Chapter 274: The President’s Favor

There were certain advantages to being personally sponsored by the president of the Thirteenth Society.

Ilya discovered the first one on Monday morning, when a society attendant delivered a polished wooden case to his classroom.

Inside were a silver insignia, a membership certificate, and a key bearing the society’s thirteen-star emblem. An accompanying letter explained that the key granted access to the Old Astronomical Hall’s private reading rooms during approved hours.

Apparently, membership came with benefits.

Garen was delighted when he saw it.

"You got a key already? I still need someone to accompany me whenever I enter the engineering workshop!"

"Then you should’ve chosen a more generous sponsor."

"I didn’t choose mine!"

Tristan examined the insignia with interest. His own sponsor had provided access to several private academic collections, although he hadn’t received permission to use the society’s facilities independently.

The distinction was understandable. Different sponsors offered different opportunities, and the president presumably possessed greater authority than ordinary members.

Still, Ilya wondered whether the preferential treatment served another purpose.

The society’s leadership had been unusually interested in him since the first gathering. He had attributed that attention to his family background and recent accomplishments, but the president’s personal sponsorship suggested something more deliberate.

Fortunately, there was an easy way to find out.

The accompanying letter included an invitation to meet his sponsor that afternoon.

Ilya accepted.

The society’s president received him in a private study overlooking the western courtyard. The room contained several shelves of books, a writing desk, and a large window overlooking the academy gardens.

The president welcomed him warmly and offered refreshments before beginning their conversation.

"I’ve been looking forward to speaking with you, Belozersky. Your performance during our preliminary activities was impressive."

"Thank you. I enjoyed them."

"I’m glad. Some candidates find our methods unnecessarily complicated."

Ilya could understand why.

The society had spent several gatherings testing negotiation, judgment, and social influence before allowing its candidates to become members. For students accustomed to ordinary academic examinations, the process might seem rather excessive.

However, the exercises had also demonstrated something useful.

Talented individuals didn’t necessarily cooperate well simply because they possessed impressive accomplishments.

The president seemed pleased when Ilya mentioned that observation.

"Precisely. We place considerable importance on how members interact with one another. Knowledge and ability are valuable, but influence is often determined by relationships."

Ilya agreed.

He had encountered similar principles throughout his upbringing. House Belozersky’s military strength depended on far more than the abilities of individual knights, and his experiences at SkyRune had demonstrated how valuable cooperation between researchers could become.

Nevertheless, he remained curious about the society’s internal arrangements.

"May I ask something about the membership charter?"

"Of course."

"The Principle of Reciprocity. What happens when someone wants to leave but still has outstanding obligations?"

The president seemed unsurprised by the question.

He explained that members were free to resign at any time, although agreements involving specific services or resources remained subject to their original conditions.

For example, a student who borrowed expensive equipment would still be expected to return it after leaving the society.

Likewise, someone who accepted financial assistance under a repayment agreement couldn’t simply abandon that responsibility by resigning.

Those examples were reasonable.

However, Ilya wanted to understand how less tangible obligations were handled.

"What about academic recommendations or introductions? Those don’t have an obvious monetary value."

"Such matters are evaluated according to the original agreement and the circumstances surrounding it."

"And if the parties disagree?"

"The appropriate committee reviews the matter."

Ilya had expected that answer.

The president elaborated that most disputes were resolved through negotiation. The society rarely required formal intervention, particularly because its members understood the importance of maintaining good relationships.

He also emphasized that coercion was prohibited under the charter.

That was reassuring, although rules and their enforcement were two separate matters.

For now, Ilya had no evidence that the society violated its own principles.

He accepted the explanation and moved on.

The president then introduced the practical benefits of sponsorship.

As his personal candidate, Ilya could request introductions to accomplished members, access selected academic collections, and propose collaborative projects for consideration by the society’s committees.

The privileges were impressive.

However, the president also expected something in return.

"I’d like your assistance with a matter concerning our internal records."

Ilya had anticipated a request.

"What sort of matter?"

"Several of our committees have experienced disagreements concerning the allocation of resources. I’d appreciate an independent review."

The president explained that the society’s rapid expansion had created administrative difficulties. Certain committees received more funding than others, while some members complained that their contributions weren’t being properly recognized.

He wanted Ilya to examine the existing arrangements and recommend improvements.

It was a reasonable request.

Ilya possessed experience with academic research, and his recent involvement with SkyRune had exposed him to several practical aspects of resource allocation.

However, he wasn’t particularly interested in becoming the society’s unpaid accountant.

"I can review the records," he agreed. "But I have coursework and other responsibilities, so I can’t promise an extensive investigation."

"Of course. Your academic obligations come first."

The president appeared satisfied.

He instructed Margarethe to prepare the relevant documents and thanked Ilya for his willingness to assist.

Their meeting concluded pleasantly.

Nevertheless, as Ilya departed, he found himself considering the assignment.

An organization capable of attracting talented students from across Holy Trinity should possess enough competent members to review its own finances.

Why ask someone who had joined only a few days earlier?

There were several possible explanations.

Perhaps the president wanted an impartial perspective.

Perhaps the task was another evaluation.

Or perhaps certain members distrusted one another enough that an outsider’s judgment would be easier to accept.

Whatever the reason, Ilya intended to examine the records before drawing conclusions.

The opportunity was interesting.

And unlike the society’s earlier exercises, this assignment involved real resources and actual consequences.

That made it worth approaching carefully.

The following afternoon, he met Tristan and Garen in one of the academy’s study rooms.

Both had begun taking advantage of their new memberships.

Tristan had obtained access to several historical military documents, while Garen had already spent hours experimenting with the engineering committee’s fabrication equipment.

Unfortunately, his enthusiasm had produced an unexpected problem.

"I think I’ve agreed to help with three different projects."

Ilya regarded him with sympathy.

"Congratulations. You’ve discovered employment."

"Unpaid employment!"

Tristan seemed amused.

He’d warned Garen that accepting too many favors could create obligations, but the commoner had been too excited about the workshop’s equipment to listen.

Fortunately, none of his commitments appeared unreasonable.

Most involved ordinary assistance with construction, testing, and maintenance.

Still, Garen had begun keeping a written record of the hours he owed.

Ilya considered that a sensible precaution.

Tristan then mentioned an interesting detail concerning his own sponsor.

Several members of the society’s historical committee had access to documents that weren’t ordinarily available to students. The collections included privately donated records, personal correspondence, and copies of military reports obtained through family connections.

Some were genuinely valuable.

However, access depended heavily on sponsorship.

An ordinary member couldn’t simply request any document.

Their sponsor had to approve the request, and certain materials required additional permission from the committee.

That arrangement wasn’t inherently unreasonable, particularly when private collections were involved.

Nevertheless, it demonstrated how much influence senior members possessed over the opportunities available to newcomers.

Ilya shared the details of his own assignment.

Tristan immediately recognized its significance.

"The president wants you to examine the society’s resource allocation?"

"Apparently."

"That’s unusual. Financial records are generally restricted to trusted officers."

Garen appeared interested.

"Maybe he wants to make you treasurer."

"I’ve been a member for three days."

"Fast promotion."

Ilya wasn’t convinced.

The president had specifically requested an independent review, suggesting that he wanted someone without existing loyalties to the society’s committees.

That made sense.

Still, Tristan advised him to establish the scope of the assignment before reviewing anything confidential.

Ilya agreed.

He had no intention of accepting responsibility for problems he hadn’t created.

Their discussion continued until a messenger arrived with the promised documents.

Margarethe had prepared several summaries covering committee expenditures, resource requests, and the distribution of membership contributions over the previous academic term.

The records were organized carefully.

At first glance, nothing appeared particularly unusual.

The engineering committee consumed the largest share of equipment funding, while the academic committee spent heavily on research materials and private collections.

Other expenses included maintenance, events, and administrative supplies.

Garen seemed offended by the engineering committee’s reported expenditure.

"That’s all they spent? Where did the rest of the money go?"

Ilya examined the figures.

The committee had received several donations that weren’t included in the ordinary membership budget. Those donations had apparently been recorded separately.

That was reasonable accounting practice.

However, it meant the summaries didn’t provide a complete picture of the organization’s resources.

He noted the distinction and continued reading.

Several entries concerned reciprocal obligations between committees.

The engineering committee had provided equipment to the academic committee in exchange for access to certain research materials.

The historical committee had arranged private introductions for several members in return for assistance organizing scholarly events.

Most exchanges appeared straightforward.

Then Ilya encountered an entry involving a substantial allocation of resources to an unnamed project.

The expenditure had been approved by the president’s office and recorded under a restricted committee designation.

There was no accompanying explanation.

Tristan noticed the entry as well.

"That’s rather vague."

"It might be confidential research."

"Possibly."

Garen examined the amount.

Whatever the project involved, it had consumed enough resources to finance several ordinary engineering experiments.

Ilya checked the surrounding entries.

The expenditure had been approved through the society’s established procedures, and the records contained the required signatures.

There was no evidence of wrongdoing.

However, if he was expected to review resource allocation, he would need to understand what the money had been used for.

He added the entry to his list of questions.

For now, it was simply another unexplained item in a collection of otherwise ordinary accounts.

Nevertheless, the president had given him access to the records for a reason.

And Ilya intended to make proper use of that opportunity.