Chapter 157
The gang issue was resolved, and peace returned to Clael's life.
At the start of the week, he resumed commuting to the Royal Academy.
"Good morning, Mr. Byrne."
"Good morning, Clael-sensei."
The students passing by greeted Clael.
"Good morning, everyone. It's a fine morning, isn't it?"
"Looking forward to music today too!"
"I practiced the piano, so please watch me!"
"The theology homework is due today, right? I'll collect everyone's."
"Yes, thank you."
Clael responded with a smile to the students who spoke to him warmly.
It had been a month since he started teaching. He seemed to have settled into the academy reasonably well.
"Tch......"
"Hmph... Sucking up to the girls, huh?"
If there was a problem, it was that only the female students were getting close to him.
In contrast, the male students seemed to harbor hostility toward Clael, casting jealous and resentful glances as they passed.
"Why does the Saint act like that with him..."
At the root of their hostility was, as expected, Reina.
Reina would close the distance with him without hesitation even at school, which made her unpopular with the boys who admired her.
(Reina is family, so of course we're close... But still, why are they reacting so extremely...?)
With a quiet sigh, Clael headed toward the sanctuary where his first class of the day would be held.
"Hey, Mr. Burn. Good morning."
"......Good morning, Amlet-sensei."
Albert Amlet, the department head, called out to him.
He stood with two fingers sharply raised, unbuttoning his shirt to show off his chest.
As always, exuding an overwhelming masculine charm.
The female students around him gazed at Amlet with sparkling eyes, and some were even carried away after fainting from his allure.
"Well... you're the same as ever. Even today."
"I don't know what you mean by that. Anyway... I heard the weekend was rough for you."
"......Who did you hear that from? My involvement shouldn't have been made public."
The crackdown on the large number of gang members had been reported in the newspapers.
However, it was officially carried out by the knights. Clael's involvement was not disclosed.
It would be difficult to reveal that a civilian and Saint like Clael had been used as bait.
It was also kept secret that a bishop from the Holy Nation of Shinecross was behind the gang, and that the gang had ties to several nobles.
"From the headmaster, actually. It involved our academy's teacher and students. It's not like there would be zero communication."
"......Ah, I see."
Not just Clael, but also some of the romance targets, who were students, had been involved.
Naturally, the academy had been informed of the situation.
"Theology, music, and even combat—you're amazing. As expected of the man I acknowledge. Once again... you have my respect."
"To be acknowledged by Amlet-sensei is quite an honor... But anyway, was that all you wanted to say?"
Clael glanced at the school building's clock.
First period was about to begin. It wasn't last-minute, but he didn't have much time to spare either.
"Ah, right... I thought I should let you know."
"Hm..."
Amlet lowered his voice just a little.
He pressed close to Clael, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and pulling him in.
""""Kyaa!""""
The surrounding female students let out high-pitched squeals.
Seeing two adult men so close together sparked some wild imaginations.
"W-wait... Amlet-sensei...!"
"Mr. Shawett... Areiji Shawett resigned. He was caught for misconduct—in short, he got fired."
"Shawett...?"
Who was that again... Clael furrowed his brow, then quickly remembered.
He had been the teacher in charge of the magical theory class—a man who was unnecessarily sarcastic.
He'd lived in the same staff dormitory and had even attended Clael's welcome party... but had shown him an unusual amount of hostility.
"Professor Shawett? Why?"
"There was an anonymous tip... He had been leaking internal academy information. About the students, and about you."
"............!"
Clael widened his eyes at the words whispered into his ear.
"Apparently, he was feeding information to those gangs. It wasn't anything too critical, but still—he leaked personal data and accepted money in return. There's no escaping punishment for that."
"......I see."
"He's resigned now and is likely being interrogated by the knights... Seriously, with Mrs. Veleno also on leave, we're short-staffed again."
After muttering with a troubled look, Amlet stepped away from Clael.
Clael made a slightly displeased face at the scent of men's cologne lingering from the older teacher.
"That's why... I thought I should let you know, since you're not entirely uninvolved."
"I see... Thank you for the consideration, especially in the morning."
"Don't mention it... Well then, adios."
Flashing a bright smile, Amlet vanished into the school building.
"............Gross."
Clael muttered in a voice low enough that no one around could hear.
He seemed to be popular among the girls and some of the guys... but Clael just couldn't bring himself to like him.
Of course, as a senior teacher, he was probably someone dependable and worthy of respect.
"Hey... Clael-sensei and Amlet-sensei seem pretty close, huh..."
"Yeah, maybe something's going on between them?"
"Ehh... But I'm a Clael × Reina shipper..."
"............"
The nearby female students were having a suspicious conversation... but Clael made a conscious effort to ignore it as he headed toward the sanctuary.
From that day forward, rumors of a love triangle between Clael, Reina, and Amlet began to circulate.
The day Clael would be troubled by pairing debates whispered among some of the girls was still a little ways off.