episode_0024

bang!

It collided.

My head collided with the desk.

“Hey, Minister of Finance? Are you okay… … ?”

“No, it’s not okay. Fuck.”

I can’t eat it.

I can’t do it. This fucking academy. The fucking finances. The fucking documents. The fucking chairman!

I’m so sick of it all, I’m going crazy. I wish I could just go crazy. I wish I didn’t even feel all this pain and stress.

I’m getting angry. Why am I doing this? I’m getting upset. Why am I doing this? I’m getting annoyed. Why am I doing this?

No, there’s no need to hold it in. Don’t hold it in, just let it all out───

“… … Minister of Finance.”

“… … … .”

“Did you smoke a ‘cigarette’ again? You said you smoked them all, right?”

“… … I looked in the room and there was one cigarette left.”

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of it.”

Of course, the chairman cannot solve the financial situation of a company on the verge of bankruptcy.

However, the chairman came up to me and gently grabbed my wrist.

Okay then.

“After… … .”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Thank you always, Chairman.”

The resentment, anger, and annoyance that were filling me up to the point of bursting are subsiding.

I am also a human being, so I naturally have those three emotions, but they are not to the extent that I can’t bear them while working. The fact that I couldn’t control myself and almost got dominated by all sorts of negative emotions and unpleasant sensations was… … a side effect.

Side effects of military stimulants.

“I told you. This is a product manufactured on the premise that it will be consumed by those of grade 4 or higher. If the Minister of Finance continues to use it like that.”

“I know. And the side effects are serious even for Grade 1.”

“Okay.”

“But I can’t hold out without this. Don’t you remember last year when I passed out in the dorm after work with a nosebleed? Since the chairman can’t always be by my side, I have to hold out with something like this during that time.”

“… … … … … .”

More than 12 hours of hard work every day, more than 5 hours of studying, and only 4 to 5 hours of sleep.

I’ve been repeating this pattern for over a year without a single holiday or break. I’m getting used to the work quickly, but I just can’t stand it physically.

In such cases, the military stimulant is used. At first, he endured by receiving energy from the chairman, but after collapsing in the dormitory or on the street and falling into a coma, he always carries military stimulant with him.

Even when the chairman is not around, in order to somehow move my body and focus on work or study. Or at least to force myself to wake up mentally and physically, and then pass out after getting to the chairman.

The Chairman personally handles any misuse that far exceeds the recommended dosage or serious side effects due to incorrect grade.

‘What did he say? He said he would put energy into my body and take it out.’

A drug with no addiction or side effects, long live the 8th grade.

“Even if there are side effects or aftereffects, the CEO will take care of it anyway, so isn’t this an irresponsible pleasure?”

“… … Minister of Finance.”

“Don’t look at me like that. I chose this.”

Well, to be sure, at first I became the finance director semi-forcibly because I happened to see the financial status report in the chairman’s office.

I’ve been working for a year now, and I’ve been pretty serious about this position. Sometimes I feel like quitting, but it’s probably a side effect of the stimulant.

‘To be honest, it’s a shame to give up now.’

Because what I buried was my time, my experience, and my studies.

I plan to revive the finances of this academy by using military stimulants and whatever else I can find.

Because that’s my role as the Minister of Finance.

“I feel refreshed now that the side effects have gone away. Mr. Chairman, do you have a report of the duels we had today?”

“There is… … ”

“Let’s see. Well, there were 37 duels today. 21 of them were fought in the arena, and 16 were on the streets and in classrooms… … … The flowerbeds, fountains, and streets were completely destroyed… … … The classroom was blown up because it was a magic student… … … The total damage was… … … Fuck.”

“Minister of Finance?”

“Chairman, could you please remove the side effects again? I’m suddenly feeling angry and irritated.”

“… … Should we increase the level of punishment for violating the dueling rules?”

“Please. I will make this a top priority at the next faculty meeting.”

But it is right for the students to pay for the damages they did by breaking and disobeying the school rules.

Students can usually pay in installments instead of a lump sum, depending on their circumstances. And since most students pay in installments rather than a lump sum, the academy’s money is being used to fix it right away, and that is slowly being filled up with the students’ compensation.

If the Academy’s finances were normal, there wouldn’t be any problems, but this month, things are precarious due to the tyranny of the Four Heavenly Kings of Financial Destruction.

If I don’t have money right now, what does it matter if it comes later? I couldn’t help but grab the back of his neck.

‘No, but I took care of Beatrice’s business.’

Things got a bit dicey in the middle and we weren’t able to get any additional bribes, but the fact that the wrecker is leaving the academy is good news.

He is the worst of the Four Heavenly Kings who blew up five classrooms in just one week of admission. If such a devil were to attend the academy for three years, what would the damage be incurred in the future? I really don’t want to imagine it.

I thought it would be real starting this year when the main character and his friends entered high school, but I never thought it would be this much.

Still, I guess I can rest assured that Beatrice defeated Chloe───

“… … Mr. Chairman, there was a printing error here.”

“Huh? Is it an error?”

“As you can see here, the winner should be Beatrice, but it’s wrong. Please correct it.”

“Wait a minute… … Is this true? I cross-checked with other reports and they all say Chloe Pisty.”

“Ah.”

“Minister of Finance?”

“Fuck life.”

what.

Why did you lose?

To be honest, since I’ve just partially overcome my chronic illness, I know that it’s realistically difficult to beat Chloe, the strongest of the current freshmen, excluding the main character.

But I should have won. Anyway, I just had to win. Usually in web novels, something like that happens and then they win unconditionally. That’s a cliché.

Anyway, Beatrice lost.

‘Because I couldn’t get the pendant back.’

You’re not leaving the academy, you’re staying?

That wrecker? The god of destruction who blows up five classrooms a week?

“… … Chairman. What did His Majesty Archendelminos say about Beatrice’s repatriation?”

“The weakness of the Archon I have is the love letter he wrote to me during puberty. I asked him if I could talk to the queen while waving it around, and he immediately said he would listen to anything.”

“Was there a deadline for when you could listen?”

“There wasn’t anything in particular. But… … … .”

why.

Why do you say something like ‘just’?

“He asked me in return if I could just keep her. Recently, the movements within the Kingdom of Delphia have been unusual, so the four princesses would be enough as a backup just in case.”

“This fucking shit──”

“In return, he said he could give me some artifacts from the palace treasury if needed.”

“──Your Majesty Archendelminos. You are truly a wise and intelligent monarch.”

“… … … … .”

It’s not like I’m giving you an artifact to use as a repair fee. From the king’s perspective, the chairman is a wealthy man who has maintained the largest academy in the kingdom for decades.

It’s probably just that the chairman is a famous artifact collector from long ago, so he’s trying to please them a little. But the chairman ended up selling most of the artifacts he collected.

But as I told Beatrice, artifacts are expensive. Of course, the artifacts that the king gives to the chairman are top-notch, rare, and expensive.

Of course, it would be quite troublesome if it was discovered that the artifact handed over by the king was sold and fell into the hands of someone else, but there is a way to prepare for that.

“Call the dwarf.”

“… … It may be a bit odd to say this, but even if it’s limited to artifacts, it’s perfect for money laundering. ”

“That’s why I hate dwarves, but I can’t stay away from them.”

Just sell it to the dwarves.

In fact, all the artifacts that the chairman had collected were disposed of in the same way. If he sold them to people, there could have been gossip like, “Huh? These are the precious artifacts that the chairman had. Why did you sell them?”

The story that the Chairman told me about the artifacts sold to the dwarves being ‘disposed of’ is not a metaphor, they really do dispose of them.

“Because I’m physically grinding the artifacts to restore the city. They’ll just disappear cleanly.”

“An artifact that eats artifacts. I can’t imagine it.”

“I know because I went there before the dwarven city fell. It’s probably the most secret and unique artifact in the world.”

How would the dwarves feel if they had to grind down the artifacts they had earned by mining for gold or minerals and buying them, or by negotiating with humans and paying a price?

I thought about it and decided to ignore it because it wasn’t my fault. My nose is three inches long right now.

“Do you know the quality and quantity of artifacts?”

“Probably… …It’ll be around this much. It was around this much when I received the artifact a long time ago.”

“Oh.”

Of course, since it is an artifact given directly by the king, the expected refund amount is also considerable. It is considerable, but what is the benefit compared to continuing to have a building destroyer?

‘Oh, I don’t know.’

Let’s just take what we can get, and if Beatrice wins the duel, we can wash our mouths clean. The king might frown at us, but it’s not like we’re getting support from them anyway.

I really want to get the grant by barking like a dog, but the conditions are really strict, as expected from a royal grant. The conditions are submission of financial statements and reporting of current financial status? This is the tyranny of the royal family. All the academies except us are getting it, but it is still tyranny.

Above all, the current financial situation is too dire to move forward while considering everything, including the king’s mood. If we go bankrupt, our mood and everything will be ruined.

I finished my turn using the skill of a first-year member of society, ‘Putting it off to later me’.

“Okay, I understand. But thanks to Your Majesty, who is kind, wise, and fair, I will be able to catch my breath this month.”

“That’s right… …That’s right. If you say you’ll take Beatrice, I’ll send you the artifact right away, and if you call the dwarves, they’ll come the same day, so you can cash it out right away.”

“I really survived. If I can get through this month like this, the investment money for the School of Fantasy Magic will start coming in next month.”

There were a few things going on here and there, but the results were good. If I cash out the artifacts, I’ll have enough left over to last me this month, and considering the investment ratio coming in, the lifespan of the Academy will increase considerably.

‘Even so, the expected time is around 3 months.’

But I kept increasing it by a day or two, and then suddenly it became three months. I even felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

With the time I’ve earned like this, I can try something more. That’s how I hold on.

As I was smiling at the slightly hopeful observation, the chairman suddenly received a call.

“Huh? Wait… … … Yes? Is it true?”

“… … … ?”

“Okay, I understand. Uh, Minister of Finance?”

“What happened? Did something break, did the professor ask for additional funding, did you incur unexpected expenses, or did His Majesty say he couldn’t give you the artifact?”

If that’s the case, I’m confident I can throw away my smile and strange sense of pride and start screaming right now.

The chairman’s words were somewhat unexpected.

“I would like to request a student interview.”

“Yes? Are you talking to me?”

“Amatrius Delphia Beatrice… …would like to meet with the Minister of Finance?”

“?”

“?”

no.

Interview with me?

why?

*

Beatrice, who was taught how to overcome her chronic illness by giving up additional bribes, was still defeated in the end and now has to be kept at the Academy by the king’s request.

He was waiting for me in the interview room with a bright smile.

Didn’t you lose? Just looking at your smiling face makes me think you won.

“It’s been a while, Your Highness. It’s only been a week since we last met.”

“Exactly one week and two hours and 45 minutes, Adam.”

“… … Your Majesty?”

Why do you remember that?

No matter how much I think about it, I’m being overly self-conscious, but you?

“Hehehe, just kidding.”

“I see.”

“But if I have to be specific, it’s not a joke. I bought the watch artifact right after I broke up with Adam. I calculated it with that. There’s probably a few minutes of error in the middle.”

“… … Yep.”

It’s a watch artifact.

The clock artifact that Beatrice took out from her bosom was clearly broken, as the hour and minute hands did not move.

What is this? It’s scary.

Beatrice smiled bitterly, as if she noticed my gaze.

“It broke because I used it in the duel with Chloe Pisty. But I moved the clock so that it would be set to the time a week ago. That way, I can remember that time forever. The time when I first overcame my chronic illness. ”

“Oh, that’s right.”

What the heck, I got scared for nothing.

It would be nice to leave a message like that since I had finally overcome a chronic illness that had been bothering me. I guess I was just having some idle fantasies because I was a bit tired.

Now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, I ate one of the prepared snacks and looked at Beatrice.

“I know it’s hard to say this, but… …I heard you lost the duel.”

“Yes, he is indeed strong. He may not be the best among all freshmen, but he is definitely number one in the magic field.”

“But shouldn’t I try again? To get that pendant back… … … .”

“That’s… …but. Well, I’ll get it back someday.”

… … What is it, your reaction is different from the last time we met.

At that time, I reacted strongly, thinking that the pendant was a symbol of my recognition and proof that I was not a half-baked person. I felt a heavy sense of urgency to get it back somehow.

But now, it feels, how should I put it, much lighter. As if I don’t really need the pendant anymore.

What has changed in just a week?

“And Adam, I have something for you.”

“Huh? This is… … ?”

A box that I’ve seen many times is placed on the table.

Hey, isn’t this the bribe box I received last time? The one with precious metals and gold in it.

Why do you have this?

“Didn’t you use it to buy all the artifacts? I told you to do that.”

“If I rashly spend all my money on artifacts and still can’t beat Chloe, it’ll be a problem, right? That’s why I only bought 5 for testing purposes in this duel.”

“Um… … .”

If you think about it, that’s true.

Didn’t you say that your nanny is sick and that you should go back as soon as possible? Is it okay for you to be so relaxed?

Considering the King’s request, it would be better for Beatrice to stay at the Academy for a long time.

I felt guilty about letting it slide without asking.

“Wasn’t there a reason you had to go back quickly?”

“Huh? What is that… … … Oh, ah. I got a letter. They said that your condition has improved a lot and you are fine.”

“If that’s the case… … .”

I can’t say anything since he said that. I just accepted it because it was good.

Beatrice, who was looking at me with a smile, suddenly turned her gaze to my front shirt pocket.

“No today. ‘Cigarettes’.”

Since I’ve already been caught, there’s nothing to hide.

“I smoked them all. I need to refill them quickly because it’s for work, but I’m worried because I won’t be able to prepare them for a while.”

“Hmm… … … .”

Sizzle.

Beatrice, who had been thinking for a moment, soon tore up the notepad on the table and wrote something down.

Along with her signature, there was a drawing of what appeared to be the emblem of the Kingdom of Delphi.

“Show this to the merchant who sells ‘cigarettes’. He’ll recognize you, he’s from the Kingdom of Delphia.”

“What is this?”

“I’m not sure, but you can probably get it for about half price. They’ll prepare the items right away.”

“Your Majesty… … ?”

“Instead, promise me one thing.”

“Hey, what do you mean by promise?”

Half price? That’s a significant savings considering the price of a pack of military grade stimulants.

If it was just something small, I would have made a promise no matter what, but what kind of promise is this that you are asking me to make while giving me something like this?

“When you smoke a ‘cigarette’, please smoke it in front of me.”

“Yes? But I often smoke while working. And since my workload is so heavy, I have a hard time meeting His Majesty every time I smoke… … … .”

“Please do it in front of me, if not always, but at least when you have time. It’s not that hard of a request, right?”

“… … I promise. Thank you very much, Your Majesty! ”

I don’t know what the intention was, but for that to be half the price of buying a stimulant, it’s definitely a steal!

Do you get blessings for doing good deeds? For the first time, Beatrice started to look really pretty.

“What is it? Anyway, take this. It’s my sincerity to Adam. ”

“Your Majesty, as I said then, if you purchase an artifact with this… … … .”

“I told you, this is not the kind of sincerity shown to Grandis Academy, the chairman, or the finance director.”

“Wait… …right?”

Beatrice came closer to me and brought her face close to mine.

I laughed.

It was a truly clear and gentle laugh.

“It’s the sincerity shown to ‘Adam’. Do you know what I mean?”

“… … … … .”

“Devotion is a flower that needs to be repaid. Otherwise, the flower will die.”

“No matter how much military stimulants you use, you’re only maintaining the form, and your insides are rotting away.”

“Please, this sincerity, be repaid.”

“I hope it gives your flower a reason to live.”

“That’s it, Adam.”

“That’s it.”