How do I approach this?

The obvious and most straightforward answer is to quickly step in and break off the bullying.

But… is that truly the best I can do?

Let's say I step in and break off the fight; the students could simply say they were playing around. I can only assume that they are Nobles, and it could be that they're acting on behalf of another Noble—perhaps a High one.

In that case, it would be difficult to get justice for the one being bullied.

However, if I had more information that could provide more concrete proof, then it would be possible for me to pin an offense on the bullies and even the one behind them.

'Alright…' I smile to myself and resume walking. 'Let's do that.'

As my body moves, I once again witness the world with my Aego Sight, viewing the ripples and threads that exist through everything and everyone. These details are everywhere, revealing the true state of the world.

Then, my thoughts echo silently—

'Clairvoyance.'

In an instant, it feels as though the world pauses, and my senses become enraptured by everything around me. Frames play out one after the other, especially as I pull the strings of time and select the appropriate ratio.

Then, my blind left eye awakens, and I am able to see them clearly—the bullies and the bullied.

I witness the scene as though I am standing right in front of them.

Even as I continue walking, maintaining a distance from them, I observe their actions and listen to every word they say. The girl who is being bullied is a Clergy Student, and just as I suspected, the three who are bullying her are Noble Students. They are acting as lackeys for a High Noble whom this Clergy Student offended.

And what is her offense? Well, it's quite ridiculous.

'She scored higher than the High Noble in class, earning the latter's vitriol…' I sigh at the details, feeling a mix of emotions permeate through me.

Clairvoyance is useful for things like this, so I'm glad that I got this information.

But I'm also annoyed.

Watching the Clergy Student get pummeled as I extract information isn't exactly a pleasant experience—not for me, and certainly not for the poor girl.

But, I will certainly make it worth her while.

'Now then, since I've gathered the information… It's time to confront the students.' Clairvoyance ends, and I halt my steps before returning to my earlier location, and then towards the bushes where the students are.

There, I see all four of them—three distinguished-looking girls, the bullies, and one wretched girl tied by both legs and hands.

They stare at me with surprise etched on their faces, but I maintain a calm expression.

"P-Professor Aditi!"

"W-we were just messing around!"

"This isn't what it looks like! Sasha likes it when we do this… right, Sasha?!"

"Y-yes…"

The battered girl lets out weakly, but her eyes are clearly pleading for the pain to stop.

'Don't worry…' My thoughts slowly echo within me. 'I'll help you out.'

"Emilia, Laurel, and Dandelion… the three of you will be reported for bullying and overtly harming your fellow student, which goes against the school regulations—particularly the Randalorion Code of Nobility."

"B-but we just said—!"

"I know what you said, but I also know what is true. I know Sistine, Baron Clementine's daughter, sent you to deal with Sasha as revenge for what happened today in class."

"I-I don't… know what you're talking about, sir."

Just as expected.

They plan to deny their actions to escape any further liability. Even though they've been caught off guard by my information, they won't crack so easily.

But who do they think they're dealing with?

"Still feigning ignorance, eh? Well, let's see if that will continue once you stand before the disciplinary board and receive the appropriate punishment for your actions…" My frown turns deeper as I increase the air of intimidation I have around me.

"E-eek!" They silently squeak.

'Now, should I land the finishing blow?' I smile to myself and glare deeply at them. "It's better you cooperate now. Apologizing to the victim and admitting your wrongs will fetch you a lighter sentence. If you can't do the bare minimum, expect the maximum punishment to be meted out on you! I wonder how many Prestige Points you can afford to lose…"

These girls already look like troublemakers, and they give off the disposition of dullards.

I can't help but assume that they have a deficit of Prestige Points, which are usually rewarded as rewards for excellence and good behavior. The fact that they're doing something as low as bullying means they must be desperate for the support of their High Noble Overlord.

In essence, any threat to their Prestige Points will make them crack.

Very easily, in fact.

"P-please don't…" One of the girls frantically cries out.

"We're sorry! We'll cooperate… please don't take away the Prestige Points!" Another clasps her hands and begs with desperation."

"I don't want to be demoted to a four-person room! Not again!" The last one tightly grabs her hair, her eyes twitching and flashing as memories undoubtedly play in her mind.

I keep my cool and stare eerily at them, my deep voice sending them quaking to their core.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

The instant I say this, they hurriedly turn towards Sasha, the girl they were bullying just moments earlier. I can sense their hesitation to apologize, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

One after the other, they lower their heads and apologize.

They quickly untie her and look at me, trying to show their sincerity.

I simply scoff and point in the other direction.

"Now scram!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Thank you, sir!"

"This won't happen again, sir!"

I watch them scurry off like frightened rats, my eyes remaining cold even as they vanish into the distance. Even though a part of me still wants to pursue the matter, I believe this is fine for now.

If the matter persists, I'll take further action.

But, I doubt things will escalate to that point—especially when it comes to those girls.

Honestly… children are very easy to manipulate.

All one has to do is introduce an external threat that disrupts their present privilege, and they fold very easily. They aren't as conniving or scheming as adults, who will desperately try to struggle to protect their benefits.

My status as a Professor also helps when it comes to deterrence.

As a staff member, my authority exerts greater pressure on them compared to fellow students.

In fact, even High Noble Students can't completely ignore me and have to accord some measure of respect to me. It's all a matter of the Academy's hierarchy.

"You saw what happened right now, right?" I look at the stunned Clergy Student and smile gently at her. "Next time any of them gives you some kind of trouble, you are free to use my name as a deterring factor. If they ignore that and still attack you, it means they hold a Senior Professor in contempt, which will only add to their punishment. Do you understand?"

The girl is dazed, but she manages a nod.

Her dark brown hair has stains all over it, and her modest dress has been ruined as a result of the bullying. Her slightly tanned olive skin also has all kinds of dirt sticking on it, but overall, she isn't bruised.

It seems the girls were going for intimidation rather than actual retribution.

If they actually went as far as inflicting grievous injuries on this girl, I wouldn't have let them off with a mere warning. I could actually still pursue the matter, but doing so would be unwise, given my predicament.

So, unless there is ample justification that calls for my involvement, this much is my limit.

I also have to worry about my affairs, after all.

'Still, there are other ways I can help…' My smile broadens, and I offer a hand to the girl who has remained on the floor throughout our encounter.

She reaches out to me, and I pull her up the moment our hands touch.

Then… I speak.

"Now, I know you want to be excused so you can freshen up, but after that… do you mind having a discussion with me?"

*************

"Ah… what a mess."

It's the next day already, and Sasha just left my office.

She told me a few things about the current trends of the Academy, things only students would be aware of. I was also able to get her to tell me more of her unsavory experiences with students, which I already figured she had during our first encounter.

Her response to those girls… the defeated tone which she used to speak… made it clear that she had experienced a good amount of bullying.

When people are bullied for the first time, they usually feel some kind of indignation.

They have a desire to fight back.

To protect themselves.

However, with the passage of time and the repetition of said bullying comes a certain lethargy.

At that point, the victims no longer wish to fight.

They believe that struggling only prolongs their suffering.

Instead, they simply admit defeat and endure… hoping to survive the encounter so they can pick themselves back up and move forward.

The Clergy Student, Sasha, exemplifies this trait.

And I don't blame her.

Unless one is strong-minded or incredibly obstinate, they'll find it easier to endure than to continuously resist through the pain. Such is normal in this world.

'Regardless, it seems that the influence of Noble Supremacist ideals has spread to a dangerous degree in the Academy. Many students, even the Lower Nobility, are already buying into that way of thinking, and it has caused an increase in bullying…'

This is concerning.

Bullying exists everywhere, even in schools. In a way, it can foster competitiveness and teach students about the realities of the real world, but excessive bullying will only yield negative results, such as poor performance among students and a deep sense of inferiority among peers.

If it isn't stopped, the gap between the Noble Students and other students will only widen, and that isn't healthy at all.

I should take this up with the Academy's authorities.

But… I need more information.

Sasha's testimony has been helpful, but it's not nearly enough for what I need.

'Looks like I'll have to be using Clairvoyance more often now…' I sigh to myself, softly touching the eyepatch that covers my left eye.

Out of the three Conceptions I possess, Clairvoyance can be considered the easiest to use, but it has a deep strain on my mind—especially at its maximum capacity—due to the vast information it provides me at once, so I usually avoid using it the most.

So what does Clairvoyance actually do?

Well… using simple terms, I am peering into the frames of the world through the Temporal Layers of Existence.

Whenever I use Aego Sight, I see these ripples everywhere that can be split into Second, Minute, Hour, and Day. The threads called Aego connect me to them, and I have three types of threads I can control, which represent my Fragmented Conceptions.

Clairvoyance allows me to detect all that exists in the temporal world by immersing my senses into the Temporal Layers through the use of Aego as a guide.

This 'sense' could be sight, hearing, or any other sense. The best way to describe it would be as a sixth sense born from the Conception itself, but it usually takes the form of one or multiple of the conventional senses that a human possesses.

In my case, I use my non-functional left eye as my anchor, allowing me to 'see' into the world.

I can observe anything I wish to observe as long as it is within the confines of my limitation, which is, at most, a day.

This doesn't mean I can use Clairvoyance for a day.

No, it means I can observe anything that would have taken me at most a day to observe.

For example, if it takes me an hour to reach my lecture hall from my office, by using Aego to reach the 'Hour' Layer, my senses can bypass the procedure of going to that location to observe the events there, and I can simply observe it from my current position.

It's why, even though I walked away from those girls, I could still witness everything as though I was right in front of them.

That's because they were only minutes away from me, and with Clairvoyance, I can do away with the distance and time required for me to directly observe, instead using Conception born from Aego's interaction with the Temporal Layers of Existence to clearly watch everything.

The problem is that it's so draining.

Absorbing all that information in real-time, while also taking in my present information, hurts my brain. It's like watching two different things at once.

Don't get me wrong—Clairvoyance is useful for gathering information at the moment, and for spying on others, but unless I'm in a relaxed position, where I don't have to be concerned about my immediate surroundings, it's very stressful and difficult to maintain for too long.

I reckon it would be easier to use if I could only choose which sense to focus on, rather than taking in all the information through the sixth sense—replicating all my senses at once.

But, I haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet.

It's a work in progress.

'But… to gather enough evidence, I need to be able to watch and listen in on the students without them being aware of my presence. Using Potions is a no-go, considering the Academy's policy and the risk of detection, but Clairvoyance is perfect.' I smile to myself.

It's like I'm there, but not exactly.

'Once I gather all the relevant information, I should take it up with someone who has sufficient authority in the Academy…' My eyes furrow as I spend a moment in contemplation.

A few names come to mind, but one stands out above all else.

'Miss Anna… it should be you.'

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