All in all, the sses were well-received.


    As I answered everyone''s questions and exined each type of magic, a week passed by in the blink of an eye.


    Although the number of students didn''t increase, word of mouth might improve it a bit next week.


    With this sense of satisfaction and anticipation, I joined Strass and Eliza for a celebration.


    "Thank you for your hard work!"


    "Good job."


    "Thank you for your hard work!"


    We exchanged greetings and raised our sses. Strass had a distilled spirit mixed with soda water, while Eliza and I had fruit wines.


    "Aoi-sensei, how was your first ss?"


    I looked up. "… Well, thanks to having good students, the sses went very smoothly. However, I’m a bit concerned about having teachers present every time…"


    Strass and Eliza averted their eyes from my gaze.


    Iughed and shook my head with a smile. "Just kidding. Since they were my first sses, having you two there helped ease my nerves."


    Eliza blushed andughed, and Strass seemed somewhat more rxed.


    Feelingfortable with the two of them, I said, "Everyone seemed to enjoy the sses, so maybe I’ll have a few more students next week… I''m looking forward to it."


    The two of them lowered their eyebrows again. They exchanged nces withplicated expressions and then looked at me.


    Eliza said, "… Um, some of the students…"


    "Students?" I tilted my head.


    Eliza looked away sadly. "Some of the students said they wouldn''t take sses taught by amoner."


    "… Commoner?" I repeated the word.


    Their faces froze.


    "No, it wasn''t me who said that."


    "I-I didn''t say it either!"


    For some reason, the two of them seemed unusually frightened.


    I sighed. "I''m not angry."


    "Really?" Eliza let out a sigh of relief.


    I nodded. "Of course. It''s not wrong to call me amoner. However, not attending a ss for that reason is illogical."


    I subconsciously crushed my ss.


    Ignoring Eliza''s strange "Eep?!", I wiped the table. "Why would someone studying magic at a magic academy care about the teacher''s status when choosing sses? It seems that the noble mindset is disrupting the healthy discipline of the academy. We need to reform this mindset."


    "… Um, there''s a rule that individuals can''t enforce discipline on their own within the academy…"


    "Any disciplinary actions beyond sses and simple experiments must go through Principal Glenn. In some cases, someone else may have to act as a proxy for warnings, reprimands, and disciplinary enforcement."


    After listening to their exnation, I nodded in agreement. "It’s to prevent favoritism and factionalism among teachers and students, correct? In that case, I’ll talk to the principal first."


    The two of them frowned at iprehensible expressions.


    "… Don''t trouble the principal too much."


    "Yes, please don''t be unreasonable, okay?"


    "I can''t promise, but I understand."


    For some reason, the two of them prayed in silence.


    ―――


    Early in the morning, I visited the principal''s office. Apparently, the principal''s office adjoined his bedroom and other facilities, making it feel like visiting his home.


    I knocked on the door. Glenn''s voice responded from inside, and the door opened automatically.


    Sitting on a single sofa, Glenn raised one hand cheerfully. "Good morning, Aoi-kun. It''s a fine day."


    Glenn greeted me happily with his usual casualness.


    I returned the greeting with "Good morning" and stepped inside.


    Glenn chuckled and nodded. "I wasn''t sure how it would go at first, but the king left very satisfied. Remarkably, Queen Rhea took a liking to you, Aoi-kun. That''s rare. Queen Rhea rarely speaks in public and only smiles. However, she will personally check those she thinks are worth noting, good or bad."


    Glenn counted on his fingers as he continued, "The current prime minister, who is doing a great job, was also rmended by Queen Rhea. A few years ago, she stopped the plot of a rebellious earl faction before it could be executed. Being favored by the queen is a great honor."


    "I see," I replied.


    Glennughed and nodded several times. "So, what brings you here today?"


    "I have a request." I formally began the conversation.


    Glenn chuckled and shook his head with a ss of a pale amber liquid in one hand. "Go ahead, ask anything."


    Encouraged by his words, I decided to speak frankly. "Thank you. Sincest week, I''ve started teaching, but the number of students attending is low. I thought it was because I''m a new teacher, but I heard that some noble faction is interfering. So, I request permission to crush this noble faction."


    "Pffft!" Glenn spewed out the amber liquid he had just sipped.


    "Cough, Ugh…! Th-there''s no need to go that far, right!?" Gleen barely managed to speak while coughing.


    I shook my head calmly. "The problem is this noble mindset. Isn''t it strange to discriminate based on nobility ormoner status when studying at an academy? What is your opinion, Principal?"


    "Oh, I agree it''s strange."


    With his agreement, I continued, "Of course, I don''t intend to crush the mastermind. Since they’re harassing me, I''ll just crush their plot. So, I''ll start by investigating. There may be someone of high rank ordering students not to attend my sses."


    I smiled, but Glenn groaned with an indescribable expression. "No wonder Queen Rhea favors you."


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "Nothing."


    I tilted my head at Glenn''s sudden hesitation for a moment and then bowed. "Well then, I''ll report any progress in my investigation."


    "Understood."


    Hearing Glenn''s oddly heavy reply, I left the principal''s office.