[Glenn]
I managed to get us into the mansion and breathed a sigh of relief. Deep down, I had been terrified, thinking that if we kept getting refused, Aoi might give in to her anger and drag Brest out by force.
But for now, the conversation was progressing more peacefully than expected. If we could just get Brest to admit his fault and show some genuine remorse like this...
"...There's absolutely no way. It's already over."
Considering Brest and Aoi's personalities, I quickly reached a state of resignation.
It's already uncomfortable enough coming to the Elven territory, and now it looks like I'll end up clashing with a Senate member. Moreover, I think Aoi's point about correcting the wrongdoer was a very good one, so I can't forcefully stop her either.
I truly realized, both as an academy Headmaster and as an elf, how half-baked I was.
While I was agonizing over imagining the future to come, we were led to a large hall. It was a room where thirty people could easily dine. Traditional elven tapestries hung on the walls, and each piece of furniture seemed to be made from high-quality wood.
In that room, Pott showed us to our seats. I sat in the center with Aoi. Across from us sat the mistress of the Steile house. Then, starting from the edge of the room, the members of the guard took their seats.
"I will bring Lord Brest. Please wait a moment."
When Pott said this and left the room, two elves entered carrying drinks, as if that was their cue. It looked like water with sliced fruit in it.
How nostalgic.
Thinking that, I accepted the drink. It's a common beverage in the elven homeland, often drunk alongside tea made from dried fruit.
As I was enjoying the fruit water's simple yet deep flavor, the mistress and Aoi formally greeted each other.
"Then, allow me to introduce myself properly... I am Pier Steil. Thank you very much for coming all this way for my son."
"No, thank you for kindly receiving us despite our sudden visit."
They exchanged greetings with smiles. You'd think the atmosphere would soften, but for some reason, I already felt a tension in the air. No, it must be my imagination. It had to be.
Suppressing the unpleasant premonition budding within me, I alternately watched their smiles.
As this was happening, Pott returned, leading an elven boy. The elven boy, Brest, looked to be around fifteen or sixteen years old. Seeing my face, he openly scowled. Then, looking at Aoi, he furrowed his brow.
"...Headmaster? And...?"
Brest entered the room with obvious wariness. Encouraged by Pott to sit, he did so silently.
"Nice to meet you. I am Aoi Konominate, a teacher at Fiddiq Academy."
As Aoi greeted him, Brest nodded condescendingly.
"...What business does an academy teacher have with us, at this late stage?"
Brest asked back, sounding annoyed. Just watching him made me nervous. Why did everyone take such provocative attitudes with Aoi?
Here I was, enjoying a nostalgic taste, and now I can't relax at all.
Without reproaching Brest's attitude, Aoi turned her gaze to Pier and spoke.
"The matter concerns Brest's life at the academy. I believe the content isn't something to be heard by unrelated parties. Could we have the guards temporarily step out?"
As Aoi said this, Brest shook his head from side to side.
"...The Headmaster holds discriminatory views against elves, so please stay, guards."
"Huh? I'm discriminatory?"
I couldn't help but exclaim in surprise at Brest's statement. Why had it come to that?
As I wondered, Brest looked at me and opened his mouth angrily.
"Did you think we didn't know? You used your position as Headmaster to obstruct us from learning magic, didn't you?"
"Wha-Why would I do such a thing...? What would I gain from that?"
I asked Brest back, confused. In response, Brest laughed with a scornful snort.
"Haha... everyone knows. They know you only teach magic to your own grandson. You gave him preferential treatment in lectures too, right? If it weren't for that, there's no way we'd lose to a failure like Solare."
He glared at me as he said this.
Hearing Brest's words, I felt a shock as if my heart had been pierced.
Could it be... that me teaching Solare magic was the cause of the bullying? Could what I did, thinking it would make Solare happy, have been perceived as discrimination by the other students?
Could it be that I was the one who made Solare's school life so dark...?
Various memories from the past surfaced in my mind. Not knowing what to do, my thoughts spun in circles without coherence, and I remained frozen. Seeing this, Brest laughed as if exhaling.
"...See? Because I'm right, he's got nothing to say."