High Guardian Spice Twice

Ch. 8 - Anonymous of the Life.

Bit by bit, the weather felt less oppressive and cold. As for the atmosphere, the morning seemed like any other, full of noise in the hallways, with students here and there. Until Rosemary's scream echoed through some corridors of the academy. While Rose's morning seemed to start off lively, the professors were having their own meeting...

In the faculty room, the atmosphere was tenser than outside. They were all seated at a rectangular table, with Salthyer at the head and Olive beside him. Everyone remained cautious and impassive, waiting for Salt to speak. Professor Moss felt the urge to say something, but seeing Professor Salthyer with his head down, an aura more threatening than usual, and knowing that Professor Caraway's seat was empty as he continued to recover from recent events, Moss refrained from speaking.

Salthyer seemed to shake his head ever so slightly, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

«I haven't had the chance to speak with you all properly. Although I introduced myself briefly on the first day, I haven't explained the new education program you'll be implementing. To be honest, I might—»

He was interrupted by Professor Redbud. «And what about Professor Caraway? What about the mission from the Crown?» she exclaimed, her usual tone replaced by one more serious and angrier.

Professor Salthyer tried to process what she had just asked, but he still struggled to find his thoughts. He sighed and cleared his throat, but this only frustrated Redbud further.

«Come on, speak now, Mr. Salt... I believe I'm not the only professor with more questions than answers. Even the Triad has no answers so far. How did we not know about the legendary Lavender's mission?»

Salthyer whispered simply, «It was private.»

Redbud continued, «How did we not know what the Crown intended?»

Salt responded the same way, prompting Redbud to lose her patience and ask once more, «Why didn't even the Triad know anything?»

Salt... responded the same way again.

'This is crap" everyone thought. Professor Dretch tried to defend Salthyer, commenting that if it was a mission from the Crown and they wanted to keep it secret, they shouldn't be angry at them. She was cut off by Professor Moss.

«We could have supported them in this last move. Didn't they trust us?» Following that, other professors began to join the conversation sparked by Moss. Words like "Distrust" were the most frequently heard. Professors Dretch and Hakone tried to side with Salthyer, but by that point, the conversation had devolved into a verbal battlefield of questions and accusations.

Salthyer had had enough... He was trying to be as good and sensible as possible, but ever since that night, something inside him had broken again. He couldn't keep up that ivory façade of being firm and pure. Centaur Professor 'Tauress" slammed the table, raising her voice at Salthyer. «WHY DO YOU DISTRUST US SO MUCH THAT YOU HID SOMETHING THIS IMPORTANT FROM US?!»

Salthyer reached his limit. Images of Caraway lying in a hospital bed, Lavender saying goodbye and entrusting the rest not just to him, but also to the next generation of guardians, and especially to Rosemary, flashed through his mind. Tauress shouted again, «SAY SOMETHING, DAMN IT!»

«BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL DAMN INCOMPETENT!»

A deathly silence followed Salt's words as he tried to regain some composure. But still furious and agitated, he continued speaking rapidly...

«You're simply incompetent, useless, mediocre... You've allowed so many incidents to happen in just the first few weeks of the new year without even catching the students' attention. But maybe you're right, as Caraway used to say, 'They're just kids, they act like kids and nothing more.' In that case, I refer to all of you, you've done nothing but teach them in the worst way possible.»