Chapter 72

｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Divine ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

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Jed stammered, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly before he finally shouted.

“W-Why is this happening?! What’s going on?!”

“That’s what we’d like to ask you, Jed.”

One professor said in a troubled tone.

“We conducted handwriting verification to prevent cheating. All the other students were fine—except for the two of you.”

“Why did you suddenly decide to do this verification?! There was nothing like this in the previous exams!”

Jed lost his composure and yelled. Some professors frowned, and Avik quickly stepped in.

“Now, now, Jed. Calm down and speak clearly. Is this true?”

“Of course not!” Jed shouted, veins bulging in his neck.

He remained staunch in his thought that his cheating could never be caught.

Because of that, his expression appeared really genuine.

“See? He says it’s not true.”

Avik scoffed, as if he had expected this all along.

“Why cause such an uproar with an unverified magic tool? You’ve only ended up unjustly accusing innocent students!”

“But the results—”

“If you focus too much on results, you’ll end up punishing the innocent!”

Avik shouted angrily.

Just moments ago, he had been humiliated by the Magic Tower Lord’s representative.

If he could discredit the magic tool, he might be able to force an apology from that cheek representative.

However, the representative remained unfazed.

“The Magic Tower Lord said this.”

Instead, she spoke in a calm manner.

“If the magic tool ever malfunctions, the responsibility falls on its creator.”

“Responsibility, meaning…?”

“The mage who created it would suffer physical pain as a consequence.”

“…!”

The professors’ eyes widened.

The tool had been personally crafted by the Magic Tower Lord.

If it truly malfunctioned, and he had to take responsibility for it…

‘The Magic Tower Lord might go on a rampage.’

The professors quickly put the pieces together. But Daphne remained unfazed.

“If you don’t believe me, I can invite the Magic Tower Lord to verify it himself. Ah, of course, if there was an error, he might go on a rampage. Though I’m sure you’ve all taken that into account…?”

“N-No, that won’t be necessary!”

“It’s okay! We believe you!”

The professors shook their heads vigorously.

The Magic Tower Lord’s rampage?! That was a terrible sight they never wanted to witness in their lifetime.

But this made it clear: the magic tool was genuine.

Realizing this, the professors turned their gazes toward Jed and Avik.

“Jed, answer clearly. Are you absolutely sure you didn’t cheat?”

“Then how do you explain this reaction? The magic tool was created by the Magic Tower Lord himself, at his own risk. Instead of just claiming innocence, provide solid proof.”

“Professor Avik, the same goes for you. Instead of simply criticizing, please explain specifically why you believe the tool is wrong.”

The professors bombarded Jed and Avik with questions.

“T-That’s ridiculous…”

“What is this…?”

Jed and Avik were cornered in an instant.

Jed’s panicked gaze flickered towards his sister, Becky, who stood there trembling, pale and silent.

She looked like a corpse, unable to say anything except tremble. Jed gritted his teeth and yelled at her.

“Sis, don’t you have a mouth?! Say something! Are you just going to stand there like an idiot?!”

“…!”

Becky flinched.

“I… I…”

She forced her lips apart, trying to speak, but no words came out.

What could she possibly say when everything was already exposed?

Her mind was entirely focused on the thoughts of the compensation she’d have to pay once the accusations were made official.

“You useless idiot…!”

Jed cursed under his breath, then turned to the professors with a desperate look.

“It’s not cheating! Handwriting… yes, handwriting can change over time, can’t it?!”

He shouted frantically.

“If only it was possible to change in such a short period of time.”

However, the Magic Tower Lord’s representative, Daphne, easily countered his argument.

“Oh, but that would be even stranger, wouldn’t it? Suddenly changing your handwriting makes it look like you have something to hide.”

“You…!”

Jed glared at her as if he wanted to kill her, but Daphne merely shrugged.

“It seems we have our answer.”

At that moment, a low voice echoed through the room. Everyone’s gaze turned in unison.

A professor who had remained silent throughout, Hannemann, was now looking straight at them.

The room fell into silence.

Even Daphne knew who he was.

‘Hanneman. A renowned professor and scholar from the Imperial Academy.’

His published papers were so excellent that he was appointed as a professor at a young age.

‘It’s rumored that even the most prideful scholars secretly sought out his papers.’

His future had been nothing but bright, yet one day, he suddenly gave up his position at the Imperial Academy, citing the limitations of the education system.

The place he had chosen afterward was none other than Regarta Academy.

A professor they never could have dreamed of recruiting had come to them on his own.

Even the academy’s headmaster was at a loss when Hanneman spoke, so it was only natural that the other professors were now watching him anxiously.

Hanneman slowly said.

“The results are already clear, aren’t they? The magic tool has no issues, but the names of the two individuals were swapped. That is undeniable proof of cheating.”

“T-There must be some kind of misunderstanding with the tool…!”

“Moreover—”

Hanneman glanced at Becky, who had a deathlike pallor.

“She isn’t even denying it.”

“…!”

“What greater proof can there be?”

Becky tightly shut her eyes at Hanneman’s sharp remark.

She had been tormented by guilt for days.

“But shouldn’t the one evaluating the patient’s condition be a real doctor?”

“That qualification is not something anyone can hand out. Even if the one writing in this notebook and handing the opportunity over to Jed is you, Becky.”

Daphne’s words stabbed at her chest repeatedly.

If her actions had harmed someone else…

Not only her, but her entire family could fall into ruin. Thus, she had to end this here.

Becky slowly opened her eyes and said calmly.

“…The magic tool was not wrong.”

“Sis! What are you saying all of a sudden?”

“I changed the names. Since the first exam.”

“Sis!”

“If you wish, you can verify it with the magic tool.”

“What are you doing?! Shut your mouth!”

“I took the test in Jed’s place to help him pass…”

“Shut your damn mouth—!”

Jed let out a furious roar.

Even the older professors, who had seen all kinds of scandals, were stunned by his threat.

While it was understandable that he lost his composure in such a situation, the way he behaved was far too natural. It meant that this wasn’t the first time he acted like this.

The professors’ eyes filled with blatant contempt.

Only then did Jed tremble.

“T-This, I mean…”

“The discussion is over.”

Jed tried to offer an excuse, but Hanneman cut him off like a sharp knife.

“Both of you are disqualified. We will discuss today’s events at a later time.”

Jed’s face was stained with despair.

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Becky walked aimlessly after leaving the room. She wasn’t sure how she had made it out.

She couldn’t hear anything, and honestly, she felt a slight sense of relief.

At least now, she could be free from all the guilt.

Smack!

Just then, someone grabbed her wrist tightly.

“Where do you think you’re going after causing this mess?”

Jed was glaring at her, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

“Look at where we are now because you couldn’t lie properly?! Are you out of your mind?!”

“…Let go.”

“Let go? You’ve thrown my life into the gutter, and you want me to let go?!!”

Jed tightened his grip at the very idea.

“I called you ‘sister’ and treated you with respect, but now I see that won’t work. Maybe it’s time I taught you a proper lesson…”

Losing control of his anger, Jed raised his hand. Just as Becky closed her eyes in resignation—

Wham!

Someone blocked his hand.

“Who the hell are you?”

Jed instinctively turned his head.

Standing there was a figure in a black robe, staring at him.

A glimpse of long silver hair peeked out from beneath the hood. Jed quickly realized that it was the representative of the Magic Tower Lord.

He forced himself to hold back his rage. Becky was one thing, but if he crossed the Magic Tower, there would be no recovering from it.

“Mind your own business and go on your own way before this turns into something serious. Got it?”

“Unfortunately, unlike someone else here, I’m opposed to violence.”

The representative shrugged.

“Verbal abuse, physical violence… I already knew you were a mess, but you’ve really hit rock bottom.”

The previously relaxed voice turned ice-cold in an instant.

“What does that have to do with you—!”

Suddenly, Jed froze.

The voice sounded oddly familiar. Just as Jed furrowed his brows trying to recall where he had heard it before…

The robed figure—Daphne—let out a mocking laugh.

“That pathetic attitude of yours is exactly why you never get anywhere, you scum.”