And to make matters worse, a whole bunch of variables had enrolled.

"There are four individuals to watch out for."

"This year's freshmen?"

"Two in the martial arts department, and two in the magic department."

It was fortunate that the administration department was still normal.

The other guys were the problem.

"Ruth Spero, a Rank 6 swordsman. Violated the restriction and used Sword Qi at the entrance ceremony, completely destroying one wall of the hall. As the hall needed to be used urgently, we paid several times the amount in extra fees for repairs. He's been quiet since the entrance ceremony, but looking at the damage alone, he's the biggest threat."

"Kaern Deste, the youngest knight ever appointed. He has a righteous personality, but feels a strong competitive spirit towards Ruth Spero. His training intensity is very high, and he has already used up over 20 practice swords by himself."

"Amatriuss Delphia Beatrice, the fourth princess of the Delphia Kingdom. Her talent is evaluated to be that of an archmage, but she can't control her own magic and has already blown up several classrooms and other rooms."

"Chloe Piste, the disciple and promising student of the Tower Master. There are no problems other than her extremely arrogant personality, but she doesn't get along with Princess Beatrice and provokes her every time they meet. Two classrooms have been destroyed because Beatrice fell for her provocations."

Are you guys the Four Heavenly Kings of Academy Finance Destruction? You're all really getting on my nerves.

In , there were many descriptions of academy buildings being destroyed as an everyday occurrence. It was said to be natural since they had gathered hot-blooded students. In fact, when I played the game, I even felt a sense of exhilaration when destroying buildings.

But being in the position of having to repair those destroyed buildings and pay for the repairs is really shitty.

Even more so considering that a whopping 20% of Grandis Academy's total budget goes to those damn repair costs every year!

'Even in the web novels I read, academies were always being destroyed and terrorized.'

Was this just the fate of academies? But why does it have to happen when I'm the Finance Director?

Objectively speaking, the previous Finance Directors were all the Headmistress, and buildings collapsed frequently back then too. It wasn't like this was only happening during my time.

Of course, that was speaking objectively, and my current purpose was to curse reality like any ordinary office worker, so it didn't matter.

'If only Professor Circe hadn't done that stupid thing.'

Did it make sense to donate the entire research we funded to the church? If I had noticed beforehand, I would have stopped it, but she went to the church on the day of the successful development and signed a deed of transfer, so I couldn't do anything. Moreover, because it was the church, it was difficult for us to take a strong stance.

It hadn't been officially announced yet, but was she doing this because she was worried about how her image within the academy would be affected if the church officially announced it? It would be even more problematic if she did it knowingly. Anyway, I made an appointment to discuss the hair loss cure research, so I'll deal with her then.

The students who destroyed buildings, the professors who donated their research or clamored for more research funding, the staff who were hostile towards me, and even the Headmistress who, when it came down to it, caused the biggest financial loss through futures trading…

As I let out an endless sigh, the Headmistress, who had a serious expression while looking at the Four Heavenly Kings of Finance Destruction, asked me.

"So you're saying that it's unpredictable what these students might do in the month before the investment arrives."

"That's correct."

Do you know what the most frustrating reason for a company's bankruptcy is? It's when money is about to come in, but they go bankrupt because they don't have money right now.

That's exactly the situation the academy was in. Last year, we could manage the repair costs to some extent, but these Four Heavenly Kings, in less than a week after the entrance ceremony, destroyed 20 practice swords, one wall of the hall, five classrooms, and two research labs.

Compared to the repair costs at this time last year, it had already more than doubled. With these added to the existing repair costs, the financial statements were literally screaming that I would die if things continued like this.

…Assuming this trend continued for a month.

The academy wouldn't last three years, not even one. This was without even considering the possibility of them causing even more damage.

Simply put, the plan was to spend 1 million won every month for three years.

But with the 'variables,' the monthly cost increased to 2 million won, meaning the time we could hold out was immediately halved.

'You guys are called the golden generation. But why are you doing this to me?'

This wasn't a golden generation, but a demonic generation. Little devils who devoured the bribes I worked so hard to earn and other budgets.

Therefore, drastic measures were needed.

That was why I was facing the Headmistress with a solemn expression.

"We need to take measures for each of the individuals to watch out for, but the most urgent is… this student."

"…Princess Beatrice."

"I've already told you about Beatrice, the fourth princess. Do you remember?"

"We received a bribe on the condition that we would help her return to the Delphia Kingdom, right?"

"That's correct. She wants it so badly, shouldn't we send her back?"

Otherwise, she would destroy another classroom or research lab tomorrow. We had to send her back as soon as possible.

As expected of the Building Destroyer, she never failed to disappoint me. Could you please disappoint me for once?

"It's been almost a month since we made the promise, so let's send her back."

Go, Beatrice.

Please just go!