Time passed again,
and one day, the day of Richard’s disciplinary announcement arrived.
That morning, the academy was a little quieter than usual.
The Crown Exam had ended, and club activities were beginning to settle into place.
The students were gradually returning to their own routines,
and I, too, was growing used to going to school with Elysia on weekdays,
eating lunch with Iris,
and serving as a model at the Accessory Crafting Club after classes.
But that day was different.
Students were gathering one by one in front of the central bulletin board.
At first, I thought it was another notice about the Star Radiance Festival contest or club activities.
But the moment I saw the document posted on the board, my ears perked slightly in Elysia’s arms.
[Joint Notice from the Star Radiance Council and the Discipline Committee]
Notice of Investigation Results and Temporary Disciplinary Measures Regarding First-Year Mage-Knight Department Student Richard.
It has been confirmed that the student in question attempted to inflict magical harm upon another person’s registered familiar without permission during class,
and that after school, he provoked a personal dispute with student Elysia von Valerion and caused a physical conflict.
Accordingly, the following measures shall be applied.
• Student Richard’s first Crown evaluation is hereby confirmed as No Crown.
• He is prohibited from applying for all official duels for one month.
• He is prohibited from privately approaching Elysia von Valerion and the registered familiar Haku.
• He is ordered to undergo special education regarding violations of familiar protection regulations and to perform supervised service under the Discipline Committee.
• In the event of another violation, he will be referred to the faculty disciplinary committee, and penalties of suspension or higher will be considered.
— Excellia Academy Star Radiance Council / Discipline Committee
After reading the notice to the end, I stared blankly for a moment.
‘No Crown.’
It was a more decisive punishment than I had expected.
Of course, it was not expulsion or suspension.
But for an academy student, having No Crown confirmed on the first Crown Exam was quite a heavy matter.
Especially since it was not due to a lack of ability, but a result that included deductions for conduct and rule violations.
I could somewhat imagine what kind of expression Richard would be wearing.
He was probably grinding his teeth in frustration.
“So this is how it ended up.”
Elysia spoke quietly.
I looked up at her.
Elysia’s expression was not simply one of relief.
She looked a little conflicted.
Even as the person who had been harassed, it seemed that seeing someone clearly punished was not something that made her purely happy.
But I was different.
Inwardly, I thought very honestly.
‘He brought it on himself.’
He had picked a fight with Elysia and me first,
used magic during class,
and after school, even tried to attack us somewhere without witnesses.
If the result of that had been swept under the rug as if nothing had happened, that would have been stranger.
At that moment, Oscar Wald, who had been standing in front of the bulletin board, spoke briefly to the students.
“Refrain from speculation beyond the contents of the notice. This matter is the result of confirmation by the Discipline Committee and the faculty.”
His voice was blunt, but the effect was clear.
The students’ murmuring quieted down somewhat.
Mariette was organizing documents for the meeting minutes beside him,
and Cecilia was watching the overall atmosphere from a step behind.
Cecilia’s gaze was as calm as usual.
It was hard to believe she was the same person who had been pushing forward the Haku Badge Contest; when it came to matters like this, she left no openings.
‘She really does things properly when it counts.’
I thought so once again.
Just then, Richard appeared from the other end of the corridor.
The students’ gazes naturally turned toward him.
Richard’s face was stiff.
He was not arrogantly lifting his chin like before.
That did not mean he looked completely repentant, either.
His expression was a mixture of anger, humiliation, and pride as he tried somehow to endure it.
He glanced at the bulletin board once, then pressed his lips tightly together as if clenching his teeth.
Then, very briefly, he looked toward Elysia.
At that instant, Oscar stepped forward.
“Richard.”
Richard’s gaze immediately turned to Oscar.
“Have you confirmed the contents of the notice?”
“……I have.”
“Do not forget the approach restriction.”
Richard clenched his fist tightly.
But he could not say anything.
In the face of an official punishment confirmed by the Star Radiance Council, the Discipline Committee, and the faculty, there was not much he could do.
In the end, Richard turned away and disappeared down the corridor.
Watching his back, I thought quietly.
‘I hope that’s the end of it.’
But it probably would not be completely over.
A person with pride as strong as his would not immediately turn over a new leaf just because he had been punished.
If anything, he might nurture his resentment.
Still, at least for the time being, he would not be able to approach Elysia and me recklessly.
That alone was enough.
Elysia stared for a while in the direction Richard had disappeared, then let out a small breath.
“Haku.”
‘Hm?’
“It feels a little strange. I’m not scared, but…… I’m not happy either.”
I gently placed a forepaw on the back of her hand.
That could happen.
Just because someone was punished did not mean the heart would immediately feel at ease.
Elysia looked down at me and smiled faintly.
“Still, I suppose we can feel a little relieved now, right?”
I nodded vigorously.
That much was certain.
At the very least, it had become difficult for Richard to approach again as if nothing had happened.
That lunch hour, Iris also spoke about the notice.
As usual, Iris sat across from us and quietly spooned up her soup.
Then she suddenly said,
“I believe the level of discipline is appropriate.”
Elysia raised her head.
“Lady Iris, you think so too?”
“Yes. This is a case where both an act of harm against a familiar and a personal attack between students were confirmed.
Even if it does not warrant expulsion, it is only natural that conduct deductions be reflected in the first Crown evaluation.”
Iris was composed.
“Rather, what matters is that the academy did not treat this as a trivial quarrel between students.”
While chewing a piece of bread, I looked at Iris.
As expected, she saw these things accurately.
Sensing my gaze, Iris added,
“It is also meaningful for Haku.
It means it has been officially confirmed that Haku is not merely an adorable mascot, but a registered familiar protected under the regulations.”
I moved my ears with a subtle expression.
She was right.
But why did it feel a little complicated after hearing it?
Being protected as a familiar was good.
But at the same time, I felt like I was gradually becoming an existence inside official documents.
‘Why is my life becoming so administrative?’
Elysia nodded quietly.
“If Haku is safe, then that’s enough.”
Iris looked at Elysia for a moment.
Then she said very softly,
“That sounds like you, Elysia.”
Elysia blinked, seeming a little flustered.
“Does it?”
“Yes.”
Iris went back to eating her soup.
I looked between the two of them.
Compared to when they had first met, the atmosphere between them had become much softer.
It was still difficult to call them close friends, but it was clear that they had at least begun to acknowledge each other.
That evening, the news of Richard’s punishment became a topic of conversation at the Valerion estate as well.
When Elysia relayed the contents of the notice at dinner, Leopold closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.
“No Crown, a ban on duel applications, and an approach restriction.”
He spoke in a low voice.
“The academy has upheld the bare minimum, at least.”
Isolde looked quietly at Elysia.
“Elysia, are you all right?”
“Yes. I’m all right.”
Elysia paused for a moment, then added,
“It is a little complicated, though.”
Isolde nodded gently.
“That can happen. Just because someone is punished does not mean what you went through never happened.”
At those words, Elysia’s expression relaxed a little.
Lucius said calmly,
“We should be cautious regarding Richard for the time being.
Since he has received an official punishment, he will not be able to act immediately, but resentment may remain.”
I nodded inwardly.
Camilla looked dissatisfied.
“He did bad things to my sister and Haku. Shouldn’t he be punished more?”
It was a cute but very honest reaction.
I swayed my tail slightly.
I was grateful for the sentiment.
Leopold looked at Camilla and said,
“Discipline is not for venting anger. It is to make someone take responsibility in proportion to the rules they broke.”
Camilla pouted a little, but soon nodded obediently.
“Still, I’m glad he can’t come near Haku again.”
I agreed with that too.
Mina placed a small piece of cut bread in front of me and said quietly,
“I hope Lord Haku will be able to live a little more comfortably now.”
As expected of Mina.
She always worried about the most practical things.
Leopold said in a low voice,
“The matter of Richard will be concluded here for now. However, to ensure that the same thing does not happen again, I will continue to stay in contact with the academy and the Star Radiance Council.”
Elysia said quietly,
“Thank you, Father.”
Leopold gave a short nod.
“It is not something you need to thank me for. You and Haku are under Valerion protection.”
At those words, I stopped chewing my bread for no real reason.
I had heard something like that again.
Under Valerion protection.
Words that had felt unfamiliar at first were now gradually beginning to feel real.
That night, after returning to Elysia’s room, she placed the Double Crown badge on her desk and stared at it for a long while.
“Haku.”
‘Hm?’
“Now that the Richard matter has been settled like this…… it feels like we’ve finally passed through one stage.”
I curled up on her lap.
She was right.
The small conflict that had continued since we first arrived at the academy had finally been officially settled.
Of course, that did not mean all our problems had disappeared.
Iris was still drawing closer to my true identity,
the preparations for the Star Radiance Festival were gradually approaching,
and deep inside me, the black, ominous existence that only I knew about still remained.
But at least the Richard matter was over.
Elysia no longer needed to shrink back alone because of that incident.
I quietly raised a forepaw and placed it on the back of her hand.
Elysia looked at that paw, then smiled softly.
“Mm. I’m okay.”
I closed my eyes slightly.
Today, my heart felt a little lighter.
The academy, the Star Radiance Council, and the Valerion family.
All of them had many strange aspects, but still, when necessary, they moved properly.
It was a day when I confirmed that fact.
Of course, I decided to forget for a moment that the badge contest with my face on it was still ongoing.
For the sake of today’s peace, it was better not to think about that.