Chapter 5

The Imperial Academy,

As it was named as a high-ranking institution established by the Empire.

The majority of the aristocracy sent their children to the academy because the emperor was traditionally from the Imperial Academy.

Then, the number of graduates will be created, and academic relations will be formed from it.

Originally, it was Lazia who was one step back from there.

Thus, Eustaf, who entered the academy for the first time in Lazia, was a target of attention.

There are three dukes of the Empire.

Ice of Lazia.

Silver of Miro.

Rose of Usla.

Among them, Lazia was the most closed and exclusive place. As such, there were many questions and fantasies.

The last place where a wise man fell asleep.

Ice wall.

Masu.

The door that actually exists.

And a family that lasted longer than the Empire.

For nobles who value tradition and pedigree, Lazia was special.

In fact, what the first disciples who founded the country wanted to gain was the blood of Lazia.

The first empress of the Empire, too, was a princess of Lazia.

Even having their own greetings sounded great.

In fact, Eustaf was not interested in such interest. He was annoyed because he was not happy to greeting to myself,

"May the blue flame bless you."

It was a greeting to Duke, and no one said it until he spoke coldly with a contemptuous face.

Eustaf, who earned a private room due to the privileges of the duke in his final year, opened the letter with a relaxed mind.

It was a letter from Ran.

Since he came to the academy, she has sent at least one full letter a week.

It was a normal story.

Writing down what had happened in the mansion seemed like a report since she took over as a temporary Patriarch.

The story with her uncle, the story of debt, the financial situation.

And I'm so tired, even the complaining of her.

Eustaf read the letter without noticing that he was smiling.

The last one was 'Help me after graduating quickly.'

'Really.'

Is she really trying to acknowledge and post himself as a Patriarch.

Eustaf scattered the letters with his fingertips. Just as you can read the truth if you do so.

My stepmother was a great beauty.

I've never seen such vivid green eyes with such gold hair. And the new sister who was standing by her skirt. "

She was more comfortable over there.

Softly shiny, milky hair with northern, summery, green eyes.

With some expectations, the disappointment was even greater. And when I was in despair beyond disappointment.

'That day.'

The day he climbed a tree and fell on top of Ran.

The day was a turning point.

Ran out of consciousness once lost her breath, and when she came back to life, she became a different person.

-Eustaf, I want to be your real family.

Her whispering voice and a friendly smile.

Eustaf closed his eyes, opened it, and reached out to the next letter.

The second was Ross's letter. Ross was meticulously reporting Ran's track record.

'Caves.'

What's in there?

This was not mentioned in Ran's letter.

Besides, how do you know that cave? There's a way in there to pay off the debt?'

Questions rose in a lump.

Eustaf reached out to the ink bottle without hesitation. He sealed his question by writing it down without anyhow.

The receiver was of course Ran.

********

Accountant Rudd's execution took place quickly.

His guilty visits were posted throughout the estate. Some of the insiders were pleased that Patriarch's first punishment was the death penalty and that it was the first step toward cutting corruption, while some turned pale.

There were calls for desperate death penalty, excessive do, and cruel new Patriarch.

Ran ignored it all.

Unfortunately, the confiscated property was not so much.

"No, what the hell did you use all this for?'

Ran groaned on a list of less wealth than expected. I knew it was for gambling, but I didn't know it was for gambling this much.

Most of the accountants' lines were disciplined and fired.

Administrative affairs increased, but administrators were unable to speak.

Everyone knew that Patriarch was the most overworked right now. Her study was the last to turn off the light, and the first to turn on the light.

So, Blaine, who returned, was surprised to see the bright daylight of the Patriarch and darkened eyes.

"Are you feeling?"

It came out without even realizing it.

Ran grinned and nodded.

"I'm not dead yet, so I'm fine. So, I heard it paid off, right?"

"Yes, we found the cave. And I found what you said...."

He carefully stuck out the basket. Ran quickly opened the basket lid. There was a mana stone as big as his forearm. Blaine added as she saw her face brightened.

"But it's not a jewel. They said it's not a correction."

"Yeah, not a jewel. This is the Mana Stone."

"The Mana Stone? This big thing?"

Ran nodded at the surprised Blaine.

"This transparency, this hardness. This is what a high- purity mana stone looks like."

Blaine blinked his eyes. He had seen magic items and magic stones a few times.

However, the only mana stone he saw was an ordinary stone-like object.

Ran patted the Mana Stone lightly with her fingertips.

"It's not hard to make magic items themselves, and the price is not that high. But the Mana Stone had too little mana, so there was a limit to what it could do."

There was a separate magic tax work that made only magic jeans that went into magical items, not magicians now. It is not a big money, so I did not use a wizard, a high-quality manpower.

Even if you are not a wizard, you can draw the magicians. Magic tax works were low-wage workers.

"But when these mana stones are supplied, they'll be completely different."

There is no limit to what can be done with the Magic Circle. Blaine nodded at Ran's murmur.

"That's right."

"Yeah. I didn't know I'd find it this fast. Thanks to Blaine."

"No."

Blaine answered politely, lowering his eyes.

"Okay, then."

Ran grinned and rubbed the piece with her fingertips.

"Let's find a client."

Ran's mind was spinning. She was an original writer, and there were quite a few settings that were not used in the main story.

The top.

The continent has a top three.

'If you make a deal with one of them,'

Golden Rose is the best.

Ran took a deep breath and looked up.

"Sir Blaine, may I ask you one more question?"

"You don't have to ask. You can give me your inquiries."

His polite words made Ran feel her strength relieved. Ran picked up a pen and drew a picture lightly on paper.

"Have you ever seen a tree with leaves like this?" Blaine nodded at her painting. So did Ross.

"I know. It's a pretty common tree in the north."

"As expected."

Ran looked at the window for a moment.

"Well, no, it's not the season, so let's put this off."

Saying so, Ran folded the paper and said,

"Good job. Go rest."

Blaine saluted and left the study. Ran sat down. Ross looked at the Mana Stone on the table and asked.

"How did you know?"

"Hmm?"

"That's what it is."

"I wasn't sure either."

Ross looked back at Ran with wonder. Ran said she wanted the right story to fit in.

"I thought there might be a reason why wizards can't come here."

"With that one thing? Besides, it doesn't matter if it's a wizard or a magic box."

Ross asked because he was dumbfounded. Ran nodded and added

"And remember when I went to the door before, I disappeared?"

Ran, who is not herself, has been lost when she went to the door when she was young.

The stepmother was one of the first to punish Eustaf for doing so to her daughter on purpose.

"I know."

Ross's face became hard.

That day, his young master was beaten, and young Eustaf's back was covered in blood. Even now, there is still a scar on his back.

"That's when I found it. That's why I thought, "When I combine my childhood memories with old materials, I was wondering."

Ran smiled awkwardly and shrugged her shoulders.

"I was just lucky."

Ross didn't answer.

I was lucky.

She says so, but it's not easy to come to a conclusion by consolidating the fragmented data into one.

If that's a ridiculous conclusion like this. But Ran was derived, and that was the answer.

'Transparent Mana Stone.'

Even those who didn't know much about commerce could know that the value would be enormous.

The duke will get out of debt.

"Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

"It's embarrassing to be wrong."

"...."

At Ross's eyes, Ran smiled again and said,

"Now that I know for sure, I'm going to write to Eustaf. And the Golden Rose."

"Golden Rose?"

"Yeah, one of the top three continents. Don't you think we'll be able to trade this at all."

Having a high value product is like winning a lottery.

I mean, there are a lot of cases where I'm being humiliated.

In addition, later trading red and blue mana stones required a group of people connected to the western end.

Now, it will be possible to do many things that could not be done due to the lack of mana in the Mana Stone. The possibilities for the future are endless.

'Besides, the ice wall is the only place where these high- purity mana stones come out.'

In other words, it is as good as getting oil money. Ran grinned.

With this, Eustaf's hardship is over. And it is also the end that the Female Lead who came from moving to the dimension rolled because of a poor Duchy.

Female Lead.

Ran suddenly remembered the word again. The heroine's name is Ishina.

Sina.

She was a lovely heroine.

'I've been working hard.'

Thinking about it makes me feel sorry.

'This time, I'll make you a good friend.'

And Eustaf and Sina will live happily ever after.

'Of course, there are some problems that money doesn't solve, but money doesn't cause problems.'

That alone seems to solve half of the problem.

'When the work is over, we need to find a Second male lead. ·····.'

He must have been enslaved by now. But it's still close. I had to find it before next year passed.

If we move to the illegal dumping ground next year, it'll really start a worse hell.

"But Male Lead has recovered it for now."

Ran bit her lips.

Two years.

If you hold out for the next two years, Eustaf will continue his position.

'And Eustaf will be graduating in half a year anyway.'

Then the temporary Patriarch position is just a scarecrow.

'If that happens soon.'

Ran thought so and reviewed the letter once again. There was no miswritten part.

'Oh, right.'

Ran added to her letter to Eustaf.

-Get some talented people!

*******

At the end of the letter, Eustaf tilted his head.

'Talented.'

The Imperial Academy was definitely a connecting place.

Most of the academy's students are aristocrats, but the emperor also allowed commoners to enter the country to raise horses against aristocratic forces from a hundred years ago.

If you pass the exam, a huge admission fee will be exempted for those without a title.

And the majority of graduates end up in the lower level of the Imperial Palace.

Eustaf patted the desk lightly.

'There are a few characters I can see.'

I'm tired of socializing at the Academy.

This is another problem.

'Cause I'm saying we can do it in earnest.'

He looked carefully at the characters at the Academy and never directly recruited them.

This is because the father, the owner of the house, is still alive, and doing such a thing itself gives strength to his stepmother.

-Look, you're alive and well, and your son is already preparing to become a duke.

It was obvious that I would say that.

And after Ran became the Patriarch.

'The Patriarch ordered it herself, so it's okay.'

Eustaf thought so and folded the letter.

When he saw the details of the duke's debt, he was suffocated. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't pay back the debt with the profits from the Duchy.

'But.'

Mana Stone...

Eustaf caressed the blue ring. No matter how much you touch a cold and cool surface, it doesn't get warm.

Eustaf liked it.

'You really made the right choice.'

He whispered like that toward Blue flame and lost his mind.