At the southern gate of Savant City, beneath towering walls, carriages entered the city in an unending stream. On one side was the nearly empty noble lane; on the other was a civilian line so long that no one could see where it ended.
Hel's convoy slowly reached the noble entrance just in time to hear the tax officer shouting:
"Goods tax, 45 copper! Identity surcharge, 30 copper! Sanitation inspection fee, 15 copper! And city-air tax, 10 copper! Total—one silver coin! Hurry up, people are waiting!"
"But sir… wasn't it 90 copper before?" The speaker was a peddler driving a donkey cart. He usually collected crops from nearby hamlets to sell in the city, scraping by at best. Now an extra tax for "air" ate almost all his already tiny profit.
"Either pay and enter, or leave. I'm not begging you to come in."
"This…" The peddler clenched his teeth. In the end, he paid the extra 10 copper and went in.
The tax officer twisted open his tin flask, took a sip of steaming coffee, and shouted again:
"You there! You look like a serf! City sanitation fee, 30 copper! Inspection fee, 15! Air tax, 10! Free-time labor tax, 20! Total—75 copper!"
"Ah?" The poorly dressed young man froze. He tightened the pitiful handful of coins he had saved. In the battle between dreams and reality, reality won—he couldn't afford the fee.
"…Forget it, I won't go."
"Hmph. Wasting my time. Next!"
A small girl in a ragged cloak, with dirty golden hair, walked up. Before she even reached the desk, the tax officer waved her away in disgust.
"Shoo! No beggars allowed inside!"
"I… I'm a new student of Portio Academy."
A soft, milky loli-voice came from under her hood. She took out a crumpled parchment and handed it over.
The officer glanced briefly at it, then waved again.
"Portio Academy students enter through the north gate. Also, south gate doesn't let beggars in—rules are rules. Unless you can pay an entry fee of one silver coin to prove you're not a beggar."
"Entry fee?" She fumbled through her pockets and pulled out only a few dirty copper coins.
"Is… is this enough?"
"Enough my ass!" He slapped the coins out of her hand, furious at what he assumed was mockery.
"You think you can enter the city with a few coppers? Dream on!"
Still irritated, he even raised his fist, wanting to punch the girl. But as he swung, the girl suddenly crouched down to pick up her fallen coins.
His fist hit empty air, and with nothing to stop his momentum, he stumbled wildly forward. Instinctively he reached for support—but instead yanked the strap of his own tin flask.
Clang! The flask crashed onto the desk, splashing boiling coffee all over him.
"AGHHH—!!" His anguished howl echoed across the area. He jumped up, thrashing from the burning heat, then stepped right onto the fallen flask—And, as if fate had choreographed it, he toppled backward and crashed into the metal chest behind him—the one holding collected taxes.
Coins scattered everywhere.
His head struck the corner of the box, and he collapsed unconscious. The entire scene had unfolded so absurdly—and so perfectly—that everyone watching fell silent.
After a moment, the tax officer in charge of the noble lane walked over. He glanced at the little girl still squatting on the ground and gave a polite wave.
"You may enter. That gentleman over there has vouched for you."
"Vouch… for me?" The girl tilted her head toward the plain carriage parked in the noble lane. But the window was magically tinted; she couldn't see who was inside.
Still, she bowed her head slightly.
"…Thank you."
She whispered, then entered the city without looking back.
Inside the carriage, Hel watched everything and smiled.
"Looks like Portio Academy is going to be lively this year."
"Lively?" Tina followed his gaze, seeing only the girl's departing back. She couldn't imagine how such an ordinary-looking child could cause any sort of commotion.
This boy… is becoming more and more mysterious. She felt a sudden urge to trade with the River of Fate for information about Hel. But something deep in her bones warned her that doing so would demand a price she could not pay.
The disturbance at the gate was nothing more than a brief spectacle.
Hel, carrying a noble seal, paid no fees and underwent no inspection. The convoy entered the city smoothly.
After passing through the commercial district of the new city, they reached the broad ring-road that surrounded the inner royal district. This road connected to the eight major city zones of Savant. Fortunately, Skoll Academy and the Art Academy were in the same direction.
"Normally you need to take an entrance exam," Hel explained, "but the Art Academy is different. As long as you pay tuition, you're in. But its tuition is higher than the other academies."
"…Higher?" Tina felt a chill of foreboding.
"Mm. About one hundred gold coins per year. Most students there are nobles, so it's not considered expensive. For comparison, tuition at the Potion Academy is much cheaper—ten gold normally, one gold for special recruits."
"This…" Tina was speechless. It felt like Hel had tricked her. But she didn't blame him—if not for him, she would've been sent to the deathtrap known as the Potion Academy. She might not have survived a year.
"Don't worry. I'll cover your tuition for now," Hel said. "You can pay me back from your wages once you start working. Also…"
He stroked his chin, eyeing Tina from head to toe. He stared so intensely she felt her hair stand on end.
"Going to the Art Academy has another advantage. You can build connections and find business partners. But to avoid nobles looking down on you… you'll need a makeover."
Hel stepped out of the carriage and nodded toward Anna.
"Anna, she's yours."
"Yes, young master."