“Canal construction, streetlight installation, landfill construction. Hmm, the budget looks quite tight this month. Argh…!” Michele groaned in agony while going through the mountain of documents.

Tik, tak, tik!

His left hand was busy flicking beads on four different abacuses without stopping for even a second. He could not afford to take a break, as he had to work out the kingdom’s budget, and he had to take into account even a single copper coin to make things work.

This was a glimpse into Michele’s genius and why he was a prodigy in the first place.

“The budget somehow works out thanks to the fifty thousand… fifty thousand—argh! I meant… forty thousand gold His Majesty brought. Ah, maybe I should’ve just asked him for all fifty thousand?”

Siegfried would probably sweat buckets if he could hear Michele right now.

“No, His Majesty is a king, so he needs money to keep up appearances. I guess the budget has to be tightened this time…” Michele would have loved to take all fifty thousand gold to make his life easier, but he decided to let Siegfried have his allowance.

“Yeah, I will be able to somehow make the budget work even without the ten thousand gold as long as His Majesty doesn’t stir up tro...