Reviving a Bankrupt Academy: My Financial Battle

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[──Thus, we have obtained information regarding the location of the sacred treasure.]

"Hmm, a secret vault…"

"Is it true?"

"What else can we do but believe it? And it's not implausible. It's been decades since we last checked."

"Tsk."

Around a table located somewhere,

Various people, regardless of age or gender, were gathered, frowning and shaking their heads.

This was a meeting of only bishop-level or higher members of the Wish Cult.

Due to the Holy Kingdom's declaration of them as heretics, the Wish Cult operated in secrecy. Meetings like this were rare unless it was a truly important matter, but today's issue was significant enough to gather all the high-ranking members of the cult.

The mysterious disappearance of Dark Sword. And the plan to attack Grandis Academy and steal back the sacred treasure.

Following the incident that could shake the cult to its core, they were attempting something they had failed at decades ago. It was natural for them to be cautious.

An elderly bishop at the round table, a summoning magician who was at the academy and communicating through a communication magic tool, turned to Milia.

"But Milia, don't you question the Finance Director's true intentions? I don't understand what he stands to gain by attacking his own academy. No matter how I look at it, it seems like a trap."

[You're right, Bishop. Even if it's a small-scale attack, targeting the academy when no one is around is still very dangerous.]

"Then…"

[But the cult's current situation… isn't it difficult? Even if we know it's a trap, we have no choice but to enter.]

"…Hmm."

Milia was a follower who was being considered as a bishop candidate due to her being a Rank 3 mage. She was also in a position to know about the sudden disappearance of Dark Sword.

Due to the nature of the Wish Cult, only the powerless and weak flocked to them, so a high-ranking individual like a Rank 3 mage was rare within the cult. It was precisely because of her position that she was dispatched to the academy alone.

However, the reason why Milia was solely responsible for a place that originally required at least a bishop-level member… was probably because the cult had given up on the academy.

After the archbishop and elite forces of that time were annihilated by a single Headmistress decades ago…

Although they maintained their influence, the cult's actual power still hadn't recovered to its former level.

"What about the Cult Leader?"

"It's obvious. He's desperately trying to find Dark Sword."

"How absurd. How could it vanish so completely in an instant?"

"We're trying to keep it a secret, but rumors are spreading among the followers. It's becoming obvious that the cult is declining."

In particular, the information about the disappearance of Dark Sword, which only a handful of high-ranking members knew, was becoming increasingly difficult to contain.

It was only natural. The power of Dark Sword, the doctrine of granting wishes, was the root of the cult. Now that it was impossible, it was no wonder the cult was faltering.

That was why Milia, despite being just a bishop candidate and still a mere follower, could participate in this meeting with such a significant presence.

She didn't know the true intentions of that Finance Director, but if they succeeded, they would have a sacred treasure to show off to the public, a sense of elation from successfully attacking Grandis Academy, and they could even use it as propaganda to show their followers that the cult was still going strong.

In many ways, the method Milia brought was the best realistic option.

"…More importantly, it's time to consider the worst-case scenario."

"The worst-case scenario?"

"That the Holy Kingdom has finally made its move."

"…!!"

Thud.

It was a matter that everyone here had been unconsciously avoiding.

Something they all considered a possibility but dismissed as unlikely.

"But does that make sense? No matter how much it has declined, the Holy Kingdom is still a nation. Would they really gamble their entire existence on a sacred treasure!?"

"If they succeeded, wouldn't that explain the sudden disappearance of Dark Sword?"

"Of course it would! But could you do it? Could you gamble the fate of the Holy Kingdom, the Goddess Church, and lay your hands on a sacred relic on a conceptual level? Yes! Let's be frank."

The one who refuted most vehemently, the captain of the cult's paladin order, gritted his teeth.

Was it because Dark Sword had disappeared? His body, once full of solid muscles, was gradually becoming thinner.

Perhaps that was why he was trying so desperately to refute the worst-case scenario. If they had simply lost it or someone had stolen it, they could retrieve it. But if, as a certain bishop said, the Holy Kingdom had indeed made its move…

They could never get it back.

"Do you think… that we, the Wish Cult, are worth that much? That the Holy Kingdom would gamble its entire existence on us? If they failed, the Holy Kingdom would have self-destructed!"

"…But."

"Right now, isn't it more plausible that Dark Sword disappeared through some method we don't know, rather than the Holy Kingdom making such a gamble? More importantly, if what the bishop said is true…"

The paladin captain's eyes turned towards the communication magic tool. It was a means of communication commonly used in the past, but now it was a magic tool used only on rare and important occasions.

And beyond that was Milia. A mere bishop candidate, but a follower no one in this meeting could treat lightly.

She was the follower who brought a way for the declining cult to revive, the only one who could contact the Finance Director, the key to the attack plan. Naturally, she would lead this attack plan.

The paladin captain didn't like that.

He had just refuted the claim about the Holy Kingdom's involvement with realistic reasons.

He was someone who was very aware of reality, especially the reality of his own position.

"The burden on Follower Milia will be immense."

[Indeed, Paladin Captain, thank you for your concern.]

"Follower Milia."

[Yes.]

"May I dare share that burden?"

[...….]

Paladin Captain Malton's words weren't purely out of concern. It was a demand to hand over control of this operation.

He sensed in Milia not a pure intention to save the collapsing cult, but rather—a competitor trying to solidify her position within the cult by taking advantage of this opportunity.

From Malton's perspective, who aimed for a position higher than Paladin Captain, Milia was an unwelcome presence. If this plan succeeded, she would undoubtedly become a bishop, and her influence as the one who revived the cult would be absolute.

It wasn't that the other bishops were unaware of Milia's intentions. However, regardless of that, she did bring a way to revive the cult, and if she succeeded, she would undoubtedly be a talent worthy of such treatment, so they remained silent.

Instead, the other bishops glared at Malton for openly addressing the issue.

"Paladin Captain Malton, watch your tongue!"

"Watch my tongue? I don't understand."

"You dare try to take control of this operation without knowing much about Grandis Academy or that Finance Director! If this plan fails due to your petty power struggle, will you take responsibility!?"

"Of course, I—"

"Let's stop this."

"…Cult Leader."

"Cult Leader."

At the sudden voice, everyone at the round table hurriedly rose from their seats. However, the one called Cult Leader wasn't a giant like Malton or a saint like the other bishops.

He was just a boy. He looked barely in his mid-teens. Even the ceremonial robes of the Cult Leader, tailored to his size, still dragged slightly on the floor.

Nevertheless, the boy's eyes shone brightly. To be precise, only one of them did, while the other was pitch black and lifeless.

Despite his contradictory and grotesque appearance, the bishops and the Paladin Captain quietly bowed their heads.

"Malton."

"Yes, Cult Leader."

"Follower Milia will lead this operation."

"…Understood."

Unlike the other bishops, Malton bowed to worldly authority rather than faith.

And so, he couldn't say anything. As much as he wanted to suppress the new competitor, he had to avoid being caught in the eye of the person above him.

The boy, walking unsteadily, turned his gaze towards the masked man who had remained silent throughout the meeting.

"Archbishop."

"Your command is my will."

"Head to the academy with the members Follower Milia listed. Until you arrive at the academy, those members are under your command. After arrival, follow Follower Milia's instructions."

"As you will."

The man called Archbishop bowed deeply, and as everyone else bowed, the boy sat at the head of the table.

Unsteady, unstable, yet innocent.

The Cult Leader of the Wish Cult smiled.

"Follower Milia."

[…Yes, Cult Leader.]

"I have high expectations for you, Follower. Please retrieve the sacred treasure."

[In the name of the cult.]

"In the name of the cult. You may return now. Then the next agenda is—"

Click.

The magic tool disconnected in the middle of the Cult Leader's casual remark. Although it wasn't a tool that transmitted video, Pope Milia, who had been maintaining a proper posture just in case, sighed.

It seemed like things wouldn't go smoothly.

'Malton.'

In the 'previous' timeline, he was quite a useful fellow. He had a moderate amount of ambition, making him easy to manipulate, and he didn't aim for the Cult Leader's position, so coexistence was possible.

He was a Rank 7, rare in the cult, even with the help of Dark Sword's power, and he supported Milia when she rose to the positions of archbishop and Cult Leader. But…

It seemed things would be different this time.

'To begin with, the cult's current state, that bitch being Rank 6, Dark Sword… something has changed.'

What was the reason for this change? It seemed like the change had already begun before Pope Milia awakened.

Because of that change, Malton had become an enemy. But thanks to that, she was able to establish her position now, something she couldn't do before the academy collapsed and she secured the sacred treasure.

With allies turning into enemies and crises turning into opportunities…

The most suspicious ones were still the same two.

'That Finance Director bastard, and the bitch.'

One was a lunatic who, for some reason, wanted to attack his own academy.

The other was a Rank 6, a clear indication of a massive change. Whether that change was caused by something else, or by the bitch herself…

She would find out by acting carefully and slowly gathering information.

"Student Milia? Student Milia~?"

"…!!"

"Hmm, where did she go…?"

Pope Milia held her breath at the devil's whisper coming from somewhere. She used all the magic she knew to conceal her presence.

The place where she had just been using the communication magic tool wasn't a dormitory room or a proper room, but a cleaning supply storage closet. The reason she was communicating from this smelly and damp place was simple.

She had to hide from that devil.

"Student Milia! I have something to discuss! It will only take a moment, please come out!"

"...…"

"Ah… this is really…"

She had thought about it many times, but that Finance Director bastard was something beyond a devil.

She had been suspicious of him constantly bringing documents under the guise of an attack plan… but it turned out he was naturally shifting the work onto her.

She had reviewed the documents, thinking they were necessary for the attack plan, and pointed out anything that seemed strange. The Finance Director was using her as a living error detector.

When she realized that and confronted him, he simply said,

──Isn't it natural to help each other for the sake of our 'trusting relationship'?

──What kind of bullshit…

──If you don't like it, let's just forget about this attack plan. Since the cult 'first' brought it up, I'm not particularly attached to it!

──...…

Judging from the documents he prepared, it seemed like the Finance Director also needed the attack, but Milia was more desperate.

If, by any chance, the Finance Director decided to seek out another terrorist group for the attack, Milia would most likely be buried within the collapsing Wish Cult without achieving anything.

Whether she was the Pope or not, she needed a foundation to work with. At this moment, Milia, who was more desperate than ever, was clearly in a weaker position.

That's why, instead of outright refusing, she hid from the Finance Director. If he later asked where she had been, she could just make up an excuse.

But why did that guy, a mere Rank 1…

"I think she's around here somewhere…"

"…!!"

…have such good intuition?

Thump. Thump.

Milia desperately held her breath inside the dark, closed cleaning tool storage closet. Usually, no one came near this closet tucked away in a corner.

But she could hear footsteps. Footsteps approaching. Getting closer and closer.

And then…

"Ah, there you are."

"Eek, aaah…!!"

"What's wrong? You're acting as if you've seen a monster."

She would have preferred a monster.

Milia screamed at the sight of the Finance Director, his wickedly smiling face peeking through the opened door of the storage closet, and…

The Finance Director dragged her away.

Under the guise of trust, Milia was forced into 18 hours of unpaid labor per day, with even her class attendance being marked by the Finance Director's authority.

And after spending two weeks like that…

Paladin Captain Malton, who had finally arrived from the Empire where the Wish Cult's headquarters were located, said,

"But wouldn't it be better to just take that Finance Director hostage instead of being manipulated by him?"

"…Excuse me?"

"Follower Milia, I'm not criticizing your plan, but… I just think this would be better."

Even at those words, clearly aimed at undermining her…

Milia…

"...…"

"Follower Milia?"

"…Ha."

Instead of feeling offended…

…she couldn't help but deeply empathize…