Chapter 118
Salt is God and Invincible – Part 3
『 Translator – Divinity 』
I didn’t make a decision right away.
After all, the Headmistress’s confession wasn’t something I could decide on my own.
If it were a confession from a student, I could just reject it and avoid them, but she was my superior. And not just any superior, but one whose office was right next door, and whom I saw every day during overtime and all-nighters.
‘It’s a problem if I reject her, and it’s a problem if I accept her.’
If I rejected her, I would truly understand why workplace relationships and CC (campus couples) were discouraged.
And if I accepted her, it wouldn’t be possible to maintain the same work dynamic as before. It was a headache in many ways.
‘I said I would give her an answer after this business trip.’
But I was busy with the negotiations with Count Anton, falling into the mine, the sacred relic, and everything else.
—…Taking a long time to decide?
“It can’t be helped with something like a confession. Doesn’t the self-proclaimed Goddess know? According to the Church, there’s only one Goddess in the world.”
—…No, I know very well.
“That’s unexpected. My worries must be insignificant compared to the Goddess’s love life.”
Even when I teased the self-proclaimed Goddess, her voice didn’t sound flustered. Rather, it felt like she was truly empathizing.
It was strange, so I just shook my head and got up.
“I’m going now.”
—What? You haven’t told me yet.
“Shouldn’t a Goddess be able to read a human’s thoughts? Even I have some privacy.”
—W-what?
How could I tell her that my superior, who was over 100 years older than me and practically my great-great-grandmother, confessed her feelings while making a heart shape with her hands, even though she was friendly and helpful? Would that ruin my social life?
It might be rude to call it an old-fashioned confession, but since the Headmistress confessed sincerely, I had to give her a proper answer.
“Strike while the iron is hot.”
—…Like burning down the house to catch a bedbug?
“What? You know that saying because you’re a Goddess? But the meaning is different.”
No one in this different world should know that proverb, so how did she know? Was she really a Goddess?
Or maybe there was another person who transmigrated here besides me. But she was using the meaning incorrectly, so she didn’t know the details.
“It means to do it immediately if you’ve made up your mind.”
—What? Wait, does that mean…!!
“I should go see her.”
Avoiding her wouldn’t solve anything. I had to be decisive instead of wasting time.
I hadn’t decided whether to accept or reject her yet, but I could at least talk to the Headmistress again.
Just as I thought so and was about to open the door,
“…Finance Director.”
“Oh? Headmistress? I was just about to go see you. About the…”
“I also came because of that matter.”
Huh?
The Headmistress, who entered the room with impeccable timing after knocking, lightly gestured. With that alone, aura enveloped the room… and the self-proclaimed Goddess’s voice disappeared.
She might be staying silent, but it felt like she was truly pushed out. Was the Headmistress stronger than the Goddess? As a Rank 1 who received a confession from such a being, I suddenly felt quite impressive.
“It’s about the confession… I made earlier.”
“I also came to talk about that.”
“I need to hear your answer here.”
“…What?”
“As I mentioned earlier, after the accident, the Surveyor came to rescue the Finance Director and Student Ruth. He must have come directly from the royal palace.”
I had already heard about the Surveyor. I didn’t know why he was here at this time, but he accurately pinpointed the location of Ruth and me, who had fallen into the mine.
But I heard that the Surveyor left immediately.
“Do you know what that means?”
“I… don’t quite understand.”
“It means the Empire now knows that you have the fragment of the sacred relic. There’s no way the Surveyor wouldn’t have noticed.”
Oh, really? He could even survey that?
Well, he had to be able to do that to be a Rank 8.
But then…
“Normally, I would have had to silence him, even if it meant killing him, but rescuing the Finance Director was more urgent.”
“Killing him?”
“I could have killed the Surveyor on the spot if I wanted to, but that damn technician is very difficult to deal with. It would take at least a few hours, the entire surrounding area would be devastated, and there’s a high chance he would escape. I could have also been fatally wounded.”
“………”
“The surroundings were collapsing, so the mine could have been completely buried, or it could have been too late if we were delayed, or I could have been fatally wounded and unable to rescue you. And that technician would have immediately returned to the Empire.”
“…Can’t we chase after him now?”
“The Surveyor is also a Rank 8. He’s probably almost reached the Empire’s border by now, and the Empire will send another Rank 8 to greet him. It’s not impossible to fight two Rank 8s, but…”
It wasn’t simply a matter of fighting and defeating two Rank 8s. If she did that, it would lead to an all-out war with the Empire.
Even the Headmistress, considered a candidate for the strongest on the continent, couldn’t possibly win against the hegemonic power and its ten Rank 8s.
It meant that the Empire would inevitably learn about me and the information about the sacred relic fragment.
“I’m not familiar with the Empire, but what kind of problem would that cause?”
“There won’t be any immediate problems. The Empire won’t target me… not now.”
“So you’re saying that information could be used if the Empire decides to become hostile towards the Headmistress later?”
“Or some lunatics might use it. Or it could be used as leverage in negotiations with the Holy Kingdom.”
“That’s troublesome either way.”
The problem was that we didn’t know the Empire’s true intentions. The Empire was the hegemonic power, and it was such a vast nation that we didn’t know who would use that information and how.
But what did this have to do with the confession?
“I don’t know how the Empire will perceive the Finance Director. But there’s one thing I can guarantee.”
“What is it?”
“That I’ll be by the Finance Director’s side, no matter what.”
Step.
The Headmistress took a step closer.
And she stared at me with her intense eyes.
Like a glimpse of her hidden past nature, the one called the Mad Dragon, the Human Slaughterer.
“Become mine, Finance Director.”
“Uh, well…”
“If they know that the Finance Director is my lover, the Empire won’t be able to kidnap you or anything. Just as I can’t easily touch the Empire, they won’t be able to touch me either. Perhaps some Rank 8s like the Guardian Dragon might target you to threaten me.”
Step.
Closer.
The Headmistress was approaching.
“I’ll kill all those bastards. I’ll tear off their limbs, rip out their insides, and crush their skulls.”
“…Headmistress?”
“So, please…”
“………”
“Say you’ll be mine. I’ll be yours too.”
The Headmistress, abandoning polite speech and revealing her ferocious and domineering nature, whispered softly. Her expression said she wouldn’t accept rejection.
…A strange sound came from the door. Despite the Headmistress blocking it with her aura, it seemed like there was a commotion outside. Perhaps someone was trying to break in.
Even so, the Headmistress wouldn’t allow me to look away.
“Look at me.”
“………”
“Actually, there’s no need for words. Just nod. That’s enough.”
If I nodded here…
I would be accepting the Headmistress’s confession and becoming her lover. Not a secret lover as the rumors said, but a real lover.
Regardless of her age, the Headmistress was charming, someone I wanted to follow, and a beautiful person. It was alluring to have someone like that want only me and look only at me.
However…
“…I told you to nod, why are you shaking your head? Did you make a mistake? Hmm?”
“It wasn’t a mistake.”
“Is it because I’m… an old woman? You prefer younger women after all? Is that it?”
Oh dear, why was she like this?
“Don’t think such things. You’re more beautiful than any other woman I’ve ever seen, Headmistress. Age doesn’t matter.”
“Hmm? Really!?”
“I’m rejecting your confession because I’m not ready. I want to love you as much as you love me, Headmistress.”
Her feelings were so sincere that I wanted to respond in kind. Otherwise, it felt like I would be taking advantage of her feelings.
But I couldn’t focus only on the Headmistress right now.
Frankly, I didn’t have those kinds of feelings for her. If I had more time, it might be different, but to me, the Headmistress was just a respected but troublesome superior.
“I’ve already mentioned this. Our academy hasn’t completely overcome its crisis yet. As long as I’m the Finance Director, the near-bankrupt financial state will always be a hindrance.”
“Such feelings or thoughts are not a problem.”
“It’s a matter of physical time. Even if we were to date, I would be spending more time looking at documents than at you. Would you be okay with that?”
“………”
“In the end, it’s not a good situation for romance or love.”
I know from my experience studying like crazy for the civil service exam in a tiny room that you need time for a relationship. It’s absurd to try to relieve the stress of studying for the exam with romance.
When you have to dedicate all your time to studying, why would you even bother? It’s better to just focus on passing the exam and then think about romance.
That’s what I meant.
“Please wait a little longer. I’m asking you.”
“…Finance Director, I…”
“Ah, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not completely rejecting you.”
“Huh?”
“It’s fine for the Empire to know that you and I are in a relationship. Let’s just make it public.”
“Does that mean…?”
“We don’t have to announce it publicly, but we can subtly engage in physical contact to make the Empire misunderstand. The rumors within the academy might flare up, but that’s better than me being in danger.”
So it was a fake lover act. Honestly, if I could escape the Empire’s schemes by doing this, it was fine even if my social reputation took a hit.
In the end, the most important thing for me, a Rank 1, was my life. Rank 1s were looked down upon because they couldn’t protect themselves.
This was my conclusion. It couldn’t be helped if the Headmistress disapproved.
“…So, in the end, we’re lovers?”
“Well… even if it’s just for appearances, yes.”
“That’s enough.”
Huh?
The Headmistress, suddenly becoming cold, gestured in the air, and the aura that had enveloped the room was withdrawn.
Burst!
“Finance Director!”
“A-Adam! Are you alri…?”
Ruth and Chloe, for some reason holding weapons, abruptly flung open the door, and…
…before I could even respond, the Headmistress brought her face close to mine.
Until our lips met.
“…!?”
“Oh my! How embarrassing, to be seen like this by the students.”
“………”
“………”
“I was trying to keep it a secret, but I withdrew my aura because of my ‘mistake’… I’m sorry?”
What the hell.
What was that…?
***
‘That damn bastard.’
How many times had she cursed him already? Milia couldn’t help but curse as she focused on her paperwork.
She had stopped thinking about why she, the future Pope, was doing this kind of work, finding happiness in receiving a salary despite being subjected to this hardship by a devilish Finance Director.
In the first place, Milia had climbed up from the bottom in her previous life as well. For the sake of her future, she could do this kind of work a hundred, a thousand times over.
But that didn’t mean she wanted to process hundreds, thousands of documents alone.
‘When is he coming back…?’
It had been over a week since that Finance Director bastard left for his business trip. Adam, that bastard, who said he would return in a few days, had disappeared without a trace as if he had run away.
And to top it off, even that monster Headmistress had disappeared.
‘How the hell am I supposed to do this alone!’
It wasn’t about the chaos or the aftermath that would follow. The problem was that two out of the three people who handled the Finance Department’s paperwork were gone.
She wanted to run away, but if she did…
“…What are you doing?”
“You might not know, but I have to get some sun regularly to prevent hair loss.”
“…Then what about the salt?”
“I heard that applying salt and basking in the sun slows down hair loss.”
She might end up like that professor, who was treated as ‘equipment’ instead of a human, even though she was practically a slave.
If she was treated like this now, what would happen if she actually became equipment? They might lock her up in solitary confinement and make her work without pay or days off.
It wasn’t a joke; that devil was truly capable of that, so Milia had no choice but to cling to her paperwork.
‘That Circe ended up like that…’
Milia knew about Circe to some extent. In her previous life, the reason they didn’t directly invade the Holy Kingdom but waited for an opportunity was because of that terrorist bitch.
The Holy Kingdom became a living hell because of the terrorist attack Circe caused after going there, and it became impossible to even physically enter. Due to that, the cult’s plan to seize various artifacts and the sacred relic was thwarted.
But she had heard that Circe was killed by that Ruth bitch after the attack.
To think that the infamous witch would be suffering from alopecia and believing in folk remedies…
‘It’s impossible to recruit her…’
An enemy’s enemy might be a friend, but an enemy’s equipment wasn’t a friend. If they brought her into the cult after she turned the Holy Kingdom into that state, there was no guarantee that the Wish Cult wouldn’t suffer the same fate.
Not all terrorists were friends. Rather, Milia, who had to give up on her plans for the Holy Kingdom because of Circe, found it satisfying to see her suffering like that.
Just as Milia, facing reality and trying to focus on her work to avoid becoming equipment,
Creak.
“Student Milia, I’m ba…”
“Why are you so late!”
“Hmm.”
“There’s a mountain of paperwork piled up! No one can touch these except for the Finance Director or the Headmistress, so they just keep piling up!”
What kind of thick skin did that bastard have to be so late and still act so shamelessly? She thought she knew Adam Keynes to some extent, but he seemed even worse now than before.
After venting some stress by shouting,
Adam, who looked extremely tired as if he had been through something, looked at the documents piled up on his desk and seemed to ponder something for a moment before approaching Circe, who was applying salt to her scalp and basking in the sunlight.
“Professor Circe, what are you doing?”
“I-I’ll go back to my research right away! I’m sorry! I was wrong! Please, no more pay cuts…!! I just want to drink as much water as I want!!”
“Do you need salt?”
“…What?”
“You’ll have it if you want it.”
Why was that bastard suddenly spouting nonsense like a cult leader?
Milia was puzzled, but her confusion soon turned to shock.
“Th-this is?”
“It’s a bonus. It’s filled with salt.”
“W-what?”
‘That devil is giving me a bonus?’
No, wait, did that bastard even have a concept of bonuses? And it was salt?
This was the second most powerful nation after the Empire, but salt was very precious in other smaller countries. Even in this kingdom, salt was sometimes traded instead of gold or silver coins.
And a bag of salt this size was equivalent to half of Milia’s monthly salary. He was giving that as a bonus?
That miser?
“Since things have come to this, how about receiving your salary in salt from now on? I’ll generously give you a 0.5% raise.”
“F-Finance Director…!!”
“F-Finance Director? I’ll also work hard…”
“Of course, it’s the same for you, Student Milia. I’ll be paying your salary in salt from now on. With a 1% raise as a bonus.”
“Th-thank you!”
A 1% raise! Circe was momentarily filled with jealousy at the raise, almost twice as much as hers, but Milia was already ecstatic.
If she sold the salt to a smaller country or a place with good prices, she could earn even more than her original salary.
Especially if she sent it to the impoverished cult, it would be a great help in increasing her influence.
‘But why is the Finance Director suddenly being like this?’
Her address naturally changed from “that bastard” to “Finance Director,” but Milia was more curious about that.
It wasn’t like salt was endlessly overflowing, so why was he suddenly paying them with salt?
But since it meant an increase in income, she simply praised the Finance Director.
“Long live the Finance Director! Our debt, our salt!”
“Our salt!”
“Student Milia, Professor Circe.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!!”
“If you understand, get to work.”
“………”
“………”
That damn… “Director”…