kscans

Chapter 34 - Chapter 9: Part 2 - The End of the Festival

Long tables had been arranged in a square within the Student Council room. The forty or so participating companies took their seats, along with Leonardo and the other four officers of the Student Council.

After everyone was seated, Alfina and Hilda entered.

"To think you could liven up that empty courtyard so much. You've done a remarkable job, Alfina-san."

"It's only thanks to you entrusting me with such a wonderful space, Hilda-senpai."

Alfina nodded humbly. Hilda responded with a strained smile. She accidentally called her Alfina-san.

"W-well, yes. It seems the Student Council will be in good hands even after I graduate."

The once-empty courtyard had given birth to new trends like the one-plate lunch and French toast. It was like the very epicenter of fashion. In the latter half of the afternoon, it had become the most bustling of the three sections. The Student Council President's expectations must have been thoroughly dashed.

"Now then, this year's Shoken Festival was a great success. First..."

Leonardo began his summary of the overall numbers with some inoffensive platitudes. Apparently, the extravagant rules that pushed out the mid-tier companies and the self-staged crisis of making the small rooms available by lottery were all to the Student Council's credit.

"I was quite surprised by you, Vinder-kun, for managing the so-called food court. All the more so considering you are a Copper member. You've surpassed a number of Silver companies to place thirtieth."

Well now, that's a surprisingly fair assessment. But he shouldn't underestimate me. A self-preservationist like me is wary of everything others say, whether it's praise or criticism.

Is that just a distrust of people? No, in this situation, with Brother Calest smirking like that, it's more like a firm conviction in my distrust.

"However, there are a few issues with your methods..."

As Leonardo continued, Theodore shifted in his seat from the corner of my eye.

"Please wait. I have an objection regarding the current rankings."

"...What do you mean by that?"

Leonardo's voice lowered. Calest, who had been about to stand, sat back down. The ones stirring restlessly were likely the companies with ambiguous rankings, those just slightly above Vinder. They must think I'm about to say something like, "Considering the handicap I overcame, I should be ranked even higher."

Don't worry, I was never competing with you lot in the first place.

"Vinder, who was permitted to participate through the kindness of President Hilda and Leonardo-senpai, was exempted from the location fee, unlike the other companies. Furthermore, Vinder sold nothing during this festival. Our revenue was generated by the mock shops that utilized the food court. In a way, it's as if we skimmed from the earnings of Dalgan-senpai and the others. I cannot possibly boast of a rank so far above my station. Therefore, I believe it is appropriate for Vinder to be excluded from this year's rankings. For me, simply having been allowed this valuable experience is more than enough."

"W-well, that's a very admirable sentiment."

Leonardo's cheek twitched, likely because I had preempted what he was about to say.

In contrast, the Silver companies I had surpassed breathed a collective sigh of relief. The "official" results of the Shoken Festival would be announced to the entire student body after the summer break. The thought of being constantly pointed at for losing to a Copper member must have been terrifying. I have no time to deal with their jealousy either.

Besides, I need to get the neutral students on my side for what I'm about to do.

"In that sense, the mock shops that made use of the courtyard deserve an even higher evaluation, ha ha."

I saw Zeldia's face twist in frustration. He was probably planning to criticize our business model and, by extension, find fault with all the members of our holdings group.

"Indeed. No matter how hard you worked, being carried by the other companies can hardly be considered competing under the same conditions. It is a shame, but let us confine our praise for Vinder's efforts to this room."

Hilda said. There was no way that woman would want a friend of Alfina's, a mere Copper member who outperformed Silver companies, to become famous.

"V-very well. We shall look forward to Vinder's performance next year and exclude them from the official results."

Leonardo followed her lead. This man really is weak when things go off-script.

"And so, this year's first place in the Shoken Festival goes to Calest..."

"Please wait. I have some doubts regarding Calest's reported earnings."

Just as a relieved Leonardo tried to finalize the results, Jean raised his hand. Leonardo's glasses twitched.

As the proprietor of the shop next to Calest's, Jean explained the state of their customer traffic on the final day. When he mentioned a twenty percent decrease compared to the previous day, a murmur went through the participants. Though Calest had the Student Council's backing, there were many companies who bore them a grudge after this incident.

"I'll have you stop this slander. To try and overturn the fact that you were left in our dust with such baseless claims, you should be ashamed of yourself," Theodore roared. It almost sounded like he was trying to encourage Leonardo, who was sweating now that his plan had been derailed.

"Y-yes, that's right. You cannot make accusations of accounting fraud without concrete evidence. Can you present clear proof, not just subjective impressions like customer traffic?" Leonardo said, wiping his brow. He must have realized that no such proof could possibly exist. The final sales figures, the total number of coins that circulated during the festival, were known only to the Student Council who collected them from each company. And the Student Council, composed of noble students, was supposed to be neutral (ha).

Moreover, the person in charge was Leonardo, the prime minister's second son. He believed it was impossible for anyone to doubt him. And he was right. We commoner students couldn't, and even the teachers would likely hesitate. At least, from a conventional angle.

"Pardon me, may I come in for a moment?"

With a rattling sound, the door opened. Everyone's eyes turned to the entrance. An old man walked in. It was a surreal sight, an antenna in one hand and a bundle of papers in the other.

"Why, if it isn't the Sage. What brings you here? Ah, that's right. I must thank you for the special lecture hosted by the Student Council."

Hilda said. The lecture that Fulsy had been grumbling about was apparently her idea. It seemed she wanted to emphasize that Fulsy, not the Saintess, was the academy's greatest contributor to monster extermination.

"Well, I just wanted to come and check the results of a little experiment."

"An experiment? What do you mean, check the results?" Leonardo asked, voicing the confusion of the other students. One unexpected thing after another. I know how painful that is. I was never good at it either. That's how I developed the habit of obsessively gathering information.

"Actually, I've been improving my measuring device for more accurate predictions of monster floods. I was running a trial test during the festival."

"Oh, that's wonderful! After all, your measurements were the primary reason we were able to avert the recent national crisis. It would be an honor to be of assistance. How may we help?" Hilda nodded.

"It's simple. I'd just like to know the amount of coins each location took in."

"The amount of coins? Of course. We have tallied them up to determine the rankings. Leonardo, show them to him at once."

Fulsy said. Hilda looked on, puzzled. So she's not involved in this fraud.

She really is just a figurehead. And she's completely unaware of it. In that case, the connection between Hilda and Leonardo is shallower than I thought. And between Leonardo and Calest, there is still the gap between a noble and a commoner.

This structure might be easier to dismantle than I expected.

"Wha!"

"N-no way."

As expected, it was Leonardo who turned pale. He nearly dropped his glasses. The Calest siblings also looked on in disbelief.

"Hmm, this is strange. The number of coins from classroom two is clearly lower than what the magical energy readings would suggest. The others are just as I predicted," Fulsy stated. Classroom two was, of course, Kenwell's location.

"Let's see, I'll have to check the actual physical number of coins."

"B-but that..."

"Ah, don't mind me. This is still a prototype. I know there's a chance it's mistaken. That's precisely why I came to check in person," Fulsy said with a smile. Leonardo didn't even have the composure to adjust his glasses.

Three safe-like boxes were opened. They contained the earnings of Calest and two randomly selected companies. First, the coins from the two uninvolved companies were counted. The totals matched the Sage's predictions with only a slight margin of error. Gasps of admiration filled the conference room. And then, of course...

"Hmm, the number of coins from classroom two also matches my measurement results. There's a mistake in your reported figures. There's a twenty percent difference."

At the mention of twenty percent, all eyes in the room instantly focused on Calest.

"What is the meaning of this, Leonardo?" Hilda glared at her subordinate.

"No, th-this is... yes, Calest must have made a mistake in their report!"

"Leonardo-sama!" "How could you!"

The two Calests cried out as if they had been stabbed, utterly cast aside. That bill for Plural's fruit just got very expensive.

"Then, we will correct the mistake and create a new ranking..." Leonardo said. Calest would not only be overtaken by Kenwell, but would fall to third place. But there was no way I was letting them off that easily.

"Leonardo-sama. If I may speak from the standpoint of a merchant house, if we allow such fraud to be forgiven so lightly, it will affect the very credibility of the Shoken Festival itself."

Many of the participants nodded in agreement with Jean's words. They were practically seething. There were companies here from outside the Food Guild, and the independent ones were less susceptible to Calest's influence. Above all, there was no way their methods hadn't bred resentment. Calest had no allies here.

Hilda feigned ignorance. Leonardo's eyes darted left and right as he desperately searched for an excuse. It was obvious he was an accomplice, but no matter how much we pressed him, we couldn't bring him down on this charge. It would be a different story if we had proof he'd received money from Calest, but that was impossible. In fact, that was probably not how it happened anyway.

"Leonardo-senpai is a member of a ducal house. Perhaps he is simply unfamiliar with the ways of merchants. It is understandable that he would overlook a mistake in the ledgers presented to him by a merchant house."

"Y-yes, that's right!" Leonardo jumped at the lifeline Jean had thrown him.

"In that case, how about this? To determine how this fraud was committed, we could scrutinize Calest's books right here. Having their peers review them would also serve as a deterrent for the future."

"I see, you propose that the merchant houses solve this amongst themselves. That's an excellent idea."

Leonardo agreed without a second thought. This way, the problem was confined to the commoners. No matter what happened, he would be able to escape.

"Wait a moment. These may be for the Shoken Festival, but to show our ledgers to another company, and to Kenwell of all people..."

Theodore slammed his fist on the table. Celdia, still pale, was trembling. Of course. Having your books examined is like being stripped naked in public.

"Then how about we have the neutral Vinder fulfill that role?" Maria suggested.

"Y-yes, that's right. Vinder's impartiality has just been demonstrated. I believe that would be fine."

"Indeed. Vinder has no stake in the rankings, so they can make a fair judgment. Produce your ledgers, Theodore."

The two Student Council members were now desperate to bring the situation under control. Theodore's shoulders, who had been glaring at me, slumped in defeat.

"Mia, help me out."

I had Mia sit beside me and began turning the pages of the ledger. I pretended to check a few numbers. Beside me, Mia pretended to cross-reference them with Fulsy's experimental data. I didn't think there was any further fraud to uncover. What I wanted was information.

"The numbers are consistent with the Sage's experimental results. We have determined that there is no deception beyond what was already pointed out."

The Calests seemed bewildered that it was over so quickly. They wouldn't know, but Mia can memorize columns of numbers as if they were a photograph. She sees them as patterns of varying heights and colors. With that, our holdings group's data, and Kenwell's cooperation, we could grasp their movements to a certain extent.

"Calest's responsibility for deceiving even the Student Council is grave. I will disqualify Calest and report this matter to the academy."

Hilda declared this in a pose reminiscent of the Goddess of Truth statue in the courthouse. You could at least feel a little responsible as a supervisor.

The name that had reigned at the top of the list was crossed out with an X. Accounting fraud committed by the heir at the Shoken Festival, where all the renowned merchant houses of the Royal Capital gather. Their reputation, not just at the academy but within the Commercial Guild, would surely plummet.

◇◇

"I can't believe you saved not only Rilka and the others, but us as well."

"We were really in a bind. I can't believe they had a trick like that up their sleeve. So that's why you wanted the coin information."

"They came after members of my holdings group. As the manager, I simply had to strike back."

"That's not the thinking of a Copper member, you know... Now then, what kind of thanks do we owe you?"

I nodded at Jean's words. I had to take measures against Calest's inevitable resentment.

"I have two requests. First, please spread a rumor that Kenwell will recommend Vinder for a promotion to Silver."

"It doesn't have to be a rumor, you know."

"She's right. The independent companies who sided with you this time will agree as well. With Tritt, Belmini, and Roston, we'll have enough sponsors."

In the traditional Commercial Guild, promotions aren't just based on scale or performance, but require recommendations from other guild members. And not just one or two.

"I have no interest in a Silver plaque."

"Copper is essentially an associate membership. A guild executive like Calest can do whatever they want to a weak entity like you. As a full Silver member, there are procedures they'd have to follow to make a move, which would buy us time to intervene."

"I see. Then my second request. If Calest tries to use his authority as Vice Chairman to move against Vinder, can you let me know in advance?"

"We're going to use this blunder to start ousting Calest from power anyway. That won't be a problem."

"Then I'm counting on you."

Now, how will Calest respond? When a parent steps into a children's squabble, I can't show any mercy. Not to the child, of course, but to the parent.