âS-Solomon Raphna??â
Senior Elaine and Gwena were shocked after hearing Astoria Braveheartâs words.
âAre you sure about this decision, Headmaster Astoria? There will be a strong backlash of opposition and heavy criticism from other academics once we publish the book by this name,â Elaine mentioned with concern before adding, âFurthermore, Her Majesty might disapprove of it.â
âThatâs right, Headmaster Astoria. I agree that entitling Vaan Raphna as a Wise Scholar would not do him justice. However, the limit you can push for is Venerable Sage, which requires the recognition of six other headmasters of the High Witch rank and Her Majestyâs approval,â Gwena added.
âSolomon is pushing it too far, Headmaster Astoria. It wonât be accepted no matter what.â
âTo entitle Solomon to Vaan Raphna, we donât just need the recognition of all headmasters of the High Witch rank across the seven witch kingdoms, but four out the seven Transcendent Witches have to approve on top of it,â Elaine continued to argue reasonably.
âSolomon is the highest title a person can have in the world of academics. A person with the Solomon title isnât any less respected and authoritative than Transcendent Witches.â
âForget about there being no one worthy of being nominated for the Solomon title; even just nominating a man for any academic titles is something that hasnât been done before, Headmaster Astoria,â Elaine mentioned.
âJust because it hasnât been done before doesnât mean that it shouldnât,â Astoria Braveheart coolly stated.
Afterward, Astoria Braveheart glanced at the sky outside with a distant look and continued, âJust as you said, it is something that hasnât been done before. However, Vaan Raphna is also a man the world had never seen before. And in the future, a person like him may never appear again.â
âWith my authority as the headmaster of the Blackmoon Academy of Witchcraft, I can only grant the title Wise Scholar to Vaan Raphna. Granting anything higher would just be as you said. However, that doesnât stop us from naming the book as such.â
âEven so, many witches will not view us favorably for using the title Solomon so lightly, Headmaster Astoria. They will lose all their respect.â Elaineâs brows scrunched together with worries.
âIt doesnât matter. We canât let fear deter us from doing what is right,â Astoria Braveheart said.
âWe have read Vaan Raphnaâs notebook and benefitted from it, learned from it, and enlightened by it. It isnât farfetched to say that Vaan Raphna has become someone akin to a teacher to us. And when his knowledge spreads across the seven witch kingdoms, he will be considered the teacher of many witches.â
âWhat I want to do is push forward an ideology. Witches may disapprove of the name, but they wonât be able to deny the knowledge that the Book of Solomon Raphna will provide to them. If they have any integrity, they will acknowledge Vaan Raphna as their teacher and benefit from his knowledge.â
âThe name Solomon Raphna wonât just be a mere name, but an officially recognized title granted to the person in time,â Astoria Braveheart said.
After all, Vaan Raphnaâs knowledge will enlighten and guide countless witches in the next fifty years to come. He would be the great teacher of many witches.
Senior Elaine and Gwena quickly understood Astoria Braveheartâs intention. She was trying to immortalize Vaan Raphna for his contribution to the study of magic.
Such a wise person had to be respected and remembered.
Astoria Braveheart shortly turned to Senior Gwena and politely said, âCan I entrust you with finding students in the academy who are familiar with Vaan Raphna, Gwena?â
âOf course, Headmaster Astoria,â Gwena agreed before asking, âBut may I ask why?â
âI want them to use Visualization Magic and create portraits of Vaan Raphna. I have learned much from Vaan RaphnaâNo, Teacher Raphnaâs notebook. As such, I want to hang one of his portraits in my office,â Astoria Braveheart stated before she started pondering further.
âItâs our negligence and fault that we did not uncover and recognize Teacher Raphnaâs unparalleled wisdom sooner despite living right under our noses. Hm⦠A portrait might not be enough for the future great teacher of witches.â
âMaybe I should also find someone to erect a status of Teacher Raphna in the academyâs courtyard?â Astoria Braveheart wondered.
âI understand you have a lot of respect for Vaan Raphna after reading through his notebook, but isnât this going overboard, Headmaster Astoria?â Gwena said bitterly.
To erect a statue of a man in the academy where new witches are trained and nurtured⦠It could be mistaken for a message to empower and weaken the authority of witches.
âHmm, I suppose you are right. We canât do statues,â Astoria Braveheart nodded and said, âJust do the other thing I asked for, Gwena.â
âYes, Headmaster Astoria,â Gwena nodded and left.
Shortly after, Astoria Braveheart turned to Senior Elaine and said, âAfter you finish compiling the Book of Solomon Raphna, please produce a copy for me, Elaine. I will personally make a trip and deliver it to Her Majesty.â
âUnderstood, Headmaster Astoria,â Elaine complied and left shortly after taking Vaanâs notebook on the desk.
Once Senior Elaine and Gwena were gone, Astoria Braveheart sat down in her comfortable cushioned-wooden chair and rested with a sigh.
The peace and silence in Astoria Braveheartâs room allowed her to think and reflect on everything she had learned.
âI am greatly saddened by Teacher Raphnaâs death before I could learn more from him⦠Thereâs something wrong with the series of events leading to and after Teacher Raphnaâs deathâ¦â Astoria Braveheart thought.
Wise Scholar Eniwseâs berserk transformation⦠Vaanâs death⦠The wasteyard removal happening ahead of schedule⦠Isabelle Gleriathâs assassination⦠And Lord Istanaâs inciting the Dark Hellhounds in the regionâ¦
âThis seems like an elaborate scheme to remove Teacher Raphnaâs backing and eliminate him, followed by a clean-up of the evidence, which included silencing Isabelle Gleriathâ¦â
Astoria Braveheart lined up the sequence of evidence and couldnât help but feel like demons were involved after realizing the potential threat Teacher Raphna posed.
âIs Istana Gleriath involved with demons? I should meet Marquis Ember. This information might help with her inquisition.â