Chapter 5: Parent-Teacher Conference
The rhythmic sound of footsteps on cobblestones, marching in mechanical unison. The high-pitched clang of metal against metal. And the hoofbeats of horses pulling a large carriage in the center.
The procession of knights, their rough sounds blending together, came to a halt in front of the academy. The knight at the lead dismounted gracefully from his horse and walked towards the reception.
“We’ve come from the royal capital. His Majesty, Queen Lea, and four hundred royal guards. We request entry.”
“Yes, yes. You’re the first appointment of the day. We’ll be keeping all weapons here. Now, please sign in one by one.”
“Hmm, one by one? We don’t have time for such…”
“Sorry, but those are the rules. Here, I’ll lend you the register.”
Handed the notebook, the royal guard hurriedly instructed his subordinates to write their names.
An hour later, King Middleton-Inish-Kilbeggan and his entourage finally entered Fidic Academy.
Teachers and staff members scurried about in a fluster. Students gathered from afar, watching with curiosity.
Amidst this chaos, the royal party followed their guides through the academy.
Because the royal guards needed to check the path ahead, three guides were assigned. One of them was Speyside.
As Speyside gave directions while breaking out in a cold sweat, Middleton nodded magnanimously, his sharp gaze scanning the academy interior.
“…There seem to be quite a few students wandering about. Haven’t classes started yet?”
“C-classes will begin shortly. We had planned for you to meet with the headmaster in the morning, and observe classes in the afternoon…”
“Hmm… I heard we were called here today by a new teacher named Aoi Konominato.”
“Y-yes, that information is correct. My apologies.”
Speyside, his nerves fraying with each word from the king, led them to a reception room on the second floor of the academy.
Opening the heavy double doors to enter the reception room, they found four three-seater leather sofas arranged in a square, with a low table in the center surrounded by chairs.
Headmaster Glen was seated on the furthest sofa, with Aoi standing by his side.
The king and queen entered the reception room, accompanied by only two royal guards.
“Welcome to Fidic Academy. We’re honored by your presence,”
Glen greeted them frankly. The two royal guards tensed at this, but the king raised a hand to stop them and smiled slightly.
“You haven’t changed, Marquis Glen Molt. With you in our country, we need not fear disrespect from the other five great nations. We’re counting on you.”
“Ha ha ha! You flatter this old man too much.”
As the two engaged in this casual exchange, the queen laughed.
“My, aren’t you two friendly? But it’s rude to keep the teacher waiting while you chat amongst yourselves.”
Gently admonished by the queen, the two men laughed sheepishly and turned to look at Aoi.
“So, you’re Aoi Konominato. I am Middleton-Inish-Kilbeggan, King of the Verted Kingdom. I hear you’ll be telling us about my son, the second prince Rocks. I look forward to it.”
As Middleton spoke, Lea stepped forward.
“I’m his wife, Lea Berry-Kilbeggan. It’s nice to meet you.”
Lea smiled warmly and moved to the sofa. Middleton and Lea sat side by side on the sofa, looking at Aoi. Aoi took a seat alone on the opposite sofa.
Looking at the two of them directly, Aoi spoke with a serious expression.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve just recently started working as a teacher at this academy. I’m Aoi Konominato.”
“Hmm.”
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Middleton nodded magnanimously at the self-introduction, and Aoi conveyed the main topic of the day.
“Today, I’ve asked both of you, as parents of Rocks, who is studying magic in the high school division, to come here.”
“…Hmm, is that so? That sounds rather ominous.”
When Middleton raised an eyebrow and asked this, Aoi nodded.
“Yes. Therefore, I will speak to you not as the king and queen, but simply as parents of a student, disregarding your titles.”
At Aoi’s clear statement, Speyside’s face, standing by the door, changed color. His expression stiffened, and the blood drained from his face. Seeing this, Glen smiled wryly in secret.
Meanwhile, Middleton frowned and lowered his chin.
“…I see. I will listen with that in mind.”
In response to Middleton’s words, Lea smiled brightly.
“It’s alright. You’ve heard reports from your son’s friends and attendants, haven’t you? They say Rocks is diligently studying and is even being called a genius within the academy…”
As Lea spoke happily, Aoi shook their head with a sad expression and replied.
“I’m sorry, mother, but that’s not true.”
Lea froze at this outright denial. Similarly, Glen and Middleton, who had been smiling wryly, also froze.
Whether noticing this or not, Aoi continued speaking at their own pace.
“Rocks may indeed have above-average talent in magic. However, he lacks diligence. I wish he would take his classes more seriously, but that’s a separate issue.”
As Aoi stated this matter-of-factly, Speyside looked like he was about to roll his eyes back.
Glancing sideways at Speyside, who was desperately trying to maintain his composure, Middleton opened his mouth with a sour expression.
“…So the boy isn’t studying seriously?”
“No, he isn’t. As far as I know, there have been instances where he has disrupted other students’ studies. Some teachers even refuse to teach Rocks anymore.”
“…Could there be some mistake? This is quite different from the reports we’ve received.”
To Middleton’s response, Aoi replied, “There is no mistake.”
“While that is also a problem, there’s another matter I wanted to discuss today.”
Saying this, Aoi proceeded to tell them about Rocks’s daily behavior and rough conduct, without any lies or deception. Apart from Speyside excusing himself due to feeling unwell and leaving the room midway, only Aoi’s voice calmly reporting the facts echoed in the room.
“That’s all. Do you have any questions?”
By the time Aoi asked this, Middleton’s face had taken on a terrifying expression, and Lea looked like she was about to cry. Glen, meanwhile, had become expressionless.
In the silent room, Aoi nodded to themselves.
“Since there seem to be no questions, I’ll discuss our future plans.”
“…Wait a moment.”
As Aoi was about to continue, Middleton spoke in a low voice. The two royal guards broke out in a cold sweat.
“What is it?”
When asked, Middleton glared at Aoi with a bitter expression.
“…This Shenley, the viscount’s child that Rocks is bullying. Is there no possibility that they were the original cause? Shouldn’t we hear the circumstances from our son as well, not just from that child…”
“Regardless of the reason, it’s unacceptable to injure a classmate with magic. Ganging up on the weak is wrong, not just for royalty or nobility, but as a human being. Also, it’s wrong to look down on beastkin or mock lower nobility and commoners just because one is royalty. Using magic against teachers is also wrong. Don’t you agree?”
As Aoi stated this with an icy gaze, Middleton lowered his chin and fell silent.
Glancing at Middleton, who could say nothing, Lea opened her mouth with a face on the verge of tears.
“I can’t believe our boy would bully girls. Is there any evidence? In an academy that attracts attention from the six great nations, if a royal scandal spreads, it could diminish that country’s influence. There might be someone who thinks that…”
As Lea appealed in a tearful voice, clearly confused, Aoi coldly said “No” in denial.
“Precisely because the eyes of the six great nations are upon us, any clumsy scheming would be self-defeating. However, if you still can’t accept this, I’ll show you the evidence.”
The two stared in amazement at Aoi, who had frozen Rocks’s flame spear and turned the surroundings into an ice world, momentarily forgetting their initial purpose.
Aoi, unbothered, continued the screening.
In the image projected on the wall of the reception room, Rocks was shouting at Aoi, calling them a “monster.”
“As you can see, Rocks’s behavior towards teachers is…”
As Aoi began to say this, Glen raised his hand energetically and called out.
“Yes! Aoi! What on earth is that!?”
As Glen fired off his question with such force that he seemed about to pounce, Aoi instinctively took a defensive stance. With both hands out in front like a feline, Aoi furrowed their brow and spoke.
“…This is an original magic combining elementary water and fire magic. The drawback is that I can only transcribe images from my own perspective, but I have prospects for improving it.”
“Oh…”
At Aoi’s matter-of-fact tone, Glen held his head and leaned back in his chair.
“You’ve gone and created something again, and you can even improve it further… Really, what on earth is this girl… Could she actually be a demon lord or something?”
“What?”
“It’s nothing.”
As the two engaged in this exchange, Middleton, who had finally regained his composure, cleared his throat and pointed at the image.
“…Let’s set aside this terrifying magic for now. That flame magic Rocks used, do you know what it is?”
Aoi let out a light sigh and shook her head in response to the serious question.
“I don’t know. However, I can make a guess. When using that magic, Rocks held a dagger in his hand, imbued it with magical power, and activated the spell without an incantation. In other words, it can be assumed that the dagger is a tool that activates magic just by channeling magical power into it.”
Upon hearing this, Glen’s eyes lit up, and he raised his face.
“What!? Could it be a lost relic?”
Middleton nodded slightly to the astonished Glen.
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