Chapter 85

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.
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Irene had changed into her pajamas and was sitting next to Evi’s bed, explaining.

“……So while everyone was watching, Ezriella cried, and the others begged, saying they were wrong. It was a complete mess.”

It was an explanation of what happened after Evi had left with Clois.

Just as Evi had been dazed, right after Clois left, Irene also wondered if she was dreaming.

It wasn’t just Irene. Everyone who was there couldn’t even think of moving for a long time after Clois had left.

Then, when Ezriella suddenly started wailing and her friends began to cry while clinging to Seraphina, people’s senses returned.

“Everyone, return to your places! This building will be closed for a while, so those who were using this place should also pack your things!”

While doing so, Seraphina ordered Ezriella and her friends to remain.

“Irene, could you also remain for a moment?”

“Yes? Why me?”

“You seem to be a party involved, don’t you? Besides, since Evi isn’t here, there’s no one to testify about what happened. It’s fine even if it’s just from the part you saw, so please explain a bit.”

Irene answered immediately.

“Of course! That Ezriella, she……!”

She remembered that she was in the middle of studying for exams, but that wasn’t important.

Irene told Seraphina everything she remembered.

She didn’t even need to try to exaggerate. Everything Ezriella did was wrong.

“Thank you for telling me. And as for today, you should stop studying here and go back to the dormitory.”

As she spoke, Seraphina pointed to a mirror in the corner of the professor’s office.

When Irene approached and checked, she was in a mess. It wasn’t surprising.

‘I grabbed that Ezriella’s hair and shook it so much.’

As soon as she saw her hitting Evi, she rushed in, pulled her hair, and kicked her.

Ezriella belatedly tried to grab Irene in her own attempt at resistance, but Irene was not one to be easily handled.

She looked like a princess, but she had never avoided a fight picked with her, even earning the unofficial nickname of the ‘Young Fist of the South.’

Now, wasn’t Ruska at the point where he openly called Irene a ‘crazy buffalo’?

Irene could fight well because she was experienced. While Ezriella was clumsily grabbing her, she chose only painful spots to kick, pinch, or hit.

Ezriella would have to give up on sleeping comfortably tonight.

Irene returned to the dormitory, washed up, changed her clothes, and then waited for Evi.

However, no matter how long she waited, Evi did not return.

Then, hearing the sound of crying outside, she went out and saw Ezriella and her gang packing their things in their rooms under the supervision of employees.

Since it hadn’t been decided yet what would happen to them, the dormitory rooms were to be left as they were for now.

Not particularly wanting to watch for long, as Irene was about to return to her room, students hesitantly approached her.

“Excuse me, Miss Irene. We have something we’re curious about regarding Miss Evi……”

Irene couldn’t hide a hollow laugh at the words “Miss Evi”.

Until now, it was a relief if other people even called Evi by her name.

Mostly, when they called Evi, they used words like ‘that kid’, ‘commoner’, ‘orphanage child’, or ‘lowly thing’.

Yet now, suddenly “Miss Evi”?

“Ask Evi directly when she comes back. I don’t know anything either.”

Irene answered coldly and returned to her room.

‘They watched for fun when Evi was being hit, and now they’re saying “Miss Evi”?’

Irene, who had been grumbling, let out a long sigh.

Since the Emperor had advocated for Evi in front of everyone and taken her away, how many rumors would follow Evi from now on?

‘Evi’s surroundings will become even noisier than mine.’

She thought of the students who had clung to her just because she was the daughter of the Terence family.

It wasn’t just her. Ruska and Arcel were also troubled by unwanted attention.

Now, Evi would also have to live in the midst of that attention.

“In any case, you must be careful from now on too.”

“Yes.”

At the sight of Evi smiling and crinkling her eyes, Irene pulled her into a tight hug and patted her.

Because of the gauze still attached to her face, Irene had gone into the bathroom with Evi to help her when she washed her hair today.

Naturally, she had also dried all her hair.

“I’ll help you, so don’t worry too much. Tomorrow morning, say hello to Arcel and Ruska and tell them you’re okay. Of course, even if you don’t say it, I think those two will be standing in front of the girls’ dormitory from early morning.”

Evi nodded her head.

“Then let’s go to sleep now.”

At those words, Evi gave a small yawn and went under the blanket. Then Irene thought for a moment and asked.

“Can I sleep with you? In case you get sick at night, Evi, I might have to call the employees right away…… and you might be scared thinking about what happened during the day……”

As she said that, Irene’s own eyes were trembling more.

Irene still vividly saw the image of Evi being hit by Ezriella during the day.

If she had only gone a bit faster, Evi might not have had a nosebleed.

No, she would have kicked her hard before she even raised her hand!

Thinking of that time, her anger surged so much that a few tears almost flowed.

It was the same now. Thinking of it again, her throat tightened and her hands trembled.

Seeing Irene like that, Evi got up and patted the spot next to her as if telling her to lie down quickly.

Irene quickly used a cushion as a pillow and lay down.

“Yes, I don’t think I’ll be scared if Irene is here. You kicked Ezriella today *bam*!”

“Right? I think I did pretty well after all.”

Saying so, the two giggled.

A light conversation took place for a while. About how the Main Palace was, how the Imperial Knights were on the way back, and such.

Then their answers gradually slowed down, and before long, both had fallen into a peaceful sleep with their eyes closed.

The light of the mana stone dimly shone over the faces of the children who had fallen asleep while holding hands tightly.

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The next day, Seraphina was welcoming uninvited guests from early morning. It was the Count and Countess, Ezriella’s parents.

“How can this be! She’s just a young child, yet you locked her alone in a room in an empty building!”

“She’s not alone. There are Gifted Center employees in the hallway, and in case of problems, they respond immediately.”

Seraphina answered indifferently, hiding her continuous yawns.

The Count and Countess were angry at that attitude, but they couldn’t argue more strongly.

‘Anyway, she’s Seraphina Reedum.’

She was one of the geniuses and powerful magicians counted in the Empire, and one of the Emperor’s confidants.

And currently, she was the Director of the Gifted Center.

In other words, she was a person the Count and Countess could not win against, and someone whom it was not good to be on bad terms with.

“By the way, I was planning to contact you officially today, but to think you’ve already found out and come…… I don’t know how or where the word leaked out. Even if I had sent a letter, it wouldn’t have arrived yet, and I had even imposed gag orders within the Gifted Center.”

Having said that, Seraphina gazed at the Count and Countess with a smile.

“It seems there is someone within the Gifted Center who relays words outside. That’s a violation of the labor contract, isn’t it?”

At those words, the Count and Countess cleared their throats and turned their gazes.

Late last night, the commotion at the Gifted Center had reached the Count and Countess through the mouths of several people.

“What does that mean? That the entire family might be barred from applying not only to the Gifted Center but also to the Academy?”

The one who was most overturned by those words was Ezriella’s older brother.

“That makes no sense! I have to reapply to the Academy next year, so what am I supposed to do then!”

And so, he made a scene, telling the Count and Countess to go to the Gifted Center immediately and find out the situation.

The Count and Countess also wanted to do so.

However, the Gifted Center was not a place where entry and exit were free to begin with.

Furthermore, because it was an affiliated institution of the Imperial Palace, if they tried to enter at will, they could truly be subjected to severe punishment.

So they waited for morning to come, and as soon as the Imperial Palace gate opened, they came to the Gifted Center and requested an interview with the Director.

“Well, it worked out for the better. The matter was bigger than expected, so the letter would have been long if I were to summarize and send it, but since you’ve come in person, it’s become easier for me.”

Having said that, Seraphina explained the summary of the incident to the Count and Countess.

Throughout the listening, the Count and Countess did not stay still.

“Then wasn’t that lowly thing in the wrong?”

“Goodness, the daughter of the Terence family hit our child like that? This, such a lawless……”

Each time, Seraphina pressed her forehead.

She had wondered why Ezriella was so obstinate, and now she saw that she took exactly after her parents.

The Count and Countess treated their daughter’s wrongdoings as trivial matters, while reacting and accepting the opponent’s actions as several times larger.

Since Ezriella was also a student of the Gifted Center, Seraphina hoped for a good resolution. Even if disciplinary action couldn’t be avoided, she intended to proceed with the best, rather than the worst, case.

However.

Seraphina’s patience, which had tried to explain things reasonably well, was quickly running out.

‘I want to finish this quickly and sleep.’

She no longer felt the need to give more consideration than necessary to this matter.

She inwardly reviewed the highest level of disciplinary action at the Gifted Center while wearing a smile.

Then the Count shouted.

“Particularly that person who is said to be the guardian of that orphan! Bring him here immediately! Shouldn’t he take responsibility for that child’s actions!”

At those words, Seraphina’s smile deepened.

Indeed, that was the sound she had been waiting for.