In the Hall of Advancement, upperclassmen are usually the first to participate in most events.
This is intentional, so that the younger, less experienced students can observe and learn from their seniors.
As a result, the last ones to attempt the task I assigned were the younger students like Isabelle.
Of course, they seemed a little intimidated after witnessing how much their seniors had struggled.
But in any case, the difficulty of the assignments given to the beginner class was significantly lowered.
The same principle applied when facing the Ifrit on the top floor.
***
“W-Water…!”
—Splash!
『Achoo!!』
“Now’s our chance, guys!!”
It was quite endearing to see them give their all against the heavily weakened Ifrit.
The format was the same as the advanced class: escape from the top floor while avoiding Ifrit’s interference.
However, with clearer hints and a much cuter-looking Ifrit, the atmosphere was noticeably different.
Finally, Isabelle and the other younger students managed to escape from Ifrit.
At the same time, they hugged each other tightly, cheering with excitement—it was such a childlike display.
“You all did well.”
I had been waiting for the students in advance, and as they arrived, I patted each of them lightly on the shoulder.
At this stage in their growth, simply experiencing a sense of accomplishment was what mattered most.
And nothing reinforced that feeling better than direct praise from their professor.
So, just like with the others, I offered Isabelle words of praise for a job well done.
—Squeeze.
“…Isabelle?”
“I-I tried really hard, Letter. I was scared… but I still… did my best… Sniff…”
For some reason, she hesitated before approaching me, then suddenly hugged me and started sniffling.
Maybe she relaxed now that she was in front of me.
In the end, I found myself patting her back instead of just her shoulder, gently comforting her.
It did feel a bit unfair to the other students, as if I was showing favoritism…
But to Isabelle, I wasn’t just a professor—I held another role in her life as well.
Right now, I was comforting her not as a professor, but as a sister.
That was also why I whispered a promise in her ear—to walk around the Hall of Advancement grounds together later.
“You haven’t joined a club yet, right, Isabelle?”
“…No…”
“That’s perfect. Let’s visit the booths together and see which club might suit you.”
“…Okay…”
After stepping away from Isabelle, I took the students who needed medical attention to the infirmary.
Fortunately, they only had minor scrapes and scratches, nothing that required bed rest.
However, some did need to be hospitalized.
Especially one who had completely lost consciousness—
***
“…Evan, don’t overdo it. Lie down and rest.”
“But, Professor… Iris is…”
“I’ll explain everything to you. For now, just rest.”
Evan, who had been standing beside Iris with a shocked expression, needed closer observation.
Even Professor Miriel, who had been busily moving between beds, briefly approached to assess the situation.
“Alright, let’s hear it. Why is Iris in this state when she didn’t even participate in the assignment?”
“…This is what I believe happened.”
A calm face, as always.
A steady voice.
Yet, after listening to my explanation of everything that had happened to Iris, neither of them could maintain their composure.
And for good reason—everything I had just told them was almost too unbelievable to be true.
“In that case, you should have informed the other professors in advance—”
“If a large-scale search by Primus had begun, they would have gone into hiding. Then we would have never been able to free Iris from her captivity.”
I followed up by stating that handling it alone had been the best option.
There was no alternative but to strike when Iris and the cultists were gathered in one place.
“A student’s life is not something to gamble with. I hope you can understand.”
My voice remained unwavering.
Despite barely having lived twenty years, I spoke with absolute conviction.
Shortly after, I delivered another piece of news—
The ancient dragon had already examined Iris’s condition.
She would wake up in about a week.
A deep sigh escaped Evan’s lips.
“What have I been doing all this time…? I was right beside her, and I didn’t even notice that something was wrong with Iris.”
A heavy sense of guilt.
His expression darkened.
Miriel then spoke.
That even she hadn’t realized anything was wrong with Iris.
That, as Iris’s mentor, if even she hadn’t noticed, Evan shouldn’t blame himself too much.
“Focus on what you can do right now. When Iris wakes up, she’ll be scared if no one is there for her.”
“…Okay.”
In the end, Evan decided to withdraw from the one-on-one duels scheduled for the afternoon.
He couldn’t bear to leave Iris’s side for even a moment.
So, I asked him, “Are you sure about this? Even with the First Princess visiting Primus, you’re giving up such an important opportunity?”
“Yes, Professor. Honestly, even if I competed, I wouldn’t be able to focus.”
Then, Evan bowed his head toward me.
A slight tremor was evident in his voice as he spoke.
“…Thank you for saving Iris.”
I forced a small smile, reached out, and lightly patted Evan’s shoulder.
Since I was shorter, I had to go on my tiptoes, and my balance wavered a little.
“Protecting students is a professor’s duty. So rely on me from now on too.”
“…Okay…”
***
After telling him not to worry too much, I turned and left the infirmary.
My next destination:
The Hall of Advancement, where Isabelle, Dreven, and Orphion were waiting.
“I’m here!”
Isabelle’s voice rang out, full of excitement.
But as Letter thought about it for a moment…
‘Wait… didn’t I just end up setting Evan and Iris up myself?’
‘It seemed like he had unintentionally done something a little unfair to the familiar face standing in front of him.’
‘Of course, he had no regrets whatsoever about saving Iris’s life. But still, how should he put it…’
“But, what about Evan— I mean, Senior Evan?”
“Oh, he still needs some treatment. He has to stay in bed a little longer…”
It felt as if Letter had personally stepped in and crushed Isabelle’s one-sided crush on Evan.
That was never his intention, but in the end, he had gotten in her way.
So, at the very least, he apologized to Isabelle in his head before gently taking her hand.
Then, just as he had promised earlier, he led her toward the club booths at Primus, where they began exploring the different food stalls.
***
Orphion, who had been watching the two from a short distance away, finally spoke up to Dreven beside him.
Despite not sharing a single drop of blood, the two looked like real siblings.
“They’re quite the affectionate siblings, don’t you think?”
“…Yes, Lord Orphion.”
The response came with the usual silent expression.
But because of the faint upward curve of Dreven’s lips—
“It wouldn’t be a problem if he continued living as Isabelle’s brother. As your adopted son, even.”
“Of course.”
“Good. Then, do your best.”
It was rare for Orphion to offer words of encouragement.
Before long, the scholars’ apprentices would start digging into the person known as Letter Yurt.
And when that happened, Dreven would inevitably be affected.
If worst came to worst, those brats might even make life difficult for him.
So, Orphion made a decision.
If the two whelps who were already sniffing around wanted to cause trouble, he would make sure to send them a clear warning.
“That aside, a lot of amusing things seem to happen when I’m around you.”
He then spoke deliberately, making sure his voice carried.
If his enjoyment was ever interrupted because of Dreven, he would find it rather irritating.
And so, he added—
“If you get the message, then get lost. Quit buzzing around like annoying little flies.”
His words carried a faint trace of hostility, and in response, the shadows lurking beneath the ground wavered slightly.
The platinum-haired woman walking in the distance also flinched and abruptly stopped in her tracks.
“Tch. Annoying little brats…”
With his usual sharp expression, Orphion left those words behind and resumed walking.
Now, just as before, he had no intention of forgiving anyone who got in the way of his enjoyment.
That was also why, until the one-on-one duels began—
No, until the Hall of Advancement officially ended, he openly showed his favoritism toward Dreven.
***
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Ah, goodbye, Godfather!”
“…Goodbye.”
Once the Hall of Advancement had fully concluded, Orphion and Dreven prepared to return to their respective places.
Isabelle and I saw them off with parting words.
But after keeping an eye on Orphion all day, I was completely drained.
So, once I confirmed that he had fully left the academy, I just wanted to rest.
‘I still have a ton of paperwork to handle, but…’
As a professor at Primus, I had plenty of documents to fill out regarding the Hall of Advancement.
But I decided to put them off for a bit.
‘If I tried to handle them while mentally and physically exhausted, I’d just end up with a mess.’
Instead, Isabelle and I headed to a café.
There, we sipped on the sweet drinks that the staff had already learned to prepare for us without needing to ask.
“Evan-senpai came through the smoke so dramatically—he looked so cool.”
“U-Uh… yeah, he was cool…”
I humored Isabelle’s heartfelt chatter, though I still found it difficult to meet her eyes because of everything that had happened with Iris.
Still, we were having a relatively peaceful time.
That was, until—
—Step.
A very familiar shadow approached our table.
Feeling a bit wary, I slowly lifted my head.
“Could I have a moment of your time, Professor Letter?”
The voice belonged to Karian, wearing his usual harmless smile.
Honestly, I wanted to refuse outright.
But I figured it was worth at least hearing what was on his mind.
So, after telling Isabelle I’d be right back, I got up and followed him.
And then—
—Swish.
He dropped to one knee.
“…I have just one question.”
His expression was unusually tense.
“Did Father… leave behind any words?”
From beginning to end, I had no idea what he was talking about.
To me, the concept of “Father” didn’t even exist in the first place.
“Ah, I understand how you must feel, my lady. Father disappeared so suddenly—it’s only natural for you to be angry.”
“…What?”
“But still, no matter how upset you are, treating Father as if he never existed is a bit…”
“Wait, hold on—”
“Sigh… I should have come looking for you sooner.”
‘Who, exactly?’
Karian kept spouting nonsense, and it was making my head spin.