Ch. 24 - Here Is the Evidence

Rox's spear of flame froze as the surroundings transformed into a world of ice, leaving the king, queen, and Glenn staring in astonishment, forgetting their initial purpose.

Unperturbed, I continued with the screening.

In the projection on the wall of the reception room, Rox was shouting "monster" at me.

"As you can see, Rox-kun's behavior towards teachers is—"

"Yes! Aoi-kun! What is that?!" Glenn raised his hand vigorously and interrupted me.

He looked like he was about to pounce on me.

I instinctively braced myself and held my hands out like a feline. I furrowed my brows and said, "This is an original spell that combines beginner water and fire spells. The drawback is that I can only project it from my perspective, but I foresee it being improvable."

"Oh…"

At my nonchalant explanation, Glenn held his head and leaned back in his chair. "She created another one, and on top of that, it can be improved… What on earth is this girl… Could she actually be a demon lord or something?"

"What?"

"Nothing."

As we had this exchange, Middleton finally regained his composure, cleared his throat, and pointed at the projection. "… Let's set aside that terrifying spell for now. Do you know what the fire spell Rox used is?"

I sighed lightly and shook my head. "I do not. However, I can make a guess. When using that spell, Rox-kun infused mana into the dagger in his hand and cast the spell without chanting. In other words, I hypothesize that the dagger is an artifact that activates a spell when infused with mana."

Glenn raised his head, his eyes sparkling. "What did you say?! Could that be a lost artifact?"

Middleton nodded slightly at the astonished Glenn and explained, "That's right. That artifact alone can turn the tide of a battle. It is one of the four artifacts possessed by our country."

I nodded several times before murmuring, "… Artifact."

Middleton looked at me. "The danger of artifacts lies in the fact that anyone with sufficient mana can unleash intermediate or higher magic without chanting. This ability means they can be used to assassinate key figures if timed and placed correctly. Countries with many artifacts are invariably strong in war."

Glenn narrowed his eyes. "Information about artifacts is a secret guarded by the royal families of each country. Even if you know an artifact exists, it is still threatening if its magical attributes are unknown. However, Aoi-kun effortlessly dealt with the sudden fire spell, with something greater than advanced water magic, no less. This is—"

"We will discuss that later." I cut off what seemed to be a lengthy speech, sat upright, and dismissed the projection. "We are here to discuss Rox-kun's usual behavior and violent actions. The topic of war tools is irrelevant."

My firm declaration left Glenn and Middleton wide-eyed.

In the now quiet room, my words echoed. "Rox-kun's behavior stems from excessive royal pride. He believes that royalty is superior to others and looks down on everyone else. Is this due to your teachings?"

Middleton and Rhea were at a loss for words.

After exchanging complicated looks, Rhea glanced at me with a wry smile. "… Aoi-san? You should know that disrespect towards royalty is punishable by death. You should refrain from making such strong statements…"

Although Rhea's tone seemed testing, I glared back in response. "This is what’s enabling Rox-kun's misunderstanding. Even royalty are just humans. Insulting non-nobles can easily lead to a swift end if they retaliate. This academy hosts royalty and nobles from other countries. How wise is it for someone, even if they are royalty, to make enemies here?"

My remarks disregarded royalty, causing Rhea's expression to turn cold.

"[Ice Twin Blades, Assassin's Edge]."

At her quiet utterance, a massive amount of mana gathered at her neck.

Three layers of magic circles floated in the air, and enormous ice blades appeared on both sides of the sofa where Rhea and Middleton were sitting. The curved swords, with their thin, rounded blades, were aimed at me.

Watching them unblinkingly, I said, "[Circle of Blazing Heaven, Flare]."

Immediately after, several red trails streaked through the air. The red lines formed circles around me, and the enormous ice blades melted and dissipated upon contact with them.

"Wh-what?!" The excited Glenn started to stand up.

But I stopped him with a single glare. "Please don't move. Touching these red lights is potentially fatal. I can’t dispel them for ten seconds."

Hearing that, Glenn slowly sat back down, sweating

In the silent room, I looked at the speechless Middleton and Rhea. "Forgive me for saying that. Just now, you were on the brink of death. King Middleton, Queen Rhea, your royal status did not protect you from a commoner like me. Of course, if I did such a thing, I would have to leave this country and probably go to a nation hostile to the Verted Kingdom, perhaps even joining in their wars."

When I finished speaking, my spell’s effect ended, and the light vanished.

Silence reigned for a few seconds.

Finally, Middleton said, "It's our loss. However, even though you are angry, please remember that Rhea's advice was well-intentioned."

"Yes, I understand," I replied.

Rhea pulled out a necklace from her chest. "You even neutralized our royal family's treasure. It's frustrating, but it's refreshing after being beaten so thoroughly.

"I apologize as well. And I would like to leave Rox to you. Aoi-dono, your words were harsh but made sense. Reflecting now, I realize we entrusted his education to those with strong loyalty to our royal family. Being surrounded by people who worship themselves, one might start to feel like a god. But if we were to punish Rox, it might cause unnecessary rumors and disputes. I’m sorry to inconvenience you, but you are the only one who can strictly punish Rox."

Hearing what they said, I blinked, "From the beginning, was it, Principal Glenn?"

Glenn turned away with a forced smile.

Middleton and Rhea smirked.

"Actually, Marquis Glenn reported it before. Well, his report was much gentler than your remarks, Aoi-dono."

"Yes. It was somewhat troubling, I suppose… Fufu. We never expected to be criticized so harshly."

Seeing the two laughing, I pouted in complaint. "I was quite nervous going into it."

Middleton smiled boldly. "Forgive us. We need someone trustworthy to entrust Rox. Through our interactions thus far, we have confirmed that you are genuinely a teacher dedicated to correcting students' behavior."

Middleton laughed heartily while Rhea giggled with her mouth covered. I let out a deep sigh.

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