The Girl Who Hacked The Magic System
Chapter 111 - The Principal wants to talk to you

Chapter 111: Chapter 111 - The Principal wants to talk to you

"Oh, look, it’s the beast tamer."

"Did you know that the other day, during history class, she..."

Welp, I guess I earned myself a nickname.

At least it’s one a little bit better than ’princess slave.’ It’s an offensive title, but I can at least be proud of the reason for earning it.

It’s because I always defend the beastkin every time the matter is brought up during class.

Why only during class? Well, because when I’m not having classes, I’m at the library or locked up in my room, of course.

I don’t have any motivation to have casual conversation with people who would enslave Yaci as soon as she put her feet inside the campus.

I know that it would be a point of contention, but I didn’t imagine that it would be something this big.

"Princess Aurea?"

"Yes, teacher?"

It’s Odilon Arbour, the history teacher. He doesn’t seem to be a bad person in general, but he’s a bit too happy with just parroting the official discourse.

"Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you all over the campus, but nobody had seen you."

"Uh... at the library. But why were you looking for me?" _{fr\eewebno vel .c(o)m}

It isn’t a lie. I was studying at the library, though in the restricted section, so of course nobody could have seen me.

It isn’t a secret, though. I have permission to access it.

"The Principal wants to talk to you, so he sent me to fetch you to his office."

Ugh. What could have happened?

"Do you know the reason he wants to talk to me?"

"It’s better to hear from him directly."

I sigh, already half-expecting the sermon that is about to come.

:::

Odilon brings me to an office in the main building of the Academy. Inside it are the Principal, Theabert Munderic, and a bishop.

I have only seen Theabert from a distance, during the entrance ceremony where he gave a speech about the importance of this generation for the future of humankind and all that pompous emptiness.

He had a certain aura back then. It might be because of the place and circumstance, because here, at the office, he looks just like your average overworked salaryman who is already past his retirement age.

That means a rugged old man with a very tired face and shineless eyes.

He is sitting behind a big desk full of important-looking documents meticulously ordered.

On my side of the desk there are two comfortable chairs. One is occupied by the bishop, whose sight is a stark contrast to the Principal’s. He is young and full of energy and confidence.

And the spark in his eyes seems a bit dangerous to me. I know well that kind of spark. Those are the eyes of a fanatic.

The bishop stands up and bows to me, while the principal barely nods to acknowledge my arrival.

"So you are the princess, daughter of the heretic Lillian Annes. Aurea Annes, am I correct?"

"Yes, I am. And you?"

"Oh, forgive me my manners. I’m Humbert Ragenard, just a humble servant of the Church."

"Aurea, please take your seat."

Theabert gestures at the empty chair without so much as an introduction or even a greeting. He is treating a fucking princess like this?

My surprise must have shown on my face, because he quickly adds.

"Here in this Academy you are just a student. It doesn’t matter if they are royalty, nobility, or commoners; here all are just students and will be treated as such."

Okay, this is a better take than what I expected, so I sit on the appointed chair, and the bishop sits back on his chair as well.

Teacher Odilon stays behind us, standing.

"So, let’s get this started. It has been brought to my attention, miss Annes, that you have been voicing some troubling opinions during class. Odilon?"

"Yes, Principal. She has been consistently defending that beastkin and fae folk are people of the same kind as humans and should have the same rights."

"So, you see, that line of thinking is not allowed here. This is a renowned institution, and heretic discourse like this would bring more harm than good to us."

"Why would it bring any harm at all? The free discussion of ideas is a core pillar of the exercise of learning."

The bishop at my side sighs and then speaks softly, as if he were talking to a five-year-old, saying that they shouldn’t eat dessert before lunch.

"Listen, Aurea. The goddess created this world and established the order of things. In that order, we humans are superior, and the other races should serve us. It’s the simple yet beautiful reality of the world."

"Also, you should know that your mother is already in dire problems with the Church. If word of her daughter’s remarks goes out of these walls, it might worsen her case."

"Lord Ragenard, my apologies, but that is your belief. Not mine. I never subscribed to the Church’s teachings, and I don’t intend to start into it today. And, Lord Munderic..."

I take a deep breath to calm myself before continuing.

"My and my mother’s standing within the Church is of no concern to me, so your argument also fails to convince me. I won’t change my way of seeing the world just because of what a couple of men say."

"Lady Annes. You know that these words could get you excommunicated on the spot, don’t you?"

"No, they can’t."

"What? Of course they can. It is within my powers to excommunicate anyone, so I could do it right now."

"I am not, nor was I ever, part of the Church. I’m not baptized, which means that the excommunication spell won’t work. You can’t sever a link that doesn’t exist to begin with."

The silence that fell over this room right now is deafening.

But what I said is true. Baptized people get a link to the system, which is later activated by going to the Adventurer’s Guild.

This is done to prevent anyone who is not a part of the Church from having access to the Adventurer’s System.

Well, my access to it was given by Oya, outside of the Church. While I was a slave, my mother never asked for me to be baptized, and the overseers and the Duke never bothered about it.

In other words, there is nothing that they can do about me.