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Circe fainted. Wasn't she a Rank 6 mage? Why was she so weak?
Wasn't she overreacting to just being told to stay in the lab until she developed the hair loss cure?
'She has to develop it anyway because of her bald spot, right?'
I was simply helping her wholeheartedly, and yet she was being so dramatic. I was going to give her 2% of her salary back, but now I'll reduce it to 1%.
I left the unconscious Circe, whose hair was scattered on the floor, and looked towards the door.
"Headmistress, Student Chloe. You came at a good time."
"F-Finance Director, I apologize for being outside for so long…"
"Why are you apologizing? It's fine."
"Finance Director…!!"
It was common for the Headmistress to forget about work and wander off. It happened during the entrance exam as well.
Of course, I was being considerate because she usually handled an unreasonable amount of work. Today? I was angry because she didn't come even at the promised time.
More importantly, the Headmistress was over a hundred years old. It was an age where she would naturally be forgetful.
I kept a close eye on the seemingly happy Headmistress, just in case she suddenly decided to do futures trading again, and turned to Chloe.
…Why is she staring at my lips?
"By the way, Student Chloe, are you free right now?"
"Y-yes!? Free! I'm free! I'm very free!"
"Oh, that's good. Then could you take Professor Circe back to the infirmary?"
"…What?"
Why, you said you were free. Then you should work. I might have exploited you for free at first, but now I'm giving you scholarship money and volunteer points, aren't I?
It was only natural for the recipient to work when I gave them something. It wasn't like I was concerned about the students who were bribing me for no reason.
I nudged the seemingly dazed Chloe and pointed at the unconscious Circe.
"It seems like Professor Circe is still physically and mentally weak to give lectures. I'll leave it to you."
"That…"
"Are you… unwilling to do it…?"
"Absolutely not! I-I'll do it…"
What's this? It feels like she really hates it. She's agreeing somehow, but she's giving me a look that says she wants something from me.
Is it that? Does she want extra pay because it's outside the originally promised time? This cunning student.
How can I make her work without giving her extra pay? She seemed quite greedy, asking for a communication magic tool earlier and all that.
"And there's one more thing I need you to do."
"W-what is it? Since it's between you and me, Finance Director! I'll do anything!"
What kind of relationship do we have?
It seemed like she didn't want to ask for extra pay, so I let it slide without asking.
"I would like you to escort Professor Circe from now on."
"What? Escort?"
"Professor Circe will be suspending her classes and staying in the lab for recuperation. We were going to send her to a resort, but she refused. She said focusing on research is her way of recuperating."
It's true. I was going to send her away. But after she paid all the compensation, resigned from her professorship, and I used her for a bit.
I didn't know why she refused, but that's why I'm doing this. I had no choice.
"But why an escort…?"
"Well… as you can see, Professor Circe's condition isn't very good right now."
I pointed at the spot in Circe's head and her scattered hair, and Chloe nodded in understanding. She would be an idiot if she didn't understand after seeing that.
Therefore, I could fabricate the truth without any problems.
"Because of that, she's mentally unstable due to stress. She keeps trying to leave the lab and making up lies, even though she wanted to stay."
"That happened sometimes at the Magic Tower. Mages are especially prone to mental instability."
"That's why I'm asking you to escort her. In her current mentally unstable state, there's no telling what kind of accident she might cause outside the lab. We can't have another accident like the hair loss agent leak."
"Indeed, it was an accident that we both, just the two of us, resolved."
Chloe's eyes sparkled. But she kept glancing at the Headmistress next to her, what was that about? Did they fight or something?
'That's impossible.'
There was no way the Headmistress would fight with a student six times younger than her, and more importantly, if they really fought, Chloe wouldn't even be able to come here.
More importantly, if they really fought and she demanded compensation, that would also be an expense. I believe that the Headmistress wouldn't cause any more damage here. Please believe that.
"Then what exactly should I do?"
"Just stand guard in front of Professor Circe's lab at a set time every day. I know your class schedule, Student Chloe, and if it overlaps with your class time, I'll let the professor know."
"Every day? That's a bit…"
I know she's reluctant. Unlike usual, where it was just a temporary help, I was trying to exploit her regularly.
There was no way the money-grubbing Chloe, who subtly asked for extra pay, didn't know that. More importantly, she was a student. Although she didn't have much to learn as a Rank 5, she needed good grades for her political influence in the Magic Tower.
But there was really no one else.
'The faculty would ask for extra pay or protest, saying it's outside their job description, and if I asked the Security Unit and Circe gave up and revealed everything about our deal, it would be troublesome.'
It wasn't just a matter of assigning manpower. It had to be someone within my influence, someone who understood the danger of Circe's actions and could properly monitor her, and someone I trusted enough to dismiss everything Circe might say as lies and inform me.
There were a few people who fit the bill, but they were all too busy with their own work to keep an eye on Circe.
Chloe was clearly the best choice. She met all the conditions I mentioned. Although trust was still a bit ambiguous, judging from her reaction just now, she wouldn't believe anything Circe said.
More importantly, if she readily agreed, I wouldn't have to give her extra pay.
'How should I do this?'
Could I exploit her as cheaply as possible?
"Of course, I want to help the Finance Director, but spending several hours every day in front of the lab…"
"…That's true. Considering that you would also have to come to me every day to report on Professor Circe's movements and condition—"
"I'll do it."
"What?"
"I'll do it, I said. Trust me!"
What's this? How can her reaction change so suddenly?
But it was good that things were good. If there was one thing I learned from my short time as a social worker, it was not to question things that were going well.
I immediately grabbed Chloe's hand, whose expression had changed to one of overflowing motivation. She couldn't run away.
"As expected of Student Chloe! I can really rely on you!"
"It's because it's between you and me, Finance Director. Then, what about Professor Circe?"
"Please take her to the infirmary right now."
"Leave it to me."
Actually, I could do this myself, but I didn't want to meet that crazy bitch, the Head of the Medical Department. I would rather work another all-nighter than see her.
I waved at Chloe, who lifted Circe with magic, her face strangely happy.
After Chloe left, the Headmistress approached me.
"Finance Director, are you sure it's okay?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"Of course, Student Chloe did work with the Finance Director… but she's still a student. She can't possibly be as trustworthy as the relationship between you and me, isn't it a bit difficult to trust her?"
"That's true, but…"
It was crazy, but I had a hunch that I could trust Chloe.
This kind of intuition, not logic, was the least fitting for a Finance Director, but it felt strange.
The Headmistress and Chloe. It felt like I could trust these two beyond logic. It seemed like there was someone else, but I couldn't remember no matter how much I thought about it.
But if I said this out loud, I would be nagged about relying on intuition, so…
"I still judged that it was okay. I'll take responsibility."
"…Responsibility."
"Headmistress? Why are you making that face all of a sudden?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
Chloe was acting strange, and now the Headmistress too? Did she eat something wrong?
Anyway, now that Chloe had taken Circe away…
It was time to have a proper talk.
"So, Headmistress."
"Yes?"
"Have you made a decision?"
"...."
I was holding a single sheet of paper. It was the last page of the 60-page plan I submitted, brought separately for security reasons.
It was a section with no text, so it would be difficult to understand the content just by looking at this, but…
The Headmistress naturally knew what it meant.
"Finance Director, could you give me more time…?"
"I can. But it seems like you've already made up your mind."
The atmosphere that had been lingering around the Headmistress disappeared. She was fully focused on work.
Just from that simple signal, I could tell that she had already made a decision. Although it had only been a little over a year, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I had been working alongside the Headmistress for the entire year.
Even then, the reason she was asking for more time was probably that she needed the courage to say it out loud.
The courage to reject my proposal.
Or the courage to say that we should terrorize the academy.
"The sooner the decision is made, the better. So I'll say this one last time."
"Finance Director."
"If we fail, the academy will be devastated, and if we succeed, it will be normalized."
And anyway, this academy was destined to go bankrupt if things continued as they were.
Of course, that alone wasn't a reason to stage a terrorist attack. Terrorism was something that would involve not only me and the Headmistress, but the entire academy.
But I had a way.
It wasn't simply because of my knowledge of [Dark Kingdom], but…
…a method I was certain of, based on the information I had gathered as the Finance Director.
"The probability of success is…"
"I would say 100% since there is no outcome other than success."
"…This must also be my karma. It's ironic. I'm the one who caused this whole situation, and yet I made the Finance Director take on the role of the villain. Am I even in a position to worry about this?"
"...."
"We're already one mind. My decision is the Finance Director's decision, and the Finance Director's thoughts are my thoughts."
"Headmistress."
"Since we're doing this, shouldn't we do it properly?"
The Headmistress's smile right after that was the expression of someone who had made a decision, not one of anxiety or impatience.
I also smiled at the Headmistress, who had made a difficult decision.
As the author of this plan, I had to maintain a confident appearance.
"Alright! Then what should we do first?"
"It's good that you're motivated, but considering the nature of the plan, we need to carefully decide on the timing. Although your help will be essential later, Headmistress, it's fine for now."
"Well, the plan the Finance Director submitted stated that the execution time was during the final exams."
"That would be the optimal time."
The final exams. Why did I choose the exam period as the time for the terrorist attack? The reason was simple.
The final exams at Grandis Academy were traditionally held as outdoor practical exams.
In other words, the academy would be empty.
"And the perpetrators of the terrorism are…"
"I've already found them."
Although it was a staged act, we weren't the ones actually committing the terrorism. If anyone were to do it, it would be the Headmistress, but she had to be somewhere else during the terrorist attack.
More importantly, it was a terrorist attack. Although their tendencies were a bit different, we needed those who could actually destroy the academy.
Terrorizing the academy was more about spreading social infamy and a message than gaining profit. Naturally, terrorist organizations would want to kill students or do something impactful, but would there be those who would target the academy when it was empty due to the final exams?
There would be.
"I'm planning to approach this student first."
"…I was really surprised when I first saw her. To think that they were still targeting the academy."
"Would you prefer someone else?"
"No way. Rather, I can trust them in many ways."
Flip.
I showed the Headmistress a single photograph.
A photo of an ordinary street in the academy, taken with magic. And in the center of the street…
…there was a female student running hurriedly with an urgent expression.
"Milia."
"A Rank 3 mage student from the administration department. And at the same time…"
I took out a book from a nearby bookshelf. It wasn't a thesis, self-improvement book, or professional literature that would usually be in a room like this.
It was a collection of fairy tales. A strange book to have, considering the Headmistress's age.
Among the fairy tales in that book, there was an old fairy tale passed down in this kingdom.
"Originally, there was a sword called the Light Sword in this world. The Light Sword had the power to grant wishes, but it was corrupted by the schemes of evil people and became the Dark Sword."
"It's a fairy tale that's only told in rural villages now."
"But a small number of people know that this fairy tale is real. And the evil people in the fairy tale will terrorize the academy for us."
"…The Wish Cult."
"They're a heretical group designated by the church itself."
Milia was a member of that Wish Cult and a spy who infiltrated the academy.
However, she was quiet for now. The Wish Cult incident wouldn't happen until the second year, not now.
Of course, it wasn't my concern.
"So I'm planning to approach Milia first."
"...."
"If we can't get them to move, we won't be able to execute the plan."
Even if the Headmistress made a decision, if the Wish Cult didn't move, we wouldn't be able to carry out the terrorist attack, so…
The urgent goal was to provoke Milia, in other words, the Wish Cult.
The reason they 'already' attacked the academy once in the past and planted a spy now…
'The sacred treasure.'
One of the sacred treasures worshipped by the Wish Cult was in the hands of the Headmistress. It was an item she was able to obtain because she was a famous artifact collector. The cult must still be after it.
However, there was just one tiny problem.
"So I'm asking, but…"
"Yes."
"The sacred treasure of the Wish Cult that you obtained…"
"...…."
"You sold it to the dwarves last time, right?"
"Yes…"
Oh dear.
What should we do now?