Chapter 80

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.
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To be called Your Majesty.

In this Empire of Harkia, there is only one person who can be called that.

The current Emperor, Clois Arelkian Harkia.

“Just why is Evi in that state…… ah.”

Seraphina, who had been running in a hurry out of surprise, stopped in her tracks while covering her mouth.

‘I’m dead!’

Because she had rushed in, surprised that Clois seemed to be caught up in something, she had blurted out “Your Majesty” without realizing it.

Clois had told her that he didn’t want to reveal who he was until the end and had firmly asked her to be careful.

Yet, to make such a mistake.

“No, well, I……”

During the war, Seraphina was more flustered and at a loss for what to do than when she had failed to cast a giant spell.

At that sight, Clois clicked his tongue once and said.

“It’s fine. I have no intention of hiding it anymore.”

At those words, Seraphina let out a sigh of relief and bowed her head deeply.

“I thank Your Majesty for your grace as vast as the sea.”

When she straightened her posture and gave a polite greeting to a superior according to etiquette, the room became quiet.

At first, they wondered if they had misheard.

But now, it wasn’t a matter of mishearing, and they even saw Seraphina bowing her head.

That magician who, before being the Academy Director, was a magician with a picky personality who didn’t bow to anyone!

As Seraphina bowed with courtesy, Arcel and Ruska, who had also been hesitating, bent one knee and bowed their heads to Clois.

Following Seraphina, as Arcel and Ruska also greeted him, the people in the room couldn’t even breathe.

The person they thought was Professor Sian Roshen was the Emperor.

The professor who sent mana stones to Evi Alden and even set up a separate professor’s office to teach her.

There was no fool who didn’t know what that meant.

“I g-greet Your Majesty.”

“I greet Your Majesty!”

The students hurriedly and urgently followed Seraphina, Arcel, and Ruska in greeting him.

However, since they were students who had never properly learned or performed a greeting to the Emperor, it was truly a mess.

While everyone was kneeling, there was one person standing blankly.

It was Ezriella.

“Wh-What does that mean…… Your Majesty the Emperor……”

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand the situation. Ezriella just didn’t want to accept this situation.

In her eyes, she saw Evi, with a reddened face, bowing her head deeply in Clois’s arms.

On her tender cheeks, the handprints Ezriella had left were vivid.

“Director Seraphina, what is the punishment for someone who wields violence against a fellow student within the Gifted Center?”

Punishment. That word pierced Ezriella’s ears.

“It would depend on the severity of the matter, but it ranges from a light one-week probation and a letter of apology to a heavy expulsion.”

“Then in this case, how much disciplinary action do you think will be taken?”

“By ‘in this case’, you mean……”

“This situation where, without any clear evidence and based only on suspicion, they branded a fellow student as a criminal, and then a group wielded violence against an opponent much younger than themselves.”

At Clois’s voice, which was heavily laced with anger, no one could raise their heads and only looked at the floor.

Everyone’s mouth went dry, and cold sweat flowed down their backs.

In the Emperor’s voice was a strong will that he would absolutely not let this matter slide.

“As far as I remember, expulsion is possible depending on how much the opponent student was injured, and after that, reapplying to the Gifted Center is impossible. Also, for ten years, advancing to the Academy is also impossible, and if relatives are involved, even the relatives will be barred from applying.”

*Thump.*

At Seraphina’s words, Ezriella collapsed powerlessly on the spot.

Because the content of the disciplinary action Seraphina just spoke of was now the disciplinary action she would receive.

“N-No. I just…… thought she was lying…… so I just looked into it……”

Ezriella muttered stumblingly as if she had lost her mind.

Although she was much larger than Evi, in the end, she was also a young child in her early teens.

But now, because of her actions, not only was she expelled, but her entire relatives’ advancement to the Gifted Center as well as the Academy was blocked.

Her family was a prestigious one with a long history in the central region. Therefore, her parents also took very great pride in that fact.

But now she was expelled, and the entire family was unable to advance.

Networking aside, who in the world would deal with a family that had received such a disgraceful disciplinary action?

“No……!”

Her teeth chattered and her hands trembled.

In Ezriella’s mind, she thought of her parents who always acted strictly, talking about the family’s honor.

At that moment, Clois spoke again.

“And this student said her older brother looked into it for her. Can this also be seen as a relative intervening in the internal affairs of the Gifted Center?”

“We would have to look into it in more detail, but if they acted based on external information, there is a high possibility it would apply.”

“Good. Director, you are to personally verify everything related to this matter and take disciplinary action.”

“I receive your command.”

Seraphina, erasing all her usual lightness, bowed her head to him with a disciplined posture.

“Your Majesty! No! Please listen to me as well! I wasn’t trying to hit her……!”

As he turned his body, only then did Ezriella, who barely managed to grab hold of her senses, shout as if wailing.

But Clois stepped out of the room without looking back once.

Arcel and Ruska followed him urgently. Irene tried to follow too, but the two raised their hands and told her with their eyes not to come.

Because of that, Irene had to stop her steps and watch Evi move further away with pitiful eyes.

“Evi……”

While he walked, no one dared to raise their head.

Those who watched could become accomplices with one word from the Emperor along with Ezriella’s family.

Fortunately, Clois stepped out of the room without paying any more attention to those remaining.

When he went out of the building, Arcel, who followed, said urgently.

“Your Majesty, the infirmary of the Gifted Center is this way……”

“No. I will take her to the Main Palace.”

At the mention of the Main Palace, not only Arcel and Ruska but even Evi in his arms were startled.

“I’m okay!”

“No. We don’t know what might happen, so it’s better to check properly.”

Having said that, Clois headed towards the Main Palace of the Imperial Palace while holding Evi, almost running.

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An hour after the Gifted Center was turned upside down, Clois was pacing back and forth inside his office.

After a while, a sound was heard in the hallway, and a familiar Imperial Physician entered.

“Your Majesty, about the child you brought……”

“How is Evi?”

Clois asked urgently before the Imperial Physician could finish speaking.

“There are no serious injuries. However, because she is a child with tender skin, bruises have formed on the cheeks that were hit, so for a few days……”

“What do you mean that’s not a serious injury!”

He ended up raising his voice abruptly at the Imperial Physician who was reporting calmly. Then he soon regained his reason.

“I’m sorry. I guess I was flustered when you said the child was hit like that but wasn’t seriously injured.”

“No. It seems I misreported by setting the standard to the Imperial Knights. For now, the swelling and bruises will mostly disappear after a week. I also checked inside her mouth, and fortunately, it’s not torn and no teeth are loose. Also, another female Imperial Physician checked the child’s body, and like the cheeks, some parts will be slightly swollen or bruised, but there’s nothing wrong with the bones.”

“Phew……”

At the words that she would be all better in about a week, Clois wiped his face.

“More than anything, there is something I must report. Normally in these cases, young children get very surprised and faint or get extremely terrified…… but the child is more peaceful than expected.”

“That’s a relief.”

“That is……”

The Imperial Physician spoke cautiously.

“……It might be because she’s used to these situations. I heard she’s a child from the orphanage. Perhaps there……”

“No. That’s not it.”

Clois immediately denied the Imperial Physician’s opinion.

“Even when she didn’t know who I was, she was a child who was busy praising and protecting the director of her orphanage. That wouldn’t happen.”

“I see. In any case, the child is in a stable state now. Would you like to go see her?”

“I shall.”

Clois hurried out of the office and headed towards the infirmary inside the Imperial Palace.

The moment he knocked and entered.

“I g-greet Your Majesty!”

Evi, with thin gauze attached to her face, was kneeling with both knees and banging her head on the floor.