Ch. 79 - Principal

The first thing that caught my eye was her beautiful reddish-brown hair, almost the color of copper.

A woman with long, flowing hair was sitting at the back of the spacious room, looking at us. She looked to be in her mid-thirties. Her eyes were strong, giving the impression of a confident, mature woman. She wore a white outfit like the others, but with a small red cape over it.

Cameron had a navy blue cape, so perhaps the colors represented different positions.

The woman looked at each of us in turn, then stood up with a slight smile. "I am Balblair Clynelish, the principal of the Holy City Magic Academy."

Imposing and dignified, these words suited her perfectly.

Cameron stepped forward, gesturing towards us with one hand. "Principal, this is Aoi-dono, a senior teacher from Fiddiq Academy. These are Strass-dono and Eliza-dono, general teachers from Fiddiq."

"Oh, weren't the students supposed to come too?"

"Due to the nature of our business, we've asked them to wait in the rest area," Cameron replied.

Balblair nodded, placing a finger on her chin. "I see? I was only told you were here to tour the academy. What exactly is your purpose?"

She looked at us with an interested expression.

Meeting her gaze directly, I voiced our request. "We would like to learn about the magical knowledge and techniques and the anatomical knowledge of the human body available at your academy."

Balblair blinked and then burst into laughter. "Hah, hahaha! I see. That's why Cameron is in trouble. So, you're a type like Crown Windsor and obsessed with researching magic and making discoveries regardless of country or affiliation?"

She looked me in the eyes. Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Not exactly," I replied. I wanted to make it clear that I was not obsessed as Crown, who, as a court magician, likely had more constraints than I did.

But Balblair didn’t listen to me and turned her gaze to Strass and Eliza. "And what about you two? Are you willing to risk your lives for magical research?"

She looked at the two with challenging eyes. Both of them shook their heads slightly.

The mention of risking lives was heavy, implying that learning about state secrets like healing magic could mean death.

In that case, it wasn't worth risking their lives.

Strass and Eliza looked troubled as they spoke.

"Normally… if another teacher had suggested this, we would have stopped them even if we had to use force. However, Aoi Konominato, who is asking to see the results of magical research from another country, presents a problem. If she were to research healing magic, even if there were a serious incident of information leakage, the Maple Leaf Holy Empire would greatly benefit." Strass became unusually talkative.

Balblair narrowed her eyes in amusement. "Every magic academy in every country is compared to Fiddiq Academy, and most people think that Fiddiq is superior due to its diversity."

Then she suddenly stepped closer to us.

Not just Strass and Eliza, but even Cameron stiffened.

Balblair, now almost in front of me, looked me straight in the eye. "It’s frustrating. From our perspective, we believe we are conducting the same level of research. If I had to point out a difference, it would be whether major countries are cooperating on research or researching on their own."

Standing in front of me, she was taller than I expected, and I had to look up at her.

"I see," I responded, understanding her point and not needing to refute it.

Seeing my reaction, Balblair smirked and laughed through her nose. "Interesting. You must be quite skilled in magic, perhaps on par with our Fore Pern Roses, to be a senior teacher at Fiddiq Academy. Does that make you overconfident?"

After making an assumption about me, she raised her arm and showed her skin from the elbow up.

There, an ancient magic circle was inscribed.

"… Is this a tattoo? Directly on your skin?" I asked, finding it a waste.

Balblair's expression turned irritated. "What? I thought someone who made such a bold request would be deeply knowledgeable in magic. If you think this is just a tattoo, then there's no point in discussing anything further."

With a deep sigh, Balblair lowered her arm and turned her back on us, seemingly losing interest.

Confused by her words and actions, I tilted my head. "I don't know what bothered you, but did you want to know my thoughts on the magic circle? To be honest, I'm not a fan of permanent body modifications like tattoos. They can be hard to change later…"

Balblair, who was heading back to her desk, stopped in her tracks.