I took in the blueprints spread out on the table with my eyes.“Hm.”As I studied the drawings intently, Philip asked me in a slightly expectant voice,“Sir Loen, could it be that you can read blueprints as well?”Philip’s eyes shone.He seemed to be expecting something impressive from me.“No, I can’t.”How would I know that.The white parts are blank spaces and the black parts are drawings, I suppose.And as they say, geniuses have terrible handwriting—these blueprints Demian drew by hand would have been hard to read even if I had architectural expertise.He had sketched them with layer upon layer of overdrawn lines; it was nearly impossible to make out anything.Even so, I carefully checked only what I needed.'Like the existence of a secret passage leading underground from the dormitory.'I examined the small diagram drawn in the corner of the plans closely.This passage would lead to the estimated burial site of ancient ruins hidden beneath Izelin’s grounds, and then further down to a secret dungeon doubly concealed below those ruins.During the foundational work that stabilized the land base, we would secure this passage in advance and, alongside the dormitory construction, proceed with the exploration of the ruins.Up to this point, the matter had already been discussed with Illeina.A portion of the profit gained from exploring the ruins would be shared with Izelin Academy.Of course, even if I were to take all of the treasure-hunting profits, Illeina would have accepted it gladly.'If you try to gobble up everything while digging up someone else’s land, you’ll get [N O V E L I G H T] a stomachache.'Let’s share what I don’t need.Next, beside the underground passage for ruin exploration, a secret stairway connecting to the underworld had been laid out; it was designed exactly the way I wanted.And all of this had been conceived to properly avoid the sewer channels located right beneath the Union.A clear sign of Demian’s genius-level design ability.I skimmed the plans and handed them to Ciel, seated next to me.“I’ve checked what I needed. Look over the details.”This was as far as I could confirm. I’d leave the minor, nitpicky parts to Ciel.Being a perfect maid—neat appearance, excellent grades, and even good at cooking—Ciel would surely have the ability to inspect blueprints too.When I passed the plans over, Ciel narrowed her eyes.“…You’re dumping the tedious part on me again.”“It’s called the right person in the right place. I’ve got plenty else to do. A maid can look over blueprints, can’t she.”“Ordinary maids do not check architectural drawings.”“……”That was true.Watching the little farce before me for a moment, Demian asked me,“Hey. But have you really cleared it with the folks below?”“Why? Are you scared?”“……Hardly ‘scared.’ And even if it goes south, I’m not the one who needs to be afraid. I’m just a hired hand doing what I’m told. But the client can’t go dying midway, can he.”“There’s no need to worry. They actually welcomed the project.”I recalled when I had visited the Western Branch of the underworld and faced Rebecca.At first, I’d thought to angle for a small deal to get approval for this underground passage construction, but she accepted without particular conditions.The underworld wouldn’t lose anything by having one more passage connected to the Union, and we were footing the construction bill to boot.And since this was a secret passage that wouldn’t be public, it could be used strategically in an emergency.It would come in handy in one of the sub-quests, [Underworld Strife].“When can we break ground?”“At the very earliest, after midterms. As you know, construction doesn’t move that briskly. There’s a lot to prep.”That was true.From choosing the contractor to importing materials and hiring laborers—there was a lot to handle.Demian asked,“What about the contractor? Our Tullei Academy has a few factions, too.”“I’ll trust your eye. I believe you’ll handle it so no useless talk starts.”Construction is mostly subcontracting upon subcontracting.If you set subcontractors to bid and beat down the unit price, trouble is bound to happen eventually. Picking a good contractor is a skill.And supervision is essential, to manage the funds properly and ensure they get used where they need to.If I fussed over such trifles myself, it would get tough. I’d leave this to Demian.His temperament was eccentric, but once he took on a job, he was thorough.“Fine. But I want payment for this part. It’s a hassle for me, too.”He had helped with the design out of interest, but the rest was a different matter. This time, Demian asked for compensation.I nodded without fuss.“I’ll make sure it’s generous. You’ll like it.”“Do you even know what I want?”“Anything is fine. There’s nothing I can’t procure.”“Hmph. Confident, aren’t we.”I did know that what Demian wanted as payment wasn’t simply money.I should pick out the perfect compensation for him in advance.“Then that’s it for the dormitory reconstruction. Next.”I wet my throat with black tea and looked to Illeina to bring up the next topic.“I heard from Elena. You granted the Lu Order permission to establish a diocese in Izelin, didn’t you?”“That is correct. I apologize for not informing you sooner.”I waved a hand toward Illeina, who bowed her head.“No need to apologize. There’s no reason to report every matter of state to an outsider.”“I have never thought of Sir Loen as an outsider.”Well, I had gotten involved far too deeply to be called an outsider.“Anyway. You’re confident, I trust?”Borrowing the Holy Kingdom’s power to keep Jerome in check.If mishandled, it could be like driving out a wolf only to invite a tiger into the house.The method would differ, but Celestia was unlikely to leave Izelin alone.'Regardless of Elena’s personal intent, the Celestia homeland would seek to bring Izelin under its influence somehow.'Not by force and might like Jerome, but in a gentler, softer way—and by the time you noticed, it would be inescapable.When I asked about this, Illeina answered in a calm voice,“…It would be a lie to say I am confident.”After choosing her words for a moment, Illeina looked at Josefin and Philip and spoke with confident resolve.“But with everyone together, I believe we can overcome it well enough. We have already passed through such a road once.”Hearing her forthright declaration, I smiled faintly.“Good. I’ll be expecting it.”***“Good work today as well!”“Yes, then get home safely.”With lively goodbyes, the Disciplinary Committee members left Jeremy’s office.Jeremy saw them off with a bright expression.A moment later.Knock knock-At the sound of a knock from outside the door, Jeremy, who had been looking through documents, spoke up.“Enter.”“……”The man who opened the office door and stepped inside was Zimmer Dmitry.He was the professor who had taken over the Basic Swordsmanship class in Verdandi’s place while Verdandi was under discipline.Unlike just before, when he had sent off the committee members with a friendly face, Jeremy didn’t spare Zimmer so much as a glance as he flipped through the papers.Zimmer looked at him for a moment, then leaned back on the sofa.“What did you call me for? I handled what you asked.”Tap-At Zimmer’s question, Jeremy drummed his fingers on the desk, sounding displeased.“…Handling it isn’t everything. It wasn’t a particularly refined method. To go so far as to seize on a pretext and expel a student from the class.”Flip-In Jeremy’s hand was the withdrawal consent form Professor Zimmer had given Garfield.“This could have sparked needless backlash. Luckily, she understood my situation, so she didn’t act on it, but it was rather forced.”Zimmer quietly bit his lip at Jeremy’s reprimand.“What more do you want from me? To meet the notice deadline for grade changes, that timing was the only option. I had to force it.”The hastily announced change in the grade distribution, using Garfield’s expulsion as a pretext.Limiting the A grade in Basic Swordsmanship to a single student.This hadn’t been Professor Zimmer’s simple caprice—it had been Jeremy’s order.At Zimmer’s excuse, Jeremy shrugged.“That’s not for me to consider. What I want is neat handling and certain results. Making sure that happens without leaving room for talk—that is ‘competence,’ wouldn’t you say.”“……”Zimmer suppressed the anger that was about to burst out.To be treated like this by a wet-behind-the-ears whelp.Sensing the energy spilling from Zimmer, Jeremy lifted a shoulder.“Don’t be so angry. Compared to what you will gain, this is a trifling matter, isn’t it?”Jeremy was right.Originally, Zimmer had no intention of taking a professorship at the Academy.He had not the slightest hobby of teaching snot-nosed kids in a place this boring.But he had a goal.A man he wanted to surpass even if it took the rest of his life—the Sword of the Kingdom, Egil Dmitry.If only he could step out from under that damned older brother’s shadow, if only he could take revenge on him—Then playing janitor to the heir apparent for a while was not beyond him.“…So, the compensation?”“It is, of course, prepared.”Jeremy Gilbert.He was strict and insufferable, but when it came to rewards and punishments according to results, he was clear.Handing Zimmer a document, Jeremy said,“Come late April, after a long voyage, the merchant ships of the Lombard Trading Company are scheduled to reach the Meteor Isles via the New Continent. Those ships will be loaded with specialties including spices. However, the Company’s share price is currently scraping bottom.”Zimmer glanced over the paper Jeremy handed him and faintly knit his brows.“…So the grim rumors going around lately were about this?”For months, rumors had circulated at the harbor—some imperial merchant ships had been wrecked, or that the main spice-producing regions had suffered a great drought.In response, the big players had begun selling their holdings in the Company, and some wolf-pack-like firms took the chance to short the stock—Lombard’s share-price crash had been inevitable.Conversely, spice prices in the Meteor Isles had skyrocketed.At Zimmer’s words, Jeremy nodded quietly.“Yes. It’s about time you had a purse of your own as well, Sir. I expect you to make considerable profit from this opportunity.”“…Understood.”Jeremy handed Zimmer a certificate and wore an inscrutable smile.“Then I’ll be counting on you for the next matter as well, Sir Zimmer.”***The weekend came again.When I stepped out after finishing my dawn training, an envelope was poking out from the door crack.On the back of the letter was a red war-eye drawn. It was a letter from the underworld.From this letter, I was able to confirm several pieces of information.First, the information on Professor Zimmer I had requested from the underworld.It didn’t differ much from what I already knew.Using the injury he had sustained during the Great Prairie expedition as an excuse, he had withdrawn from the front lines and taken up a professorship at the Academy, and was currently cooperating with Jeremy temporarily out of hatred and a desire for revenge against his brother.No doubt the incident that occurred during the Basic Swordsmanship class was related to that as well.Zimmer had done it at Jeremy’s instigation.'Jeremy Gilbert…'I recalled information about him, the Disciplinary Committee head of Ishtal.A man who would one day be called the Sword Saint and become king of the Knight Kingdom.By ordinary standards, he was clearly a champion of justice and an ally of the player.However—'Jeremy’s fundamental operating principle is slightly twisted'.Unlike Elena, who stakes her life on eradicating Demons but does not cross the line of “Order,” Jeremy is a being closer to “Chaos,” who will, without hesitation, do whatever it takes to enforce his own justice.If it serves his ends, he doesn’t mind using petty tricks like this; to keep me in check, he would do anything.Though I wasn’t certain why he harbored such hostility toward me.I could only surmise that Loen and he had some ill-fated connection in the past.In any case.The method I would take to resolve this matter was to sever the loose link between Jeremy and Zimmer.'They are in cooperation, but not on good terms.'Given the right pretext or price, it wouldn’t be difficult to shatter their cooperation.I could profit in several ways by doing so.'Perhaps, I might not even need to drive Professor Zimmer out of his position.'Turning the page containing the underworld’s news on Zimmer, I set my eyes on the next letter.Flip-A report summarizing various topics within the Meteor Isles.Among them, I focused on the [Report on the Spice Market’s Trends].As I carefully examined the report, my eyes widened in surprise.Spice prices had soared, and the trading companies’ share prices were shifting rapidly.'This is clearly…'The special event that occurred probabilistically in the game—the spice stock manipulation incident.And I also knew the mastermind who instigated this stock manipulation.After reading the report for a moment, I sprang to my feet.It was just the timing to invest the 1 billion Krone I had received from Illeina.'I should bring Garfield.'

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