Episode 203: Bring some friends. (2)
A very large and ornate luxury carriage pulled by eight white horses stopped at the main gate of the Ceylon Royal Academy.
Behind the carriage, wagons piled high with food were lined up.
Not only that, dozens of knights and hundreds of soldiers on horseback were guarding them without fail.
This is why the gatekeepers of the academy were in an uproar.
‘Who, who is here?’
‘It seems like someone of high rank has come?’
Squeak.
While the gatekeepers were tense, the door of the magnificent carriage opened and Wendy got out.
Her attire was no different from that of any other noble lady.
She was wearing a dress that was much more extravagant and luxurious than that of most noble ladies, and she even wore beautiful accessories.
The gatekeepers were dumbfounded by the sight, and Wendy closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.
‘I’m so pissed… … .’
There aren’t many people who don’t like pretty things, but these days, too much makeup is just too much.
There, she had a habit of avoiding being noticed as much as possible due to her job, so she felt bad when people stared at her.
But I couldn’t run away because Claude insisted on wearing this kind of outfit, saying that I had to look rich no matter what.
Wendy suppressed her shame and went to the gatekeepers and said.
“The Lord Chancellor of the Fenris Territory of the Kingdom of Rutania has come to see you, Dean, on business.”
The gatekeepers were astonished.
I don’t know where Fenris is, but I know the Kingdom of Rutania. Isn’t it the great power right next door?
‘Oh, what should I do? He’s not a noble of our kingdom?’
‘Should I just open it without knowing who it is?’
Rutania is a military power that cannot be compared to the likes of Ceylon. I did not dare to confirm the high position of a place like that.
As they were just looking at each other, a hoarse voice was heard from inside the carriage.
“What are you doing? Why don’t you open the door quickly?”
The gatekeepers, oppressed by an unknown majesty, quietly opened the door.
As the group entered the academy grounds, all the students and professors passing by stopped walking.
There was fear of the large number of troops entering, and curiosity about the magnificent procession.
As soon as the carriage stopped in front of the central building, even the dean came running out in a hurry.
Squeak… … .
The carriage door opened slowly.
Everyone was waiting there tensely for someone to get off.
Ugh.
“Oh my, long distance travel is really tiring. Why did you send Youngju to a place like this? Am I the kind of person who would do such a trivial task?”
The one who got off in annoyance was Claude.
Having lived so extravagantly on my way here, I was now completely intoxicated by the role.
In a word, it means that one has forgotten one’s duty.
People glanced at Claude.
The clothes and hats both looked incredibly expensive… … but they were a bit ugly.
His hat was decorated with not one, but dozens of feathers from precious birds, giving him the look of a savage sorcerer.
And that’s not all? All ten fingers were adorned with thick gold and jewel rings. It was doubtful whether he could even lift a finger.
She had three thick gold necklaces hanging down to her belly button. They were so heavy that her neck was bent like a turtle’s.
In addition, there were countless ornaments hanging from various parts of the clothes, making it difficult to walk.
Sure enough, Claude stumbled as soon as he took a step. Wendy immediately helped him up and clicked her tongue.
“Ouch, why do I feel so heavy?”
‘That’s why you should have worn it a little less.’
The Dean approached Claude, who was clearly showing off his first time spending money, and bowed his head. His eyes were fixed on the ground, as if he was afraid of making eye contact.
It seemed that he didn’t know who Claude was, but that made him even less willing to look at him. It was understandable, since most nobles with such eccentric tastes were a little crazy.
“Oh, how did you come?”
Claude answered with shaking hands at the trembling voice of the Dean.
“You just came by carriage?”
“… …Who have you come to see?”
“I came here to see the Dean. Is he there now? I mean, Dean Dennis.”
“I am Dennis.”
“Oh? Dean, it’s me. Claude. Wow, you’ve aged so much.”
Only then did Dennis raise his head and examine Claude’s face carefully.
The face in his memory was clear. Dennis screamed in surprise.
“Claude? Are you really Claude? No, how did you become so rich… .”
Not only Dennis, but also the professors around him were surprised.
They also heard news of Claude through Anna who had returned. She said that he had left for another kingdom.
I was dumbfounded when I saw Claude, who had been like that, turn up and become such a huge rich man.
Claude shook his finger a few times and said, “Anyway.”
“Oh, why are your fingers so heavy? Anyway, I came here to ask the Dean something. I also have a favor to ask.”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go inside and talk.”
The procession was so extravagant and extravagant that even the students had gathered around. I couldn’t talk properly here.
But Claude didn’t go in right away and said.
“I heard that the Kingdom of Seiron is also suffering from a severe drought. Is everyone eating well these days?”
“Ugh… … You know the situation, don’t you? The kingdom is overflowing with poor people. We’re barely able to make ends meet.”
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Since the Royal Academy was built to nurture intelligent commoners into talented individuals, it received generous funding from the royal family and nobles.
If you can’t even eat properly in a place like that, then the situation is not just serious.
Claude nodded several times, then turned around and said.
“Gillian, give us a lot of food here. I mean, a lot. What are you doing? Aren’t you moving quickly?”
Gillian, who was standing behind, licked her lips.
It was necessary, so I was adjusting the pace, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to see the sloppiness.
But this time, if it was successful, it would definitely help Giselle, so he couldn’t mess things up. Gillian gritted his teeth and ordered his soldiers to give him food.
Dennis looked at the sight and asked cautiously.
“Are you sure you’re not going to give all that food here?”
“It’s a donation, a donation. You have to eat well to study well, right? Please share generously with those around you.”
“You, you really have become incredibly rich.”
“Wow!”
The people who had gathered were amazed when they heard Claude’s words.
Before long, there was a mountain of food left by the soldiers next to the cart. At today’s prices, it was enough to buy the entire academy.
Donating it all was no small decision, even for a large-scale donor.
Claude waved at the people, showing off. Then the cheering grew louder.
He quickly glanced around and looked slightly disappointed.
‘Is Anna not here? Is she not here today?’
Meanwhile, Dennis said with great joy,
“Thank you, thank you very much. But why bother to take us down yourself? Just leave us in the cart and we’ll take care of it. We’re so grateful for the food we’ve given you, so you don’t have to go that far.”
In Dennis’s estimation, that amount of food could buy tens of thousands of wagons. It was a trivial item that didn’t need to be taken back.
But Claude said with a slightly darkened expression.
“No… … . I’m going to take the cart back… … .”
In Fenris, carts like that are more valuable than food. Food is so abundant that even the village dogs will eat the unpalatable stuff and throw it away.
“It looks like this is a precious carriage with a story.”
“… … Yes. There are many stories… … .”
“Let’s go in first. Let’s go in and talk comfortably.”
Dennis took Claude’s hand and led him inside.
In fact, if Claude had shown up as an ordinary person, he would not have received such a warm welcome.
Because it would be tantamount to being banished from the kingdom for being implicated in the death of the master.
But from the beginning, he showed off his overwhelming amount of money and even shared food with them, so no one thought of treating him lightly.
Although it was a bit excessive to the point of being ugly, Claude’s strategy itself was perfect.
After moving to the reception room, Dennis asked Claude directly.
“Yes, what do you want to know and what do you want to ask? Have you come to see Anna?”
“No, that’s not it… … . I wanted to take a quick look… … . That’s not why I came… … .”
Claude stuttered, flustered by the sudden words, and Dennis asked again.
“Then what’s going on? Tell me more comfortably.”
Claude said after a moment of collecting his thoughts.
“I would like to receive a list of the students my teacher taught. Also a list of my classmates who studied with me.”
“Umm… … . You mean their list?”
“Yes, and could you please gather some students who are about to graduate?”
“Students? Why?”
Claude said with a strangely sinister smile.
“I… … am looking to select some people to work in our territory.”
Looking at that sight, Dennis felt somewhat uncomfortable, but he did not specifically refuse.
There was no reason to refuse the donations, since they were so huge. In fact, it was a blessing for Claude, who was so successful, to take students.
In these difficult times, there was nowhere for the academy’s graduates to go. Everyone was struggling, so there was no way they could recruit new people, let alone cut back on the number of vacancies.
A few days later, banners and posters were put up all over the academy at Dennis’ direction.
[Recruiting new Fenris Estate managers]
[There will be an explanation about employment today, so students who are about to graduate are strongly encouraged to attend.]
Students who saw it gathered in groups of three or four and started making a fuss.
“If it’s the Kingdom of Rutania, then it’s a powerful country, right?”
“They say they’re looking for people in Daeyeongji. The rich guy who came a few days ago is the governor there.”
“Let’s go quickly!”
Now, as graduation approaches, Malone looks at the other students and sighs.
‘Sigh, I guess I should go too. It’s hard to find a job these days.’
Due to the famine, even the existing officials were being cut down. There were even many estates where vassals who had sworn loyalty withdrew their loyalty pledges.
For the nobles, maintaining knights was important, but not many considered administrators important.
Even before the famine, most of the fiefdoms were run in a haphazard manner without administrators.
So, it was inevitable that students who only studied without any experience would be worried.
‘If this continues, I won’t be able to find a job and I’ll starve to death.’
The nobles who used to sponsor the academy and select talented people no longer come here.
It was difficult to sponsor and hire someone when there was a need to reduce the number of mouths.
‘Should I just inherit my father’s work?’
Malone was known to be smart since he was young. That’s why his parents had high expectations and devoted themselves to supporting Malone.
But the reality was harsh. There were so many outstanding students gathered from all over the kingdom.
No matter how hard he studied, he couldn’t get out of the lower middle ranks.
When he thought about his parents who had suffered all their lives to support their children, Marlon felt depressed.
‘Still, I should listen to the explanation… … Just in case… … .’
I wasn’t particularly attracted to another kingdom, but now was the time to be picky. In times like these, even just picking one person was a big deal.
Crushed by the weight of reality, Malone walked listlessly.
When we arrived at the largest hall of the academy, most of the graduating class was already gathered there.
Because the situation was so bad, everyone came here desperately.
A moment later, Malone frowned as he actually saw Claude entering the hall.
‘He looks like a scammer at first glance. It’s obvious even without looking, considering he came all the way to another kingdom.’
Other students felt the same way as Malone. They had come because they were on the verge of starving, but it felt like their expectations had disappeared in an instant.
‘That’s a nouveau riche, that’s definitely a nouveau riche.’
‘It looks really weird.’
‘That kind of person is the general of the Great Territory?’
Claude, whose body had become heavy, barely managed to get in with Wendy’s support.
It is natural that the atmosphere becomes dull due to the flashy, even bizarre, costumes.
Claude chuckled at the look of disappointment on the students’ faces.
‘Oh my, they’re so cute.’
Maybe it’s because he’s still young, but he doesn’t know how precious the things he carries in his body are.
As I live, I’ve found that the best thing to do is to just buy all the expensive things you can while you can.
Claude, clearing his throat, briefly introduced himself and began introducing the Fenris Estate.
“… … Our lord has as his father the Margrave of the North, and as his successor… … . He has united the County of Digald and the County of Cavaldi by force and has a large territory under his control… … He also has as his guardian the Marquis of Branford, the most powerful man in the kingdom, and there is talk of an engagement with his daughter at present… … .”
The more the students listened, the more incredulous they became.
Lord Fenris was not only a man of distinction, but his record and background were also extraordinary. Just hearing his story, he was a young and talented war hero who had the expectations of the kingdom on him.
It was especially shocking to hear that he was favored by the Marquis of Branford and was even engaged to his daughter.
The Marquis of Branford was a powerful man so famous that there was no one in the neighboring kingdom who did not know him.
But the story that followed was even more shocking.
