Chapter 201: End of a Semester 2
“So, did anything noteworthy happen?” I asked, keeping my tone casual but my mind focused on the details.
Kagami scratched the back of his head as he thought about it. “Well, not much aside from our busy schedule this past week.
Regulating, managing, and preparing for the Grand Festival has taken up most of our time. But other than that, nothing major has happened.”
“I see…”
It was pretty much what I expected.
With Act 2 now behind us, the flow of events should have settled down for a while. But there was always a lingering unease, especially with how Dorothy’s storyline had shifted earlier than anticipated.
Her unexpected actions had already created ripples, and I knew from experience that things rarely went as planned in this world.
There were bound to be unforeseen complications brewing just beneath the surface.
The reason I had Kagami keep an eye on things and inform me was simple: I needed to stay ahead of any potential changes.
The world wasn’t static, after all, and even the smallest deviation could lead to a cascade of unexpected events.
It was better to be prepared, even if that meant looking out for seemingly minor details.
Kagami, oblivious to my inner thoughts, continued. “Oh, but there is something worth mentioning. Princess Snow has been regularly attending meetings with the upper heads of the academy. Just the other day, and even this morning, she was called out to their office. From what I can tell, she’s probably helping the staff deal with the fallout from the recent incident with former President Dorothy.”
I already knew about Snow’s involvement in the academy’s affairs, so it wasn’t anything new to me, but it was still useful to keep track of.
She and I hadn’t seen much of each other for the past few weeks.
Occasionally, she’d drop by or call me out for a brief moment, but we never really talked about anything complicated. It seemed like she just wanted to relax and enjoy some downtime whenever we met.
“I heard that Senior Celine asked for a seat on the council,” I mentioned, watching for Kagami’s reaction.
He raised a brow before sighing slightly. “News sure does travel fast. You’re right, Senior Celine did ask for a position. But the princess delayed her response on the matter since Celine’s gunning for my spot as head of the disciplinary committee.”
“You’ve got it rough, huh?” I said, half-joking, though I knew Senior Celine wasn’t the kind of person you could casually dismiss. It wouldn’t surprise me if Snow was weighing her options carefully, deciding who would be more valuable to keep in the long run—Kagami or Celine.
“In truth, as much as I think student council work is a hassle, I’ve come to like my current position,” Kagami admitted. “Despite the heavy workload, it comes with a few perks—financial freedom for one, and the prestige doesn’t hurt either. My family’s been sending letters nonstop, telling me how proud they are of my achievements, both with my martial arts and my rank at the academy. I can’t afford to disappoint them now.”
I could see a mix of pride and burden in his expression. Kagami had always been a practical guy, the type to find a silver lining in even the most demanding of circumstances. And while he played it off as no big deal, I knew that carrying the expectations of his family—and now the academy—was no small feat.
“Sounds like you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place,” I said. “Dealing with both the academy politics and your family’s expectations.”
“Yeah, well, I’m managing,” Kagami said, taking a sip of water. “Though I have to admit, the thought of going up against Celine isn’t exactly appealing. She’s tough, and she’s got connections. But if it comes down to it, I’ll have to hold my ground.”
“Well, don’t get too down about it. Sure, Senior Celine has more experience than you when it comes to groundwork, but I don’t think that’s enough reason for Snow to just casually throw you out,” I said, trying to reassure him. “Even if things get tough, worst-case scenario, you’d probably be reassigned to general management.”
Kagami grimaced at the thought. “I don’t know if that’s any better…”
We both chuckled at the idea of him being stuck in an even more bureaucratic role, knowing how much he hated the tedium that came with council work.
After a moment, he shook his head and shifted the conversation back.
“Anyway, that’s all the important details I’ve got for now,” he continued. “Though I could tell you about the crazy things Clara’s been doing to the poor merchants down by the bridge, but I doubt that’ll be an interesting topic.”
“So, she’s still squeezing those merchants for everything they’ve got, huh?” I asked, already knowing the answer but curious to hear more.
“You tell me,” Kagami said, shaking his head. “I knew she was obsessed with money, but not to this extent. The merchants are even calling her a ‘money demon’ now. The office has been flooded with complaints—letters piling up from people begging to get her out of power. Some of them don’t even bother complaining anymore; they just want her gone.”
It seemed like Clara had taken things even further than I’d imagined.
Subtly abusing her position as the head of finances? No, this was more than that.
She was openly exploiting her role as the treasurer of the student council, making a profit at the expense of the academy’s merchants.
I hadn’t spoken to her recently, and it was becoming clear that the early warnings I’d given her hadn’t been enough.
I had told her to keep her greedy tendencies in check, but I guess you really can’t stop a merchant from wanting to make more money.
“I wonder what kind of rules she’s put in place to make the merchants feel even more deprived,” I mused out loud. It wasn’t just her love for money that was driving this—it was the clever ways she manipulated the system to get what she wanted.
That kind of ambition could be both a strength and a weakness, depending on how far she was willing to push.
Kagami shrugged. “Whatever she’s doing, it’s enough to make most of the merchants desperate. She’s probably found some loopholes, set new fees or taxes on their goods, or made some shady deals under the table. It’s gotten so bad that some merchants are thinking of taking their business elsewhere.”
“That’s not good,” I said, more to myself than to Kagami. “If the academy loses too many merchants, it’ll cause problems in the long run.”
“Exactly,” Kagami agreed. “Snow’s been trying to keep things under control, but Clara’s position as the treasurer makes it hard for her to act directly without causing a bigger mess.”
‘Should I go and have a talk with Clara?’
I mulled over the thought as I leaned back, trying to piece together the situation.
Clara was nothing if not clever, and I was sure she had some intricate plan in mind.
The way she was slowly draining every coin from the merchants—while keeping them just whole enough to not revolt—was masterful, in a ruthless way.
But it wasn’t just about greed.
The real reason why Snow couldn’t intervene directly was likely because Clara’s schemes were propping up the academy’s financial stability.
It all made sense now.
The academy treasury was overflowing with coins, even after the recent incident that should have put a massive dent in their funds.
But the bridge tax alone couldn’t account for that much revenue.
‘Was most of it borrowed or donated from Clara?’ I thought, the realization settling in.
‘That snake like woman….’
Was she using the merchants to keep the academy afloat? all while slowly tightening her grip on the institution’s purse strings.
If this kept up, the entire academy would eventually be indebted to her.
She’d practically own the place.
‘Was this her plan from the start?’
I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d seen the long game that far ahead.
I had warned her once, months ago, about how the merchants might try to evade her harsh taxes in the future.
I thought she’d adjust her methods—maybe maintain some semblance of a healthy relationship with the merchants.
After all, it was in her best interest to not burn out her cash cows too quickly.
But here she was, milking them dry.
This was basically heading toward destruction for both sides, and the academy was getting caught up in the middle.
Trust can’t be built easily, especially with Clara draining the merchants dry like this. If she kept it up, the whole academy’s economy would collapse.
The balance was already fragile, and one wrong move could shatter everything.
‘I wonder what her endgame for all of this is…’ I mused, trying to unravel Clara’s motives.
Was she really planning for the long term, or was this just a short-sighted grab for power?
