Inside the Titan Prosecution Office of Golden Branch Academy.
The light was dim inside the vast hall. At the far end of the room stood a massive, elongated oval table carved from a single piece of obsidian, looking as deep and dark as the night.
Suspended directly above its center was a brilliant golden scale. Emitting a divine golden glow, it served as the room's sole source of light.
This was the Chamber of Judgment, representing the Supreme Council. It was never opened to the public, and even most Senior Arbiters had never set foot inside.
Eight people sat around the oval table, all dressed in formal dark blue uniforms with gold badges symbolizing their status pinned to their chests.
Aside from them, three other seats in the room remained empty.
The first to speak was the elderly man seated at the head of the table. Age had carved deep lines into his face, yet his expression was exceedingly stern, devoid of any warmth or mercy.
“Where is Wesley?”
“Reporting, Chief Arbiter.”
One of the seated women stood up and spoke, “He left a message, saying only that he didn't intend to attend this meeting.”
“He is likely going to confirm this—”
Before she could finish, another member sneered and interrupted, “Could he have hooked up with those people from the academy?”
“Then you should ask him yourself, instead of airing useless conjectures here.”
“Conjectures? What he has been doing lately is something we all—”
“Enough.”
The old man addressed as the Chief Arbiter spoke, and the room instantly fell silent.
“The argument ends here. Cyril, tell us how things are progressing first.”
The man who had just slandered Wesley stood up and respectfully handed the documents on the table to the Chief Arbiter, his voice echoing in the hall.
“The Secret Order has already taken action, and most of the magical beasts within the academy have fallen into a frenzy.”
“With the current level of chaos, the instructors and students will absolutely not notice her.”
“Absolutely?”
The Chief Arbiter frowned.
“Cyril, you should know that I actually despise the word 'absolutely'.”
The old man looked up slightly, his gaze as sharp and piercing as an unsheathed blade. In an instant, a suffocating and terrifying pressure emanated from him.
“There are loopholes in everything. What many people call 'absolute' is merely them arrogantly ignoring the hidden variables because they believe they have achieved perfection.”
“You should understand the weight of 'that thing' better than anyone else.”
Cyril stood firmly in place, ignoring the old man's pressure as a sinister and bizarre smile played on his lips.
“It is simply that those people are too incompetent.”
“Oh?”
The Chief Arbiter cast a peculiar look at him.
“Most of the academy's fifth-year students have joined the Prosecution Office and are currently training outside.”
“As for the fourth- and third-year students, Tier 3 Mages only make up a minority. Most have barely touched the threshold of Tier 3, and there is only a single peak Tier 3 Mage among them.”
“Not to mention those lower-grade students.”
With that, Cyril slowly narrowed his eyes, his smile widening as a chilling, dark light flickered in his eyes.
“As for the instructors...”
“As you know, there aren't many decent instructors in the academy to begin with. Right now, most of them have gone to the Echo Forest, busy dealing with the source of the magical beasts' frenzy.”
“And among the magical beasts that have already breached the academy's interior, there are even Tier 3 ones.”
“The instructors are busy maintaining order, and the students lack the experience and strength to fight back. When they can barely secure their own safety, how could they possibly notice her?”
The corner of the Chief Arbiter's mouth curved upward as he asked, “In that case, wouldn't the public need a scapegoat?”
Cyril, of course, knew exactly what he was thinking.
“Sevis Xavier—Chief Arbiter, listen to that, what a resounding name!”
“Isn't the root cause of this incident precisely because his sister's scandal tarnished their family's glory?”
“He failed to uncover the truth, failed to root out the threats lurking in the academy, and recently even slandered an innocent student!”
“It is precisely because of his youth and recklessness that so many students must suffer this disaster!”
The Chief Arbiter nodded slightly, then expressed some hesitation, “He is a talent highly regarded by headquarters, and he possesses Tier 4 strength. Could it be...”
Cyril chuckled softly and said, “Please rest assured.”
“Lately, he has been bogged down by a 'little bit' of simple official business. He hasn't slept for an entire day.”
“The weekly magazine is still publishing his 'glorious deeds' as well. He has absolutely no energy to spare for anything else.”
“Furthermore, no students will die because of this riot.”
“After all, every student injured in this incident will be our 'witness'.”
A smile appeared on the Chief Arbiter's face, and he motioned for Cyril to sit back down.
A moment later, he pronounced the conclusion of the meeting.
“A witch whose power ran rampant and completely lost control; to protect the safety of the students, we were forced to eliminate her.”
The old man set the tone in a calm voice, “As for the true cause...”
“...It just so happens to be an Arbiter among us who committed errors due to incompetence.”
“Meeting adjourned.”
...
In the corridor, a woman slowly walked up to Cyril's side. The two smiled at each other with the tacit understanding of a married couple.
“Tina, you didn't finish reading the message Wesley left, did you?”
“Hehe, didn't you also seize the opportunity to throw mud at him?”
Cyril shrugged.
“Wasn't it just as you said? It was all just conjecture.”
“Trying to keep yourself neutral while dragging Wesley down... Heh, you really are a bitch.”
Tina smiled, seemingly accepting his label.
“Wesley already had plenty of supporters in the Titan Prosecution Office, and now he's even brought in his own son, starting him off directly as an Arbiter.”
“Not just me, but quite a few people are rather displeased about it~”
Cyril nodded.
“A young Tier 4 Mage who even obtained the recognition of that Tier 6 magical tool from headquarters.”
“How glorious indeed...”
Changing his tone, a manic smile surfaced on Cyril's face.
“A genius like him probably still has no idea what is happening. To salvage what's left of his pathetic reputation, he's running around with his men trying to find the real culprit...”
“When he finds out he's not here to receive an award, but to sign for his own arrest warrant, I really want to see the look on his face...”
“To be framed for no rhyme or reason, and on his own biological father's proposal no less...”
“To someone like his father, children are probably things that can just be replaced with another one if they're gone, right?”
“Hahahahaha! That is just too hilarious!”
Tina rolled her eyes in exasperation and said, “Aren't you just jealous of his talent?”
“You're only a Tier 1 Mage yourself, so you can't stand seeing others do well?”
Cyril didn't deny it.
“Strength doesn't decide everything. Even if he is Tier 4, what of it?”
“In a situation like this, what can he possibly change?”
Tina fell into thought for a moment, then brought up another matter.
“That girl... isn't she also a student of the academy?”
“Will the academy really...”
Cyril sneered and said disdainfully, “Of course they care about their reputation.”
“But compared to 'that,' a student?”
“Heh, she is nothing more than an abandoned witch.”
“Those higher-ups are all wishing for her to drop dead as soon as possible.”
Rate on N.U.
