Ch#85
Airin had changed into pajamas and was sitting beside Ibi's bed, explaining what had happened.
“……So everyone was watching, Izriella was bawling her eyes out, the others were begging for forgiveness saying they'd done wrong, it was total chaos.”
It was an account of what had transpired after Ibi had left with Clois.
Just as Ibi had been dazed, Airin had also wondered if she was dreaming right after Clois departed.
It wasn't just Airin. Everyone present had been too stunned to move even after Clois left, remaining frozen for quite some time.
Then Izriella suddenly burst into sobs, and her friends clung to Seraphina, crying and pleading, which finally snapped everyone back to reality.
“Everyone, return to your places! This building will be closed for a while, so those who were using it, pack your things!”
With that, Seraphina ordered Izriella and her friends to stay behind.
“Airin, could you stay a moment too?”
“Pardon? Why me?”
“You seem like a party involved as well? Besides, with Ibi gone, there's no one to testify about what happened. It'd be fine if you just explain from what you saw.”
Airin answered immediately.
“Of course! Izriella, she……”
She remembered she had been studying for exams, but that didn't matter now.
Airin told Seraphina everything she remembered.
There was no need to exaggerate. Izriella had been entirely at fault.
“Thank you for telling me. For today, stop studying here too and head back to the dormitory.”
With that, Seraphina pointed to the mirror in the corner of the professor's office.
Airin approached and checked her reflection—her appearance was a mess. It wasn't surprising.
‘I grabbed Izriella's hair and shook her head so much.’
The moment she saw Ibi getting beaten, she had rushed in, yanked her hair, and kicked her.
Izriella had tried to fight back belatedly by grabbing Airin, but Airin wasn't one to take it lying down.
She might look like a princess, but she had an unofficial nickname as the "young fist of the south" for never backing down from a fight.
Even Ruska now openly called her a mad water buffalo.
With her experience, Airin fought well. While Izriella clumsily grabbed at her, Airin targeted painful spots with kicks, pinches, and slaps.
Izriella would have to give up on sleeping comfortably tonight.
Airin returned to the dormitory, washed up, changed clothes, and waited for Ibi.
But no matter how long she waited, Ibi didn't return.
Then she heard crying from outside and went to look—there was Izriella's gang packing their things from their rooms under staff supervision.
No official punishment had been decided yet, so their dormitory rooms were to be left as is.
Not particularly interested in watching longer, Airin turned to go back when students hesitantly approached her.
“Um, Miss Airin. We have some questions about Miss Ibi……”
At the words "Miss Ibi," Airin couldn't hide her scoff.
Until now, it had been fortunate if others even called Ibi by name.
Most referred to her as "that kid," "commoner," "orphanage brat," or "lowly thing."
And now suddenly "Miss Ibi"?
“Ask Ibi yourself when she gets back. I don't know much either.”
Airin replied coldly and returned to her room.
‘They watched amused while Ibi was getting hit, and now it's "Miss Ibi"?’
Grumbling, Airin let out a long sigh.
With the emperor defending Ibi in front of everyone and taking her away like that, how many rumors would now follow her.
‘Ibi's surroundings are going to get even noisier than mine.’
She thought of the students who had clung to her just for being from the Terins family.
It wasn't just her. Ruska and Arcel also grew annoyed by unwanted attention.
Now Ibi would have to live amid that attention too.
“Anyway, from now on, you need to be careful too.”
“Yes.”
Seeing Ibi smile with crinkled eyes, Airin pulled her into a tight hug and patted her back.
Because of the gauze still on her face, Airin had helped Ibi wash her hair in the bathroom earlier.
She had even dried it completely.
“I'll help you, so don't worry too much. Tomorrow morning, at least say hi to Arcel and Ruska that you're okay. Though I bet those two will be waiting in front of the girls' dormitory from dawn even without you saying anything.”
Ibi nodded.
“Then let's sleep now.”
At those words, Ibi let out a small yawn and slipped under the covers. Airin hesitated a moment before asking.
“Can I sleep with you? What if you feel pain at night and I need to call the staff right away…… Or you might get scared remembering what happened during the day……”
Airin's eyes shook even more as she spoke.
She still vividly saw Ibi getting beaten by Izriella earlier.
If only she had arrived a bit sooner, maybe the nosebleed wouldn't have happened.
No, she would have kicked her flying before she could even raise a hand!
Thinking back made her rage boil, tears pricking her eyes.
Even now, recalling it choked her throat and made her hands tremble.
Ibi looked at such Airin, then patted the spot beside her as if to say lie down quickly.
Airin swiftly used a cushion as a pillow and lay down.
“Yeah, with Airin here, I won't be scared. You kicked Izriella flying today!”
“Right? I think I did pretty well.”
Giggling at that, the two chatted lightly for a bit. About how the Main Palace was, what the Imperial Knight Order members were like on the way back, things like that.
Then their responses slowed, and before long, both had fallen asleep, breathing softly with eyes closed.
The soft glow of the mana stone illuminated the sleeping faces of the children holding hands tightly.
* * *
The next day, Seraphina was receiving an uninvited guest who had arrived early in the morning—the Count couple, Izriella's parents.
“How could you do this! She's just a child, locking her alone in an empty building!”
“She's not alone. There are Yeongjae Academy staff in the hallways, and we're responding immediately to any issues.”
Seraphina replied indifferently, covering her repeated yawns.
Though annoyed by her attitude, the Count couple couldn't press harder.
‘It's Seraphina Liddum, after all.’
One of the empire's top geniuses, a powerful mage, and one of the emperor's closest confidants.
And now the dean of Yeongjae Academy.
In short, someone the Counts couldn't win against, and someone they didn't want to antagonize.
“I was about to send official word today, but you came knowing already…… I wonder how the news leaked. Even if I sent a letter, it wouldn't have arrived yet, and I had the academy keep things quiet internally.”
With that, Seraphina smiled brightly at the couple.
“Looks like there's someone in Yeongjae Academy leaking info outside. That's a breach of employment contract.”
At those words, the couple coughed awkwardly and averted their eyes.
Late last night, word of the disturbance at Yeongjae Academy had reached them through various mouths.
“What? The whole family might be barred not just from Yeongjae Academy but even from taking the academy exam?”
Izriella's brother had freaked out the most at those words.
“No way! I have to retake the academy exam next year—what am I supposed to do?!”
He had thrown a fit, demanding his parents go to Yeongjae Academy immediately to sort it out.
The couple wanted to as well.
But Yeongjae Academy wasn't a place one could enter freely to begin with.
And as an affiliate of the imperial palace, trying to barge in could lead to severe punishment.
So they had waited for morning, then rushed to Yeongjae Academy as soon as the palace gates opened, requesting a meeting with the dean.
“Well, this works out better. The matter grew bigger than expected, and writing it all up would make for a long letter, but now that you're here in person, this is easier for me.”
With that, Seraphina gave the couple a rough outline of the incident.
They couldn't sit still while listening.
“Then wasn't it that lowly thing who was at fault?”
“Heavens, the Terins family girl beat our child like that? This insolent……”
Each time, Seraphina pressed her forehead.
She had wondered why Izriella was so stubborn—now she saw she took after her parents.
The couple treated their daughter's wrongs as minor trifles while reacting several times more strongly to the other side's actions.
Izriella was a Yeongjae Academy student too, so Seraphina wanted it resolved well. Even if punishment was inevitable, she aimed for the best possible outcome short of the worst.
However.
Seraphina's patience for patiently explaining was quickly running out.
‘Let's wrap this up quick and sleep.’
She no longer felt the need to show more consideration than necessary.
Reviewing Yeongjae Academy's highest disciplinary levels in her mind, she smiled.
Then the Count shouted.
“Especially that orphan's guardian! Bring them here now! They should take responsibility for the child's actions!”
At those words, Seraphina's smile deepened.
That was just what she'd been waiting for.
