episode_0010

There were many companions in .

The Academy part had many elements such as growing the main character, defeating enemies, and farming items.

The most important thing was recruiting colleagues.

‘It wasn’t much, but it had its own unique character.’

One of the characters that can be recruited as a companion, she is the princess of the Kingdom of Delphia and a genius who ranks second in the field of magic.

However, he appears as one of the intermediate bosses, and while it requires a somewhat troublesome method of recruiting him only after clearing it… … he is also a companion who is discarded because his performance is not good.

However, due to her beautiful appearance and large breasts, she was the most active in secondary creations in the community.

I went into a community to look for a strategy guide and ended up seeing a lot of Beatrice fan art, so it left a strong impression on me.

And that Beatrice is alive and breathing right before my eyes.

I’m meeting the heroine in the game again like this.

‘it’s bothering.’

I didn’t really think about it.

Of course, she’s pretty, but seeing the CEO every day has raised my threshold for that kind of thing. Does that mean I sympathize with the character’s story?

A princess from a neighboring country? A bastard who can’t control his magic?

He seems much happier than the finance director of the academy that went bankrupt in three years? He seems much more relaxed than me, who often stays up all night doing paperwork? Isn’t he better than a first-class incompetent who has half a penny and everything?

People usually sympathize with and support characters with unfortunate stories. But my reality is more unfortunate, so I don’t feel any sympathy or anything.

While this princess is resting comfortably in the dormitory and having a hard time mentally, I’m having a hard time both physically and mentally. Thinking about it, it’s a bit frustrating.

‘Calm down, calm down.’

Maybe it’s because I had a hard time staying up all night for more than 5 days last week because of the chairman’s gift deal. Even after getting some rest, I still occasionally get angry and lose my temper.

It’s fortunate that I only thought about it to myself. I’ll only say it out loud in front of the chairman.

I took a deep breath to calm my mind, and Beatrice, sitting across from me, smiled and offered me tea.

“You look tired. Have a drink, Mr. Finance Minister.”

“Thank you.”

I lift the teacup the maid standing behind the princess brought me and take a sip.

I feel like I’m calming down a bit as the warm tea enters my body.

It seemed strange that the maid was looking this way, but it was understandable since her purpose was to protect the princess.

“What a delicious tea. Thank you for your consideration.”

“… … Of course. Adam Keynes, I really wanted to meet you.”

“I don’t know why, but Your Highness the Princess overestimates me. Even if you hadn’t come to me in disguise, if you had called me, I would have come running right away.”

“Thank you, even if it’s just words.”

If you actually called me? I didn’t go. It was really just a show, and Beatrice knew that, so she just smiled bitterly and let it go.

It was necessary to meet the wrecker who could cause great damage to the Academy’s finances in the future, but her identity was a problem.

Amatrius Delphia Beatrice.

She is the princess of a whole kingdom. Even though the Kingdom of Delphia is a small kingdom, as long as she is a princess, the chairman must be respectful to her.

Studying abroad at Grandis Academy itself is not a problem as many nobles from other kingdoms and empires often come here, but it is extremely rare, if not impossible, for a member of the royal family to come here to study.

Of course. She didn’t come to study abroad, but came as a ‘host’.

Of course, since the apparent reason is studying abroad, it is not a problem for ordinary students or professors to talk to Beatrice.

But my meeting with Beatrice was problematic. It was not a political issue.

I am the finance director of Grandis Academy, and more than that.

He is the chairman’s closest confidant.

“How are you, Chairman?”

“Of course. I’m always worried because you’re always so engrossed in your academy work.”

“… … I see.”

Why did Beatrice come as a hostage? I think it was probably because of a border dispute. There, the Kingdom of Delphia, which was pushed back due to weight class, ended up sending Beatrice as a hostage.

Here, it was announced that he was going abroad to study, outwardly, in consideration of the image of the Kingdom of Delphi.

So what would be the thoughts of Beatrice, who had become an unwanted hostage?

She can’t take a single step out of Grandis Academy. She doesn’t know when her life as a hostage in the name of studying abroad will end, and if she’s not careful, she could still be detained even after graduating in three years.

Here, Beatrice in comes up with a solution.

Negotiating directly with the CEO.

‘There is no surveillance on Beatrice yet.’

Anyway, I can’t leave the academy, and Beatrice isn’t an important enough target to be constantly watched. She’s the fourth princess in the Delphia Kingdom, and she’s far behind in the line of succession.

Furthermore, if they sent surveillance personnel into the academy, they could have easily offended the chairman. So the kingdom simply left Beatrice in the academy.

The manager in charge would come once every three days to report on our lives, but nothing more was done than that.

Of course, that was only for a moment.

“I’ve only been here a day, but I can already see how much the chairman loves this place. It’s amazing that an academy can rival a small city.”

“I deeply sympathize with you.”

“What kind of person is the chairman? Could you tell me a little bit about the finance director?”

“I’m sorry, but it’s only been two years since I became his confidant… … … .”

“I still want to hear it. Please.”

“As a subordinate, I don’t feel like talking about my superior in secret. Please forgive my rudeness.”

In her first year of the Academy Part, Beatrice was given top honors in the magic department and faced the chairman at the end of the year awards ceremony. Even though she was a princess, that was the only time a student could meet the chairman alone.

There she secretly makes a proposal to the chairman.

‘If you send me back to the Kingdom of Delphi.’

──In return, I will allow you to establish a branch of Grandis Academy in the Kingdom of Delphia.

A bold move that recognizes the Chairman’s love for the Academy and her altruistic side in wanting to spread educational opportunities to more people.

Putting aside the question of how to make the Four Princesses a reality, it was certainly an attractive proposal to the Chairman.

However, the chairman refuses for an unknown reason, and when the kingdom finds out about this, they ask for the chairman’s understanding and begin to keep Beatrice under surveillance.

At this time, the chairman’s refusal was portrayed quite meaningfully, so I wondered if it was some kind of bait.

‘The main school is going bankrupt, so what about the branch school?’

It was Beatrice’s fault that she didn’t realize the dire financial situation of the Grandis Academy. And it was natural that she didn’t know.

It was a long story, but anyway, the reason Beatrice, who is not under surveillance yet, came to see me and talked to me in person is clear.

To meet the chairman.

“I heard that the chairman wants to spread learning opportunities to as many students as possible. He is truly an amazing person.”

“I think so too. He is someone who always dreams of grand ideals.”

“As a student who came to study abroad, I would like to express my gratitude to the chairman.”

“Don’t worry. The Chairman only wants His Highness the Princess to study hard at this Grandis Academy.”

“… … Hmm.”

If it were up to me, I could have met the chairman by hiding my true feelings and focusing on my studies during my first year, and becoming number one in the magic department.

Unlike in the game, I am now. The chairman’s closest aide who originally did not exist, but is strangely favored by the chairman.

From Beatrice’s perspective, it would have been better to meet the chairman as soon as possible, so she contacted me right after the entrance exam was over.

“… … … … .”

“… … … .”

An awkward silence follows.

He kept mentioning the chairman and trying to steer the conversation in that direction, but I cut off any conversation related to the chairman like a knife.

Just as I had sensed Beatrice’s purpose, Beatrice must have sensed my thoughts as well.

I have no intention of letting Beatrice meet the chairman.

To be exact, I am against meeting you right now.

‘Let’s leave it like this for now.’

That doesn’t mean we’ll just leave this building destroyer alone. Just like in the original game, we’ll need to find a way to cure her chronic inability to control her magic.

Normally, the main character would ‘save’ Beatrice and accept her as a companion, but do you know? Until then, the cost of repairing the buildings that will collapse won’t come out of thin air.

The treatment in the game was a bit extreme, so let’s deliberately refuse it now and make her suffer. Until she, who was excited first, obeys my words.

If we cure her chronic illness then… … …

“Adam Keynes, Treasury Secretary.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“The Finance Minister understood what you meant. He is indeed the Chairman’s loyal subject.”

“I will take that as a compliment.”

“I don’t think I can convince you with words. In that case… …I guess I’ll have to try another way.”

“Yes?”

huh?

Any other way?

“Bring it, Susanne.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The maid standing behind Beatrice, called Susanne, takes a small box out of the cabinet next to her.

Why is the box suddenly───

Click.

“… … … This is.”

“Since ancient times, persuading loyalists was not about justification or logic… …but practicality.”

Inside the small box were all kinds of jewels and gold.

Unlike the imperial gold coins used on the continent, they are smaller in volume but have much greater value.

Things that are often used as bribes in many places.

Beatrice continued speaking with a relaxed look on her face, leaving me speechless.

“Of course, the Minister of Finance has received this a lot. This is just a down payment, a favor from me.”

“… … … … .”

That’s right. So he was a foreigner after all?

As a citizen of our kingdom, I know that the chairman absolutely hates bribery, but how much would a princess from a completely different country, the Kingdom of Delphia, know about the chairman and the academy?

In the game, I tried to figure out the chairman’s personality and make a deal, but that was only because I had studied at the academy for a year and had come across a lot of information.

Suddenly, I was decided to become a volunteer and went to an academy in a neighboring country under the pretext of studying abroad. It hadn’t even been a day since I arrived at the academy.

Still, it would be strange if you knew the chairman well.

‘I have the basic information, so I would have asked the chairman for a favor.’

At best, he is known as a 8th-ranking person who even the kingdom has to watch out for, and as a generous person who used all his wealth to establish an academy.

No, really, that’s all that’s known to the world. Since establishing the academy, he has only stayed at the academy and rarely engaged in outside activities.

So, Beatrice, who is ignorant of the chairman and the academy, uses bribery.

“What do you mean by advance payment?”

“You know what my purpose is, right? I want to have a private meeting with the Chairman.”

“Are you a student or a princess?”

“Even at that age, he is worthy of being the Minister of Finance. How many more boxes like this do we need to make him nod his head and shut his mouth?”

Rather, from Princess Beatrice’s perspective, this would be a common method. It’s only the Academy that bribery has been blocked, but bribery is a daily occurrence in our kingdom or the Kingdom of Delphia.

But she did what was sensible.

The place Beatrice came to was the Grandis Academy.

And the problem was that the person giving the bribe was me.

“Hmm, well… … … .”

“Coincidentally, I didn’t bring much because I was studying abroad. But I think it’ll be enough to convince the finance minister. Am I being arrogant?”

“No way.”

Bribe, bribe.

That’s good. That’s very good.

After thinking for a moment, I changed my expression and smiled brightly as I faced Beatrice.

“However, you cannot meet the Chairman directly.”

“I know that. How long will it take?”

“I think a month or so would be enough.”

“Is that so?”

A month. It’s a long time to meet just one person.

But Beatrice seemed to think that it would be okay if she could just meet the chairman.

Well, originally, I was supposed to focus on studying for a month, which would be like studying for a year.

He picks up the box Beatrice gave him and stands up with a bright smile.

“It was truly a fruitful time, Your Highness.”

“I am also glad to know such a capable finance minister.”

As the saying goes, I will secretly meet Beatrice several times in the future to receive bribes. In return, I will have to tell her how much progress has been made.

Of course there was no problem. I could just make up the chairman’s circumstances.

If you wanted, we could have met today, but why did you insist on saying a month?

‘I’ll take all the bribes Beatrice gives me.’

Take as much as you can, and at the same time finance it with bribes.

‘A month later, that incident happened, and in the midst of the chaos, let’s send him to his real home.’

Mid-boss? Cures chronic diseases? Salvation? The protagonist’s companion?

Tell them to fuck off.

Just send her away before she becomes the heroine.

That was the best choice for me.