"Excuse me."
Saying this, Rain opened the door from outside and entered. Behind her stood a tall young man.
He was a large-framed young man with a strong-willed look about him.
"……Hello, President Glenn. It's been a while."
Dauf straightened his back properly and gave a bow. Glenn responded by raising his hand.
"Oh, it has been a while. Have you been well?"
When Glenn said this, Dauf nodded with a subtle expression.
"Yes…… And I heard you came to talk about the bullying during my school days?"
As Dauf said this, Rain turned around with a stern face.
"Dauf! I told you to apologize!"
When Rain shouted, Dauf furrowed his brow but sighed and bowed his head.
"I apologize for any trouble my actions during my school days have caused. I only feel ashamed of my behavior. Also, I didn't realize you were angry enough to come all this way, and I regret that I should have apologized sooner."
As Dauf said this and looked at Glenn, Glenn nodded with a wry smile.
"Well, it's fine if you've reflected on it. From now on, understand that there are people of various races, personalities, and statuses, and be careful to respect others."
"Yes, I understand."
When Glenn advised him like this, Dauf immediately nodded in response. Rain breathed a deep sigh of relief, and Glenn also turned to me with a wry smile.
"Dauf says he's reflected, so shall we leave it at that?"
Glenn apparently accepted Dauf's words as a sincere apology and felt satisfied. However, I couldn't accept Dauf's words as a heartfelt apology.
"Please wait a moment."
After saying this to Glenn, I turned back to Dauf.
"Dauf. Your words earlier sounded like an apology to President Glenn. Don't you have anything to say to Solare?"
When I asked, Dauf raised one eyebrow and looked down at me.
"……Are you a new teacher? I don't think you were at the academy during my student days, so why must I answer that to you?"
"I don't think whether I was there or not matters…… Solare was deeply hurt and still hasn't attended lectures. Do you realize you caused that?"
When I asked this back to Dauf, who seemed slightly irritated, he snorted and shrugged.
"You seem eager to wave around your sense of justice, but you're mistaken. The main perpetrators were Elves, like President Glenn and Solare. Well, they are pure-blood Elves, though. I played along with them, but it's not true that I personally bullied Solare. However, I had to apologize for causing a disturbance at the academy and for angering President Glenn, a marquis of the Verted Kingdom……"
Dauf spoke these excuses as if they were perfectly natural. Hearing him say things implying he bore no responsibility, anger welled up in me involuntarily.
"……I see. So you're saying that unless you were the main perpetrator who carried it out, you bear no responsibility for the bullying?"
As I said this, Glenn, quicker than anyone, broke into a cold sweat and spoke up.
"A-Aoi…… Let's handle this amicably, shall we?"
When Glenn showed his flustered state, Rain also grimaced and slapped Dauf on the back.
"Dauf!? What are you saying!?"
To Rain's loud shout, Dauf furrowed his brow.
"Mother, this is the truth. I never directly bullied Solare."
Dauf said this and glared at me. I sighed deeply at this and shook my head slowly.
"……So if you're not the main perpetrator, you bear no guilt, is that it? Then let's discuss this matter with the dignitaries of various countries: His Majesty Middleton, His Majesty Diaggio, Marquis Ramsay, Duke Lorette, King Gransance, and Representative Councilor Isaac. I'll tell them that I personally hold a grudge against the Town family and will have no further dealings with the Federal Nation of Court Highlands."
When I told him this, Dauf tilted his head with a blank look.
"……Huh? What good would doing that do? Are you trying to say you can move the representatives of each country? Even President Glenn couldn't……"
Dauf was saying something with a mocking expression, but then Rain, her face pale, rushed over.
"P-please wait! Th-that would be……! I'll reprimand Dauf severely! It's fine if his path to becoming a councilor is closed! We'll remove Dauf from being a councilor candidate and make his younger brother Artie the apprentice councilor instead……!"
Rain desperately bowed her head for the sake of the Town family's survival, speaking of punishing her son. Glenn looked sympathetic at this, but Dauf grimaced and looked at me.
"W-wait! Why are we talking about removing me from being a candidate!?"
As Dauf shouted this, Glenn spoke with a troubled expression.
"……Aoi is currently the center of attention in every country. Every nation wants to recruit Aoi. If a good negotiation point like this comes up, everyone will likely cooperate. On the other hand, if it became known that such a serious situation arose because of a single apprentice councilor, the Town family's position within Court Highlands would effectively be lost."
When Glenn briefly explained the situation, Dauf lost his color. Then, he immediately turned to me with a face full of anger.
"H-how dirty! Is that a teacher's way of doing things!? That's practically violence!"
To Dauf, venting his anger, I lightly exhaled and shook my head slowly.
"Didn't you just say it yourself, Dauf? Since I'm not directly doing anything, I bear no guilt. I'm just saying I won't forgive the Town family. I haven't even considered which countries might act on that. Even if the Town family were to be destroyed as a result, that wouldn't be my responsibility, would it?"
When I told him this, Rain repeatedly apologized with tears streaming down her face, and Glenn hurriedly tried to calm things down. Meanwhile, Dauf, finally realizing the gravity of the situation, broke out in a sweat and bowed his head.
"I-I'm very sorry……! I didn't know you were such an important person……"
"Even in this situation, do you intend to apologize to me instead of Solare?"
When I warned Dauf, who was about to offer an apology, he trembled and shook his head slowly.
"N-no! I'm sorry! I'll apologize to Solare, to Solare!"
Finally, words of apology towards Sorale emerged. At this, I relaxed my shoulders and nodded.
"……If you truly reflect on this, I'll forgive you. From now on, I'll have Isaac report on Dauf's conduct. If I hear of you oppressing the weak again, I'll come personally to discipline you. Understood?"
When I said this, Rain was the first to voice her gratitude.
"Th-thank you so much!"
"……Thank you."
Belatedly, Dauf also bowed his head. However Rain, perhaps interpreting his attitude, glared at him with a demonic expression and spoke.
"Dauf, your path to becoming a councilor no longer exists. If you don't want to be disowned, change your ways and diligently serve as Artie's subordinate."
"Th-that's ridiculous……! I already apologized……"
Dauf, stunned by Rain's words, tried to protest, but his appeals fell on deaf ears. I hadn't intended for things to go this far, but apparently, he had touched Rain's raw nerve.
Realizing there was no turning back, Dauf collapsed onto the floor as if crumbling. Seeing him like this, I felt a bit sorry for him and couldn't help but speak up.
"He seems to have reflected now, so I'm not demanding anything further, okay?"
When I said this, Rain shook her head slowly with a stern expression.
"No, after hearing my son's words earlier, I realized I had raised him incorrectly. For the honor of the Town family, I intend to give him a punishment befitting his crime."
As Rain clearly stated this, Dauf hung his head in utter dismay.
"……I may have overdone it a little."
As I voiced my regret, Glenn groaned inside the carriage floating by Flight Magic.
"Indeed…… It was rather pitiful, but honestly, thinking of Solare's feelings, it feels satisfying…… No, no, as the head of the academy, I mustn't show favoritism. Hmm, it was pitiful."
I nodded at Glenn's words and gazed into the distance.
"When we return, I'll ask Isaac if he can intervene to have Dauf's punishment lessened."
When I said this, Glenn was silent for a while before speaking.
"……Yes, indeed. Hmm. Isaac will likely handle it well."
Engaging in such conversation, we safely returned to Fiddiq Academy.
