In the novel, Luca became weaker as he got older, so it made sense.
I had expected my core not to be in good condition, but I didn't expect to see results after just a week.
'I need to start considering this.'
I opened the calendar.
For now, even though I had obtained the herbs, the current Leo wasn't the future Leo, so he couldn't convert them into a core enhancer.
Therefore, I needed to adjust the mixing ratios and other conditions based on my knowledge from the novel.
Even if I drank the enhancer consistently, a body whose core had been suppressed for ten years wouldn't improve dramatically overnight.
I couldn't wait around leisurely, expecting my brother to notice at any moment. I needed to use auxiliary tools to create a more stable condition.
I gazed at the glowing red pendant, lost in thought.
'It might be good to get another auxiliary tool like this.'
Once I enhance my core, I should look for other items as well.
There are tools that allow one to use certain magic freely without needing knowledge of that magic.
These magical tools are supposed to be registered with the imperial family and have a maximum quantity limit per person. However, fortunately, this doesn't apply to underage students.
If my brother moves faster than expected, these tools will be useful, so I need to prepare them just in case.
I took a transaction statement from the school's bank out of the drawer.
"Hmm."
There were numbers in the available withdrawal amount column that were hard to count at a glance.
Even if Father considered me a discarded son, he still did what he could without much effort.
But…
Of course, I can't use this money.
If it was the money in my room's safe, that would be different, but I can't touch the money in the bank vault.
Luca, during his first year, spent less than a million won on food and tuition.
'Since he stayed in his room all the time, it's understandable.'
The useful tools start at least at five hundred, and if I want to find something satisfactory, I need to prepare at least a thousand.
Withdrawing that much money would immediately alert my brother, which is inevitable.
I thought about withdrawing a little each day, but for someone who hadn't spent even a hundred over a year, withdrawing a thousand in a short period would be suspicious.
So, there's only one option.
I'll earn it myself.
I spread the newspaper on the desk.
'It's not the time for the protagonist to be active yet, but at this point, stories about him should start to emerge.'
I flipped through the newspapers from last month to today's issue and stopped when I saw an article.
'Here it is.'
[Average of 6 cases per month → 15 cases... 150% increase in 'Beast Incidents' in administrative districts outside the capital]
An article about the recent increase in beast incidents.
In the original story, the protagonist hid his identity as a member of the imperial family and went around killing beasts.
Since beast incidents have surged this year, the Imperial Magic Law Enforcement Agency has started attaching bounties to beasts and granting extermination rights to individual mages.
At first glance, it seemed like a reasonable response, but...
It's not yet at the point where they need to outsource to the private sector.
Despite that, the reason the Enforcement Agency delegated the 'cleaner' role to individuals was that they couldn't afford to use their high-level personnel for such trivial tasks.
'That's why the protagonist steps up.'
Anyway, there are two points to note here.
'Bounties on beasts with individual mage extermination rights', 'Protagonist forged his identity'.
It's an optimal situation.
However, considering that most of the empire's citizens know my name, acting openly is foolish. It's practically suicide.
This brings us back to the fact that the agency is severely corrupt.
They offered decent money for each beast but set the budget for regional office operations ridiculously low.
After deducting facility maintenance costs, there's barely enough for activity allowances.
'The agency never intended to hire people properly.'
They foolishly thought that since it was a village issue, the residents would take care of it without spending money.
As expected, the process went as one might guess.
In the story, the protagonist passed with a forged ID in just 10 seconds. There was no process of keeping the ID or cross-checking names with the mage registration list.
I vividly remember this because it was so absurd.
When I was a reader, both the protagonist and I were dumbfounded by the agency's incompetence, but now...
'It's a favorable situation.'
*
"Yes, relying on tools' power is good. What's your budget?"
When I explained my plan upon arriving at the training ground, Leo nodded and stroked his chin.
Leo, seemingly planning to make a list himself, took out paper and a pen from his bag and sat on the training ground floor.
"I haven't fixed it yet. I'm thinking flexibly based on earnings."
"Flexibly... huh?"
"The money is all in the bank, so it's hard to withdraw. So, I have an idea."
"What's not there?"
"I didn't say it's not there. Anyway, in short, there's no cash.... How long do I have to say this?"
I laughed, looking at Leo.
Leo, equally puzzled, smiled soullessly.
'I understand, but I haven't explained it properly yet.'
I took out a thick stack of papers from my bag and spoke seriously.
"Listen until the end. Of course, I have a plan."