Books piled up like a mountain.
Staring at it, a young woman in her twenties with blue hair and blue eyes felt utterly helpless and held her head in frustration.
“Aaa! It’s endless! Why do these people have so many achievements?”
This was Christine Bertina Fernandez, a sophomore at Evergarden University, a prestigious institution located in the heart of the grand city of Rosenglade. She was seated in the university’s expansive library, a place that now felt more like a tomb to her.
Christine had spent the day wandering through textbooks and bookstores, starting with the Internet, only to end up here, facing the daunting task of completing her supplementary assignment.
“Writing a detailed report like a thesis on the achievements of Mr. Bahamut Fernandez and his three wives, founders of the world-renowned Beden Group…any one of their deeds alone could fill an entire book! This professor must be trying to mess with me!”
True, it was her fault for spending too much time socializing and nearly failing her final exam in this course, but she hadn’t expected the professor to give her such a massive task as punishment. And this wasn’t just any professor; this was someone known for their angelic reputation among students.
“I got careless… I heard the class was easy and didn’t take it seriously, but I didn’t think it would end up like this. What am I supposed to do? If this keeps up, I’ll be heading straight for failure…”
Thanks to other courses she’d managed adequately, she wasn’t in immediate danger, but this particular subject was a major one. Failing it could mean repeating the year, all because of this one class.
“Still, even their major achievements are overwhelming. I am just reading about my ancestor, oh god, it’s exhausting…”
With an exasperated sigh, Christine reviewed her outline.
“Bertina Minerva. She unified the commerce sector in a nation that wasn’t even an empire, paving the way for Eastern trade and shaping commercial history.”
Despite her achievements being centuries old, Bertina Minerva’s influence only grew over time. Her book “Principles of Credit” was still required reading for commerce and management students. Her contributions were immense.
After a quick review, Christine moved on to the next figure on her list.
“Isolda Evergarden… Our university’s founder. She also built numerous hospitals and orphanages, establishing a legacy in welfare. Her achievements in commerce are significant, but we can’t overlook her impact on the welfare sector.”
Christine flipped through her notes, mildly annoyed by the additional work involved in covering welfare accomplishments. She then turned her attention to the most challenging figure in the assignment.
“Ugh… I wish I could call a friend to do this part for me. Ophelia Crimson. The only real achievement she made in her lifetime was in combat, yet she’s the founder of the modern Sakiel Knights. My friend’s father is from that organization…”
Even though Ophelia’s connection to commerce was limited, Christine knew the assignment required her to document every detail. Ophelia was foundational to the “commercial duty” culture within the so-called black organizations and was an influential figure in her own right.
Having reviewed the three women, Christine finally turned her attention to the last person in her report: Bahamut Fernandez.
“Even from a student’s perspective, this man is a mystery. There was no Internet back then, so how could someone who had never left Schwyz be so skilled at tracking trends?”
Bahamut Fernandez, the man who enabled these other three to make their lasting contributions, remained a figure of reverence among entrepreneurs, even after hundreds of years.
“A person who could be called the ultimate success, the protagonist of his own legend… My ancestors certainly have my gratitude, but leaving this legacy of academic hell for their descendants feels a bit much.”
Muttering to herself, Christine sighed as she prepared to start typing.
At that moment, she sensed a presence beside her and turned to look.
“Ah! Pr-Professor?”
The sight made her already pale face go even paler as she realized who it was. Her blood seemed to drain as she recognized her professor, who had saddled her with this academic ordeal.
Calmly, she smiled, watching her reaction.
The professor was a striking contrast to Christine’s blue appearance—a woman with red hair and hazel eyes, wearing glasses and a composed, serene expression. She simply stared at Christine, who could only manage an awkward smile.
“Th-That… Since when have you been there?”
“May I speak?” she asked.
“…Ah… Hahaha… Yes…”
Christine laughed awkwardly, realizing when the professor must have been watching.
The professor, unfazed by the situation, calmly began looking through the notes Christine had compiled.
“Well, it looks like you’ve organized it reasonably well. You might be able to turn this in as it is.”
“Oh… Really?”
Relieved, Christine felt a glimmer of hope. Despite the volume of work, it seemed her notes had passed the professor’s initial inspection. Handing the list back, the professor spoke in a quiet voice.
“Christine, do you know why I assigned you this task?”
“Uh… That… um���”
Knowing the professor had likely heard her complaints, Christine struggled to find an answer, fearing any misstep could land her in even more trouble.
As she pondered a response, the professor, still smiling, continued.
“You’re a descendant of the Fernandez family… particularly of the Bertina branch, correct?”
“Ah… Yes, but I’m only from a branch. I don’t have much connection with them.”
Though the current Beden Group remained influential, with the Bertina Fernandez family still overseeing it, Christine was just an ordinary student from a distant branch with no real ties to the main family.
“Yes, I understand. But, Christine, it seems that you’re still proud of being one of their descendants. Am I correct?”
“Well… To be honest, it would be a lie to say I’m not.”
Christine smiled slightly in response, and the professor nodded thoughtfully.
“Could you follow me for a moment? If you diligently follow the schedule I have in mind, I’ll consider the assignment completed.”
“…!”
With the professor’s compelling offer, Christine quickly grabbed her laptop and stood up, ready to follow.