第２５２掘：大魔術師出陣 (Part2)
"No, Lara, you're the one who's scary for saying that with such a deadpan expression. The documents you're holding are about them, right?"
"Yes. These are the small-fry who are abusing magic behind the scenes, throwing their weight around, and tarnishing the academy's reputation."
She handed me the documents as she spoke.
"Hmm, let's see... are these really 'small-fry'? There's even a duke's son in here."
As I scanned the list, I saw the name of a duke's son who held the same social standing as Samantha, making him politically difficult to touch.
His magical talent was above average, but he had hit a plateau recently. He had been diligent in his studies at the academy at first, but the recent stagnation had soured his attitude, turning him into a fool who flaunted his power.
This behavior had become even more pronounced after he lost to Eoid, who possessed a unique skill.
He probably wanted to crush Eoid to feel better, but he had underestimated the boy—who possessed magic manipulation—as a mere thief and ended up losing.
Lately, he’s been acting out even more.
If I don't put a stop to this soon, it will go beyond academy discipline and require judgment under the law.
If that happens, there's a high probability that relations with his home country will become strained.
I want to resolve this as quickly as possible, but even when I, as the principal, step in, he puts on his "duke's son" act, dodging my warnings with slippery excuses and continuing to rot from within.
"They're small-fry, Principal. Just spoiled brats who take their frustrations out on other students."
"Well, that may be, but the opponent is a duke's son. I don't think I can just leave this to Eris..."
"It might be sudden, but I think they'll understand if you explain the situation properly. Eris and the others aren't just mere transfer students, after all."
"Ah, right. Yuki's wives are of the royal bloodlines of Zilba and Enaria, aren't they? I was honestly surprised by that. I see, even if they don't have succession rights, they are equivalent to dukes."
"Yes, and they are officially recognized by the two major powers. It would be difficult for a mere duke of a single country to go up against them. In fact, it would be foolish to even try. And since they are Yuki's wives..."
"I suppose that works out. But it's quite a big job; they might make some strange demands."
"...Well, I think it's better than the international incident that would occur if we just let that duke and our students clash."
"True. If we can avoid that by just taking a little heat ourselves, then so be it. Besides, it's our responsibility for not acting sooner. Consider it a necessary expense."
"I agree."
As we were having this conversation, I was munching on a hard candy when the door to the principal's office was thrown open violently.
"P-Principal, it's an emergency!!"
A male teacher with a receding hairline and a look of sheer terror on his face burst in, causing me to accidentally swallow my candy.
I couldn't help it—the sight of his face combined with his thinning hair was just too much.
"Guh! *Cough!*"
Even though it was small, a hard, solid object going down the wrong pipe is dangerous for someone with a small, petite body like mine.
*Oh no.* Dying because I swallowed a candy while trying to hold back a laugh would be a pathetic way to go.
"Principal, please calm down. Here, have some tea."
Lara rushed over immediately and held a cup of tea to my lips.
*Oh, thank goodness. Lara, you're the best!*
I drank the tea and managed to wash the candy down into my stomach.
"Phew... I thought I was a goner."
"My, I'm relieved. Now, what happened?"
"Ah, yes. Actually, a wyvern has been spotted in the Monster Forest!!"
"No, we already know wyverns are there from our observations."
Wyverns are a species of flying dragon, said to be the weakest of their kind.
Well, they were certainly weak back in my prime, but that was only because we were exceptionally strong. Even now, they live up to the "dragon" name and are quite formidable.
In fact, if things go wrong, a castle or a town could fall.
Nowadays, those wyverns are only seen in the vicinity of the academy. They live deep in the mountains of the Monster Forest.
Recent observations have shown that they occasionally fly toward the forest.
They don't attack unless provoked, and there's no way to deal with something flying in the sky.
I’ve given the monster subjugation guild strict orders not to touch them even if they spot one, and the academy students are taught about the dangers of monsters, so I didn't think any fool would try to pick a fight with a wyvern, which is near the top of the food chain.
"The thing is, the wyvern appeared right where the first-year students were observing monster subjugation today..."
"What? It appeared in such a shallow area!?"
"Yes. The students who fled back said it descended right where they heard the screams."
"This is bad!"
I don't know why a wyvern would appear in such a shallow area, but I don't have time to think about that now.
I immediately gripped my staff and threw the window wide open.
I don't know which species of wyvern it is, but it's not an opponent that first-year students—or even the third-year escorts—can handle.