To be recognized in the Elven country, one needs to be acknowledged by the Elf King through magic. Judging from Pier's statement that this was the fastest method, I finished explaining up to that point and decided to leave the Elven country.
" Well then, I shall visit again. Ah, I will return in five days, so next time I would like to speak with both of your parents present, if possible. Is that agreeable?"
When I asked this, Pier and Brest nodded reluctantly, looking dissatisfied.
"……By then, you will understand just how arrogant you've been."
"When you meet my father, you'll realize what an outrageous thing it was to say you'd meet His Majesty."
Pier and Brest, true to their parent-child relationship, said similar things. I smiled at this and nodded.
"I look forward to it."
After replying to the two, I turned my face towards Seabas.
"Thank you very much for today. I had considered staying overnight before moving on, but since there's still some time until sunset, I'll depart a bit early."
I had wanted to finish my business quickly and stay longer in the Elven country if possible, which motivated this action. Though it was a sudden change of plans, Glenn readily agreed, saying "Whatever suits you."
"……Can you really use Flight Magic? No matter how I look at it, it seems reckless…"
"Thank you for your concern. But it's alright. I use Flight Magic often… like this."
I gave a wry smile back to the worried Seabas and demonstrated using Flight Magic. The carriage floated gently, and Glenn stuck his head out the window to look around.
"Hmm! The wind envelops the carriage splendidly! I see, I see…!"
While recalling the mechanism of the Flight Magic I had taught him, Glenn excitedly confirmed the flow of magic and the movement of the wind.
"Well then, I'll take my leave now, for real this time. I shall see you again in five days."
As I said this and bowed my head in mid-air, only Pott returned the gesture. The other Elves were all just staring at us in a daze.
I gave a small wave to everyone and increased our altitude. Since the trees were tall, it seemed we needed to ascend considerably.
The sky was clear. There was little wind, and it felt pleasant.
Next, I need to make a home visit to the Court Highlands, then return once to Fiddiq Academy to conduct the extracurricular lesson with Solare.
There are still many things to resolve, and I was anxious about how things would turn out in the future, but I had somehow found a clue to a solution.
"Now, let's go."
Lifting my face, I said this as if to spur myself on, then rapidly increased flight speed and soared through the vast sky.
When I stopped by the Federal Nation of Court Highlands, contrary to the Elven country, it caused a big uproar because President Glenn from Fiddiq Academy had visited.
Unlike in the Elven country, the commotion here was simply from the surprise that a heavyweight from another country had visited without an appointment.
Guided by a knight in a somewhat flashy cloak and armor, I was shown into a large building. There, I was quickly surrounded by a large number of people.
"P-president Glenn! It's been a long time!"
"O-oh. My, my… it has been quite a while. Well, I apologize for the sudden visit this time. It's just that the new teacher, Aoi, insisted on visiting Court Highlands…"
Glenn exchanged greetings with a bearded, plump middle-aged man. He seemed to have forgotten the man, but managed to change the subject and cover it up.
However, this caused the man's attention to turn towards me.
"Oh! So you are the rumored Lady Aoi! As the rumors say, you seem very young, but they also say you are a mage with skills rivaling Lord Glenn's… what a terrifying talent! If you wouldn't mind, how about dinner at my mansion this evening? I shall prepare a modest banquet!"
As the man said this, a tall middle-aged woman behind him immediately interjected.
"Hey! Why should it be at your house? That's sneaky, trying to take advantage of the confusion!"
"Right! Since we haven't prepared anything this time, we should welcome them using the VIP room, shouldn't we? Each representative councilor should take the lead…"
"No, first we must hold a meeting to decide on the policy… At this rate, opinions will never be unified!"
In an instant, the place turned into something resembling a debate hall. As I watched in surprise, Glenn brought his face close to mine with a wry smile and spoke.
"…Court Highlands is a large nation formed by the union of small countries. The royalty and great nobles from those small countries become councilors and run the country through discussion. Because of that nature, they are slow to make any decision. They are good at business, though."
Hearing this, I nodded in understanding.
"Movement is slower than in countries with a monarchy… but instead, the chance of a tyrant or a foolish king emerging is low, I suppose. If the councilors are competing with each other in business, the economy will likely continue to grow easily in the future."
I offered my own impression of Glenn's words. Then, Glenn blinked and stared intently at my face.
At that moment, one of the men and women who had been arguing turned around. It was the bearded man who had spoken first.
"Well, sorry for keeping you waiting. By the way, I realized we haven't heard the purpose of your visit yet…"
"Ah, well…"
In response to the man's question, Glenn furrowed his brows in a troubled manner and glanced briefly at me. He probably found it hard to say they had come about a bullying issue. Reluctantly, I decided to answer.
"I heard there is a person named Dauf Town in this city. He is a graduate of Fiddiq Academy."
When I told him this, the man blinked.
"The heir of the Town family? In that case, his mother is here…"
As the man said this and looked back at the group, the tall woman from earlier furrowed her brow and lifted her face.
"…B-bullying?"
Rain Town, the lady of the Town family, parroted the word, her expression stiffening.
We had moved to a different room, and were speaking alone: the three of us, Glenn, myself, and Rain. Rain looked around nervously and spoke again.
"Th-there must be some mistake, right? Surely, bullying President Glenn's own grandson…?"
To Rain, who asked back anxiously, Glenn tilted his chin with an indescribable expression.
Rain's gaze turned towards me. I looked straight back at her and quietly began to speak.
"I didn't witness it myself. However, we have testimony not only from Solare himself, but also from various students and faculty members. It's unlikely to be a mistake."
When I told her this, Rain slumped over as if holding her head in her hands.
"Such a thing… but, well, Dauf is currently serving as an apprentice councilor, a candidate for family head… I, I will make him apologize, so if possible, please…"
Rain, in a state of extreme agitation, said something like this, practically pressing her head against the table. It wasn't an excuse or an apology, but a plea for leniency for her son.
However, this might be natural as a mother's feeling. Thinking this, I nodded to Rain in reply.
"Yes. I have no intention of making this public or seeking punishment. President Glenn hadn't even considered the option of coming here. It was my own decision to visit, thinking we couldn't just leave things as they were."
"R-really? Th-then I'll call Dauf immediately, so please wait…"
Rain's expression instantly showed relief, and she quickly left the room. Watching her go, I naturally looked at Glenn's face. At the same moment, Glenn also turned towards me.
"…The Town family is a distinguished one. Since it's a family that produces representative councilors, a scandal would become a major issue. It would likely impact them enough to weaken their position and influence as future councilors. However, Dauf, raised as the heir of a high-ranking noble family, comparable to those in other countries, was perhaps a little too arrogant for his age. If he has cultivated even a little consideration for others, then I would have nothing more to say…"
Glenn spoke with a complicated expression. However, the content seemed less full of kindness and more like being overly lenient. In Japan too, there were many students who engaged in insidious bullying. And even after calling in the parents of such students for a meeting, successful rehabilitation was about fifty-fifty. Some students proactively offered to withdraw. There were also parents who claimed the bullied child was at fault. Even though the bullied child's life might be forever changed.
"President Glenn. Sincere remorse from the heart is important. If we can hear that from Dauf's own mouth, then let's consider the matter settled."
"…And what if we don't hear it?"
"If we don't hear it…"
"N-no, you don't need to say it."
As Glenn and I were having this conversation, we heard a knock on the door of the room.