The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Chapter 233: Tuition Fees (9)

The thrifty Bazaar of the Colosseo Academy boasts an unexpectedly massive scale despite its cute name. Students auction off items they no longer need at low prices, and sometimes, certain students offer self-made or collected items, or mysterious antiques from their families.

The scale of this fair is so significant that it rivals one of the empire’s top 10 auctions, attracting the attention and footsteps of many, even those outside the academy. Additionally, within this massive fair, two major factions coexisted.

The “Noble Faction” and the “Clan Faction” were precisely those. The Noble Faction was formed by students from prestigious noble families, elite students from prestigious backgrounds, famous for agriculture or commerce, successors of renowned mercenary guilds, or heirs to large mines and shipyards. While the Clan Faction usually consists of students from the seven great clans.

These two factions dominated the school, continuously recruiting talented juniors under their wings, and expanding their influence and power. This power structure extended beyond graduation, forming a tight network and system that eventually encompassed the empire’s government and business sectors.

This year’s first-year student who first caught the attention of these two dominating factions, both covertly controlling the school, was Vikir.

Vikir was initially unnoticed upon enrollment, but he gradually stood out during midterms, displaying his talents. He was a lone wolf with no support, which made him an ideal target for manipulation.

Both the Noble and Clan Factions had been working covertly for a long time to bring this talented freshman under their wing. Vikir, on the other hand, never met their expectations. The letters they sent went unread and unnoticed. Even attempts to meet and talk with him were futile because he remained elusive.

In desperation, they sent charming female students to entice him and tough fighters to intimidate him during his second and third years. Nonetheless, all of their efforts were futile, and both factions were at a loss.

“Well, Vikir, huh? it seems it’s time to teach this arrogant underclassman a lesson.”

“We should show him his worth before he enters our ranks.”

Ironically, in their efforts to outdo each other, the Noble and Clan Factions joined forces. In the short term, Vikir became a common enemy.

Just when both factions were scheming to suppress Vikir, he opportunistically participated in the thrifty Bazaar.

“He’s trying to raise tuition?”

“It’s just leather. It is a necessary material. Shall we see his price?”

“Since he’s quite strong, he must’ve joined a hunter guild and earned quite a bit.”

“Yeah, not just anyone can get a commission from them.”

Students from both factions aimed to flatten Vikir’s ego through this auction. However, when the auction began, no one showed interest in Vikir’s leather.

This lack of interest was due to the intimidation tactics employed by both factions on other students. Smirking behind the scenes, the Noble and Clan Factions envisioned Vikir’s imminent downfall.

But…

“I thought there would be many interested in useful items like leather. Surprisingly, it seems unpopular.”

Vikir shrugged and turned his head to survey the piles of leather on the auction stage.

“Oh well, maybe there’s just too much.”

Simultaneously, Vikir performed an unexpected action that shocked both the Noble and Clan Factions.

Swoosh!

Right there, as if drawing fire from a torch, he set the leather on the stage ablaze. Everyone was either standing in shock or talking, but Vikir silently burned all the leather in front of him.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Crackle!

About half of the leather stacked on the stage burned down unceremoniously.

…….

A strange stillness settled over the auction venue. In this frozen atmosphere, Vikir asked briefly, “Is it still too much?” Simultaneously, Vikir pulled the fire once again. He didn’t extinguish the flames until the remaining leather had been reduced by half.

As the situation reached this point, a wavering uncertainty began among the students. The leather was an essential research material for them. However, Vikir showed no mercy. Without hesitation and with a gesture that seemed to want to burn everything, he lifted the torch again.

But then, the onlookers, rather than letting him continue, intervened to stop Vikir. “That’s our preparation material for the next class! I-I want it! I haven’t prepared yet!”

“I needed to add it to my armor for my final exams!”

“There’s already a shortage of supplies….”

“Wait! I’ll buy it!”

“You crazy bastard! I’ll buy it! Stop burning!”

In that situation, Vikir firmly stated, “The minimum bidding price is now four times the initial auction price.” He demanded compensation for the losses incurred due to their unnecessary commotion. Eventually, the students had no choice but to begrudgingly pay Vikir the fair value, blaming the Noble and Clan Factions.

The students from the Noble and Clan Factions ended up being the ones who suffered the consequences of this absurd tug-of-war.

* * *

“…So, that’s how the auction ended?” Professor Banshee asked incredulously. Vikir nonchalantly nodded, “Yes. Thanks to that, I managed to earn a lot of money.”

Before the professor could respond, there was a sudden sound—crunch! The tough leather pouch on the desk tore apart, and bills and coins inside started noisily falling to the floor.

Jingle-jangle-jingle!

Professor Banshee’s desk was instantly covered with a pile of money. He stared at the hefty leather pouch, now bursting at the seams with a substantial amount of cash, and mumbled quietly, “I… I need change.”

Professor Banshee took out a magnifying glass from his pocket and placed it on the tip of his nose. With delicate finger movements, he selected several large coins.

“With this, your tuition is covered. Oh, for all your four years upfront, as a lump sum payment,” Professor Banshee said, shrugging his shoulders as if to ask what Vikir planned to do with the remaining money.

However, Vikir seemed uninterested in collecting the change. “The rest is also tuition fees,” he said.

“…But there’s too much money left to be just tuition fees. Are you planning to buy the lecture hall or something? If you’re aiming for a professorship rather than being a student…” Professor Banshee trailed off, puzzled.

“The remaining amount is for other students who couldn’t afford their tuition fees. Please use it for them,” Vikir calmly stated.

Professor Banshee and even Dolores, who was standing nearby, wore perplexed expressions.

“Are you sure?” Professor Banshee asked.

“Yes.”

“Are you saying you’ll donate this entire amount to the scholarship foundation? Under the pretext of a scholarship?”

“Yes. But there’s a condition,” Vikir added.

Professor Banshee raised an eyebrow inquisitively. “So, what is this condition?”

“To receive this money, they must fulfill a certain amount of volunteer hours at an orphanage.”

“Orphanage?” Professor Banshee furrowed his brow, not quite understanding. Donating money for volunteering at an orphanage would be a lucrative deal for students. It meant receiving a scholarship for nothing but doing charity work—something that cash-strapped high school students would be grateful for over the next ten years.

“What’s the catch?” Professor Banshee scrutinized Vikir, but the latter showed no sign of responding.

Eventually, Professor Banshee sighed and raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, I get it. We’ll create an award within the school, and we’ll grant scholarships under that pretext. Do you have any name in mind for the award?”

Vikir remained silent for a moment. Then, Professor Banshee, seemingly annoyed at not receiving an answer, clapped his hands. “Alright, let’s call it the ‘Vikir Award.’ Students who receive this award will be extremely grateful to you. It’ll be like hitting the jackpot, getting free tuition from a wealthy sponsor. You’ll become quite famous.”

At that moment, Vikir raised his hand to stop Professor Banshee. “Please keep the donor’s name anonymous. And let’s choose a different name for the award.”

“What?” Professor Banshee adjusted his glasses and looked up, confused. Donating a large sum anonymously meant losing out on tax deductions and fame. Vikir was challenging Professor Banshee’s belief that ‘all humans act only for their own benefit.’

However, despite Professor Banshee’s confusion or silent contemplation, Vikir, with the same expressionless face but a slightly softer voice, spoke up.

“Let’s name the award ‘Nymphet.'”

Upon hearing this, Professor Banshee wrinkled his forehead, indicating he didn’t understand the meaning behind it.

But there was a subtle shift in Dolores’s pupils as she listened to the entire conversation.