~ Chapter 40: Father’s past ~
[Leonidas' point of view]
The one who was accompanying the so-called Royal Knight was the teacher from the prestigious Gallyater Royal Magic Academy, where Cassandra was supposed to be enrolled this year. He didn't have such a frightening air about him as the knight did.
The pair of round old-style glasses on his nose were a bit goofy looking from my point of view, but overall, he didn't give off the air of a bad guy. The clothes he wore suggested a modest taste in fashion for one in his position: leather shoes with a thick sole, a pair of linen pants with leather padding, a gray cotton shirt with a red tie around his neck, and a brown leather robe that had the emblem of the academy sewed on its right chest pocket, a wand and a sword forming an X. Several metal circlets could be seen hanging from his left and right arms past his wrists like the rings worn by a certain African tribe I once saw on TV.
Although not sporting a grizzled beard like the knight, the goatee gave him a certain cool charm. As for his presence, I saw him as a calm intellectual, someone who would rather use words to fight than blunt force.
“Good day, Du... I mean Baron and Baroness Drakarys.” he made a polite bow. “My name is Robert Dejun. I am the teacher of Art and Search Magic at the Gallyater Royal Magic Academy. It is my pleasure to meet all of you, especially the renowned Sir Reynald Drakarys! Your exploits during your time at our academy are still being talked about even now!” the man said with a big smile on his face.
Apparently, father had a reputation beyond that of a fallen noble. It made me rather curious about how he ended up as he did now. Going from the rank of a Duke, which was right underneath the Prince and Princess of the kingdom, falling all the way to the rank of a Baron, which was the lowest. I for one couldn't see a logical reason for this. It baffled me and at the same time, it frightened me when I thought about our family's potential enemies who had such power.
“The pleasure is all mine, mister Dejun. I do hope the old tales still circling around are of the good kind?” my father made a wry smile.
“Both, actually, especially the one in which you pulled that prank with the pink paint on the principal. Both you and his Majesty made him look like a human flamingo for several days! Hahaha!” the teacher laughed.
“That one... I was hoping people would forget about it.” father scratched his left cheek, looking a bit troubled by these tales of his past prankster self.
Hearing this made me shade a new light on our goofy father.
He was a prankster during his younger years, but this wasn't what surprised me the most, it was the fact that he knew the King. Although, at that time being from a ducal family, it wasn't that impossible just improbable. Being close friends with the King to the point where they pulled a prank together, now this was something worth mentioning!
Then again, why didn't his Majesty do anything to prevent my family's fall? I thought at this point.
“Nonsense! Those pranks gave birth to a tradition of sorts among the older students. The top must not graduate without pulling a prank on one of the teachers! Of course, only the harmless type is permitted!” the teacher pointed out.
“The principal must be really troubled by this...”
Father felt really bad about it, but me and Cassandra's eyes were sparkling, he was slowly turning into our 'hero'.
As if foretelling our mischievous future plans, mother tapped us on the shoulder, and with a bone-chilling smile, she told us: “You two don't even think about it.”
We gulped and replied with a fast nod. Making our mother angry was one of the things we never wanted to do. Her piercing gaze was worse than a soul-breaking curse.