Chapter 78: The Complaint
I need to be vigilant, especially when dealing with a named boss like her.
Of course, it's too late for this time, but that guy…?
"Do you know her?"
"I don't know."
"Are you kidding?"
"Who's that again?"
"I really don't know."
"Was there such a person?"
As expected, she's famous for her lack of presence, so no one even knows her face properly. But still. Now that she's involved with me, her presence can only increase. Whether that's a gain or a loss for me, I have no idea.
"Ah, I remember."
Who is it?
"It looks like the girl who was getting extorted by Max's gang."
Ah, embarrassing. It's not even my doing, but now that I think about it, there was a girl in Max's group who looked frail and unnoticeable, wasn't there?
"Unnoticeable and frail-looking? That fits."
"Wow… That's pitiful. Is he bullying her even during class time?"
"… You guys, if I could bully her, would I be living like this?"
"Cheer up…"
Sunny, who had approached at some point, spoke to Riviera out of the blue. His understanding expression was somewhat annoying.
"You too."
Riviera, feeling unfairly treated, retorted.
"Yeah, I'll cheer up too."
But Sunny took it in a good way and even smiled as he responded. Even Riviera, the great, seemed to give up in the face of Sunny's ignorant response, unable to continue her words.
"… … That…the meaning is…"
"I know, I know. Thanks."
An unexpected natural enemy? I barely held back my laughter. Meanwhile. …
"...So, does that mean that team got a perfect score?"
A guy who raised a fundamental question.
.....
...….
The surroundings were engulfed in silence.
Whiiing.
Only the sound of the wind could be heard.
We were silent too.
It wasn't the atmosphere to say anything.
"It was a very beautiful morning."
***
Saint Lepheria Academy. This place was fundamentally the top academic institution, but that wasn't all it was. Anyone who knew anything understood that, though they didn't carry spears and swords, it was a battlefield where nations fiercely competed over pride and interests.
The key was talent. The academy was a cradle of talent, and among them, Lepheria Academy was where the most outstanding talents from the continent gathered. Some were already firmly affiliated with prestigious families, but there were also many talents yet unaffiliated.
A place overflowing with excellent talents available for scouting. It was perhaps natural for countries to compete over the position of such a place. The main players sharing the largest pie were the Church, the Hyas Empire, and the Parene Kingdom.
The Church had tradition and authority, while the two great powers, the Hyas Empire and the Parene Kingdom, had strength. The other countries merely fought over the remaining small pie amongst themselves.
"Hmm."
Among them, this man, Vice-Chancellor Gerhart Lautman, could be said to symbolize the empire's position. The position of chancellor had been held only by people from the Church for over a thousand years, according to tradition.
Therefore, the highest position in the academy that could realistically be held by other nations was the vice-chancellor. Historically, the vice-chancellorship had been fiercely contested between the empire and the Parene Kingdom, almost taking turns. And this time, the vice-chancellorship was the empire's.
Knock knock.
"The sound of knocking was heard."
"What is it?"
"Professor Karen has arrived."
The voice of the secretary.
"Let her in."
Gerhart adjusted his seat.
Creak.
Soon the door opened, and Professor Karen entered. She had her usual graceful face, but the corners of her mouth were slightly twisted, showing a faint sign of discomfort.
That was understandable, as Vice-Chancellor Gerhart was arguably the person she found most burdensome. He was stubborn and inflexible, completely opposite to her, which was not an exaggeration.
"You called for me."
"That's right."
Gerhart was a man with a cold impression, as if not a single drop of blood would come out even if he were pricked. His slightly graying hair suggested he was older than he appeared.
He was well aware that she found him disagreeable. But he didn't particularly care. That wasn't his nature.
"Look at this."
Gerhart spread out some papers on his desk. It wasn't just one sheet; there were several. They were densely written with something.
"What is this?"
"Pretending not to know after reading it all."
"No, it's just that I'm getting old, and my eyes are slowing down."
A moment of silence passed. Gerhart looked at her as if to say, 'You haven't changed, even with time,' and eventually opened his mouth as if he had no choice.
"This is a formal complaint about your group evaluation. Not just from one person, but several."
"No… A complaint? That seems unfair?"
"You said you would only give out what you've taught so far, but it was completely different."
"A group evaluation that eliminates through survival? I've never heard or seen such a thing. It's absolutely unfair from the perspective of opportunity."
"The difficulty was not set for undergraduate level. I even felt malice in the difficulty setting."
"Huh, malice? Who?"
"Quiet."
"Yes..."
Gerhart read through all the complaint letters to the end. And then, he looked at Professor Karen with a stern gaze.
"Is that all? Do you have anything to say?"
"I feel wronged."
Professor Karen quickly responded. But, of course, it had no effect, not even as much as crocodile tears.
"All the objective facts are telling us that there is a clear mistake in your group evaluation."
"Is that an objective fact?"
Professor Karen pointed at the letters, protesting as if she felt wronged. However,
"The investigation is already over."
She had no choice but to become mute.
"This matter is…"
"Wait a minute. Where is the chancellor? I want to talk to the chancellor too."
She interrupted herself, urgently looking for the chancellor. It couldn't be helped. If Vice-Chancellor Gerhart was like iron, then the chancellor was an angel incarnate.
It wasn't just a simple metaphor. In appearance, personality, atmosphere, and ability, everything about her was angelic. No wonder people called her the 'Reincarnation of an Angel.'
"The chancellor is away on a business trip."
Boom. The sky fell.
"When will she return?"
"At least a month."
"Oh, that won't do."
"It will."
Professor Karen's head drooped.
I need to be vigilant, especially when dealing with a named boss like her.