23 Headmaster meeting

Ragen sang my praises which was awful, as all the students in the room gave me a resentful look. The mention of my massive mana pool will definitely cause some unnecessary attention that I didn't want! 

'I can already imagine what they are thinking.' I kept my head lowered, hoping Ragen would notice that what he is doing was actually making things worse for me. 

[How can she be better than us?]

[She is just a peasant right?]

[Who does she think she is?]

[I can't wait for April to show who is in charge.]

[Maybe we should join in.]

It seemed to work as Ragen looked around the room clearly hearing the whispers and decided to walk away from me. I was shocked since this was the first teacher to not really do anything. 

Deep inside me, I hoped he would stand up against the students but that wasn't the case this time. 

'This is what I get for having hope.' It was my fault for thinking that every teacher would try to defend me, but this is still a noble school after all. Not all the staff are sympathetic or have the same views as each other. 

**

After being subtly belittled by my class, not much more of note happened. We continued practising controlling our mana and creating precise shapes out of our elements. It was certainly helpful, but I can say my motivation took a hit for this class. 

I loved the idea of being able to apply my magical abilities, but if I couldn't trust the teacher, then it would only cause problems if I outperformed everyone. 

Anyway, the class finished, and it was time to meet with the headmaster. Conveniently, there was a hawk waiting outside the training field who had come to find me with a scroll in their mouth. 

"Hey there birdie." I reached out my hand so the hawk could place the scroll on my hand. I instantly assumed it was a messenger bird of some kind, so I made sure to treat it with respect. 

The hawk dropped the scroll in my hand and I quickly opened it to read it. However, as I did the scroll activated some kind of magical circle causing it to glow brightly. 

'Shit this isn't from the headmaster.' I shut my eyes, preparing to be blasted by something, but nothing happened. 

"You can open your eyes." Hearing a familiar voice, I slowly opened my eyes and found myself standing in front of a desk. I then realised the person talking was Tolverkin our headmaster. Looking around the room, it was a standard office that even had a balcony. I guessed this one was used for guests since there was next to nothing in this room. I half expected a hogwatts style office, but this was just bland. 

'Still doesn't dismiss the fact that the headmaster is here!' I quickly straightened up as the last thing I wanted to do was upset the headmaster. I indirectly caused his son to get hurt so surely he is resentful of me, even if it's just a little bit. 

"Relax, I would have punished my son for hurting you and let Lyra off the hook, but then I'd lose my position as headmaster so please understand." Tolverkin knew exactly what I was thinking, which made me wonder am I really that easy to read? 

"I-I see." It was nice to know how the headmaster felt and I probably would have done the same if I were him. 

"Take a seat, there are a few things I want to talk about and no, you're not in trouble." Reassuring me that everything was fine, I took the seat that was conveniently behind me. 

'Now that I see him up close, he looks a lot younger than I expected. He seems to be human, but his eyes look like that of a lion.' I never got a good look at our headmaster and instead of satisfying my curiosity, I ended up with more questions. First, what is his race and second, why the hell is he wearing a completely white suit? 

He instantly filled the stereotype of an eccentric fashionista, but I can't deny he looks good. 

"As for what you're here for, I want to know why you were behind the school and the cause of the mana explosion." Tolverkin got straight to the point, but at the mention of being behind the school, all I could see was Raja. 

My body froze, and the feeling of my stomach getting burned still lingered making me want to cry. I didn't know if I should tell the full story. If the headmaster punishes Raja, then that means he will come back with even deadlier force. 

"I'm aware Raja was there and knowing your status, I doubt you were together for a good reason." It relieved some of the pressure knowing that Tolverkin was partly aware, but I was still unsure.

'I-I shouldn't hide it, last time I did it only resulted in more harassment.' Reflecting back on my previous life, I never told anyone about the harassment I was going through in fear that it would make it worse. It was a mental trap that I realised after the fact and I was not going to make the same mistake now. 

"A-at first I was just looking for a place to eat alone away from everyone, b-but then R-Raja found me…" My voice became shaky as I started to explain what happened. Even my eyes started to tear up, making me wonder when I became so emotional. 

"H-he proceeded to belittle me, a-and t-then h-he… u-used his magic to burn my s-stomach. A-after that, I passed out from the pain and y-you know the rest." I felt my throat tighten like I was making some kind of massive mistake by telling the truth. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to go home and cry myself to sleep. What if I get punished instead?

"I see. Did you try using any mana before you passed out?" Tolverkin remained indifferent, which I couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing.

"N-no, I only remember feeling m-." When I went to describe how it felt, the vomit I was keeping in almost came out, prompting me to cover my mouth. 

"It's okay, I think I understand what happened." Tolverkin then fell silent for a moment, seemingly making up his mind about something. 

I clenched the hem of my skirt, praying that everything would be okay. I have no reason to lie about a noble, as there is nothing to gain from ruining their reputation unless you are a noble yourself. 

"Saki. There is extreme potential in you to become a great mage, but as of right now, due to your status, there is nothing I can do about Raja. I'm sure you are aware of the kind of repercussions that will occur if he gets into trouble and I commend you for telling the truth despite that risk." 

"I will turn a blind eye for your wellbeing, but please do be careful from now on." Tolverkin let out a sigh and I could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to do more, but he knew it would only get worse. 

"T-thank you, but you said something about a mana blast?" Although I felt much more comfortable around the headmaster, there was still one thing that stood out to me. 

"Nothing to concern yourself with. Just after you passed out, it seems your body entered a defensive state so there was a wave of mana." Tolverkin gave me a smile, but something seemed fishy. I felt like there was much more to it, but I wasn't about to pester the headmaster out of all people for information. 

"I-I see." 

'Maybe it has to do with the special magic my mother uses.' I doubted such a reaction would occur after passing out, so the only clue I had was that it had something to do with my family. It was a stretch, but I do not know how powerful they are, let alone their status. 

"You may leave now, but if you'd like just for today, you can eat in here before class." 

"Really?" Hearing the offer completely interrupted my thought process, but that didn't matter. This was too good to be true and although it's just for today, it will save me from any unfortunate encounters. 

"Yes, I'll even teleport you to class so don't worry about being late." I was amazed that he was offering such kindness, but I guess since he can't punish Raja, ensuring my safety is the next best thing. 

"I-If I'm allowed, then I will gracefully accept this offer." There was no universe that I would reject this offer and if anything, it gives me the chance to earn some favour with the headmaster. 

'I just hope it doesn't backfire and suddenly I am labelled a hag like my mother.'