HTACS 03

Chapter 03

Academy City Zeppelin.

The main stage of D/Z SAGA.

According to the setting book, it’s an artificial island created by the first Emperor of the Lohengrin Empire and the Imperial Court’s grand archmages, built upon what was originally sea.

Yet it boasts natural scenery so stunning you’d never believe it was man-made. Inside the island are mountains, canyons, rivers—and also deserts, volcanic zones, glaciers, and even jungles.

And when the first Emperor finished building Zeppelin, the Chancellor of the time asked what it would be used for. The Emperor’s reply was a single word: “Academy.”

The Emperor’s intent in pouring all resources into creating Zeppelin was precisely that—a colossal academy city.

Academy City, Academy Island, and Academy Fortress Zeppelin.

The famous anecdote of the Chancellor grabbing the Emperor by the collar and yelling “You crazy bastard!” is well-known, but afterward, Zeppelin became the first Emperor’s greatest achievement.

Over three hundred years, the Empire flourished centered around this very Zeppelin.

So why did this natural-history-museum-like Zeppelin become the symbol of the Imperial Family’s glory?

Because Academy Island Zeppelin contains the essence of continental education, surpassing even the Empire itself. This place of learning accepts anyone with ability, regardless of class—truly, all the education of the continent is concentrated here.

First, it’s vast. Zeppelin’s breadth of learning is so wide that you can even take a liberal arts course on the traditional culture of a small nation with only a thousand citizens. Students choose for themselves what to learn on this land of infinite possibility, and professors support them.

Second, it’s honorable. This isn’t just any academy—it gathers royalty, nobility, and aristocrats from across the continent, along with talented commoners, and teaches them for seven years. Graduating from here guarantees recognition anywhere in the world.

Third, it’s profound. Every curriculum in Zeppelin is designed to develop the entire continent, and furthermore, to secure each nation’s future key figures from a young age. Zeppelin is an island—escape is impossible. If you want your child to become first-rate, you must send them to Zeppelin, but once you do, it’s no different from handing them over as a hostage to the Imperial Family. This arrangement, blending cultivation with political leverage, made every nation on the continent swear loyalty to the Lohengrin Empire.

Students study not only swordsmanship and magic, but also etiquette, liberal arts, commerce, administration, and even self-sufficiency, hunting, or farming—working day and night to excel in their chosen fields.

This is Zeppelin.

If you wish, you can amass wealth through business while still enrolled, or engage in life-or-death battles against monsters. An artificial island where humanity surpasses nature—the greatest symbol. A paradise of learning for every student.

“Here is the account information you inquired about for Wolfram-nim’s personal account.”

“……”

“There’s not a single coin. Zero rin.”

This land was hell—only for me.

—

Zeppelin Central Bank.

Currencies from across the world are naturally not unified—Doge, Ripple, Eos, Maro, Stellar, Ignis, and others—each nation’s currency system operates separately. This place exchanges those goods into rin, the currency that circulates only within Zeppelin, and also serves as an international exchange center.

And the account balance of me, Wolfram—former student council president and child of the Emperor—was…

“Not a single coin?”

“Yes.”

Nothing. Not a single rin.

Wait, does that even make sense?

No matter how you spin it—being a member of the Imperial family, a prince, and simultaneously the student council president—and having zero savings?

“Please print out my account transaction history.”

“Yes, sir.”

The clerk smiled brightly and printed out my deposit and withdrawal records, and my eyes went wide as I read them.

[Depositor: Imperial Family

Deposit Amount: 30,000,000R

Withdrawal Location: Eastern Magic Device Terminal

Withdrawal Amount: 30,000,000R

Withdrawer: Wolfram von Lohengrin

Cash Service Record: 200,000,000R

Withdrawer: Wolfram von Lohengrin.]

Stepping out of the bank, I quietly reviewed the transaction history that Wolfram had run up.

Every month, 80 million rin is deposited under the guise of “maintaining dignity.” Officially, the rin is roughly equivalent to the Korean won in value. In other words, this bastard was blowing eighty million won a month while just going to school.

Spent on clothes, on suspicious magical tools, lost at gambling dens, lavished on sycophantic hangers-on—all of it, this bastard spent.

It’s not that there’s no money—this bastard spent it all. And now this bastard is me.

I left the bank.

“The dormitory. Yeah, there must be something at the dorm.”

Zeppelin’s First Dormitory, Glastheim—a building with 58 floors above ground and 7 floors underground. I’d been using the top-tier premium suite all to myself, so surely there’d be at least one or two expensive items inside. Even selling those would give me some starting capital.

I remembered the map. As soon as I opened the dormitory’s main entrance—

“Wolfram von Lohengrin-nim. Your check-out procedures have been fully completed.”

“…What?”

“Here is your luggage. Thank you for using the dormitory until now.”

Two suitcases were plopped down before me. The lobby attendant smiled warmly at me, then bowed his head.

“Then, we wish you a pleasant Academy life.”

And just like that—I was kicked out.

“……”

The world had abandoned me.

—

“Still—it’s not bad. Actually, it’s good.”

When you spin your happy delusions at full speed, a path somehow appears.

First, inside my luggage there were items that looked fairly expensive. A jewel-encrusted necklace and ring, a ceremonial sword, a magical staff, and an old grimoire.

“I can work with this.”

After all, as a member of the Imperial Family, anything I carry is bound to be valuable. Even without a job, if my possessions are high-quality, I can just sell them to raise capital. Fortunately, I know the locations of good antique shops and pawnshops from the original work.

“Hmm. You’ve come to sell?”

“…Yes.”

The pawnshop run by dwarf students has a keen eye. These students find their path and grow through studying “commerce”—how to appraise, buy, sell, and craft goods—at the Academy.

In particular, the dwarves’ guild, “Maestro,” is known for its strict discipline. True to their reputation as “Gold Demons,” they’ll haggle you down, but they won’t cheat you. If anywhere, I’m confident I can negotiate the highest possible price here.

Dwarf characters are usually money-crazed bastards, but once you befriend them, they’re pretty fun and straightforward. The way to earn dwarves’ favor is through weaponry—especially swords. These bastards would die for a good blade, so I’ll sell the ceremonial sword first to raise funds.

Thinking that, I reached to unlock the suitcase—when a cold voice rang out from across the counter.

“Ah, no need to open it.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Don’t you understand? It’s a dismissal. Even if what’s inside were the Wind God’s Sword, Rapid Regina, we have no intention of purchasing.”

“Why? Do Gold Demon dwarves pick and choose what to buy now?”

“That’s how it is. Please leave now. We’re in a difficult position too.”

“……”

The dwarf student scratched his beard, clicked his tongue, and sighed.

And so, I was kicked out.

“……”

Why? Did they release a “Wolfram Edition” or something?

“No. Calm down. Calm down, Wolfram. Count the primes. Numbers divisible only by 1 and themselves will give me courage…”

Muttering nonsense, I kept thinking.

Right—Wolfram might have caused trouble at the pawnshop. Maybe he strong-armed the dwarves because he had no money, or threw his weight around at Maestro and got blacklisted. If so, there’s nothing I can do about it.

“If Maestro won’t work—Yggdrasil.”

The Elven alliance. Cold, but they don’t refuse. And I have magical clothing to sell—clearly top-grade. I noticed this garment is made of El Condor Silk, specially treated—the kind elves go crazy for.

If I take this to the elves’ guild, Yggdrasil, I can make a considerable amount of money.

“About three million, maybe?”

For El Condor Silk in the original, that’s about right. If it were Symboli Silk, it’d be around five million. Elves hate shady deals, and they wouldn’t have been subjected to Wolfram’s bullying—so they shouldn’t bear any ill will toward me.

Arriving at the Yggdrasil branch in central Zeppelin, I requested an audience with an elf…

“We decline.”

“…Do you know what this is?”

“Garments made of the finest El Condor Silk. Truly top-grade.”

“You know that and you won’t buy it?”

“Yes.”

“…You realize this is an exceptional luxury item, right?”

“Of course. The price would be 30 million rin. Shall I attach a price tag for you?”

“Thirty million?”

“Yes. At least that much.”

I smiled inwardly. This one has no idea about pricing—perfect for fleecing.

“Then I’ll sell it for ten million.”

“We will not purchase it.”

“…Ten million.”

“No.”

An even colder rejection than the dwarves. An unsellable thirty-million-rin garment.

“May I ask why?”

“I apologize. I cannot explain, but Yggdrasil’s stance will not change.”

Why are they so cold, seriously?

—

“……”

After that, I tried selling the grimoire at the Golden Magic Tower, but it didn’t sell either. I was rejected even more coldly.

The dwarves won’t deal. The elves won’t deal. Even humans won’t accept it.

This is strange. It’s quite different from the strategies I knew.

This isn’t some haphazardly made route. This is the faction-favor grinding I always do from the very start when I begin Zeppelin.

If you build up favor like this, starting from Act 4, they’ll sell you rare items. Then you can either buy them to raise your Blacksmith skill and craft gear, or flip them for profit.

This is a mandatory play for the “Golden Hand” ending. But if they won’t even buy from you and refuse to negotiate—what the hell are you supposed to do?

“…Should I try selling again.”

Somehow carrying the ceremonial sword, I walked through streets where shadows were beginning to gather. When I reached the Maestro guild, a dwarf stared intently at the sword and sighed.

“A fine piece.”

“Right?”

Even I can see it’s a fine piece. Even if it’s ceremonial, it should be worth at least five million.

“I’ll say it once more—Maestro cannot purchase that item.”

“I can’t understand that. Do you not know this is an exceptional piece?”

“…I know.”

“Then isn’t the name ‘Gold Demon’ wasted? Buying fine goods at fair prices—that’s your creed, I believe. If a fine item has fallen into bad hands, isn’t it a Gold Demon’s virtue to rescue it?”

“……”

At my words, the dwarf’s eyes wavered for a moment.

This is official lore. Dwarves are the kind who go weak at the knees when they see fine metalwork. And yet they won’t buy—that goes against their own creed.

“The reason—the reason is…”

The dwarf stroked his beard, let out a deep breath, and looked at me.

“It’s because the seller is you, Wolfram von Lohengrin. There are limits, even to wickedness.”

“……?”

“The rumor spread this morning, Wolfram von Lohengrin is no longer student council president. Therefore, Maestro, Yggdrasil, Diabolos, and the Five-Color Magic Towers are not to treat him as Student Council President.”

I knew I’d face hostility and resentment—that’s only natural.

First, sell the sword, sell the clothes, sell the grimoire—get into even the lowest-tier dormitory somehow. Then seize an opportunity to rise to the game’s ending by any means necessary.

So I put on a mask of thick-skinned audacity.

“What does that have to do with anything? I’m just a regular student now. I don’t expect equal treatment, but outright refusing to trade—that goes against Maestro’s ideals as I know them.”

“…It doesn’t go against anything.”

“What?”

“Maestro always prioritizes the guild’s interests above all.”

“So trading with me is a loss?”

“As you know, in this Zeppelin, only the Student Council President stands above us—the sole superior class. And the fact that the next Student Council President is hostile toward you is what matters.”

“……”

That snapped me back to reality.

Because Eve—the next Student Council President—is hostile toward me, the entire Zeppelin is watching me with caution. Or rather, they’re deliberately turning a blind eye.

Because they don’t want to fall out of favor with the Lohengrin Imperial Family.

Because they don’t want to get on the bad side of the next administration.

“…I see. I understand. Thank you for the explanation.”

“I never thought I’d hear thanks from you. Hmm. If you don’t mind my asking—are you really that same vicious student council president?”

“I had something of an awakening. I plan to live quietly from now on.”

“…Give me that sword.”

“You’re going to buy it?”

“No. I’ll at least put a price tag on it. Roughly… about fifty million rin, I’d say.”

“Fifty million?”

“Yes. By Maestro’s strictest appraisal, fifty million would easily be warranted.”

“…Hmm. I see.”

Why are they all like this? Are they messing with me?

“Anyway, I’m sorry. But I’m being sincere. If you attend classes diligently, find some work, and put effort into honest labor—wouldn’t the next Student Council President’s anger be appeased?”

Eve’s anger appeased? Hah. That’s impossible. That girl would slice off even my zombified head without hesitation because of her boyfriend.

“If you’re talking about jobs, would you hire me?”

“Get out.”

Jeez. No need to be that cold.

“By the way… why did it jump tenfold?”

Are they trying to crush me, or is there some reason?

Anyway.

I looked at the items in my bag—worth about eighty million—and laughed. I felt full without even eating.

“With this, let’s start a new life.”

Oddly enough—it’s about the same amount I’d saved up before I came into this world.

Yes. One more time.

In this hellish world.

Let’s find a way to start over.