episode_0060

Cecilia continued her explanation.

“Yavet Bright, the Duke. As those in the know are aware, he is the current Empire’s Minister of Finance. The Empire isn’t foolish, of course. They’re well aware that an organization like the Academy Development Committee, which handles such a massive budget at its discretion, could easily become corrupt.”

“And what are you implying by that?”

“It means the Academy Development Committee is monitored and operated as strictly as the Empire’s tax system. The Minister of Finance himself is directly involved, and the other members are all individuals renowned for their financial acumen. Given how much of the Empire’s taxpayers’ money flows into this place, that much is only natural.”

The budget allocated to the Academy far exceeds most people’s expectations. Especially in this world, its proportion is growing even more rapidly. It’s likely due to Elia pulling strings behind the scenes. By the time the Demon King’s army launches its full-scale invasion, it’ll already be too late.

After all, in the previous world, the moment the Demon King began his invasion, they frantically increased the Academy’s budget even further. Elia must have thought to secure that funding in advance this time.

“Hmm. If even Lord Grave’s heir says so, I’ll take your word for it.”

“Good thinking. It’s not like the organization will change just because you or Sheryl refuse to believe it. Distrusting the current Minister of Finance is no different from saying you distrust His Imperial Majesty himself. If you insist on that stance, I won’t stop you.”

Those stubborn old men refused to waste a single coin until the demons were literally at the Empire’s gates. While the evacuation costs for the citizens were just as important as the Academy’s budget, their shortsightedness back then was downright pitiful.

Fortunately, Dave wasn’t foolish enough to press further.

“No, please continue.”

“Very well. I believe we were discussing where the president secures the budget from?”

I steered the conversation back to its original topic.

——

“Have you secured the budget? A few gold coins won’t be enough for the cafeteria’s repairs and improvements.”

Even at the lowest estimate, we’d need at least several hundred platinum coins. But the president, as if she had already anticipated this, responded with unwavering confidence.

“Don’t worry! Most of the funds needed for the cafeteria’s renovation and hiring new chefs have already been secured!”

“How did you secure the budget? There shouldn’t be any way to obtain funds separately without the Development Committee’s assistance.”

“Money isn’t something you can only earn with the Committee’s help.”

Seeing the president speak so cryptically, I let out a sigh.

“You went off on your own again, didn’t you?”

“‘On my own’? Are you suggesting I’ve done something against the Academy’s rules?”

“Enough. Just hand over the request forms. I need to see how much havoc you’ve wreaked this time.”

“…It really is undeniable that you’ve regained your senses. To think you’d already start cornering me like this. Have you forgotten that I hold the power to revoke your meal privileges—”

“Hand them over quietly before I report you to the professors. Or would you rather we head to the guild together right now?”

“H-Here, take them!”

Flustered, the president pulled out five or six documents from the desk drawer and handed them to me.

“Is this everything? If you’re hiding any more, it’d be better for both of us if you handed them over now.”

“What in the world do you take me for…?”

I skimmed through the topmost document and spoke.

“You brought back a wyvern extermination request and tried to slip it past me. Of course, I’d react like this.”

Though not as intelligent or magically potent as the legendary dragons of myth, wyverns are still formidable monsters. The fact that the president returned unscathed after stirring up a nest full of such creatures proves she’s still the president through and through.

She made it back safely, and the reward for completing the request is substantial. But if I let this slide even once, it’ll never end.

“Wait, what are you—Aaaah?!”

I pinched the president’s cheek and pulled hard. It was unbelievably soft for someone who was practically a martial artist.

“Reflect on what you’ve done. If we suddenly have this much extra budget, it’ll be a nightmare to manage before the next audit. Are you planning to handle all the balance calculations yourself, President? Hmm? Is that what you’re going to do?”

The Academy undergoes audits every quarter by the Empire’s high-ranking nobles, including the Development Committee. While there’s no corruption—since the Committee already meticulously adjusts the budget and the president isn’t the type to waste money—the issue lies in how the funds are allocated.

“Tha’s jush formalish procedu’! I’sh no’ gonna get caugh’ dis time! Tha’s why we gotta be more careful! For heaven’s sake, how does it make sense for the spent amount to exceed the total budget?!”

Even with her cheek pinched, the president protested indignantly. Given her strength, breaking free would’ve been trivial, but she stayed put—likely because she knew my argument was reasonable.

The funds needed to repair and improve the Academy’s facilities are vast, while the allocated budget is limited. So, the president occasionally plays the self-proclaimed “righteous thief,” secretly taking on guild requests to earn money. And every time, I’m the one who catches her and scolds her into fixing the records.

Thankfully, the audits only examine whether the total budget was used appropriately. As long as the final balance is clean, they don’t scrutinize the intermediate steps.

In other words, if we document that a certain amount was spent on cafeteria repairs, they’ll only verify whether the expenditure was justified—not whether the training dummies in the magic practice room were replaced with new ones.

“It’s a miracle no one else caught you while I was away.”

“…!”

Seeing the president’s smug expression, I pinched her cheek even harder.

“Owowow!”

“Stop carelessly throwing your name around. What if you get caught? The heir of the Sythe Trading Company running around in a mask doing mercenary work—if the company head finds out, the entire business will be turned upside down.”

“Tha’s—tha’s a low blow, ushin’ my fa’her agains’ me!”

“Calling your father a ‘low blow’? Have some consideration for the company head, who has to deal with a troublemaker like you.”

He’s a kind man. Wise, too. Given how he conducts trade not just within the Empire but across various nations, his competence borders on genius.

The only problem is that his sole heir—his daughter—uses her genius-level intellect for things like creative accounting and poaching requests in legal gray areas.

Even I, who only has to clean up after her, sometimes wonder how much more troublesome Lin Sythe would’ve been if she’d been written as a villain rather than a protagonist. How much more worried must her parents be?

“Uuuuuugh…”

“And unfortunately for you, my parents are far too kind. Even if you tattle on me for pinching your cheek, do you really think they’d scold me for it? Or would they just be overjoyed that I’ve regained my senses?”

“Guh…”

“And since you seem to have forgotten, let me remind you one last time: my father is also a member of the Development Committee. If anything, you’re the one who’ll be interrogated, not me. Understood?”

The president nodded in understanding, and I released her cheek. Even after all this, she’ll inevitably take on more requests the moment funds run short. So, shackling her like this, even temporarily, is the best I can do.

“Don’t even think about stepping foot outside the student council room or your home until all the ledger balances are accounted for.”

“Sigh… It’s been a while since I’ve been at your mercy like this! When I first became president and heard you’d lost your mind, even I was at a loss for what to do.”

“Well, that’s…”

It wasn’t anyone’s fault. But before I could say so, the president stood up from her chair and bowed deeply to me.

“I’m sorry. As your president, as your fellow student—I’ve received more help from you than anyone else, yet I’ve given nothing in return.”

Though she’d been joking around just moments ago, the sincerity in her apology was undeniable. Even the coldest-hearted person would feel uneasy refusing such a flawless apology.

“Why bring this up now? If anything, you should be thanking me for all the things I’ve done for you. Trying to brush it all aside with a single apology now just makes me angrier.”

“Caught me, huh?”

“Yeah.”

——

“By the way, Eric, listening to all this raises one question. Were you always this close with the president?”

“Well, let’s just say it was a discreet relationship. ‘The student council president and the heir of House Grave meeting frequently’? That alone would spawn endless rumors. You think I’d be insane enough to publicize that?”

Lin Sythe had been eyeing the president’s seat since her vice-president days. If word got out that I’d been helping her behind the scenes…

It wouldn’t just stop at rumors.