Alden eyed her carefully for a moment.
"Alright then. Explain."
Noble nodded.
"When you requested I accompany the princesses this morning, I could already hear the discontented murmurs of the other students. I did my best to shield the girls, but as soon as they were out of my sight, they ran into trouble."
"I see." The Provost was strangely good at controlling his emotions, making it impossible for Noble to get a normal reading.
She continued on, hoping she wasn't digging a deeper hole.
"I did not want a conflict on campus. That is not how we do things around here. So I separated the aggressors from their victims and did my best to talk some sense into them."
"Yes, I watched the production myself." Alden's bushy eyebrow lifted slightly.
"I swear I had no idea it was being recorded, and I had nothing to do with it being published for the entire world to see!" Noble held up her hands.
If the Provost could figure out that Bee Two was behind the media attention, Noble's goose was well and truly cooked. She would look like a liar unless she explained that her android was more or less sentient most of the time and was a bit of a loose cannon.
That information might cause more problems than it solved.
'Please have covered your tracks well, Two Bee!'
"I only had good intentions in my intervention. All I wanted was to protect Dreamers Yuma, Mei, and Lumi to the best of my Ability while they are here at the Academy. I would do the same for any student." Noble nodded firmly.
"So you have demonstrated before. The amount of paperwork I had to fill out from the Solstice incident made me well acquainted with the lengths you will go to in order to ensure student safety. Though using a staff member as bait and encouraging the head of security to be delinquent in his duties really should have gotten my approval beforehand." Alden narrowed his gaze. "A stunt like that never should have happened. Neither should the one have occurred today, for that matter."
"I understand." Noble bowed her head.
"While I found this afternoon's events troubling, that is not the only reason I have called you here." Alden shook his head. "I had intended to talk to you after the government awards, but you left before they were over. I knew you did not want to go, but I had no idea you were so determined to escape as soon as your duty was technically complete."
"I can explain that too!" Noble had secretly hoped that the Provost either hadn't noticed or didn't mind her sudden departure, but it seemed she was wrong on both counts. "Song of the Fallen had a vision about my daughter being in trouble. She advised me to leave immediately. Unfortunately, I was too late."
For the first time since the meeting began, Alden's stern expression disappeared for a moment.
"I am sorry to hear that. Have you already had the funeral?"
Noble's eyes opened wide. "Oh, no, sir! Rain is still missing."
"Then why am I just now finding out about this?" Alden's gaze became hard once more. "You should have come to me immediately and explained. Academy resources would have been at your disposal. Such a waste! And when your daughter's life is in the balance, too!"
"I didn't want to burden…" Noble felt the heat of the man's gaze and dropped her eyes. "Yes, sir, that was irresponsible of me."
Noble had hoped her reason would gain a little sympathy, but the professor could feel the Provost's judgement had once again swung against her. He had just accused her of not doing everything to find her child. While that was technically true, it didn't tell the whole story.
Not that Noble could tell the whole story, so she would have to let him think the worst.
"Irresponsible, indeed." The Provost nodded gravely. "Master Noble, I have come to a decision regarding you. And it is not one I make lightly. I hope you will be able to see where I'm coming from and not hate me for it."
'Here it comes!' Noble felt the panic rise up in her.
"Please don't fire me! I enjoy my work here, and I don't want to lose it. I'll take any reprimand, even teaching night classes like Awakened Arlo did!"
"Awakened Arlo? What does he have to do with any of this?" Alden furrowed his brow.
"He was punished with night classes until he quit. But I won't quit. I'll do anything you need!" Noble's Flaw prevented her from dropping to her knees, and that was just as well. She doubted it would make any difference to the firm resolve of the Provost.
The gentleman pressed his lips together.
"I am aware of the rumors regarding Awakened Arlo, but let me set the record straight. Arlo decided not long after he joined our staff that he was actually a bat in human form. He is the one who requested classes in the early hours of the morning, and when no students wanted to attend, he got it into his head that he was meant to worship the moon. The last I heard, he had formed a sect of moon worshippers and had set off alone toward ancient Europe. Wherever he is, I had no part in punishing him, and he was never fired."
"Oh." While Noble was grateful for the clarity, she felt like she had hurt herself yet again by falsely accusing the Provost.
"Furthermore, I am not going to fire you. You still owe us three years of discretionary funding for the overhaul of your classroom." Alden's words caused the professor's ears to burn.
Noble covered her face with her hand.
"Ah, you know about that too. Forgive me, I should have sought your approval on that too. Only, you see…"
"Professor Noble!" Alden's firm voice filled the room. The provost paused and took a deep breath. When he spoke again, it was more subdued. "We can sit here all day with you apologizing and explaining, or I can tell you the reason that I called you here."
Noble pressed her lips together and nodded slowly.
Seeing his companion was finally ready to listen, Alden took a deep breath. Noble's mind raced, but her body remained absolutely still as she waited for her superior to speak.
"That's better." Rubbing his temple, the Provost collected his thoughts. "I can see I have caused you a lot of anxiety by summoning you like this. Professor Noble, contrary to all of the ample evidence you have brought me, I never called you here to fire you. Quite the contrary, in fact. I am going to promote you."
Noble blinked. What was he talking about? Other than visiting speakers, part-time and full-time staff, there were not exactly promotions to be had at the Academy. The only person she needed to answer to on campus was…
Noble's mouth fell open as her eyes grew wide.
"No, oh no!"
For the first time in their encounter, Master Alden allowed a small smile.
"That's right," he nodded, "I'm retiring."