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Chapter 128 - Value

Aura tossed the list aside and ground it beneath her feet.

She didn't continue lashing out at the materials administrator—just gave him a cold glance before walking away.

But the administrator collapsed to the ground, face pale with terror, convinced his career—and maybe his life—was over.

'How could this be?'

Everyone had been doing it like this before! Nobody else had been punished—so why was it suddenly forbidden when it came to him?

"Why me?!"

"Why is it only meeee…"

The wailing breakdown trailed behind her, but Aura was unmoved. She kept walking forward and summoned Sheila to the Director's office.

Aura had to resolve this issue today.

Her eyes casually swept across the upper floor's other association members' offices. After seeing what had just happened, anyone caught in Aura's gaze straightened their backs, tense as though pricked with needles. Inside their heads, they frantically reviewed whether they had broken any rules or left any holes in their work.

Aura withdrew her gaze, lips curling in a cold sneer.

'Trying to fool me?'

'With nothing but you humans, who haven't even lived a fraction of my years?'

'How could my mind be so simple to trick?'

She summoned Sheila, explained the issue the association was facing, and told her to come up with a solution.

The reason she let Sheila handle it—

Of course, it wasn't because Aura wasn't smart enough.

It was because Aura understood that professional matters should be left to professionals. When it came to dealing with humans, naturally, a human who could understand her own kind would have more effective means than a demon who could not.

This was Aura's brilliant wisdom—using humans to check other humans!

And with her own peerless strength, wielding dual axes that no one could withstand—

What problem in Hohenburg could possibly remain unsolved?

———————————

Though under Aura's direction, the Mage Association's academy in Hohenburg had expanded again,

Even after the expansion, the academy could only accommodate around one thousand mage apprentices.

The cost of studying magic was enormous. And even though what was taught were entry-level, "magic anyone can learn" spells, very few could truly master them.

Out of a thousand, perhaps one hundred would be able to cast magic.

Out of that hundred, maybe ten would be qualified to leave Hohenburg and continue their studies in Kribi.

And out of those ten, only one or two would actually gain recognition from the Mage Association headquarters and remain there.

Most apprentices merely learned some theory, only to return home with little real change in their lives.

So, was it meaningless for them to spend years in the academy?

Of course not—

The nine apprentices who left Hohenburg but failed to remain in Kribi—even without passing the Third-Class Mage exam—brought back enough knowledge to transform this city.

The ninety who never left Hohenburg but could still cast basic spells—even if they could never wield great power—could still bring blessings to their villages with simple, useful magic.

And the nine hundred who learned only theory but could not cast spells—while magic might not change their lives, the knowledge remained. In an era where most people could barely sign their own names, the ability to read and write was itself a treasure for life.

But whether this education changed humanity—that was something completely outside Aura's concern.

What she wanted was merit—achievements that would restore her power in the Mage Association on the continent.

She didn't care what these mages went on to do—only that she had hand-picked them.

And even that—choosing—was no easy matter.

"The academy still can't hold enough students."

In the Director's office, Aura leaned her head against her hand, brows furrowed.

Discovering talented human mages wasn't simple.

Of course, the very top talents were obvious—their mana overflowed naturally, and Aura could spot them at a glance among millions.

But such prodigies were rare.

Most were of the second tier—those whose talents lay hidden. They weren't born overflowing with mana, but could grasp magical theory and gradually build power through practice.

Finding them required long observation—teaching them theory, guiding them, and seeing over years whether they truly had aptitude.

And Aura only had one thousand slots to test candidates.

But Hohenburg itself had over twenty thousand people, with countless surrounding villages, each with hundreds of residents.

From these countless humans, she had to select the promising ones, enroll them for two or three years, and see if they had talent. Those with talent would need five or six more years before they might wield magic without tools.

So, realistically, fewer than three hundred humans entered the academy each year.

Every single one of them was handpicked by Aura herself.

Each was precious—each could become a cornerstone of her future merits.

Aura cherishes every one of them.

She would not allow anyone to meddle with her students.

"Miss Aura, there's trouble."

"What is it?"

Sheila pushed open the door, face grim, holding an opened letter.

"The girl named Gal—the one you specially admitted—she's not coming."

"She was given a free slot. And she still refused?"

Aura stood, frowning. Gal was the talented human girl she had discovered when scolding a sheriff in the countryside.

Dark-skinned, emaciated, malnourished—and yet, mana overflowed from her body. Her aptitude was better than Andro's, whom Aura had seen at the academy.

With training, she could definitely make it to Kribi and become a formidable mage.

But Aura had been in a rush and left her behind, simply instructing local recruiters to bring her to Hohenburg at the next enrollment.

She had even accounted for Gal's poor family, who could not pay tuition or living expenses, promising that the academy would cover everything.

With such conditions—

What reason could Gal possibly have to refuse?

"Her parents sold her as a slave to a local landlord—Webbes."

"No one explained the academy offer to her parents?"

"They did. But Gal's parents said Lord Webbes was willing to pay two silver coins. Sending her to the academy would give them nothing."

"Take me there. I'll buy the child back."

Aura wasn't even angry. She simply didn't understand humans very well.

Demons had no concept of "parents," so Aura had no idea what that role meant among humans.

Perhaps when she recruited Gal, she had been careless—asking only the girl, not her parents.

So humans could just transfer their children like property?

And even sell them for money—

Aura thought demons should learn from humans in this regard.

Demons usually abandoned their offspring, leaving them to live or die on their own. Who knew there was also the option of selling them for profit?

Human wisdom was occasionally praiseworthy indeed~

Compared to Aura's calm reaction, Shira burned with anger, her teeth nearly grinding.

"That landlord… doesn't want to sell. To buy her back may cost a fortune."

"Money—I have."

Aura was a demon who respected balance and equivalent exchange.

She even used a scale as a medium when casting obedience magic.

So at least, when a fair trade could achieve her goals, Aura would not casually add someone's head onto the scale.

"Miss, I understand. But it isn't worth it."

"To trade money for a talented apprentice—it is absolutely worth it."

"Miss Aura… you've already spent much on such cases… They always demand outrageous sums… You could at least haggle a little next time…"

"When I can, I'll fetch it."

Aura clearly hadn't heard Sheila's advice.

Leaving the association offices, she went straight home. From under her bed, she pulled out her second travel chest. Inside, besides clothes, was a small pouch—the funds given by Serie.

It was stuffed with gold coins.

Oh, and a few silvers and coppers she had scavenged from Zanze's house. Before leaving, she had emptied every hiding spot—even coins wedged between walls.

"Praise the goddess, who made silver grow wild in walls, cupboards, and Zanze's discarded clothes."

"Thank you for the gift of nature."

So Aura had given thanks—and thus could use the money without guilt.

But…

The purse seemed to be much deflated.

Aura held up the purse, looking thoughtful.

She didn't truly understand money. She knew it was a kind of common medium among humans, but to a demon, it was just a pile of rocks—useless for forging weapons, irrelevant to magic.

In other words—worthless.

Still, these "rocks" could buy an academy, feed talented apprentices, and purchase rare magical materials.

Thinking this way, these rocks seemed quite useful.

Aura couldn't wait to spend every last one, trading them for something truly valuable to demons.

She took half of what remained from the shrunken pouch.

It felt lighter again. Aura tossed it back into the chest without considering how she would live in Hohenburg once her money was gone.

Carrying over a dozen gold coins, she set off for Webbes' estate—intending to buy Gal back.

As for whether Gal was worth the price—

In Aura's eyes, of course she was.

A life with magic talent was infinitely more valuable to a demon than a pile of lifeless stones.

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