It was the Academy newsletter created by the school’s editorial department students.
Written there in large letters was:
<Junior L-kun, Falls from Library. Cause: Sexual Harassment?>
What kind of seed-sprouting phenomenon is this now?
Doubting my own eyes, I continued reading the article. It was an in-depth article investigating the cause of my accident.
“A rumor is spreading that L-kun jumped while trying to escape after receiving inappropriate demands from Senior S-kun. Anonymous informants say that Senior S-kun frequently committed many acts of overstepping boundaries against L-kun, and because of this, C-kun, who was very close with L-kun, was extremely angry…?”
It was nonsensical content. Although they had anonymized it with initials, this was about Cedric, me, and Cesare.
And what was even more absurd was that there was content saying Cedric usually bullied me and that it eventually led to the two of them turning red in the face and fighting at Homecoming because of me.
“Lionel…. Because of this, Cedric-senpai suffered humiliation. Cesare was a bit different though….”
Lucy pointed at the anonymous interview section of the article with a pitiful expression.
“They say C-kun is devotedly nursing L-kun. C-kun is truly a man of loyalty!”
“I really didn’t know that the usually dignified S-kun would do such a thing. It’s just a rumor though. This is really anonymous, right?”
“I think I understand why C-kun was so angry at S-kun during Homecoming. If my friend went through something like that, I’d be really angry too. But since the other party is S-kun… C-kun’s courage is amazing. I see him in a new light.”
“Hehehehe.”
Only laughter came out. They say when a person accepts something too excessive, only laughter comes out—that was exactly my situation.
“Yanox and Astol warned everyone not to tell you. That’s why everyone can’t say anything and are keeping it hush-hush.”
Lucy quickly hid the newsletter under a thick book and whispered.
“Hehehe.”
Only soulless laughter keeps bursting out.
So while I was unconscious, I made Crown Prince Cedric of the Empire into a sexual harasser. Wow, amazing, Lionel. Amazing. Hahaha. I haven’t even joined the rebellion yet and I’ll die for the crime of insulting the imperial family. Hahaha.
No wonder. Such a big accident happened but the Imperial Executive Committee was quiet without any investigation. So this was what happened. Ahahaha.
“Lionel. What on earth happened that day?”
Huh? Why is sweat flowing from my eyes when I’m laughing?
“Wait. Are you crying…?”
“Lucy. Just a moment. Life is too hard for me. Heuk.”
I had to hide behind the ‘Reading Imperial History Backwards’ book for a while, sniffling while receiving comfort from Lucy.
* * *
Silence flowed in the professor’s office. In the mahogany study where books were neatly arranged, Heiss looked at Peter Higgins, the former Minister of Finance, and smiled brightly.
“I hope you’ll cooperate.”
“Is this the path the child wants?”
Peter asked gravely while interlocking his fingers. But Heiss only smiled without answering. Peter opened his mouth with displeasure.
“Well. If the boy wanted it, you wouldn’t have threatened me to cooperate.”
“When I told the Executive Committee, they sent me here. Even though you’re a temporary professor, you seem to be quite the power player here too, given how good you are at politics?”
“I’m doing pretty well.”
Peter said without emotion as he took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.
“Threatening? Mellans-kun is intelligent, so you’ve been eyeing him lately. I’m telling you in advance because I don’t want to get on Higgins-nim’s bad side. In case you misunderstand that I’m stealing him away.”
“I have ears too. I know very well what situation the temple is in these days.”
The face of Heiss, who had maintained a smile throughout, changed slightly. Peter, who had exhaled smoke once, lowered his body and thumped the desk.
“The priests are gradually losing their divine power, aren’t they?”
“That’s a rumor.”
“Who do you take me for, some senile old man in the back room?”
“You cut our budget to raise the defense budget even when you were active, and you’re still unfavorable even after retirement?”
“That’s not what we’re talking about now. Anyway, Mellans-kun won’t do. That child is still young.”
“I also entered the priesthood at that age. Besides, becoming a priest is a great honor that cannot simply be compared to wealth.”
“The situation is different from yours. You desperately wanted to escape from a gutter-like reality, and that child doesn’t.”
It was a well-known fact that Heiss, who had been a poor commoner attending the Imperial Academy on subsidies, became a priest and his status rose dramatically. Heiss’s expression changed subtly, then asked leisurely as if he had regained his composure.
“Could it be because Mellans-kun is very close with the Young Duke of Yanox?”
“……”
“Goodness! This place is full of people who only want to use Mellans-kun’s wealth!”
“Certainly he’s a coveted existence. He has a lot of money and is quite clever in some ways. He also has a unique charisma that draws people in, so anyone would want to pull him to their side.”
“I’ve already told His Highness Cedric about the entire situation. That Mellans-kun has special power. Soon, according to the imperial family’s will, that child’s path will be decided.”
“The imperial family will take your side anyway. You two get along so well.”
“Yes. But there are procedures, so I need to get approval from the Academy’s faculty.”
“I can’t give him up. Go back.”
“Let’s talk frankly, Higgins-nim. Is it for Mellans-kun’s sake, or for the Yanox Ducal House’s sake?”
“This is an Academy. I’m a professor. Teaching students is my duty, but protecting them is my obligation. And the only son of the Mellans Merchant Guild becoming a priest? Ha! Don’t make me laugh! Do you think the economy runs backwards?”
“If the Empire, no, if the world perishes, what good is the economy?”
“I haven’t attended worship in nearly 20 years. And yet I’m living well.”
Peter said arrogantly while blowing cigarette smoke.
—Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the professor’s office door. Then the voice of a boy who still retained his youthful air was heard.
“Um, Professor. Junior, Lionel Mellans here. I inquired about the midterms and they told me to come here.”
At the sound that Lionel had arrived, Peter quickly rubbed out his cigarette. Then he opened the window with magic to ventilate and told Heiss to go out. Heiss looked at him with displeasure but soon turned around and left.
* * *
Why Professor Peter of all people?
Looking like death, I was about to enter the professor’s office when I ran into Priest Heiss. Seeing me, he smiled languidly and pulled my cheek, lightly pinching it.
“Mellans-kun! What a coincidence to meet here. It would be really nice if you became my junior. I’m a senior who really cares for his juniors, you know?”
No. I mean. I’m grateful for the bracelet with the barrier, but this priest really talks strangely.
Feeling awkward somehow, I pushed him away and smiled ambiguously.
“Still, the priesthood doesn’t really suit me. Hehe. It’s not like I have divine power, so it’s a bit much to enter.”
“Having divine power isn’t the only way to devote yourself to the Divine One. Ah, if Count Cicero knew about this, he would be so happy.”
My uncle, who’s a devotee of the Divine One, might be like that, but I absolutely wasn’t. I greeted him saying I’d go in first and quickly closed the door. Ahead, I could see Professor Peter sitting at his desk. He offered me a seat with a benevolent smile.
“So. Is your body feeling better now?”
“Yep! I’m totally fine now!”
“You missed midterms because you were lying down. I was very worried too. How such an accident happened… it’s not like the scandal says, is it?”
That wasn’t even a rumor but a scandal. I vehemently denied it and waved my hands.
“Ack. Absolutely not! That’s a really ridiculous misunderstanding!”
“Right. You must have had your own circumstances. Still, I thought you only had talent for number games, but I’m surprised that luck follows you in politics too.”
“Politics?”
When Professor Peter gestured, the open window and door closed tightly and I could hear the sound of the locks moving. Puzzled by the suddenly heavy atmosphere, Professor Peter held out several sheets of paper.
“This is… a financial certificate? It’s from the Yanox Ducal House.”
It was a certificate stamped with the seal of a snake symbolizing the Yanox Ducal House. There were various financial documents on the back pages too. Looking at them, as expected, the deposits and income were huge amounts, but the money going out was too little.
The problem was it was far too little.
“The expenditure amount is too strange. Why is the public budget for the territory set so low? Maintenance, repairs, relief, military—all parts don’t match the size of the territory. And why is the tax rate so high?”
Flipping further back, there were even secret petitions from lower lords requesting transfer of territory affiliation. These were vassals who should be supporting the Yanox Ducal House requesting the imperial family to let them go to other territories.
‘The ducal house’s situation is more serious than I thought?’
At this level, Cesare and the Duke who had maintained such good public reputation until now with so little money were more amazing. The more I turned the pages, the more it was a spectacle.
“The Yanox Ducal House doesn’t even have private soldiers. But the cost for borrowing imperial troops is set this high? It’s more than three times! Even if they created private soldiers, it would cost less than this. This is usury!”
Looking at me pointing out unfair points without pause, Professor Peter’s eyes gleamed.
“Why do you think it became like this?”
At that question, I hesitated and looked down at the papers. There was one conclusion an ordinary person could reach. That the Yanox Ducal House was corrupt officials who collected high taxes and had lots of money but didn’t do any work.
‘The Yanox Ducal House enjoying personal luxury and indulgence’ was the conclusion one could commonly reach. But that’s ignorant talk. Cesare is a beggar who leeches off me. Such a guy being luxurious?
I swallowed my dry saliva and looked at Professor Peter. I was suspicious of his intention in showing me this. He was Cedric’s teacher. I didn’t know how close they were, but he was also someone who knew about Cesare’s situation.
‘He knows that Cedric and Cesare don’t get along, and he asked me to help. He seemed to genuinely worry about Cesare.’
If I played dumb here, I might be able to gloss over the situation. But this was serious. The territory’s people were suffering in between, and it was unfair to Cesare who was struggling.
In the end, I spoke my thoughts honestly.
“It seems like sabotage.”
