Side: Rika
I decided to ask for details after Yamato suddenly told me upon returning to the Marquis Amatista residence that there were facilities lacking at Memoria General Academy and he wanted to build them immediately.
When I heard them, they were indeed facilities that not only should be built but also made me wonder why no one had suggested them before.
However, for me, there was a reason why I couldn’t approve their construction right away.
The first reason was securing the construction budget.
Memoria General Academy had just opened, and to suddenly add new facilities would undoubtedly put a strain on the operating expenses of the Marquisate of Amatista.
“Ah, so the budget is tight, I see.”
“Well, yeah. I mean, I understand they’re necessary and I agree we should build them, but it’s going to cost at least 10 million El, isn’t it?”
“If we’re unlucky, it might cost double that.”
“I bet. That’s too much, you know?”
The Marquis Amatista family receives 70 million El in public funds annually from the country.
In addition to that, there’s the tax revenue from the territory. After deducting what’s paid to the country and the baronies serving as local government, the annual budget averages around 270 million El.
However, both public funds and tax revenue are primarily used for the operation of the territory, and they must also be used for towns and villages other than Memoria. Therefore, we can’t allocate all the budget to Memoria General Academy.
Although it varies by year, the budget is set at 50 million El for Memoria, 20 million El for each of the five towns, and 8 million El for each of the six villages, totaling approximately 200 million El. The remainder is allocated to reserve funds, donations to the Priests’ Guild, and public expenses for the Marquis Amatista family.
However, starting this year, maintenance costs for Memoria General Academy will include personnel expenses, estimated at 30 million El. Without dipping into last year’s savings, it’s impossible to cover this.
“In that case, I’ll cover it from my public funds. I have some of last year’s left, so that should be enough.”
“That’s very kind of you, but I’ll have to decline. I understand it’s necessary, but if we rush construction, we might get more requests from students and teachers. Many noble children want to bring their butlers to the dormitories.”
Yamato is proposing this for the students, but immediate construction would only create problems.
Memoria General Academy has high expectations from the Royal Family, including the Celestial Emperor’s family. Also, due to the punishment of Larva Istrias shortly after enrollment, there haven’t been any major issues thus far. However, there are several potential troublemakers, and reports indicate that hunters around level 30 are also dissatisfied.
While there haven’t been any requests for an indoor training facility yet, similar requests will likely arise soon. Building it immediately could embolden such troublemakers and the dissatisfied individuals. Therefore, it would be better to aim for construction in a few years.
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t think that far ahead.”
“I figured. But I understand it’s for the sake of the students, and I’m in favor of the construction itself. So… let’s see, I’ll plan to start construction in about two years.”
By then, the hunters’ dissatisfaction should be somewhat resolved.
The hunters’ discontent stems from Raus, whom they perceive as inferior, being assigned as a royal guard. Frankly, their arrogance is excessive, but being around level 30 as a minor is considered outstanding, and they have been actively hunting, with reports of them defeating B-rank Monsters. It’s understandable that such dissatisfaction arises. However, I believe this dissatisfaction will naturally disappear once they learn that Raus is an Ancient Ulfy.
A monster hunt open to volunteers is scheduled for next month, and if they are not impressed then, they might just become unable to develop into successful hunters, or even lose their lives before graduation.
“I’ve heard about it, but are hunters really that arrogant?”
“It’s not just their level, but also their age. However, precisely because of that, they need to understand firsthand that there are plenty of people much stronger than them. You probably remember that, Yamato.”
“Of course.”
My father-in-law and mother-in-law were truly incredible people.
So, if Raus shows even a little bit of his strength, I believe the hunters will change their attitudes, if not completely reverse them. The real problem, however, lies with the noble children.
“Why?”
Why are you tilting your head like that?
Yamato, you’ve heard about this too, haven’t you?
It’s about the noble families that were flagged as persons of interest.
“Ah, I remember!”
You’re really weak when it comes to stories about nobles.
But since you remembered, let’s just consider it good for now.
What Yamato remembered were the noble families that various countries had warned to be cautious of.
All of them were noble families in a negative sense, either oppressing their subjects or failing in the education of their heirs.
There are about three families of the former type, while the latter exceeds ten families.
Both are problematic, but for the former, like Larva Istrias who was expelled immediately upon enrollment, if they cause any trouble, they will be expelled immediately, and their families will also be punished, making it easier to deal with.
The problem lies with the latter. The parents of the current lords are decent people, so it’s difficult to impose punishment lightly.
Of course, we have informed them that if they cause trouble, their heirs will be disinherited. However, for four families, the problematic heirs are their only children, making it a very difficult situation.
“Ah, so Istrias’s idiocy led to his immediate expulsion and disinheritance, and now they’re quiet, but they’ll mess up something eventually, is that it?”
“That’s right. It’s almost a certainty that they’ll do something, so we don’t want to provoke them unnecessarily right now.”
I can predict what they might do, but I have no idea when.
Of course, this applies to Raus and the others, but Yuri and Seras are enrolled as royalty, and Carol is enrolled as a count’s daughter. It’s unlikely they would do anything foolish to these three.
After all, if they were to mess with them, there’s no telling what repercussions their families would face.
No, they are still children, so there’s a possibility they might act without thinking about the consequences. Perhaps I should inform the Order and the teachers to take that into consideration.
“That’s true. Also, it’s a common pattern, where they act friendly on the surface but are backstabbing behind the scenes. They often do things where teachers and the Order aren’t looking, so it would be good to strengthen patrols in blind spots.”
“That seems plausible. Or rather, ‘pattern’ implies this was common on Earth?”
“Very common. Sometimes, the victim, driven to despair, commits suicide, which becomes a social issue. Often it was a result of teachers being opportunistic or trying to avoid responsibility, but there were also many who were so insidiously malicious that they were truly hard to detect.”
That’s a major problem.
Furthermore, for parents to complain to the academy… what’s the point of sending their children there?
It’s not that bad now, but it was truly terrible in the past, leading to many teachers quitting, a significant decline in the quality of education, and consequently, a weakening of national power. It’s amazing how they managed to recover.
“Fortunately or unfortunately, that was also thanks to the war. Sayuri would know more about that era as she was involved.”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
Yamato only learned about it in history class, but it’s astonishing that politicians who should be supporting the country were acting in ways that benefited other countries more than their own, and even favoring their economy over education.
They even manipulated information for that purpose. However, when war broke out, they became enemies with that country, and when that country used forbidden weapons against their own, the situation changed drastically.
Even then, those politicians and activists made statements defending that country, completely losing the trust of the public. This finally provided an opportunity for the country to return to normalcy, so I can understand why they say it was thanks to the war.
“This is a bit of a tangent, but in my era, those skilled in Engraving Magic, or in the past, those with strong arms, would team up to extort money from weaker individuals or inflict violence for no reason. Of course, it was a crime, but since they were students, they often weren’t punished, or if they were, it wasn’t significant. This also became a social issue.”
Not being punished because they are students is quite lenient.
It’s for the sake of their future, but that’s the perpetrator’s logic, and there’s no consideration for the victim.
The future of children who took their own lives due to extreme suffering is lost, so why should the perpetrators’ futures be guaranteed? I truly cannot understand it.
It might be easy to dismiss it by saying it’s a different world, but such things are absolutely unacceptable.
“Since Engraving Magic is now commonplace, and there are many creators like me and Mako, the law was amended decades ago.”
“Naturally. Rather, it was the juvenile law, wasn’t it? I can’t believe such an evil law was in effect for nearly 100 years.”
“From the perspective of the Helios Orb people, it must look like an evil law. From my perspective, it was overprotective.”
It is an evil law.
Not only are their sentences reduced because they are children, but their names are not even disclosed, are they?
While some children may reflect, many are likely to re-offend, committing serious crimes.
Although Yamato isn’t entirely familiar with it, it seems there were indeed such cases, and many children’s lives were ruined precisely because of juvenile crime. Some were even unredeemable, boasting about it or using it for intimidation.
“Well, putting that aside, the hunters who are provoking Raus and the others, their highest level is 32, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. They have obtained permission and go hunting a few times a month even after enrolling.”
Originally, students are prohibited from leaving the academy except during classes or long vacations until graduation. However, hunters are an exception.
Hunting monsters is the job and raison d’être of a hunter. Prohibiting it would be meaningless, and they wouldn’t be able to make a living.
Upon enrollment, academic studies are prioritized, but they still need to earn a living and can’t let their skills dull. Therefore, if they apply, we have no choice but to permit them to go out for hunts.
They might also wander around Memoria on their way back, but as long as they don’t cause trouble for the residents, we can overlook that.
“Yet, you’re holding a monster hunt next month, open to volunteers? Considering the age of the typical enrollment candidates, isn’t that a bit too early?”
“We have set an age limit, of course.”
Ah, so that’s what Yamato is concerned about.
Even so, the teachers wouldn’t tell children as young as 10 to hunt monsters.
Therefore, participating children must be 12 years or older.
Applications have been open since last month due to preparation, and so far, about 30 people have applied.
However, since several members of the royal family have also expressed interest in participating, Raus and the others will also have to come.
“From the royal family? You mean H.R.H. Aurora?”
“H.R.H. Lucia and H.R.H. Nebrina as well.”
“Seriously?”
It’s a headache, but even with royalty, we don’t give special treatment, so we can’t refuse.
H.R.H. Aurora aspires to be a hunter and has hunted monsters many times, so she should be able to keep up with the monsters around Memoria.
H.R.H. Lucia aspires to be a scholar but is learning combat techniques with a scythe as per the tradition of the Torencia Phantom King Family. I’ve heard she also has experience hunting monsters like H.R.H. Aurora.
The problem is H.R.H. Nebrina, who is intensely shy.
However, perhaps because she has become close with H.R.H. Aurora, she seems interested in studying hunting as well and has requested to participate in the monster hunt next month as part of that.
Furthermore, she has no experience hunting monsters and has hardly undergone combat training. Therefore, even if we assign guards to the three of them, we will need to provide the most comprehensive protection for H.R.H. Nebrina.
“Mid-August, huh? I’m a little concerned it’s before Raus’s birthday.”
“I think I made a mistake, but the schedule can’t be changed now.”
I truly think I made a mistake.
Raus’s birthday is in mid-September, when he will turn 16.
He’s grown taller and is now only slightly shorter than Yamato, but sometimes, as a side effect of his evolution, he experiences debilitating body pain.
The symptoms are said to disappear at age 16, but Raus, who is still 15, could experience this excruciating pain and become immobile at any time.
Therefore, there’s a non-zero chance that he will experience symptoms on the day of the monster hunt. This also applies to Rebecca, so if both of them experience symptoms simultaneously, the only Ancient Class members who can accompany them will be Carol.
“I’ll think of something about that.”
“Please do.”
Normally, having an Ancient Class escort is an incredibly luxurious matter, even if it’s just one person. However, we cannot afford to have any casualties in the first monster hunt of the first year, and Yamato shares the same sentiment. Therefore, even if he can’t move, he’s considering dispatching someone from the Wing Crest.
They have gained experience and are more than capable, so having just one of them would be a great help. We have already sent out requests to experienced hunters to serve as temporary instructors. We truly can’t change the date.
Although there’s still nearly a month left, we can only pray that Raus and Rebecca will be able to move on that day. I suppose this is a careless mistake, but I need to be more diligent.
