On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 63
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Organization Collapsed on My First Day of Infiltration Episode 063
I’ll Make You Eat Mint Chocolate
“That money won’t be enough.”
“Still, somehow please….”
“I said it won’t work. And I’m saying this because I’m worried, but it’s not safe for a woman alone. What are you planning to do?”
“I, I can protect myself at least!”
“People who say that all end up unable to protect themselves. It won’t work, so go back.”
This was already the fourth rejection.
Click.
Karen sighed.
“I spent the whole day walking around again today….”
Yesterday was District 37.
Today was District 38.
She had skipped classes and wandered around various districts, but there was no success.
Someone was happily enjoying the afterglow of the Exchange Tournament.
But Karen had neither the time nor the luxury for that.
‘Now I only have 500 cel left… I need to somehow survive the remaining semester with this.’
Karen was poor.
To be precise, her family was poor.
The Eastern Region.
The countryside.
Even there, the impoverished Aswan Family that was noble in name only.
A household where the whole family lived in a house smaller than a well-off commoner’s mansion.
Thanks to the debts incurred by their ancestors, the already poor family finances had hit rock bottom and sunk underground.
‘No. Don’t feel sorry about it. I need to repay Father.’
But even in the midst of all this, Karen didn’t give up and honed her talent to enter the Academy.
The problem came after that.
The family’s situation obviously became more difficult.
Admission fees.
Tuition.
And even dormitory costs.
“That money won’t be enough, miss. Many people have been coming to the capital lately, so prices have gone up a lot.”
“Couldn’t you somehow make it work? If I pay 3 months in advance….”
“It won’t work. Go back. If you want to find something with that money, try going beyond District 40 over there. Though you probably won’t last even a month.”
So right now Karen was-
“Why can’t I even find a place for one person to live….”
Looking for a room.
Here in District 38, somewhat far from the Academy.
The reason was simple.
The Exchange Tournament prize money.
And even the dormitory costs.
She had deducted everything and sent it to her family.
Of all times….
‘Why did debt collectors have to come at this timing!’
The situation had gotten even worse.
She really wanted to cry.
If she hadn’t vented to Yurio, Karen might have suddenly burst into tears while walking down the street.
It was heartbreaking.
She also resented the world.
Others attended the Academy without worry and even bought snacks.
Someone had to send money after deducting not just snacks but even dormitory fees.
Of course, her parents didn’t know.
They knew she received the Exchange Tournament prize money, but not that she had sent it after deducting even the dormitory costs.
Still, Karen didn’t regret it.
She believed it was the path for her family.
It was also repayment for her parents.
‘They said it’s dangerous beyond District 40.’
Still, she had to find somewhere to live somehow.
At least somewhere with a roof.
Even an attic room would be fine, somehow….
While Karen was moving her steps again.
“Welcome.”
Ziel entered the house that Karen had just left.
The house owner looked at Ziel and tilted his head.
“Many pretty young men and women have been coming and going today. Are you also here to find a room?”
“Did a student just come looking for a room?”
“Huh? Then why else would you come into this boarding house. Everyone comes looking for rooms. Goodness, she was so pretty, why did she come all the way to this district to find a room. Did her family go bankrupt?”
Ziel left the boarding house for now.
‘A boarding house.’
He knew the concept itself.
According to what he had read in books, it meant staying at someone else’s house by paying a certain amount of money.
‘But why is student Karen Aswan?’
As far as Ziel knew, all students resided in the dormitory.
Even if it wasn’t a strict rule, most preferred it that way.
It was safe, allowed interaction with other students, and above all, it was efficient.
‘Was she evicted from the dormitory?’
If that were the case, he should have been notified as the year supervisor according to school rules.
If not, then…
‘Hmm.’
He wasn’t sure.
Ziel still lacked social experience and couldn’t think that far ahead.
For now, Ziel quietly followed Karen.
After that, Karen went around to every boarding house in the district looking for a room, but…
“Miss, I like jokes, you know? But I can’t bring myself to tell you to go try the stable with that money. Who would let you stay for 100 cel a month? No way, absolutely not.”
“Maybe there might be some run-down houses beyond District 40.”
They all shook their heads without exception.
Meanwhile, the day grew dark.
Karen eventually leaned her back against some house wall and let out a long sigh.
“Should I sell my sword…”
What was more important – survival?
Or was the sword more important?
A philosophical yet practical dilemma.
“I should head back for now.”
She gave up on selling her sword for the time being.
She absolutely couldn’t sell it.
Not because it was precious.
Because she didn’t have it with her right now.
Trudging along, heavy footsteps returning to the Academy with twilight falling behind her.
People returning home one by one, and the street gradually becoming quiet.
And blocking her path ahead…
“Miss, you shouldn’t be wandering around here alone, you know?”
“That’s right, that’s right. You might run into scary people like us, right?”
A strange trio blocked her way.
Really sighing multiple times today, aren’t I.
Karen frowned.
“What do you guys want?”
“Us? We heard rumors about a miss carrying around 500 cel and came looking.”
“Ah.”
Local thugs, huh.
Karen suppressed her anger.
“I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully. Leave your money and… Urgh!”
Karen instantly rushed in, grabbed one guy by the collar, and slammed him to the ground.
A memory from earlier in the day flashed through the thug’s head as he was smashed into the ground!
‘The exact same thing happened!’
That pretty-faced guy!
It was exactly the same as what that guy did to him.
“Huh, what?”
Next, another guy took Karen’s punch to the solar plexus and collapsed on the spot.
The remaining one…
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Karen grabbed him by the shoulder, swept his legs, and threw him to the ground.
Thud!
“Urgh!”
That’s right.
It was the quartet who had picked a fight with Ziel earlier, or rather, the trio.
The reason they became a trio was because one member had declared he was cutting ties after what happened during the day.
‘Today’s luck is really screwed.’
‘Why are all the people we pick today like this…’
During the day, by a teacher.
In the evening, by that teacher’s student.
Thinking their luck was bad, they had secretly broken the rules of their ‘Robson Family’ and ventured beyond District 40…
Even their methods were exactly the same.
“Ah. That’s right.”
Karen, now seeming somewhat relieved, asked the three guys.
“Do you guys have some money?”
“Huh? Us?”
“Yeah. Is there anyone else here besides you?”
They never imagined they’d be beaten like this by a girl who wasn’t even an adult.
They certainly never imagined they’d be robbed on top of it.
“Here, here…”
“What about you?”
“I… well… this is all I have.”
“What about you?”
“I, I don’t have any?”
“Should I search you?”
“Actually, I do have some!”
In truth, they were no match at all.
Karen had received hellish training from Ziel for two months.
She even had the talent to use mana.
Since she had enrolled in the Academy’s Sword School, three neighborhood thugs were nowhere near enough.
“Live good lives, okay?”
“…”
“Answer me.”
“Yes!”
Her personality came out after a while.
She had been living restrainedly since coming to the Academy.
But being constantly looked down upon by other noble children for being poor had naturally formed this personality!
“Phew.”
Getting some free money made her feel somewhat good.
Even though it was only 20 cel.
“Student Karen Aswan.”
“Huh?”
Just then, a voice was heard.
When she turned her head, Teacher Ziel was standing there.
“T-Teacher?”
“You gave these guys a lesson.”
“Um… do you know… these people?”
“I met them during the day. For the exact same reason.”
“Ah.”
The three thugs flinched.
Who would have thought they’d meet again here.
“That was good movement.”
Praise came in the midst of it all.
Karen smiled broadly.
“It’s all thanks to you, Teacher.”
“But at the end, it would be more efficient to break the arm rather than the shoulder and pin them to the ground. Remember that.”
“…Are you giving me a lesson even here?”
“I’m just providing feedback.”
“It would have been touching if you hadn’t given feedback.”
Ziel suddenly tilted his head.
“But you guys, didn’t you say you’d live good lives?”
“…”
“You also said you’d live diligently.”
“W-we were wrong…”
“Teacher, guys like these can’t be reformed.”
Ziel pondered for a moment, then looked down at the three and said.
“You broke your promise with me.”
“P-please spare…”
“If you break it one more time, I’ll make you eat only mint chocolate until you die.”
“Teacher. What does that mean…”
Karen looked dumbfounded.
“I thought of the most terrible thing.”
“That’s… the most terrible thing?”
“Yes.”
The greatest threat Ziel could make!
‘It doesn’t taste good.’
There’s no torture like having to eat something that doesn’t taste good.
“How is that supposed to be scary…”
“P-please spare us!”
The three trembled without understanding why.
‘What’s mint chocolate?’
‘Is it some kind of torture medicine!’
They were actually misunderstanding.
There’s no such thing in District 38.
It was something that became popular among nobles and then spread to the Academy.
“They got scared.”
“They… did…”
It was somewhat ridiculous, but seeing the three lying flat and unable to lift their heads made her feel refreshed.
“Sigh, let’s go, Teacher.”
And so, after this brief incident passed.
“Oh, but… what brings you here, Teacher?”
“I came to buy exploration equipment.”
“Ah. What a coincidence! I came out to look around!”
Karen casually hid the truth.
However, Ziel was merciless.
“You were looking for boarding, weren’t you, Student Karen Aswan.”
“…Damn, I got caught.”
A sigh escaped her.
“That’s right. I was looking for boarding. There’s no point lying in front of you, Teacher, so I’ll be honest.”
“Why are you looking for boarding?”
“Because I can only stay in the dormitory until the end of this month.”
“Are you dropping out?”
“What? No!”
“Then were you evicted?”
“No…”
Karen eventually confessed the truth.
“…Yes, money is the enemy, you know. That’s what happened.”
“All your money went to your noble family.”
“That’s right.”
Even from Ziel’s perspective, who still lacked economic sense, it was quite a large sum.
From what he heard, the money Karen had given was nowhere near enough to cover such debt.
“So did you find boarding?”
“No… boarding is incredibly expensive too. I thought it would be really cheap if I came to a district like this.”
More sighs kept flowing out.
“I’ve been searching while secretly skipping classes. At this rate, I’ll have to go beyond District 40.”
“It wasn’t secretly. I knew about all the classes you skipped.”
“Well, that’s true… Did Yurio tell you by any chance?”
“No. He seemed to be pretending not to know.”
“As expected. He has loyalty, you know? But wait, that’s good news. Teacher, I really have no answer other than boarding.”
“Will you keep boarding?”
“At least until the end of this semester… I’ll go home during vacation after the semester ends…”
“That’s not a good method.”
“That’s the only method I have…”
“No. There’s another way.”
Ziel glanced up at the sky.
“Let’s go back for now. It’s almost time for the Academy Main Gate to close.”
“Yes…”
“If something like this happens again, make sure to tell me.”
“I know it’s obviously not as good as the dormitory. But this is all I have…”
Karen muttered as if making excuses, but Ziel calmly said one thing.
“Aren’t you my student? I’m a teacher. I heard that teachers should know how to look after their students’ difficulties.”
“…!”
At those words, Karen quickly bowed her head.
‘Damn, how embarrassing.’
She felt like she might cry.
A warmth she hadn’t felt since coming to the Academy!
“We just need to find a method.”
“…Yes. But what kind of method? If you’re planning to pay for it yourself, Teacher, I absolutely won’t accept it!”
Ziel shook his head.
“I have no such intention.”
One semester’s dormitory fee was about half the tuition cost.
Even with the money Ziel had, it would be tight.
He did have Dikelen’s Silver Coin, but that was currency only used in the Underworld.
If he tried to use it outside of Shadow, he’d get caught.
“There’s a good system in the School Rules Book.”
“A system, you mean…”
“It’s a system that supports poor students.”
Karen’s ears instantly turned red.
‘Poor…’
That thing she tried so hard to hide.
Hearing that word made her feel deeply ashamed.
But since it was Ziel saying it, it was actually okay.
“That… could I receive it?”
“I don’t have the authority to confirm it. But I can make a recommendation.”
“Teacher…”
Karen looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
“It’s for my student.”
“…I’ll work hard.”
“Rather than working hard, it’s better to do well.”
Ziel destroyed the touching moment until the very end.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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