Chapter 249: Subject to a Fine

"Wha, what? You will punish me, princ.i.p.al? I am a gifted student, you know? Maybe I have already reached gold grade talent. You shouldn"t punish a student who has a bright future." Serena made up whatever excuse came to mind.

"Tsk-tsk, tsk-tsk... Looks like you don"t quite understand the meaning of that talent grouping, hmm... Do you think consuming two platinum resource packs will increase your talent grade?" Princ.i.p.al waved his index finger and shook his head.

"Isn"t that just done to give different special treatment to students according to their talents? Oh, hey, all students pay tuition fees every semester, and aristocratic families even donate a huge amount of money to the academy. I should get what my family pays for." Serena delivered her protest with an unsatisfied expression. She knew that her family donated a large amount of money.

"Donations are donations that come from donors who are done voluntarily. There is no coercion or demand for them to do that. Do you think the Deterry Academy of Magic depends on donors? That does not. Each student only needs to pay a fee of about 25 to 80 gold coins per semester for those who can afford it. It will vary depending on the student"s condition. We can even waive the fee if the student who enrolls is truly talented." The princ.i.p.al leaned back in his chair and tapped the table with his finger to emphasize his words.

"You need to know, the resource pack that all the students got was purely the aid from the academy and kingdom under Emperor Arthur"s supervision. Most of the resource products in the Human Continent came from this region, they were neither cheap nor easy to obtain. The fees you mention are nothing but for your education and training costs. Now, do you think this academy needs funding from students like you mention?" Princ.i.p.al looked at Serena with a judicial gaze.

"Th- Then, allow me to compensate for the mistake. How much money do I need to pay for the two platinum resource packs? Or can I buy more?" Serena didn"t want to be roundabout anymore. If she only needed compensation as punishment, then so be it because she was never short of money.

"Hmm, it looks like you don"t understand anything about your mistakes. The resource packs that are given to students come for a purpose and a reason. It is divided according to their talent level. Every consumable item and a.s.sistance tool in the resource pack is designed for students in the development stage. They are hard to find on the market if you try to find them. Saa, what will happen to a student with silver grade talent who takes advantage of the platinum resource pack?"

The princ.i.p.al had a strong urge to sigh and immediately gave the right punishment for this one student. However, his academy had principles regarding hone students in magic, abilities, knowledge, and behavior. It suddenly came to mind. He needed to enlighten this one student before making his verdict.

"That will raise the grade of their talents? Ah, why are you doing such a separation, princ.i.p.al? Why don"t you give platinum resource packs to all students? That way, the bright future for humanity is near us." A light bulb seemed to glow above Serena"s head. She answered with a big smile.

"False and misleading a.s.sumptions. The baseless things that come from gossip and rumors should not be believed outright. The platinum resource pack comes true to its name, it"s for students with platinum grade talent. Because of what? It"s due to considerations regarding the development of magic energy circuits within the students" bodies.

So what will happen to someone as desperate as you? Yes, only two possibilities will occur. Your body will suffer a severe backlash if you force it. Other than that, every object"s in the package will be redundant because the body will throw away every energy that cannot be cultivated. Do you understand now that everyone is disadvantaged because of that?" The princ.i.p.al explained to the ignorant girl without giving any chance for the girl to talk between his words.

Serena could only give an absentminded nod in response. She hoped that she had no other bad luck, and the punishment was not severe.

"Well then, now let"s read the verdict for you." The princ.i.p.al nodded, then turned to one of the four people standing near him.

After getting a signal from the princ.i.p.al, one of the senior teachers opened a scroll. It is a verdict that has been prepared in advance by the princ.i.p.al. "Serena Scott of the Scott Duke Family in the Nachezan Kingdom. You"ve broken the academy rules deliberately in mind by exploiting Elysia Avery"s platinum privilege card.

As the verdict is read about your offense, you will be fined 500 gold coins. Each coin will be counted and considered valid if you get the money due to your own efforts. The Scott Duke Family will be prohibited from providing financial a.s.sistance of any kind to Serena Scott before the fine has been paid."

After that was read, the senior teacher looked at the surprised girl. "Is there a question you would like to ask, Student Serena?"

"I- I got fined, but I have to find the money myself? What about my bank account? Why is it like this, what is the purpose?" Serena stared in shock, hardly believing her punishment would be so cruel. If she couldn"t use the money from her family, then it would mean she would fall into poverty, right?

"As read in the verdict to you, financial a.s.sistance in any form. This means that all types and forms of help that have monetary value are prohibited. The letter to Scott Duke Family has been sent, and your financial account at Holy Bank has been suspended.

From today until your fine is paid, you will have to cover living expenses, academy fees, and raise money to pay off your fine on your own. With a relief, your two servants are allowed to help you." The princ.i.p.al responded to the girl who turned pale.

"But that doesn"t make sense! If the academy wants a fine in the form of money, I can pay it right now. Why is my bank account suspended? Even my family can"t step in to help me?" Serena stomped her feet on the floor like an irritated and sulky child.

"Do you think this academy is a playground in your backyard? No, Deterry Academy of Magic is in the justification of Aeddoterra Kingdom. This light punishment is used to forge your character to become a better personality. You will know what it means to have difficulties and hard work for a fruitful result.

Our academy forges good seedlings not only in the fields of magic, ability, and knowledge... Students will also get character education, no matter where they come from because their family"s influence cannot do much in this city." The princ.i.p.al said that while resting his chin on his hands like an investigator.

"Please bear in mind, Student Serena. All forms of cheating will not end well, our eyes are everywhere. You can deposit your fine into the resource building at any time. The source of your money will be questioned at that time." Princ.i.p.al raised his index finger for a warning.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot. The students will get three days off as the academy will undergo a management system upgrade and much more. The old privilege cards are no longer valid, and a test will be conducted again for the new privilege cards. Now, the three of you can go. Have a good day." The princ.i.p.al waved his hand to chase away the three students who had no more queries in his office.

Serena could only grit her teeth silently. She immediately left the princ.i.p.al"s office with her servants without being able to say any other words. If the verdict was like that, then she could not do much but obey.

As soon as the three students came out of the room, the princ.i.p.al started discussing some matters with the other four people. Begun with the G.o.ddess"s disciple, the academy, the recent tragedy, countermeasures, and various other things.

However, that had nothing to do with Serena anymore. Meanwhile, The annoyed girl hit the wall irritably, but she felt pain a moment after.

"Aww, aww... d.a.m.n, my financial account has been suspended. Now, where do I have to look for 500 gold coins? Cora, Nico, how many gold coins do you have right now?" Serena wagged her sore hand and then asked her confused servants.

Cora and Nico looked at each other, then they took a pouch from their s.p.a.ce Bags.

"I have 202 silver coins, young miss." Cora told the amount of money from her pouch after a quick count.

"For me, that"s 103 silver coins and two gold coins." Nico did the same. It was all the money they had on the body. Well, their source of finance was Serena, after all.

"Give it to me. We"ll use it for capital money, to collect 500 gold coins. For me, ugh... I only have ten gold coins and four hundred silver coins. The lack is still too much for 500 gold coins. I should have taken more money from the bank yesterday." Serena s.n.a.t.c.hed her servants" pouch, then counted her money. Well, the results were unsatisfactory.

"You took 100 gold coins the other day, young miss. 30 gold coins were used for hunting equipment and supplies. The rest, you buy beauty cosmetics and jewelry." Nico reported on her master"s expenses recently.

"Hmph! It"s only 100 gold coins. Even if I didn"t use the money the other day, it"s still far from 500 gold coins. I should have taken more than my savings at the Holy Bank yesterday. In that case, all of this would be over quickly. I don"t want to live in poverty. Then, what are we going to do to find 500 gold coins, Cora, Nico? We only have 12 gold coins and 705 silver coins to start with." Serena snorted and stowed the coin pouches into her s.p.a.ce Bag.

Cora and Nico just looked at each other, then shook their heads, indicating they didn"t have any ideas yet.

"Let"s think elsewhere, young miss. This is not a place for discussion. For now, I can only think of two ideas, and it is quite a difficult thing for us to do." Nico gave a suggestion for her master.

"Fine, please share your ideas as we walk away." Serena just nodded, then she walked away with her servants right beside her.

Shortly after that, Nico presented her two ideas. The first was starting a business like Elysia, and the second was working in a well-paid place.

It was just ideas, and Serena just nodded silently. They needed some time to think further about their move. At that moment, Serena suddenly thought of something... A place to stay. Because her platinum card had been taken by the princ.i.p.al.