Chapter 89 - If There's Trouble, It's Because You Lack Power

"Tea? Coffee?"

"Tea please."

"Anything is fine."

"Okay okay."

Pastel rattled the teapot.

Melissa watched intently, hesitated for a while, then reached out her hand.

"I'll do it."

"It's okay! It's the student council's tradition for me to personally serve guests!"

Elsior was puzzled.

"Since when has this tradition existed?"

That's...

"From just now!"

"That's not a tradition."

"Huk, how could that be."

Pastel activated the magic circle in surprise. The water in the teapot on top started boiling.

High-grade tea from the academy chancellor's office was plopped in plop plop.

"Ah."

Melissa's mouth opened slightly. She let out small groans of distress each time tea leaves fell into the boiling water.

Pastel became triumphant.

As expected of Melissa.

To immediately realize these tea leaves are extremely rare and expensive.

But even so, Pastel is a friend who generously puts in plenty for guest hospitality.

I should put in more to match my generosity!

A handful of tea leaves was put into the teapot.

Gush.

Melissa inhaled lightly. Her hands trembled finely then she hid them under the table out of sight.

Wow, she must be moved!

Does this increase intimacy by 2x?

『Hmm.』

The demon made a sound of contemplation.

『Young Craft, you don't put tea leaves in boiling water. You should gently steep them at a temperature below boiling.』

Oing.

Pastel looked down at the teapot. The water was boiling vigorously and the leaves were fluttering. It looked like vegetable broth being boiled.

Huk, shabu-shabu.

Visuals like it would be complete if meat was added.

『If you put leaves in boiling water, all the good aroma evaporates. The bitterness becomes intense too.』

The demon suddenly blamed himself.

『I forgot to even tell you because it's too common sense. Well, you couldn't receive proper education due to circumstances so it's understandable not knowing. Have I been too insensitive lately?』

Feeling like I've become someone without common sense.

But I can't refute because it's true.

Pastel hesitated holding the ruined teapot.

She looked around between Melissa shocked at the sight of ultra-premium tea leaves massively sacrificed and Elsior tilting her head puzzled.

Guest hospitality completely failed.

A subtle time passed.

It was around when Elsior was about to genuinely ask "You don't know common sense?"

Ellie who was watching from one side of the student council room approached. She was holding a new teapot and bundle of documents.

The teapot was calmly replaced and Knight Order related documents were handed over.

"Supplementary materials."

The demon race girl then coolly returned to her seat and continued paperwork.

Pastel looked down at the changed teapot. Somehow an appropriate amount of tea leaves floated in water at a temperature below boiling.

The aroma of finished tea rose up.

Huk.

She proudly held up the teapot.

Ta-da~!

Guest hospitality succeeded!

Oh yeah.

"Everyone have a cup!"

She distributed cups and put in a handful of sugar before drinking.

Tea is delicious!

Pastel really liked the tea.

To think I don't vomit blood drinking clear tea water without magic stone powder. Even juice makes my body react if it's too concentrated fruit extract.

Pastel's refined taste~

She moved the spoon several times adding sugar.

Gulp.

Even more to my taste!

『...If you're going to taste tea, stop adding that much. At that point it's already sugar water.』

Huk.

Actually I liked sugar water?

Shock.

After finishing serving tea, she started talking about official business in earnest.

"The Knight Order is doing a terrible job."

Pastel distributed reports with a serious expression. Reports were placed in front of Melissa and Elsior.

"These are key performance indicators for the Knight Order I made separately, and there are more than one or two items falling short."

"Key performance indicators...?"

Melissa skimmed through looking dazed.

"Though there's a lot of subjectivity involved since confidential access is difficult and quantification is hard, there are definitely problems with the Knight Order."

They barely maintain the status quo without doing anything properly.

"I-it seems so."

The report was quickly flipped through.

"But the document is surprisingly systematic and elaborate, do you always work like this? Is this what a student council is originally like?"

"Right? Because it's work."

The existing system was really a mess, so I struggled to gradually improve within a range that didn't greatly conflict with the academy's working-level staff.

It's fortunate Ellie just looks at me with complex feelings each time but accepts the unfamiliar work methods without any resistance.

Dustin is, just manual labor on site.

"The north really is underdeveloped..."

Elsior blanked out while reading.

"No. It's not a problem with the Bellamont ducal family, but it seems only this place is strange in the empire."

Pastel tilted her head.

"More importantly, look at this too."

She distributed other documents.

"When I requested again to reveal without hiding the internal reason for not moving during this terrorism, I was refused again."

Contents saying the academy should not interfere with the Knight Order.

Melissa's expression became serious.

"Hiding even the reason is certainly suspicious."

"Right? Totally suspicious and totally incompetent."

"Isn't Craft the reason for saying not to interfere?"

Gazes focused on Elsior speaking as if it was obvious.

"It's a natural consequence for Craft who obtained Sky Island's administrative power through the academy to now reach for the Knight Order's military power, so they're resisting."

Pastel suddenly felt wronged.

"I never had such bad intentions!"

I didn't even want the academy, I just picked it up by chance.

Elsior stared blankly.

"Then will you leave the Knight Order as is?"

Pastel put her finger on her chin and pondered.

Hmm.

She spoke freshly.

"No!"

I'll teach them a lesson!

Pasha pasha!

Elsior stared blankly.

Pastel suddenly felt more wronged.

"This is different! This is different!"

She waved both arms.

"The order of precedence! The order of precedence is different!"

It's not greedy Craft touching a Knight Order doing good work and being kind, but Pastel who cares for students fixing a Knight Order doing bad work and being evil!

Huk.

In the end it is fixing them.

Pastel rolled her eyes then turned to Melissa.

Melissa!

My best friend! My best friend!

You at least will believe in me, right?

Melissa looked suspiciously.

"You didn't encourage the Knight Order to be like this behind the scenes, did you? Like a scheme to secure justification."

Uwaa!

That's totally something the Craft family would do!

She waved both arms violently.

"Anyway the order of precedence is different! Believe in me just once looking at my pink pink pink pink appearance!"

Elsior immediately refuted.

"That's Craft's typical method."

"That's right."

Even Melissa became more suspicious.

Uwaa!

Pastel flailed then hurriedly cleared away the materials. She quickly took out new documents.

"Anyway so the academy has resolved to overthrow the Knight Order! We'll strike their weakness before the opponent fully develops hostility!"

Pook pook!

"That's an extremely wicked ide-"

Ignoring Elsior, she shouted.

"The Knight Order is still showing passive resistance because the academy's chancellor died so they have leeway! They probably haven't formed a united front internally either."

So while slightly omitting administrative procedures to secretly select an acting chancellor, prepare a dagger to stab the Knight Order behind the scenes.

When the acting chancellor is selected, strike before the Knight Order even realizes.

"Sky Island's chancellor must be appointed by His Majesty the Emperor, but since he hasn't done it yet, the professors gathered and decided to elect an acting chancellor for now."

Smuggling senior Professor Horace agreed to prepare this procedure.

"Our job is to make the dagger for the acting chancellor to use."

Ancient ruins were discovered on Sky Island a few months ago. It was in a state with various monsters existing on an enormous scale, so exploration was entrusted to the Knight Order.

But there was no proper exploration news from the ruins until now and it was quiet. Though we protested to hurry and explore since ruins management is clearly the academy's authority, the strange situation of the Knight Order dawdling continued. Even though it was before rumors of Craft's ambitions spread.

"Looking at their silence during this terrorism, there's a high possibility spies from the cult exist in the Knight Order. The ruins would be of interest to the cult too."

It might not be, but it's worth probing.

"We'll infiltrate the ruins in secret from the Knight Order with a small elite team. And if there are suspicious parts, immediately pak!"

Pook pook! Pak pak!

Carrying out justice!

"Could that small elite team be."

Melissa looked alternately between Pastel and Elsior.

"Yes yes! Three people!"

Because the basics of information control is minimizing personnel.

Elsior is a victim of cult terrorism so she can be trusted, and Melissa is just Pastel's best friend so she can be trusted!

"You can opt out if it's troublesome."

Public is public and private is private, so I'll have surveillance attached since you've already heard the plan.

"I was just thinking of clearing out some pirates for practical experience since my body feels stiff, so this works out well."

Melissa readily accepted.

Uwee.

I don't know how to react when Pastel says she was planning to loosen up her body by killing people.

The southern commander's successor is subtly scary whenever she's like this.

She subtly avoided her gaze.

"Elsior?"

The silver-haired girl nodded.

"I'll do it too. I originally came to the student council to help my sponsor's work anyway."

Uwat.

Coming to help a friend!

Totally kind!

"Great!"

Pastel suddenly stood up from her seat.

She raised both arms high.

"Party formation!"

Oh yeah.

Then she paused realizing something.

Aren't these two on bad terms?

Is this party really okay?

Looking alternately between the two, Melissa lightly drank tea.

"I don't put personal feelings into official work."

Elsior just stirred her teacup without refuting.

"Great!"

Pastel raised both arms high again.

"Party formation!"

Ruins.

Ruins ruins.

It's ruins exploration~!

Yahoo!