Chapter 239 - Loretto’s Visit

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"Yes, please come in."

I answered with a feeling, almost as if I had become someone important, and the butler quietly opened the door and bowed his head.

"Lady Aoi. I have brought the guests."

"Thank you."

I must not misunderstand. I kept catching myself nearly mistaking my position with the facilities and treatment in this building, but I was nothing more than a mere teacher.

I reminded myself of that and gave a polite reply.

Then, as the butler stepped back while still holding the door handle, Loretto entered first. He always had a stern look, but today his expression was more troubled than usual. Shortly after, Tis and the timid-looking man followed him inside.

"It's been a while, Aoi."

"Good to see you again. It seems Tis is with you as well, but what brings you here today?"

When I asked that, Loretto looked at me with an exasperated expression.

"……I came thinking you might be in trouble, but it seems my concern was unnecessary."

Apparently, Loretto had come to lend a hand to me and Glenn. Since I had not thought we had built such a close relationship, this was completely unexpected.

As I stood there confused and unable to answer immediately, Tis, standing behind Loretto, spoke up.

"U-um, Professor Aoi. It's been a while. Dean is always in your care."

"Tis. Good to see you again."

I responded to Tis' greeting first. Normally Tis had a much more rigid personality, but with Loretto nearby, she seemed unable to act in her usual manner. I watched the somewhat hesitant Tis with a sense of curiosity, then looked at the man standing beside her. Tis then gave a start and gestured toward him with her palm.

"Oh, I'm sorry for the late introduction. This is my husband, and Dean's father, Coram Stone. He is also the head of the Stone baronial house, technically."

When Tis said that, the man called Coram bowed respectfully.

"……Pleased to meet you, Professor Aoi. I am Coram Stone."

"Pleased to meet you. I am Aoi Konominato."

We exchanged greetings with the awkwardness typical of a first meeting. After confirming that, Tis furrowed her brows and spoke.

"Well, I thought it might be presumptuous of us, but we heard that Dean Glenn and Professor Aoi had come to this city, and we visited in the hope that we might be of some assistance to you. Unfortunately, the Stone family does not hold much power, and it just so happened that Duke Black had received a letter from Fiddiq Academy around the same time, so I imposed on him to accompany you here."

Tis nervously and frantically explained the circumstances.

"……A letter? Did both of you receive letters from the academy?"

I caught something that piqued my interest and asked back. Coram gave a slight nod and spoke.

"Yes…… The Kingdom of Karvan regularly dispatches diplomats to the Five Great Nations. Fiddiq Academy is also among their destinations. We had been exchanging letters through those diplomats. And that letter arrived this morning……"

Coram said that and glanced at Tis, who nodded and looked at me.

"In that letter, it said that Professor Aoi had departed for the Kingdom of Karvan……"

At their words, I tilted my head and voiced my question.

"I see. But how did you find this place based on that letter alone?"

When I asked, Loretto crossed his arms and answered instead.

"Well, any noble of the Kingdom of Karvan could have guessed that much…… In any case, let's sit down and talk."

Loretto snorted and muttered that, and I hastily stepped back.

"Forgive me. Please, everyone, have a seat."

I said that and guided them toward the sofa, urging them to sit. Everyone obediently followed and sat down on the sofa, and as if on cue, the door was knocked on again from outside.

"Is this a good place? Oh, Lord Loretto! It's been a while!"

"Marquis Glenn. You seem more energetic than I expected."

They exchanged brief greetings, and Glenn also moved to the sofa and sat down. He glanced briefly at Tis and Coram, so I decided to fill him in.

"This is Tis and Coram, Dean's parents."

When I told him that, Glenn broke into a beaming smile and nodded deeply.

"Oh, Dean's parents! Well, he is becoming the finest lightning magic user among all the students at Fiddiq Academy. Dean has a very promising future ahead of him, you two."

Glenn said that cheerfully, and Tis' eyes welled up with tears. She was likely overcome with emotion remembering the scene from the school festival. Watching Tis hold back her tears from the corner of his eye, Coram smiled.

"……Thank you. He was still quite young, so we worried a great deal, but…… we are glad we enrolled him in Fiddiq Academy."

As Coram expressed his gratitude and Tis fought back her tears, a somewhat somber atmosphere settled over the room. Then Loretto lightly cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders.

"Let's save that conversation for after we've dealt with the main issue. The reason we all came here together is because of the letter Dean sent. According to that letter, Aoi pointed out Prince Jameson's selfishness, struck him down along with his guard Ardbeg together when he resisted, and was ultimately exiled from the Verted Kingdom—is that correct?"

Loretto's explanation felt somewhat off to me, and I tried to speak up, but before I could say anything, Tis frantically objected.

"W-wait a moment. Dean's letter did not say anything that extreme. Besides, the main content of the letter was simply that he was worried Professor Aoi might have offended the Prince."

After Tis offered that clarification, Loretto waved one hand dismissively.

"Ultimately, the wording may differ, but the content remains the same. The question is—regardless of the reason—whether it is true that Aoi thoroughly defeated Prince Jameson and the court mage Ardbeg, and was furthermore expelled from Fiddiq Academy."

Loretto said that and fixed me with a sharp gaze. I met his eyes directly and explained the reason clearly.

"……Jameson used advanced magic within the academy without permission. He also used offensive magic against a faculty member who tried to stop him. Similarly, Ardbeg did not try to restrain Jameson but instead joined him in using magic. Such reckless behavior is unacceptable whether it comes from a noble or a member of the royal family. They committed dangerous acts that could have injured others. They failed to abide by the academy's rules while on campus. These are all things that deserve appropriate punishment."

When I stated that firmly, Loretto pressed his hand against his forehead.

"……I see. Well, that does sound like something the Prince would do. So, do you intend to tell King Raid exactly what you just told me?"

"Of course. In fact, members of the royal family should possess more decency than common citizens. I intend to make that point clearly to His Majesty as well—"

As I was answering his question, Loretto shook his head from side to side with a sigh.

"Ah, that's enough. I've understood everything you wanted to say well enough…… So, Marquis Glenn, you also agreed to the Prince's punishment?"

Loretto turned the conversation to Glenn. Glenn smiled wryly and nodded.

"Yes, that's right…… I do regret it just a little. However, Aoi's argument is correct, so I cannot bend to power and twist the truth, can I?"

Glenn said that with a dry laugh. In response, Loretto snorted and furrowed his brow.

"……It seems Lord Glenn has also fallen completely under Aoi's influence."

"I-is that a good thing?"

"……As an educator, perhaps. But as a noble, I cannot say it is a very skillful move."

Loretto shrugged and answered Glenn's question. Glenn merely laughed in response and did not reply. Watching their exchange from the side, I could not help but furrow my brow.