"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 ti. 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 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 ant looking out for seemingly minor details.
Kagami, oblivious to my inner thoughts, continued. "Oh, but there is sothing worth ntioning. Princess Snow has been regularly attending etings 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 forr President Dorothy."
I already knew about Snow's involvent in the academy's affairs, so it wasn't anything new to , 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 out for a brief mont, but we never really talked about anything complicated. It seed like she just wanted to relax and enjoy so downti whenever we t.
"I heard that Senior Celine asked for a seat on the council," I ntioned, 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 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 co to like my current position," Kagami admitted. "Despite the heavy workload, it cos with a few perks- financial freedom for one, and the prestige doesn't hurt either. My family's been sending letters nonstop, telling how proud they are of my achievents, 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 cos 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 cos 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 managent."
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 ca with council work.
After a mont, 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 rchants down by the bridge, but I doubt that'll be an interesting topic."
"So, she's still squeezing those rchants for everything they've got, huh?" I asked, already knowing the answer but curious to hear more.
"You tell ," Kagami said, shaking his head. "I knew she was obsessed with money, but not to this extent. The rchants 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. So of them don't even bother complaining anymore; they just want her gone."
It seed 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 rchants.
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 rchant from wanting to make more money.
"I wonder what kind of rules she's put in place to make the rchants 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 rchants desperate. She's probably found so loopholes, set new fees or taxes on their goods, or made so shady deals under the table. It's gotten so bad that so rchants 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 rchants, 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 ss."
'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 so intricate plan in mind.
The way she was slowly draining every coin from the rchants-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 sches 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 rchants 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 ga that far ahead.
I had warned her once, months ago, about how the rchants might try to evade her harsh
taxes in the future.
I thought she'd adjust her thods-maybe maintain so semblance of a healthy relationship with the rchants.
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 rchants 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 endga 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?
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