Chapter 203
Chapter 203: Bring Some Friends Along (2)
At the main gate of the Seiron Royal Academy, a large and magnificent luxury wagon, pulled by eight white horses, came to a halt.
Behind the wagon, carts piled high with food lined up in a row.
That wasn’t all. Dozens of mounted knights and hundreds of soldiers were tightly guarding them.
Naturally, the academy’s gatekeepers were in a frenzy.
‘W-who is it that has arrived?’
‘This looks like someone really important is here.’
Creak.
As the gatekeepers were all tense, the door of the luxurious wagon opened, and Wendy stepped out.
Her attire was no different from that of any other noble young lady.
She wore a dress far more splendid and luxurious than that of most noblewomen, adorned with beautiful jewelry.
The sight left the gatekeepers in a daze, while Wendy shut her eyes tight and bit her lip.
‘How embarrassing…’
There weren’t many who disliked pretty things, but right now, she was dressed way too ostentatiously.
Moreover, due to her profession, she had developed a habit of avoiding attention as much as possible, so being the center of people’s gaze made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
However, she couldn’t run away because Claude insisted that she look rich no matter what.
Wendy swallowed her embarrassment and spoke to the gatekeepers.
“I am here on behalf of the Chief Officer of Penris Territory in the Ruthania Kingdom to meet the headmaster.”
The gatekeepers were taken aback.
They didn’t know where Penris was, but they knew about the Ruthania Kingdom. It was a mighty nation right next door, wasn’t it?
‘W-what do we do? They’re not a noble of our kingdom!’
‘Should we just let them in without knowing who they are?’
Ruthania was a military powerhouse compared to Seiron. They couldn’t even dare to question someone of such distinguished status.
While they exchanged nervous glances, a high-pitched voice came from inside the wagon.
“What are you doing? Open the door already!”
With a crushing sense of authority weighing down on them, the gatekeepers quietly opened the door.
As the entourage entered the academy grounds, even the students and professors walking by stopped in their tracks.
There was both fear about the large military force entering and curiosity about the grand procession.
When the wagon stopped in front of the main building, even the headmaster rushed out, panting.
Creak…
The door of the wagon slowly opened.
Everyone, tense, waited for someone to step out.
Thud.
“Ugh, long-distance travel is really exhausting. Why did the lord send me to this kind of place? Am I the kind of person to be doing such trivial tasks?”
The one who stepped down complaining was Claude.
On the way here, he had indulged in such extravagance that he was now completely lost in that role.
In a word, he had forgotten his true purpose.
People glanced at Claude with sidelong glances.
Although his clothes and hat looked incredibly expensive… somehow they felt a bit ridiculous.
His hat was not adorned with just one or two but dozens of rare bird feathers, making him look like some barbarian sorcerer.
And it didn’t stop there. Thick gold and jewel rings adorned every finger without exception. It was questionable whether he could even lift his fingers.
He wore three thick gold necklaces that hung down to his navel. He must have been feeling heavy since his neck drooped like a turtle.
Moreover, countless jewelry pieces dangled from various parts of his clothing, making it look difficult for him to walk.
Indeed, Claude stumbled as soon as he took a step. Wendy quickly supported him and clicked her tongue.
“Ugh, why do I feel so heavy?”
‘That’s why you should have dressed a little more modestly.’
Not wanting to show that he was new to spending money, Claude’s unusual presence made the headmaster move closer and bow his head. He seemed afraid to make eye contact, focusing instead on the ground.
It appeared he didn’t know who Claude was, but that just deterred him more from looking. Most nobles with such strange tastes were a bit off anyway.
“Um, how did you come here?”
With a shaky voice, the headmaster asked, and Claude flippantly responded by waving his hand.
“I just rode in a wagon, didn’t I?”
“…Who are you here to see?”
“I came to meet the headmaster here. The one called Dennis.”
“I am Dennis.”
“Oh? Headmaster, it’s me, Claude. Wow, you’ve aged quite a bit.”
Only then did Dennis lift his head sharply and slowly examine Claude’s face.
The familiar face was certainly in his memory. Dennis gasped in surprise and shouted.
“Claude? The real Claude? No way, how did you become such a wealthy person…?”
Dennis wasn’t the only one shocked; the professors nearby were taken aback as well.
They had heard of Claude’s return through Anna. It was said that he had completely moved to another kingdom.
Seeing Claude appear now as such an enormous rich man left them dumbfounded.
Regardless, Claude nonchalantly swayed his fingers a few times and said, “Ah, why are my fingers so heavy? Anyway, I came because I wanted to ask the headmaster a few things. I have a favor to ask as well.”
“Oh, uh. Let’s go inside and talk.”
The procession was so excessive and flashy that even the students had all gathered outside. They couldn’t have a proper conversation here.
But Claude didn’t enter right away; instead, he spoke.
“I heard that the Seiron Kingdom has been suffering from a severe drought. Are you all managing well with meals?”
“Ugh… you should know the situation. There are poor people overflowing all across the kingdom. We’re barely scraping by.”
Since the Royal Academy was built to nurture clever commoners as talents, it generally received generous donations from the royal family and nobles.
If even such a place couldn’t eat properly, the situation must be much more dire than usual.
Claude nodded a few times and then turned around.
“Gillian, distribute plenty of food here. And I mean a lot. What are you doing? Get moving!”
Gillian, standing behind, quirked his lips.
Although this was necessary, it was increasingly difficult to witness the debacle.
However, if this succeeded, it would undoubtedly benefit Ghislaine, so he couldn’t afford to mess things up. Gillian gritted his teeth and ordered soldiers to start unloading the food.
Noticing this, Dennis cautiously asked, “Are you really giving all that food here?”
“It’s a donation, a donation. People eat well, they study better, right? Make sure to share generously with those around as well.”
“You’ve really become an incredible rich person.”
“Wowww!”
As the crowd listening to Claude’s words exclaimed in admiration, the food piled up next to the carts like a mountain. To be exact, it was enough to buy the entire academy at current market prices.
Claiming he would donate all that was no ordinary big decision.
Claude waved at the people, showing off. The cheers grew louder.
Quickly scanning his surroundings, he wore a slightly disappointed expression.
‘Is Anna not coming out? Is she not here today?’
In the meantime, Dennis joyfully said, “Thank you, really thank you. But why go through all the trouble to bring it down yourself? You could just leave it on the carts, and we’d take care of it. Just the donation alone is more than enough, you don’t have to go that far.”
To Dennis, that amount of food could buy thousands of carts. It was something trivial that didn’t need to be taken back.
But Claude, with a slightly darkened complexion, replied, “No… I want to take the carts back…”
In Penris, carts like those were more precious than food. Food was so abundant that even the neighborhood strays would eat the unsavory leftovers and then leave it.
“Must be some special carts with a history.”
“… Yes. There are many tales behind them…”
“Let’s just go inside. It’ll be more comfortable for us to talk inside.”
Dennis took Claude’s hand and led him inside.
In reality, had Claude appeared normally, he wouldn’t have received such hospitality.
It was effectively the same as being chased out of the kingdom due to his involvement in his teacher’s death.
However, because he had boasted an overwhelming display of wealth right from the start, along with the donation of food, no one dared to treat him carelessly.
While it was a bit pathetic how excessive it was, Claude’s strategy had indeed worked out perfectly.
Once they moved to the reception room, Dennis asked Claude point-blank.
“So, what is it you wanted to ask about and what favor do you need? Are you looking to meet Anna?”
“No, not exactly… I’m just thinking of seeing her for a bit… but that’s not the reason I came…”
Stumbled by the abrupt question, Claude fumbled over his words, and Dennis inquired again.
“Then what’s the matter? Speak freely.”
After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Claude finally spoke.
“I’d like to receive a list of the students who were my teacher’s disciples. Also, I want the names of the students who studied alongside me.”
“Hmm… you mean their names?”
“Yes, and could you gather some students who are about to graduate?”
“Students? Why?”
Claude wore a somewhat sinister smile and said, “I’m planning to pick a few people to work in our territory.”
Seeing his expression made Dennis feel somewhat uneasy, but he didn’t outright refuse.
Having received such a substantial donation, he had no justification to turn him down. Instead, it would be a blessing if the successful Claude took some students away.
In these tough times, graduates from the academy had nowhere to go. Everyone’s situation was so dire that they couldn’t afford to reduce the number of mouths to feed, let alone add new ones.
A few days later, due to Dennis’s instructions, banners and notices were posted all around the academy.
[Recruiting New Administrators for Penris Territory]
[There will be an explanation regarding employment today, so all students who are about to graduate must participate.]
The students who saw this gathered in small groups, murmuring amongst themselves.
“If it’s Ruthania Kingdom, that’s a military power, right?”
“I heard they are recruiting people from a large territory. That newly rich guy who came a few days ago is supposedly their Chief Officer.”
“Let’s go check it out quickly!”
Malron, who was about to graduate, sighed as he watched the other students.
‘Sigh, should I go too? It’s really hard to find a job these days.’
Due to the famine, even the administrators who were in place had been laid off. Even loyal retainers were frequently retracting their oaths of allegiance.
For nobles, maintaining knights was important, and not many considered administrators to be that significant.
Most territories had operated without administrators even before the famine, relying on haphazard methods.
So, it was natural for students who had only studied without any practical experience to be deeply worried.
‘At this rate, I won’t find a job and will starve to death.’
Nobles who used to visit the academy to recruit talents no longer came.
In a time where they needed to cut back, hiring and supporting someone was out of the question.
‘Perhaps I should just inherit my father’s work.’
Malron, who had been known for his intelligence since childhood, had parents who placed high expectations on him and devoted themselves only to supporting him.
But reality was harsh. Among the students gathered from all over the kingdom, there were just too many outstanding individuals.
No matter how hard he studied, he couldn’t get past the mid-to-lower ranks in grades.
Thinking of his parents, who had toiled their entire lives just to support him, Malron felt a wave of gloom hit him.
‘Still, I should at least listen to the explanation… just in case…’
Though he wasn’t particularly drawn to another kingdom, right now he couldn’t afford to be picky. In times like these, simply being chosen would be extraordinary.
Crushed by the weight of reality, Malron reluctantly moved forward.
When he arrived at the academy’s largest hall, most of the graduating students were already there.
Given the dire situation, they had come with a desperate yearning to clutch at straws.
After a moment, when Claude finally entered the hall, Malron frowned.
‘He definitely looks like a fraud. Coming all the way here, it’s obvious as day.’
Other students shared similar sentiments. They had come here in desperation not to starve but felt an immediate sense of disappointment.
‘He’s a nouveau riche, that’s for sure.’
‘He looks incredibly strange.’
‘Is this person really the Chief Officer of a large territory?’
Creeping along heavily weighed down was Claude, supported by Wendy as they barely entered.
It was natural for the atmosphere to sour in response to his over-the-top and bizarre outfit.
Seeing the disappointed expressions of the students, Claude couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘Oh dear, how adorable.’
Perhaps they were young, but it seemed they had no idea how valuable the things he wore were.
Having lived, he learned that whenever possible, it was best to gather everything expensive when you can.
Once he cleared his throat, Claude quickly introduced himself and began to talk about Penris Territory.
“… Our lord comes from the Northern Baron, and as his successor… He has forcibly unified the territories of Count Digald and Count Cabaldy under his command… Additionally, he possesses the greatest power in the kingdom, being the protector of the illustrious Marquis Branford, and currently, discussions about an engagement with his daughter are perhaps underway…”
The students, upon hearing more and more, wore expressions of disbelief.
The lord of Penris not only had a remarkable lineage but also an extraordinary background. From what was said, he sounded like a young and capable military hero, receiving all the hopes of the kingdom.
Particularly, being favored by Marquis Branford and possibly having an engagement discussion with his daughter was a considerable shock.
Marquis Branford was famous enough that no one in the nearby kingdoms was ignorant of his name.
But the following stories were even more shocking.
