#1295 Junior’s Adventure – The President’s Guarantee 

Some time passes after that... 

...Oh, right. During that time, Sensei and Big Sis Belena had already left the scene. 

“It seems our part here is done.” 
“We’ll be waiting for your glorious return at the farm.” 

And with that, they both withdrew. 
Sensei went back to his own dungeon, and Aunt Belena probably headed to the Human Kingdom’s government office to conduct a full investigation into the fraud case. 
Aunt Belena, that is. 

“What’s going to happen to us now?!” 

Ritany clutches her head, collapsing to her knees. 

“To think the Magic Academy was a nest of fraudsters! My dream of becoming the world’s greatest mage is ruined! Goneeeeeeeee!!!” 

If that dream of hers truly comes from wanting to help others, I’m sure it’ll come true someday. 
Just like Sensei said... 

Dreams that aren’t for others’ sake aren’t meant to come true. 

“Why wouldn’t that lady make me her apprentice?! And that skeleton monster too?!” 

Don’t call Sensei a monster. 
Maybe that’s why they left you behind and walked away. 

Aunt Belena’s always busy handling administrative work, and as for Sensei, he has to look after the students at the Farm School. 
You’d think, “Then why not just let her transfer to the Farm School?” but that’s probably a logistical nightmare. A mid-term transfer would mess with the schedule and affect the current students. 

Still, I can’t imagine Sensei and Aunt Belena just abandoning everyone without a plan, so they must’ve arranged something. 
I wait, thinking that, for several minutes... 
Then suddenly, the sound of frantic footsteps echoes down the hall. 

“Doryaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!” 

A sharply dressed, good-looking young man bursts into the classroom. 
Wait... 

“Big Bro Ritheseus?!” 

The same Ritheseus who once studied at the farm, and who now serves as the first President of the Human Republic! 
What’s the leader of the entire nation doing here?! 

“President Ritheseus?” 
“That guy...?!” 
“I’ve seen his portrait, so there’s no mistake about it...!” 

The Magic Academy students start whispering in disbelief. 
I mean, if your country’s president suddenly barged into your classroom, anyone would panic. 

“Big Bro Ritheseus! The Human Republic’s first president! Serving his third term, and everyone says he’s guaranteed to win a fourth! That Ritheseus!!! 
“Stop it! I’m not running for a fourth term! I swear I’m retiring! No matter what!” 

Ritheseus’ leadership is said to be one for the history books. He stabilized the newborn Human Republic in just a few years after its crushing defeat, even though recovery was expected to take decades. 

After completing his first four-year term, he ran for re-election and crushed his opponents by more than double the votes. 

During his second term, he wiped out the old corruption that had infested the Human Kingdom’s government. 

People say that thanks to him, a nation expected to take twenty years to recover did it in ten. 

He finally married Eryngear, after years of postponement despite being engaged, and the ceremony was magnificent. 
I attended the wedding myself, together with my parents. 

Now he even has kids; he’s probably at the prime of his life. 

He’d intended to retire after his second term, but under heavy persuasion, he ran again just to “show up.” 
And then, of course, he won and now serves his third term. 

He’d been fuming at the time, shouting, “This defeats the point of an election!” 
Now. he insists he’ll absolutely not run for a fourth. 

“I’ll fulfill my duties until my term ends, though,” he says. 

That honesty is exactly why people love him. 

But still, what is he doing here? 
Aren’t presidents supposed to be…busy? 

“When I heard you were involved, of course I hurried over. The Adventurer’s Guild sent me the report that you were visiting, but...” 

Ah, so Sarimel actually did her job properly this time. 
Good for her; redemption achieved. 

“But to think you’d get tangled up in trouble this fast... As expected of Lord Saint’s son. Your talent for chaos is just on another level. Like father, like son…!” 

Please don’t make it sound like Dad goes around causing disasters on the regular. 

“That’s not an assumption.” 

… 
…Right. 

“We’d already started an internal investigation into the Magic Academy. It was registered with the government as a private educational institution, so we left it alone. But lately, it started smelling fishy.” 

So, the headmaster had indeed bribed officials to falsify reports. 

“Pathetic. There are still holes in our chain of command, and because of that, crooks can hide in plain sight. I guess our young republic still has a long way to go before it becomes a mature nation.” 
“Does that mean you’ll serve a fourth term to fix that?” 
“I will not!” 

Anyway, once the government had a full picture of the scam, Aunt Belena swooped in. 
In no time at all, she’d uncovered every detail and had every culprit rounded up. 

The Farm Kingdom’s investigative prowess is terrifying. 
They can do whatever they want abroad and still no one dares reprimand them. That’s what’s truly scary. 

“Now then, students of the Magic Scho-” 

It’s “Magic Academy,” Mr. President. 

“Students of the Magic Academy! The fraudsters who exploited your innocent dreams for profit have been arrested. The former elites who backed them are in custody as well.” 

The higher-ups who supported the headmaster got caught too, huh? 

“They were a tricky bunch—old power brokers from the Human Kingdom days. They secured votes, kept getting re-elected, but we finally raised a worthy opponent and managed to unseat them. I thought they’d gone quiet, but no. They tried to rebuild their power by using this Magic Academy.” 

But that became their downfall. 
Now that they’ve committed outright fraud, the law can come down on them hard. If they were still sitting politicians, they might’ve wriggled out somehow. But as private citizens, they’ve got no protection left. 
A perfect time to strike the final blow on these fallen nobles. 

“The remaining question is how we make it up to you, the students, for all your efforts. You’re citizens of the Republic, and this is our territory, so of course, the government will take full responsibility.” 

So that’s why Sensei and Aunt Belena withdrew so easily. 
Helping recklessly doesn’t always help. Knowing where the line is and respecting each nation’s role is what matters. 
Even if their investigation methods did kind of cross the line. 

“Therefore, our current plan is to keep this institution running as a Magic Academy.” 

A cheer rises from the students. 
Their hard work won’t go to waste. They can keep studying and chasing their dreams. 
Good. 

“However, from now on, the new academy will focus only on basic education. We can’t risk widespread training in combat magic as it poses a public safety concern.” 

Fair enough. 

“So, as a new system, students who achieve excellent grades and wish to continue may apply for studying abroad in the Demon Kingdom. We haven’t negotiated with their side yet, so nothing’s certain, but I’ll do what I can to make it possible.” 

That way, they’ll be able to receive proper, full-fledged magic training over there. 
A more efficient and specialized curriculum. 
I can’t help but think that official government support really is powerful stuff. 

“Yes! My dream of becoming the world’s greatest mage lives on! ...No, if I can study abroad in the Demon Kingdom, my dream just got one step closer to reality!!!” 

Ritany beams with joy. 
Good for her. 

“Now then... Junior, as for you...” 

Huh? Me? 
Wait, I didn’t… do anything illegal, right?! 

“No, nothing like that. But we can’t just let Lord Saint’s son visit and not do anything for him! Thank goodness the Adventurer’s Guild reported in properly...!” 

Big Bro Ritheseus exhales in relief, visibly tense. 
Was it really that close of a call? 

“If word got out that we ignored Lord Saint’s son, what would the Demon King or the Mermaid King say?! Anyway, now that you’ve set foot in the Human Republic, we’ll give you the warmest welcome possible! For the honor of our nation!!!” 

Ehhh?