Red Sea (1)
The protagonist was met with a cold stare from the princess.
The tense atmosphere, which had been chillingly one-sided, seemed to ease only after my belated intervention.
Perhaps it was because of the two people who were not supposed to meet in the original story.
In my heart, I wanted to watch with endless interest, but at this rate, Regia might really burst into tears, so I stepped forward.
I spoke lightly.
"Please find it in your heart to forgive. It's not good to cause trouble for others."
My voice resonated calmly.
Though it was clearly gently chastising, the girl merely frowned and glared at me.
As if annoyed, she snapped a remark.
"...Are you taking sides now?"
Oh dear.
Was she turning her target so soon?
It was an irritated gaze.
At the same time, it carried a strange sense of disappointment.
Though her prickly response could have been wounding, I calmly consoled the girl without a hint of agitation.
After all, soothing upset children was almost second nature to me.
"Whose side would I take? Both of you are precious connections to me."
I gently patted her head.
The red hair tickled my fingertips.
As I stroked the softly scattering petals, a slight murmur of concurrence slipped from her lips.
I was lightly accepting her continued grumbling.
"It's not like this petting is going to make it go away..."
"Hehe."
A pouting reaction.
Rose retorted with a dissatisfied expression.
"You said you were on my side once."
"Of course, I am on your side."
"But excluding that commoner you hide behind your back."
"But Your Highness, you know it was a misunderstanding. I don't think it's right to bully Regia for no reason in this situation."
"I wasn't really trying to bully her...?"
"Bullying doesn't always have to be intentional. Especially when there's such a huge social gap between the two of you. What might have been simple pressure to Your Highness could have been a great fear for Regia."
"Nag, nag... You talk too much."
"This is also advice for your own happiness. You need to learn how to live with others."
"You never lose an argument."
"Because I'm sincere."
I put on a gentle smile.
"......"
Elize looked up at me silently, then sighed as if she had lost and muttered.
Her eyes turned slightly to the shrunk pink.
"...I'm sorry. I was just annoyed and acted out of line."
"Y-yes?"
"I apologize if I offended you."
"Y-Your Highness?! I'm fine, you don't need to bow your head for something like that...!"
A casual apology from the rose.
She could have been stubborn since she was an easy target, but she readily admitted her mistake.
Perhaps it was a reflection of her inherent goodness.
Having been trapped in a cage for over a decade, she was just clumsy in dealing with people, not harboring ill will or bullying them.
Even with her thorns, she was ultimately a flower.
"Fufu."
I smiled faintly.
As I gently stroked their heads, a shadow standing beside me suddenly poked my shoulder.
It was Emilia, who had been watching the situation from the side.
Her transparent pupils reflected me.
The pink and red obediently receiving my touch.
Seeing the girls who had become tame, the villainess suddenly let out a complicated sigh.
Her gesture of shaking her head contained resignation.
"Sigh... You really are."
"Lady?"
"It's nothing. I just want you to know that you're a very sinful person."
"Oh my~ I'm one of the most sinful people in the Empire."
"...It doesn't sound like a joke at all when you say it. Can you please stop with the silly jokes?"
"I wonder."
Is it really a joke?
When I made that face, a startled reaction came back.
A noisy atmosphere followed.
We chatted and walked along the Academy street.
The air, which had become noisier with more people, made me realize that I was beside them with every step.
I savored the enjoyment for a moment.
"I saw the match earlier. It was an unprecedentedly powerful ability."
"I-I'm honored...!"
"I can see why the doctor took notice."
"I heard rumors... but I didn't know you could really control a wyvern. Why were you so helpless last time?"
"During the last test... well, something happened."
"You weren't holding back, were you? I believe you wouldn't do that against me."
"O-of course not...!"
A casual conversation.
Being among such high-ranking people, the only commoner was at a loss and could only sweat.
Especially with the princesses, she seemed to be awkward.
She was agitated by a few simple compliments.
Of course, to an outsider, it looked like a harmonious friendship.
Is this why they say life is a tragedy up close and a comedy from afar?
I watched the comedy.
"Come to think of it."
A voice suddenly returned.
It was the villainess again.
"Everyone's done with the practicals, right? Class A's dates were all on the first day."
"That's right."
"Now the only one left with a schedule is you?"
Was she asking about the staff competition?
Since it was an event scheduled for a few days later, it seemed to be a hot topic among the students.
In a way, it was something to enjoy.
It was rare to see a match between professors or teaching assistants.
It wasn't strange for expectations to be high.
"I'm going to take it easy."
"I don't know what 'easy' means to you..."
"Fufu."
I gave a vague answer.
As we were walking and talking about various topics, I suddenly noticed a group of students gathered and buzzing.
They were standing in a circle as if they were watching something.
Was there something to see?
Before I could even get interested.
"Um, excuse me... Professor Selena is here?"
The protagonist's words informed me of the situation first.
I belatedly looked around.
Indeed, my master was there.
Students watching from afar, and a woman with purple hair standing in the center of the onlookers.
As always, she had a tired look on her face.
'The person in front of her is...'
She was facing someone.
Her pupils were blurry as if she was drunk again, but the light in her eyes as she glared at the person in front of her was not faded.
Recognizing the person, I quietly muttered.
"Professor Kadel...?"
The person with the widest influence among the current faculty members and a candidate for the next head professor.
At the same time, he was in a confrontational relationship with Selena.
I couldn't help but tilt my head at the sight of the two facing each other.
'What is it?'
Why is she confronting that guy?
***
Kadel Evans.
After Selena's downfall as head professor, he was the person with the most extensive influence and support.
He was also a young man who was mentioned as the next head professor.
A capable person who, despite his young age, was the mainstay of the academy.
Currently, he was confronting a drunkard.
"Professor Selena."
"......"
The story that the two had a bad relationship was famous from before.
Kadel had formed a faction among the faculty members to ostracize her, and Selena also seemed to be bothered by him, who constantly picked fights with her.
Until last year, the two had constantly clashed and confronted each other.
Recently, they had not shown any particular conflicts, but even that fragile peace was broken today.
Kadel, who had been silent all along, had declared war.
"You haven't forgotten that there's a competition in a few days, have you?"
The reason was the date of the competition that was just around the corner.
After the drunkard's downfall.
The young man was waiting for an opportunity.
An opportunity to completely remove the rival who had been bothering him.
It was good timing.
"We happen to be matched up, don't we? It's like a rat in a trap."
Although.
The top student of the first year, who was evaluated as an unprecedented talent, had become Selena's direct subordinate, but that alone could not overturn the declining faculty's position.
No matter how talented he was, he was still an unripe student.
It was a fight that could be ended by being crushed by the one with stronger authority.
Kadel spoke with a fishy smile.
"We owe you one from last time."
He mentioned the incident from two months ago.
The incident where the top student of the second year was challenged to a duel by a snake and ended up dancing in front of the whole school, suffering humiliation.
He was talking about Ian Ternado, Kadel's chief assistant.
"This competition will be a revenge in many ways."
"Is that so?"
"It is."
"I'm not the type to hold grudges like that."
"It's good to see you so relaxed. But I must say this. You can never match me in force."
"......"
A provocation filled with a deep sneer.
It was a clearer and louder voice than when pronouncing other sentences, perhaps to be heard by the students watching around.
Selena could only frown at the blatant intention.
Of course, it was true.
Kadel was one of the strongest among the faculty members, in the top three. It was an unfavorable matchup for Selena, who majored in illusion magic.
She was the type who was recognized when scribbling with a pen rather than with violence.
The matchup was not good for a physical fight.
"What can you do with that illusion magic?"
It was a fact.
However, in mentioning that fact, there was an impure intention to demean the opponent.
He intended to embarrass her in front of the students.
"This time, I'm going to crush you thoroughly. The student you recently took in will be no exception."
"How petty."
"Don't we need to teach the students? What happens when you meet the wrong teacher."
"You still have that nasty habit of disguising your small-mindedness as education."
The long-standing bad blood between the two.
Now, the flames had spread to their direct subordinates, and it was burning into a more complicated problem.
As the atmosphere reached its peak.
"Excuse me."
Suddenly, there was a shadow that broke through the surrounding crowd and squeezed between the two professors.
He greeted them with a meaningful smile.
"Good afternoon to you both."
Dull gold hair.
Suspiciously narrowed eyes.
Lastly, a neat suit.
His distinctive appearance spoke his name.
Judas Snakus. It was none other than Selena's chief assistant, who had just been mentioned.
***
"Good afternoon to you both."
A relaxed greeting.
Perhaps it was because the student they were just talking about had popped out.
I stared at the two hesitant professors.
Originally, I was just going to watch quietly, but what I heard was quite infuriating, so I automatically stepped forward.
Professor Kadel, who had been dazed for a moment, opened his mouth.
"A sudden appearance. Good afternoon, Student Judas."
Should I say he's shameless?
Kadel responded to the greeting without any wavering.
"What's the matter?"
"I heard an interesting story nearby."
"It's not something a student should intervene in."
"But I can't stay silent when my master is being insulted."
"Hmm."
I had received a lot of help recently.
Especially the documents about the rose.
I felt like we were on the same side now, and I felt guilty about just wiping my mouth and backing down.
I should at least get rid of this annoying extra.
I glanced back.
Selena was standing there.
She looked annoyed because she was tired, but she didn't seem to have any intention of stopping me from intervening.
She was originally a character who found these kinds of power struggles annoying.
I realized that her silence was a form of agreement, and I decided to confidently counter the opponent's provocation.
Just then, Kadel spoke again.
"It's unfortunate that you refused my recruitment offer last time."
"I'm happy where I am."
"Your talent is wasted. Joining under that woman will be the biggest mistake of your life. You have the potential to reach the stars, you know."
"Whatever happens, that's my concern."
He seemed to be trying to mock us together, but I was no slouch in that area either.
I twisted my lips slightly.
"Besides, I don't think there's anything to learn."
"What did you say?"
"I've already faced your chief assistant. His level was pathetic. It would be a waste of my potential to reach the stars to be under such a teaching, wouldn't it?"
"Ha."
Kadel let out a hollow laugh at my direct counterattack.
Since I had struck a part of his pride, I could see his expression quickly turning cold.
His voice became cold.
"That's a presumptuous statement."
His eyes froze.
"Be aware that you are a student. I don't know how great your talent is, but I can subdue you with a flick of my hand."
Boom-!
A faint noise and a pressure that weighed down the surroundings.
It was an intense killing intent.
If it were an ordinary student, they would have been crawling on the floor.
Selena tried to intervene in the unusual atmosphere, but I reassured her by maintaining a steady attitude.
And I smiled as if to show off.
"Fufu."
A confrontation that continued for a split second.
A heavy silence descended.
Only the autumn wind passed through the gap.
The ominous atmosphere dominated the surroundings for a while, then soon scattered like a handful of ashes.
Perhaps he judged that it would be bad if the situation escalated further.
Kadel was gathering his energy.
"......There's no need to get worked up. We'll face each other in the competition anyway."
The young man brushed his hands as if he had lost interest.
His tone, as if he was doing me a favor, was annoying.
As he turned to leave, I threw a final spark into the spilled oil.
It was something I had to say to someone who was mistaken.
"You know what?"
His tone was like a champion waiting for a challenger.
Even though he had never won once.
He seemed to be under a pretty arrogant delusion for a perennial second-placer.
I decided to correct him.
"I'm just saying this because you seem to be mistaken."
With just one sentence.
"You're the challenger."
""......""
At that moment, everyone's mouths fell open.
The students who were watching around.
Kadel's astonished expression.
Even Selena, who had been expressionless.
In the time that had frozen without any reaction, only I had a bright smile.
I muttered, controlling my automatically twisting lips.
'Ah.'
So exhilarating.
This feeling.
Afterward.
The madman who declared war in front of a professor.
It didn't take long for the news to spread throughout the academy.
It was truly an unprecedented event.
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