The tension in the court could be cut with a knife. The council felt humiliated, and there was only one reason behind it—Grand Master Kael’s decision to bring a forr slave here.
Not only had she been brought here as a guest, but she was also wearing clothes similar to their own.
’What could be a bigger insult than comparing us to a slave? The Cardinal was right! This kid truly has no manners. We’d better put him in his place soon.’
Unfortunately for the council, that day was not going to be today.
"Ehem, since Grand Master Kael is asking us to hurry up, we have no choice but to comply with his wishes. Then, we shall begin with our first agenda—the hero’s education."
Finally, it was ti for the council to start pressing the Grand Master for answers.
They did not know what had prompted him to push the hero toward a monster-hunting squad, but it was an opportunity for the council to criticize his behavior and show the hero that he would be better off with them.
"As we said before, the hero is far too young to undertake such an important task. And not only that, but you also want to drag the saintess into this as well? This is getting out of hand. We cannot allow it."
The council representative was quick to point all this out.
He took a quick look at the hero’s and saintess’s faces and noticed that they were blank. Surely they were finally coming around and realizing what a terrible guardian their teacher was.
’A little more, and these kids will see his true face.’
"Since both the hero and the saintess are in danger, we have made the decision to remove them from your custody. Instead, we would like them to choose their next guardian right now."
Not that it mattered who they chose. The council would pressure them and return the pair to the temple anyway.
"You want us to choose another guardian?"
The hero asked in a tense voice, and the council looked delighted.
"Yes! Anyone would do...as long as it’s not Grand Master Kael."
The councilman beca too excited and let those words slip out.
Leon looked around the room before turning toward the forr slave standing beside him.
"Then I’ll choose Iris. But honestly, I would prefer Kael."
" too! I’ll choose Iris as well."
The saintess imdiately chid in, causing the representative to crush the teacup he was holding.
He looked at the hero and saintess, and the first thing he noticed was that they were completely serious.
’Darn it! This isn’t right. These kids aren’t supposed to choose a slave. This is even worse than having Grand Master Kael as their guardian.’
Grand Master Kael was not anyone’s preferred choice, but he was still a noble by birth. The forr slave, however—having her as the hero’s official teacher and guardian would tarnish their reputation.
"Sir Leon, please think it over again—"
"I have made my decision. It will be either Kael or Iris. And I think there is a misunderstanding here. The one who asked to participate in the monster subjugation was . So if you have a problem with it, you should address ."
Leon spoke so firmly that it was difficult for anyone to interrupt him. Still, so people tried to gain his favor by showing sympathy.
"You are too young to go on a subjugation mission. Even if it is your decision, it is still the result of your environnt. The adults around you should have stopped you—"
"As Leon’s teacher, I agree with his decision. He has already reached a level where simple practice will no longer help him improve. That’s why we agreed he should join a monster subjugation."
Iris spoke up for the first ti.
She did not want to feel like a burden anymore, but she quickly realized that speaking up only made the situation worse.
All eyes in the room turned toward her, making her feel much smaller than she really was.
"What would a forr slave like you even know about monsters and their power? Your lack of knowledge will only put the hero in danger. Tsk. This is exactly why we oppose putting a slave in charge of the hero’s education. She’s leading all of you astray."
Iris felt overwheld.
All those eyes staring at her made the pressure unbearable. She had not even felt this way in the stadium, and that had been a place where people wanted to tear her apart.
She took a deep breath to steady herself, but it did not help.
Her panic only worsened, and it beca harder to breathe.
Iris looked up with a troubled expression, but instead of seeing the crowd, she saw Kael’s back.
Kael was not tall, especially compared to her. He must have been using magic to make himself appear taller and shield her from their gazes.
Iris felt grateful, but she was worried as well.
She did not want Kael to suffer because of her.
"Kael—"
"What is the aning of this, Grand Master? Release us at once. Or would you like to escalate this conflict?"
The chairman of the council spoke, and Kael sighed before shaking his head at the fool.
"I didn’t realize things would beco such a huge issue. If I had known, I would have spoken up much sooner."
"What do you an?"
The chairman asked in a tense voice, and Kael answered imdiately.
"I personally tested Leon’s skills and determined that he was ready for monster hunting. Seeing all of you question his qualifications makes feel as though you are questioning my judgnt. Should I take that as a formal insult to my abilities?"
Kael asked without missing a beat.
Iris knew he was lying.
Kael had not had the ti to personally evaluate Leon until now. He had entrusted all of Leon’s training to her.
But he was lying for her sake, and that left Iris feeling both touched and troubled.
The council, on the other hand, looked shaken.
"E-Even if that is true, we still need proof that he can handle himself. How can we risk the hero getting hurt because we pushed him too hard?"
The council mber asked, and Kael sighed.
Was he already regretting sothing?
Iris could not read his mood, but she could hear his words clearly.
And they shocked her to her core.
"If Leon’s skills are your only complaint, then isn’t this easy to resolve? Have Leon test his abilities against soone from the monster subjugation squad. Once they face each other, all your doubts will be cleared."
User Comments
0 comments from readers