The professors and administrators of the Academy convened to discuss how to handle the corpse of the water dragon.
More precisely, they were deliberating on how to process the byproducts of the water dragon and who would receive the greatest share of the benefits.
That was because the corpse of a spirit beast as powerful as the water dragon was, in and of itself, worth a fortune and an invaluable research material.
"I believe I deserve the largest share."
Professor Grad from the Department of Knight Studies passionately argued his case.
"I was the one who drew the water dragon's attention and dealt it a critical blow. Thanks to that, we were able to hunt it down relatively easily."
No one could deny that it was his contribution that stopped the dragon from attacking the students and led the battle to a smoother end by confronting it head-on.
But in the face of greed, such things start to feel minor.
"Hold on, Professor Grad. If not for my lightning magic, the water dragon would've rampaged for much longer."
"I was the one who pierced its heart with my spear, Grad."
"If the contribution is measured solely by killing it, then what about me? I'm the one who evacuated the most students. That has to count for something."
As the professors who were present at the scene began to raise their voices, the head of the General Affairs Department stepped in to calm them.
"Before we talk about how to divide it up, isn't it more important who we sell it to, how we sell it, and for how much? The splitting can come after that."
"…That's not an unreasonable point."
"I agree."
Since the value of a spirit beast's corpse declines over time, a few of the professors nodded in agreement.
"You're saying you'll take care of the sale?"
"Of course. Since it'll be sold under the Academy's name, it only makes sense that we handle it."
"And?"
"We're not asking for much. Just a modest commission for our efforts…"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"Stop your nonsense!"
Normally, the General Affairs Department oversaw operations within the Academy, but they couldn't claim rights to the byproducts of monsters slain during practical training sessions.
Having tried to sneak their way in and been rejected, the head of General Affairs crossed his arms.
"But professors, aren't you all busy? This isn't pocket change. Selling something like that will take significant effort."
"Hmph. The Academy is full of nobles and tycoons."
Some of the wealthiest families on the continent had children enrolled as students here.
"No, hold on. I don't want it to be sold. I'd rather just receive the byproducts directly."
"Same here. Especially the water dragon's mana core…"
"Then pay for it. At market price."
"What kind of nonsense is that?!"
The professors split into two factions—those who wanted the byproducts distributed directly, and those who wanted them sold at the highest possible price and then divided afterward.
After much back-and-forth, a conclusion was reached.
"Then let's sell the water dragon's corpse to whoever offers the highest price first. If you want any byproducts, buy them at a higher price. The proceeds will be distributed according to individual contributions."
"Let's go with that."
Naturally, the first one they contacted was Pellenberg.
The sun had risen. As the chirping of sparrows filled the air, Fernan finally stretched, easing the stiffness from his body.
Knock knock
"Come in."
"Did you not sleep at all?"
"I've always envisioned it in my head, but now that I'm trying to actually draw up a blueprint, there are more obstacles than I thought."
Dozens of sheets of paper and empty ink bottles littered Fernan's room.
"Well, that's to be expected, given what kind of construct you're attempting…"
A colossal golem, nearly ten meters tall.
Its body composed mostly of mithril and adamant.
Functions approaching the realm of divine authority.
And on top of that, an ego capable of making independent decisions and moving on its own.
It wasn't just one or two issues that needed solving.
"But if we're using mithril and adamant, then the golem would be a waste of precious ore without such functions."
"That's true, but… is an ego golem even possible…?"
An ego golem had never once appeared in the history of the world.
If it were possible, someone would have already invented it. If it ever appeared, it would be nothing short of a magical revolution.
"Don't doubt. I've seen the possibility."
The Ego Sword left behind by the First Emperor—"Sir Gardener Alpenfarsen"—was proof.
If a soul could dwell in a sword made of soul-imbued mithril, there was no reason it couldn't dwell in a golem.
"I wasn't aware mithril had that kind of potential…"
In the first place, soul magic was an extremely esoteric and difficult field.
"If you assume it's possible… then whose soul are you going to use, and how will you implant it?"
In Hyde's opinion, that was the biggest issue.
It was questionable whether there even existed a soul willing to become a golem voluntarily, and if it had to be forced in, the real issue was whether it would obey Fernan afterward.
"I'll layer multiple obedience seals on it. No way something I created would disobey me."
"If you insert a living person's soul, the magical community might brand you a demon immediately."
There were, of course, a few lunatics who ignored ethics altogether, but like any organization, the magical world maintained the importance of not crossing certain visible lines.
"Don't worry. As if I'd shove in just any soul."
"…I still want to live, you know."
Hyde instinctively took a step back.
"…Don't be ridiculous."
"Then who do you have in mind?"
"A spirit."
Fernan didn't even know how to perform the kind of magic that involved trapping a living human soul.
Nor did anyone in the vast network of Pellenberg. If someone could actually do such a thing, they'd likely be seen as a disaster, not a genius.
But spirits were a different story.
They were soul-entities to begin with and possessed a certain degree of intelligence. They were undeniably the most suitable candidates for an ego golem.
"…That does make it a bit more feasible. But—"
It was then.
"Young Master."
A new visitor arrived. It was an employee of the Golden Turtle Merchant Group.
"What is it?"
"There's a guest waiting for you at the merchant house."
"A guest?"
"Well…"
Somehow, Fernan could practically smell money in the air.
"I really pushed hard for you, Fernan. Everyone said Pellenberg would try to slash the price, but I said, 'There's no way he would.'"
Fernan quietly sipped his coffee.
He had wondered what the sudden meeting was about, but if it was this topic, he welcomed it anytime.
"They accused me of taking a bribe from you, but I told them: of course it should go to the richest merchant."
"Well, you never did accept any money."
He merely picked up the coin pouch Fernan had happened to drop at home.
"Exactly. They don't even know what they're talking about, those fools, acting like I took some bribe or something."
Grad shamelessly nodded in agreement.
Frankly, if he weren't this thick-skinned, he wouldn't have kept milking money off Fernan all this time.
"So the conclusion is that our family is first in line."
"Right. I'm here as the Academy's representative."
"But… is it okay to make this kind of private contact with a student?"
To that, Grad gave him a look as if to say "Seriously?"
"You're the last person who should be talking about private contact with faculty."
"Well, I suppose."
"The Academy already sent an official letter to House Pellenberg."
The meeting with Fernan was just to solidify the deal.
"A water dragon… There are some parts I'd like."
"It won't be sold in pieces. You buy it whole, or not at all."
"That changes things a little."
But not in a bad way.
As a teaching assistant, Fernan had already seen the water dragon's body up close.
Its teeth and bones were perfect for weaponry; its blood and eyes were rich with mana, ideal for reagents; its scales could be used to craft armor and other defensive gear.
It was a spirit beast with nothing to waste, so whether he bought it whole or in parts, it didn't really matter.
Still, there was no reason to let them take control of the conversation.
"No need to dance around it—we both know how this works. What do you want?"
"What do merchants always want? Better goods for a lower price."
"Even if it's limited to internal negotiations, technically this is still an auction. I can't just slash the price however I want."
Fernan was aware of that. And he had already guessed things would go this way once the dragon's corpse went to the Academy.
To mages, it was an unparalleled magical ingredient. To knights, an ideal material for arms and armor.
He had no intention of giving discounts from the start. Doing so would mean they wouldn't get it at all.
"But you can offer something else, can't you?"
He couldn't cut the cost—but that didn't mean he couldn't gain something extra in return.
"…What do you want?"
"Exclusive rights."
"Exclusive rights?"
"If the Academy ever decides to purchase ships, I want a contract stating they will only buy them from the Golden Turtle Merchant Group."
"Ships? All of a sudden?"
It did seem abrupt. But for Fernan, who had already glimpsed the future, it wasn't sudden at all.
After the attack by monsters and the sinking of a yacht—leaving the noble heirs drifting at sea—the Academy would come to realize that battles weren't limited to land. As a result, they would establish a new course on naval combat.
And naturally, that lecture would require ships.
'And it's not just about making a one-time sale.'
It was a course designed around engaging monsters at sea with the purpose of teaching naval combat.
Ships would inevitably take continuous damage, leading to massive maintenance costs.
If a ship were completely destroyed, the Academy would need to purchase a new one… In other words, this was a long-term business tied to a major profit pipeline.
"…How many ships could the Academy possibly buy?"
The Academy didn't actually consume many ships on its own. At most, they operated a few regular liners that traveled across the continent.
But those ships were escorted by the Imperial Navy, so there was rarely any reason to replace them.
"I'll take care of that part. All I'm asking is for the contract. If you agree to that, I'll gladly purchase the water dragon's corpse at a reasonably high price. And who knows? A coin pouch might just slip out of someone's pocket at your estate again."
The logic barely held up, yet Grad's eyes gleamed with greed.
"…I don't have the authority, but I'll at least bring it up with the Headmaster."
"Much appreciated."
'Grad alone won't be enough. I'll have to pull some additional strings too.'
Fernan bowed his head politely.
"..."
"..."
A heavy silence hung in the air. Fernan waited patiently for her to speak first.
"That was a completely incomprehensible decision."
"Completely incomprehensible?"
"Of course! Skipping all your classes to become a temporary assistant? That's the very definition of sacrificing the greater for the lesser."
Fernan couldn't agree with Luina's view.
To him, it was not a minor loss for a major gain—it was a major loss for a major gain. Had he not stepped forward, he would never have obtained that much mithril and adamant.
'Well… maybe I still would've gotten the mithril?'
Maybe even if events had played out as in the original timeline, thanks to the butterfly effect of Saintbird, Eint might've still sold it to him.
But regardless of that hypothetical, there was no denying that the current outcome was far better.
"It was necessary. I had to push myself to keep up with your grades."
"Don't try to dodge the issue with vague justifications. Skipping other classes just to keep up with one person—is that really acceptable? What if there had been a practical or an exam that week?"
Fernan and Luina were assigned as partners.
It was only natural for them to take the same classes: Magical Survival, Combat, War, and Magic, and Magical Beasts and Monsters for him, and Field Survival, War and Practical Sparring, and Magical Beasts and Monsters for her.
But with Fernan absent for a week, Luina had effectively lost her partner.
"It's lucky there weren't any practicals. What if there had been?"
"I considered that before I left."
"Is that supposed to make it better?"
"…I admit I should've discussed it with you in advance. I apologize."
He was telling the truth, but Fernan couldn't push back strongly. For the same reason as with Eint.
Aint Armian was destined to become the hero who would save the world—and the one who would bring about Fernan's downfall, so he couldn't go against her.
Luina was the trigger for that downfall. So the same principle applied.
"No serious harm was done, so I'll let it go. But please, don't let it happen again."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Thankfully, Luina accepted the apology without issue.
"So, did anything interesting happen while I was playing assistant?"
"Nothing major. Most classes were focused on theory this past week."
It was standard practice that if one grade had a practical class, professors and teaching assistants from other years would step in to help.
So most second-year classes had stayed in the realm of theory.
"Oh, though there was one interesting thing."
"Interesting?"
"In the third-year duels, the top student of the Knight Department faced off against the top student of the Magic Department."
"That must've been chaos."
The Academy, while outwardly promoting harmony and cooperation, was still made up of people—creatures who naturally gravitated toward their affiliations.
Even though all the students were technically from the same Academy, the different departments fostered their own sense of competition.
And that tension between knights and mages had deep historical roots far beyond the Academy.
"Yes. And the top student of the Magic Department, Senior Riana, defeated Senior Barog, the top of the Knight Department."
"Barog must've been crushed."
"Half jokingly, yes—but there are now even rumors of match-fixing."
"Match-fixing? Were people betting on the outcome?"
Fernan tilted his head. It seemed absurd. Would anyone really try to rig a simple duel between departments?
'Then again, betting pools did spring up whenever there were duels…'
He had encouraged such gambling among students, but in a pride-fueled fight between the top mage and knight? It didn't seem likely match-fixing would get involved.
At least not to his knowledge.
"…Interesting how your thoughts jump straight there."
Luina gave him a subtle look, but Fernan didn't flinch.
"Money is truth. Any method of earning it is righteous."
"Your values are not something I care to discuss. And no, it's not about gambling."
"Then why are people calling it match-fixing?"
"Apparently, the top mage and top knight are dating. So now there are whispers that she let him win—or he let her win—on purpose."
"…Now that is an intriguing angle."
His intel network hadn't reported any new romances, so it had to be a recent development.
'The Herenim family is quite wealthy, and if it's Barog Herenim… he's got that lovestruck puppy nature.'
If Fernan pitched some jewelry or high-end artifacts, he could probably get Barog to buy a few.
'Definitely worth a shot.'
There was no sweeter deal than selling overpriced goods to lovesick nobles.
"And now, the real reason I asked to meet."
"Go ahead."
This meeting was the first Luina had initiated herself.
She had called Fernan here because she had something to say. And while she had scolded him for being absent for a week, that clearly wasn't her main reason.
"I believe I've found traces of a demon."
"…What did you say?"
That, he had definitely not expected.