My Disciples Grind, I Get 100x Their Progress

The following day, a massive shift swept through the Academy. In the span of a single night, something no one had witnessed unfolding, something extraordinary, had simply happened.

Canelo Academy was widely known, though not entirely in a positive sense, it had also earned no small amount of negative attention along the way.

Adelle understood that reality well. So, today, she never could have imagined seeing several sponsors suddenly withdraw their support altogether, some pulling out entirely, while others stayed, but relinquished any right to interfere with the training programs.

That wasn’t even the whole of it.

”I thought Eland Dimne had already gone bankrupt, has he repented or something?”

Somehow, Eland had come back around, offering a considerably better sponsorship deal. What he was offering was so generous it left Adelle deeply unsettled.

Was this some kind of trap? Or what exactly was going on here?

Still, Adelle couldn’t simply reject it outright, though she couldn’t just accept it blindly either. Because the Academy itself had been struggling with resources and funding ever since Eland’s fall from grace.

So while she genuinely wanted to accept the sponsorship offer, she was also afraid it might be some kind of trap.

After mulling it over for a moment, Adelle tilted her head, pouting as her mind raced trying to figure out the best course of action here.

But right as she was about to slam her hand on the desk out of pure frustration, her office door swung open first, revealing Inna stepping in with an expression completely flat, genuinely flat, yet...

”I-Inna? What happened, you look really grim.”

As her younger sister, Adelle could see clearly enough that Inna, her older sister, was dealing with something seriously troubling.

Inna looked at Adelle for a moment, then spoke.

”...You need to see this for yourself.”

Adelle opened her mouth, but said nothing, closing it again, opening and closing it once more, before finally...

”Please, tell me this isn’t bad news.”

”It’s good news.”

***

Julian was an ordinary actor. He ate the same food as everyone else, went to bed around ten at night, and woke up around half past five in the morning.

Nothing distinguished Julian from any regular human being, so, why?

”Oh... what’s going on? What is everyone doing?”

”Lord Julian really is incredible, huh...?”

”Wow, he’s so cool...”

’Why is this happening to me!?’

Julian nearly screamed out of sheer anxiety, his face draining completely pale, his gaze locking onto the sight of countless professors kneeling before him. Not just them, the sponsors who’d remained had also come to bow, bringing mountains of gifts along with apologies.

”P-please forgive us, Lord Julian. We won’t ever interfere with the students’ program rights again, o-of course, we won’t withdraw our sponsorship either, and, ah, yes, we’ll actually increase it!”

”T-that’s right. I have a luxury watch worth hundreds of thousands of credits, I’ll give it to you too.”

”I have a super-luxury edition car, I’ll have it delivered to your residence.”

”Lord Julian, I’ll give you anything, just please don’t destroy my company. I have a family to support.”

”........”

’HAHHHH!???’

Julian stood there, frozen stiff. ’What exactly did I even do to you people!?’

For a moment, Julian genuinely wanted to say they were probably misunderstanding something. He desperately wanted to.

’Ugh... my stomach’s churning, I feel like I might throw up.’

But if he actually said that, wouldn’t he just be wasting a genuinely perfect opportunity here?

The opportunity for the Academy to head toward something better, free of sponsor interference, while still keeping its funding stable.

Essentially, Julian had to act the part here, as though he really had done exactly what they claimed.

And with that, the urge to vomit rose in his throat, but, as Julian always did, he forced it back down.

Thanks to his Talent, none of the expressions he needed to hide ever showed on his face at all. Only that same cold, emotionless expression remained, along with a gaze that seemed to look down on anyone who dared meet it.

With that, a single sentence slipped past his lips.

”I don’t need your gifts. Just remember that... you shouldn’t interfere with the students’ training program rights.”

A brief silence followed. The sponsors and the professors who’d been appointed through their backing all fell quiet. Then, every one of them broke into smiles, nodding fervently.

”Yes! Yes! Of course, we won’t do it again! Thank you for this opportunity, Lord Julian!”

Julian nodded, letting out an exhausted sigh, then ordered them to disperse.

Whispers rippled through the watching students everywhere, all of them watching, faces carrying all sorts of unusual expressions.

’Ugh... it’s strange, they actually chose to bow right there on the field. Why would they do that? Don’t they have any self-respect, like I do?’

Thinking it over once more, Julian let out a sigh. He rubbed his temples, deciding to drop the thought entirely, and right after, he heard someone calling out from behind him.

”Lord Julian!” That voice rang out cheerfully, as though it carried the entire world’s happiness and color within it.

Julian turned around and found Adelle looking at him, her face brimming with sparkling admiration.

’This... what is this now...?’

That dazzling brightness left Julian utterly overwhelmed, pressing his lips shut tight against an overwhelming wave of nausea.

Adelle, finally reaching him, broke into a wide smile. ”Thank you! You’ve once again helped us with an incredibly important matter. I’m sorry for being such an unreliable headmaster.”

Calling herself unreliable felt a bit much. Julian wanted to say exactly that, but he held himself back, deciding to simply nod along with a fresh thought forming instead.

’Well, at least you’re far more honest and kind-hearted.’

Far better than those other people.

Far better than the corrupt ones.

After that, Julian had a brief conversation with Adelle regarding the sponsorship matter, and somehow, the discussion drifted into territory that left Julian’s eyes going wide internally.

’Huh?! Wait...? What!?’

”I’d be so grateful if Lord Julian could help us out with that.”

Meaning, help design an efficient training program.

’Where exactly am I supposed to know anything about that!?’

This was definitely karma for lying!