Chapter 202

For a while, I had to be buried in paperwork. Handling everything alone was overwhelming, so I temporarily selected members for the student council. I filled the positions exclusively with second-years. The third-years were about to graduate soon, and there was also the risk of lunatics like Emeric running amok. First-years were excluded for similar reasons. Second-years, whom I had at least never directly interacted with, were the best option. “The dormitory… shouldn’t we build it outside, like the Schlaphe Hall?” “Realistically, yes. As for the Adele Hall, it should be constructed as close to the main building as possible as a special privilege.” “We also need to categorize the attendants working in the dining hall according to their rank. Who’s decent at cooking?” Though they lacked individuality, they were from Adele Hall. True to elites who had tasted power, they blatantly revealed their biased policies. Since I valued fairness, my hand hesitated to stamp the seal. “What about my hotel business?” “Oh, that? I’ve more or less drafted a plan. I’ll cut the budget elsewhere as much as possible and discreetly secure slush funds, so just stamp here.” Thud! I didn’t stamp the documents for personal gain. Though it had only been a few days, I had developed the impression that they were competent workers. So, I trusted them and stamped the approval. “Listen carefully, everyone. The top priority is completing the main building. Once the main building is up, professors will be able to resume their administrative duties, and students’ lessons will no longer be in disarray but properly structured.” The dormitories would come next. Dining halls and other facilities were secondary. I demanded a practical approach from the executives, cutting out unnecessary luxury items and extravagant decorations. But this issue wasn’t something that could be easily resolved. “Hmm. Do you think students will even help with the construction? Everyone seems skeptical.” “Yeah, exactly. Hersel, what if we just pay them with Imperial money?” Due to the coin crisis caused by financial collapse, students had lost faith in currency. Construction was slow with only prisoners working on it. Providing wages in Imperial currency using the budget from Dorosian and the headquarters would have solved the issue easily, but at this stage, monetary reform was out of the question. I shook my head at their suggestion. “No. If we pay them in Imperial money, they might be tempted to desert. With money, they could flee to nearby villages and use it to escape.” There were many reasons why Frost Heart operated on a coin-based system. “And to gain control over the economy, we need the authority to issue currency.” Every nation had its own reasons for minting its own money. Otherwise, if internal markets collapsed, they would have just used the dollar to minimize damage. “Then the construction will be even slower…” “There’s nothing they can buy with coins right now. Is there anything else we could offer as wages besides money?” As the executives pondered, a senior female student entered the meeting room. “Hersel, here’s a proposal issued by the Ten Elites. Review it.” “Who came up with it?” “Kerndel.” “Tear it up.” The senior hesitated, but then ripped up the paper and handed over the next document. “Oh, should I tear this one up too?” “Who wrote it?” When I asked, the senior glanced at the document with an awkward expression. It took her only a moment—because the proposal contained only one sentence. “It’s from Mircel, but… it’s too personal, like a letter or something.” “It’s fine. Let me see it.” Mircel’s proposal read: [I want to eat ice cream.] This was it. I abruptly stood up. The senior flinched in surprise. “You’re going to scold him?” “Hah. Why would I scold him? He just came up with a great idea.” Leaving behind the puzzled senior, I recalled a piece of ice cream history. During World War II, the U.S. famously supplied ice cream to its soldiers. This significantly boosted morale—an added bonus was that it crushed the spirits of enemies who were stuck eating flavorless canned goods. The real reason? Soldiers marveled at the technology that kept ice cream frozen all the way to the battlefield. Meanwhile, the enemy was both shocked and envious. But at its core, the power of ice cream lay in its taste. Without its alluring flavor, people would have dismissed it as a ridiculous waste of resources, and the enemy would have laughed at them. In fact, when ice cream rations were suddenly cut, U.S. soldiers even went on strike. That was the irresistible charm of ice cream. “Attention, everyone.” I tapped the blackboard with my hand, and the executives turned to look at me. “From now on, the recruitment notices should state that we’ll be offering ice cream as well as coins.” “Ice cream? What’s that?” “It’s a cold snack. And it will only be available for purchase with coins.” The key to restoring faith in currency was simple. Let people see it, use it in real exchanges. A good—albeit dubious—example was Japan’s pachinko system. People exchanged their winnings for prizes, which they then converted to cash at an affiliated shop. At first, it seemed uncertain, but as people kept exchanging prizes for money, the prizes themselves started to feel like currency. “For now, I’ll distribute ice cream as a reward for those who work. You all know how scarce food is at the academy, so you can imagine the impact.” The executives looked at me with doubt. “That makes sense. The rations we get taste awful. But… can we really do this?” “Yeah, it’s hard to get excited about something we don’t even know.” I sighed and stepped outside. Then, pretending to retrieve ice cream from somewhere far away, I re-entered the room. I handed each executive a small, individually wrapped ice cream. Their eyes widened. “W-What is this?” “It melts in my mouth… like snow.” “But it’s so sweet and soft…” Their taste buds had just experienced a revolution. Even in this world, which had more advanced cuisine than a typical medieval setting, ice cream was a level beyond. “It’ll sell.” “This will definitely sell.” The executives’ eyes gleamed, as if they had caught the scent of money. My decision to prioritize recruiting the children of noble families who ran businesses had been correct. “I plan to mass-produce this. Of course, it’s not easy since it melts quickly in warm temperatures. But this is Frost Heart. There’s a place where it won’t melt, even in the middle of summer.” As I spoke, I pointed at a location on the blackboard. It was Arkandric’s training ground. The frozen lake where Arkandric had been sealed by Luon. “What do you think? More useful than Kerndel, right?” Mircel had probably just wanted to eat ice cream. He hadn’t intended for this. But there’s a huge difference between something that inspires and something that doesn’t. Hearing my words, the senior stared at me blankly and replied. “You didn’t even read his proposal.” “Do you think it was worth reading?” “Not really.” “Then, take care of the rest.” Leaving the executives behind, I stepped out of the tent. I was headed to the Ten Elites’ meeting room. Even outside the tent, I could hear voices leaking out. It was Mircel’s voice. “Why did you drag me here? I already said I wasn’t joining the Ten Elites.” Erucel was the one who responded to his grumbling. “Didn’t you say you wanted to participate in the Integrated Tournament? Then you have to.” “That doesn’t mean I have to sit through these boring meetings. I don’t even understand half of what they’re talking about.” As I stepped inside, all eyes turned to me. The first to speak was Kerndel, his face wearing a smug smile. “It seems you were impressed by my proposal. I never expected you to come find me personally.” I walked up to where he was seated at the head of the table. “Kerndel, was that seat assigned to you?” At my pointed remark, Kerndel shrank back and moved to a corner. Taking his seat, I used telekinesis to hand Mircel an ice cream before getting straight to the point. “I came to discuss the Integrated Tournament.” Kerndel was the one to respond. “That’s exactly what we were talking about. We were considering sending future Ten Elites candidates on an academy tour—” “The third-years just want to graduate while maintaining their Ten Elites positions.” The proposal I had torn up likely contained similar nonsense. Cutting off Kerndel’s nonsense, I turned my attention to Emeric and Berthnal. “Shut up, Kerndel!” “Do you think you have the right to speak here?” While Kerndel curled up in silence, I observed the rest of the Ten Elites. Dorosian’s seat was vacant. Aside from Berthnal and Emeric, everyone’s attention was on the ice cream Mircel was holding. “Is it good?” “Let me have a bite.” So, they had no intention of actually discussing anything. They were just here to kill time. “So, since you’re graduating, you don’t care about the Integrated Tournament. Is that it?” As I hit the mark, most of them avoided my gaze. Any expectations of them advising their juniors were clearly misplaced. Not that I blamed them. “Well, at least you’re self-aware.” They were the proud individuals who had added two more years to our academy’s streak of finishing last. If they had actually achieved anything, they might have been able to offer some advice. But having accomplished nothing, they had no wisdom to share. “I’m different, Hersel Ben Tenest! Right now, we should be selecting candidates for the tour and gathering intelligence on our rivals!” “Kerndel, did you not hear me tell you to shut up?” “This time, I raised my hand before speaking. If you ignored my request to speak, that’s your fault.” “Tsk.” Clicking my tongue, I signaled Emeric and Berthnal, who promptly dragged Kerndel out. With the nuisance gone, I finally had space to think. The student council was now running itself to some extent, so it was time to focus on the Integrated Tournament. Of the people here, only Mircel and Erucel would actually be participating. The others hadn’t yet joined the Ten Elites. This wasn’t the right setting to discuss training methods. Since no clear plans were coming to mind, I reconsidered Kerndel’s idea. “A tour… It’s not a bad idea.” Erucel was the one who reacted. “But, brother, if we do that, the third-years will graduate as Ten Elites members, and Bellman’s group will take their places without a competition.” Erucel, who knew better than anyone how much the main candidates resented them, was right to be concerned. If we simply let them go without a fight, the backlash would be severe. But something felt off. Unlike the others, Amanda, a third-year who had a strange dynamic with Erucel, seemed completely unbothered. “Unlike the others, Amanda, you don’t seem to mind. Even though this could put a blemish on your career.” “Oh, me? I don’t care. As long as I get to spar with them, I won’t take their positions. I even got a promise that I’d still graduate as a Ten Elites member.” Maybe she was the least hated among them. No—more likely, Erucel had pulled some strings. Emeric and Berthnal, who had thrown out Kerndel, must have overheard the conversation, as they raised their hands and spoke. “For the record, I agree as well, Hersel Ben Tenest.” “Same here.” So this is why it’s important to have allies. While some third-years still looked disgruntled, Erucel emphasized the main issue again. “If we factor in the time needed for the tour, there won’t be enough time for the competition. And there’s no guarantee the academies will even accept our request. Who would willingly reveal information to a competitor?” Whether the tour happened was up to the academies. Normally, schools were reluctant to allow such visits. But I shook my head. “They look down on us. If we show up, they’ll actually be pleased.” From their perspective, if the underdog came for a tour, it would only boost their morale. It would reinforce their belief that they were superior, motivating their students even more. Sёarch* The Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It would also be a way for them to assert their dominance. “There’s something called pride. If you take a competition seriously, and the weak don’t even bother preparing, that’s offensive in its own way. And Frost Heart is the weakest.” “To them, we’re just a doormat. They have no interest in our actual strength. If anything, they’ll use it as an opportunity to flaunt their own skills.” That was the reality. Whenever Frost Heart visited, they were met with ridicule. It was a free morale boost for them, and they didn’t see us as a threat. But that was our greatest weapon. “They don’t care about us. That means they’re ignorant of us. Remember that. It’s Frost Heart’s greatest advantage.” After emphasizing that, I addressed the concern Erucel had been dwelling on. “And don’t worry about the Ten Elites competition. We’re only applying to one place.” “One place? Brother, what do you mean?” By applying there, we would get a chance to observe all four academies’ main players at once. “Did you forget? They don’t care about the weak.” That academy was the undisputed number one. “Valient is always open. Whether out of confidence or arrogance, they don’t bother guarding against visitors.” It was only natural for contenders to keep a close eye on their strongest rivals. And Valient welcomed them. From their perspective, it was just another chance to prove their dominance. Now that the student council was running smoothly, I drafted the official tour request to be sent to Valient. To read Chapters ahead ???? CH 201-205 (Field Trip) $3 CH 206-210 (Troublemaker Vs Troublemaker) $3 CH 211-215 (Graduation) $3 CH 216-220 (Integrated Academy Tournament) $3 CH 221-225 (The Underdog) $3 CH 226-230 (Who am I?) $3 CH 231-235 (Frostheart Vs Wisdom) $3 Prev I TOC I Next Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Like Loading...