I Got a Fake Job at the Academy
chapter-74

"It's surprising."

Hans had a hazy reaction as if he was dreaming as he spoke to me after we left the meeting room safely.

“What’s surprising?”

"The ideas that you brought up. I've never heard such a thing, even though I’m usually proud to say that I've seen and heard a great many things in my life."

“Well, it’s nothing.”

“What do you mean, ‘nothing’? Isn’t it all coming from your mind?"

"I also recalled it from what I’d previously seen someone else do. I can't call it my idea."

I had just suggested the method based on the history of the earth that I had previously seen.

It wasn’t my original idea, but the path that was made by the pioneers of an era with their blood and sweat.

There was no reason for me to adorn the idea and show it off as if it was obviously mine.

"But it's just surprising. For now, all the organizations have pledged to obey you."

"It's not complete conformity."

They said they would be my underlings, but that didn't mean they were completely obedient to my orders.

I understood how they felt—that was why I didn't feel regret.

I hadn't shown much yet for them to trust and follow me blindly.

So I had to successfully finish that business and gain their sincere loyalty.

“There are many businesses to utilize. The basic funding is sufficient as well."

The business that the Crimson Society had utilized so far for the money that they had collected and the secret fund of Belfort Ricksen…

Using the fund alone was already more than enough.

"But that's not the important thing right now."

I stopped and turned around; then stared at the corner of the alley.

"Just come out if you have some business with me."

“Pardon?”

The woman who was hiding in the dark appeared the moment after Hans asked what I meant.

She was a lady in black attire with black cotton yarn on her face.

Violeta, the leader of the Black Rose Women.

"You must have some business with me. You didn't even bring an escort."

“Yes. I want both of us to have a quiet conversation."

“Hm, I see. Hans.”

“Yes.”

“Go ahead.”

“…Are you going to be alright?”

“Alright, you said? Me?”

“No. No. I was worried for nothing."

Hans shrugged his shoulder and quickly disappeared through the alleyway.

It was just me and Violeta left alone in that place.

"Are you thinking about walking for a while?"

“No. Let’s just speak here.”

“As you please.”

Violeta immediately went straight to the topic, as there were seemingly many things that she wanted to ask me.

"Do you really think our business will go as well as you said?"

“If you’re talking about business, ah, that…”

I had suggested a musical show to Kirchus that was led by Pinion. They had a vision that was suitable for it, and I thought they could pretty much do it.

But the Black Rose Women were different.

I couldn't expect a spectacular showmanship like Kirchus could perform from them.

Then, how should they proceed with the business?

It was ‘fashion’.

Clothing, attire, design.

What I suggested to them was that method.

"Do you think you can't do it?"

In this world, clothing occupied a considerable majority of the market.

Since ancient times, people have wanted to show off their style through clothing, and they didn't mind spending a lot of money on it.

It was the same with the current times.

"The clothing market is tightly held by nobles and wealthy merchants."

“Of course.”

"…And they're building their own absolute brand and holding their position firmly—a position where no one can squeeze in."

I nodded my head.

The leaders in the current fashion world were the brands that sold professional clothing to aristocrats.

The clothing was expensive and had good materials with beautiful and fancy designs.

There was a term: ‘Haute Couture’.

It had the meaning of a clothing and attire store that each designer customized for the upper class.

The exclusive possessions of the aristocrats were no different in that day and age.

It was a brand only for the upper class who were born noble.

Whenever there was a banquet or a party, the ladies always wore clothes with that brand.

And that culture had already become fixed and had refused to change itself for nearly decades.

"Do you think we can penetrate that?"

“It will be hard.”

In this world, fashion was the exclusive property of the rich.

However, just because a person had a low income did not necessarily mean that they could not discuss fashion.

The logic of the market was, of course, the logic of money.

The flow of the market was bound to follow the rich people.

“Trends change with the flow of time, and the attires that are in fashion now have been holding their place for too long. It's almost time for the trend to change."

"It's not as easy as it sounds."

"You unexpectedly know a lot about the fashion world, I see."

“…”

Violeta shut her mouth at my comments.

—Like someone whose tongue got cut.

"You must have been very interested in it."

“Can I not be?”

Violeta asked back in a fit of rage.

Her profession in this society was as a vulgar prostitute.

No matter how beautiful she was as the leader of her organization, her origins remained as a black mark.

No matter what she did, she couldn't get away from such a mark.

“I didn’t say you can’t. No, instead, if you're interested in it, I can say that it's a good thing that we're in sync."

"You really think it's possible, I see."

"Didn't you see the design I gave you?"

The clothing designs that I handed her were less than ten in number, but they must have been quite a shock to Violeta.

Unlike clothes that only stuck to their beauty and glamor like then, the designs were rather the opposite.

—They were lighter and more comfortable clothes.

It was not a fashion that only a select few people could operate but a way of fashion that the public could choose.

It was mass fashion that aimed at the majority of the people, not the high fashion restricted for a few people.

No, in that case, we should call it Pret-a-porter.

Pret-a-porter…

It had the meaning of ‘ready-to-wear clothes’.

The clothes sold by clothing brands then were just for show, so they were difficult to wear in daily life.

So what was established were clothes that had transcended to a more practical design.

—Clothes that could be worn in everyday life.

Even so, it was also clothing with a luxury image.

It was not the exclusive property of the nobles but a way of fashion for a larger portion of the public to choose from.

In fact, after the Industrial Revolution in Earth's history, large-scale production became possible, Old Fashion was coming to an end, and those popular clothes began to become a trend.

The explicit high-class culture run by only a few people inevitably lagged behind popular culture.

“Yes, I saw it. And I’m certainly surprised. I didn't expect such an idea to come from a man like you."

“It’s not mine. I also got it from someone else."

"Whatever it is, it's definitely innovative. Of course, there are a lot of things that need to be fixed, and there are parts of the designs that bother me."

“I see. It's all up to you to change it."

"…There will be a lot who keep us in check."

She didn't really hate it.

But there was something she should consider.

* * *

* * *

What I was trying to do in the first place was to bring those in the dark to a sunny place.

At the same time, it was no different from declaring an all-out war on one culture that had been enjoyed by high society.

It was said to be a change that was bound to come someday, but when it eventually emerged, it would be inevitable for the change to collide with the older generation.

"But you will definitely win."

History had already proven it to be so.

Although this world was said to be full of magic and mystery that did not exist on Earth, there was bound to be some similar intersection since it was still a place where people lived.

As it was a place where people lived, the wind of change was bound to blow.

"We can't live while cooping up in the underworld forever, can we?"

“…It’s unexpected.”

“What?”

"At first I thought you were a stern and cold man, but now I see that you have more ambition than anyone else."

“Thank you for the compliment.”

I replied while slightly lowering my hat on my head.

Anyway, the Black Rose Women would open a clothing store based on some of the businesses that I handed over to them.

It was too early to handle anything as luxurious as a tailor from the start.

"It will be insignificant at first, but we can gradually expand our range."

The woman in front of me in particular had a better eye for fashion than others.

I didn't know if it was her natural talent or if she had made that much effort.

Probably both.

I think she had been holding it back for a long time because of her lowly background, but she didn't have to do it anymore.

She could make full use of what she wanted.

“Now you don't have to worry about protecting your sisters from other people. If there are people like that, then I'll step up."

And there was another suggestion I made…

They needed support to freely fulfill what they wanted.

I would do that role.

“Is that so?”

"And if you succeed in settling down to some extent, you can apply the magic you possess to your fashion."

“…!”

Violeta trembled hard at my words.

The black cotton yarn made her expression invisible, but it was easy to see that she was appalled.

"Did you think I didn't know?"

“…How did you know?”

"Wizards recognize other wizards."

Violeta, who was thought of as just a high-end prostitute, was able to create the force of the Black Rose Women in the underworld of Leathevelk.

It was because she had something to believe in, too.

And it was her magic power.

"…But it's not a big deal."

"No matter how it isn't a big deal, if you don't have the talent, you can't even learn the magic. Who did you learn it from?”

"I just learned it from one of the rich wizard guests. While putting on a facade, I gave him a few sugar-coated words and said I love him, and he taught me a few magic techniques because he was happy."

“I see.”

"But I couldn't get rid of my status as a high-end prostitute."

No matter how much she knew how to use magic, her status was fixed there in the end, and it wouldn't change.

This was reality.

"Are you really going to raise us up to their level?"

That was Violeta's real intention in the end.

She was ambitious, but she had no choice but to hide it.

Everyone else was like that as well.

They held the bottom of the status system, which was treated with contempt and despised by everyone, and had nothing to lean on.

The wall they felt was so big that they had no choice but to give up before trying to do anything.

Even Violeta, who was pretending to be strong, had deep anxiety about the project, what about the others?

It was a wall of status given by birth.

In the end, everyone had no choice but to flop down in despair before such a wall.

That was reality.

“Of course.”

“…So you’re sincere.”

"The important thing is not who does it but how good they do it. And aren’t you curious?”

“…About what?”

"When you imagine the people they ignored and looked down upon coming up from down there. I wonder how the people up high will react."

“Hmph. Ahahahahahaha!”

At my words, Violeta grabbed her belly and giggled.

It was not a polite noblewoman-like attitude, but it was more like a reaction of a girl whose heavy burden was thrown off.

“Hahaha. That sounds like a lot of fun."

“Yeah. It's worth the challenge."

“Yes. I’ll acknowledge it. James Moriarty. You win. We, the Black Rose Women, will trust you."

As Violeta said that, she lifted up the cotton yarn covering her face.

"Because we've decided to work together, I can't hide it forever."

Her face was hidden under the black cotton yarn.

But…

The woman's face, which should have been more beautiful than anyone else, was burned horribly on one side.

The burn that was carved near her left eye was destroying her beauty.

"…Is it a burn because of magic?"

“Well, what do you think? The mad wizard who mistook crooked possessiveness for love did this. I decided to endure it from the moment I learned the magic."

“…”

I didn't ask what happened to the wizard.

The wizard wouldn't be punished by the state for hurting the face of a simple prostitute.

Maybe he was living quite well-off somewhere.

Nevertheless…

Violeta stood up to protect women in a similar situation to her, even with such an appearance.

She had learned her magic to do that.

She had given up on her dream and future as a woman.

"It looks ugly, right?"

“No. It’s not ugly.”

How could I see her will and mindset as ugly?

"You are a very strong woman."

That was why I liked her even more.

I could trust that kind of person to work with me.

"Thank you, even if they’re just sugar-coated words."

"Did it sound like that?"

Then I would have to give her a gift, too.

"Because you have shown me something, it is only right for me to show you one thing as well."

“Pardon?”

“Stay still.”

As I said so, I slowly reached out to Violeta's face.

She opened her eyes wide and was confused, but when her eyes met with mine, she remained still with a determined face.

It meant she was going to trust me.

"As you already know, I'm a wizard."

“Yes. You got rid of the Crimson Society with that power. Don't tell me you're going to use magic to heal my wounds. This burn is already too old to fix. The healing priests of the Lumensis order have given up as well."

"That's the case with normal magic."

“Normal magic, you said?”

Violeta didn't seem to understand me.

Yes. She wouldn’t be able to understand. She probably wouldn’t understand even after I explained it to her.

"What on earth are you going to do?"

“I just want to introduce you to Real Magic.”

“Real Magic?”

That's all I said before I invoked a little mana.

At the same time, I used some of the strength that I normally contained.

Flaaash.

In a dark alley where only the moonlight shone on us through the cracks…

A white light that could even warm the heart shone subtly and then disappeared.

“That’s it.”

Then I pulled away the hand that I had put on Violeta's burn marks.

“Pardon?”

"Check your face."

Violeta immediately took out a hand mirror and examined her face.

The burn marks that had covered one side of her face were gone.

Her quivering gaze turned on me.

“H-how on earth… What on earth did you do?”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

I shrugged my shoulders lightly.

“It's Real Magic.”