I had merely heard the rumors.
Needing a break from studying for the civil service exam, and loving games but unable to dedicate much time to online ones, I simply purchased this indie game after hearing decent reviews about it.
A medieval fantasy game with a story divided into three parts,
Having played through the first part, the academy arc, it was just an average indie game. Decent graphics, decent story, decent content.
However, as if living up to its reputation, the difficulty was considerable. It took me over 10 hours just to clear the easiest part, the academy arc.
'Let's stop here for today.'
As a civil service exam aspirant, I couldn't keep playing games all the time, so I decided to save the next part for tomorrow, after my part-time job.
I closed my laptop and fell asleep.
And then.
"Shit."
"Finan… Finance Director? What's wrong all of a sudden…?"
"It's nothing, Headmistress. Just reminiscing about old times."
"If that's the case…"
Without encountering any self-proclaimed gods or receiving emails from mysterious game companies, I found myself transported into the world of
And so, five years passed.
At first, it was a series of bewildering moments. I wondered if I was dreaming, or if the boarding house had kicked me out in the middle of the night even though I said I'd vacate the room myself within the month, despite being behind on rent.
I tried shouting "status window" into the air, and even said "logout" just in case, but there was no response.
I woke up in a remote cabin, and when I went outside in my pajamas and asked the first person I saw, I heard a few familiar words.
Kingdom, mage, Dark Sword.
Only then did I realize I had come into the game world. I remembered various settings and proper nouns from playing the academy arc.
"Um, Finance Director? Finance Director?"
Still, the good thing was that I didn't really want to go back to my original world. My parents ran away after their divorce, and I barely managed to pass the GED with government subsidies and part-time job wages, only to end up studying for the civil service exam.
Compared to a life where I was kicked out of a boarding house for not paying rent, trying a second life in this different world seemed to have a better chance of success.
I sold my conspicuous pajamas for a decent price and got new clothes and a small amount of funds. The merchant said he bought them at a high price because they were made of good fabric, but since I didn't know the market price, I could only thank him. Thinking back now, I was definitely scammed.
That bastard.
"Finance Director? You're not ignoring me, are you?"
And so, while doing odd jobs in nearby villages and towns, I decided to go to the academy.
It wasn't that I particularly wanted to see the protagonist or heroine, or get involved in the story. It was simply because, according to the game's settings, the academy had ridiculously low tuition fees and showered students with all sorts of scholarships and grants.
How attached could I be to characters in a game I'd only played for about 10 hours? Just in case, I checked, and indeed, the academy's tuition and scholarships were the same as in the game's settings.
Honestly, I didn't want to live doing only odd jobs, and having prepared for the civil service exam, I wanted a decent administrative position. Wouldn't that be a successful life too?
So, one way or another, I studied for a year and finally got accepted into the academy. To be honest, a lot happened during that year, but I managed to get in.
"Ah, come on, that's too much! I know I messed up big time this time, but to completely ignore me like this!"
The only thing I regretted was getting the lowest grade, Rank 1, in the evaluation.
Since I had come to the game world, I wanted to try using magic, but Rank 1 meant I was just an ordinary person. Well, I majored in administration anyway, so I didn't dwell on it too much.
For three years, I studied hard at the academy, received scholarships, was selected as an outstanding scholarship student, and had a pretty good academy life overall.
Students majoring in administration at the academy receive a special privilege upon graduation.
The opportunity to be directly employed in the academy's administration.
Unlike other applicants, administration graduates are almost guaranteed employment as long as they are within the top 5 in their class. I was within the top 5, so I decided to just get a job at the academy.
After all my efforts, I got a job at a private academy, supposedly the most prestigious one, and thought I had secured a lifelong position, living a life almost like a quasi-civil servant.
I thought I had succeeded in my second life.
"Finance Director!!!!!"
"Headmistress, you'll burst my eardrums. You know that a Rank 8's screeching can easily rupture the eardrums of a Rank 1, don't you?"
"That's because! You! Suddenly stopped talking and ignored me! Besides, who was screeching...!!"
"Maintain your composure. If other employees see this, their illusions about the Headmistress will be shattered."
"It's just me and the Finance Director here!"
Bang! Bang!
Hmm, seeing her slam her fists on the desk, she seems quite angry. I guess the Headmistress misunderstood when I unintentionally got lost in my thoughts about the past.
The owner of this private academy, the Headmistress, is a Rank 8 powerhouse. If that seemingly playful fist connects with my Rank 1 body, I'll die instantly.
'But what can I do?'
It was my fault for suddenly getting lost in reminiscence, so I just stayed quiet and listened…
The Headmistress seemed to have forgotten for a moment.
"Alright. Then let's get back to the original topic."
"Yes! I'm the Headmistress, and you're a subordinate. You need to show at least a modicum of respect──"
"For the sake of smooth conversation, let me state the conclusion again."
Regardless of usual circumstances, who holds the power in this meeting.
Why the Headmistress and I are even meeting alone in the Headmistress's office in the first place.
"As the Finance Director, I'm telling you. Considering the budget and expenses of the past five years, if we maintain the current trend, our academy will go bankrupt in three years."
"...Three years, you say?"
"Originally, it was about five years, but you unilaterally and secretly engaged in futures trading a week ago, and about half of our surplus funds were wiped out. That's how I came to this conclusion."
"..."
"You didn't even confess right away, and you hid it for a whole week, didn't you? Me discovering it in the ledger and grilling you about it was our conversation up until a moment ago."
"…That."
"I'll give you five seconds."
"Wh-what?"
"If you can't come up with a proper excuse within five seconds, I'm resigning. 5, 4."
"W-wait a minute! I can explain, I can explain everything! Really!"
Yes, you better be able to explain. Please, you have to.
The Headmistress, as I know her, is hot-tempered, simple-minded, acts on whims, has a needlessly strong sense of pride, and can be annoying, but she's not someone who gambles. If she were, this academy would have gone bankrupt before I even enrolled.
I crossed my arms and waited silently as the Headmistress fidgeted and stammered.
So I took out the corner of the resignation letter I always carried in my pocket.
"I-I did it for the academy!"
"3."
"It's true! Even before the Finance Director came, I knew the academy would go bankrupt if things continued like this! We needed a big move, not small changes!"
"2."
"It's not something to brag about, but you know I'm not someone who even pays attention to gambling! But when I heard the potential profit, I was tempted! If it had succeeded, we could have pushed back bankruptcy from five years to ten years!"
"1."
"To be honest, this private academy is run entirely on my money! I built and grew this academy with the money I earned throughout my life!"
Oh, of course. That's absolutely true.
Unlike most academies in the kingdom, which are public, this one is private, and it quickly became the kingdom's most prestigious institution thanks to the Headmistress's vast wealth.
The best faculty, brought in with generous salaries, tuition fees so low that even I, doing odd jobs, could afford them, and a level of support where it seemed impossible for any student to not receive a scholarship.
The buildings and research facilities were top-notch, and numerous people were employed to keep the academy clean. There was no denying that all of this was possible because of the Headmistress's wealth.
The only problem was one thing.
It was possible.
"How much of your assets are left, Headmistress?"
"…Half."
"You still have half left?"
"Half of a half of a half of a half of a half of a half… or so…"
So basically, only 1% is left.
The Headmistress's wealth, once said to be among the top five in the kingdom before the academy's establishment, had dwindled after decades of running the academy.
The reason why other wealthy individuals didn't establish private academies was clear when you thought about it. Academies, universities, are places where money is spent like water, not earned.
Of course, even considering that, the Headmistress was particularly excessive. She vaguely thought this much would be enough, but the reality was far harsher than she imagined.
Should I be surprised that she can maintain this massive academy for three more years with only 1% of her assets left, or should I be thinking about grabbing my severance pay before it goes bankrupt?
While I was seriously pondering this, the Headmistress stood up and approached me.
"F-Finance Director! You know that you're the only one I trust with something like this! The academy's financial situation is a secret shared only between me and the Finance Director!"
"What a touching secret that is."
I may be called the Finance Director, but I'm the only one in the finance department. And if I hadn't accidentally found the financial status documents in the Headmistress's office, the finance department wouldn't even exist.
The Headmistress personally managed the budget to hide the near-bankrupt financial situation. Honestly, as long as the professors and other departments received their budgets and salaries on time, they didn't care much.
In other words, the fact that we're going bankrupt in three years was a secret only the Headmistress and I knew.
Shit.
"I'll do anything! I'll really do anything!"
"…Anything, you say?"
"I don't doubt your abilities, Finance Director! Thanks to you, the situation, which was hopeless for me alone, has improved a lot! I trust you!"
Let's not mention that the situation improved enough for her to have the luxury of engaging in futures trading. It would break the delicate Headmistress's heart and conscience.
More importantly, the Headmistress said she would do anything.
Almost begging, clinging to my pants, the Headmistress looked up at me with a determined expression.
"To keep the Finance Director at this academy…! Even my own body!"
"Excellent. Then go put that body to use."
"Huh!? Even if you say that, right here, right now, is a bit… What?"
"You're a Rank 8 martial artist, aren't you? If it's about using your body, I've already compiled a list. There's deep-sea fishing on the eastern coast, mining in the southern mountains, and even salt farming on that island over there. There are other options too, where you can earn relatively high pay in a short period, so choose wisely."
"..."