59 – Problem Child Counseling
Saladin didn’t show up for class.
I found out about it after class on Tuesday morning.
There are no basic fitness classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That’s why I didn’t have a chance to see Opal Black class students from the morning.
So, while I was taking care of my work in the teachers’ office, Instructor Reicht, who was in charge of 1st year swordsmanship instruction, entered the office.
Unlike the Opal Black class, which has only eight students, other classes with hundreds of students have multiple instructors.
Instructor Reicht, like Instructor Acheron, is the instructor in charge of the Diamond White class, but we haven’t had a chance to talk to each other so far.
So it was quite unusual for him to talk to me as soon as he entered the office.
“Well, Instructor Graham.”
“Instructor Reicht?”
The old inspector, who had a career close to old age, scratched his chin and hesitated, as if it was awkward to bring up such a story.
“Actually, your student didn’t show up for my class.”
“… What if you are my student?”
“Student Saladin al-Kamil.”
I inadvertently hardened my expression, and after seeing my hardened expression, Instructor Reicht gave a small nod and said.
“I wasn’t a student with an insincere attitude in class, but I was a bit surprised. That’s why I’m telling you because I think I should tell you.”
“… Thank you for telling me.”
“Well then, enough.”
After seeing Instructor Reicht return to his seat, I immediately searched for Saladin’s location with tracking magic.
However, even with the tracking magic, the location of the student ID came out in Saladin’s room.
I went back to the dormitory to check just in case, but as expected, there was no trace of Saladin in the room. It was just a bunch of student IDs without the owner.
Not sure yet. Maybe something happened and I missed class for a while.
To make sure of that, I left the dormitory and moved to the lecture hall in search of the last student to see Saladin.
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I remembered all of the students’ timetables, so I remembered that Gwynn, who was in the same swordsmanship class, was taking a horseback riding class.
Fillion Academy was even equipped with a horseback riding course where you could ride and run inside the academy to match its enormous scale.
As the class was in full swing, I asked the instructor in charge of horseback riding for understanding and went to find Gwynn.
When her eyes met Gwynn, who was riding her horse at a distance, she rode her horse towards me.
Very slowly.
-Hee hee hee!
“Aww! Some, no! Stay still! No, don’t be too quiet! Walk a bit! Ugh!”
“… ….”
Her horse, on which Gwynn rode, stomped and trampled her feet, as if her rider did not like her, and finally stopped her.
“Ooh, move! Move… !”
Gwynn tried to move her horse with difficulty, lifting her hips as if on top of her halting horse, as if telling her to move, but she seemed to be lucky if it didn’t fall off.
I let out a short sigh and walked to where Gwynn was, feeling like I was going to be there until the end of class.
She smiled awkwardly as I approached her, looking shyly away from her.
“Ahaha… Instructor, are you here?”
“Is this your first time riding a horse?”
“Because there was no need to ride a horse in the mountains. I wanted to learn it at least once, but I never thought it would be so awkward that my feet couldn’t touch the ground….”
“On a horse, you endure with a sense of balance. It is only natural that the words make you feel uncomfortable because you are trying to hold on by force.”
“Ugh… You’re saying the same thing as Instructor Schreiber….”
Schreiber is the name of the first grade horseback riding instructor.
Gwynn, finally giving up on placating her horse, came down from her saddle, and as soon as she dismounted, her horse swung her tail away as soon as she dismounted.
Gwynn followed the back of her horse with a slightly blurred gaze, then looked back at me.
“By the way, what is Instructor Ion doing? Did something happen?”
“Saladin did not come to class. Do you know anything?”
“Ah… yes. I was going to tell you during lunch, but….”
Gwynn said, stroking the back of her neck.
“On the way to the swordsmanship class, he suddenly told me to go first because something urgent happened.”
“Urgent work?”
“You didn’t tell me what was going on, and I didn’t bother to ask. Saladin is a little… Um, you know?”
I nodded.
Saladin was hostile to everyone in the class.
It was less so for Titania, who was not human, or for Batar, who was a little ambiguous to be an Imperial.
Now that I’ve heard the information I want, I’m about to leave to find Saladin, but I see Schurz, who was taking a class from afar, spot me and suddenly change her words.
Schurz must have had experience riding a horse often before entering the academy, and he rode a horse with incomparable skill compared to Gwynn.
“Instructor Ion! Are you here because of Saladin?”
“Yes. How did know?”
“I heard from Gwynn earlier…. Can I look for it too?”
Shurz’s expression, which was always calm, contained a little worry and concern.
It occurred to him that maybe he was still holding onto yesterday’s events. Even if it wasn’t intentional, Saladin’s injury was partly caused by Schurz.
However, that didn’t mean Schurtz felt responsible for Saladin’s disappearance. He has no certainty that it has anything to do with what happened yesterday, and as an instructor, he could not recommend that the student skip class right away.
“I can’t allow it.”
“But-“
“Stop. If there is anything you want to say to Saladin, do it after he returns. I will take care of finding Saladin.”
Schurz’s expression hardened as if he couldn’t protest after I said that much, but soon he bowed his head, saying that I would like to ask you well.
I left Gwynn and Schurz alone so they could concentrate on their lessons and left the riding arena, lost in thought.
Now it’s clear.
It is still unknown if Saladin disappeared voluntarily, or if he was forced to miss class because of some trouble.
But this is clearly a problematic situation.
According to the principle, it is right to report to President Heinkel before the situation worsens.
Like most students in the Opal Black class, Saladin is not a student.
It is not difficult to imagine that the first prince of Al Kamil suddenly disappears from the academy and, if an emergency should occur, the possibility of a serious diplomatic problem is very high.
Suddenly, what Instructor Lilya said, caught my heart.
Saladin’s political position is very unstable. If you report this to Chancellor Heinkel, he will immediately mobilize the guards, and maybe contact the institutional military police.
After the incident has grown so big, what will be the position of Saladin when this matter is solved?
‘I’m not an 18-year-old, but… To be honest, you’re not even very mature.’
A minor deviation from a student can become irreversible.
Perhaps this was Saladin’s intention, but….
Last seen about 3 hours ago. Since he left his student ID in the room, he probably didn’t go out the front door.
It’s hard to imagine that a foreign student from a distant place would know the byway to the outside world.
In the end, my gut told me that Saladin was still somewhere on campus.
Where did you go?
Why did it disappear?
I thought of Saladin’s hostility and pushing away from everyone. According to Instructor Lilya, he was kicked out as if he were fleeing from his homeland.
“… ….”
When I left the village as if I was running away from Ella’s traces, I also deliberately kept away from people and was hostile until I met Charlotte.
It was partly out of anger, partly out of fear. Because I was afraid of being hurt again in a relationship with a person.
If I were Saladin, I’d definitely find a place to be alone. But you won’t know much about the geography of this area.
So it’s a place that’s at least familiar but not likely to be frequented by people.
In the end, I turned around and found the place near the Opal Black dormitory.
Since Saladin spent most of his time here except for his classes, it was natural for him to be around here.
I focused my senses and searched for Saladin’s presence. It would be difficult for the entire city, but at this level, it was possible.
Ignoring the heavy footsteps of the security guards, the laughter of students in class, and the rustle of grass and leaves in turn, they search for a single voice.
As I maintained my concentration, I heard a familiar voice from afar.
– Shit… Why me….
A human being who does not move alone in a remote place with nothing.
Saladin was alone at the top of the mountain behind him.
I followed Saladin’s footsteps and soon arrived at the summit along the forest road.
“Haa….”
Saladin was sitting under the shade of a tree, looking at the view of the forest in the distance.
He was so deep in thought that he didn’t even notice that there was anyone around him, only sighing incessantly.
I deliberately approached Saladin, pretending to show off.
“Here you are.”
“Wow!? Instructor!?”
Saladin was taken aback by my sudden appearance, and with a nervous look he got up from under the tree and hesitated as he stepped backwards.
He seems to know what he did wrong.
“Uh, how did you find me… Kut! Why, why? Will you punish me again? Anyway-“
“The punishment is over.”
“What… ?”
I had no intention of finding Saladin in the first place and then reprimanding him, punishing him, or asking him why he skipped class.
Anyway, it seemed that he wouldn’t listen to me properly even if I tried to talk in this situation, so I grabbed Saladin with a little force and put it over his shoulder.
“What, what!? What are you trying to do… !”
Saladin twisted his body roughly with a bewildered expression, but to me, who had once strangled the head of the dragon corps, that amount of resistance was weaker than the wriggling of an earthworm.
“You have a place to go with me.”
“What- aaaaagh!”
I didn’t wait for Saladin’s answer, and I quickly started down the mountain path.
Saladin began to scream as if his mind was dizzy at the speed as if he was folding the ground and running.
But I had no intention of slowing down.
Saladin’s scream echoed through the mountains like an echo.