[259] The Truth Revealed (4)
But Shirone shook his head.
There was less than a month left until the end of term.
The practical exams were over; only the theory exams remained.
From next term he'd be in his graduating year, so if he didn't use this period there would be no other time to strengthen the basics.
That was the rational conclusion, but feelings do not obey reason.
Shirone, who rarely wavered, could not bring himself to study with his parents' situation hanging over him.
That was also why, as soon as classes ended, he'd gone to the clubroom and sat on the sofa, lost in anxious thoughts.
Nade opened the clubroom door and came in.
"Hey, Shirone—we're here."
Iruki set a paper bag of bread on the table and sat opposite Shirone on the sofa.
"I brought something to eat. You'll be hungry—help yourself if you want."
"Thanks."
"I ran into Dante at the snack stand."
"Really? How was he?"
"How would he be? Totally fired up. Looks like he's staying at school. He says he'll beat you at the graduation exam and take first place. I told him to tell you himself. He said he'll declare war soon, so come up with a line that'll knock him back in advance."
Even in his turmoil, Shirone couldn't help but smile.
Of course it was Iruki—thorough to a fault. Now that Dante's group had become a rival, she was already in full combat mode.
"Alright, I'll think of something. You're making me laugh."
Iruki gave a wry smile at that—clearly it stung, even if she didn't show it.
Nade, who had been trying to find any way to ease Shirone's mind, remembered a rumor and spoke up.
"I heard earlier that Principal Olivia summoned Killain. She'll probably come up with some countermeasures. Don't worry too much."
"Yeah..."
Shirone had heard the rumor that Olivia might stay at the school.
But with things already out in the open, it was unclear how much help she could offer.
The most frustrating part was feeling helpless.
Rumors have no substance—you can't fight them outright, you can't cuff someone and throw them in prison.
All Shirone could do was hope this gust passed without causing more damage.
@
Killain, having been summoned, took a carriage that night and arrived in Creas.
Olivia held the auditor position—one of the highest posts on the Teachers' Council—so any clumsy response could go very badly.
Killain, having packed only basic travel clothes, grabbed the first inn she could and slept, then headed to Alpheas School of Magic first thing in the morning.
Students who recognized her whispered among themselves.
The article interviewing Shirone's parents had clearly caused a stir. Whatever feelings his parents had, no student was likely to look kindly on a reporter who'd exposed a student's background that way.
Killain realized the day wouldn't be easy.
'Doesn't matter. I expected this,' she thought.
Revealing Shirone's origins preserved Dante's star appeal.
It chased off other correspondents looking for a new hot story and kept her own lifeline intact.
Olivia would want Dante to succeed too. Given her social standing, she wouldn't simply ignore sensational reporting, but it would likely end with a few reprimanding words and be put to rest.
Killain smoothed her clothes and stood before the principal's office. She cleared her throat and announced in her usual bright tone.
"Killain here."
"Come in."
Olivia's voice was the one thing the correspondent envied most about her.
If she had to choose, she would pick that voice over a second-rank archmage title.
But today Olivia's tone was cold.
The voice of an authority in runic magic had a peculiar power to pierce a person's heart.
There was no warmth in it.
When Killain entered, Olivia sat with a frosty expression. Unusually, the former principal Alpheas was seated beside her, and Shirone sat across from them.
"Hello, Olivia, Alpheas. Oh—and hello, Shirone."
Killain met each of the three with a cheerful greeting.
No one answered. Olivia didn't even tell her to sit.
"Can you explain this article…?" Olivia asked, tossing the magazine with Killain's piece at her feet.
Seeing a magazine with your own article thrown on the floor was not a pleasant sight.
Killain didn't show it, but the mood was much worse than she'd expected.
"Reporting facts is a correspondent's job and calling. Is that a problem?" she said.
Shirone's brow tightened.
Correspondents have a duty to report facts, true, but they aren't the only ones entitled to pursue what they deem valuable.
Even if clear lines aren't always easy to draw, fulfilling a calling carries responsibilities that must be borne.
Killain lifted her chin as if she had nothing to hide and met their gazes.
Hadn't she endured this kind of coercion before while covering aspiring mages?
High nobles sometimes lobbied for favorable coverage, and once in a while unknown thugs would ransack a reporter's home.
She had fought through all those adversities to get where she was.
And Olivia knew that better than anyone.
She had tolerated countless threats from competitors while helping make Dante a star; Olivia could not simply control her.
"I expected that Shirone's interview would cause a social reaction. But Olivia, I couldn't help it. I only wrote down what was said in the interview. It's not my fault Shirone's background differs from others."
Olivia offered a thin smile.
Was that the end? Killain genuinely thought so.
But Olivia's smile faded like mist.
"You've grown up a lot, Killain."
Killain's features hardened.
"When you first joined the council you were a kid who wouldn't even speak to me. Now you don't just match me—you even try to play word games…"
Killain sensed the situation was turning against her, but she was fighting for her livelihood.
She'd rather die there than see ten years of a career vanish.
"Is that so? That was so long ago I barely remember. Come to think of it, Olivia, you've aged too. You'd never have spoken so uncouthly before. The world changes people," she said.
Olivia and Killain's gazes clashed.
Alpheas, unable to stand it, finally spoke.
"Killain, no matter how important an article is, recording a person's life carries responsibility—"
"Quiet," Olivia snapped.
Alpheas fell silent, embarrassed; the effect was immediate.
Killain kept her smile, but her face had drained pale.
"Are you mad, Killain?" Olivia asked.
Killain could hardly breathe; her heart pounded as if trying to flood her limbs with oxygen.
Everyone knew that if Olivia truly intended to crush her, she'd be helpless.
She couldn't understand why Olivia treated her with such cold contempt.
Of course this was for Dante, and Killain had kept silent in similar situations before.
"Apologies if I was rude. But Olivia, I couldn't help it. Even if you're an auditor on the Teachers' Council, you can't pressure the press. If this blows up, it won't be me who gets into trouble," Killain said.
Her words had weight.
No one on the Teachers' Council had the authority to alter a correspondent's lawfully obtained reporting—unless the royal family declared martial law or illegal corruption was uncovered in the reporting process.
"No, Killain. It's your career that's at stake. How did you get that interview with Shirone's parents? From what Shirone says, his parents wouldn't speak about these things lightly."
Killain flinched.
She hadn't expected Olivia to press her so relentlessly and had let her guard down on that point.
She hadn't threatened or used force—just leaned on the worries of parents a little.
"I just kept asking, and they finally told me. Being interviewed must have made them nervous. Lots of people react that way."
Olivia gave an incredulous smile.
"Killain, do you think I don't know how you work?"
Killain pressed her lips together and glared at her.
Olivia knew Killain's methods down to the bone. They had worked together for ten years to make Dante a star.
That made it sting all the more; she deserved recognition, yet here she was, being summoned and bullied.
"You'd emphasize that a commoner blind to the world of mages could only see one angle. Suggest the Teachers' Council—imply that Shirone used his student status to exploit the council's authority—and the parents would have no choice but to agree. Any parent would give in. A student marked by the Council would be finished," Olivia said.
Shirone's eyes hardened.
If they had really pressured his parents like that, it was unforgivable.
Killain felt like a rat backed into a corner. It was clear Olivia had come to trap her today.
But she still had one weapon left.
Her nuclear option.
Dropping her affectation, she let tears well up and put on a pitiable expression.
"Yes, I did that. But why? Olivia, you know how it is. Everyone does it. If you forbid even that, you can't write articles."
There was an unspoken threat in Killain's tone—Dante had done the same, hadn't he?
Olivia didn't blink.
If you dug into her, Olivia might have faults like anyone. But it was a mistake to put the auditor of the Teachers' Council and a Grade-2 Archmage of the Red Line on the same level as Killain.
"Killain, I'm not blaming you as a correspondent. I'm punishing you for betraying the trust I placed in you for so long."
Killain felt the ground fall away beneath her.
"Do what you must," she said. It was a dare: let's see who survives when we tear into each other.
Someone like Alpheas might not have been frightening, but Olivia knew the world and had a streak of practical selfishness. With that razor-sharp mind, Killain had never stood a chance.
"What betrayal? I'll be honest. I thought you'd like it. Dante lost—it was because I wanted your student to succeed," Killain said.
Only then did Olivia's expression soften.
Having stripped Killain of her pretense, she spoke plainly now.
"Thanks for thinking of me, but that was presumptuous. And it wasn't for my sake—it was for yours. Without Dante, your position in the Council would have been shaken. But I'm not like that. Dante lost, and Shirone won. Shirone is also my student, so I have nothing to lose."
"What? What did you say?"
Killain stared, dumbfounded.
How could Shirone be Olivia's pupil?
She looked at Alpheas for clarification, but he wore the same blank expression.
"Shirone my student? Olivia, you're only interim principal. I thought you were going to step down soon."
"I planned to, but I changed my mind. I'm staying at Alpheas School of Magic. From next term I'll take the vice-principal post. So if you try to ruin my student's future, you'll be a traitor bent on destroying him."
Killain still couldn't make sense of Olivia's words and looked around, bewildered.