The Growing Snowball
Having gotten Irina's favorable response, I marched straight to our academy's principal without a second thought.
Truth be told, I wasn't thrilled about dealing with superiors, but every decision in this school ultimately rested with him... and if I was going to deliver on the bold promises I'd made to both sides, I needed to win the principal over first.
But.
But....
"Principal Adelheit..."
"Yes, yes!"
"Um, right now... am I...?"
"Yep yep?"
"Sitting in the principal's office, face-to-face with the principal?"
"That's right."
"No, but..."
"Hehehe... This old fogey knows exactly what you're trying to say."
"Wha—no. I wasn't planning to bring it up out loud."
"Why dodge it! You're wondering why the principal, who you thought was some venerable old professor, has turned into this cute little girl, right?!"
......
......
Yeah. Cut the bullshit!! What the fuck is this? What the hell is this shit?
If you asked what the original Rose of the Imperial Family's Adelheit Principal was like, well. Straight up, he was a Dumbledore-type: a wise old geezer with a full head of white hair, the grandpa of grandpas.
Sure, my cousin sister's world-building didn't throw in any fancy high-concept references, so maybe it was par for the course. But seeing him in person now? Totally different.
Glossy brown hair like a well-bred young lady's. Perched on the desk with a nameplate reading Principal Adelheit, swinging her little legs—a tiny girl.
Gender swapped? Age too. But the face is the same. Is this that transsexual—whatever the hell it's called?
Why was the word nearly bursting from my mouth, but whatever. I wasn't that invested in the principal anyway. I swallowed hard and shoved the question down my throat.
"Principal... could you please get down from the desk first?"
"Why? I like it up here. It's comfy."
"It's uncomfortable for me..."
"Aw, c'mon, making this old lady move? I climbed up here just to show off my cute new look since you came to visit."
But at least she listened. Grumbling, Adelheit hopped down from the desk and settled into her chair.
And get this—it was even funnier. Sitting there, her feet didn't even touch the floor.
Swing, swing—.
"…………."
I forced my gaze elsewhere. Sometimes in social life, you just gotta give up understanding to keep your sanity.
"A-anyway, let's get to business! The Nameless Sword Emperor Joseph requesting a meeting with the principal? That's no small matter."
I let out a rotten sigh.
"It's about Zigrinde Ainheart's punishment..."
"Mm-hmm. Yeah. Kept her in solitary too long? Planning to expel her now, but you have a different opinion?"
"Yes, I do."
"Hmm, normally that wouldn't fly."
Hmm? You're a dude. I'm seriously gonna kill you.
—I thought, but I couldn't say that to my nominal boss and paycheck provider. Trembling, I handed over Zigrinde's handwritten apology and the duel notarization from Irina.
"The victim herself, Grand Duchess Irina Bladimirovich Pernova, gave her intentions."
"Ooh... oh? You got this?"
"She saw their sincerity, so it worked. Zigrinde's been trying hard to apologize too. For a smoother resolution."
Her? Him? Whatever, the old fogey took them, held them to the light, and scrutinized every detail.
"With all this, expelling Zigrinde outright would be tough for the academy too, right?"
"The Ainheart family may be just a provincial barony, but they're a renowned swordsmanship house. Even though Duke Laval's line produced heroes generations back, her crime was so indefensible. But if the victim forgives her, no reason to stick to that."
"Then, settling it with a rematch would be the rational way to wrap it up cleanly."
"Hoo..."
"Suspend her enrollment at the school level and let them end it honorably. For that, we need your approval above all, Principal."
Heh heh—.
And with that, Adelheit laughed. Not some geezer cackle, but a childish, explosive giggle unique to kids.
"Why are you laughing...?"
"Oh, just! It suits you perfectly."
She swung her legs and stared right at me.
"Sir Joseph."
"Yes."
"You know how Mist Flower Class has been since you came on board?"
"Of course. It's my life right now. I think it's going well."
And it's because you shoved me into it. I heard. It was supposed to be temporary, but your decision made me full-time. Satisfied?
"I think it's going well too. Thanks."
But.
Maybe reading my inner screams of despair, Adelheit stopped swinging her legs and spoke calmly.
"You've been working so hard lately. Honestly, I feel bad about it, Sir Joseph."
"...Putting me in Mist Flower Class as a full professor?"
"Yeah. As you can see, it hasn't been easy. The last full-timer quit, which says it all. Probably only you could handle it."
Appreciate the thought, but why me, damn it? And why the hell did you pack the class with nothing but these walking bombs?
Come to think of it, was there even a problem class this bad in the original? Scatter them one per class, and you wouldn't have this discordant mess.
I wanted to ask, but saved it for later.
"...Tch."
"Whoa, Professor? Don't mind me, keep going. This is fun stuff?"
Because ever since a bit ago, Valentina Rothschild had been glued to my side, staring like I was the most fascinating thing ever.
This wasn't student-friendly talk. Sensing my discomfort, Adelheit tactfully changed the subject, checking my mood.
"...W-well. Not even a fortnight in, and even Valentina—who refused to come to class—is here for a meeting. That's all thanks to you."
"I'll handle her missed attendance with massive makeup assignments and submit a report, so no worries."
"Worries? With Alun's case the same, this principal has nothing to fret over."
"Then, your thoughts on the rematch?"
"Ah, that?"
Adelheit pulled out a sheet of glossy paper from her desk and whipped up a permit, handing it over.
"No reason to refuse when it's all squared away."
...Good.
"But take full responsibility and wrap it up clean... No one gets hurt this time. School-supervised means any issues fall on the faculty."
Aha. Guess you'll wanna stay on my good side then.
Hell, I might even stir the pot and chop the heads off those shitty professors pulling rank.
—That was my inner plan. Smiling, I pocketed it and nudged Valentina to leave.
"Let's go."
But.
Valentina, who'd been clinging like a sloth, grinning the whole time, suddenly asked Adelheit point-blank.
"Principal."
"What is it, Valentina?"
"I've always wondered—word is you used to be a guy? So why'd your body end up like that? Super curious!"
No. This girl!
"Valentina, that's rude...!"
But the principal lit up like she'd been waiting for it.
"Ah, it was a massive incident."
"Hehe! Nailed it, Professor Joseph bypassed. Looked like you wanted someone to ask—can't read the room, huh?"
"Five years ago, while advising His Majesty at the palace. Around the time you, Professor Joseph, slayed the Demon King..."
"......"
"Consult on what happens to mana-bound demonic beasts when the Demon King dies?"
"Oho. And how's that connected to your body?"
"On the way back, some mana explosion in the harem wing. Serious enough to ripple down the halls."
"And?"
"Woke up like this. Rejuvenated into a girl. Simple, right?"
I froze despite myself.
Yeah, I knew what happened to demons post-Demon King. Had time before retiring to gather intel. And I saw it firsthand around the kill site.
Some minds shattered.
Some bodies lost form.
Some mana went berserk, affecting surroundings.
Few survivors—rare exceptions.
Adelheit probably caught the tail end of a mana surge.
But... demons in the imperial harem?
......
....
Ah.
Right. Succubi.
A succubus line serving as imperial slaves for generations, teaching bedroom arts to harem ladies.
In the original, an episode on imperial scandals mentioned their house briefly. They secretly raised a child with imperial blood in the harem, got caught—mother and daughter executed.
That house name...
'...Feodosiya.'
That clicked the nagging familiarity from Lurua's surname.
No wonder her touches felt oddly hot.
Now I got it.
Ah, fuck...!
——Killing the Demon King drove the mom insane. The daughter survived.