༺ Members, You Stay There. The Advisor Will Return Home (3) ༻
The 3rd Prince of the 2nd strongest country. The 2nd Prince of the 3rd strongest country. The next Saint of the continent’s main religion. If these awe-inspiring figures visited the Capital, the repercussions would be immense.
If they did that while on a school trip, there would be no need to worry about that. After all, they would just be ‘another student.’ Although they would be closely monitored, the Empire would not need to directly welcome them. But what if they came on their own and outside of the Academy activities? If so, the Empire had to prepare for a proper reception.
If members of other countries’ royal families came to visit, it was proper etiquette for someone from the Imperial Family to greet them. Even powerful figures like Dukes, Ministers, and Generals were subjects. So, it had to be someone of the same ranking.
‘The Crown Prince is the only option.’
The Emperor couldn’t personally attend them, so it had to be one of his children. Resurrecting the 2nd Prince who was most likely in hell wasn’t an option, and it was already a bit late to give some power to the 3rd Prince. So, the only option was the Crown Prince.
And if the Crown Prince stepped in, the Imperial Household’s Minister had to be there.
If the Imperial Household’s Minister moved, the Ministry of Intelligence had to be there, too. Because members of the royal family would go to the capital, the Crown Prince and the two Ministers had to be there.
‘Who else?’
I pressed my forehead while trying to sort out my thoughts. Receiving foreign royalty wasn’t something the Crown Prince could casually do. Numerous people had to work hard from behind the scenes.
Firstly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs had to be there. Someone had to check the legal precedents and possible issues, too, so the Minister of Justice had to get involved as well.
As they were going to use the Empire’s territory and roads, the Minister of Territory’s help was required.
Since these events would take place domestically, it required the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Escort troops and military bands would be brought in, which would call for the Minister of Defense.
All of this required money, so the Minister of Finance was also necessary.
And lastly, the Governor of the Capital had to be there. Of course, he was also considered as someone at the level of a Minister.
And now, I had to inform the people from the Administration that the pastry club of the Academy would be visiting the Capital, setting these ten figures in motion. How fun.
‘Should I just jump out the window?’
I absentmindedly glanced out the window. It wasn’t that high, but would I faint if I fell and hit my head first? It would be great to fall asleep for one or two months.
I laughed in disbelief. Ah, so this was how Villar felt. Laughter might not solve the problem, but I felt like I would lose my mind if I didn’t laugh.
‘I think I’m going to lose my mind.’
The Crown Prince, eight Ministers, and one person equivalent to a Minister. Now, I had to go in the middle of all of them and get beaten up.
Had there ever been a time when I was this afraid of contacting the Minister?
— What nonsense are you saying?!
The Minister’s justifiable anger rang in my ears through the communication crystal. After hearing the situation, he began cursing me.
Of course, it was a shocking situation. If a Manager had told me this, I would have reacted similarly. That’s why I sacrificed my eardrums and listened to the Minister’s nagging.
If this was something the Ministry of Finance could have handled, I could bear it, no matter how annoying or frustrating. However, this had escalated to the point where even the Minister of Finance was just another player.
— What have you done?!
“Why are you blaming me?! I also just found out today!”
However, I couldn’t help but find it unfair that he was blaming me for this situation. This was basically like a natural disaster. If I were the one who invited them to the capital, I would have nothing to say. However, I was the victim here.
“How could I have stopped them from coming?!”
This was basically something beyond my abilities. This continent had a deep-rooted notion that Civil Servants were servants of their superiors, someone who made the wishes of the higher-ups a reality. Someone who took them wherever they wanted. They were simply avatars or shadows.
No matter how kind-hearted someone was, no one thanked their leg for taking them where they wanted to go. Unfortunately, Civil Servants were beings at that level. Whether it’s me, the Minister, or Villar.
Would a leg dare to say, ‘I don’t want to go there,’ when a royalty wished to go somewhere? That was impossible.
— …That’s true.
The Minister said in a deflated tone. He had nothing to say against my heartfelt argument.
— I’m sorry. It’s just that this situation is unbelievable.
“It’s okay. I understand.”
I understood his emotions, so I wasn’t about to blame him.
— Eight Ministers… I never expected that there would be a ministerial meeting during the summer.
I almost said to the Minister ‘Well, it’s not like all the Ministers are gathered like in a real ministerial meeting, is it?’ but I held back. In this situation, saying that would be an insane provocation.
— I’ll talk to the Imperial Household’s Minister. Wait for now.
“Understood.”
I felt relieved after hearing the Minister’s offer to relay the message upwards. Even though I usually conversed with the Minister without hesitation due to our close relationship, I still felt awkward with the Imperial Household’s Minister. Rather than becoming close to him, it would be faster to wait for someone else to become the Imperial Household’s Minister.
— They won’t be coming immediately, will they?
“Yes. I’ve only heard that they would come during the vacation. When that will be hasn’t been decided yet.”
— That’s fortunate, at least.
Having experienced a disastrous event, even such a minor matter was considered fortunate. It wasn’t exactly good news, though.
— Keep your communication crystal close. I’ll proceed as quickly as possible.
“Don’t worry.”
Not being there to catch the call after my superiors finished coordinating would be a terrible mistake. Just thinking about it was frightening.
Anyway, it wasn’t a full ministerial meeting but a mini one, so it would probably take about five days to organize.
‘I hope nothing happens until then.’
Surprisingly, my communication crystal turned purple in less than five hours. I didn’t think the result would come out so quickly without giving time for an incident to happen.
— Prosecutor’s Executive Manager. I just received the gift you’ve prepared.
“…”
The person calling me had blond hair and purple eyes, just like Ainter. However, his atmosphere was completely different.
— How did you know that I’m busy these days and managed to prepare such fun news? I’ve laughed several times.
The Crown Prince had called me himself.
“I apologize…”
— Ah, don’t. I’m not so boring that I’d get angry at a friend’s gift.
Although the Crown Prince’s mouth was smiling, his eyes weren’t smiling at all.
— I’ve received the gift really well.
= How dare you throw this crap at me when I’m already busy?
He couldn’t blame me for what had happened, but he was cursing at me with his eyes. Fuck, do you think I did this on purpose?
“I feared that it would disturb your Highness, but I couldn’t prepare anything better. I have nothing to say if you don’t like it. I know no amount of apologies would suffice, but I’m grateful you’ve taken it that way.”
= Not my fault. That came up suddenly, and there was nothing I could do. Fire me if you want.
— Hahaha. Your loyalty is always commendable, Executive Manager.
= You son of a bitch. Fine, I’ll let it slide.
There was an intense undertone in the back-and-forth dialogue. I had nothing more to offer the Crown Prince, and he had nothing he could throw at me.
The best we could do was to exchange greetings filled with curses.
I don’t think he was calling to reprimand me in the first place. The Crown Prince probably contacted me because he was curious why someone who should be monitoring Ainter in the Academy would suddenly visit the capital with the club members. However, he didn’t seem pleased at having more work thrown at him.
— This gift was unexpected, so it was more enjoyable. Life would be boring if everything went as expected.
Coming from someone whose life had been a rollercoaster, it didn’t sound like a joke.
— Joy should be shared. Is the Academy going on vacation soon?
“Yes, that’s right.”
— After the closing ceremony, come to the capital.
I suddenly got a summoning order. I was secretly hoping for the Minister to handle everything, but it was a futile hope.
After all, it would be even more weird if the person who had sent this bizarre news to the administration didn’t attend the meeting. Even if I had nothing to say there, there were a few people who probably wanted to see me so they could fuel their anger at me in person.
“Understood, Your Highness.”
— Good, see you then.
I blankly stared at the communication crystal that had lost its light. While I did want to go to the capital instead of being stuck in the Academy, I hadn’t wanted to go under these circumstances.
There was very little time left until the closing ceremony. I hoped a few times that their minds would change during that brief moment.
I would immediately notify the administration if their minds changed about going to the capital. Although I would probably receive comments like ‘Are you playing with the Ministers?’ They would probably happily do a tap dance if the meeting was canceled.
But hoping often led to disappointment.
“Are you going to stay in the Academy for the moment?”
“Yes. After all, it takes some time to pack things up.”
“We can use that time to plan accordingly.”
Until the very last moment, there was no cancellation of the trip to the capital. When we parted ways, they were discussing the schedule.
Thanks to the teleportation mage personally arranged by the Crown Prince, I quickly arrived in front of the palace.
My ten superiors were already there.
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