Time passed, and the academy opened its doors again.
In this world, there is no compulsory education. Naturally, there’s no set ‘mandatory class hours’ either. It was an academy that somewhat replaced high school, but unlike the world I lived in, there are no laws like ‘we took too many breaks during the semester, so we should reduce the summer vacation and attend more classes.’
However, while there may not be such laws in this world, money does exist.
And the Imperial Academy demands quite a hefty tuition fee.
For citizens of the Empire, the royal family ‘supports’ the entire amount, and even for foreigners, a significant amount is ‘supported,’ but that doesn’t mean the academy is free.
From the perspective of the royal family that funds the tuition, especially those managing the royal finances, ‘reducing class hours’ is a very unpleasant matter. They are spending money to nurture talents that will help the Empire in the future or raise pro-empire individuals, and it sounds like someone wants to pocket a certain portion of that money.
Ironically, because it’s the royal family providing that tuition, such things as ‘due to the circumstances of the academy or teachers, the class hours have been reduced’ don’t hold any weight.
As a result of those circumstances, the winter break at the academy was completely canceled.
It seems there are quite a few students crying out about it, but what can be done? It’s a situation caused by the royal family meddling with the academy.
“No, seriously, we need to save up.”
When this topic came up, Alice frowned slightly.
“They wrapped up the issue by arresting the ringleaders, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any negotiations behind the scenes. After all, since the ringleader is the Emperor of the Empire, compensation had to be provided.”
“The Papal State must have suffered the most, right?”
At my question, Alice nodded.
“But that doesn’t mean the soldiers from Velbur came out unscathed. Some soldiers were seriously injured while entering the barrier. Thankfully, it wasn’t a full-on war, so it wasn’t necessary to provide nationwide compensation. It was settled with the royal budget paying for it, but… conversely, that means this year’s budget is tight. We can’t even ask to get the already-paid tuition back.”
The budgets of the Empire and the royal family are separate. The imperial budget is essentially the ‘national money’ used rigorously to run the Empire. No matter how much of the Empire’s owner the royal family is, they cannot arbitrarily use it. It’s the same as a president not using the national budget as personal money aside from their salary.
On the flip side, even if the Empire’s budget is tight, there’s no right to demand a budget from the royal family. The royal budget is literally just that—the royal budget. If some tactless noble were to say to the Emperor, “Why not use some of the royal budget?” then the Emperor would counter with, “Then why don’t you contribute a bit from your family’s budget?”
The academy runs on the tuition paid by the royal family, which is why it’s called the ‘Imperial’ Rondarium Academy—not the ‘National’ Rondarium Academy.
“So, we need to make sure we collect what’s already been paid.”
Alice said as she neatly adjusted her school uniform.
“There’s no need to be such a bother, right? We can finally see our friends’ faces again. You used to enjoy the food at that café near the academy, didn’t you?”
Well, I did kind of like it.
I mean, I loved it so much that I actually went back in time to try all the different flavors.
But that’s not what I was talking about.
“And there are still those school events left. Like the cultural festival.”
Oh.
Right, there’s that too.
Whether it’s in games, comics, or light novels, whenever school life appears in Japanese subculture, cultural festivals always show up without fail. Even in works where club activities or classes aren’t well illustrated, cultural festivals are always included.
And typically, in those cultural festivals, pretty girl characters love to cosplay. Most likely as waitresses or maids. Honestly, the only real difference between those two outfits seems to be how flashy the colors are.
…And in some sense, I am one of those pretty girl characters.
“What’s with your expression?”
“Nothing at all.”
When Alice noticed my expression and asked, I shook my head.
Well, Alice is right. Giving up on the second semester entirely isn’t exactly a choice I like.
And it’s not like I’m the only one who’d be cosplaying either.
*
While I’m not as bad as Claire or Leo in waking up at dawn, Alice is quite diligent too. By the time we arrived at the academy, there weren’t that many students who had come before us.
It felt nostalgic to be back at the academy after a while. Thinking back, it wasn’t that far from the Imperial Palace, after all.
As I sat down and briefly organized the things related to today’s classes, a familiar voice called out.
“Alice, Sylvia.”
The only person who calls Alice by that name around me is one person.
“Charlotte.”
Similarly, the only one who calls Charlotte by the imperial title ‘Sharlot’ is Alice.
“Did you rest well during the break?”
“Rest? What’s that?”
Charlotte responded to Alice’s greeting with a question.
“I had a mountain of things to take care of afterward. Especially since I was one of the people who participated directly in that battle. I had no time to rest, running around giving testimonies here and there.”
Charlotte, who had been complaining a bit, soon grinned at us.
“Well, I wasn’t busier than you two, I suppose.”
That’s right. They probably weren’t as busy as us. In fact, the reason the academy was practically halted was that we were swamped with work.
At least in Velbur, the king was still around. Plus, he was a perfectly healthy and vigorous person. He’d probably remain in his position for at least another 20 years, right?
So even if they are a lawful heir, there’s no rush to receive various handovers immediately. They can take their time with heir duties and step into the position of princess regnant at a more suitable moment.
So Charlotte’s ‘busyness’ could be said to be a one-time event related to this incident.
In contrast, the handover that Alice and I had to go through… well, there was still a lot left to learn. It would likely take us at least a few more years. Alice had also delayed it for a few more years, using the academy as an excuse because she was terrified by the amount of stuff we have to learn and memorize in such a short time.
Due to the unprecedented major incident of ‘the Emperor being arrested,’ nobles were pressing for the next person closest to the imperial throne to take charge of the handover. And beneath that pressure lurked an unspoken threat: ‘If you can’t even handle this, someone else will take the Emperor’s place.’
If that griffon that understands human speech a little too well learned such words, I’d worry about how those nobles would end up being crushed in their heads, but well, it wasn’t like I would say that directly.
“Thanks for your concern.”
Alice laughed off Charlotte’s teasing.
It was true that we fought with our lives on the line, and moreover, the goddess got involved, escalating things further. In some sense, a situation occurred that could completely change the future of the world.
The Emperor is still waiting for trial. And certainly, other children who have his blood mixed in. The gap in perspectives between Velbur and the Empire is not easily bridged, and although the Emperor is still detained in the Lutetian aristocrat-exclusive prison, his future place has not been determined. This would also be something we’d have to deal with in the coming years.
In the original story, Charlotte and Alice often clashed for reasons far weaker than this. While it’s true that they are close friends, at the same time, they both have strong pride.
But seeing them now, with smiles on their faces, I couldn’t sense any feelings of wanting to fight. It was clearly different from when they were arguing over the culinary comparisons between the Empire and Velbur at the café.
Could it be that a deeper friendship blossomed among comrades who fought together?
“The griffon seems to still be at the palace.”
“Well, I can’t take it along to the academy.”
“I thought you would ride it.”
“…If I tried to use it instead of a carriage, it would definitely throw a fit.”
Charlotte made a remark that was hard to tell if it was a joke or serious, and I was slightly taken aback. Hearing that the griffon wasn’t around made my shoulders droop slightly, revealing a bit of genuine concern. What kind of sense was that, seeing it like a pet dog?
But honestly, if I think about it, it does resemble a puppy in some way.
The issue is that it eats like a pig and poops just as much.
Of course, it’s a relief for me that I don’t have to take care of it myself.
…Thinking about it this way makes me feel a bit sorry for those taking care of the griffon.
I should consider giving them a raise after this semester ends.
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