The Academy’s Guide to Useless Students – Chapter 2

Neatly organized library.

A perfectly symmetrical office that reflects the owner’s personality. I was sipping tea in front of the Inquisition Officer, ‘Kyle Clington.’

“A counter-suit, huh? That’s a fair punishment,” he remarked with a slight smile.

I couldn’t help but wonder if he was laughing at my current state, but I truly looked pitiful.

Gulp—

I half-buried myself in a blanket while sipping Earl Grey. It had a faint scent of cosmetics, but the warmth of the black tea melted through me.

Yuto was naturally frail.

Especially since he had been in a harsh environment until the interrogation. It wouldn’t have been strange if he were on the brink of death.

“How’s your health? Your color seems to be returning,” he asked.

“Yes. Thanks to you, I think I’ll live,” I replied.

“Honestly, I hope you don’t blame us. The inquisitors are in a position where we can’t refuse the request.”

“I know,” I acknowledged.

That’s why the responsibility of the ‘interrogation’ weighs heavily on me. Everyone is aware that the punishment for false accusations is no trivial matter. Even a noble from the Duchy can’t escape that punishment.

“Yuto, are you not thinking of dropping the counter-suit?”

“Of course not.”

“According to your information, you grew up as a commoner in a small village on the northern continent. You’re lucky to have earned a chance to enter the Imperial Academy due to your swordsmanship skills.”

I could see through Kyle Clington’s intentions.

“Is it because your opponent is Ellie Ingrid from the Ducal House?”

“I’m glad you understand quickly. The wall of status cannot be overcome,” he said.

“I know. If Ellie Ingrid is detained, all sorts of machinations will come pressing down on us,” I replied.

“You know that yet you’re still pressing on? You’ve got guts for someone who looks so meek.”

Guts? That doesn’t feed a person.
I’m just trying to seek a way for survival, using any means necessary.

“I’m not foolish enough to attack a rock with an egg.”

“Do you have other plans?”

“An opportunity has fallen into my lap. I should utilize it, right?”

He intended to settle this with mere litigation, but I would delight in giving him something worse.

“What are you planning to do?”

I made a circular motion with my hand.

“I’m going to extract money.”

A lot of money too.

No matter what you want to do, if you don’t have money, you can’t do anything.

In short, since I fell into this world, I had no money. I had no skills to earn money at the moment. Therefore, that had to be my first priority.

‘I’ll suck it dry.’

I was now sitting in the interview room of the Inquisition Office.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

As time passed, I closed the book I had picked up and looked towards the door.

Soon, the source of funds would come in on its own.

Creeeak.

In came the black-eyed noblewoman with blond hair, ‘Ellie Ingrid.’

“Don’t just stand there staring and take a seat.”

“Ugh…”

Ellie clicked her tongue at my gentle escort.

“Try to keep your composure. This is a meeting to settle things.”

“Such a brazen face. You initiated the counter-suit with money as your goal, didn’t you?”

Typical behavior of a defendant.
Her contemptuous expression dripped with seduction.
Ellie Ingrid’s beauty surpassed even the illustrations in the game. It wouldn’t be long before that adorable face twisted in despair.

“And what about you, Miss Ellie? You didn’t even bother to hear my side before initiating the interrogation. Was that the right action?”

“…I thought it was a reasonable assumption. You seemed to know a secret that I had never revealed to anyone…”

The ignorant defendant.

Nothing in this world lasts forever.

“That’s your problem. My innocence has been proven. Now it’s your turn to pay the price. If you have any objections, bring them up.”

Crack.

Ellie gritted her teeth.

I had no idea what was making her so furious. Prideful and drowning in inferiority.
Upon reconsideration, heroines seem to have an overly annoying nature.

“Fine. I’ll admit it. So, how much settlement money do you want?”

“Ten million carrots.”

“…What? That’s not as much as I expected.”

Are you kidding me? Unless you’re a noble child, commoners will never earn such an amount in their entire life. I really can’t stand this.
Nobles can’t possibly know the value of money.

Anyway, my real intentions were different.

“However, it comes with a condition.”

“A condition?”

“It’s stipulated that I can put conditions on the settlement money.”

“Hah… that makes sense. You’re trying to demand some precious artifact, aren’t you?”

“I don’t need anything like that.”

I knew countless ‘hidden pieces’ well enough.

“To settle for 10 million carrots, it must be entirely paid by ‘Ellie Ingrid.’ That’s the condition.”

“Huh?……”

The wealth of the Ducal House is no joke.
But that’s about your father being remarkable, not you.

“Pay it off yourself through hard work.”

“What?….”

You arrogant noble brat.
Let’s see if you’ll learn the value of money.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already found a job for you.”

“Okay, okay! I’ll handle it!”

“That’s not going to happen.”

By leveraging my agreement, I already knew how to earn a lot.
Perhaps realizing my intent, Ellie sighed in resignation.

“Uh… Where’s the job?”

“At the mining site.”

“What?”

“Go mine some ore.”

“Huh?!…”

Ellie’s complexion turned pale.

You’ve become a miner, huh?

Clang clang clang!
Somewhere at a mining site beyond the Empire—

The mining team leader and the leader of team one were looking at each other with uneasy expressions.

“What’s this? Since when did a labor site become a playground for kids?”

“I don’t know… seems the lady has some sad circumstances.”

In the mining area, filled with stale dust and sweat, a pitiful girl was diligently swinging a pickaxe.

Clang clang clang!

“By the way… isn’t that girl blind? She’s wearing an eye patch.”

“Right… How the heck is she mining ore?”

“I heard she’s a student from the Pandemonium Academy.”

“That explains it. The academy is where the continent’s exceptional elites go. Maybe she can perceive spirits or something?”

“That’s impressive…”

Ellie was being treated like an animal at the zoo. Her appearance was a stark contrast to what it once was. Her usually shiny hair was now matted with grease and the heat of the ore, while her once smooth skin had become rough and hardened from labor.

‘This should be enough, right?……’

Dusting herself off, Ellie headed towards the foreman. There was a noted audacity in her steps.

Five hours of labor. In that brief time, Ellie broke the records of the mining team’s ace players.

‘Hmpf. My training method is just different.’

She confidently approached the foreman and extended her hand.

“Now. Give me my ten million carrots.”

“What… what are you saying? This lady?”

“What do you mean? I’m asking for what’s rightfully mine.”

“Miss… are you trying to rob me? Sure, what you achieved in five hours is remarkable, but even that won’t come close to a thousand carrots!”

“…What?”

Pure terror engulfed her.

After such a grueling experience, she hadn’t even scraped the surface of her target.
An unfamiliar fear gripped Ellie Ingrid, something she had never experienced before.

“Yuto. That man…”

There was a strong suspicion he found a job with terrible pay to set her up for failure.

“Hahaha, we do work harder than others, but our pay is good. You just have to put in the effort. So don’t lose heart, young lady.”

“Huh?….”

It was utterly hopeless.
‘Ten million carrots…’
That was by no means a small sum.

“…What? That’s not as much as I expected.”

Her past self was foolish.
‘How on earth am I supposed to earn that money?’
Even tallying it up, the prospects were bleak. If she couldn’t pay the settlement money, a creditor relationship would form under Imperial Law. The ownership of ‘Ellie Ingrid’ stated in the agreement would transfer to Yuto, that man.

‘No way.’
That must be avoided at all costs.

A noble slave of the Ducal House?
Even if she were to escape with her family’s help, she could never erase the humiliation. It was clear her disgrace would spread across the Academy and the entire Empire.

‘…What should I do?’
Ellie Ingrid was facing her first trial in life.

Ellie Ingrid must be rolling on the ground by now, right?

“Om nom nom.”
I savored the remaining cream cake.

“Um, Yuto? If you’re done with your business, could you leave now?”

“Yes. Just let me finish this. The cake is just so delicious, munch munch.”

I was at the home of one of the four great houses of the Bitraise Empire, ‘House Ingrid.’

“As promised, I ask you to keep the ‘secret’ of Lady Ellie.”

“Since I’ve been compensated, you don’t have to worry.”

I had extorted money from the Ducal House using Ellie’s secret as leverage.

Legally extorted, aside from that

This side was illegal.

I didn’t mind.
It was rather comforting for them to pay for my silence.

“But… what exactly is this secret of the lady’s…?”

None of the servants in the house, not even her family, knew about Ellie’s secret. It was something she had kept tightly hidden, with very few being aware of it, even within the game’s story.

“It’s a secret. Because I received compensation.”

“Ah, right… my apologies.”

I finished the cake and exited the Ingrid residence.

No one was around and nobody was watching, but

I quietly murmured to myself.

‘Who would have thought that she’s just cosplaying as a blind person?’

I have a thing for the blind.

In any case, I set aside that scammer for now.

I was planning to officially jump into the main story stage.

For my obsession.
No, for my survival.
The time for drawing all the attention was approaching.