Ch#80
His Majesty.
In this Harkia Empire, only one person could be addressed that way.
The current emperor, Clois Arellkian Harkia.
"What on earth happened to Ibi to make her look like that...... Ah."
Seraphina, who had rushed in in surprise upon seeing Clois seemingly caught up in something, covered her mouth and froze in place.
'I'm dead!'
She had blurted out "Your Majesty" without thinking because Clois looked entangled in an issue.
Clois had firmly instructed her to be careful, saying he didn't want to reveal his identity until the very end.
Yet she had made such a mistake.
"No, wait, I......"
Seraphina floundered more flustered than when she had failed a massive spell during the war.
At her state, Clois clicked his tongue once and said,
"It's fine. I have no intention of hiding it anymore."
At those words, Seraphina let out a sigh of relief and bowed her head.
"I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's boundless grace."
As she straightened her posture and performed the formal bow of a subordinate to a superior, the room fell silent.
At first, they wondered if they had misheard.
But now it was clear they hadn't, and they had even seen Seraphina bow her head.
The mage known for her difficult personality who never bowed to anyone before becoming dean!
As Seraphina performed the proper courtesy, Arcel and Ruska, who had been hesitating, also knelt on one knee and bowed to Clois.
With Seraphina, Arcel, and Ruska all bowing, no one in the room could even breathe.
The man they thought was Professor Sian Rosen was the emperor.
The professor who had sent Ibi a Mana Stone and even prepared a separate office to teach her.
No one was foolish enough not to understand what that meant.
"Y-Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty!"
The students hurriedly followed Seraphina, Arcel, and Ruska in greeting him, but since they had never properly learned or performed the bow to the emperor, it was a complete mess.
Amid everyone kneeling, one person stood dazed.
Izriella.
"Th-that can't be...... His Majesty the Emperor......?"
It wasn't that she didn't understand the situation. Izriella simply refused to accept it.
In her eyes, she saw Ibi with her flushed face buried in Clois's chest.
The faint red handprint Izriella had left was vivid on her delicate cheek.
"Dean Seraphina, what is the punishment for a student who uses violence against a fellow student within Yeongjae Academy?"
Punishment. That word pierced Izriella's ears.
"It varies by severity, but lightly it's a week of confinement and a reflection essay, and severely it's expulsion."
"Then what level of discipline would this case warrant?"
"This case, you mean......"
"Accusing a fellow student of a crime on mere suspicion without solid evidence, then multiple people using violence against someone far younger."
No one dared raise their head at Clois's voice thick with anger, all staring at the floor.
Everyone's mouths went dry, cold sweat trickling down their backs.
The emperor's voice carried a firm resolve that he would not let this pass lightly.
"As I recall, depending on how badly the other student was hurt, expulsion is possible, after which reapplication to Yeongjae Academy is forbidden. Academy advancement is also impossible for 10 years, and if relatives are involved, the entire family is barred from applying."
Thud.
At Seraphina's words, Izriella collapsed powerlessly to the floor.
It was because the punishments Seraphina had just described were exactly what she would now face.
"N-no, that's not it. I just...... thought she was lying...... so I investigated......"
Izriella muttered incoherently as if losing her mind.
Though much larger than Ibi, she too was just a child in her early teens.
Yet because of her actions, not only expulsion but her entire family would be barred from Yeongjae Academy and even academies in general.
Her family was a longstanding prestigious house in the central region. Her parents took great pride in that fact.
But now she would be expelled, and the entire family barred from advancement.
Beyond connections, who would associate with a family that received such a disgraceful punishment?
"No......!"
Her teeth chattered, her hands trembling.
Izriella's mind flashed to her parents, who always emphasized family honor and were strict with her.
At that moment, Clois spoke again.
"And this student said her brother looked into it for her. Does that count as relatives interfering in Yeongjae Academy's internal affairs?"
"It would require more details, but if she acted based on external information, it likely qualifies."
"Good. Dean, you will personally verify everything related to this incident and administer the discipline."
"Understood."
Seraphina, shedding all her usual levity, bowed to him with a rigid posture.
"Your Majesty! No! Please hear me out! I didn't mean to hit her......!"
As he turned to leave, Izriella finally regained her senses and wailed desperately.
But Clois left the room without once looking back.
Arcel and Ruska hurriedly followed behind him. Airin tried to follow too, but the two signaled with their eyes and hands for her to stay.
Because of that, Airin could only stop in place and watch Ibi being carried away with anxious eyes.
"Ibi......"
No one dared raise their head as he walked.
Those who had watched could become accomplices to Izriella's family with just one word from the emperor.
Fortunately, Clois paid no more attention to those remaining and exited the room.
As he stepped outside the building, Arcel, who had followed, urgently said,
"Your Majesty, Yeongjae Academy's infirmary is this way......"
"No. I'll take her to the Main Palace."
At the words "Main Palace," not only Arcel and Ruska but even Ibi in his arms were startled.
"I'm okay!"
"No. We don't know how bad it is, so it's best to have it properly checked."
With that, Clois hurried toward the Main Palace in the imperial palace, practically running with Ibi in his arms.
* * *
An hour after Yeongjae Academy erupted in chaos, Clois paced back and forth in his office.
Soon, footsteps sounded in the corridor, and a familiar imperial physician entered.
"Your Majesty, the child you brought......"
"How is Ibi?"
Clois cut off the imperial physician mid-sentence with an urgent question.
"No major injuries. However, since her skin is still delicate, the cheek that was struck will bruise and remain discolored for a few days......"
"If that's not a major injury, then what is!"
He raised his voice sharply at the calmly reporting physician but soon regained his composure.
"Sorry. Seeing the child hurt like that and hearing it's not serious made me panic."
"No, Your Majesty. I mistakenly used the imperial knights as the standard. The swelling and bruising should mostly fade in a week. I checked inside her mouth too—no tears, no loose teeth. Another female imperial physician examined her body as well; some areas are slightly swollen or bruised like the cheek, but no bone issues."
"Phew......"
At the reassurance that it would heal in about a week, Clois swept his face.
"Above all, there's something to report. Normally, a child in such a case would faint from shock or be terribly frightened, but...... surprisingly, she's quite calm."
"That's a relief."
"Well......"
The imperial physician cautiously continued.
"......She may be accustomed to such situations. I heard she's from the Orphanage. Perhaps there......"
"No, that's not it."
Clois immediately refuted the physician's opinion.
"Even when she didn't know who I was, she was busy praising and defending her Orphanage director. That can't be the case."
"I see. In any event, the child is stable now. Shall we go see her?"
"Yes."
Clois hurriedly left the office and headed to the infirmary inside the palace.
The moment he knocked and entered.
"Y-Your Majesty!"
Ibi, with thin gauze on her face, was on her knees with her forehead pressed to the floor.
