Every high-ranking official, noble representative, and cadet with even a remote connection to the victim had gathered within the high council chambers. The atmosphere was stifling, thick with biased judgment before the trial had even begun.
The heavy silence broke only when the Headmaster arrived. He marched to the front of the room and took his place upon a massive, imposing throne elevated above the rest. Positioned on his mahogany desk was a polished slate nameplate: ’Ivanor Yerr’
Headmaster Ivanor swept his gaze across the crowded room. His eyes lingered on me for a fraction of a second—a cold, dismissive glance—before brushing past me as if I were nothing more than dust on the floorboards.
’From that look alone, it’s safe to say he isn’t in a pleasant mood’ , crossing my arms. I lowered my eyes to the floor, refusing to grant him the satisfaction of meeting his gaze. But in that brief window, I caught a quick, subtle exchange. Ivanor and Duke Rangdall shared a synchronized, almost imperceptible nod.
In that single instant, the last shred of my confidence crumbled. ’Ah, I understand now. This isn’t a trial. It’s a performance. And the only one destined to suffer at the end of this farce will always be me.’
"Vale."
Ivanor’s voice boomed through the chamber, echoing off the high stone walls.The internal turmoil racing through my mind abruptly snapped. I lifted my head, staring directly back at Headmaster Ivanor, who was now glaring at me with intense, heavy eyes.
"You know why you are here," Ivanor spoke, his tone laced with a profound laziness. He clearly wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. "Do you have anything to say to justify your actions?"
"I didn’t do anything."I spoke firmly, my voice cutting through the quiet room clearly enough for everyone to hear. For a moment, the cadets around me looked baffled, their expressions quickly shifting into pure ridicule.
"DO YOU STILL HAVE THE NERVE TO DENY IT?!"
Irvene exploded with rage from the front row. Her face was flushed crimson, her body trembling so violently that her parents had to physically hold her back to calm her down. Her outburst triggered the crowd. Instantly, the chamber erupted into a chaotic roar as dozens of voices openly criticized, mocked, and shouted over one another, the chanting against me growing louder by the second.
"SILENCE!"
Ivanor’s roar shook the very foundations of the room, plunging the chamber back into a dead, terrified silence. He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling a long, irritated breath. "Vale... do you have no shame at all?"
I stood there, genuinely dumbfounded by his question. ’Huh. I am standing here telling the absolute truth, but has anyone in this academy ever believed a single word I’ve said?’
The sheer injustice of it broke through my restraint. My temper flared, and I argued back fiercely, my voice slicing through the room like a blade. "Do any of you actually possess a shred of proof that I am the one who did this? Or—" I paused, looking around at the hostile crowd with a sharp, mocking laugh, "—do you all just expect me to accept the blame blindly because your pristine mouths said so?"
Ivanor’s face darkened. Losing his temper, his fist slammed against the heavy mahogany table with a resounding
/CRACK/.
He turned his gaze toward Instructor Sophiana, giving her a sharp, definitive nod.
Instructor Sophiana stepped forward, her expression cold and elegant. She placed a glowing, violet cylindrical mana orb onto the center of the desk. With a practiced flick of her wrist, she released a single spark of raw mana into the device.
The orb whirred to life, projecting a violent beam of automatic light into the center of the room. It expanded, shaping itself into a fluid, holographic film.
’What the hell? It looks like a hologram,’I thought.
The weariness on my face instantly shattered, replaced by absolute shock. My entire body began to tremble. ’Huh? Is that... me? But how? I didn’t even go near that place!
The holographic playback clearly showed a figure identical to me, stalking Irvene from a distance, shadowing her every move through the academy grounds. The projection detailed the figure waiting for the perfect opportunity before forcefully dragging her out toward the isolated mid-valley. The recording cut off just as she narrowly managed to break free and escape.
"Do you have anything to say regarding this mana visual?" Sophiana asked, stepping directly into my personal space, her eyes burning with unadulterated hatred.
My heart hammered fiercely against my ribs, aching with a profound, bitter rage. ’What? how? Why does no one try to listen to me for even a single second? Anyone with an ounce of a conscience could see the flaw here. How could a defected noble with a weak, magicless body like mine forcefully drag a trained mana user like Irvene out to a valley? Yet they know it all too well. They see the contradiction, and they choose to turn a blind eye anyway.
A hollow, bitter laugh escaped my throat. ’What was the point? There was absolutely no point in continuing to perform for this kangaroo court’ muutered under my breath
"What? What did you just say?" Sophiana snapped, misinterpreting my silence.
I tilted my head up, the panic completely fading from my face. "I have nothing to say."
"It seems you finally understand yo—"
before she continue
"But I will never forget this," I interrupted, her voice dropping to a dangerous, low register. I glared at the crowd like a cornered tiger surrounded by a pack of hyenas.
Instructor Sophiana froze, momentarily paralyzed by the sheer malice in my eyes, completely unable to cut me off. I swept my gaze across the room, locking eyes with every single person. "I will remember every single one of your fucking faces. Mark my words. I will come back, and I will burn this entire academy to the ground."
For a second, the room was still. Then, it burst.
"Pfft—hahaha! Hahaha!"
"Did you hear that trash?"
"Wow, it’s actually hilarious!"
A wave of mocking laughter echoed from every corner of the room. If this had been before, he would have collapsed, staring miserably at the floorboards. But I didn’t look down. Instead, I methodically scanned the crowd, etching the face of every single laughing cadet, every sneering noble, and every corrupt official directly into my memory.
Ivanor smirked, his voice dripping with heavy sarcasm. "Is there anything else you want to say, boy?"
I lifted my head, looking past the desk to stare directly into the Headmaster’s eyes. "Ivanor. Mark my words."
I purposefully stripped every honorific from his name.
Ivanor’s smirk instantly vanished. Offended by the blatant disrespect, he unleashed a crushing wave of mana pressure targeted solely at me. The air was violently sucked from my lungs, making it impossible to breathe. My knees threatened to buckle, but I forced my hands to grip the wooden railing of the chamber box, locking my muscles to hold myself perfectly upright.
Seeing I wouldn’t fall, Ivanor snapped his hand back, erasing the pressure instantly.
"You can barely even stand still under a fraction of my power, yet you dare to challenge this institution?" Ivanor mocked, his voice echoing over the snickering crowd. "Vale. By the authority vested in me, you are hereby officially expelled from this academy."
The final sentence hung in the air. It was exactly as I had expected. They had simply been waiting for the perfect opportunity to discard me. But instead of the explosive, desperate rage they wanted to see, a profound, eerie calmness settled over me. The anger vanished entirely, replaced by a cold, absolute clarity.
I let go of the railing, stood up perfectly straight, and offered them a chilling, serene smile.
"I gladly accept."