Chapter 85 — Sympathy Cannot Prevent Judgment

1

“Student Manus.”

“Yes.”

“The Chairman has summoned you. Shall we go together?”

Manus nodded.

He had seen Lupera being dragged away.

That must be why he was called.

He also saw someone approaching Alano.

“Except for the first years, all student council presidents will participate. I’ll guide you first.”

Manus willingly followed him.

The venue was still buzzing with excitement.

First-year juniors gathered around him.

Seeing their bright eyes and sparkling expressions made his heart warm.

They asked Manus and Alano:

“Are you busy now?”

“Good work, seniors.”

“See you at the club room. Good job everyone.”

At Manus’s words, they quickly nodded and withdrew.

They too sensed that the atmosphere had turned unusual.

Manus and his juniors exchanged greetings with their eyes.

He turned his head and continued walking.

Manus knew where they were heading now.

A few lines of text came to mind.

[Deep within the academy. While the academy always valued cleanliness and quietness as virtues, this place was different.]

[A damp smell stung the nose. It was a space that naturally made people uncomfortable. What illuminated the darkness was not bright lights, but crudely burning torches.]

[They say light and darkness coexist. This was the darkness of the academy.]

“Please enter here.”

The academy building could only use up to the 5th basement floor.

However, to build such a tall building, deeper underground levels were essential.

While wind effects and other miscellaneous issues could be resolved under the name of ‘magic’, the practicality of underground spaces couldn’t be ignored.

From the 6th to the 10th basement floors of the academy building, these spaces certainly existed.

Just unknown to ordinary students.

Manus also knew about this space.

“What is… this place?”

“The darkest place in the academy.”

The so-called sewer.

A place where those who commit crimes and act against the academy end up, and also a hidden dungeon.

Well, that’s still a distant story for now.

The smell of oil, the stench of something rotten, the odor of filth…

Everything made Manus’s nerves sharp.

Would a noble, especially the son of a duke, ever have come to such a dirty place?

It seemed the same for Alano, as she didn’t hide her displeasure.

“To think such a place existed, this is really suspicious.”

“I agree.”

“What’s going to happen…”

“There’s only one person who needs to worry about that.”

They were here merely as witnesses.

There was only one person who would suffer here.

2

Lupera felt despair.

He realized how foolish he had been, and how ignorant.

Mythos Academy was not a place that could be manipulated as he thought.

There were monsters everywhere, and eyes even in unseen places.

The rope Professor Mia had extended was rotten and frayed, with no bottom.

Why didn’t he realize that?

Why-.

“What did I do wrong, I was just dragged to a strange place! Why doesn’t anyone believe me!”

“…”

“Please, please listen to me! Please! I’m just a victim! Professor Mia ordered everything!”

Many people were entering before his eyes, but no one opened their mouths.

The Chairman quietly closed his eyes, just waiting for everyone to arrive.

Lupera tried pleading with tears, but no one listened to a criminal’s words.

He screamed until his throat was hoarse, but the only response was silence.

Finally, he gave up everything and slumped down.

The door of the soundproof room opened.

Lupera’s eyes widened when he saw Manus among those entering.

‘Why is he-.’

But he just crossed his arms without saying anything, and looking into his blue eyes revealed nothing.

What on earth was he thinking?

Could it be that he-.

“We’ve arrived, Chairman.”

“Everyone has arrived except for the minimum necessary personnel.”

The professors all arrived afterwards.

Abrel Nia, and an unnamed male student also kept their places.

Even more frightening were the gazes of the professors.

What would they say while looking at him?

‘Ha-.’

He didn’t know anymore.

It was a life destined to die anyway, so maybe just dying like this… would be okay?

It’s unfair.

It was unfair.

He couldn’t understand why he had to be the protagonist of such a tragedy.

What on earth did he do wrong-!

“Now that everyone’s gathered, let’s begin. In today’s evaluation, this reagent appeared. It’s estimated to have the effect of amplifying the ferocity of monsters, but-.”

“So today’s incident was because of this reagent.”

“This student, Lupera, sprayed the reagent.”

“Hmm-.”

The professors’ expressions became subtle.

Lupera.

He was a student they had heard of.

He had left quite an impressive performance in this evaluation too.

But the professors who didn’t know much about him tilted their heads.

Cognitive dissonance.

The dissonance that occurs when someone who wasn’t rescued or chosen comes out of the tower on their own.

“How was your life at the academy? I don’t remember well.”

“He’s in the 2nd year Snake class. Anyway, what’s important are the questions we’ll ask now. Professor Trail.”

“Yes.”

Professor Trail cast a spell.

Everyone here knew what it was.

A magic used when interrogating criminals or engaging in fierce information warfare.

Originally close to black magic and taboo, but-.

Sometimes poison can be used as medicine.

Mana seeped into Lupera’s head.

After a brief resistance, he couldn’t block Professor Trail’s magic with its overwhelming difference in skill.

His eyes became dull.

Now, all that remained was to ask questions.

‘A magic that makes one speak only the truth. There’s nothing better for interrogation.’

Manus looked at the back of the Chairman’s head.

He would ask all the questions.

Knowing Lupera’s circumstances, he would choose his questions and words carefully.

The first question came.

“Lupera. Did you release this reagent?”

“-Yes.”

“Under whose instigation?”

“Professor Mia.”

The answer was clear.

Emotions rippled across the professors’ expressions.

A colleague’s betrayal.

Professor Mia had been friendly with everyone, whether Snake, Deer, or Eagle-.

“Do you know why she did this?”

“-To overthrow the nobles.”

“…”

The words from Lupera’s mouth added weight to that sense of betrayal.

The professors’ eyes turned fierce.

In this world, nobles weren’t simply those with power.

Those with special abilities, special bloodlines.

Those who honed their own abilities and developed them enough to establish a family.

It referred to those who established a family through bone-grinding efforts.

Disrespecting nobles was like disrespecting history itself and ignoring the time they had invested.

“Where is Professor Mia now?”

“-I don’t know.”

“Were you not instigated to do anything else?”

“To become stronger in the cracks… Ugh-!”

Black blood gushed from Lupera’s mouth.

One of the professors hurriedly cast a healing spell.

Color returned to Lupera’s face, which had been turning pale white.

The Chairman felt a moment of panic.

Fortunately, the professors didn’t seem to notice.

It was a close call that even made Manus and Alano flinch.

The Chairman let out a small sigh and continued with the next question.

“Are you the only victim?”

“-Yes.”

Afterwards, the Chairman asked various other things.

What he did after cooperating with her, whether he intended to participate in that plan himself, and so on.

Lupera clearly had the chance to choose, yet he chose to become a villain himself.

The decision was quick.

It was a story that could evoke sympathy, but that faint emotion doesn’t cover up crime.

He could have chosen.

It was entirely his responsibility for taking the wrong path at the crossroads of choice.

“What will you do?”

“Expulsion and banishment. And we’ll search for Professor Mia and execute her.”

The professors’ heads moved up and down.

Nobles and commoners alike all sent the same opinion.

She harbored thoughts dangerous enough to threaten peace.

If Professor Mia ever gains power, gathers forces, and appears again-.

The world will fall into chaos, big or small.

It was that dangerous a thought.

“What happened here must not be disclosed to anyone. Especially you student council presidents.”

“-Understood.”

“Then please disperse now. You two, follow me.”

The professors left the sealed room one by one.

After everyone left, only Alano, Manus, the Chairman, and the unconscious Lupera remained in the sealed room.

Chairman Nyx didn’t hide his complicated feelings, and Alano also stood blankly, as the culprit was someone she never expected.

“-Since when did you know? That Professor Mia was the culprit.”

“I’ve known since the day Lupera returned.”

“Why-.”

He didn’t say things like ‘Of course, because I know the original work-‘.

Previously, when Lupera was causing trouble in the academy’s back alley, he caught him red-handed.

“She knew about Lupera despite not being chosen.”

“I see. Was there a reason you guessed on your own?”

“I knew she couldn’t do anything alone. If she could do something by herself, there would have been no need for Lupera.”

The Chairman nodded.

It was correct.

In reality, Professor Mia hadn’t directly harmed the academy.

She might have done something if given a little more time— but her calculations were off, so she went into hiding.

“How strange. Is it an ability to forcibly awaken Lupera?”

“If what you say is true, Chairman, the number of victims will continue to increase. If she knows how to survive in the tower, it would be difficult to catch her.”

“There’s only one answer then.”

The Chairman’s eyes turned to Alano and Manus.

These young students were the only ones who could enter that cursed tower.

There was no choice but to entrust it to them again.

I’m sorry to burden you with such a heavy load, but you’ll gain something in return.

“I’ll provide maximum convenience, so I’m counting on you again.”

“-Understood.”

There was determination in both of their answers.

The Chairman let out a sigh of relief seeing the resolute expressions of the two.

At times like this, he resented being unable to do anything.

Entrusting tasks to others due to lack of ability.

It might sometimes be comfortable, but most of the time it was a frustrating experience.

3

In the club room after all evaluations were over.

The first years were chatting with the two new senior members.

More precisely, Nia, who had been defeated by Manus, approached the first years out of curiosity.

With golden, dragon-like eyes, she was a woman with mysterious charm.

The curious first years quickly opened up, and Nia was rapidly blending into the club.

On the other hand, Guillermo just sat with his eyes closed and arms crossed.

“By the way, he’s not coming. Is the talk taking long?”

“Um… may I ask what happened?”

“Well… a child named Lupera caused trouble, so we disciplined him. I went because I’m the 3rd year student council president.”

“Come to think of it, the first years will soon elect a president too. You’re all in Class A, right? Anyone interested?”

Everyone just looked at each other with round eyes.

Finding it cute, Nia laughed out loud.

“Haha, they’re cute because they’re first years. These little ones. The student council president position isn’t much actually. It’s just…”

Clunk-.

Before she could finish speaking, the door opened.

There was a feeling of the air settling as Manus and Alano appeared.

“I’ll explain this later.”

Nia withdrew with a wink.

Manus opened his mouth, looking at the significantly increased number of club members.

Now, it was time to go to the garbage incinerator.

–TL Notes–
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