<823 – The Power of the Student Council (6)>
Large-scale operations cost a lot of money.
The larger the scale of the latter half of the operation, the more it tends to be so.
Let alone the task of restoring the Mana Disaster, which requires reversing the aftermath of high-ranking magicians clashing—both manpower and resources required are beyond imagination.
“Since the establishment of the Dark Trading Company, it seems the largest budget is being broken. Honestly, I feel like fainting…”
Uncle Jezel turned pale, almost blue to the lips.
Isabel, looking down disapprovingly at Jezel trembling while holding the payment stamp, swiftly slapped his hand down with her palm.
“Yikes! Wh-what are you doing?!”
“Are you going to stamp all day? Don’t waste time if there’s a lot of work.”
“H… how can we inject the budget for ten years of the Empire all at once…”
Isabel was unsure whether to be shocked at Oknodie for proposing such an expensive operation or to be surprised that Jezel was even able to squeeze out such a massive amount.
It wasn’t just Isabel who was startled; the members of the Dark Trading Company, gathering preparation items for the Breaking Limit Operation, shared the same sentiment.
“All right, everyone, this item is something you couldn’t pay for even if you labored for 13,000 years. Handle it carefully, not a single scratch!”
“Why the hell is this so expensive?!”
“Mana Purification Device. It separates the mixed multi-element mana puzzle and harmful components from the natural mana in the atmosphere and remixes them in the proper proportions to emit clean mana.”
“What happens to the leftover mana puzzles?”
“They say they store them for reuse, and if they pile up too much, they convert them into mana stones. With this, you can replicate mana stones in mana-saturated areas or disaster zones.”
“Insane. It’s crazy good. So there’s a reason it’s so expensive, huh?”
Just holding a single stone allowed one to utilize stored mana like an external battery, equivalent to the mana accumulated through hard training.
The process of abundant production of such mana stones and reprocessing natural mana to make it friendly for humans to inhabit is extremely crucial.
In preparation for the upcoming Demon Realm Expedition six months to a year later, an unexpected individual took over the position to oversee whether magical activities were proceeding safely instead of the flustered Irene.
“C-could I really take over this important position?!”
“As a theory, you are the most capable person after Oknodie and Ishtar. I don’t easily give chances to those lacking skills.”
“But Jezel might have misjudged my abilities…”
“Trust in my insight. I followed Oknodie faster than anyone.”
“Oknodie is truly extraordinary, though. I’ve done nothing. Can I really manage this? What if people don’t listen and cause trouble, just passing the responsibility?”
“Lady Yayoi is not only responsible for my tasks but also has the authority to act in my stead. If anyone dares disobey her, severe punishment will follow.”
After the second princess Masugaki ascended to the position of Dark Empress, the third princess Yayoi inherited both Masugaki’s faction and the title of princess-sister to the emperor.
However, the most significant change for Yayoi was not the external situation but a transformation within.
Determined not to fall behind her remarkable sister, she diligently focused on her studies and achieved an impressive feat: ranking third in theoretical performance.
Since Oknodie had advanced a year, this practically meant Y981 Class’s second-year second place.
Of course, it was a fleeting achievement.
After Oknodie’s advancement, newcomers like Astarot entered.
The genius flowing between Astarot and the Multicolor Magic Tower was beyond Yayoi’s reach.
Consistent third place.
Thus, her third place stood out even more.
Golden Magical Girl Avalon.
Northern Grand Duchess Irene, who achieved a heightening of her level.
Even among such renowned individuals, maintaining third place was truly an impressive feat.
“Wh-what should I do as an overseer…?”
“Please check whether the custom-made parts were produced as required, whether the rare metal content meets the standard, what the mana conductivity rate is, and if expenses exceed the budget. Any additional investigation into troubling issues will be handled by dispatched investigators, so just identifying the problems is enough.”
“Supervising the Mana Purification Device would resolve the higher-grade mana disaster… Ugh… If I make a mistake, it’ll be a historic nuisance… My stomach is churning. I want to die…”
Even while making groaning sounds, Yayoi diligently carried out her work.
As she successfully managed a significant project, public opinion about Yayoi swiftly shifted.
“Thank you for seeing our Lady favorably.”
“You’re thanking us for the opportunity.”
Noble maidens following Yayoi approached Jezel to express their gratitude.
“It’s nothing. It’s your Highness’s extraordinary ability that shines, not anything I did.”
“Still, you seized the student council. You could have handed the work to even greater individuals and yet chose to give it to Yayoi.”
“Finally, Yayoi received a rightful evaluation that matches her skills, and it’s quite moving.”
“Those nobles who once disregarded her now tuck their tails in, completely subdued.”
As her sister’s greatness became more pronounced, the effort of the younger sister inevitably dimmed.
Having outstanding siblings means comparisons are unavoidable.
Let alone the Dark Empress, pushing ground-breaking mana policies like training the entire population in dark mana via Dark Sorcery.
A gate opened in the middle of Jeido.
A part of the Demon Realm connected to Jeido.
The gate has closed, and erosion has ended, but the dark mana produced and emitted from the ground long tarnished by dark mana brought significant changes to the entire Jeido.
Now, radical opinions about reopening the gate connecting over here to acquire more dark mana even arose, as citizens were overwhelmingly supportive of the policy.
Given this, it was difficult to receive any response beyond, “Oh, I see…” even if one achieved good grades from studying.
“If you want to thank someone, it should be Oknodie.”
“To the Dark Princess?!”
The students following Yayoi were once all followers of Empress Masugaki in her princess days.
Oknodie extolled the greatness of dark mana to Masugaki and was the one who caused her dark corruption.
To the one who elevated the princess from the praise and admiration of her followers onto the throne, complex feelings of both gratitude and resentment coexisted.
Grateful for making Masugaki more admirable but resenting that it drove her away from their side—a temperamental girl’s heart, changing like reeds in the wind!
“Originally, I had to gather the dark spirits myself, saying I’d just stuff them in the Mana Purification Device I was making. I broke a sweat preventing this under the pretext of budget issues, otherwise, it could’ve been disastrous. Hah…”
“Ha ha. What an unusual Mana Purification Device. It’s usually the strategy to not give mana to the dark spirits and to either exhaust them or exorcise them.”
“Are you curious about how it works?”
“Of course. Before being Yayoi’s follower and noble lady, I’m a student of the Gift Academy! I can’t drop my intellectual curiosity.”
With the students dedicated to their roles, Jezel felt both proud and remorseful.
Proud due to their relentless pursuit of growth, and remorseful because she questioned whether this was really growth.
“The prototype name for the Mana Purification Device was [Infernal Gate].”
“Why such a ridiculous name?”
“The harmful substances absorb until the dark spirit upgrades, and when it becomes a high-ranking dark spirit or a special dark demon, we’ll bind it with Oknodie’s Light Stand and then beat it senseless before exorcising it, allowing it to absorb the harmful components till it upgrades as the next dark spirit.”
“…So you wanted to load it with harmful substances until incapacity, level up the dark spirits by bashing them for experience, suck in high-density dark mana, and then regurgitate the harmful components for the next dark spirit to consume, creating a chain-hunting machine for high-ranking dark spirits…?”
“Exactly. Before a crazy machine to regularly churn out high-ranking dark entities can be released upon the continent, we had quite the struggle changing the design direction to the fully automatic management system [Mana Purification Device], highlighting the importance of automation processes and the tediousness of rituals.”
In short, it was Yayoi benefiting as a reflection of Oknodie’s slip-up, averting the horrific emergence of a machine that could unleash countless high-ranking dark demons.
If Isabel felt confused on whom to be surprised at—Oknodie or Jezel—then Yayoi’s followers were equally perplexed whether to express gratitude to Oknodie or Jezel.
“But can the fourth-year students or sometimes the third-year students, who are busy with their studies, help us with our project?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? In fact, I just learned this after becoming the student council president, but the student council has the authority to establish special projects that can earn credits. You can push through a plan without attending a single lesson and still earn credits just by succeeding!”
“Such a sweet deal existed?! Why didn’t we know?!”
“Until now, fourth-year students had just kept it to themselves in the student council.”
To think such staggering power was hidden within the student council!
They used it all for themselves!
Yayoi’s followers felt annoyance towards their seniors.
Yet, as followers of the first faction boss Masugaki and the second faction boss Yayoi, they were far too gentle-hearted.
Their gratitude towards Jezel and Oknodie soon overshadowed any resentment towards others.
“Oknodie and Jezel could leverage this power to gain support from stronger individuals; can you really be careless and disclose this valuable information to us?”
“Of course. It’s not good for a person to be too kind. If we disclose it externally and all sorts of power figures come insisting on grades, it will be a nuisance.”
“Don’t worry. Oknodie’s external activities and the 981 Class’s external projects already applied for credit a long time ago.”
So Jezel was someone who knew how to secure benefits for himself and his associates.
The noble ladies sighed in relief, placing hands on their chests, knowing Jezel wasn’t just an easy mark.
“Now, once the Mana Purification Device is installed, monsters will come rushing out of the dungeons in the Mana Disaster zones. I’ll be off to oversee the fortress construction to protect the purifier, so I must excuse myself.”
“Oh my. I’m sorry to hold you, a busy person.”
“It’s fine. I hope you have a wonderful day too.”
Watching Jezel’s back as he left, the noble ladies felt envy.
“Even wielding the power of the student council, he doesn’t covet power for himself, but knows to share it with others.”
“That’s a man whose stature makes the phrase ‘a position molds a person’ irrelevant.”
“I wonder what he’s like in bed…?”
As a woman, the more superb Jezel seemed, the greater her desire to possess him grew.
“There are quite a few beauties around Jezel, right?”
“For starters, there’s the assassin Jiang by his side.”
“And Oknodie is also around.”
“I heard she enrolled because of Oknodie.”
“Isn’t that a huge love for children? Just look, Jiang and Oknodie are all tiny.”
“But Isabel is tall…?”
“Who cares? A chef can be a giant for all I care.”
“Well, right.”
The noble maidens had begun to shift their focus from jealous rivalry to exploring new avenues.
“So, would I need to diligently train the Mana Flow Technique and shrink drastically to woo Jezel?”
“There’s a quicker shortcut, too. Becoming the candidate for Jezel’s partner recognized by Oknodie.”
“…!”
Being a partner candidate recognized by Oknodie for Jezel.
The noble maidens’ eyes lit up.
“What does Oknodie like?”
“For starters, she probably likes anything dark. I mean, she’s a Dark Princess.”
“The more harmful and malicious substances to the human body, the more she’ll surely like them.”
“That seems right. Being a Dark Princess and all.”
The noble maidens fervently researched what dark and harmful substances existed.
Then they began to roll and leap around the campus like children, diligently tracking down Oknodie to present their prepared gifts.
“Oknodie! This is the dark matter I carefully crafted! Consuming it could lead to abdominal pain, vomiting, chills, and headaches, it’s a dark substance! Please accept it!”
“This is a poison that, if ingested, plunges your vision into darkness, so it could be called dark realm potion too! Being a nerve-stimulating poison, as you love poison, I’m sure you’ll like it. I proudly crafted it, so please taste it and give us your thoughts!”
“I believe true darkness lies within oneself. Reading this book can temporarily blind you and let you revel in darkness even in daily life; I hope you accept my heart and read it!”
Oknodie was nearly in tears.
The results of the noble ladies’ efforts had turned into new forms of torment.
