Visit my patreon to see photos of the characters for free.
patreon.com/zennin12
Gregory Claudia, one of the four Rank 8s in the kingdom and the Margrave.
And Sir Julius, the captain of the royal knights and currently considered the Rank 7 closest to Rank 8.
These two men, who wouldn't be ignored anywhere, were desperately prostrating themselves.
Beyond them, their 'sister' sighed and beckoned with her finger.
"Get up."
""Get up!!""
The Headmistress responded indifferently to the actions of the tense Gregory and Julius and clicked her tongue.
Her eyes fell on the Margrave, Gregory Claudia.
"I can understand Julius escorting that little prince… but Gregory, you came yourself?"
"Didn't a terrorist attack occur at your academy, sister? I thought it was only natural for me to come."
"Of course it is. It's natural, but it seems like that's not your only objective."
"...…"
"See? You've always twitched your mustache when you have something to hide."
"…Did my mustache move just now?"
"No? It was all a lie. But it seems like you do have something to hide."
"Sigh… I can't win against you, sister."
Actually, it wasn't that he couldn't win with words, but that he was afraid of the fist that would come flying if he argued.
Gregory, responding wisely as befitting a Rank 8, had a somewhat serious look in his eyes.
"I was planning to come anyway, but I received an order from His Majesty to visit the academy without fail. He said to disregard the damage to the villages near the border."
"Akendelminos…"
"The reason is obvious, isn't it? It's because of that troublesome guest from the Empire."
"You mean the Archmage? But there's also the 'Druid' and the 'Guardian Deity' besides you who are Rank 8."
"The Druid left the kingdom a while ago. He must be on his usual travels. And the Guardian Deity… I'll believe that was a joke. How could he possibly come to the academy?"
"It was a joke, a joke. Anyway, if they called you to keep the Empire's Rank 8 in check…"
Scoff.
The Headmistress scoffed as if she was dumbfounded, and then…
…quietly lowered her voice.
"…Does the royal family think I'm a toothless tiger? That I would lose to that Archmage bastard?"
"Are you crazy? Anyone who sees the basin you created wouldn't even think that."
"Huh? Is-is that so?"
"It's more likely that they called you to help you, sister. There's no way the royal family doesn't know about our close relationship. It seems they were worried that you might be extremely angry or upset."
"Wait."
The Headmistress interrupted Gregory. She felt a sense of dissonance in his words.
According to Gregory, the royal family wanted to help the Headmistress. But just yesterday, in the conversation with the Finance Director, she had worried that the royal family might use the academy terrorist attack as an excuse to intervene with donations and such.
It was hard to dismiss it as mere speculation, as the Headmistress knew the royal family too well. They were capable of such a thing. Rather, it was strange that they were genuinely concerned about her in this situation.
Then…
"…They need my power. Something urgent must have happened for the royal family."
"As expected of you, sister."
If the royal family, who had been desperately trying to keep the Headmistress in check, suddenly changed their attitude, there could be only one reason.
Something happened that required the Headmistress's power. After all, the Headmistress was one of the Rank 8s of the kingdom.
And the Headmistress had a hunch.
"Is it something to do with the Delphia Kingdom?"
"Yes. I told you through Julius last time."
"I delivered your message perfectly, Master!"
"…Anyway, as this ignorant disciple of mine said, there have been unsettling movements in the Delphia Kingdom lately. And those movements are growing."
"But that's just another kingdom's business. Why would they need my power?"
"…His Majesty is considering deploying troops to the Delphia Kingdom in case of emergency. Of course, under the pretense of maintaining peace."
"What?"
"Naturally, they're not suggesting putting you at the forefront, sister, but since they're deploying troops, they want to have a last resort in case things go wrong. And that is…"
"Me. And the bait is this donation?"
"That's correct."
So the reason the royal family contacted her just a day after the terrorist attack wasn't to flaunt their information network or express their wariness. It was simply because the matter was that urgent.
The Headmistress couldn't help but frown.
"Then the one we need to be most wary of at this ball isn't the Archmage, but…"
"The one who came all the way to a foreign academy despite the unsettling atmosphere in the kingdom."
"The Crown Prince of the Delphia Kingdom."
***
Well, then.
"Your Highness, Crown Prince Zeke… may I dare address you as such?"
"You may."
"Thank you. I, the insignificant Finance Director of this humble academy, greet Your Highness from the Delphia Kingdom."
"There's no need for such superfluous flattery. You are someone worthy of respect."
"Thank you for the undeserved praise."
Gray hair, a monocle, and dark circles under his eyes.
This gloomy-looking man who seemed to be saying, "I'm incredibly tired" at a glance,
was Amatriuss Delphia Zeke, the Crown Prince of the Delphia Kingdom and the next in line for the throne.
'But why me?'
Okay, I understood. I knew he was a high-ranking and important person.
But why was he seeking me out? Why would he specifically ask to meet the Finance Director when he visited another country?
It was annoying, but there were two possibilities.
Either this Crown Prince was deeply interested in finance and economics and wanted to hear stories from the Finance Director of a foreign academy, or…
"I heard you often meet with my incompetent younger sister."
"Yes, that's correct."
…he already knew about my relationship with Beatrice.
…But even if it was a relationship, it wasn't much. We just exchanged shiny things. Was that a problem? That was a normal relationship.
"And I heard an interesting rumor."
"What rumor might that be?"
"The outrageous rumor that my incompetent younger sister overcame her chronic illness."
So it was that after all.
Crown Prince Zeke had just arrived at Grandis Academy. As someone from another country, he wouldn't be able to know the details of Beatrice's situation.
Even if Beatrice was important, she was the fourth princess and sent to a foreign country as a hostage, practically abandoned by the Delphia royal family. So how did he know that Beatrice overcame her chronic illness?
It was obvious. I briefly glanced at one of the attendants standing behind Crown Prince Zeke.
Her face was hidden by a robe, but she looked familiar.
'Was her name Suzanne?'
Beatrice's attendant, who was with her when I first met her.
She came to the academy with Beatrice, and she was present when we discussed bribes and such, so it seemed like Beatrice trusted her quite a bit.
But Suzanne was currently behind Crown Prince Zeke.
'What should I do?'
I didn't know who Crown Prince Zeke was. He wasn't even mentioned in
He wasn't from the academy, but from another country, and he was the Crown Prince, no less. If I handled this poorly, it could cause serious problems.
But seriously, why was he here to see me? Wouldn't it be better to meet Beatrice's professor or the Headmistress? Even Suzanne wouldn't know that I was the one who told Beatrice how to overcome her chronic illness.
"It was such an outrageous rumor that most people laughed it off. It was something impossible even with the entire Delphia Kingdom's efforts. They couldn't believe it was achieved in a mere educational institution in just a few months."
"You speak the truth."
"Therefore, I have a favor to ask."
"Tell me your request."
A favor? What was it? Did he feel threatened by Beatrice overcoming her chronic illness? Was he asking to send her back to the Delphia Kingdom?
Sending her back wasn't a problem, but I felt like I could still receive more bribes. Couldn't he take her a little later?
While I was considering various possibilities and racking my Rank 1 brain,
"I want Beatrice to stay at the academy a little longer."
"Excuse me…?"
"I hear you are a close confidant of the Headmistress. If you put in a good word for me, we might be able to prevent Beatrice's repatriation."
"Wait, repatriation?"
"A few days ago, a telegram arrived from your kingdom. It said that the border dispute had been resolved and they would be sending back Beatrice, whom they took as a hostage."
"…!!"
Those royal bastards.
How dare they try to send back my source of bribes without my permission?
"I'm the only one who knows about this for now, but if Beatrice is repatriated, everyone will learn the truth about the rumors. I intend to use the Headmistress's influence to overturn the kingdom's decision."
"…I see."
"Of course, I'm not asking for this without compensation. Since this is a matter that would put you and the Headmistress at odds with the kingdom, I promise you sufficient compensation."
Slide
At Crown Prince Zeke's gesture, Suzanne, who was wearing a robe, received something from another attendant and placed it on the table.
…It was a check. Guaranteed by the Delphia Kingdom.
"You can exchange this for cash immediately at the Imperial Bank. I will provide this amount monthly."
The amount written on the check was truly substantial. It was about half the academy's monthly operating expenses, so if I accepted this, the academy would be largely freed from its immediate risk of bankruptcy.
Moreover, if they provided this much money every month, I could operate the academy much more stably than with all the things I had been doing.
I stared at the check for a moment, lost in thought, and then said,
"Twice that amount."
"…What?"
"No more, no less, just twice that amount. That will be acceptable, right?"
"...…"
Crown Prince Zeke seemed quite flustered by my counter-proposal, and also dumbfounded.
It was only natural. To confidently demand twice the amount, which was by no means a small sum, would make anyone suspect I was crazy. If it were me, I would have smashed his head with something without hesitation.
But Crown Prince Zeke didn't show any particular reaction.
It was as if he was urging me to say more.
So I decided to respond.
"If that was truly your only objective, Your Highness, there would have been no need to seek me out."
"…You're supposed to be a close confidant of the Headmistress. Is there anyone better suited for this?"
"Of course there is. The Headmistress herself."
Come to think of it, that was true. Asking me to put in a good word with the Headmistress? There was no reason to do that. The Crown Prince of the Delphia Kingdom wasn't some nobody; he was someone who could demand an audience with the Headmistress, even if she was the Headmistress.
You might say he could be suspected if he met with the Headmistress directly. But let's think about why Crown Prince Zeke came to the academy in the first place. It was to offer donations and condolences to the academy that suffered a terrorist attack. He even came personally for that purpose, so it would be strange if he didn't meet with the Headmistress.
In other words, there was no need to go through me; he could just go to the Headmistress and talk to her directly.
And yet, he came to me…
"Aside from what you just said, you have another request, don't you? A request for me, specifically."
"...…"
"I intend to collect a fee for my troubles. That's why I asked for twice the amount."
Well, I wasn't sure how to put this, but…
I had a hunch. As the Finance Director, I received various proposals every day, but this one felt special.
He was desperately trying to appear calm, but I had a feeling this was his greatest weakness. Of course, relying solely on a hunch and acting boldly would be insane.
So I needed a safety net.
"In return, I'll make sure to persuade the Headmistress."
"…Persuade, you say."
"You were planning to visit the Headmistress afterward anyway, weren't you? And this contract has two signature lines besides yours, Your Highness. I'm offering to save you the trouble. The Headmistress is in a very bad mood these days."
"Is it because of the terrorist attack?"
"It goes without saying. You must have seen the basin created outside the academy on your way here. That's the terrain the enraged Headmistress created. If things go wrong, such a basin could appear right in the center of the academy."
"…Are you confident?"
"Of course. As you said, Your Highness, I'm her closest confidant."
Crown Prince Zeke was probably planning to tell me everything I just said anyway. Otherwise, he wouldn't try to deceive me with such a low-level trick when it was so obvious from the contract.
But I took the initiative by bringing it up first and steered the conversation in my favor. Moreover, I confidently guaranteed that I would handle the most difficult part for Crown Prince Zeke, 'persuading the Headmistress,' so…
He closed his eyes for a moment, lost in thought, and then…
"Twice the amount, you say?"
"Just twice that amount will do."
"…Alright, I'll trust 'Finance Director Adam Keynes.'"
"An excellent choice!"
I had planned to lower it to 1.5 times the original amount if the Crown Prince tried to negotiate, but I immediately shook his hand.
This was why I liked dealing with high-ranking people. Since it wasn't their own money, they weren't good at haggling.
But in this situation, he was clearly the academy's most reliable cash cow, no, source of income.
I was about to shake hands with the Crown Prince in a gesture of trust—
"Brother-in-law! I came… to protect you?"
"Huh?"
"?"
What?
And who are you…?