So it was no coincidence that she chose to stay.
From emotions to memories, they have long been inseparable.
Chapter 65 Meeting 1
Hitzfeld promised to consider the matter carefully, so Priss didn't push her any further.
She watched this student grow up, and at first she didn't plan to accept him as a disciple because she herself had suffered emotional setbacks. Later, she finally found an excellent student like Lilith Gley, but the tragedy of the Gley family made her close her heart again.
The girl's talent is really great. Not only will he be able to inherit all her knowledge, but he can even make breakthroughs based on that knowledge.
Moreover, her kindness touched Pusance many times. She asked herself that if she missed this student, she would definitely regret it in the future.
So that's it.
She let the teacher-student relationship on both sides gradually heat up, from nominal master and apprentice to "half teacher", "half student"... and now the girl has been conferred the title of earl. She felt that it was time to break some window paper.
Their relationship is no longer just in name only, right?
As a teacher and supervisor, she should consider her more.
It is not only about teaching her knowledge, but also about guiding her on the path she should take in her future life.
The two continued discussing the owl for a while, and then there was a knock on the office door.
"Come in."
As Hitzfeld stood up, the door opened. Three men of different appearances came in one after another, and they all consciously bowed to "Grest" behind the desk.
"Good evening, Lord Grest."
"Good night, Headmaster."
"What do you want to ask us? Tell us quickly, Grest."
A completely different greeting.
Hitzfeld's eyebrows twitched, and he tried hard to control himself so as not to ruin his composure.
The person who called "Mr. Grace" was a middle-aged man with half white hair. He still looked healthy and strong, but from the deep wrinkles on his face, one could guess that he was at least 50 years old. He wore a dark red coat and dark black pants, had black and white hair, and had two mustaches above his lips. He was meticulous in etiquette and was very humble to the old principal.
Hitzfeld guessed that he should be Paul Jinson, the former assistant to the dean of the Divine Academy - the status of "assistant" is relatively low here, which can also explain why he is the last of the three.
The one who called "Principal" was a relatively young man. He looked about 40 years old, with a strong build, over cm tall, platinum hair, a beard that went neatly around his lips, a light white suit, and single-frame glasses.
Hitzfeld felt that this should be Dick Cindy, the current president of the Seminary.
There is no need to ask about the last and most impolite one, as he looks so old... with a shriveled body, the standard hairstyle and beard of an old Leonardo da Vinci, and eye sockets as deep as a mummy, he must be Jean-Firme, who was told by Prinse that he "cannot stay up late".
Jean-Frémé is the former president of the Seminary, and his position was held before that of Nossa Ferdinand.
So you can imagine how old his experience is. Hitzfeld estimated that he and Daelin's teacher, the senior golden knight Descas Lavos, were of the same level.
Besides, he is so old, and it looks like half of his body is buried in the ground. Of course, he is not afraid of anyone, and he can even ignore Grace.
"I called you three here because I have something to ask you." Pusiangsi manipulated the puppet to stand up, showing due respect to Firm. "By the way, let me introduce you - this is Aisuen Hitzfeld. You should have heard of her name."
In fact, before he took the initiative to introduce himself, the three of them had been looking at this place. After they were led out, the old man Firm suddenly perked up: "Oh! You are the newly appointed Earl of Xieyang!"
"I..." Hitzfeld opened his mouth to say something, but was quickly interrupted by him waving his hand: "Alright - you don't have to explain anything to me! I know you are His Majesty's favorite! It's useless for me to say anything! But I just want to say it!... I just want to say it! It's a mistake for His Majesty to praise you so highly this time!!"
Is this old man suffering from Alzheimer's disease?
Hitzfeld could hardly hold back her polite smile, and she turned to the teacher for help.
"Firm was the former dean of the Divine Academy." Pusiens coughed and reminded her, "He is more...conservative in his understanding of certain things."
So a conservative.
Hitzfeld took the hint immediately.
Like all modern countries, the powerful nobles within Sara are divided into factions. The conservatives among them insist on adhering to traditions and cannot do anything too out of the ordinary.
Needless to say, they must dislike her. After all, such a young earl... she has broken many precedents.
"So what you mean is that there is something wrong with what His Majesty did." Hitzfeld turned around and caught the loophole in the old man's words. "Let me confirm again, are you making such remarks in public? Do you think His Majesty's will is wrong?"
"I..." Film was stunned and was choked by her and couldn't speak.
His assistant Jinsen and Cindy who was watching the show nearby were also stunned. They had never expected that the young earl would dare to openly fight back against an old senior like Film.
"If you are well-informed, you should know that I am not only the count, but also the director of Sara's Special Operations Department."
"With Principal Grester as a witness, I only hope that the three of you can take responsibility for every word you said tonight."
Hitzfeld didn't tolerate them and sat back down without waiting for the two sides to exchange formal greetings.
After all, her etiquette and politeness are for people she approves of.
Considering what is going to be asked next, it is better to be firm in your attitude.
I really got hurt by Mr. Film...
Seeing her instant change of attitude, Cindy, the current president of the Theological Seminary, knew that she was actually the target of anger.
He had no intention of offending her.
I wanted to see how she would deal with Mr. Film, um...
The principal didn't even stop her. I guess I should be a good boy...
Thinking of this, Cindy was the first to sit down, right opposite Hitzfeld, and gave her a friendly smile.
Those who were selected by Puslint for the position all had good comprehension abilities. Film quickly reacted and, with the support of Jinsen, he reluctantly sat on the left.
His lips were moving wildly, and it was obvious that he was mumbling or complaining, but it was inaudible - Hitzfeld ignored him.
"I came here for the Baimu tree."
Hitzfeld stated his purpose straight away.
"I got information from the principal. The three of you have been the ones who have taken care of the Baimu tree for the longest time..."
"Why are you asking about that tree?" She was interrupted by Firm before she could finish her sentence. The old man frowned and looked at her, "What happened to that tree? Is it worthy of your personal investigation, Count Xiyang?"
Hitzfeld didn't say anything either, just stared at him quietly.
"The old dean is quite straightforward..." Jin Sen hurriedly explained, "He has no ill intentions... and I am also quite curious about this matter..."
"Do you know what the highest level of authority in the Special Operations Department is, Mr. Kanamori?"
"……what?"
Jinsen was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized that the girl was hitting them.
Of course he didn't know what level it was, but this reflected a problem: they didn't even know the specific level, which meant that the two sides had a huge gap in authority levels.
This is information that can only be obtained through one level. If you don’t know, it means there are at least two levels between them.
Puslint's authority level is already quite high; even an assistant like him is at level six.
The old dean even has level seven authority, and judging from his expression, I don’t know either. Doesn’t that mean this girl’s authority is at least level nine?
Shocked, Jinsen quickly lowered his head and dared not look at her again.
Having been able to get by without any trouble for so many years, he naturally knew that knowing too much about some things is not good.
"Let's start with Professor Cindy."
Hitzfeld ignored them and faced the man directly opposite him.
"So... Professor."
"You say, count."
"I looked at the information and it shows that you have been taking care of Bai Mu since Mr. Jinsen retired."
"Is such that."
"Including when Ferdinand was the dean, you also served as his assistant for a short period of time?"
"Yes."
"According to the evaluation, you seem to be doing a good job. Why did you leave?"
"Because I think there's something wrong with Nosa." Cindy frowned. "Sorry... I didn't know about that at first. I just thought he was difficult to get along with. But then I found out that he was the kind of person who would abandon his wife and children without hesitation, so I..."
"Feeling scared?"
“…Probably.”
“Isn’t it because you were threatened while taking care of Bai Mu?”
"What threat?"
"Threat you to do something to Bai Mu."
"...I don't understand, Count." Cindy's eyes widened, "Are you saying that someone should have threatened me at the time and asked me to target that Bai Mu?"
"nothing."
Hitzfeld did not respond in detail.
"If that's not the reason, forget it."
"Go on, Professor."
"Please think back and see if you encountered any strange situations during the time you were taking care of Bai Mu."
Chapter 66 Meeting 2
"If we're going to talk about weird situations, we actually have an unwritten rule about taking care of the tree."
Hearing that Hitzfeld was determined to get to the bottom of the matter, Professor Cindy didn't know what she was thinking of, and her face became solemn.
Hitzfeld kept staring at him and noticed that he glanced at his two "companions" beside him while he said this. Among them, Jinsen avoided her gaze when she looked at him, but Film was like an old eagle, and his sinister eyes never retreated.
"By default..." Hitzfeld took the initiative to speak, "So Mr. Film and Mr. Kanamori also know about this matter..."
"You don't have to waste your energy. I'll tell you straight away!" Firm interrupted her without any hesitation. "That's actually a phenomenon called the 'wisdom curse'. Anyone who stays close to that tree for too long will feel mentally exhausted."
"Oh?" It was the first time Hitzfeld had heard this. "When did it start?"
"It started after Richard Barish died." Firm said dryly, "Before that, he had been taking care of the tree himself. There are rumors that the late king would occasionally visit it. After his death, it was my turn, but after all, I am not... not as energetic as Mr. Barish. I think it may be because the tree has infected their spirits for a long time, and they have become accustomed to that kind of 'power'. In the subsequent contact with it, I always feel dizzy after staying for an hour and have to leave the dream."
Is this the so-called "curse of wisdom"?
Hitzfeld recalled the time that he, Xia, and Lang En stayed near Bai Mu and found that it was indeed less than an hour, and the distance was not that close.
She decided to ask in more detail: "How is this care done?"
Originally he was looking at Film, but the old man seemed to think that saying so much in one breath was giving her face, so he closed his eyes instead, as if to say, "I'll take a break first."
Hitzfeld ignored him and turned to look at Professor Cindy.
Professor Cindy was much more straightforward: "It's just to help it nourish its spirit."
"You must know that Bai Mu relies on human spirit to grow and develop. In other words, it feeds on souls. The so-called care for Bai Mu is to separate our remaining souls and feed it. This will indeed cause us to be mentally exhausted for a period of time."
"How does this kind of thing work exactly?"
"All we have to do is sit on its trunk and take a nap," Cindy said. "A dream within a dream? That might be a bit of an exaggeration, because in reality we won't dream again. Maybe the spiritual thoughts that form the dream will be absorbed by the tree, and then we will wake up in reality."
"You trust it so much?" Hitzfeld frowned. "Aren't you afraid that it will be sucked dry when you fall asleep?"
"This has never happened before, Count." Jinsen couldn't help but interrupt, "That's Barish... Anyway, the tree has special significance. We are willing to do everything we can to protect it, all in order to solve the mystery of its sterilization..."
It turned out that Puslint did not have this tradition of "raising spirits" at the beginning. When Richard Barish was still alive, someone saw him doing this. When it was the turn of Dean Film to take care of him, perhaps out of respect for Barish or perhaps out of his own curiosity, he tried it and also slept against the tree. He accidentally discovered that the Baimu tree would actively absorb his spiritual thoughts.
Afterwards, he reported the matter to the school. The school took it very seriously at first, thinking that since it was a habit left over from the "wise man"'s lifetime, there might be mysteries hidden in it. At the same time, they also wanted to make the seeds sown by Bai Mu survive, so they let Film continue this behavior.
Anyway, the tree doesn't absorb much, just the spiritual thoughts of a dream. Every week after class and finishing things, Film will come to nourish Bai Mu's spirit. If he can't come due to something, he will ask his assistant Jinsen to do it for him.
As time went by, more and more people came to know about this matter, but Bai Mushu still saw no improvement. The seeds he sowed could never survive, so the school gradually gave up hope and notified Film not to come anymore.
Before Firm did this, it had been several weeks since Richard Barish's death. Since Bai Mu was still alive and well without any special nourishment during this period, there was little point in continuing to nourish his spirit.
But Film was unwilling to do so - it was not known whether he really wanted to commemorate the wise man in this way or was just stubborn with the tree. He refused to give up and continued this special ceremony until the day he retired.
"After that, it was actually Nosa Ferdinand who inherited this work." Professor Cindy said, "But he obviously didn't care much about it. It shouldn't be considered hard work to do it once a week, but he often forgot. When I was his assistant, I reminded him that this was the tradition of the dean of the Theological Seminary. He looked at me in surprise at first, and then said to me, 'Really? Traditions are meant to be broken.'"
This is obviously just an excuse.
Hitzfeld recalled the life of Nossa Ferdinand.
