I'm Seriously Doing a Hell of a Lot of Explaining Today

Chapter 73

Professor Iris. As this concerns your disciple, if you have something to say, please say it first.

The moment the Headmaster handed the floor to Iris, I shot up a hand.

"Since you said we don't have time, may I just get straight to the point?"

"You?"

"I was the one who started this whole thing in the first place. I'm the fastest and most accurate person to explain it."

Then, around the huge oval table, a series of sharp intakes of breath broke out.

The stubborn old professors let out dismayed sighs of "Hah!" and "Ha!".

Department Head Eric glared at me with his eyes wide open.

'Has this bastard lost his mind?'

That sentence was written all too clearly across the department head's face.

So what?

You said it was urgent.

You said the heresy inquisitors were on the verge of smashing down the academy's front gate with torches in hand.

In that case, isn't it only common sense to check the facts first instead of worrying about manners and order?

The Headmaster hesitated at my brazen attitude for a moment, then nodded.

"Very well. Since you say you will take responsibility yourself, I gladly grant you the floor. Go on."

"I'll summarize the essentials very briefly."

The moment permission was granted, I spoke.

"At present, the temple's saintess is being subjected to vicious physical abuse by a cardinal under the holy pretext of 'prayer at the lowliest place.'"

"...!"

"W-What did you say?!"

"The saintess... Huh."

I'm really doing a hell of a lot of explaining today.

The wrinkled faces of the old professors filled with horror, as if to say, 'No way, that can't be true.'

"Do you have proof? The other side is one of the temple's second-in-commands. A hasty assumption could lead the academy to ruin!"

Department Head Eric shouted in a panic.

Meanwhile, I casually shrugged and invoked the name of my dependable backer.

"Viscountess Müller personally confirmed the horrific traces of abuse with her own eyes."

"...Viscountess Müller?"

"Yes. And after deciding the matter could not possibly be overlooked, she resolved to protect Lily not as the saintess, but as her own disciple."

The air inside the conference room began to change ever so slightly.

What troubles the academy's leadership the most?

Getting dragged into a fight with no justification and taking the blame all alone.

But then Viscountess Müller, one of the capital's leading financiers and the saintess's official guardian, stepped forward and said she'd shoulder the cross?

That changed things entirely.

"Even so, the relationship with the imperial court is the problem! Isn't the temple threatening to report unlawful detention to the imperial court!"

One old professor shouted, still sweating coldly.

I didn't miss the timing and pulled out the trump card I had prepared.

The so-called family connection.

"So through Court Count Corinth del Farne, we had already sought the Imperial Household's prior understanding regarding the conflict with the temple."

"......"

The murmuring in the conference room came to a dead stop.

"You asked the Court Count directly... for his consent?"

The Headmaster's voice trembled slightly.

His rigid shoulders visibly slumped, and the tension that had been taut across his whole face seemed to melt away at once.

'Wow.'

Every time this happened, I was reminded anew of the sheer power of my old man, who always seemed ready to fling an ashtray at me on a whim.

My dad is seriously fucking amazing.

To think that just his name could make the academy leadership breathe again.

"Yes. Of course, we absolutely didn't make a rude, classless, one-sided announcement like the temple is doing now."

"Then...?"

"The moment Viscountess Müller confirmed the saintess's abuse today and decided to act, she asked the Court Count for his understanding, so you don't need to worry about any imperial intervention at all."

Hmm.

It seems they didn't expect us to sort things out this quickly, so they probably thought they could pressure us with, 'If you don't want this reported to the imperial court and turned into a bigger mess, cooperate.'

No chance.

That was when it happened.

Flutter! Flap!

Beyond the window, a pure white bird flew by, and a silhouette darted quickly past the side of the Headmaster's office.

Looks like a messenger pigeon?

And about a minute later.

Bang!

The door flew open, and a man who looked like a breathless staff member rushed in urgently.

"Headmaster! An emergency letter has arrived from the Imperial Palace Intelligence Bureau!"

Well, well.

What impeccable timing.

What a perfect setup, as if it were moving exactly according to the script I wrote.

The Headmaster tore open the envelope stamped with the Imperial seal, his hands trembling.

His eyes quickly swept across the parchment, and soon deep relief settled around his mouth.

"Haa..."

"Headmaster. What does it say?"

When Dean Hicks couldn't hold back and asked, the Headmaster smiled brightly and laid the parchment down in the center of the table.

"It's a letter from Court Count Corinth. I can't explain the details of the attached materials, but to briefly share the stance in the enclosed letter: if this matter is indeed as Student Cassian says, then the Imperial Household clearly will not side with the temple's actions."

That's my dad for you.

He sent over all the necessary related materials and a position statement, all nice and neat.

Broad smiles bloomed on the faces of the stubborn old professors who had been glaring at me like I was a heretic just moments ago.

"Amazing! Truly amazing!"

"To think you had prepared such a perfect countermeasure in advance! As expected, the blood of the Farne family is different!"

A rainstorm of praise began to pour down.

Those hot gazes of respect and admiration flying toward me.

Ah. Once I started getting used to this, it felt pretty good.

This is why nobody can forget the taste of power.

Even Department Head Eric beside me was rubbing his face with both hands and letting out a sigh of relief.

But if I've gone this far, shouldn't I be able to get something out of it too?

"You're too kind. But if I'm being so admirable, could you make things a little easier for me at the academy later?"

Grades would be nice too.

Or maybe a new lab, since this one would go to Lily now.

"Ho ho! Joking at a time like this? That's the Farne spirit for you! Hahaha!"

That wasn't a joke.

That old man. He knows it wasn't a joke and is pretending not to understand, doesn't he? Fuck?

Judging by the awkward expressions on Department Head Eric and Professor Iris beside me, they seemed to have realized it wasn't a joke.

Those old guys really can't tell?

Seriously?

Then Iris, who had been sitting quietly beside me, whispered softly.

"It's simply astonishing."

"What's astonishing?"

"I mean that your thick-skinned shamelessness is astonishing."

Professor Iris pushed up her glasses and let out a snort of laughter.

I thought she was just being dumbfounded, but unexpectedly there was an approving glint in her eyes.

"You act as if you planned everything, but in truth you're just piggybacking on what Viscountess Müller and the Court Count already set up for you, aren't you?"

"...Shh. If you say something so tactless, my chance to get something out of this will vanish."

"Hehe. Don't worry. I have no intention of spoiling the sight of my disciple being treated like a hero. I'm truly proud."

At Professor Iris's praise, my shoulders unconsciously lifted.

The mood was already set, so I might as well seal the deal too, right?

Since the stage was already set, it'd be much easier if I held the initiative and steered things.

"Headmaster. Since we're the ones who stirred up this whole mess, and we're the ones cleaning it up, too."

"Indeed. That is a very commendable thing."

The Headmaster replied to my words with a gentle smile.

If it had been before, those old men would have shouted that a student had no business stepping out so rudely from his place.

But right now, I was practically the savior who had prevented diplomatic friction with the imperial court, so their attitude was generous.

"Since you're trusting us anyway, could you fully back my opinion on how to respond to the other side?"

"Oh?"

The Headmaster's eyes curved into crescents, as if intrigued.

He stroked his beard and answered readily.

"That may be too much for a student to bear, so you're quite bold. Very well. Speak freely about what you want."

I curled the corners of my mouth up wickedly.

In my head, a scenario for making that saintess-abusing bastard eat dirt was already spinning.

"First of all, no matter what, we need to make the other side bring troops, whether it's the Holy Knight Order or whatever, all the way to the academy's front lawn."

"...Pardon?"

Just from the fact that they're making ridiculous arguments and trying to drag the imperial court into it...

Those bastards clearly have no clue how the board is moving and are already panicking and going overboard.

Then, when they figure out the situation later, we need to make sure they still can't back out.

We need to blow the whole thing wide open so they can't pull some half-baked retreat, and then finish them off, don't we?

* * *

At the same time, in the princess's bedroom.

Iveline gaped blankly after hearing the maid's report.

"...What?"

"The temple is currently preparing to publicly declare that the academy has illegally detained the saintess."

The maid, Yelena, answered with her head bowed most carefully.

"And they've sent an ultimatum saying they'll enter the academy even by force."

'Just what...... is happening?'

Iveline found the whole situation utterly bewildering.

Even the imperial family itself would not try to create such an extreme confrontation with a massive religious organization like the temple without cause.

And yet the academy professors, who are supposed to quietly study and do research, are openly doing that?

'What on earth are they holding that lets them act so forcefully?'

Just as she was trying to think rationally.

Thud.

Iveline's heart dropped to the floor.

Because the face of one man, no, one great being, who always walked around with that loose, easy smile, flashed through her mind.

'Cassian del Farne.'

A dragon in human clothing, with Saintess Lily never leaving his side.

'No way.'

What if that great being were involved?

Iveline's breath caught in her throat.

There was no way a great being would care about humans' petty political squabbles or flimsy pretexts.

Then what if all those flimsy things like pretexts and calculations had been completely left out?

"My goodness."

Iveline's face turned white.

'I have to stop this.'

You can't judge him by human standards.

If he truly got angry and even let out a breath once, it might end up turning not just the temple, but this entire beautiful capital, into a roaring sea of fire.

Iveline hurriedly grabbed her skirt and sprang to her feet.

"I need to get to the academy at once. Prepare a carriage."