After I shared my plan with Crestia and Cirris, we immediately proceeded to carry out our respective roles.
The plan involved using Cirris to bait Alad into bullying him in the presence of someone with a higher rank, making the situation more credible.
My role was to persuade this higher-ranking individual to witness Alad's bullying.
I waited behind the fifth-year students' dorm and spotted a girl running toward me in a hurry.
"You don't need to run that fast, Miss Fia," I said to a breathless Miss Fia, who had rushed from the fifth floor.
"But the girl you asked to call me said it was urgent, so I hurried over without thinking," Miss Fia replied, still catching her breath.
After allowing her to catch her breath, I proceeded to request her help.
"Miss Fia, I have a favor to ask," I said.
"Hmm? What is it?" she inquired.
"You mentioned that I could come to you when I needed assistance, so you were the first person I thought of," I explained.
"That's right! If you need help, just tell me your problem, and I'll do whatever I can to assist you," she assured me.
"Thank you very much. Could you be a witness to an incident of bullying?" I asked.
"Bullying?" Miss Fia seemed surprised by my request.
"Yes, a fifth-year student is bullying a first-year student," I explained.
"Tell me who it is," Miss Fia said with a serious expression, clearly disapproving of bullying.
"It's Alad," I revealed.
"Alad? The swordsman?" Miss Fia seemed incredulous.
"Yes, that's why I'm asking you to witness this bullying, and, if possible, intervene and report it to the principal for appropriate action," I added.
"You're the one I turned to because you hold a high rank in this school. I hate to leverage your authority, but can you do this for me? I'll owe you one," I said.
"You don't need to worry. I detest bullying too; I can't stand it. I'll put a stop to it," she affirmed with determination.
"Thank you very much. I also plan to ask Mr. Leonardo, as he's a higher rank and has connections with the principal. If he agrees, can you work with him?" I asked.
"Leonardo? Of course, collaborating with him will make it easier to communicate with the principal," Miss Fia agreed.
"Please go behind the fourth-year students' dorm before sunset," I instructed.
"I understand. Thank you for letting me know about this case," she said.
"Thank you for agreeing to my request," I expressed my gratitude before leaving to my next destination.
When I arrived at the training field, Mr. Leonardo was already there, vigorously practicing his swordsmanship.
"Mr. Leonardo," I called out to him.
"Will? What can I do for you?" he inquired, surprised to see me.
"I need your assistance with something," I said.
"Huh? Sorry, but I'm busy right now. Can't you see?" he replied, continuing his sword practice.
"Is that so? What a shame," I commented.
"Why?" Mr. Leonardo asked.
"Because you'll be working with Miss Fia, but it seems like you're busy. I'll look for someone else," I said, turning to leave, but he stopped me.
"Why didn't you mention it earlier? Of course, I'll help you. We're friends, after all, and friends always support each other," he said.
"Is that so? But I thought you were busy," I teased him.
"I can swing a sword anytime, but helping you takes precedence," he replied as if he hadn't declined my request moments ago.
"Let me get to the point. I want you to observe and intervene in Alad's bullying," I said.
"Alad? Bullying? Hold on," Mr. Leonardo struggled to process the information.
"Are you suggesting that Alad is bullying someone?" he asked.
"Yes, and his target is a first-year student named Cirris. Later, he called him again for another round of bullying, but Cirris can't oppose him, so he sought my help," I explained.
"Is that so? I can't believe Alad would stoop to bullying," Mr. Leonardo remarked.
"I want you to report this to the principal so that Alad faces consequences," I requested.
"So that's your true objective," Mr. Leonardo said with a determined look.
"I'd prefer not to exploit my authority, but when it involves a student, I'll do what's necessary," he added.
"Thank you very much," I expressed my gratitude.
"No need to thank me. Let me thank you for bringing this issue to my attention," he replied.
"Please go to behind the fourth-year students' dorm before sunset," I said.
"Sure, I'll do that," he agreed.
"Thank you. Also, Miss Fia mentioned that she can't stand bullying, so if you manage to stop it, she might hold you in high regard," I added before leaving him to continue his sword practice.
With my part completed, I only had to wait for Crestia at the cafeteria.
Crestia's task was to stay with Cirris until I finished my part, allowing them to support each other in case Alad acted. However, I remained skeptical about their ability to do so, as both of them were afraid of him. I had instructed them to remain in the dorms until an hour before sunset, at which point we would proceed with the plan.
But after an hour of waiting in the cafeteria, neither of them had arrived.
"Why are they taking so long?" I mumbled to myself before standing up and heading to the dorms.
I first checked Crestia's dorm to see what had caused the delay. After knocking several times, Chris answered the door.
"Will? You actually came," Chris said, sounding amazed.
"Huh? Were you expecting me?" I asked.
"Yes, a senior named Werk came here and asked me to give this to you when you arrived," Chris explained, showing me a letter.
It was a letter from Werk, and it gave me a bad feeling.
"Thank you, Chris," I said, taking the letter. As I turned to leave, Chris said something that made me pause.
"Don't forget, Will, you promised to witness my new spell tomorrow," she reminded me.
"Yes, I promise," I assured her before leaving.
While walking, I opened the letter and was taken aback by its contents. It directed me to go behind the fifth-year students' dorm alone if I wanted to see Crestia and Cirris. The letter also warned that if I brought anyone along, something worse would happen to them. I was instructed to come as soon as I finished reading the letter.
"That scoundrel," I muttered to myself.
How had Alad managed to get to them? I had explicitly instructed them to remain in the dorms. What had gone wrong?
As I sprinted toward the fifth-year students' dorm, these questions swirled in my mind.