Chapter 158 — A Reversal in an Instant

1

When you look at articles about celebrities or politicians, there’s always the same pattern.

They make a mistake.

Is this okay?

People start to flood the comments with insults, then suddenly—shock!

The revelation of a twist reverses the public’s opinion.

The current situation was exactly the same.

Manus, once hailed as an unprecedented genius at the Academy, was on the verge of being labeled a notorious delinquent.

The general perception and rumors were extremely unfavorable.

However, it was precisely this kind of reversal in the worst situation that Manus had been aiming for.

“Are you ready, maid?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Take a deep breath. If anything goes wrong, you might end up living as a fool forever.”

Invidea spoke in a mechanical tone, like an AI reading out instructions, before activating the magic circle.

A spell that forced the subject to speak only the truth.

It was a spell that could only be cast if two or more mages of 6th-Class or higher vouched for its use.

[Dico — Verum]

Crackle—

The spell embedded itself in Siren’s mind.

It forcibly manipulated the brain, inducing a form of hypnosis.

Siren’s pupils grew unfocused.

Her expression relaxed, and she slightly parted her lips, indicating she was in a perfect hypnotic state.

Now, only the caster, whose mana string was connected to her, could ask questions, and she would not respond to anyone else.

Invidea’s lips parted slightly.

“Siren, did you place Black Rum in Caeser Manus’s room?”

“Yes…”

A collective murmur of disbelief echoed among the professors.

The questioning continued.

“Siren, who ordered you to do it?”

“Assistant… Chesthip.”

“Unbelievable!”

An assistant attempting to harm a student?

This not only tainted their reputation but also sullied the reputation of the professor directly above them.

Professor Kaiser, who had been observing, let out a deep sigh.

No wonder he seemed unmotivated lately—he was plotting something like this behind the scenes?

She furrowed her brow and pressed a hand to her forehead.

A severe headache surged from the deep sense of betrayal.

He had been such a kind and diligent person; how had things come to this?

“Were there any others involved?”

“…No.”

“Was Manus completely unrelated to this incident?”

“Yes. He is the victim.”

It was over.

The expressions of the professors changed.

At that moment, Manus felt something move away in the distance.

He glanced to the side and caught a fleeting glimpse of something retreating.

All the professors expressed their thoughts in their own way—some through their expressions, some with their eyes, and others through harsh curses.

Professor Jennifer, in particular, slammed the table with both hands.

“We should apprehend him immediately and deal with him harshly. Do we need to continue? It seems we need to reconstitute the disciplinary committee.”

“Let’s calm down first. It’s better to follow proper procedure,” Professor Trail attempted to mediate, but his words only fueled Jennifer’s anger.

“Procedure? Did you say procedure? An assistant at the Academy! Framed a student! And even used a banned substance to do so!”

Her booming voice overwhelmed everyone in the room.

How unjust must it have felt.

How desperate must Manus have been to reveal the truth.

Professor Jennifer, as if possessed by Manus, fervently advocated for justice.

“This is an unforgivable matter. We must immediately expel Assistant Chesthip and ensure he is never allowed to set foot in the magical world again.”

“I agree with Professor Jennifer’s opinion. I was thinking along the same lines,” Chairman Nyx also voiced his agreement.

Professor Trail sighed deeply.

He, too, wanted to organize an emergency response team to apprehend the assistant.

However, he had to consider the students and the overall atmosphere of the Academy.

Rumors spread quickly and tend to be exaggerated.

If it became known that something like this happened, the Academy’s prestige would surely suffer.

But this time, he couldn’t push his stance.

“The interrogation is concluded. What should we do with the maid?”

“Please, spare me…”

“Maid, you know you’re not supposed to interfere with a student’s personal life, correct?”

Siren nodded frantically, bowing her head.

She was terrified.

She feared the impending wrath of the great family.

A commoner like her, daring to oppose a noble, would surely face death.

Before the immense power of the great family, her life was as insignificant as that of a fly.

She was someone who could disappear without a trace at any moment.

So, she had no choice but to lower her posture and bow her head.

All she could do was beg for mercy.

“Manus, what should we do with this maid?” asked Professor Trail, the one in charge.

Manus paused for a moment to think.

She had incited and instigated those who despised him.

He couldn’t find it in himself to forgive her, as memories of his past, when he had been truly wretched, resurfaced.

While the real culprit was Assistant Chesthip, Siren had been the one to carry out the deed.

There would be no leniency.

She would have to bear the consequences of her choices.

“She must face the appropriate consequences. Such an incident should never happen again.”

“I’ll respect your wishes. Now, we must apprehend Assistant Chesthip immediately.”

“Wait, I have a suggestion regarding that matter.”

Just as everything seemed to be wrapping up, an unexpected person raised their hand.

It was Professor Trevor, the history professor.

Known for his kind smile and informative lectures, he had steadily built a reputation.

He was also known for his gentle nature, as he often counseled students.

Although he was a relatively new professor, he had gradually gained influence due to his irreplaceable history lessons.

“I’d like to try persuading Assistant Chesthip. There could be unnecessary violence if we’re not careful—”

“…Hmm.”

“Violence? I was planning to capture him myself and teach him a lesson.”

“Could I ask for just one chance? He might have his own struggles.”

Professor Jennifer was strongly opposed.

She could resolve the issue cleanly right now, so why beat around the bush?

However, outright dismissing a colleague’s words would be rude.

So, she decided to find a compromise.

Chairman Nyx stood up, offering a middle ground.

“Then let’s do this. You have ten minutes to try persuading him. If it doesn’t work, we proceed with the arrest.”

“…Fine.”

Reluctantly, Professor Jennifer nodded.

She sighed softly and looked at Manus.

“You’ve done well.”

“It was nothing.”

In truth, Manus had been the most comfortable person throughout this ordeal.

With such competent allies, there was no need to worry.

Everyone expressed their relief and offered Manus words of encouragement.

Invidea also smiled softly.

“You’ll be acknowledged now.”

“I already am.”

“Call me anytime if you need something. Also, let’s talk somewhere quiet.”

Manus nodded.

As Invidea left, she glanced back at the four student council presidents.

Just looking at her juniors brought back a flood of memories.

Manus exchanged glances with Anais and the other two, nodding in acknowledgment before following her out.

The disciplinary committee ended there.

Manus was cleared of all charges.

2

Things hadn’t turned out as planned.

He had thought he had been thorough, so how did it come to this?

Assistant Chesthip was secretly spying on the disciplinary committee.

He couldn’t hear the conversation, but he could make out the gist of the situation.

The moment he saw Siren rushing in, he realized something had gone wrong.

He immediately fled to his office and began packing his belongings.

He needed to get out of there immediately.

There was no way he could avoid punishment now.

“Damn it, why did everything go wrong—”

Siren.

He hadn’t expected her to betray him.

What on earth had happened last night that made Siren, who had her memory wiped, rush in like that?

No one should have known, so why—

Bang, bang—!

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

Ah, I’m too late.

A deep sense of despair gripped him.

In his haste, he had forgotten to lock the door.

What should he do now?

His mind was a tangled mess of negative emotions.

However, the person who entered wasn’t Professor Jennifer or a member of the security team, but Professor Trevor, with his gentle smile.

“Assistant Chesthip. I’m Professor Trevor. I teach history.”

“…Hasn’t Siren revealed everything?”

“Unfortunately, yes. You even used a spell to erase memories, so there’s no escaping now.”

“…Damn.”

Although it was a small mutter, Trevor heard it clearly.

Why had Assistant Chesthip done something like this?

If he could empathize with the reason, perhaps the situation wouldn’t end so tragically.

“There’s not much time. You have ten minutes to talk, and then you can decide what to do. I’m not one for combat.”

“What do you want me to say? What should I do?”

“Just start by explaining why you did this. And then…”

Trevor spoke as kindly and calmly as possible.

The key to persuasion was to ease the other person’s hostility.

Assistant Chesthip’s expression softened slightly.

The assistant, who had been on edge, began to open up little by little.

Professor Trevor, confident, continued speaking.

Thus, the process of persuasion began successfully.

Meanwhile, outside, a team with a much less gentle demeanor was waiting, barely containing their tension.

“…Is it going well?”

“There’s no noise, so it seems to be going well.”

“Hah… This really isn’t my style.”

Leading them was Professor Jennifer.

Chairman Nyx had specifically requested the stern professor.

She was the unofficial strongest at the Academy, having once served as a royal guard.

If there was a job harder than killing someone, she was the right person for it.

Professor Jennifer found the whole situation distasteful.

Why complicate things when they could be resolved so easily?

If this weren’t the Academy, that fool Chesthip would have already been beaten to a pulp.

“…That kid was a real genius after all.”

“Did Caeser ever seem like the type to do something like that? Idiots.”

“Professor, you too—”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

They knew better than to provoke Professor Jennifer at this moment.

Professor Jennifer stood with her arms crossed, glancing at her pocket watch.

Five minutes had passed, and the office was still silent.

Somewhere in someone’s mind, there was a hope that things would quietly resolve.

If things ended peacefully, they could wrap up the incident without any violent confrontations.

Time dragged on.

Ten minutes.

Professor Jennifer moved.

“Time’s up. We’re going in.”

“Professor—wait—”

Click—

Professor Jennifer didn’t hesitate.

When the door opened, a gruesome scene unfolded.

Professor Trevor was lying in a pool of blood.

Assistant Chesthip was nowhere to be found.

Professor Jennifer furrowed her brow and hurried over to Trevor.

“Hey, are you okay?!”

“I’m…sorry. I underestimated the situation.”

“You idiot—! Hey, get a healer here now!”

“Ugh… I’m truly ashamed.”

“Don’t talk. Just focus on staying still.”

Professor Jennifer, calm and precise, took action.

Any mistake could lead to Trevor bleeding out.

A healer quickly arrived and began casting a healing spell.

As Trevor’s complexion gradually improved, Professor Jennifer could no longer contain her anger.

Her mana surged in response to her emotions.

And at that moment—

[S7 Clear]

“Hm?”

“What’s going on?”

Something strange happened.

–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading

Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt