Chapter: 15
“How can we trust the words of a little thief?”
With a cold expression, Julius questioned Sisrein.
Ugh, Teacher. Sis finally gathered the courage to speak, so could you please stay quiet for a bit?
Still holding Sisrein’s hand tightly, I looked up at Lady Mimosa and Julius.
“Without any concrete evidence, it would be terribly unfair to suspect Sisrein.”
Julius frowned and shot back.
“What more conclusive evidence could there be than the stolen items being found in Sisrein’s locker, Annette?”
Instead of answering him, I turned to Lady Mimosa.
“You know yourself, Lady Mimosa. Someone else could have done it.”
Her golden eyes fixed on me with an icy stare.
I was reminding her of the fact that there was someone intentionally bullying Sisrein.
In other words, I wanted her to realize that this whole incident might not have been Sisrein’s doing at all.
“…”
After a moment, Lady Mimosa narrowed her eyes.
Will she accept what I’m saying?
If Sisrein ended up being branded a thief and the situation escalated here, that would be exactly what the little devil wanted.
I couldn’t let that happen.
Just as I swallowed nervously, Lady Mimosa finally spoke in a quiet voice.
“I believe it’s best to end this matter here.”
“…!”
Julius’s expression twisted in displeasure.
On the other hand, I broke into a bright smile.
Ah, thank goodness!
Without any way to expose the little devil immediately, it would have been unbearably unfair if we had simply taken the blame.
It seemed that after the previous “water trauma” incident, Lady Mimosa trusted me at least a little.
I guess all that groundwork had paid off.
Maintaining her usual stern expression, Lady Mimosa continued calmly.
“In any case, the stolen item has been recovered, and Reina herself says she does not suspect Sisrein.”
“…That’s unacceptable, Lady Mimosa!”
Julius immediately protested. His blue eyes darkened ominously.
“That is absolutely unacceptable. This is a clear case of theft. Someone who steals once is bound to steal again.”
His cold gaze pierced Sisrein like a needle.
I bit my lip inwardly.
Teacher… please, just stop already!
“A child with such poor character who has committed theft once will never be able to quit. Isn’t kleptomania a terrible disease that can never be cured? We must cut it off at the root before—”
“Enough.”
Lady Mimosa’s stern, icy voice cut him off.
Her expression had frozen over like solid ice.
Her golden eyes looked like those of a lion ready to sink its fangs into its prey, making even me flinch.
Receiving that gaze head-on, Julius stood frozen, like the prey before the predator.
“Are you questioning my judgment, Julius?”
“…I-I merely…”
“Do not forget that every matter concerning this forest is decided by me, Mimosa.”
Julius pressed his lips together.
Finally, as though giving up, he lowered his head.
“Yes… I understand, Lady Mimosa.”
With that, the situation was neatly resolved.
“You children should all go and get some rest now.”
As soon as she dismissed the children, Lady Mimosa immediately left the classroom.
The atmosphere instantly became lighter.
Even Julian sighed in relief, covering his mouth with his tiny fist as he giggled.
“Glad Bear found.”
“Yeah! Treasure hunt was fun!”
“It was even more fun because we found the treasure so fast! Super fun!”
The children each chimed in with their own comments before nodding and returning to their seats.
Only Julius remained.
He stared at Sisrein with his deep blue eyes and spoke quietly.
“Sisrein, never forget that your teacher is always watching you.”
“…”
Even now, Julius didn’t forget to leave one last cold warning.
He still believes Sisrein is a thief one hundred percent.
The matter had already been settled, yet he stayed behind just to say that.
That was going too far.
“A child who cannot overcome the habit of stealing and remains a disgrace to the forest is utterly worthless, Sisrein.”
“And what if you’re wrong?”
“What… did you say?”
Julius frowned at my sudden interruption.
Without the slightest hesitation, I asked calmly,
“If Sisrein turns out to be innocent, how exactly will you apologize and make up for falsely accusing him?”
The corner of his mouth twisted.
“…How insolent, Annette. Truly bold and impudent. Is that how you speak to your teacher? There’s a limit to how much special treatment you’ll receive just because you’re an exemplary student.”
He looked as though he wanted to smack me on the head.
But if you’re a teacher, shouldn’t you examine situations like this more carefully?
Instead of branding a child with a permanent label.
There were many wonderful teachers in the forest.
But Julius clearly wasn’t one of them.
He looked down at me as though I were ridiculous.
After all, he probably believed a group of little children couldn’t possibly do anything to him.
He was the teacher.
We were just kids.
I hated how easily he judged others simply because he looked down on them.
Was there anything about Julius in the original novel?
I searched my memory.
To begin with, the forest didn’t get much attention in the original novel, The Dogs of the Mansion.
The story focused mainly on Heinrich and Sisrein’s relationship, along with revenge.
Lady Mimosa had little screen time, and Julius even less.
The novel simply mentioned that he was one of the strongest mages on the continent.
(Why someone that powerful taught children in the forest was never explained.)
As expected of the etiquette instructor, he despised troublesome children.
And…
Ah.
A rather useful piece of information came back to me.
“Problem children rarely cause only one problem, Annette. Besides, kleptomania is like a disease. They’ll spend their entire lives as thieves.”
“So you’re absolutely certain Sis is the thief?”
“Regrettably, yes.”
He answered with a smile, though there wasn’t the slightest trace of regret on his face.
“Then stake that ring of yours on your claim.”
“…!!!”
Smiling innocently like a child who knew nothing, I pointed at the ring on his finger.
That must be the Pluto Ring.
Julius was actually a member of the Pluto Clan, a family blessed with extraordinary magical talent.
That ring contained the souls of his clan.
By rubbing the gem, they could be summoned from anywhere.
Members of the Pluto Clan would serve whoever possessed that ring as their master.
Which meant that, if Julius lost it, he would lose all control over his own fate.
He would become nothing more than a slave.
“…Do you even know what this ring is?! This ring is everything to me!”
Judging by his reaction, I was one hundred percent certain.
Lowering my brows, I said,
“Hm, Teacher… does that mean you falsely accused Sisrein without even being certain?”
“…W-What?”
“You won’t bet the ring because you’re not certain. If you were truly sure, why wouldn’t you?”
“That’s…!”
Panic was written all over Julius’s face.
“You shouldn’t make reckless accusations against one of the forest’s children unless you’re absolutely certain. Right, everyone?”
I deliberately raised my voice loudly, like an oblivious twelve-year-old, making sure all the children around us could hear.
Before long, every child’s bright eyes had turned toward us.
Julius grimaced.
If he backed down now, he would look careless and lacking in authority.
And that was the one thing Julius couldn’t stand.
“Fine!”
He straightened proudly.
“I have absolute confidence in my judgment. If there truly is another culprit, Annette, I shall give this ring to you.”
Oh?
I narrowed my eyes.
With a confident smile, Julius declared,
“But you won’t find the real culprit. Like I said, problem children always cause more than one problem. And if Sisrein truly isn’t the thief, then I will apologize to him… and become his younger brother. That’s how certain I am!”
“…”
A wicked smile spread across my face.
So wicked that even Julius flinched.
Then, at the age of twenty-five, why don’t you try becoming the younger brother of an eleven-year-old, Teacher?
A moment later, I beamed brightly and answered cheerfully,
“Yes! It’s a promise!”
“…”
For an instant, Julius looked as though he had realized he’d walked right into a trap.
But it was already too late.
Hmm. This is an incredible bargain.
A powerful mage who could be summoned from anywhere.
And one who would have no choice but to obey my commands.
Once I eventually left the children behind and settled into my “post-original-story retirement” life, he would surely prove to be an invaluable asset.
I happily rubbed the tip of my nose.
Now I’m really looking forward to the moment I catch the real culprit.
