Chapter 186
The next day, the main building of Yggdrasil Academy.
I went to the administrative office located on the first floor of the main building to proceed with the island purchase contract.
Inside the administrative office, a long table for receiving visitors was placed at the front, and behind it were neatly arranged wooden desks.
The only sounds passing through the room were the flipping of documents, the scratching of pens, and hushed conversations.
But that lasted only for a moment.
One or two people glanced toward me as I stood at the entrance, and soon the atmosphere turned cold.
‘……I expected it to some extent, but still.’
In the end, the air in the administrative office visibly sank. The staff stopped all movement. They simply stared at me with startled eyes.
It was only natural that they avoided me.
Billet had a history of excessive misconduct toward administrative staff at the beginning of his enrollment.
They must still remember that. To them, I likely looked like a heinous criminal.
Even when they looked at me, the moment our eyes met, they immediately avoided my gaze, left their seats, or hid.
I walked toward the service counter, but no one approached me.
‘……This is troublesome.’
I had come to finalize the island contract. I couldn’t just leave empty-handed.
Just as I was about to speak to one of the staff—
“Young Master?”
I turned toward the voice and saw Lupina, dressed in a black suit.
She was even wearing glasses—something I had never seen before—and she carried a large stack of documents in her arms.
It was only natural for Lupina to be here.
Though I employed her for odd jobs, her main occupation was a junior administrative clerk at the Academy.
“Young Master, what brings you here?”
In the frozen office, only Lupina’s calm voice could be heard.
It seemed as though everyone was staring at her with wide eyes.
Some were astonished that she spoke to me without hesitation. Others looked relieved that someone had taken responsibility for me. A few watched anxiously.
I spoke to Lupina as usual.
“I came to pay the amount for the island I decided to purchase.”
“Ah~! One moment, please.”
Lupina nodded and looked around.
Then she walked over to an empty work desk and tilted her head.
“Senior, you heard him, right? You need to proceed with the contract. Why are you hiding over there?”
“K-Keep it down……!”
A hurried, hushed voice answered.
“Lupina, you get called out outside of work often, don’t you? Haven’t you gotten a bit close with the Second Young Master? Even if not, just handle it yourself……!”
“Hmm, me?”
Lupina shrugged and tapped the documents in her arms.
“It’s not my assigned duty, and I have plenty of other tasks. Since this contract falls under your responsibility, shouldn’t you handle it, Senior?”
“Not the Second Young Master! Anyone but him…… I really can’t handle him. Please, Lupina. You’re allowed to do it, right? I’ll take care of your tasks instead.”
“Reaaally? Hmm, hmmm…….”
After thinking for a moment, Lupina’s eyes sparkled as if she had remembered something. She pressed a hand to her forehead.
“Ahh, perhaps because I’m fatigued from heavy workloads, I seem to be craving something sweet……”
“P-Please, Lupina! I’ll buy you a cake……!”
“Ahh, but one cake might not provide enough sugar. I might suffer decreased concentration and dizziness……”
“Two—no, four…… I’ll buy you four!”
The senior spoke with a face on the verge of tears, and Lupina slightly curled her lips upward.
“Really? There’s no need for you to show such generosity, Senior. It’s admirable how much you care for your junior. If you insist, I’ll gratefully accept.”
“Y-Yes……”
The senior forced a smile, though he looked as if he were cursing inwardly.
“Hehehe.”
Lupina glanced at me, unable to hide her victorious smile.
“You heard that, right? In that case, I’ll assist you with the contract. Please hand me the documents you brought.”
I handed her the envelope from my pocket.
After reviewing it, Lupina moved to another table and gathered additional documents.
I sat in the guest chair in front of the counter and waited. Before long, Lupina approached with a bundle of papers in her arms.
“Young Master, after looking into it, there are quite a few things we need to prepare. The island you’re purchasing was acquired by the Academy a long time ago, so finding all the records is difficult. It may take a bit more time.”
“How long?”
“Hmm…… about 30 minutes?”
Did I really have to sit on this bed of thorns for 30 minutes?
The staff still couldn’t take their eyes off me.
When our eyes met, they avoided me. When I looked elsewhere, they stared again.
What exactly did they want?
As if sensing my thoughts, Lupina leaned closer and whispered.
“The staff are bothering you, aren’t they?”
“Rather than bothering me, is it really okay for them to be acting like that?”
“Good point. The administrative office has mountains of work to do; this isn’t the time to be wary of you. Ah, maybe they’re using you as an excuse to take a short break?”
She chuckled softly.
If it was going to take that long, there was no need for me to remain here.
I stood up.
“I’ll step outside for some fresh air until the documents are ready.”
“Young Master, then would you mind sitting at the café right in front? The weather’s bright this morning and warmer than usual. Sitting under a parasol might lift your mood. I’ll come find you once everything is prepared.”
“I will.”
I nodded and stepped out of the administrative office.
When I glanced through the glass window, the staff had already gathered around Lupina.
With her shoulders straight and chin raised, she looked as though she were being treated like a hero.
What was I, some kind of malicious petitioner?
‘……Anyway, is this the place?’
As soon as I exited the main building, I saw the café directly in front.
「Delizioso」
That was the name of the café in front of the main building.
According to the setting, it was fairly popular.
In the game, consuming the coffee or desserts here granted short-term buff effects, so I used to visit often.
Although it was vacation season and few students remained at the Academy, it seemed they continued operating without holidays, serving outside personnel who rented facilities for training or research, as well as Academy staff.
……And at one of the tables sat an unexpected figure.
White hair slicked back to reveal his forehead, faint wrinkles, and a gray suit.
A large-framed gentleman whose image leaned more toward a warrior than a mage.
He was one of the greatest magicians in the world and had overseen Yggdrasil Academy for many years—President Tote.
When our eyes met, he slightly lifted a plate with a slice of cake.
“Would you like a piece as well?”
President Tote unexpectedly offered me cake.
However, someone was already seated with him under the parasol.
The person wore a dark winter coat.
From the bright blond hair flowing over the coat and the neat attire, the figure looked like a young noble lady.
However, I could only see the back, so I couldn’t tell who it was.
It didn’t seem like a place for me to intrude.
“……Thank you for the offer, but I will decline.”
“Tsk, it’s delicious though.”
President Tote smacked his lips regretfully.
When I took a seat under a nearby parasol, he asked,
“You’re the second son of the Dedenk family, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re the student that Ruber mentioned—the bold one. The one who firmly rejected a professor’s special recommendation to Finders Academy and instead proposed a deal.”
President Tote chuckled.
“Indeed, no one lacking courage would dare do such a thing to Ruber.”
“It just happened that way.”
President Tote gazed at me with a faint smile.
“What do you intend to use that island for?”
“Just…… a hobby. I’ve grown interested in observing nature or building a farm.”
“A hobby, hmm. Quite wholesome for a noble pretending to be refined.”
His gaze deepened.
It felt as though he were examining me layer by layer, testing me—but soon it stopped.
“There have been various incidents, but like Ruber, I also have considerable expectations for you.”
Just as I silently exchanged looks with Tote—
“Young Master, have you been waiting long? I found the materials sooner than expected…… Ah, President. Good afternoon.”
“You’ve worked hard, Miss Lupina. Graduation must have been tiring this time.”
Lupina blinked for a moment before replying.
“I graduated the year before last.”
“I know, I know. You started working at the Academy this year, correct?”
“Ah…… no? This is already my second year.”
“…….”
“…….”
Lupina and Tote fell silent.
“Haha.”
Tote laughed lightly, placed a piece of cake into his mouth, and looked up at the sky.
“What fine weather.”
After that, there was no further conversation between them.
Together with Lupina, I smoothly completed the island contract.
The amount presented by the Academy was 50,000 gold.
It included various taxes and other complicated fees.
I paid the enormous sum in full immediately, and the remote island became entirely mine.
……Approximately two days later.
“It’s round and plump.”
Rapin squatted down and peered into the box.
“It looks like it’s finally done.”
After emitting thread day and night, the cocoon had grown to the size of a soccer ball.
“Shall we begin?”
To avoid damaging the chrysalis of the Thousand-Year Butterfly larva sleeping inside, I carefully cut into the cocoon.
After finishing with one cocoon, the remaining thickness was about two fingers wide.
That must have been the chrysalis’s actual size.
If prepared like this, the Thousand-Year Butterfly would have a much easier time breaking free after emerging.
And I would extract thread from the cut cocoon.
A perfect win-win. A mutually beneficial structure.
‘How terrified it must have been of external threats.’
It made the cocoon so large that once it became a butterfly, it couldn’t even escape.
That was probably why it had become an endangered species.
I lit the stove and placed all the cut cocoons into a pot of boiling water.
As they simmered, the sticky membrane coating the surface slowly loosened.
After a short while, the cocoon began to unravel slightly on the water’s surface.
Using tongs, I lifted one end of the thread and gently pulled along its grain.
There was no need to rush. Preventing breakage was what mattered most, so patience was more important than strength.
……That was what the System had told me.
The thread was longer than I expected.
“Look, it’s coming out.”
It was thin but elastic, and even in water it did not lose its form.
“Rapin, prepare that.”
“Okay.”
Rapin’s eyes sparkled as if he had been waiting for this, and he picked up the reel.
After finding the thread’s end and winding it by hand, I told Rapin,
“Just keep turning it like that. No need to go fast—slowly.”
As Rapin continued turning the reel, the thin thread layered upon itself and gradually gained thickness.
“Good. You’re doing well.”
We maintained a steady pace to prevent tangling.
“Oh…… it’s pretty.”
Rapin murmured in admiration.
Before long, a silk-like smooth skein began to form.
Its base color was white, but like opal, it shimmered with a subtle rainbow hue.
‘So this is its color.’
After feeding it top-grade Spirit Grass leaves for over a month, the quality of the silk seemed to prove itself. It was undoubtedly high-grade fabric.