The Unintentional Acquisition
The return carriage ride was silent, mostly because Porthos was asleep with a bandage on his nose, and the rest of the students were too exhausted to chatter. But as the carriages rolled through the obsidian gates of the Dirrium Royal Academy, a frantic figure was already waiting by the fountain.
It was Headmaster Verrick, a man whose beard was currently as disheveled as his nerves. In his hand, he clutched a stack of legal documents that were still warm from the mana-printer.
As Leornars stepped out of the carriage, adjusting his blazer with effortless grace, Verrick scurried forward.
"Lord Leornars!" Verrick gasped, waving the papers. "I just received a frantic transmission from the Southern Tax Bureau. And the Ministry of Land and Records. And the Merchant's Guild!"
Leornars didn't pause his stride. "The air is quite crisp this evening, Headmaster. I assume you're here to thank me for the data on the Geyser district's corruption?"
"Thank you?!" Verrick's voice hit a glass-shattering octave. "Leornars, you didn't just report the shopkeeper! Your 'Audit' triggered a recursive legal loop! Because that shop was the primary anchor for the district's commercial permit, and because you cited the Royal Decree of 122—which you technically co-authored as the Grand Administrator—the entire tourist district has been declared into 'Administrative Default'!"
Leornars stopped and turned, his eyes glowing with a faint, amused silver light. "And the result?"
Verrick looked at the papers and his shoulders slumped. "The result is that, as the primary whistleblower and the highest-ranking official currently holding the 'Liquidator's Seal,' you are now technically the sole proprietor of the Great Azure Geysers, the surrounding parks, the hotel, and three local gift shops."
A stunned silence fell over the surrounding students who had overheard. Even Porthos woke up, rubbing his eyes. "Wait... did Leornars just buy the field trip?"
"I didn't 'buy' it, Porthos," Leornars said, his voice smooth and cold. "I simply corrected a mathematical error in the region's ownership structure. The land was being mismanaged by greedy fools. Now, it is an asset of Avangard."
Stacian stepped forward, taking the stack of papers from the Headmaster's trembling hands. "We'll need to restructure the staff immediately. I'll have Bellian oversee the new labor contracts. We can start by turning the 'Gilded Trap' into a legitimate research outpost for mana-tectonics."
"But... but that was our only vacation spot!" a student cried out.
Leornars looked at the crowd. "The geysers will remain open. However, the 'I Survived' shirts will be replaced with educational pamphlets on mana-density. And the prices will be adjusted to reflect the actual value of the goods."
He looked at the Headmaster. "Consider this my 'Term Paper' on Regional Macroeconomics, Verrick. I expect an A+."
"You... you can't just nationalize a tourist attraction on a school trip!" Verrick whispered.
"Watch me," Leornars replied, clicking his silver pen. "Stacian, ensure Porthos is banned from the premium viewing deck. I don't want his 'logic' contaminating the tectonic plates."
"First he buys the school now this?" Verrick said calmly with a sigh
Later that night, Leornars sat in his private study, looking out over the moonlit academy grounds. On his desk sat the hideous wooden owl he had bought from the bankrupt shopkeeper.
Althelia's voice resonated in his mind. The acquisition of the Geyser district has increased our southern trade leverage by 4.2%. A productive afternoon for a 'boring' trip."
"Efficiency, Althelia," Leornars thought back, a dark smirk tugging at his lips. "Why spend a day relaxing when you can spend it expanding the empire?"
He looked at the silver pen on the desk. One trip. One audit. One more kingdom brought to heel, even if it started with a bottle of fake geyser water.
"Don't worry, Porthos," Leornars murmured to the empty room. "Tomorrow, I'll teach you how to walk without falling. But I'll have to charge you for the lesson."
And thus, the school trip ended not with a souvenir, but with a deed of ownership.