I feel like I went too far.
Very few people knew that Towa had taken office as the principal of the academy.
To the parents who sent their children to the academy, it was explained that only those close to the royal family held such positions, conveying how highly the royal family regarded the academy.
However, in the newly founded Razek Amamiya, there were very few people from the royal family.
Strictly speaking, Queen Floria and her husband, Kousuke, could be considered members of the royal family.
Furthermore, their three children could also be considered members of the royal family.
Floria’s father, Alec, could not strictly be called a member of the royal family.
However, by intentionally being vague and stating “people close to the royal family,” they ensured that the information could not be precisely interpreted.
For this reason, very few people were informed of who the actual principal was.
More importantly, although the acting principal, Jill Bissa, came from a lower noble family, he was known as an exceptionally talented individual, so it was generally believed that there would be no particular problems with the academy’s operations.
Some nobles, prone to overthinking, even rumored that Jill had been appointed in place of Queen Floria, who was busy with her duties as queen.
Therefore, when Marquis Niko barged in and demanded the principal be produced, it was likely surprising to Towa in more than one sense.
First, that a true member of the royal family was indeed the principal.
Second, that a ten-year-old child, even if considered of royal lineage, could hold such an important position as principal.
And at the same time, he inwardly smirked, thinking that a child would be easy to manipulate.
He did not know that the child in front of him was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Meanwhile, Towa, with a maturity far beyond his ten years, was contemplating how to proceed with the conversation.
He had already received some general guidance from the attendant before coming to this room.
In a word, the marquis before him had come to complain about the handling of his son’s recent incident.
One could say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Razek Amamiya, like Crown, had strict regulations regarding the treatment of slaves, ensuring that they were not subjected to rough handling.
Even so, it was likely that every noble held the thought: “Why would a noble learn from a slave?”
The unfortunate fate of the marquis’s son, who caused the incident the other day, was likely due to his tardiness, arriving several days after the entrance ceremony and thus missing the information regarding the teachers’ standing.
As a result, he had spoken his mind directly, expressing what the children of nobles usually thought.
Conversely, the other students, though bewildered, had listened to the initial instructions and had not acted impulsively.
Unfortunately, one could say that the academy had been lacking in its consideration for those who enrolled a few days late.
And because he missed the crucial instructions on the first day, he recounted the events to his father, the marquis, resulting in the marquis himself appearing here today.
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Towa, contemplating the information he had heard beforehand, considered how to steer the conversation.
At this point, it was clear that Towa was no ordinary child, demonstrating the prowess of an older brother who made his two younger siblings feel outmatched.
However, his childlike head tilt completely deceived the marquis.
Smiling inwardly at the foolishness of a child who ignored his handshake, the marquis sat down on the offered sofa.
“Well, I am surprised. I never expected that Towa-sama would be the principal.”
Normally, Towa should have initiated the conversation, given their respective positions. However, completely underestimating him as a child, the marquis spoke without regard for such decorum.
Without any sign of being bothered, Towa smiled and began to speak cheerfully.
“Yes. I thought so too, but my mother told me it would be alright, so I decided to take it on.”
Towa’s flushed cheeks made him appear completely childlike in the marquis’s eyes.
Jill, watching from the side, wrung his hands inwardly but showed no outward reaction.
If Jill’s inner thoughts could be put into words, they would be: “How can a ten-year-old child grow up like this?!”
He was there to cover for Towa if he made a mistake, but he felt no need for it at all.
While Jill was lost in his thoughts, the conversation between the two continued.
“Hoh? Her Majesty the Queen, you say?”
“Yes.”
The marquis inwardly sneered, thinking that the Queen was indeed lenient with her family, but he did not show it.
He merely considered the current situation to be advantageous for him.
His objective was to manipulate the child before him to extract a favorable answer.
“Then, as principal, Crown Prince Towa, have you heard about the recent incident?”
“The recent incident? You mean the disturbance caused by your son?”
“You speak as if it were a disturbance. My son said that he was merely providing appropriate education to someone unworthy of being a teacher?”
“Unworthy of being a teacher?”
Towa tilted his head, and the marquis leaned forward to explain.
By the way, the marquis had heard from his son that a teacher, who should have been of slave status, was teaching at the academy.
When he told the teacher to know their place, the academy council stopped him.
He had not heard that Towa was the one who intervened to mediate the situation.
Or perhaps, this lack of information could be said to have influenced the subsequent conversation between the two.
At this point, the marquis was speaking with the intention of convincing a child who knew nothing.
“Apparently, this academy employs slaves as teachers. It is difficult not to feel that someone of such a low status is unsuitable to teach the students attending this academy.”
“Unsuitable?”
Towa directed a deliberately surprised expression at the marquis.
To the marquis, it appeared as though he was truly surprised.
The marquis nodded in strong agreement.
“Naturally. Most individuals of slave status have not received adequate education.”
The marquis was already beginning to forget that the person before him was the Crown Prince.
If such a conversation had taken place in the Royal Castle, the marquis would have faced critical stares from the surrounding nobles.
The absence of other nobles around him could be said to have removed his inhibitions.
Sensing that the time was right, given the marquis’s attitude and the direction of the conversation, Towa delivered a trap.
“Then, what would happen if that unsuitable person were to receive education?”
“Naturally, it would result in the upbringing of someone unfitting for nobility. To prevent this, the academy’s teachers should immediately be exclusively nobles.”
“Is that so… so they would become unfitting for nobility…”
“Indeed.”
Seeing Towa looking down, the marquis became completely emboldened.
This was precisely why Towa’s next words struck him like a bolt from the blue.
“In that case, you are saying that I and my siblings, who have been learning spirit arts from a slave for several years, are unfitting to associate with royalty?”
“…Hah?!”
Towa continued, pretending not to notice the marquis’s dazed expression.
“Cecil, the slave teacher you speak of, was recommended by my mother, the Queen, to teach us spirit arts as a private tutor. Ah, that means my mother, who recommended her as a teacher, is also unsuitable, wouldn’t you say?”
As Towa spoke without meeting his gaze, the marquis listened, his face unchanged, though he was sweating profusely behind the scenes.
If what Towa said was true, then his own recent words could be construed as treason against the Queen.
And he had uttered them in front of the Crown Prince, his own son.
As the marquis desperately tried to figure out how to smooth things over, Towa, who had been looking down, raised his head and smiled.
“What should I do?”
Upon seeing Towa’s expression, the marquis forgot to compose himself and turned pale in an instant.
At this stage, the marquis finally understood that the conversation had proceeded exactly as Towa had intended.
Normally, a child of only ten years would not be capable of such a feat.
He was undeniably forced to understand that his previous perception of the Queen had been completely mistaken.
And that the entire conversation so far had been orchestrated to elicit his next words.
“Ah, ah. No, no. My earlier words were perhaps too strong. It seems that some individuals are suitable as teachers, even if they are slaves.”
Upon hearing this, Towa let out a childlike sigh of relief.
Of course, the marquis now understood that such a gesture was merely an act.
“Is that so? Then, is the marquis’s visit here a mistake of some kind?”
“Indeed. It appears there was a misunderstanding with my son’s account.”
Towa nodded as if satisfied with the marquis’s words.
It was a hollow conversation, but sometimes such exchanges were necessary.
The marquis, having lost all his earlier momentum, eventually left the scene.
As the marquis hastily tried to leave, Towa delivered a parting shot.
“Oh, and one more thing. If you say anything unnecessarily disruptive, it might lead to a more engaging conversation between my mother and me.”
In other words, if he were to spread rumors about this matter, it would be equivalent to not reporting the incident to the Queen.
The marquis’s gaze at Towa after hearing this was no longer that of someone looking at a child.
The marquis said nothing in response, bowed to Towa, and left the premises.
(Continuation of foreword) But I don’t regret it! (Firmly!) There should be at least one ten-year-old child like this in the world.
*There is no twist where Towa is an overpowered reincarnator.
