Reviving a Bankrupt Academy: My Financial Battle

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Ruth was quietly holding her breath.

She didn't even need to make an effort to hold her breath. Having concealed herself with the power of Dark Sword and followed Adam, everything was clear.

'Adam instigated the terrorist attack.'

That was enough. That was… enough.

That Adam, the Finance Director of the academy, had joined hands with that Milia bitch and instigated a terrorist attack.

She watched it all, hidden. She desperately wanted to step in, to grab him by the collar and demand to know what he was doing, but she endured.

'So…'

This was it, after all.

All those faces Adam showed her were just an act.

He wasn't corrupted after the academy collapsed; he was simply hiding his true nature from the beginning.

No matter how much she tried to rationalize it, she couldn't. Why would anyone in their right mind attack a perfectly fine academy? And by involving the Wish Cult, no less?

Ruth's eyes had long since become lifeless.

Once she decided to be a bystander, the rest was easy. And so, Ruth continued to watch Adam's sins unfold.

Conspiring with that Milia bitch, handing over confidential information like patrol routes, opening the gates for the Wish Cult members.

Even helping the cult members who were currently wreaking havoc with the terrorist attack.

'…Pathetic.'

The more she saw of Adam's true colors, the more pathetic she felt. She had moved into the same dormitory, gone grocery shopping, and prepared breakfast for this kind of person?

The diligently cleaned living room and kitchen came to mind. The hole and secret passage she had made in the dormitory came to mind. The top-grade elixirs she had prepared for Adam came to mind.

All of it felt utterly meaningless.

'I, who was deceived, am so pathetic.'

She laughed. Ruth laughed, a hollow and empty laugh.

It felt like something had let go. As if the last thread that had been holding her back had snapped.

Ruth quietly stood up. Thanks to the power of Dark Sword, there was no chance of being discovered by Adam or that Paladin Captain.

'Let's end this here.'

She didn't feel betrayed. It wasn't that she had forgiven him. It was closer to feeling nothing at all due to the immense shock.

Perhaps even the death of the Headmistress and the collapse of the academy were Adam's doing. He had already instigated the cult to attack the academy once, what was stopping him from doing it again?

The hand holding Dark Sword trembled.

'…Ah.'

Though Ruth herself didn't notice,

A single tear streamed down her cheek.

She thought she had dried up and couldn't cry anymore, but was she wrong about not feeling betrayed?

'Once today passes, and I kill Adam, everything will be resolved.'

The Headmistress wouldn't die, and the academy wouldn't collapse.

Betrayal, hatred, anger, and regret.

With all those emotions,

She glared at Adam with tears in her eyes.

"…But, I've been sensing a strange power. It's quite familiar."

"What do you mean?"

"Yes, this is… Dark Sword, isn't it?"

What?

What did he just say?

"Is this another one of your tricks? As expected, you're not foolish enough to leave yourself completely defenseless, even though you're just a Rank 1."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"How shameless. Did you hear it from that bishop candidate? That the cult's Dark Sword disappeared? Are you trying to lure me out with the Aura of Dark Sword, knowing I'd be sensitive about it?"

At Paladin Captain Malton's words, Ruth stopped in her tracks.

He spoke as if Dark Sword had disappeared.

'Dark Sword disappeared from the Wish Cult?'

Was that even possible?

Dark Sword did disappear in the previous timeline. But that was only because Ruth stole it during the chaos.

There was no need to steal it since she already had Dark Sword—

'Ah.'

Only then did Ruth realize why the cult's Dark Sword had disappeared.

Along with the sacred treasure of the Holy Kingdom, Dark Sword was a sacred relic on a conceptual level. It was impossible to destroy or erase. It simply existed.

And since Ruth returned to the past with Dark Sword, there were now two Dark Swords coexisting in this timeline.

But as a sacred relic on a conceptual level, two Dark Swords couldn't exist simultaneously. Just as two completely identical people couldn't exist in the same timeline.

Therefore, the weaker one disappeared.

'The cult's Dark Sword must have been in the process of being created.'

Unlike the incomplete Dark Sword of the cult, the one Ruth possessed was complete.

Naturally, the cult's Dark Sword disappeared, leaving only Ruth's.

She had unintentionally brought about a massive change.

'Is that why the cult is collapsing?'

Dark Sword was the core and foundation of the Wish Cult. It was only natural for the cult to collapse if such a sacred relic disappeared.

Ruth, for the first time, realized that she had changed the future and accurately grasped the causal relationship, and she shuddered.

Strictly speaking, there wasn't even a specific cause. Just the fact that she returned with Dark Sword had brought about a huge change.

Reaching that thought, Ruth recalled something.

It was a far-fetched and excessive thought, but…

'What if…'

What if, as Malton said, Adam knew about this and deliberately lured the Wish Cult with the terrorist attack as an excuse to wipe them out?

It would be a meaningless act if Dark Sword was intact. With the power of Dark Sword, the Wish Cult would continue to exist. It would be impossible unless they killed the Cult Leader.

But what if the cult didn't have Dark Sword?

'He did say that the Archbishop and many elite followers came, including this Paladin Captain.'

What if he lured them here with the terrorist attack as an excuse and captured them all at once?

Then the Wish Cult would be practically finished. The Cult Leader couldn't leave the sanctuary due to his nature, and the cult, having lost all its elite forces and Dark Sword, would self-destruct.

What if all of this was Adam's design?

What if he deliberately put on an act to annihilate the cult?

'I don't know, I just don't know.'

"Dark Sword? I don't know what you're talking about."

"…Tsk, as expected of someone who orchestrated this. You're quite troublesome for a mere Rank 1."

"You flatter me."

"But, since things have already come to this, I can't back down."

Crack.

"…!"

"You must have received the Aura of Dark Sword from Milia. This will be a good political justification for ousting her. Ah, don't worry. Everything will be over by the time you wake up."

"Ugh…!!"

"It seems you underestimated me. No matter what tricks you pull, I'll just crush them head-on!!"

Aura.

The wall that separated Rank 6 and Rank 7, the starting point that truly allowed an individual to overcome a group.

Although his rank was achieved through a shortcut with the power of Dark Sword, Malton's power was real. As Aura gathered in his hand, a sound like shattering glass rang out.

Crack, crackle!!

Despite the small scale, the surrounding space shattered under Malton's Aura.

And amidst that, an ominous mana surged.

Woooong!

"Hmm? Aha, this was your insurance, was it? It seems like a high-ranking artifact."

"Ugh, gasp!"

"I'm a bit disappointed. Did you really think you could stop a Rank 7 with something like this? You seem to be underestimating me."

But Malton scoffed and immediately suppressed the artifact's mana.

Without any special measures, he simply overwhelmed the mana with brute force. That was all, but the effect was drastic.

The bright light of the high-ranking artifact soon faded, and the mana crumpled and dissipated.

Malton, having crushed even Adam's resistance, smirked.

"Since I have to knock you unconscious anyway, just accept it."

"Gah, ack!"

"Your constant backtalk has been annoying. It's just petty revenge, but it will be a bit painful."

For Malton, a Rank 7, there were many ways to knock out Adam, a mere Rank 1. Considering that Adam had just made the terrorist response training cancellation announcement, it would be wise to quickly knock him out and leave this place.

But Malton chose to render Adam unconscious by suffocating him, even if it took a little longer, to maximize his pain.

Adam's ragged breathing and pained cries filled the room.

And just as his struggles were about to subside.

"—What?!"

Whoosh!!

A sword suddenly materialized from thin air and swung towards Malton. Malton, quickly sensing danger, hurriedly released Adam's collar and leaped back.

Despite being caught off guard, he was still a Rank 7, yet he hadn't sensed the presence. If he had been even a little slower to react, it would have been a fatal blow.

Malton, instantly filling both his hands with Aura, gritted his teeth.

"Who's there!!"

"…I'm an idiot, too."

"What…?"

"My body moved before I could think."

A figure emerged from the darkness.

Dressed in black, with white hair, and holding the sword that had just threatened Malton.

Ruth, with a self-deprecating laugh, stood protectively in front of Adam, who was coughing after being thrown to the ground.

"Sword Qi… Rank, Rank 6? At that age?"

"Why, is this your first time seeing a Rank 6?"

"You damn bitch…!!"

He hadn't sensed the presence of a Rank 6? Malton's eyes were filled with rage, but he soon calmly controlled his Aura.

There was a considerable gap between Rank 6 and Rank 7, but she was a genius who reached Rank 6 at such a young age. Considering her previous concealment, it was right to assume she possessed unexpected capabilities.

Moreover, Malton was only a half-baked Rank 7 who reached that level with the power of Dark Sword. And now that Dark Sword had disappeared, his power had weakened.

He couldn't drag this out for long.

"Haa!!"

He had to finish this quickly. Making that decision, Malton gathered all the Aura he could muster into his fist.

If he put too much power into it, Adam, a Rank 1, could explode from the impact, but that wasn't a concern right now.

Malton's priority had always been his own safety.

"You'll regret not finishing me off earlier!"

"...…"

Crack, boom!!

The fist infused with Aura turned the room into a mess with its shockwave alone.

And right after it was thrust towards Ruth,

"No."

"…!?"

Ruth, placing her hand on the blade of the old sword, cut herself and let her blood drip onto the blade.

It was just a few drops of blood, but the old sword greedily sucked it up as if it were the elixir of life.

And when Malton's eyes widened at the all too familiar sight,

"That won't happen."

The old sword, briefly revealing its form as the jet-black Dark Sword, was enveloped in Sword Qi.

Sword Qi and Aura. It was clear which was superior and which was inferior. Even Ruth couldn't fight head-on against Aura with Sword Qi, but…

With Dark Sword, it was a different story.

Boooom!!!!

With a tremendous explosion, the room was split in two, and someone was sent flying out the window. Malton, covered in blood, crashed into another building.

Ruth, who had instantly overpowered Malton in the destroyed room, quietly reached out to Adam, who seemed to have fainted on the floor.

"I know you're not unconscious."

"Hmm, how did you know?"

"Because I know the artifact you just used."

"Excuse me? How did you know? The Headmistress said no one would know."

"…There's a way."

Would he understand if she explained that this artifact had saved the previous Adam countless times?

Ruth looked at Adam, who was awkwardly scratching his head, with lifeless eyes.

At the same time, she thought she was truly an idiot.

"Idiot.""Excuse me? Even if that's the case, that's a bit harsh.""I saw everything you were doing, and even though I haven't reached a conclusion yet, no matter what reason you give, the fact that you were behind the terrorist attack doesn't change.""...…""…I ran out because I thought you were in danger. I had decided to be a bystander, but my body moved before my mind could."So…It seemed…That she seemed to hate seeing Adam get hurt or die. That no matter how hard she tried to draw a line, she ended up looking back at Adam.

And yet, she couldn't accept that those feelings stemmed from affection and respect. As much as she respected and cared for Adam, she also hated him.

'…Only I can hurt Adam. That's why I did it.'

Just like before.

Only Ruth had the right to end Adam's life. Only she could hurt him, knock him unconscious, make him bleed.

Having convinced herself, Ruth looked down at Adam with her still lifeless eyes.

"So, tell me."

"…What are you talking about?"

"Why you did all this, everything, before I swing this sword at you."

She had to hear his story, at the very least. Whether it was an excuse, self-justification, or some hidden motive.

Only then would the betrayal, hatred, anger, and regret subside. Only then would she be able to control herself.

At Ruth's declaration, Adam, looking extremely tense, gulped and asked,

"Before that, can I ask just one thing?"

"In this situation, what in the—"

"Are you really Student Ruth?"

"…Excuse me?"

"Were you… a woman?"

At Adam's hesitant words, Ruth slowly turned her head towards the broken window.

Her unnecessarily large breasts, feminine curves, and loose hair were revealed.

It was a mistake to undo her chest bandages and revert her skeletal structure to its original form for easier observation while pretending to be a bystander.

In this situation where they had both revealed their secrets.

"...…"

"..."

Only a heavy silence lingered.

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