After finishing the meal with Yunia, I secured a room.
The hotel inside the terminal was vastly different from the inn in the town of Pregnant, both in size and facilities. If that inn was a 2-star motel, then—
This place, the [Silverstar Hotel West Terminal Branch], could easily be considered at least a 4-star hotel.
‘There are fewer rooms to match its quality, though.’
The Greenbelt is a restricted development area, and the terminal facilities are constructed with permission from the Academy.
Could a 20-story hotel suddenly spring up in such an area?
Not at all.
It’s just a space that has been set up for temporary stays within the terminal.
Inside the room were a bed, a bathroom, and a table.
Despite that, it could be considered a 4-star hotel because it was a [Silverstar Hotel], allowing access to most of the Silverstar facilities within the terminal.
“At a discounted rate, of course.”
Yunia fiddled with the square silver card in her hand and gave a hollow laugh.
“To spend a single night here costs about as much as five days’ worth of work for others…”
In terms of actual money, the accommodation fee was roughly 500,000 won per night.
Moreover, that was just for the lodging; meals and other necessities required using Silverstar’s affiliated restaurants and other terminal facilities.
As Yunia said, it was not free, but rather at a somewhat discounted price.
“Isn’t this a bit much?”
“Supply exists because there is demand.”
I sat down on the bed next to Yunia, just a finger’s width away.
“Just think about how many people want to stay the night as close as possible to the Academy. Just yesterday, this place was fully booked, I’m sure.”
“That’s true. For some, the accommodation fee is money they would have to shed tears over…”
“For some, spending a night here is no burden at all.”
Though it’s a medieval fantasy world, the Silverstar Group operates with the most modern, vulgar capitalist logic.
“By the way, Yunia. There’s something even scarier I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“The amount we’re paying for tonight’s stay is just the regular accommodation fee, not the ‘peak season’ rate.”
“…What?”
“Yesterday’s rate was probably around a month’s salary.”
About 2 million won.
“Today is the same. Most people left by train after the entrance exam, but if someone insists on staying at the terminal, they’re given a room at the high price.”
“Just like what you did for us?”
“Exactly. From Silverstar’s perspective, how great is it to have such customers? They already have a vacant room, and people willing to pay a high price to stay.”
Yunia’s mouth dropped open in shock.
Her eyes fluttered with the realization that the amount she had budgeted for the Academy entrance trip was far exceeded.
“A-Are you saying we will continue staying here at that rate? For as long as a week…?”
“Yes.”
She was flustered by the fact that I had covered all the costs.
“Miss Yunia, money is meant to be spent. Whether it’s for the present or the future.” ”
B-But…!”
“It might feel like throwing money around, but if paying that amount allows us to endure here and get admitted, it’s worth it.”
“…No.”
Yunia covered her face with one hand.
“Are you really sure?”
“Sure. There will definitely be dropouts, and there will definitely be additional admissions.”
If that doesn’t happen, I’ll make it happen.
“Anyway, spending money is using the money I brought, not taking from yours, right?”
To be precise, it’s gold coins I properly farmed on the train.
“Miss Yunia, don’t worry about it. Feel free to use as you like. After all, whether one person or two sleeps in a room, the price is the same.”
“But still…”
“If it’s truly burdensome, let’s say I’ve ‘hired’ you.”
“Hired?”
“Yes.”
Yunia is basically a person who can’t live with debt.
She doesn’t expect to be repaid for what she gives others but insists on repaying anything others give her.
“If the Vinyudan group were to raid the terminal and try to attack me, you’d be there to stop them.”
“…”
“However, since the terminal is relatively safe, don’t try to stay up all night. Just rest well, and act according to the morning when it comes. Got it?”
“…Got it.”
Though Yunia still seemed unsure, I pointed to the bed she was lying on.
“Alright. Let’s rest until people from the Academy arrive.”
“…When will they arrive?”
“Well, after today passes…”
Perhaps.
“Maybe as early as tomorrow afternoon?”
By now, they would have likely convened an emergency meeting.
* * *
Esdinas Academy Faculty Meeting Room.
The atmosphere in the dimly lit meeting room was markedly different from the mood of the entrance exams that took place in the morning.
Some seats were empty, and a few instructors had come in their pajamas with just coats on.
Even the Dean of Academic Affairs, Ederson Lionheart, seemed to have been summoned after drinking heavily, his face flushed red from intoxication.
Whether they had slept, spent personal time, or drunk alcohol—
The reason they had gathered in such disheveled attire after the entrance exams was clear.
“Thank you for coming together for this emergency situation. Everyone, I, Julius, will explain the current state of affairs with my position as an instructor on the line.”
Julius had summoned the staff to address a shocking issue.
“This is it.”
“…”
Next to Julius stood a human-sized mannequin. The mannequin was developed in the chest area as if it was a woman, but its lower part—
“Wait. What is this supposed to be?”
A woman in a white gown with light green hair took off her glasses and raised her hand.
“Director Julius, did you damage the mannequin? The upper body is female, but the lower body is male…!”
“Precisely.”
Director Julius boldly tapped the mannequin’s chest.
“This is evidence of entrance exam fraud.”
“What is that…”
“Instructor Esta.”
Julius called on Esta, who had been quietly seated.
“Would you draw your sword and use your aura to strike the chest of this mannequin?”
“Hey!”
The green-haired instructor in the gown protested loudly, but Esta quietly stood up and picked up a fork from her table.
“Unfortunately, this is the best substitute for a sword.”
“That’s fine. Only an aura at the Sword Master level would be able to cut through it with certainty.”
“…Alright.”
Crunch.
Esta channeled her aura through the fork and swung it at the mannequin’s chest.
Thunk.
As something fell to the ground, the instructors began rising from their desks one by one.
“What, what is this…?!”
“It’s a magic prosthesis made to resemble the actual body.”
Dripping from the place where the fork had cut into it was the sticky liquid that had been filling it.
It was a white color that looked like an opaque fog, like the body fluid of a hardened slime.
“Through a thorough magic scan of the female students who entered the Academy, we confirmed that approximately 16 students committed fraud in two distinct ways.”
“Two distinct ways…?”
“One method is to wear ‘clothing’ that has a magic golem model inserted inside.”
As Dean Julius unfastened the hooks on the back of the mannequin, parts of it began to fall away, much like undressing a piece of women’s lingerie.
It looked like a vest or a tank top.
“Some female students wore this type of ‘clothing.’”
The cut garment revealed the magic golem model spilling out from inside, making Julius appear as though only his upper body was female.
“They … wore such clothing?”
“Yes. This is a form of… application of magic stones. Essentially, it functions like a ‘mana pocket’.”
“How did they acquire it?”
“I have already isolated one person and checked it personally.”
“You mean you’ve touched a new student!”
Dean Ederson slammed his fist on the table in frustration.
“It was someone below C-rank who committed the fraud. Can we even call them a new student?”
“Hmph…!”
Lionheart soon lowered his head in response to Julius’s words.
“I will accept full responsibility. However, I couldn’t simply overlook this fraud once I became aware of it.”
“…What is the second method?”
“That is.”
Julius picked up a translucent prosthesis.
“This one is not worn like clothing but inserted into the body.”
He gestured below his chest and mimicked pushing the prosthesis model inside.
“Inserted into the body through the flesh?”
“There is a high possibility of that.”
“…”
“Since both the Vice-Headmaster and the Headmaster are absent, someone needs to make a decision, right? I, Julius, propose to conduct a thorough investigation with my position on the line.”
“……And where are those 16, no, 15 students now?”
“To carry out a covert ‘purge,’ they have not yet been summoned or relocated. By now, they’re probably socializing with others in the dormitory rooms assigned to the successful candidates.”
Currently, the 300 successful candidates have been assigned to dormitories, each sharing rooms with new roommates and talking with them.
“…Call them separately. And since this involves female students…”
The Dean of Academic Affairs, Ederson Lionheart, stood up with a serious expression.
“Instructor Esta, and Instructor Fiona.”
The named instructors were Esta, the White Sword Saint, and Fiona, the green-haired woman in the white coat who had been sitting beside her.
“The two of you are responsible for checking the status of these 15 students. Determine if they truly entered the Academy with ‘false intentions’.”
“Understood.”
“Hah… Fine. We’ll confirm their status. But what if it turns out they tried to enter with such methods?”
“…Expulsion would be necessary, but it couldn’t be publicly disclosed.”
Ederson Lionheart shut his eyes tightly.
“Dean Julius, begin the investigation of these students with Este and Fiona. The rest of us will discuss their treatment.”
* * *
“…That’s probably what’s happening in the meeting right now.”
“…What will happen to them?”
“Either they’ll die or live as though they’re dead.”
Yunia sprang to her feet.
“Such…!”
“It’s unavoidable. Anyone who commits a crime ends up in prison, regardless of the country.”
They had committed the crime of chest manipulation.
“Ugh….”
“They will likely be confined within the Academy for at least three years, unable to leave.”
“…I have a question.”
Yunia placed her hand on her chest, tilting her head in curiosity.
“You, how do you know that?”
“…”
“How could you know that they’d be caught?”
“That’s…”
The most reliable and coherent answer to resolve Yunia’s question.
“I know.”
Facing Yunia, I answered with the utmost seriousness.
“I can see the future.”
“…?”
“More precisely, I see fragmented glimpses of the future with many possibilities.”
One of the heroine strategy methods.
– When caught using knowledge from the original, what is the appropriate response?
“Seeing the future… is that possible?”
“While it’s fragmented and limited, it’s not impossible.”
– Just say you can see the future. If it happens, then so be it. Hehehe.
“It requires a price, though.”
“A price?”
– Instead, you can’t force information about the future at any time.
“Yes.”
– For example….
“The price for seeing the future is my lifespan.”
– A man who sacrifices his lifespan to help the heroine. Let’s try to score points with this. Phehe.
There is no actual future vision.
It’s merely inductive reasoning based on knowledge of the original story.
“So… could it be that…”
“Miss Yunia.”
I gave Yunia a light wink.
“Sometimes, there are things more important than lifespan.”
I lied.
