Zero-Sum Game

Sylvia von Arte, a Ministry of Finance employee in the Solaris Empire, sighed as she stared at the stack of documents. Fucking hell with these guys.

With the empire enjoying an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity, the nobles' ventures were crossing lines more boldly with each passing day. Investments in swordmaster training or academies had all but vanished. Instead, businesses catering to the nobles' endless greed and extravagance were sprouting up like weeds.

Her gaze stopped on the notes scribbled on the parchment.

This was proof that the empire was drowning in excess cash it couldn't handle. No matter how many rejections she issued, the nobles would run crying to their cronies up top. Pressure from above would come, and in the end, they'd get approved anyway.

Maybe I should just say screw it and head back to my hometown. She'd been recognized for her talent, rising to become the youngest Budget Auditor in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Ministry of Finance at just 24. But it hadn't taken long to realize this position was nothing more than a rubber stamp.

Even if she climbed to Finance Minister, she'd just dive headfirst into the heart of the noble cartel, surrounded by endless bribes and pressure.

Unaware of Sylvia's frustrations, the other Ministry employees were buzzing about the Magic Tower Master.

"Isn't he the one who swore to protect the empire? How did things end up like this…?"

"Poor Princess Elisicia. She must've been counting down the days to the banquet."

The commotion at the imperial palace banquet hall was tied to an outburst of rage from Aldebaran, the Magic Tower Master of Baek-eun.

Sylvia saw it differently. Good riddance. How dare they order around the pinnacle of magic like that. They deserve to get utterly wrecked.

She picked up one of the documents.

This was the one from Cedric Count, who got turned into a human lightning rod. He won't be bothering us for a while—time to reject it. She slammed the rejection stamp down and shoved ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the plan aside. She didn't even want to look at it.

Suddenly, noise erupted from outside the door. The source of the recent uproar—the Magic Tower Master himself—was striding into the Ministry of Finance building.

Panicked guards at the entrance tried to stop him.

"Magic Tower Master? W-Wait a moment! Sir!"

"Out of my way."

BOOM! The Finance Minister's door, reinforced with barriers and soundproofing spells, shattered.

What the hell is going on? Employees began gathering one by one. Sylvia couldn't miss this rare spectacle either. As chaos engulfed the Ministry building, her heart pounded faster and faster.

A crack in the monotonous routine. For the first time, hope flickered in Sylvia's heart that the empire might actually change.

The minister's office was surprisingly pristine. As expected, the Finance Minister looked utterly flustered. Unlike the employees buried in paperwork, his desk held ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠only a few letters.

He probably couldn't even imagine why I was here.

"I know everything. And don't even think about lying."

"Magic Tower Master, I'm sorry, but what exactly do you think you know…?"

"Money! It reeks of corruption. Not just the noble bastards—the imperial family too, gnawing away at the empire."

"W-What are you saying? Are you implying our processing has been improper?"

Good actor. Playing innocent, huh? That shameless face was utterly repulsive.

"I went out of the tower for the first time and checked out the commercial district."

The minister's eyes wavered. I didn't miss it.

"Saw some pretty interesting stuff."

He wiped cold sweat from his brow, his lips trembling faintly as he spoke again. "I-I'm not sure what you saw, but even for you, Aldebaran, this violates procedure. The Ministry of Finance is an independent institution…."

CRASH!

"Eek!"

I shattered the window behind him.

"The Finance Minister knows nothing. That's the conclusion, right?"

"Y-Yes. I can't understand your actions, Aldebaran."

Even if the bastard talked, no useful info would come out.

"Whatever. I wasn't expecting much from you anyway. Hand over last year's financial summary."

"Why this all of a sudden? You can't. Public documents can only be removed based on imperial law…."

WHOOSH. I deployed a 5th-circle spell. Five blazing fire orbs.

If words won't work, violence will.

"Based on imperial law?"

"I-I'll give it…."

I snatched the report from his trembling hands and stormed out. The eavesdropping employees scrambled back to their desks. I didn't spare them a glance as I headed outside.

Once out of the building, I skimmed the first page of the report. No accounting knowledge here—I'd probably have to pull an all-nighter to analyze this. Maybe research a spell that summarizes the key points.

"A-Aldebaran!"

The voice stopping me wasn't the minister's. I turned to see a young woman running up, breathless. Cherry blossom pink hair. Emerald green eyes sparkling like embedded gems.

"Huff… huff… you walk too fast…."

"Who're you?"

She caught her breath for a long moment before speaking slowly. I liked her polite demeanor.

"I'm Sylvia von Arte, Budget Auditor for the Ministry of Finance."

"Got it, Sylvia. What do you want?"

Sylvia's eyes gleamed. Her cheeks were flushed, but not from romantic interest.

"The issues you pointed out earlier—I deeply agree with you."

"Oh?"

"I want to help. I'll use everything I know to analyze the empire's true state in detail!"

Someone who recognized the problems but lacked the power to act, forced to hunker down. Yeah, we need people like her.

Snap. I flicked my fingers, and a thin veil enveloped Sylvia.

"Invisibility spell. No one can see or hear us now."

"Thank you, Aldebaran. Then…."

She launched into an impassioned explanation, like she'd been waiting her whole life for this moment. Starting from the empire's warped money flows, to the nobles' monopolies and inflation issues.

I hadn't expected someone this sharp. Some terms were a bit technical, though.

"…And the most urgent businesses to tackle right now are these."

She pulled a folded document from her bosom and handed it over.

Eye-catching ones. Especially gem luster maximization.

"You probably know this well, Magic Tower Master. It's about turning enchanted gems into luxury goods."

"Mm."

"They were surely bestowed as a favor, but now those gems set the social hierarchy among noble ladies."

"Yeah."

"Led by Ademar Duke. You know he's the emperor's cousin, right?"

Is she reading my mind? The emperor's gems flow to the duke's house, then to jewelers, then to nobles. Money funneling one way.

I smiled and praised her. "Sylvia, I'm impressed. You're a real talent."

"Y-You're too kind."

"Gotta fix this right away. Our talk stays secret, of course?"

"I'll keep it in mind."

Got my justification and solid evidence. Straight to the palace.

The dark fantasy staining the empire in blood begins.

"Heh heh heh."

A laugh of anticipation slipped out on its own.

Elisicia, the youngest daughter of the Solaris Emperor and Third Princess. Despite her young age, she'd carved out her own position in the palace with poise and cleverness beyond her years.

Right now, though, she couldn't contain her emotions.

What the hell? This isn't how the story was supposed to go!

As a transmigrator, her panic stemmed from Aldebaran, the Magic Tower Master of Baek-eun, acting out of character.

This romance fantasy world was from the web novel she'd read before dying. Killed in a traffic accident, she'd woken up in the Solaris Empire. The character she'd possessed, Third Princess Elisicia, was the author's golden child—the heroine.

Blessed with fraudulent mana and holy power, she had the male lead and sub-males competing for her love. In short, the world bent over backward for her.

She'd outshine the First Princess, sideline the crown prince, and claim the throne. That was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠plot.

Aldebaran was one of the sub-males. In the original, fireworks would burst spectacularly amid cheers. One firework would veer toward the Third Princess in an accident. Aldebaran, wracked with guilt, would heal her personally, gradually falling for her. Her mana would awaken naturally in the process.

But everything had gone wrong.

The biggest issue was her Status Window. The flashy pink interface was changing drastically.

Why? Was he just in a bad mood today? Nothing's deviated from the flow so far. She'd been enjoying the pleasant illusions around her, leveraging her past-life memories and novel knowledge. Even the notoriously picky Chief Administrator had called her a genius.

Aldebaran's flashy exploits in the war were more prominent than in the original, but she hadn't worried much. The empire hadn't lost.

Elisicia chewed her lower lip.

This won't do. I need to adjust the plan. I still have cards to play. Start with the Chief Administrator….

Knock knock.

"Princess, His Majesty the Emperor is coming."

"Got it."

At the maid's voice, Elisicia checked her reflection and fixed her expression. That smile no one could resist.