Chapter 15: Princess Mia...Recognizes Her F.A.T.

“Mmm...” Mia woke up to find herself in a clean bed. “Where...? Ah, I’m in the treatment room.”

Saint-Noel Academy, which gathered young nobles from all nearby nations, had an exceptional medical care system in place. This should come as no surprise, considering the one who enabled the proliferation of continent-wide medical care through the establishment of treatment centers was none other than the Central Orthodox Church. As its place of origin, the Holy Principality of Belluga was home to a wealth of medical knowledge accumulated over the ages.

Perhaps as a result of receiving such state of the art care, Mia felt completely refreshed and hopped out of bed. “Hmm... I have to hand it to Saint-Noel Academy. Their medical treatments are superb.”

...Or it could be the result of her not having needed any treatment in the first place. She’d fainted from the sight of blood, but Abel had caught her during her fall. Without any injuries to speak of, they’d simply laid her in a bed.

A girl who noticed her waking walked over. “Ah, you’re awake. How are you feeling, President Mia?”

“Hm?” Mia’s eyes widened. “My, you’re...Tatiana? What are you doing in a place like this?”

Her surprise was met with an awkward smile from Tatiana. “Um, I’m doing an experiential program here in the treatment center, actually. My father is a doctor, so I have some interest in the facilities here...”

“My, your father is a doctor? I see... Oh, that reminds me! Where’s Bel?” She hastily looked around.

“Ah, Grand— Miss Mia. You’re awake.” As if on cue, Bel walked in the door, followed by Citrina and Anne. They’d been waiting in the next room over. “Hee hee, look, Miss Mia. I got Tatiana to do my bandages. She was really good at it.” She pointed proudly at her knee, which was covered in a neat layer of bandaging.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Oh, it’s just a scrape. You’re such a worrywart,” said Bel, giggling.

Mia wasn’t entirely convinced. The fact that bandages were used at all suggested to her that the injury was serious enough to necessitate them.

“It bled some, but there’s no problem with the bone, and the wound wasn’t that deep either,” Tatiana explained. Her tone was devoid of her usual meekness; in fact, it brimmed with confidence.

“Well, I can definitely see your father in you. Did you learn all this from him?” Mia asked curiously.

There was a pause before Tatiana answered.

“My father passed away when I was only five, so...he didn’t teach me much. I learned everything I currently know all on my own.”

“My, I’m sorry to hear that... It must have been a lot of work,” said Mia, nodding sympathetically.

Tatiana’s expression, however, did not show sadness. Instead, it hardened with resolve. “President Mia, there’s something I want you to know about.”

With that, she proceeded to tell the story of her relationship with Shalloak Cornrogue.

“I came to Saint-Noel because I wanted to practice medicine like my father, or at least do something medicine-related. But my family was poor... Much, much too poor. Coming here should have been an impossible dream.” Tatiana pressed a hand to her chest as she spoke. “However, thanks to the scholarship program that Master Shalloak created, I got the chance to study here. He even wrote a letter of recommendation to the academy for me.”

“My! Are you serious?”

That surprised Mia.

I’d never have expected such compassion from someone like him, she thought. I mean, he literally worships money. Oh, but then again, he did mention something about giving money to charity to maintain his image... That’s a pretty common thing among the wealthy.

Just as she doubled down on her opinion of Shalloak, Tatiana shook her head as if she’d read her mind.

“I know there’s a lot of hatred for Master Shalloak. Everyone says bad things about him. They all think he’s doing it to improve his image.”

Mia hmphed, impressed by the acuity of the remark.

“But,” Tatiana continued, “he started his scholarship program when he was much younger. At the time, he was still a new merchant.”

“My, I can’t imagine he had much money to spare back then. That must have been a tough cost to manage.”

“It was, but he did it anyway. He said he was thankful for the good business he got to do, so he wanted to give back using his own earnings. There were lots of people like me whose lives were changed by him. He saved us. Some of us who have already graduated dream of becoming a merchant one day because of how much they respect him.”

Interesting... Now this is a very useful piece of information. Oho ho...

Mia continued to listen politely, but on the inside, she was cackling like a maniac. What she’d just heard...was for all intents and purposes, Shalloak’s embarrassing past. It was like some tough-looking pirate being seen talking to his favorite little kitty cat in baby talk. This was prime blackmail material! Absolutely mortifying stuff! The Shalloak of the present would doubtlessly consider this the epitome of youthful indiscretion—a piece of his past that he would try very hard to avoid remembering, for it was completely at odds with his current values. Setting up a scholarship program for the children of poor families he had absolutely nothing to do with? And paying for it out of his own pocket when he wasn’t even very well off? What could such an act possibly represent but compassion? Or kindness? Or sentimentality?

For someone who went on a whole rant about sentimental wish-washing and the pitfall of emotions, he sure did a whole lot of wish-washing and pitfalling himself back in his days, didn’t he? How dare he lecture me about it!

Shalloak, the coldly calculating superhuman who ostensibly was born for money and would die for it...turned out to be neither coldly calculating nor super. He was just a regular man with regular soft spots and regular emotions. In his words, he had weaknesses. Weaknesses that Mia now held in the palm of her hand and could abuse at any time.

She nodded with satisfaction. That Shalloak fellow didn’t seem like someone who’d give up easily. I bet he’ll be back again. And when he is, oho ho... I’m going to poke him right where it hurts the most! What a nice man he is. Oho ho ho ho...

Had she been alone, she’d have let out her best villainess laugh.

“Please, Princess Mia,” said Tatiana in a formal plea. “Please don’t do anything too cruel to Master Shalloak.”

The sincerity of her appeal caused Mia to sense a whiff of danger. The “grateful for his scholarship program” angle might be a problem. After all, he did put in his own money to help poor-yet-capable kids become smarter.

Knowledge was a weapon, and there were currently people with very sharp weapons who felt a great deal of gratitude toward Shalloak. In a situation like this, vilifying him might end up making Mia some very dangerous enemies. This upsetting realization only now dawned on her.

Tatiana herself was a potential hazard. The girl apparently aspired to be a doctor. Mia’s experience with Citrina had taught her that medicine and poison are two sides of the same coin; it only depends on how they’re used. If she were to turn someone like that against her...

The paragraphs of her own death by poison resurfaced in her mind.

I’d assumed it was Rina’s doing, but I just realized it’s totally possible for someone else to have done that.

Finally, Mia realized that she’d gotten far too comfortable.

Ugh, stupid me. I let my guard down completely. I already know I need to be alert and on my toes at all times.

She recalled the events leading up to the past summer. Slacking off on exercise had led to a slight flabbiness of body that was unpleasant. Her swimsuit had struggled to accommodate her newfound F.A.T.

And the same thing was happening again.

Oooh, I’ve done it now. I got too comfortable and let F.A.T. creep up on me. It hit my brain! I’ve gone mentally flabby!

So, after a period of careful consideration, Mia decided to change courses.

“Hmm...” she said, at last responding to Tatiana. “It all depends on how he chooses to act.”

First, she emphasized that the one responsible for deciding how she’d treat Shalloak was ultimately himself. This was technically not a lie. She didn’t want any beef with the man, much less to deepen their hostility toward one another. The prankster in her certainly felt that tormenting him with the dirt she’d just dug up might be fun, but it wasn’t something she was adamant about. With the great famine bearing down on them, this was a critical time. If he chose to lie low and not cause trouble, she’d be more than happy to simply let him.

The thing is, she also had a feeling that he wasn’t the type to give up so easily. If Shalloak continued to interfere with Forkroad & Co.’s business, she’d have to stake her support for Forkroad, thereby maintaining an antagonistic relationship with Shalloak.

Keeping a petty feud going indefinitely with him like this is probably a bad idea. If only there was some way to just...break him. Mia snapped her fingers for effect. Just like that, and make him admit defeat, then this whole problem would be solved... Oh, I know!

A glance at Tatiana’s face gave her a flash of inspiration.

“Let me think... You know, there might be a way to avoid any pointless conflict, but only if you give me a hand.”

“Huh?” Tatiana blinked. “You want my help?”

“That’s right.” Mia nodded, secretly slipping an evil grin into the motion.

Even if I expose him to his face, he might just deny it. But if I bring her with me, it’ll give me a lot more leverage. That way, I can really make him squirm. After all, he can’t play dumb when one of the kids he saved with his scholarships is literally standing next to me! Oh, you nice, nice man. What are you going to do when I introduce Tatiana as my friend? Oho ho... I’m going to corner you, and then I’ll slowly pressure you until you crack.

Shalloak had created his scholarship program in a moment of weakness; he’d succumbed to sentimentality. The incriminating result of that lapse of judgment was currently standing in front of Mia. She’d be a fool not to take advantage of it.

This also had the convenient effect of shifting some of the responsibility onto Tatiana. If her conflict with Shalloak somehow ended up deepening, she could shield herself from Tatiana’s displeasure by pointing out that she had a hand in this too. It was all part of her plan to evade blame.

Oho ho, with so many pieces falling in my favor, Shalloak will probably realize that it’s best for him to back off while his wounds are still shallow. There’ll be much more humiliation waiting for him otherwise.

In war, casualties are greatest between belligerents of similar strength. If there is an overwhelming difference in power at the outset, negotiations could very well lead to one side packing up and going home without any bloodshed. As the princess of a mighty empire, Mia intended to march into battle with vastly superior numbers right off the bat. General Mia the Great had awakened and was flexing her tactical muscles.

I’m already busy enough with the famine. A short, decisive victory is definitely the way to go here. Just march right on in and crush the enemy! Assuming he does try to pick a fight with me, of course. Either way, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.

And so, Mia secured Tatiana’s cooperation as a trump card. However, even she didn’t expect how quickly she’d have to play it.

A few days later, an urgent message arrived from Rania, the Perujin princess.

“Milady, you have a letter from Princess Rania of Perujin Agricultural Country.”

“My, from Rania?” Mia gave a puzzled tilt.

Rania Tafrif Perujin was currently back in Perujin. As their princess, every year around this time, she had to return home to take the lead and supervise their harvest efforts while also acting as a priestess for their Thanksharvest Festival.

“Hm... I wonder if it’s about her ritual dance...”

This year, Mia was supposed to go watch Rania perform the ritual dance to honor the Lord during the Thanksharvest Festival. It was, in fact, the first time she’d been invited to the event. Her friendship with Rania, her establishment of Saint Mia Academy, and her offer of employment to Second Princess Arshia had led to deepening of ties with Perujin—ties which would become exceedingly important over the next few years as famine battered the continent. If possible, Mia preferred an audience with the king as well. Getting to know the man in person would be nice.

Now, while those were all fine and upstanding reasons for visiting Perujin, they were public-facing reasons, representing barely a tenth of her true intentions. The remaining nine-tenths was, of course...

Oho ho, I can’t wait to try all the Perujin cuisine!

...Food. Which should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody.

Perujin, the Holy Land of food. Not to mention the festival is supposed to be giving thanks for the harvest, so there should be tons of amazing dishes. I doubt I’ll even have the words to describe how good everything tastes!

Merely imagining the dizzying array of gastronomic delights that would be on display made her drool. She had to gulp down a mouthful to avoid accidental leakage.

She eagerly flipped open the letter, only to be left speechless at its contents. Apparently, a merchant by the name of Shalloak Cornrogue had approached Perujin with a deal, and Rania felt like he was up to no good.

“Th-That jerk! He really doesn’t learn, does he?!”

Mia gnashed her teeth as she quickly considered the severity of risk posed by this development. At a glance, it didn’t seem particularly worrying. Unlike the previous timeline, she was on pretty good terms with Perujin. She was close enough with Princess Rania to be exchanging letters like these, and recruiting Princess Arshia as a lecturer had further strengthened their bond. Still...

“I think I’d better pay a visit to Perujin...right away.”

It was only a few days ago when she’d appreciated the extent of her negligence-induced F.A.T.—Mental F.A.T., that is. Placing too much trust in the personal connections she’d built up and failing to act would doubtlessly lead to regret. Her newly shaped-up mind determined that this was too risky an issue to ignore. If it turned out that she’d overestimated its danger, then so be it. But if she was right in her assessment, this would potentially be an empire-toppling crisis.

“Plus, everything’s a matter of perception. I can also think of this as ‘the earlier I go, the more Perujin cuisine I get to eat.’ You know what? This might actually be a good thing!”

The shaping up of one’s mind was at times inversely correlated with the shaping up of one’s body.

“Can I go too, Miss Mia?”

Bel, the little eavesdropping pixie, pattered over and fixed Mia with a surprisingly serious look.

“Oh? Why do you want to go?”

“I want to go see that merchant named Shalloak. I’m a little curious about the way he thinks.”

“Is that so? Interesting.” Mia pursed her lips.

To be completely honest, he’s not the kind of person I want Bel to be around...but it’s rare for her to express interest in something like this. Also, his personality aside, it’s true that the man is a top-notch merchant... It might be beneficial for her to see firsthand how I outmaneuver a seasoned businessman like him.

With that thought in mind, she studied Bel’s face. Seeing that Bel’s expression was completely serious, she nodded. “I thought you might be using this as an excuse to run away from your exams before the summer, but I see that I’m wrong. You seem to have a proper reason of some sort.”

“Huh? O-Oh, uh, o-o-of course I do. Aha ha.” Bel cleared her throat. “Oh, Grandmother Mia, please. I’d never try to run away from an exam. I mean, sure, I really want to avoid doing remedial tests this summer so I can have more time with Rina, but that doesn’t mean I’ll run away from my problems. As a princess who shares the blood of the Great Sage of the Empire, that would be disgraceful. Besides, I consider the exams an important chance for me to demonstrate how much I’ve learned from the study sessions you’ve been doing with me...”

Bel spoke with the characteristic rapidness of someone stringing a whole lot of excuses together on the spot. The sight of her granddaughter’s firm commitment to the principle of “when push comes to shove, just run away” reminded Mia of her own tendencies. She bit her lip. It was definitely a moment of mixed feelings.

“Okay, okay, fine. But just so you know, you’re not getting away from your exams, all right?” she said with a tone of finality before remembering something else. “Oh, right... I need to bring Tatiana with me too!”

Her conscience quivered uncomfortably at the thought of asking Tatiana to sacrifice her studying time to come with her on the trip, but she couldn’t afford to leave her trump card behind.

“He’s apparently important to her, and I’m asking her to come along to minimize the amount of fighting I’ll have to do with him, so it should be fine...”

Thus, Mia departed Saint-Noel accompanied by Bel and Tatiana. Ludwig joined her en route and the group made their way to Perujin Agricultural Country.