Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Smuggling is a Money Pipeline
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"Profe~ssor!"
Pastel ran over with a bright, beaming smile.
Professor Horace turned around.
"Oh, junior! Why use such a stiff title like 'Professor'?"
"Whoops! You're right! Senior!"
Senior! Senior!
Pastel flapped both arms happily.
"Of course! That's the one, junior!"
Professor Horace grinned widely.
A warm, friendly atmosphere flowed between them. After exchanging updates on health and well-being since the chapel attack, they got down to business.
"A trading company under the Student Council?"
"Yes!"
Pastel painted the big picture.
"There are so many desperate people in the world! We're trying to help them, but we can't reach everyone with these tiny hands, right?"
She stretched out her hand.
It trembled visibly. As if she were tormented by thoughts of those she couldn't help.
Not at all like she was lamenting unmet demand for smuggling goods.
"Oho! Well said!"
Professor Horace agreed enthusiastically. Then he put on a feigned sad expression.
"This senior has felt the same frustration. What on earth should we do?"
Gasp.
Pastel's eyes went wide.
"Really?!"
"Of course."
Wow.
Senior-junior bonds could be this beautiful.
"Junior has an idea! Let's form a trading company under the Student Council to deliver goods with even more hands!"
"Great idea! That way, we can save so many more people!"
A veteran smuggler approved.
But Professor Horace put on a feigned sad expression again.
"It might be difficult, though."
"Huh?"
"A good junior like you wouldn't start anything shady, but the Student Council does have oversight. The audit professor reviews their activities and finances, reporting regularly to the faculty meeting."
Gasp.
The audit system.
It'd be weirder if it didn't exist.
Pastel's mouth fell open.
Flash after flash of her embezzlements, abuses of power, and misdeeds raced through her mind.
Student Council funds?
Super purified into smuggling goods~.
Official authority?
Super purified into Demon Realm free pass~.
Combined? Fantastic smuggling~!
In her imagination, the professor examined the ledgers and shook his head.
—No good. Off to prison.
Gasp.
Handcuffs snapped onto Pastel's wrists.
Iron bars loomed large.
Noooo.
Economic criminal Pastel in mega crisis...!
Please recognize it as a livelihood crime...!
"The Student Council was originally slated for disbandment, so no audit professor was appointed this year. After the disbandment was canceled, there were many opinions that we couldn't burden the marquess—er, the kind first-year holding real power—with auditing, so the position stayed vacant."
"Th-then?"
Pastel's face brightened.
Professor Horace, in contrast, looked sorrowful.
"But we can't leave it empty forever, so starting second semester, we'll have an audit. It's already decided who."
Her breath caught.
Pastel paled again.
The professor looked even sadder.
"I understand your noble intentions, junior, but the audit professor might not. A trading company under the Student Council? Suspicious structure, no matter how you look at it."
"N-no, that's not it! I just want to help people!"
"I know, I know. How could I not? But the world is so cruel."
No way!
Pastel plopped down on the floor.
Fantasy world was a total death game.
A merciless society toward starving children.
Sob.
"Could I know the audit professor's name? I want to convince them with all my heart. I just want to do delivery for desperate people."
Why is the world so cold?
I hope the audit professor is a warm adult whose heart opens to a child's persuasion (gold bars).
Golden sparkle sparkle.
Heart warm and toasty.
Girl cheers yay!
"Heh. Planning some heartfelt persuasion?"
Professor Horace looked pitying.
Gasp.
Totally bad expression.
Pastel felt the cold intensely from the floor where she sat. Her heart was freezing.
"C-could persuasion not work? Like Professor Carlo? Or is it Professor Carlo?"
The professor who bluntly announced Student Council disbandment like a pumpkin?
"Professor Carlo was going to do it originally, but another professor stepped up passionately and firmly. Convinced all the faculty and became the audit professor."
Noooo.
Totally bad news.
Pastel wiped her eyes.
"Senior, this junior will take her leave. I'll go embrace the world's misunderstandings and coldness straight to prison."
Professor Horace let out a sigh.
"Heh heh! Still, junior, I have a bit of good news for you."
"What is it?"
Pastel looked up tearfully.
Tears were about to fall.
"That audit professor is..."
Professor Horace suddenly grinned.
"Me!"
Laughter echoed.
Pastel's eyes grew wider and wider.
Gasp.
The audit professor was actually senior?
Have I been teased this whole time?
"Ahaha!"
Pastel burst out laughing.
Sadness and fear flew away like poof.
"Senior! You're so full of it! Pastel totally fell for it!"
Tears nearly came out from laughing!
She wiped her eyes for no reason.
The world was worth living in after all.
She looked up at Professor Horace with anticipation.
"Senior fully understands the goodness of a new trading company, right?!"
"You bet! That's why I'm personally taking the audit role—to prevent any bad misunderstandings! How could my junior do anything wrong? As your senior, it's my duty to ward off suspicions!"
Professor Horace laughed heartily.
"As expected of senior!"
Pastel flapped her arms.
Totally thrilled!
"This junior can't just sit by! Every time you visit the Student Council, we'll prepare a fruit basket so your mouth won't be bored! Come anytime!"
Fruit (gold bar) basket.
Professor Horace beamed.
"Oho! You'll do that? I didn't ask at all, but it's your sincerity, so I must accept! As audit professor, I'll visit regularly! Can't shirk my duties!"
"Of course, of course! Come often!"
Hahaha.
A warm, friendly atmosphere flowed.
Was this a gathering of kind, righteous delivery workers?
Yay.
『Sigh.』
The demon muttered.
『Don't bribe so naturally...』
"To form a trading company, you need to pick a good merchant. Especially for a unique one like yours, junior."
"Noted!"
"Mm!"
Professor Horace moved his quill. Elegant handwriting filled the letter paper.
"Finding the right merchant is a tough process. Your situation is unique, so scouting around is tricky, and picking just anyone is risky."
"Ah! Exactly!"
Nod nod nod.
Complete agreement.
"Even if you find a decent one, problems arise. Someone tight-lipped with real skills. And with a unique sense of ethics. A merchant meeting those conditions is perfect for betraying you midway."
"Ah! Totally agree!"
Thousand times agreement!
Tenfold increased agreement!
"But somewhere, there's always a fitting merchant. If you overlook a few flaws. What you need then is the discernment and experience to spot them."
Gasp.
"I have neither!"
Noooo.
Pastel was just a cherry blossom tree...!
Cherry blossom, cherry blossom.
Professor Horace laughed.
"Trust this senior."
The quill was set down. The letter paper was neatly folded into an envelope.
"I'll provide the discernment and experience."
The envelope sealed. Candle tilted, wax dripped. Wax sealed the letter. The professor's ring stamped the wax. The family crest remained in the wax.
Professor Horace handed over the letter.
"Letter of introduction. It'll ease their guard. After that, it'll be easy."
His eyes flicked to the pink hair.
"Junior, you yourself are persuasive enough."
Pastel swallowed dryly.
"I'll do my best!"
She received the introduction letter with both hands.
"For senior's fruit baskets!"
Professor Horace momentarily flustered, then laughed heartily.
"Naturally! I'll await good news!"
Pastel left the professor's office.
She skipped along lightly.
"Senior is so nice!"
Skip skip.
Skip skip!
Then a full spin.
Her view rotated: whoaaa.
Beautiful world!
『Young Craft, your sentiments are hard to understand. Think of that guy's wicked heart. He's not helping you just for bribes. He's laying groundwork with the future marquess entering central politics. What a thing to do to a kid. Truly rotten.』
"Oh please!"
Pastel swung her arms.
"Thinking so cynically makes cynical words come out! Look at me!"
One, two, three!
"Pastel spin!"
She twirled in place. Her white dress fluttered. Pink hair whipped around.
One, two, three!
"Pastel reverse spin!"
She twirled the other way.
White dress fluttered flutter.
Pink hair whipped whip.
Mood: ahaha!
"Demon's totally cynical!"
Hahaha.
Pastel refreshingly ignored the demon's whispers.
Refresh refresh lemonade~.
Whoa.
She left the academy for the airship dock.
Trading company buildings lined up. Taking advantage of Sky Island's geopolitical value, companies shuttling between Human Realm and Demon Realm featured solid security and armaments.
Completely different from the academy-adjacent merchants' alliance she'd arm-wrestled into submission last time.
『Expenses are high too. You haven't experienced it properly, but run into the wrong pirates, lose your trade ship, go bankrupt—it happens all the time. Buildings sold overnight, signs changed: commonplace.』
Oho.
『Smuggling isn't easy money. Especially as you scale up enough to attract pirates. You really need to realize that.』
Gasp.
I see.
Pastel half-listened while sightseeing.
"But there seem to be more armed guards than before?"
What day is it?
『Vacation season. Once students head home, Sky Island's defenses loosen. Trade doesn't stop, so companies hire more mercenaries.』
"Pirates must know. Their activity ramps up."
『That's why merchant alliances do periodic pirate nest raids during breaks. Probably prepping for one, hence the bustle.』
"Noooo."
Pirates.
Shiver shiver.
Totally scary.
Pastel trembled down the street. Then she spotted the sign the professor mentioned and lit up.
"There it is!"
Whoaaa.
A decent-sized trading company, neither bigger nor smaller than neighbors. What stood out: more armed guards than the scale warranted.
Pastel swallowed dryly and entered.
She strode to the desk clerk. A bored gaze met her, the look for clueless visitors.
Then eyes hit the pink hair, a moment of thought, and the clerk's face changed. Commotion erupted: clatter clatter.
Soon, Pastel was in the top-floor reception room, told the company head would arrive shortly.
Whoa.
Alone, she bounced on the sofa.
Sofa so squishy.
Girl went whoa whoa.
She savored the luxury sofa, then sat primly. With a noble expression fitting the top-floor reception, she glanced at the steaming teacup.
Super expensive-looking tea.
She lifted it gracefully with both hands.
Blew hufu, then gulped.
Bitterness filled her mouth.
Eeech.
Totally gross.
She set down the teacup gracefully.
Then her eyes widened.
Wait.
Not the time to act dumb.
Meeting the company head awaited. Even with the intro letter, no slacking.
Noooo.
How harsh a reality would crush the starving child?
The heartless death game was about to begin here...!
Noooo.
Smart Pastel needed...!
The company head arrived at the reception.
A middle-aged woman in elegant yet practical attire. Folding fan in hand.
Gasp.
Totally scary.
Business mode, business mode.
Pastel composed a cool face.
The head sat across from her.
A probing silence passed.
Suddenly, the head smiled.
"Don't you recognize me? You even sent condolence letters. We met when you were knee-high."
Huh?
Pastel racked her memory.
No clue.
It showed on her face; the head looked faintly disappointed.
"I'm the younger sister of Head Maid Emma. Applied for Craft Family maid service and got rejected. Cried back then, but now I'm sitting with the young lady instead of my sister."
Her voice carried bittersweet nostalgia.
Pastel's eyes went round.
Head Maid Emma's sister?
Sister of a sacrificed retainer...?
Ooooh.
The demon spoke up.
『Don't let your guard down. Academy's right next door, yet she never visited. She loves profits and numbers.』
Ah, I know.
Strictly business mode.