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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“You’re here for compensation? I’ll show you the way.”
“Oh, thank you.”
As soon as I entered the Portal Management Office, I was greeted not by an employee, but by a member of the White Blade.
Judging by his attire, he seemed to be disguised to avoid disrupting the office’s daily operations.
‘They’re just suspecting me for now.’
It was unlikely they’d fully suspect me based solely on the fact that my outing coincided with the Sweet Dessert robbery.
They were probably trying to gauge my reaction, approaching me in disguise to see if I’d slip up.
The door opened with a creak.
As I was led to a private room, I scanned my surroundings and noticed only one actual portal office employee.
He was likely the one who would handle the compensation claim, while the others, disguised as employees, would use that as an opportunity to question me about the robbery.
But no matter how much they suspected me, they were missing a crucial piece of the puzzle, which meant they’d never be able to pin it on me.
“I used a premium portal, and I should have arrived at the auction city, Moneyboom, but due to the coordinate disruption, I ended up in the Garwon Jungle.”
“Ah… yes, that’s correct.”
“In this case, how much compensation am I entitled to?”
As far as I knew, the standard compensation for portal coordinate errors was thirty times the portal fee.
However, ending up in a dangerous zone like the Garwon Jungle entitled me to an even larger payout.
‘I think it was sixty times the fee.’
And if I’d suffered any injuries or faced life-threatening situations, I could demand even more.
“The only way I could escape the Garwon Jungle was by clearing a dungeon and obtaining a Return Stone. Do you acknowledge this?”
“But wasn’t that due to your own choices?”
This was where the real negotiation began.
The Portal Management Office wanted to minimize the payout, while I aimed to maximize it.
If I were a noble, lawyers would have handled everything, but unfortunately, I wasn’t.
Even academy students who were commoners rarely had access to legal representation.
Lawyers were apparently concerned about damaging their reputation by representing commoners.
It was another frustrating example of class discrimination.
“It wasn’t my choice. If I’d just stayed put in the Garwon Jungle, would you have come to rescue me?”
“W-well…”
“I doubt it. How could the Portal Management Office possibly locate someone stranded in the middle of a jungle? I had no choice but to escape on my own. And since this whole situation arose due to your negligence, I’m demanding compensation for the additional hardships I faced.”
“Uh… well…”
Money was always welcome, especially for a commoner.
‘And this situation guarantees a maximum payout.’
Since I knew the portal regulations inside and out, there were no loopholes for them to exploit.
If they tried to claim my dungeon clear and Return Stone acquisition were fabricated, I would simply mention the Death Meteor incident and call witnesses.
There was no other explanation for suddenly appearing in the training grounds from the sky.
No matter what they said, they had to pay the maximum compensation.
Even the White Blade officer standing beside me looked displeased with how things were progressing.
But his disapproval didn’t concern me.
“…Very well. We’ll prepare the compensation immediately.”
The employee, realizing further arguments were pointless, finally surrendered.
It wouldn’t look good for them to haggle with a student over money.
Just pay up.
“Oh, by the way, could I open a bank account with this compensation?”
“A bank account?”
“Yes, just one. With the Bertoque Bank.”
“Ah…”
Seeing the employee hesitate, I added a persuasive detail.
“Bellos is a close friend of mine. And so is Mijuran.”
“…Ah, yes! Bertoque! I just had a momentary lapse in memory. I’ll prepare everything right away.”
The employee’s attitude changed instantly upon hearing the names of royalty and nobility.
It paid to have powerful friends.
‘The Bertoque Bank isn’t just any bank.’
With branches worldwide, handling vast sums of money, and renowned for its security, the Bertoque Bank wasn’t easily accessible.
One needed significant wealth, noble status, or something special to open an account.
And in my case, I was aiming for that something special.
Having the Portal Management Office vouch for me and open the account on my behalf would expedite the process significantly.
It was far more effective than a common first-year student claiming to be friends with Bellos and Mijuran.
It was like having a reputable figure provide a personal guarantee.
Since the Portal Management Office had already investigated me, they knew I was the Class S president.
That meant my claims of friendship with Bellos and Mijuran would naturally be taken seriously.
‘And it’s not even a lie.’
While “close friends” might be an exaggeration, they were certainly students who trusted and followed my lead.
In some ways, that bond was stronger than friendship.
‘Now, for the White Blade.’
The officer still remained in the room, even after the employee left.
Judging by his silence, he was waiting for someone.
“Hello.”
“Yes, hello.”
As if on cue, someone entered.
Carmel, the captain of the White Blade.
‘The captain himself?’
It wasn’t entirely surprising.
He clearly wanted to connect me to the illegal gambling den incident but lacked the evidence, so he was resorting to intimidation tactics.
“I am Carmel, captain of the White Blade.”
“T-the White Blade? But I haven’t done anything wrong!”
I feigned a naive, innocent demeanor.
Playing the part of a seemingly confident victim who crumbled before authority would make it easier to maintain my facade later.
“I know. We’d like to ask you a few questions about a different matter.”
“Questions?”
“Yes, we’ve been having trouble catching the culprit, so we’re asking around, gathering information.”
“Ah…”
He hadn’t mentioned the specific case, jumping straight to looking for the culprit. This meant he was hoping I’d mention the illegal gambling den or Sweet Dessert first.
Like a thief praying for the victim to leave their door unlocked.
Hoping for a mistake rather than relying on their own skills.
‘He made the wrong move.’
Did he really underestimate a 17-year-old commoner that much?
While I was planning to feign ignorance, it seemed I didn’t need to go full-on naive.
“What kind of case? I need to know what it’s about before I can answer anything… I’m a bit busy, and I’d like this to be quick.”
“Ah, we haven’t explained the details yet. You, what are you doing? Apologize!”
“I apologize.”
Carmel reprimanded his subordinate while smoothly taking a seat across from me.
He seemed slightly nervous, clearly aware of how flimsy his pretext was.
His approach was like trying to light a fire on ice.
“The timing of your outing coincides with the illegal gambling den robbery. We have a few questions about that.”
“Ah… okay.”
“What were you doing at that time?”
“Am I obligated to tell you? This feels like an invasion of privacy.”
“…As I said, this is related to the illegal gambling den investigation, so…”
“Are you accusing me of robbing the gambling den? Just because the timing happens to match up?”
Isn’t that a bit of a stretch?
At my pointed question, Carmel nodded understandingly and continued.
“This isn’t just any gambling den. It’s a members-only establishment for nobles, so…”
That’s enough.
The moment Carmel mentioned details about Sweet Dessert, I knew I had him.
“Exactly. How could a common academy student possibly know about a nobles-only gambling den?”
That was the crucial point.
The White Blade had no explanation for how a commoner could have known about a secret, members-only gambling den.
A common academy student robbing a nobles-only establishment and making a clean getaway?
It didn’t add up.
‘And that’s exactly what I was counting on.’
I hadn’t chosen a random illegal gambling den; I’d specifically targeted a members-only establishment.
It was a safety net, a way out if things went south.
“…Well…”
“This seems like a misunderstanding. You’ve got the wrong person. I’ll be going now.”
They shouldn’t waste time detaining someone based on such flimsy suspicions.
‘Time to get out of here.’
Lingering in this shady place would only lead to more trouble.
Once the bank account was set up, I planned to disappear.
As I turned to leave the Portal Management Office…
“Wait. Stop.”
A voice called out, stopping me in my tracks.
But it wasn’t Carmel.
‘Where did she come from?’
The top-ranked first-year student of Velutos Academy.
Elua Velutos. She was staring at me with a sharp gaze.
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