Sword, Magic and Academic Society-Chapter 314Vol. 1 - - The Duty of a Private Tutor (1)

At long last, the thunderous hubbub due to the kidnapping incident died just as we approached our summer vacation.

"...*Haa*."

"W-what's the matter, Lil' Dui? It's quite unexpected to see you sighing..."

I noticed Dui—Duid Moonlit—sighing with a dejected expression, and talked to him.

Now, we had come far to mention it, but at the end of the day, Dui, too, was one of the top-ranker of the whole kingdom, as a student of Royal Academy, something even the students with all the fanfare of the world would be seen sweating to contend for.

Through some twists and turns, we ended up founding the Magic Car Club whom he was the president of.

So, why was I reiterating all of this again? One thing about Dui was he had never been down as long as he got to see, touch, smell, or even lick the mana bike. And we're currently at the Club Room x Garage of Magic Car Club, with the many vehicles around us. A sigh on his face despite that was an extremely bizarre situation.

"Ah, sorry you've to see that, Allen-chan. It's just... I received a letter from my family that my grandfather's health has worsened, and he's been admitted to the hospital of Dragreid. There's nothing to worry about apparently but... *sigh* I was often spoiled by him since childhood, so it made me worry about him."

"It's certainly concerning. Mhm, summer vacation is about to begin, listen to me. Take these days and return to your family for a visit. Even if it changes nothing, that pain would still be better than regretting that you could've done it, but you didn't."

Dragreid was a one-and-a-half-day journey from Royal Capital via mana train. He would have enough time to spend with his grandfather and see through his recovery.

I laid out my suggestion, but it met with an empty shake of his head.

"I can't... the sale for mana bikes begins in the later half of summer vacation. And I had a hunch their price would only go up the more time passes. So I was planning to earn money during the first half of summer vacation, and I applied and... got in for a part-time job. The recruitment happened at the academy, and It’s to be a private tutor for the summer course."

Aah... I think I saw the advertisement poster for that job on the bulletin board of the academy.

It said they're looking for a private tutor willing to teach their child, who's about to jump into advanced education next spring—well, there’s barely a difference between our grades—for ten days during the summer vacation.

Due to the academy's diehard popularity, countless requests of such sorts come around each year, albeit very few students seem to accept them.

While money might not be able to buy wisdom, but hey it could provide more avenues that one often lacks, so quite a huge percentage of students hailed from affluent families. They obviously wouldn’t want to tie themselves over some spare change.

Besides, even if someone was looking to make money, the glorious title of the Royal Academy was a real cheat for that. At the end, there would only be very few who exert effort in part-time jobs.

"Indeed... now that's quite tough to turn down."

Afterall, the other party was basically paying an astronomical sum for the entrance exam—which was often called 'the war in spring'—and Dui's acceptance to their request basically meant they'd struck a staggering lottery moment, a bonafide gold mine discovery moment. 'My child learned from the student of Royal Academy,’ the status spoke for itself.

A 'Ah, it appears I need to cancel the appointment because my grandpa is unwell' would be hard to swallow without prior notification in this case.

I knew Dui. He tackled everything with great importance, and is kind of heart. He wouldn't be stuck in dilemma had it not been important.

"I know, really...... the family must have received news that I accepted their news, and should've done their preparation. It's truly impossible to cancel at this moment."

These words spilled out with a hollow smile on his face.

Now, I might not have known him much during the entrance ceremony, but the current Dui should absolutely have countless means to earn money, so the fact that he still...... ah well, it wouldn't be Dui if he's not that clumsy.

"......If it isn't prohibited or anything, do you want me to fill the days of your absence? It's the Dragreid. You should be able to have a return trip in 4 or 5 days."

I suggested lending a helping hand, but perhaps it came out of nowhere, he gestured with a flailing hand in fluster.

"Huhh? N-no, I can't impose my trouble on you. And I know you, you must have already planned your whole summer vacation already, right? Besides, you also have your knight duty."

If only... a bitter smile spilled out on my face as I denied his assumption.

"You know me, and I indeed have many things I want to do, but as I often say, it depends on the whims of the wind. My schedule is just as whimsical, and I do not plan anything beforehand. To be truth, I also had this curiosity for a private tutor job, so you can say it’s one of the things I hope to dabble my hands on. And knight's duty? Nah, they get skipped, like usual.

The Founding Festival doesn’t require my presence, and the recent tasks just don't have the oomph which is boring me to tears. I am also a student of Royal Students, so the parents should be fine if I take over a few days, I think."

As a fact, I had been preached by quite a lot of old bones to lay low ever since the kidnapping incident, but hey, a tutoring job should be enough of quiet work, right?

A private tutor job was one of the respected part-time jobs often undertaken by Royal Academy's students of humble background.

I, too, had thought of check them out after my enrollment, but all the recruitments were for the young ones of noble family or wealthy companies. If that wasn't enough, the contracts sought exclusive right in yearly terms. I even saw one that stipulated that students would only be a tutor of their family for three years.

Well, the pay was certainly equally—no, staggering. But I disliked the idea of being tied to one thing, which was how I decided to take on the path of explorer, where it was your wish, your law.

But this job ticked all the boxes I was curious about, and even more so, I was just filling in for him.

I felt it, it was my calling. At long last, the time had come for my study method—one which I had cultivated so diligently during my past life—to finally see the light of the new world!

Ah, just thinking of it made me giggle. Albeit, Dui's face paled for some reason.

"I mean, there's no way they would deny you, a Class-A student of all things, if you pitch in, but... no, I think they would even faint on the spot. ...My gut feeling is screaming to be honest. And the pay is 5000 rea per day, that's barely comparable to your status. Yeah, let's just say I never talked abou—"

"F-f-five thousand rea per day, you say?!"

At the core, I still lived by the humble common sense of my inner japanese, so the amount stunned me to core.

Just to give you an idea. A Udon Shop in the downtown served a fulfilling meal for 5 rea, and every day it would have a long queue of commoners for their turn. This world's economy sure was crazy in some places.

Not that my previous world was less crazy when first-class seats in planes could cost millions of yen. Apparently, these things were even pretty popular—I have no idea personally, since I was worlds behind their spectrum. The last I remember, even the education and other expenses were rising due to inflation in Tokyo.

I had spent most of my days slurping on buckwheat noodles. I guess Japan wasn't any different either in the disparity of riches. Anyway... It doesn't change how high the salary was. It was on the level of obscene!

"Relax, I will make sure they get all the value for the salary they're paying. I do lack any experience in tutoring, but you know right, *who* taught me in my days?"

Recalling the face of my private tutor Schord, who also happened to be a hot topic of the town due to some... overzealous reports, I chuckled.

While I was excited on one hand, Dui’s expression sank further. If there was any semblance of blood on his face, then even that was drained, giving a ghastly pale look.

"What? No, no. I am not asking you to absolutely do your best! Besides, your average kid can not endure the learning method of «Unceasing Fortitude»! The smile on your face make me feel I might have opened a pandor—"

"Enough with the modesty, Dui! We're friends, so let's not dwell on favours. Think of your gramps! I bet he will jump out of his bed as soon as he sees you!"

"No, I am saying it's not grandpa I am worrie—"

"Kyeh-hehe, just take the backseat and enjoy! It's time to show the world what the study method of legendary tutor Schord Bainfaus is like!"

And that's how, to support Dui, I ended up taking a tutoring job.

◆◆◆

"...Haa..."

A sigh spilled out of Feria Oram, a resident of the most sophisticated district of the Royal Capital, also the home of many royal bureaucrats and higher echelon of conglomerate.

They'd shared the neighbourhood with downtown, known to be a common place of residence for low-ranking noble or quasi-nobles, who also had a more proactive attitude for studies.

The sigh was a result of her headache she had been feeling over her son's cram school, Lopics, result.

Lopicks was quite a noted education institute for their student's record success in cracking the exams for four cornerstone School for Advance Studies—NOKM (Noble-Official-Knight-Mage.)

They’d even shown quite prospects in cracking the exam for Royal Academy, the notorious of any educational institute in the kingdom over nigh stern entrance exam. One particular method the said cram school applied was placing their students by their results within one to twelve groups respectively.

Needless to say, the higher they’re in ranking, the better attention one would receive. And now, with the countdown to next year's entrance exam already up, they're going to have their final, but most important group classification once the summer vacations come to an end.

It should be obvious by now, but her son Cain, who had been hovering between 1st group or 2nd group until a year ago, had gradually dropped to 4th group. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Cain was an aspirant for the Civil Economy Advanced Institute—or Civil Economy Institute for short, which was a part of NOKM. It was the same school she, or her husband, an official in the Royal Court, had graduated from.

Civil Economy Institute was known for its particularly stern scrutiny toward academic grades even among other four cornerstone schools for advanced studies. From the past average records, the prospect of Cain clearing the exam with the baseline at 4th group of Lopics was slim.

How Feria wished Cain could atleast make it to 3rd group before the final grouping, but the latter appeared to be occupied by something lately, as if his mind had been seized by something else. As a parent, she could clearly see the lack of pursuit in him.

She had even been informed by the teacher of cram school that if this continued, Cain might even drop to 5th group no less, and suggested he should do better during summer vacation.

As much as she had wanted to have words with him, Cain seemed fraught with nervousness for a few days now, making it quite difficult to cheer him up.

And as it could be expected, the building tension led to a gloomy atmosphere in the family. The suffocative situation was so dense one could carve it out of thin air.

"A mail has arrived, Madam."

Just as Feria drowned in her helplessness, a certain mail came finding her way.

"Notice of requ...est...... acceptance?"

The moment she read that, Feria collapsed on her seat like a puppet with a severed string.

T/N - Oh hell, Allen and teaching. What could go wrong, eh? Ngl, at first I thought next chapters would be filler about Schord by

the title of 'private tutor.'