I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit - Chapter 190

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Yuri continued without hesitation.
“After reviewing everything, I will strongly recommend the expulsion of Princess Reina and several other cadets who actively follow her.”
Reina jumped to her feet.
“What nonsense is this!”
What was the director, what was the inspector?
All of this was nothing but lies meant to undermine her.
“Principal, this is slander. The Imperial Family, who despises us, is resorting to cowardly tactics.”
Isabel tilted her head.
“The Imperial Family despises you?”
“There’s no point in denying it now. You said you’d build a new empire, and you’ve been trying so hard to cast out our Rosild Duchy—a founding family—and cut off our limbs!”
For the record, Isabel had never done such a thing.
Even when Reina behaved shamefully, Isabel simply overlooked it as youthful recklessness.
Of course, it was true that the Rosild Duchy’s influence had diminished as Isabel Coins became the standard currency.
It was also true that the Rosild Duchy’s power and wealth had weakened as Narmore Corporation rose rapidly.
Isabel spoke again.
“Reina. I think you’re misunderstanding something, but the Imperial Family wasn’t particularly wary of Rosilde.”
“What?”
“You’re being self-important. You’re not that significant.”
Reina’s face flushed crimson.
“The Imperial Family was simply concerned with how to help the countless citizens of the empire live more prosperous lives. In that process, Rosilde may have suffered some losses. However.”
Isabel had witnessed all of Reina’s actions over the past several days.
The last shred of affection she’d held evaporated completely.
“That’s not my concern.”
Yuri smiled faintly.
“I’ve heard Inspector Isabel’s words well.”
And she silently added the formal marker.
Speaking casually to the Princess felt uncomfortable, but she did so at Isabel’s request.
The reason being that it would preserve the director’s authority.
“Of course, it would be unthinkable for the director to expel a cadet with a single command. Wouldn’t you agree, Principal?”
“Y-yes, that’s correct.”
Lugeltter found himself in an impossible situation.
He too found this situation utterly confusing.
“Therefore, I intend to hold a vote. If more than half approve, I will expel Reina and several other cadets.”
“But such a system….”
Yuri withdrew a sheet of paper from her pocket.
“This is a financial statement recording the donation list and financial situation. We’ve discovered some irregularities. For instance….”
“I accept.”
Cold sweat trickled down Lugeltter’s back.
He wasn’t a deeply corrupt man, but he had a history of using some of the donations and finances for personal purposes.
He had used them for his own magical research and development costs.
By Yuri’s standards, this was something she could overlook, but the fact remained that public funds had been misappropriated.
Yuri smiled lightly as she looked at Reina.
“You heard that, Cadet Reina?”
“What nonsense! This is personal revenge using authority. I don’t need to listen to such drivel, Principal Lugeltter.”
“….”
“You haven’t forgotten that our house is the university’s greatest patron, have you?”
Isabel shook her head.
“You’re not the greatest.”
“What?”
“You should know well that you’re the second.”
“….”
“The first is Narmore Corporation. They’ve been sponsoring us in secret.”
“….”
“And I’ll tell you one more thing. Even if you combined all the sponsorship funds from the second patron through the tenth, it wouldn’t reach half of what Narmore Corporation provides.”
“That, that can’t be…!”
“So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to blackmail the school with something so trivial.”
Lugeltter swallowed hard.
‘Narmore Corporation was the greatest patron?’
It was a fact he didn’t know.
The sponsorship came through the foundation, and the foundation had kept the identity of the greatest patron hidden.
‘There’s no helping it.’
He smiled to himself.
‘Really, there’s no helping it—I’ll have to expel Cadet Reina. Yes, truly unavoidable! Oh, what can I do!’
Though it felt like losing a troublesome tooth, he spoke solemnly on the surface.
“Following the words of Scholarship Director Isabel and Board Chairman Yuri, we shall proceed to a vote. When shall we set the date?”
Yuri looked at Isabel.
In truth, Yuri found this situation just as bewildering.
A scholarship director, a secret inspection.
This hadn’t been discussed with Isabel beforehand.
She was simply following Isabel’s sudden suggestion to do things this way.
“Reina will need some time to accept this as well. She’ll need to prepare for her right to self-defense. How about two weeks from now for the vote?”
* * *
Reina returned to the dormitory and fumed.
‘How dare they disrespect me and the Rosild Duchy like this?’
For reference, Isabel had never particularly disrespected the Rosild Duchy.
Yet Reina felt more insulted than ever before.
‘A vote? That’s ridiculous.’
The cadets would never cast votes in favor.
She’d been given two whole weeks.
‘I’ll make them regret giving me that much time.’
At that time, she was still confident.
However, events did not unfold according to her wishes.
[Rosild Duchy: Human trafficking circumstances and evidence discovered.]
[Rosild Duke: Massive embezzlement of funds and instigation of illegal business operations.]
[Multiple business entities operated by the Rosild Duchy found to have engaged in excessive oppression and abuse of workers….]
The media intensively dug into the Rosild Duchy.
Damning evidence and clues against the Rosild Duchy were leaked to the media in real-time.
As if these materials had been prepared long in advance.
* * *
King Zirdel Balkio trembled visibly.
“They prepared all of this beforehand and detonated it in one blow, didn’t they?”
Rahela, the Queen of Alpea, nodded in agreement.
“That would be the logical conclusion.”
Rahela also trembled.
“You really need to be careful of Biatone and those like Aselia and Sermon. They’re being called ‘unarmed assassins’ these days.”
“Unarmed assassins?”
“It means they can assassinate someone without drawing a blade. They’re probably the most terrifying assassins in the Empire’s history.”
….
“Do you know what’s most frightening about them?”
“What is it?”
“No threats or inducements work on them whatsoever. They work solely for Princess Isabel. Their goal is simply that the world she remembers becomes a little more beautiful.”
“Terrifyingly romantic, isn’t it.”
Balkio pondered for a long while before finally speaking.
“Then this is also a warning to other kings and factions, isn’t it? I never thought the Rosild Duchy would be stripped bare like this. Not a hammer, either.”
Not a ‘nail’.
Not a ‘hammer’, either.
Rahela paid no attention to such wordplay.
“Indeed. After all, where would you find a faction without minor transgressions?”
“That’s right, no one comes away clean when you shake them out. But Rahela, wasn’t ‘not a nail, either’ quite a good joke?”
“It’s a silent warning and pressure. Even though the Rosild Duchy’s power has weakened, it’s still the Rosild Duchy, yet in less than two weeks they’re about to end up on the streets. They’re on the verge of bankruptcy.”
“Bank-sea?”
Bank-ruptcy.
Bank-sea.
Even Rahela, who had been holding back, nearly exploded but managed to restrain herself through superhuman patience.
Reacting here would mean losing.
A day later, news arrived that the Rosild Duchy had completely gone bankrupt.
* * *
I was well aware that Reina was going around finding each student individually to talk with them.
The content was predictable.
Well, did you think the academy would last forever?
It will be different once they leave this place.
Isabel won’t be of this world much longer.
Do you think the Imperial Family will protect you?
Think carefully and make your choice, and so on and so forth.
They’re probably using their family’s influence to threaten and coerce you right now.
‘It won’t matter.’
The Rosild Duchy will go bankrupt.
Viscount Biatonn sent me documents, and he mentioned that they were expanding their influence far too quickly.
What they were most enthusiastic about was human trafficking.
Taking advantage of the chaos after the Mado Kingdom’s founding, they facilitated and encouraged various forms of human trafficking.
For the record, human trafficking is illegal.
‘They committed far too many crimes.’
All to maintain their vested interests.
So many people shed blood because of them.
In the end, the Rosild Duchy went completely bankrupt in less than two weeks.
According to the rumors, Rosild Duke was killed by stones thrown by an angry mob, though this wasn’t confirmed as fact.
And when the voting day came, Principal Lugeltter announced:
“…Thus, with 90% in favor, we have decided to expel Princess Reina and two other cadets.”
Reina refused to accept it and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“How dare you call yourselves people! I object, you filthy bastards!”
Honestly, I didn’t expect it to reach 90%.
Though I didn’t say anything, it seemed there were quite a few students who had been enduring Reina’s tyranny.
“Considering the excessive damage to the academy’s prestige and honor, the use of your family’s power and authority to torment fellow cadets and attempt to dominate them, and the trampling and violation of one cadet’s life—we have made this decision. Princess Reina, please gather your belongings and leave.”
“This is absurd! I can’t accept this! I won’t accept it!”
Reina struggled for a while longer before huffing indignantly and returning to the dormitory.
No matter how much she thrashed about, the expulsion was already decided, and the Rosild family was bankrupt.
Now Reina would have to live the same life as those ‘dirt-poor wretches’ she had so despised.
I returned to the dormitory as well.
Olsia was kneeling in front of my bed.
“I’m… sorry.”
I helped Olsia to her feet.
“You don’t need to apologize like this. You were a victim and powerless. A victim doesn’t need to apologize to me.”
I understood what it meant to be placed in a situation so helpless that you could do nothing.
I had no intention of blaming Olsia.
What was ironic was that Reina never apologized for anything until the very end.
“Of course, it’s a shame we couldn’t share a friendship.”
My dream of school life had shattered completely.
The fact that I couldn’t make a proper friend was deeply regrettable.
“It’s shameless of me to say, but…”
Olsia lowered her head in embarrassment.
“Could we become friends too?”
“I suppose.”
That would be nice, but it seems it’s already too late.
“If I’m still alive a year from now.”
Though that probably won’t happen.
“Then let’s be friends then.”
But at that moment, an acrid smell began to waft through the air.
The dormitory erupted into chaos, and screams echoed from all directions.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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