Chapter 45 — Go Earn Money

1

A full-fledged summoning class.

Manus had to go to the third-year classroom with Professor Chandler and take the same class as them.

There were characters who handled summons, but among game users, the evaluation wasn’t very good.

However, after actually taking the summoning class, he found it quite interesting.

The protagonist could learn skills by creating various study routes, which included summoning.

The problem was that the damn game company couldn’t let go of ‘K’s pride and put a gacha system in an odd place.

“Students who want to summon familiars can come to the lab anytime. From the third year, you can officially keep familiars with you. Hoho.”

Familiars.

These creatures that live off the summoner’s mana were set to come from various dimensions.

“You should consider familiars more precious than pets. Sometimes people mistreat them, but that leads to big trouble later.”

Professor Chandler ended the class with those words.

How to summon familiars, how to communicate with them, what kinds of familiars can be summoned, and so on.

The setting was that from the third year, when mana becomes sufficient, students can properly tame familiars.

Probably because if familiars ran wild from the beginning, the combat difficulty would drop dramatically.

‘They said familiars can’t disobey the summoner because they grow by eating the summoner’s mana.’

Therefore, familiars were basically in a position where they couldn’t harm their summoner.

There were certainly those who abused this.

Why not use these good familiars?

Because when the protagonist became a third-year, the average level was 60.

Since familiars always appear at a fixed level of 10 when first summoned, they were naturally less efficient.

It was much more efficient to just push through with one’s own power.

Very few users raised familiars that were inefficient even in the gacha.

Of course, Manus had tried it.

And he was one of the users who witnessed what happens when that familiar surpasses level 90.

‘If I could summon one now, it would be helpful in the future. The problem is that I can only use it when I become a third-year-.’

At times like this, he needed to use the Chairman’s favor or raise a familiar completely outside the academy.

Familiars raised outside the academy weren’t under the academy’s jurisdiction anyway.

“For now…”

He should visit the lab.

Manus gathered his textbooks and followed Professor Chandler.

Then, he encountered someone.

It was Melanie with her striking pink hair.

She greeted him with a fairly bright face.

“Senior. I can now repay my debt.”

“Debt…”

“A request came in for the club. It was worth gathering information through Livy.”

Manus nodded.

The results of his actions had come back.

Melanie, who said she would help as a merchant, had inquired about suitable work.

He remembered Kael’s eyes.

Though he hadn’t done anything wrong, those clear eyes were filled with obvious apology and guilt.

They all probably lived without worrying about money, but they must have been concerned because of him.

“Well done.”

“Hehe, I got praised. Do you want to come to the club room?”

“I’ll see you after school.”

“Okay~!”

Manus chased after Professor Chandler, who had already disappeared.

Kael would grow stronger by handling various incidents.

Experiencing the world is truly valuable, more than one might think.

‘Will I also grow by experiencing this world?’

Manus pondered as he walked down the corridor.

30 years.

That was the life he had lived.

They say you become an adult as you experience the years.

Mother, father, and other adults all said so.

That as you age, you see things you couldn’t see before.

That ‘age’ must be because you’ve experienced countless people and social mechanisms… changes with your whole body.

He had become young again, and slightly different ideas were injected.

Under the name Ceaser, new experiences appeared before Manus one after another.

If he grows more here, what kind of person will he become?

“Ah-.”

While he was deep in thought, a large, antique brown door blocked his view.

Seeing it, Manus smiled slightly.

Not knowing anything until you open the door.

Isn’t that life?

[So advance without hesitation. Whatever happens, only the strength to overcome it matters.]

It felt like someone was whispering.

Yes, that’s how a Ceaser should be.

Manus knocked on the door.

-Knock knock.

The sound was quite cheerful.

“Come in.”

“It’s Manus.”

Professor Chandler was an elderly person.

He, who loved familiars dearly, had raised many familiars and sent them back to other worlds.

His beloved familiar was visible.

“Oh, the star of Ceaser has come. How was the class, did you find it informative?”

“Thanks to you, I learned a lot.”

“Hoho, that’s what summoning is like. It may seem insignificant, but its end will be grand. My Barbaros grew up like that too.”

A small lizard was visible.

It was a cute creature always perched on Professor Chandler’s left shoulder.

Anyone seeing this little one for the first time might unconsciously reach out to touch it, it was so adorable.

But if they were to see Barbaros’s true form, everyone would fall on their backsides.

This creature was far more enormous and powerful than the Drake they had faced before.

“Could I summon a familiar too?”

“Hmm-. It’s usually allowed from the third year… but you are somewhat special.”

“I remember the original academy rules were different.”

Even if it couldn’t come out of the dormitory, it didn’t matter.

It would only be needed when all time stops anyway.

It might be inconvenient for the familiar, but he could feed it plenty of mana.

Manus waited for the answer with a slightly pounding heart.

The old professor’s mouth opened slowly.

Seeing a slight smile, Manus wondered if he had something up his sleeve again.

“This matter would need to go through consultation. The original academy rules state that ‘those with proper qualifications’ can have familiars.”

“Then-.”

“You’ll have to be tested for that qualification. Usually, no one like that appears, so it’s limited to third years, but…”

Professor Chandler’s eyes curved roundly.

His expression was like a child who had found an interesting toy.

Anticipation, a small excitement.

This situation seemed quite promising.

Though curious about what this “proof” might be, Manus knew he would find out naturally.

“As it happens, today is our regular meeting day. I’ll propose it there.”

“Thank you.”

“A Ceaser’s familiar… hoho, very good indeed. You may go now. It’s time for my little one’s nap-.”

Manus bowed his head slightly and left the research lab with confident steps.

Chandler stared at the spot where he had exited.

Familiars.

He believed these mysterious and wondrous beings manifested as a combination of all the summoner’s capabilities.

Ceaser.

What kind of familiar would the rising star of that great family summon?

Perhaps an entity far greater than his own Barbaros might descend.

“Who would have thought such a figure would emerge from those arrogant, self-centered Caesars? Heheh.”

Today’s meeting promised to be quite interesting.

What would those strict professors say?

Surely they too would want to witness the birth of a great magician?

2

In the club room.

Melanie watched her friends chattering noisily as usual.

Alano too had finished her busy schedule and dropped by for tea.

Melanie smiled brightly.

Today was quite an important day.

Being able to help someone.

The feeling of helping in ordinary daily life, not in some unknown time period, made her even more proud.

Perhaps because her face looked especially bright today, Kael spoke to her.

“Did something good happen?”

“Ah, yeah. Something that’ll make you happy too when you hear it.”

“-That’s good.”

Her beaming smile made his heart feel warm.

If such a kind girl could smile even more brightly, this place would become even warmer.

Click-.

Just then, the door opened and Manus appeared.

He scanned the room with his blue eyes before meeting Melanie’s gaze.

Melanie’s eyes became determined.

Though it might seem trivial to some, Melanie was the type to give her all even to small tasks.

“Kael.”

“Yes.”

Blue eyes met blue eyes.

Manus paused for a moment, then spoke bluntly.

“You said you had no money.”

“-Yes.”

It wasn’t an illusion that her eyebrows lowered slightly.

Though she rarely showed emotional changes, money was quite a sensitive issue.

At her age, there should be many things she wants to do and eat.

Her life was too brilliant to live so harshly as to only climb the Tower.

Happiness isn’t achieved just by having a lot of money, but at least you’re not unhappy if you have money.

Though he didn’t know what emotions she lived with, at least she would be more well-off than now.

“Go earn money.”

“-What?”

“I, I’ll explain that. Is, is that okay?”

Rather than Kael, it was Melanie who was flustered by this abrupt statement.

You shouldn’t say it like that!

Uncharacteristically, she stepped in to handle the situation quickly.

Melanie sighed softly and looked at Kael.

“I had Livy urgently look for requests that needed handling. Since we can go out freely on weekends-.”

“Requests, I see.”

Alano interjected appropriately.

Melanie nodded.

“They’re requests we can handle easily. It’ll help solve the lack of funds.”

“Ah…”

Kael’s eyes reddened.

Melanie panicked and quickly shifted the credit to Manus.

When she realized Kael was facing financial difficulties, she understood why Manus had made such a request to her.

Strictly speaking, hadn’t Manus foreseen this far ahead?

Melanie’s lips trembled.

“Se, senior Manus had asked for this before! So, so-.”

“Melanie deserves the credit. Thank her.”

“Senior-!”

Manus chuckled and looked into Kael’s large eyes.

Here, he needed to tighten the reins a bit.

He spoke in a deliberately stern voice.

“Use the money you earn to focus on getting stronger too. Money brings many disasters until you get used to it.”

“Really, thank you.”

“It’s probably not much money. You might do hard work and receive little compensation.”

Manus warned firmly.

If modern people heard this, they might call it an unfair world.

That’s how the world originally was, and how the game was.

Even a simple task like finding a cat could consume an entire day in this reality.

But all the experiences gained there will make Kael special.

Moreover, it will create invaluable connections for her who is standing on her own.

“There’s a world outside the academy. A completely different… harsher world.”

“I know.”

Kael too had experienced the world.

Memories too vivid to be from childhood.

Because there were no good memories, she vaguely knew what kind of place the world was.

That it’s not a good place.

That there are many untrustworthy people.

She could understand without hearing more.

-However, the words from Manus’s mouth gave some hope.

“There are surely good connections in that harsh world. Don’t just earn money, but try to find better relationships too.”

“…Yes. I’ll do that.”

Kael lowered her eyes and fell into thought for a moment.

Her fidgeting fingers revealed her complex feelings.

Eventually, she looked straight at Manus and asked.

“Are there really good people out there?”

“Who knows.”

His answer was ambiguous.

It must be a harsh world as Manus said.

If she gains precious connections there, it would be worth overcoming that difficult world.

At least Manus believed so.

“I’ve never met such a person so far. Maybe it’s my karma.”

Because in his 30 years of life, he had never encountered such a being.

Do you know why Sodom was destroyed?

God’s words that he would not destroy it if there were just ten righteous people in that vast city.

Despite the desperate search…

It was destroyed because not even ten righteous people could be found.

Kael pondered his words again.

The hopeful words Manus had thrown out.

In fact, they were-.

[Interference has begun.]

[Kael’s disposition is changing.]

–TL Notes–
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