If I withdrew from the academy, I could use the tuition money as capital for the business. I was destined to be expelled for failing once the semester ended anyway, so I figured it would be better to salvage the money than simply throw the tuition away.
But there was another problem.
The source of that problem was the man standing right beside me: Isaac.
‘Will I actually be able to persuade Isaac?’
Thanks to Maxim’s reputation as a wastrel, Isaac’s trust in me had already hit rock bottom. His loyalty to Count Edwell was so strong that whenever I showed even the slightest sign of doing something foolish, he immediately reached for his sword.
‘If I want to get the business started quickly, I cannot afford to waste time arguing with Isaac.’
More importantly, the more people I had working for me, the better.
So there was no need to make an enemy of him right now. Those impressive protagonists of this game might have countless people eager to help them, but Isaac was the only person I could even remotely call an ally.
‘If becoming enemies were the only problem, that would be one thing. There is a good chance Isaac would actively interfere with me. If he goes back to House Edwell and reports everything, it is over. I have to prevent that at all costs.’
Was there some easy way to convince him?
As I wrestled with the problem over and over, a decent idea finally came to mind.
‘Wait. Isaac has a brain too. Surely he can think for himself.’
The thought occurred to me the moment we entered the academy’s administrative office.
This was where students handled applications for reinstatement and withdrawal, along with countless other forms and administrative matters. Since I was a student, I could probably request other documents here as well.
For example...
“Could I get a copy of my transcript from last semester?”
“Your name and student number?”
“Uh, well... I forgot my student number.”
“You forgot your student number?”
The employee, who had been absorbed in paperwork, raised her head.
The moment she finally saw my face, I noticed a slight tremor in her eyes.
“O-Oh my. Y-You are Maxim Edwell.”
“You know me?”
“Yes, well. I know your student number too.”
Apparently, Maxim Edwell’s reputation as a wastrel had spread not only among the academy students but among the employees of the various departments as well.
How notorious did someone have to be for a staff member to memorize his student number?
In any case, thanks to that, I received my transcript quickly.
And I immediately handed it to Isaac.
“Th-This... is truly your transcript, Young Master?”
“Yes. My name is written right there.”
“...I had a general idea of what to expect, but these grades are truly extraordinary. It could not have been easy to achieve marks like these.”
“It was not. Only someone like me could manage it.”
Of course, that was nothing to boast about.
But facts were facts.
I had not personally earned those grades, but they belonged to the previous Maxim Edwell, the wastrel whose body I now occupied.
Slide—
Isaac’s hand moved toward his waist.
He seemed about to draw his sword, but stopped after merely gripping the hilt. Apparently, even he knew that he could not draw it here.
We were inside the academy, where student safety took absolute priority.
Except under special circumstances, no private soldier was permitted to use force within its grounds.
“If you draw your sword here, you will end up in prison.”
“J-Just what in the world were you doing at the academy for your grades to end up like this?!”
“You probably know better than I do what I was doing.”
This was the perfect opportunity to talk to Isaac.
The sight of him trembling with anger was somewhat frightening, but as long as he could not draw his sword, this was an excellent chance to persuade him calmly.
“You have seen the transcript now, so unless you are an idiot, you can probably predict what will happen. Even if I return to school, I am going to be expelled anyway.”
“W-We cannot give up like this! Y-Young Master, if you return and earn an A+ in every subject on the next examination, you might still be promoted to the next year! Then perhaps you could even receive your diploma....”
“Me? Swordsmanship and magic are mandatory subjects. Do you genuinely think that is possible?”
“Grrrr!”
It would be the same even if I did not withdraw.
Before I ever possessed this body, Maxim had already been destined for expulsion. Whatever tiny shred of hope Count Edwell still held would turn into tremendous anger, directed not only at me but also at the innocent Isaac.
Isaac must have realized that as well.
After all, he knew perfectly well that this would mean he had failed the task Count Edwell had given him—to properly support the Young Master.
In name it was a task to assist me, but the true objective had always been my diploma.
So what else could we do?
The two of us would simply have to put our heads together and find a way forward.
“We are in the same boat now, Isaac.”
“Aaaaaagh! Why?! Why did it have to be with you, Young Master?!”
The foundation of persuasion was gaining the other person’s empathy.
And by using my transcript to obtain Isaac’s rather intense empathy, I had successfully completed the first step.
‘I originally intended to withdraw immediately, but since there is no one else around me, I need to keep Isaac by my side. To do that, I will have to adjust the plan slightly.’
The second stage of persuasion.
Now that I had gained his empathy, I needed to establish a shared objective.
Something both Isaac and I needed.
In my case, I needed to make money.
In Isaac’s case, he needed me to earn a diploma so that he could complete his mission.
Therefore, I needed to establish an objective that would allow us to accomplish both.
“Calm down, Isaac. It is not as though there is absolutely no way for me to graduate.”
“What is it?! I am willing to run off this very instant, cut off a dragon’s head, and bring it back! If it means securing your diploma, Young Master, I am prepared to sacrifice my life!”
Good.
That was an excellent attitude.
I smiled contentedly, glanced to the side, and asked,
“If I remember correctly, the academy has a graduation assessment system.”
“...Yes, it does.”
The employee at the administrative office answered with an uneasy expression.
Either way, that meant there was still a way.
***
In modern university admissions, there had been systems that evaluated applicants through more than just standardized grades.
The academy’s graduation assessment system was not particularly different in principle.
Rather than relying solely on uniform evaluations centered on academic performance, it assessed students using a variety of factors, including potential, aptitude, special talents, creativity, community service, leadership, and problem-solving ability.
Under the graduation assessment system, a student’s advancement was determined by the professor responsible for the student’s major and the head of the department, while final graduation required the academy president’s approval.
“...So your conclusion is that you intend to run a business?”
“Running a business is only the foundation. If I want to advance and eventually graduate, I will need to build up other qualifications as well. Whatever I accomplish, I need evidence that can be documented and submitted formally.”
We had left the academy and were walking along the main commercial street inside the Fence.
After hearing my explanation, Isaac repeated my words with a doubtful expression.
“Hmm. The graduation assessment system....”
He had calmed down considerably compared to earlier.
That was understandable. My grades left me with virtually no hope, so knowing there was another path to a diploma must have offered him some consolation.
“By the way, did you know I was double-majoring in business administration and economics?”
“...I did not.”
“Well, neither did I.”
I had only learned it at the administrative office myself.
For the sake of making Legend of the Seven Heroes entertaining, most of the game’s scenarios revolved around combat-related subjects. Magic and swordsmanship were compulsory courses for everyone, so how was I supposed to know the actual majors of some minor supporting character?
“But can you truly earn a diploma merely by running a business?”
“There are precedents. Since the graduation assessment system was introduced, several people have advanced through the years and ultimately earned their diplomas through it. The most famous among them is Clover Aberen.”
“C-Clover Aberen?!”
“Right. She is now the head of the Aberen Merchant Company, the greatest merchant company in the Empire. It was around twenty years ago, I think. She was the first to begin developing logistics and distribution networks among the principalities, and as she expanded them, she ultimately earned her diploma.”
She was considered one of the most successful women of commoner birth in the Empire.
She was probably in her early to mid-forties by now, and her eldest daughter was Sword Saint Yulia, one of the protagonists of Legend of the Seven Heroes.
The reason I had been able to remember the graduation assessment system at the administrative office and use it to persuade Isaac was because I had already completed the game while playing as Yulia.
“But how do you know such specific details, Young Master?”
“Isaac. You have a tendency to underestimate me far too much. I may not look like it, but I am still a student at Arnia Academy.”
“Were there not more days when you skipped school than days when you attended? Still, I suppose you did learn something.”
“Anyway, the point is that if we accomplish something unprecedented, there is a chance I can earn a diploma.”
“Hmm.”
“To use the graduation assessment system, I need to build achievements through work related to my majors. In that case, running a business is probably the most practical option, is it not?”
“I cannot say your argument is entirely unreasonable....”
Fortunately, Maxim Edwell had never used any of the three leaves of absence students were permitted during their enrollment.
That meant I could buy myself some time.
If I applied for a leave of absence now and accumulated achievements during that period, the possibility was not entirely nonexistent.
“I am still concerned about the Count’s orders. What the Count commanded me to do was assist you by any means necessary so that you could earn your diploma, and if you did anything foolish, I was to cut off your head—”
“Think about it, Isaac. Given the situation, running a business is the only method I have that might lead to a diploma. You agree with that much, right?”
“...I-I agree.”
“And how can you be certain that what I am doing is foolish?”
“...Pardon?”
“We do not know the result yet. How can you know whether this will turn out to be foolishness or an extraordinary accomplishment? If the business fails and proves that I was being foolish, then we can decide afterward whether you should offer up my head or your own. Would that really be too late?”
“...You are being surprisingly logical for yourself, Young Master.”
To be entirely truthful, I was simply piling up whatever arguments I could think of so that I could run the business.
Unexpectedly, however, Isaac seemed fairly willing to accept them.
He probably believed there was no other option either.
Our backs were against the wall.
The place where we stood might as well have been the edge of a cliff.
“So this is the only way for you to earn your diploma....”
“And it is also the only way for you to complete the mission the Count entrusted to you. What do you say? Deal?”
I extended my hand toward Isaac.
It was a request for a handshake, asking whether he would stand with me from this point onward.
“I suppose there is no choice. I must carry out the Count’s orders.”
In the end, he must have concluded that there was no alternative.
After finishing his deliberation, Isaac took my hand, just as I had expected.
With that, we had truly become bound by the same fate.
“Excellent! We are going to make this business a huge success and rake in a fortune!”
“Yes! And through that, we will secure your diploma!”
Well, our objectives were slightly different.
Still, we were heading in the same direction, so I decided that was good enough for now.
“So what will you do next? What is the plan?”
“I already have the entire plan worked out. In fact, we have been carrying it out for a while now.”
“Pardon? Come to think of it, this is the place we visited earlier....”
We released our clasped hands and turned our heads.
While walking through the main commercial district and discussing everything, we had somehow arrived back in front of the vacant storefront I had already set my sights on.
“Isaac, the money is ready, right?”
“Here is the tuition—no, the rent money!”
“Excellent. Then let us get the lease signed as quickly as possible.”
We exchanged determined looks, our resolve burning brightly.
Was this how the Peach Garden Oath had felt?
We nodded at the same time and stepped into the vacant storefront.
“Let us go, Isaac!”
“Yes, Young Master!”
And just like that, Isaac became my first employee.