At Least I Can't Let It End Like This
Aria couldn't find the words to respond to Kassian's statement.
When she remained silent, Kassian urged her again.
"For now, why don't you sit? It seems we have quite a lot to discuss."
Aria moved toward the sofa, and Kassian personally brought her a cup of tea.
"It looks like you already know that student Yohan drank poison."
"⋯⋯Serafina told me. I also saw the withdrawal form with the headmaster's seal on it."
"Then this should be easier to explain."
Kassian rose from the sofa and retrieved several sheets of paper along with a small vial.
Aria's eyes narrowed.
Her gaze fixed on the small bottle Kassian had brought, she soon picked it up and examined it lightly.
⋯⋯This is.
Poison.
And an incredibly horrific one at that.
It was a toxin so rare that even Aria, the Magic Tower Master, had only seen it a few times, and its use was now strictly forbidden.
"Assistant Serafina doesn't know the full details of what happened before or after, so I'll explain everything step by step."
Kassian laid out everything he had uncovered about the incident.
Aria's expression shifted moment by moment, but the part that shocked her most was one specific point.
"How did they even get their hands on this poison?"
The bottle had found its way back onto the table at some point.
Kassian stared at the vial of poison as he spoke.
"We're still tracing the source. We haven't caught them yet."
This was the kind of poison used by criminals—something impossible to obtain through normal channels.
Even Kassian was struggling to track it down, so Aria could easily imagine just how thoroughly the supply route had been concealed.
⋯⋯Haah, these bastards are serious.
Aria pressed her temples.
"The ringleader."
"The three students who fed him the poison have already been expelled."
"The board of directors wouldn't have just stood by and watched, would they? And aren't you supposed to avoid antagonizing them in the first place? What about the medicine?"
Kassian nodded.
⋯⋯That's right.
But it didn't matter anymore.
He had already made up his mind.
'It's late, but this is the right thing to do.'
He no longer needed the medicine. After all, his remaining life was already short.
It was time to set things right.
"You don't mean..."
Aria's face twisted into a frown. She looked utterly shocked, as if she had seen straight through his thoughts.
"Shouldn't I do what needs to be done? And this is something I must do as the academy headmaster."
Kassian slowly set down his teacup.
Aria's gaze locked onto him.
"Celestia, I am regretting things right now."
Aria wore a puzzled expression.
⋯⋯Regretting?
What...?
"I regret not making my decision about the board of directors sooner."
And.
"I regret not showing Yohan's exam paper to the Magic Tower Master when he took the test at the academy. Those are the two things I'm referring to."
⋯⋯What?
The world is not equal.
Those who are born weak can only struggle in vain.
"What are you talking about?"
A cold gaze poured out from Aria. Kassian continued speaking as if it were no big deal.
"Did you know when student Yohan started being bullied?"
⋯⋯When?
He never once mentioned anything like that to me.
This is the first I'm hearing of it⋯⋯.
"⋯⋯Haah."
Kassian let out a sigh.
"It seems to have gone on for quite a while. According to testimony from other commoner students, it started around the time you began showing interest in him."
"⋯⋯What? That means it's been over a year⋯⋯."
"Over a year. It got even worse recently after you headed to the Magic Tower. His research notes were damaged, they lied to him saying the classroom had changed, they made fake appointments that left him standing for ages, and there were incidents where he was suddenly drenched by a bucket of water."
Kassian looked at Aria.
"Did you never notice anything strange about student Yohan during all that time?"
⋯⋯I didn't. He always had a smiling face and never once complained.
Recently he did look tired, though⋯⋯.
⋯⋯Ah, so that's why.
"Celestia, are you aware of the rumors that circulated about you and student Yohan?"
"What are you talking about now? Is this about the chocolate? If that's it, I only found out about it recently⋯⋯."
"It started even before that. There were rumors. I asked student Yohan about it just in case, but he denied it. Though it seemed he already knew the rumors existed."
⋯⋯Rumors?
Aria rolled her eyes. Nothing came to mind. It was more accurate to say she hadn't cared.
After all, there had been no reason for her to pay attention to humans.
⋯⋯Except for Yohan.
"What kind of rumors?"
Aria asked.
"The rumor that you and student Yohan were involved with each other."
Silence.
After a suffocating stretch of silence, Aria opened her mouth, looking utterly dumbfounded.
"⋯⋯What?"
⋯⋯A student and a professor?
And the person in question is me?
⋯⋯What kind of nonsense is that.
In the first place, I⋯⋯.
"You think it's ridiculous, don't you?"
"Isn't it obvious? Who would spread such baseless gossip."
"That doesn't matter. To them, the truth is irrelevant. Since you, the professor, never personally clarified anything, they wouldn't have cared about student Yohan's words. Besides."
Besides.
"Now I'm the only one who knows you're an elf. You probably thought it was natural to focus on your research and favor those who could help you with it, but humans don't see it that way."
Aria couldn't continue. It was absurd.
"Ha, this is insane."
Aria clicked her tongue. She couldn't understand why any of this had happened.
"Do you remember when I told you before that your favoritism toward Yohan would become poison for him?"
"I remember. I literally just said so."
"Celestia, I said that because you don't pay attention to rumors or behavior like this. In the end, the situation I feared has come to pass."
"Then what am I supposed to do? Yohan was the only person best suited for that research."
"⋯⋯Haah, you mean that research that reaches the realm of the gods."
Kassian exhaled.
⋯⋯At this rate, the conversation will never end.
Kassian subtly turned his head to check the time. Student Yohan's withdrawal was already decided anyway. There was nothing more she could do. It was time to wrap this up.
⋯⋯Because from now on, I have to fight with the board of directors.
"Celestia, that's enough⋯⋯."
"I understand."
Kassian's gaze turned to Aria.
What?
"I said I understand. If I made a mistake, I just need to fix it properly, right?"
"What are you planning to do?"
"Since the withdrawal form came to me, even with the headmaster's seal, it can't be processed without my approval, can it?"
⋯⋯Tsk.
Kassian clicked his tongue. He could already predict what would come next.
"I'll find Yohan, apologize, and clear up the rumors floating around the academy. That should do it, right?"
⋯⋯Please, Aria.
"It's not that simple. Student Yohan no longer wants to remain at the academy. He's already left. In the first place, he⋯⋯."
⋯⋯Haah.
"Aria."
Kassian called her by name.
Aria's eyes widened. It was almost the first time he had ever addressed her by her name.
"Hey, you."
"Student Yohan drank the tea even though he knew it contained poison."
Aria's movements froze.
"⋯⋯What do you mean by that?"
Does that mean the kid wanted to die?
'Professor Aria should be back at the academy by now, right?'
[Wasn't that the timing we discussed?]
⋯⋯That's right.
Yohan nodded.
'Yes, that's true. I hope nothing bad has happened.'
⋯⋯I hope nothing bad has happened.
Why do I feel so uneasy?
[Don't imagine things that haven't even happened.]
'I know I shouldn't.'
Yohan let out a small chuckle.
His pointless worries just kept piling up.
'I don't think I used to be like this before.'
[It's not necessarily a bad thing. Still, you should start focusing. Isn't it about time to descend?]
'Ah, right.'
Yohan straightened his posture and tapped the wooden carriage sharply to signal.
"You want to get off around here?"
Yohan nodded vigorously. Proper communication had been achieved.
"Safe travels~"
The carriage dropped Yohan off and turned back the way it had come. The place where Yohan had disembarked was a city quite far from the academy. From here, he planned to immediately find another carriage and head straight to 'Edelbein,' the historical starting point of the Giants' appearance.
'Still, having enough money makes it easy to get a carriage.'
[Isn't this becoming quite the waste?]
'Can't be helped. If I want to travel safely, this is the only way.'
Not only did he have to pay for a sturdy carriage, but he also needed to choose a coachman who could keep his mouth shut. It was quite an expensive endeavor.
'But it's fine. After all, this money will become nothing more than scraps of paper later anyway.'
There was only about a year left.
So it was enough.
'I'm hungry. Should we eat first?'
[Do as you wish.]
Yohan began walking.
Kassian had spoken with Yohan right after the incident.
'He's hiding something.'
Others might not have noticed, but Kassian could see it clearly.
Since Kassian, like Aria, was not human, detecting such things wasn't particularly difficult for him.
Compared to their first meeting at the entrance ceremony, Yohan seemed like an entirely different person.
Though he didn't show it outwardly, a deep fatigue could be felt, and the way he accepted everything as if it were familiar left Kassian with a sense of alienation.
'Over a year is more than enough time for a human to change, but can someone change this much?'
It was a question that had risen in Kassian's mind, which was why he had asked.
⋯⋯Did you drink it on purpose?
Of course, that poison had neither scent nor taste. It wasn't something an ordinary human could distinguish.
⋯⋯But.
He could have found it suspicious.
After all, Yohan had been bullied for a long time.
There was plenty of reason to think something was off.
From the way Yohan had reacted to the question, Kassian had been able to discern a few things.
He had drunk it on purpose.
That was why Kassian had told Aria not to burden him any further by sharing this story, but Aria had gone in a completely unexpected direction.
Instead, she was preparing to go find him herself.
"At least I can't let it end like this."
Aria finished organizing her lab and completed her preparations to head to the Magic Tower.
"Celestia, what will you say when you meet him?"
"If he wants, I'll help him return to the academy. I'll also look for ways to fix his throat."
Wanting to die? That made no sense.
⋯⋯But he drank the poison?
Aria's mind grew tangled.
The conclusion she reached was to ask him directly.
"⋯⋯Haah."
The sound of Kassian sighing reached her.
She now understood what it meant.
"If he doesn't want to come back to the academy, I'll stop. I'll do the research alone too."
"⋯⋯Can you promise that?"
"Yes. And you wait here too. Don't get yourself hurt while fighting the board. Stay quiet."
Aria nodded as she spoke. Kassian did the same.
"Understood. I'll put student Yohan's withdrawal on hold. Go on, then."
Aria immediately headed for the Magic Tower.
To find Yohan.
Of course, Yohan still had no idea about any of this.