Beatrice’s gaze swept across the group, finally settling on Lomio, her eyes full of expectation and mischief.
“I thought you’d brought some kind of remarkable team.”
She laughed.
That laugh echoed harshly at the base of the cliff, brimming with undisguised disdain.
Beatrice played with a card in her hand, the card surface shimmering with radiant colors. Clearly, it was valuable—the very skill that had just shattered the rocks.
“Two injured women, and two men.”
“If you have any sense, you’d hand him over quietly and get yourselves expelled from the Academy.”
Her gaze landed on Ibuki Mio and Kaithia—one with an injury at her waist, the other covered in scrapes and cuts.
As for Kafnir and Lomio, she didn’t even bother to consider them.
“I don’t know how you managed to trick the King, but since I’m in a good mood today—”
Beatrice tilted her chin toward Lomio.
“There’s still an opening in my team for someone to carry my bags. I can spare your enrollment status, as long as you hand over the King and behave yourself from now on.”
The two female team members behind her let out soft laughs, as if they could already picture Lomio groveling at their feet.
Have you completely misunderstood the situation?
Lomio really wanted to ask her that.
Kafnir had held off a ten-minute beast tide alone.
Ibuki Mio had been ambushed and still wanted to take on three at once.
Kaithia hadn’t even made a move yet, but from how she darted through the swamp, she was clearly not ordinary either.
And this woman didn’t even bother to test anyone’s strength—she just started taunting outright?!
As expected of the villainess from a gynocentric yuri game—her IQ must have all turned to the fat on her chest!
Lomio grumbled to himself, just about to open his mouth to see if he could “milk” some money from this villainess ojou-sama.
But before he could say a single word, a sudden chill exploded beside him!
“Insolence.”
Kalenina’s voice rang out.
Before the words had even faded, a complex ice-blue magic circle instantly formed beneath Beatrice’s feet!
“That’s… Tier Two magic?!”
Beatrice screamed!
As an alchemist, how could she not feel the energy coursing through it?
Not using a card meant the caster already possessed Tier Two Mage’s mana—and had fused with a skill card!
And—he was a man!
“Barrier—no, Entangle!”
Panicking, Beatrice couldn’t even activate a single defensive card before countless sharp ice crystals shot up from the circle, binding her hands and feet tight!
“You—”
In just a few seconds, Beatrice’s lips were already turning purple!
“Who are you?!”
This was something no freshman should be capable of!
Before she could figure out how to break free—
Ibuki Mio’s swift silhouette was already by the ice cage. A cold glint flashed at her waist—when had she drawn her blade? In a light voice, she returned, “Noisy.”
The blade flashed.
The arc of the blade mixed with a faint sonic boom, the movement crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
Crack—!!!
The sturdy prison of ice and Beatrice’s auto-triggered shield card shattered together!
The clear sound of breaking echoed along the cliff.
Beatrice let out a short cry of pain, her body flung backward like a kite with a snapped string.
She hadn’t even hit the ground before another figure appeared behind her.
“Die!”
Annie’s dagger stabbed mercilessly for Beatrice’s back!
Mid-air, a card clutched in Beatrice’s chest burst with light, twisting space and sweeping her away—vanishing in an instant.
“Tch! Forced teleport!”
The dagger missed, and Annie pursed her lips in annoyance.
“Eh? She had that kind of good stuff?”
Lomio, who hadn’t cared before, now felt a pang of regret seeing the flash of light.
“If I’d known, I would’ve snatched it first!”
Such expensive life-saving items could instantly teleport the user to a random safe zone when threatened with death.
It was good for the team to be so coordinated… But did they really need to act so fast?
That was a lifesaver! Would’ve been great if he’d gotten his hands on it!
Although she wasn’t eliminated, it meant she’d lost completely.
From Beatrice’s arrogant entrance to her forced teleportation exit—the whole thing took less than half a minute.
The air seemed to freeze along with the shattered ice.
The two girls who’d been laughing behind Beatrice now looked like they’d seen ghosts, faces pale, bodies stiff, not daring to move a muscle.
“Huh?”
“M-my teammate…?”
They looked at Kalenina, staff in hand, the chill around her yet to fade.
Then at Ibuki Mio, calmly sheathing her blade, her demeanor steady, and at the maid-assassin who’d appeared out of nowhere.
Their minds went blank.
What kind of monster team is this?!
Lockdown, launch, and a finishing blow from the assassin!
“All done.”
Ibuki Mio sheathed her blade, her movements smooth, as if she’d merely snapped a twig.
Kalenina also lowered her staff, though her chest heaved slightly—clearly, instant-casting Tier Two magic wasn’t easy on her.
“My apologies, Instructor.”
“No, not at all. That was very efficient.”
Lomio had no complaints.
But that skill… looked so familiar!
“Just like that SSR Kalenina…”
“But the entire Rosso Court uses the same system, it’s normal for skills to be similar.”
Having reasoned it out, Lomio took two steps forward, standing before the two girls now utterly terrified.
The two shuddered, watching this man with a mixture of fear and helplessness.
“Relax.”
Lomio’s tone was gentle, even soothing.
“You saw it yourself—your captain already ran.”
“By the rules, you now have two choices.”
He held up two fingers.
“One, get eliminated by us.”
“Two, join our Talent Development Program.”
Join?
The two girls looked at each other in complete confusion.
“The knight token in my hand comes with three additional official member slots besides the King himself.”
Lomio shook his token.
“I can ‘sell’ these two slots to you. Of course, it won’t be free.”
He flashed a standard business smile.
“Twenty-five credits per person. You can pay in installments, interest calculated separately. You’ll be my team members until we safely reach the evacuation point.”
“This deal keeps your enrollment and lets you pass the entrance trial. Seems pretty worthwhile, don’t you think?”
The words left the two girls utterly stunned.
Is that even allowed?!
Defeat the enemy, then recruit the enemy’s members, and make them owe you a debt?
What kind of bandit logic is this?!
“Debt collector bro! No way!”
Kaithia finally snapped out of her shock from the instant defeat and protested loudly.
“How can we team up with such dubious people? Who knows what they’re up to!”
“Don’t get so worked up. Instead, why not think about this…”
Lomio turned, looking at Kaithia with an air of seriousness.
“Do you really think just the few of us can guarantee your safety in this crazy school, one hundred percent?”
“I…”
Kaithia was at a loss for words.
“With two more, that’s two more hands. They’ve already seen Ibuki and Kafnir’s strength. I trust they’ll make wise choices.”
Lomio kept up his upright act, full of concern for his ‘client.’
“This is for the sake of your future campus life—perfect after-sales service!”
“Kaithia, you don’t want some accident to force you to drop out and go home, do you?”
To… build me a bodyguard team?
Venture capital?
Kaithia blinked, her not-so-bright mind turning over slowly.
It… it actually made sense?
She was the client; he was the debt collector.
To secure his investment, the debt collector strengthens her security… that… that’s pretty reasonable!
Thinking this, Kaithia looked at Lomio’s profile and suddenly felt that, while his methods were a little underhanded, this “debt collector bro” seemed… actually kind of reliable?
“I… I get it now.”
Dazed, she nodded. For some reason, her heart fluttered a little as she recalled their first meeting.
Satisfied, Lomio turned back to the two confused girls.
“Well? Have you decided?”
“Wh-what should we do?”
“You’re asking me? I was about to ask you!”
The two exchanged a bitter look.
On one hand: instant elimination and a black mark on their record.
On the other: temporary debt, but a guaranteed place at the Academy and a smooth enrollment.
At least their families wouldn’t be shamed, and their futures wouldn’t be ruined!
“Twenty-five credits?!”
“That’s an official Academy item—how can you have access… and how will you pay it out?”
“Perfect timing. Kaithia’s currently looking for new teammates.”
Lomio looked to Kaithia, who reluctantly produced her knight token.
“I’ll say it first! I’m not doing this willingly! It’s just that my previous teammates all dropped out—so there are three slots left.”
“…”
Hearing “all dropped out,” the girls’ faces went even paler.
This team had eliminated three seniors already!
And the only survivor was now lending out spots with another team!
What was wrong with this Academy?! These freshmen were insane!
“I… I agree.”
The shorter-haired girl answered, her voice trembling.
She remembered twenty-five credits was just the token’s principal. Even if he made a little profit, it wouldn’t be too excessive.
“Me too!”
The other nodded.
“Ah, wise choice.”
Lomio nodded, pulling up a fresh blank contract from the system, setting the interest rate, and handing it over.
“Here, sign this. Don’t worry—it’s official lending, honest and fair.”
“Go ahead and sign.”
Ibuki Mio said with a smile, subtly drawing her blade just enough for the girls to see its flash.
“With my honor as guarantee.”
Kalenina remained icy, eyes fixed on them both.
With these two powerhouses “reassuring” them, the girls trembled as they signed their very first credit loan.
Done.
Lomio cheerfully stowed the contract.
He’d not only neutralized two potential threats without a fight, but also expanded his business and gained two free laborers.
Perfect.
He looked to his two new “debtors.”
“All right. Now that we’re teammates, it’s time to share information.”
His tone turned casual, as if he weren’t the ruthless capitalist who’d just made them sign a one-sided contract.
“Earlier, Beatrice mentioned her elder brother—the eldest son of the Cromwell family… Where is he now?”
The short-haired girl went even paler at the question, her voice tinged with tears.
“We don’t know… She’s always so secretive, sneaking off alone to talk to a magic device, then coming back with new ideas!”
“Yeah, and who knows where she gets so much money—her pockets are always full of cards and magic items!”
“Mm… it’s good to be rich.”
Lomio nodded slightly.
That more or less confirmed it.
The Cromwell family’s “eldest brother” was trying to influence the Academy from within, using Beatrice as his agent.
Given the dropout mechanism this time…
“Port… Title deprivation…”
A sudden possibility flashed through Lomio’s mind, but he kept it to himself.
Eliminating heirs via forced withdrawal, swallowing up the estates of minor nobles stripped of their titles to consolidate the capital nobles’ power?
And Beatrice forming a clique of noble girls from the capital as part of it?
Was that possible?
If it really was, that’d be a fearsome opponent indeed…
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
With Lomio’s words of thanks, Kaithia reluctantly stepped forward, exchanged tokens with the girls, and formed a temporary squad.
Seizing the chance, she snuck a glance at the terms of their contracts.
Two credits’ interest per month!
“I only pay one credit per month—mine’s half that! I really got a bargain… double the rate!”
Thinking this, Kaithia suddenly felt she might actually have some business sense.
Her previously conflicted expression brightened a little.
This debt collector bro… really knows what he’s doing!
Hehe.
Lomio smiled as he tucked away the contracts.
These little nobles really have no idea how much they’ll regret not having money when they need it most!