I Noticed That It Was an Academy After 10 Years

84.Survival Rule Number Four: Escape Is an Important Matter (2)

“Hey, it’s been a while! How have you been?”

“I had a good time.”

I sat across from the guard captain who greeted me warmly and held out a wine glass. Red liquid with the scent of grapes filled half of the wine glass. It’s wine. Now that I think about it, I’ve never drank wine before. I can’t even remember how to hold a wine glass.

…How do you pick up a wine glass?

I glanced at the guard captain’s hand holding the wine glass and tried to imitate it. The liquid in the wine glass, which was held in a slightly precarious way, tilted. How did my awkward hand movements seem to the guard captain? He clinked his glasses in a similar posture to me as if he was considerate of me.

“You can drink wine slowly and savor the taste.”

“I see.”

As he said, taste the wine slowly. The first wine I tried was… Bitter. I felt a subtle sweetness amidst the bitterness, but that was it. I had no choice but to put the wine glass down without even finishing it.

Snacks, snacks are needed. I took out a bottle of dried caterpillars that I had packed as a snack.

“That’s what I think…Isn’t it?”

“It’s a caterpillar.”

“…Why are you carrying something like that?”

“It’s good for your body.”

I picked up the dried caterpillar with my fingers and threw it into my mouth. The guard commander looked at me with a calm expression. Just by looking at it, it looks like ‘Is this really okay to eat?’ How dare you turn down something that tastes good and is good for your body? I’m full.

“He’s a friend with a very unique taste… “

“When you live in a place where food is not readily available, you have to eat more than this.”

“You’re a friend who went through a lot.”

The pitiful gaze of a middle-aged man tickled my face. Being looked at like this made me feel a bit complicated. I didn’t think much of it when Karina or Leni looked at me pitifully, but now that she’s here and looks at me like this, I feel a little strange. Why?

“Get rid of that snow. “What matters now is that we met to make a deal.”

“It’s a deal… You’re so honest. So, what kind of deal did you come here to make?”

At his words, I took a moment to catch my breath and put together the words that came to my mind. In order to persuade the higher-ups, plausible words were needed. A word that seems moderately luxurious.

“We are trying to build an emergency passage underground in the academy.”

“Building an emergency passage?”

“It’s in preparation for an attack. The academy’s facilities were poor.”

“The academy’s facilities are poor? “The only place safer than here is the imperial palace.”

As expected, the guard captain looked at me with disapproval. It’s natural. Since I know the future to some extent, I know that Calon Academy will be exposed to all kinds of incidents, but other people cannot know.

So, I need to give a reason that cannot be refuted in a convincing way.

“This semester alone, there have been two incidents in which students were harmed. Do you really think so?”

“…Ugh.”

The guard captain gritted his teeth and looked down at his wine glass as if he had nothing to say.

Hellhound incident.

Student kidnapping incident by the 3rd platoon leader.

When such an incident occurs, we cannot do anything. The guard commander probably also received complaints like crazy. The head of the guard will probably try to strengthen the guard by increasing the number of guards, but it is unclear whether gathering a ragtag group of people will be of any significant help.

As I said, it would have been more meaningful to create an emergency passageway. Having one more way to escape in case of emergency will significantly increase the survival rate against monsters, even though humans may not know it.

“…Yes, you are right. Two things have already happened. And our 3rd platoon was blown up. It’s not a very good situation. Thanks to that, I’m under a lot of pressure. “It’s an emergency passage in that situation… I don’t think the board of directors will allow it.”

“Is the need for the board’s permission because of the budget?”

“There’s that, and in order to proceed with such a big project, we need to arrange for a large number of personnel… But the situation outside is not good these days, so there won’t be any workers. “Whether it’s the architecture guild or the carpentry guild, those guilds are currently being dispatched externally.”

“Ah. It doesn’t matter. “There is a way.”

The guard captain’s eyes lit up at my words. The guard captain looked at me with eyes full of curiosity and asked me a question.

“Hoo, may I ask what method you use?”

“I do it alone.”

“What?”

“I do construction alone.”

The guard looked at me with an expression of suspicion as to what he had heard.

———————————–

“…A passage like this existed? There wouldn’t have been a passage like this on the guard’s map-“

Guard Captain Gilbert could not hide his surprise when he saw an underground passage he did not even know existed. A passage large enough for about three people to pass side by side. Although it was narrow, it made even more sense that such a passage existed in the first place.

Because no one knew that such a secret passage existed until now in Calon Academy, where there are countless wizards who can measure.

“I dug it alone.”

“Don’t joke. There’s no way one person could sell such a large passage! “I don’t know how you found it, but isn’t it a secret passage that has existed since ancient times?”

‘Are you kidding me?’

Gilbert glared at him, wondering if he was making fun of me. No matter how drunk he is, he is not a man who will fall for bluff. In the first place, all he drank was two glasses of wine, and he wasn’t drunk enough to get that drunk.

Without saying a word, John just held the shovel he was carrying on his back as if to look at it. Gilbert’s sharp gaze scanned his body as he moved as if to just look. Since he wore only a light shirt and no armor, the shape of his body was clearly visible.

‘I haven’t done shoveling once or twice.’

He had also done quite a bit of digging in his own way. When he was a low-ranking security guard, he was often mobilized for minor tasks, but after his rank his rose, he was in a position to direct the work. Even to him, John’s posture while holding the shovel was unusual.

A movement that gives the illusion of becoming one with the shovel.

Gilbert swallowed his saliva without realizing it, feeling as if a swordsman had reached his peak.

‘I’m nervous about just shoveling?’

Gilbert chuckled at the absurdity of it all. What can you say about shoveling-

“Look carefully.”

John’s shovel dug into the earthen wall. Movement so natural that you don’t even know it was moving.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

‘Are you scamming me now?’

John’s appearance disappears in an instant, and only dirt is thrown out of the hole. The guard captain looked around without realizing it. But I didn’t feel any special popularity.

‘Is that the speed that one human can achieve?’

It was a sight so obvious that if you told your subordinates, they would joke that it was finally time to retire due to old age.

John’s shoveling was so fast that such thoughts could not help but come to mind.

In the end, all he can do is escape reality.

“…Haha, I guess I’m drunk. There is no way such a long passage could be built in less than 10 minutes-“

“What you saw is true, so come to your senses.”

“What are you talking about? It’s true that I saw something! It’s not earth magic, and there’s no way you can sell it purely by shoveling it! You! What a trick! “Aren’t there some wizards hidden here somewhere?”

Gilbert looked around and asked, “Are you here?” “Here!” They shouted and searched the aisles. But there was no way a non-existent wizard would pop out. In the end, Gilbert, unable to find the wizard, had no choice but to focus his gaze on the shovel John was holding. Gilbert walked up to him, pointed at the shovel, and asked.

“Isn’t this shovel actually a huge item?”

“Try it yourself.”

John handed Gilbert a shovel. Gilbert glared at the shovel as if it were going to eat it, checking to see if any magic had been cast on it. However, it is highly unlikely that magic can be applied to an object that is purely faithful to its essence. In the end, unable to find any trace of magic, he adjusted his grip on the shovel.

‘You’ll find out if you dig for it yourself.’

Gilbert grabbed the shovel and stuck the blade into the wall.

“Her. This can’t be happening… “

Although it digs a little better, the shock felt in his grip forced me to admit that this was a shovel without any special magic.

“I don’t know how to use magic.”

“Wouldn’t that make more sense? There is no way even a wizard who specialized in earth magic could create a passage that long in an instant!”

It might be possible for an archmage, but there was no way the man in front of me was an archmage. A being worthy of being called an archmage would use magic with just a snap of a finger, and he would not do the digging himself.

“I have never seen anything more outrageous in my life.”

“It’s not that important. How about it? Isn’t it worth the investment?”

“Ha, investment… Investment. If you do that once in front of the board of directors, anyone will agree. “I’m talking about this crazy shoveling.”

How many workers will be needed to complete construction at this speed? Gilbert did the calculations in his head.

100 people? Even if you gather that many people in the first place, you can’t clear the passage at that speed. 100 people can’t fit into such a narrow passage. Since safety issues have to be taken into consideration and passages have to be trimmed, the actual number of workers per passage is probably around 15 people. At least since diversified investments are possible, it may be possible to penetrate several areas at once.

‘But it costs a lot of money. Hello wizard? I have no idea how much the academy budget should be squeezed.’

Creating emergency passageways throughout the academy is a major project that is not surprising even if it consumes more than 50% of the annual budget.

But what if you could do it on your own?

‘That’s crazy efficiency.’

Such crazy efficiency that he only had to pay 10%, or even 5%, of his expected budget. If a civil engineering guild saw it, it was an ability that would make them want to take him even if it meant giving him the position of guild leader.

Gilbert barely came to his senses while the shovel was digging into the ground and asked him.

“Look. You’re fast, but can you do it all by yourself? “Not only will the passage need to be drilled, but it will also need to be trimmed.”

“Production.”

John activated his skill as if he didn’t even bother to answer. A passage full of traces of shoveling quickly turns into a clean passage. Gilbert laughed at the absurd sight.

“What is this? It seems like someone was born to do construction.”

“I used to think about that often.”

Even though he was working at an insane speed, he wasn’t even out of breath.

Gilbert laughed happily, imagining the shock of the high-ranking members of the board of directors.

“You will definitely become a big person.”

‘I now have a snack that I can enjoy for the rest of my life.’

It was a thought that suddenly popped into his head