Chapter 124
"I see... So that young man is Saint Clael Byrne. He seems to possess quite an interesting soul."
Royal Academy. Headmaster's Office.
Looking down from the window, a man of indeterminate age... Genius Clidia muttered.
Genius was the headmaster of the Royal Academy.
At the very least... he had been the headmaster for over a hundred years.
His true form, which never aged, was not human but a higher being than humans, known as a high-ranking fairy.
He had formed a pact with the first headmaster who established this academy, and even after that person's death, he continued to protect the students.
(But... those days are about to end.)
Genius looked down at his own hand.
His palm was slightly translucent, and sunlight from the window passed through it.
Though bound by the vow with his contractor even after his master's death... it seemed that even that pact was finally coming to an end.
At most, he probably had about two years left.
Genius would disappear. Losing his human vessel, his soul would return to the Astral Realm.
From the memories of students, teachers, and alumni... Genius would vanish completely.
It was a vision of the future he had always known would come someday.
"The Saint and the Saint... For them to arrive at the academy at this timing, perhaps..."
"Well, well... What are you brooding over, Headmaster?"
"...I don't recall giving you permission to enter. Albert."
At the voice that rose from within the room, Genius turned around.
At some point, a man had seated himself on the sofa in the Headmaster's Office.
He looked to be in his late thirties, and the chest of his shirt was boldly open, revealing glimpses of his muscular chest.
With bluish hair swept back wildly, he was a man so oozing with sex appeal it was almost poisonous to the eyes.
"The door was unlocked, you see. More importantly... you haven't answered my question, have you?"
"...It's nothing. I was just thinking about the new teacher."
"Ah, Mr. Clael Byrne. He had a slender but rather strong-willed face. Though... he also gave off the vibe of a troublemaker."
The man... the one called Albert, reached into empty space.
The air distorted as his hand was sucked in, and he eventually pulled out a large burlap sack.
"...What's that?"
"Someone who was trying to sneak into the academy. I gave him a little knock and brought him along."
A man's face was sticking out of the burlap sack.
With his body stuffed inside the sack like a bagworm, the man's face was swollen and bruised all over.
"I roughed him up a bit and got him to talk... Apparently, there's a bounty on Mr. Clael Byrne and Miss Reina Laurel."
"A bounty... That's rather dangerous..."
"If it's just these guys, even the academy's guards could handle them. But... if someone more skilled shows up, it could be troublesome."
"...At a time like this, what a headache."
Genius shook his head with a pained expression.
"...It seems a lot of trouble is brewing. Albert, would you mind keeping an eye on Mr. Byrne and Miss Reina?"
"Of course. It's my responsibility as a department head, after all."
Albert stood up and briskly walked toward the door.
To the back of that man... Genius continued to speak.
"...Even after I'm gone, please take care of the academy."
"............"
At those words, Albert stopped in his tracks.
However... without saying anything in return, he continued walking toward the door.
Then, without opening the door, he slipped through it smoothly and exited the room.
"I'm counting on you. Please, protect this academy... I don't have much time left..."
That sorrowful, lonely voice reached no one's ears, and only stirred the curtains in vain.