1:00 AM
The office of Madame Elara Vance, unlike Varon's lab, carried the quiet weight of order and authority.
Bookshelves were stacked to the ceiling with no dust on them.
Madame Vance, an elderly woman with white hair in a bun and a face that looked carved from stone, sat behind her desk. She was the staunchest opponent of unethical experiments in the Academy and the only person Varon feared.
Knock, knock.
The door opened. One of the administrative staff entered hurriedly and anxiously. Holding a letter with a red royal seal.
"Madame... I apologize for the disturbance at this hour. But a special courier has arrived from the Palace."
Madame Vance took off her pince-nez glasses.
"The Palace?"
"Yes. A letter directly from Commander Edward Falconer. He said it must reach you personally immediately."
Madame Vance took the letter. The lion seal of the Royal Guard stood out on it.
She opened the letter. The text was short, formal, but striking:
"To Madame Vance, Head of the Ethics Department,
Confidential reports from the Guard's Intelligence Unit indicate that today's explosion was not the result of a student's error, but the instability of a 'Level 5 Containment Circuit'. Equipment whose presence on dormitory grounds constitutes a direct violation of Article 34 of the Academy Rules.
Attached: List of Master Varon's recent purchases from the Xenia Black Market (including Shadow Containment Crystals)."
Madame Vance lowered the letter. Her eyes filled with cold anger.
Edward hadn't directly said "Maria is innocent" (because he didn't want to show favoritism), but he had given Madame a weapon to target Varon.
Madame Vance stood up and put on her formal robe.
"Prepare my carriage. I must go to the High Council. No one sleeps tonight."
***
The courtyard was surrounded by yellow magical tape (Restricted Area). Several technicians and workers were busy collecting the remains of the device and debris.
In the darkness behind one of the broken columns, a shadow moved.
Julian Vane, with that same crooked smile but eyes devoid of any humor this time, stepped out of the shadow.
He went toward one of the young technicians who was putting burnt parts into a box.
"Hey buddy, tough night."
The technician jumped.
"You? This is a restricted area! Students aren't allowed..."
Julian put his hand on the technician's shoulder. In his hand was a heavy gold coin that slid smoothly into the technician's pocket.
"I just have one question. That circuit you collected... was the burn from the 'inside' or the 'outside'?"
The technician swallowed. Touched the coin.
"Well... honestly, it's strange. The official report says the student (Maria) tampered with it. But..."
"But what?"
The technician lowered his voice and showed a melted piece.
"Look. The mana transmission wires are melted from the 'root'. Meaning the input pressure was excessive. A first-year student, even a genius, doesn't have enough mana to melt such a device. This device... wasn't built to withstand this pressure from the start. It was a 'design flaw', not sabotage."
Julian smiled. His eyes glinted.
"Design flaw... or maybe 'Designer's Greed'. Thanks, buddy."
Julian secretly slipped a small piece of the burnt circuit into his pocket.
Varon... thought you could pin it on that girl? You thought wrong.
He took an apple out of his pocket, took a bite, and disappeared into the darkness.
***
It was dawn, but the dormitory was awake. Fear and excitement prevented anyone from sleeping.
Groups of girls were gathered around, whispering.
"Did you hear? They say Maria is a summoner. She summoned the monster to attack the dorm!"
"Yeah! She's psycho. Did you see how she fainted in magic class? It was all an act."
Suddenly, a trembling but loud voice cut through the conversations.
"That's a lie!"
Everyone turned.
Sarah stood in the middle of the hall. Her eyes were red and puffy, her pajamas wrinkled, but her fists were clenched. She was no longer the sheltered, carefree girl from her first day.
An upperclassman girl sneered.
"Oh, her little roommate. Want to defend your criminal friend?"
Sarah stepped forward. Her voice trembled, but she didn't back down.
"She's not a criminal! She saved our lives!"
A murmur rose.
"What are you saying? She caused the explosion!"
Sarah shouted:
"No! That device was going to explode! I was there! Maria ran toward it to turn it off! If it wasn't for her, half the dormitory would have collapsed on your heads!"
She pointed to a girl with a bandaged arm.
"Emma! Remember? When that wall was falling, who pushed you aside?"
Emma (the injured girl) paused. Remembered. The shadow that had pushed her at the last moment...
"It... it was Maria."
Sarah wiped her tears.
"Yes! She was trying to stop it, while the rest were just screaming and running. She's a hero, not a saboteur!"
The murmurs grew softer.
A few students stopped whispering. Others hesitated.
Sarah was panting. She might not be a swordsman, but... she was Maria's shield against verbal daggers.
***
The massive doors of the Council Hall opened.
Maria entered with bound hands and under the escort of two armored guards.
The atmosphere of the hall was suffocating. The high domed ceiling, walls covered with flags of the Founding Houses, and cold light shining through stained glass windows were all designed to create a sense of "smallness" in the accused.
At the end of the hall, behind a raised, crescent-shaped table, sat seven people.
The High Council.
At the center sat Erasmus Whitmore, the Academy Headmaster in purple robes, his face lined with exhaustion. To his immediate right was Madame Vance, the Head of Ethics, her expression like carved stone. Flanking them on both sides were the remaining council members: representatives of noble houses and senior mages.
In the spectator rows, professors and student representatives (including Damian, sitting calmly) were present.
Maria was guided to the solitary chair in the middle of the hall. The accused's chair.
On the other side, Master Varon stood. Clean, well-groomed, and dignified. He didn't look at Maria; his gaze was on the Council, like a skilled orator ready to perform.
Bang!
The Headmaster banged the wooden gavel on the table.
The sound echoed in the hall.
"Hearing for Case Number 402: The Eastern Dormitory Explosion Incident. Defendant: Maria Alessandra, First-year Student."
The Council Scribe opened a scroll and read in a monotone voice:
"The charges are as follows:
Unauthorized entry into a restricted research zone (Level 5).
Intentional tampering with magical containment circuits leading to explosion and destruction of public property.
Endangering the lives of 23 students.
Collaborating with and harboring an unknown and dangerous magical creature."
With each charge, the weight of the gazes on Maria increased. She lowered her head.
Her mind offered nothing she could safely say. All these were "technically" true.
The Scribe continued:
"Given the severity of the crimes, the prosecutor requests permanent expulsion, sealing of the mana core, and handover to the City Guard."
Maria closed her eyes.
Sealing my core… permanent magical paralysis.
The end of everything.
The Headmaster turned to Varon.
" Professor Varon, your explanation will be heard."
Varon stepped forward. His voice was calm, composed, and full of regret.
"Honorable members of the Council... I am deeply sorry that my sensitive research caused this chaos."
"That device was an 'Emergency Containment System' designed to capture an escaped specimen. My calculations were precise. The system was safe."
Varon pointed to Maria, a look full of feigned pity.
"But unfortunately, this young student, without sufficient knowledge and probably out of childish curiosity, entered the area and broke the 'Stabilizer Circuit'."
He showed a diagram.
"See... the sudden cutting of this circuit caused a backlash and the device exploded. If she hadn't interfered, that creature would be in a cage right now, and no one would be hurt."
No one interrupted him. No one questioned the diagram.
Whispers stirred across the hall. Everyone looked at Maria with blame.
Maria ground her teeth. Varon was telling the truth, but only half of it. He had omitted the "instability of the device and massive explosion" and the "danger of the creature's core collapse."
The Headmaster asked:
"Defendant, do you have a defense?"
Maria opened her mouth, but what could she say? That she wanted to save a monster? That would only make her crime heavier.
She remained silent.
Varon gave a hidden smile. It was over.
The Headmaster raised the gavel.
"Given the defendant's silence and the available evidence, the Council rules..."
No one moved. Even the air seemed to wait.
BAAAAAM!
The massive doors of the hall flew open, and the sound of them hitting the walls made everyone jump.
All heads turned toward the door.
Julian Vane, with a slightly disheveled uniform and an armful of scrolls and boxes, stood in the doorframe. He was panting, but his usual crooked smile was on his lips.
"Apologies!"
His voice echoed in the hall.
"Did the proceedings begin without a defense attorney? "