Chapter 86

As the petals of cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

If a member of the second most powerful nation's royal family, the third prince, and the second prince of the third most powerful nation, along with the next saint of the continent's mainstream religion, were to visit the city, the repercussions would be enormous. If they were visiting on a school trip, they would just be 'some students,' so there would be no need to pay much attention. Security would be tightened, but there would be no need for the empire to welcome them directly. However, if they were to come in a personal capacity, not as part of an academy schedule, then the empire would have to prepare the appropriate protocol.

It would be a diplomatic faux pas for a subordinate to welcome a royal. Even if they were powerful figures like dukes, ministers, or marshals, they are still subjects. Therefore, a royal representative must step forward.

'There’s only the Crown Prince.'

The esteemed emperor cannot personally handle such matters. If the children must step forward, the second prince, who is in hell, cannot be resurrected, and the third prince cannot be given real power at this point, leaving only the Crown Prince.

If the Crown Prince steps forward, the Office of the Imperial Household, which handles royal affairs, cannot be left out. The Minister of the Office of the Imperial Household will also be involved in this matter.

If the Office of the Imperial Household is involved, the Special Services will follow. The Minister of the Special Services will also be involved in this matter. Due to the need for a royal representative to welcome them, the Crown Prince and two ministers are already involved.

'What else is there?'

Feeling overwhelmed, I massaged my temples and tried to organize my thoughts. The reception of foreign royalty cannot be handled by the Crown Prince casually going out to greet them. There are entities working hard behind the scenes.

First, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will be involved.

The Minister of Justice will be involved to examine precedents and legal issues.

The Minister of Land and Infrastructure will be involved since the visitors will use the empire’s territory and roads.

The Minister of Home Affairs will be involved since this is an event happening within the country.

The Minister of War will be involved as the honor guard and military band will be mobilized.

Since all of this involves money, the Minister of Finance will be involved.

Finally, the mayor of the city of Ausen will be involved. Of course, he is also treated as a minister-level official.

I have to inform the administration about the confectionery club’s visit to the city and get these ten officials moving. It’s a joyous task.

'Would it be possible if I fell from the top of my head?'

I suddenly looked out the window. It’s not that high, but if I fell from the top of my head, would I faint? If I could sleep for a month or two, it would be fine.

In this absurd situation, a hollow laugh escaped me. Ah, this is how Villar must have felt. When things get tough, laughing is better than going crazy.

'I’m going to go crazy.'

The Crown Prince, eight ministers, and one minister-level official. Now I have to be sandwiched between them and get beaten up enthusiastically.

I’ve never been as afraid to contact a minister as I am today.

- What the hell is this!

The loud and justifiably angry minister’s voice pierced my ears through the communication device. The minister, who had been wondering why I was contacting him after a day, immediately tried all sorts of profanities and loud shouts upon hearing the situation.

Of course, it’s a matter that would make anyone’s eyes roll. If I had heard this news from a subordinate, I would have reacted the same way. So, I am humbly sacrificing my eardrums to listen to the minister’s scolding.

If it were something that could be handled at the level of the Ministry of Finance, I could bear the annoyance and frustration. But this has grown to a scale where the Minister of Finance is just one of the participants.

- What the hell did you do!

"Hey, why are you blaming me! I only found out today!"

But when I heard comments that seemed to hold me responsible, I felt a surge of frustration. This is really like a natural disaster. If I had lured them to the city, I would deserve to have my head cut off, but I am just an innocent victim.

"How could I stop them from coming!"

It’s beyond my capabilities. This continent has a deeply rooted, nasty principle. Civil servants are merely the limbs of the high-ranking officials. They exist to fulfill the desires of the high-ranking officials, to go wherever they want to go. They are mere avatars or shadows.

No matter how kind a person is, they don’t thank their legs for taking them where they want to go. Unfortunately, civil servants are at that level. I am, the minister is, and Villar is.

If a royal wants to go somewhere, can a mere leg say, "I don’t want to go there"? No, that’s absurd.

- That’s true.

The minister, who seemed to have no words to counter my heartfelt defense, responded with a tired voice.

- I’m sorry, it’s just too absurd.

"It’s okay. I understand."

How could a minister apologize for shouting? I really understand, so I won’t hold a grudge.

- Eight ministers, I never thought we’d have a ministerial meeting in the summer.

I wanted to say that it’s not a full ministerial meeting, but I held back. In this situation, it would be more of a provocation than a comfort.

- I’ll inform the Minister of the Office of the Imperial Household, so just wait.

"Understood."

I was relieved that the minister would inform the higher-ups. I can contact the minister without much burden due to the rapport we’ve built, but the Minister of the Office of the Imperial Household is still awkward. The minister will probably change before I get to know him well.

- They’re not coming immediately, right?

"Yes, it’s only set for the vacation period, and the timing hasn’t been coordinated yet."

- That’s a relief.

Maybe because I’ve faced too many disasters, I’ve reached a point where I can consider even minor things as fortunate. It’s not exactly a welcome piece of news.

- We’ll proceed as quickly as possible, so keep the communication device handy.

"Don’t worry."

If the coordination among my superiors is complete and the section chief fails to receive the message in time, it would be a serious offense. Just thinking about it is terrifying.

Still, it’s not a full ministerial meeting but a mini-ministerial meeting. It will probably take at least five days to outline the plan.

'Nothing should happen until then.'

Surprisingly, less than five hours later, the communication device turned purple. I had hoped for nothing to happen, but I didn’t expect the results to come so quickly.

- Inspector General, I just received the gift you prepared.

"..."

The person who contacted me was a young man with golden hair and purple eyes, but his aura was distinctly different from Einther’s.

- How did you know I was busy with work and prepared such an interesting piece of news? I laughed so many times.

The Crown Prince contacted me directly without involving the Minister of the Office of the Imperial Household.

"I am deeply sorry..."

- Ah, don’t say that. I’m not so boring that I can’t appreciate a friend’s gift.

The Crown Prince’s mouth, visible through the communication device, was smiling, but his eyes were not.

- I really appreciate the gift.

= I’m already busy as hell, and you throw this shit at me?

Now is the stage of dealing with the situation, not assigning blame, so I didn’t blame him, but my eyes were filled with intense curses. Damn, did I do this on purpose?

"I was worried that it might upset Your Highness, but I couldn’t prepare anything better. If it displeased Your Highness, I would be insufficient in my apologies, but I am grateful for Your Highness’s understanding."

= It’s not my fault. It’s an impossible situation that suddenly arose. If you’re angry, just cut me off.

- Ha ha, indeed, the Inspector General’s loyalty is always appreciated.

= Damn it. Fine, I’ll let it go.

In the back and forth of the conversation, intense inner thoughts were quickly exchanged. I have nothing more to say to the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince has nothing to throw at me. The best we can do is exchange greetings filled with curses.

The Crown Prince probably didn’t contact me to scold me. He must have thought it was strange that the guy who was supposed to be monitoring Einther at the academy suddenly brought his club members to the city. He seems genuinely annoyed by the strange task given to him amidst his busy schedule.

- It was an unexpected gift, so it was even more enjoyable. If life only flows as expected, it would be boring, wouldn’t it?

Hearing it from someone who is a living testament to a dynamic and rollercoaster-like life, it doesn’t sound like a joke.

- Joy should be shared. Isn’t it almost vacation time at the academy?

"Yes, it is."

- After the closing ceremony, come to the city.

The summons came. I secretly hoped the ministers would handle it, but it was a futile hope.

After all, it would be more strange if the person who sent the news to the administration didn’t attend the meeting. Even if I have nothing to say, there are a few people who will insist on bringing me to witness their anger.

"Understood, Your Highness."

- Good, then I’ll see you then.

I stared blankly at the communication device, which had lost its light. I wanted to go to the city without being tied down by the academy, but not like this.

The brief time left until the closing ceremony. I wondered several times if the guys might change their minds in that brief moment.

If they change their minds about going to the city, I can immediately inform the administration. Even if the ministers might say, "Are you playing with us?" if the meeting date is set, they would tap dance and go home if the meeting is canceled.

But hope leads to disappointment.

"Will you stay at the academy for a while?"

"Yes, it will take a long time to unpack my luggage."

"Then we can set the schedule for that period."

The plan to visit the city was not canceled until the very end. Instead, we parted ways after discussing when to go to the city.

And with a *whoosh*, I landed in front of the Office of the Imperial Household building with a teleportation mage sent by the Crown Prince.

In front of me, there are ten higher-ups.