(Third Person POV)
Inside Duke Benzzi's private study located in the heart of the noble district, the air felt so heavy it suffocated anyone within. Thick velvet curtains were drawn tight, blocking out the bright morning sunlight, as if the room's occupants refused to see the outside world judging their failure.
Duke Benzzi, a middle-aged man whose face was usually flushed red from expensive wine, now looked deathly pale like a corpse. He sat slumped helplessly in his leather chair, staring blankly at the pile of loss reports scattered on the desk.
The family mining company's stocks plummeted thirty percent overnight. Major trading partners canceled contracts unilaterally. And worst of all, an official summons letter from the Academy Honorary Council lay open before him with a blazing red stamp that seemed to burn the eyes: ALLEGED DOMESTIC TERRORISM.
"Everything is finished..." muttered Duke Benzzi, his voice hoarse and desperate. "The reputation your grandfather built painstakingly for fifty years... destroyed instantly because of your brother's one stupid idea."
In front of him, Kars Benzzi stood calmly.
Unlike his father who looked messy and shattered, Kars stood tall with perfect posture. He wore a neat formal black suit without wrinkles. His face was calm, too calm for a son whose brother had just been arrested for attempted mass murder.
"Not finished yet, Father. There is still a way out," said Kars softly but firmly.
The Duke looked up slowly, staring at his second son with swollen red eyes. "What do you know?! Karl... our family's hope... he was caught red-handed! He used forbidden gas on school grounds! No lawyer in this world can save him from such a heavy accusation!"
"Karl is politically crippled, Father," cut Kars coldly. There was no emotional tone in his voice, only cruel objective analysis. "Reputation-wise, he is dead. If Father keeps trying to defend him as a 'misguided leader', we will all be dragged into the same hole and drown with him. The public needs a monster to hang, and we must give them that monster."
Duke Benzzi was speechless. He looked at Kars as if seeing his son for the first time in his life. In Kars's eyes, he did not see the fear or doubt usually there. He saw cold calculation.
"Then... what is your suggestion?" asked the Duke, his voice weakening, surrendering control.
Kars stepped forward approaching the desk, placing his hands on the cold mahogany surface.
"Cut off the hand to save the body," said Kars without hesitation. "We cannot deny the event. The evidence is too strong. Arin and Elena Rhyms hold a deadly ace card. So, we change the narrative."
Kars leaned forward, whispering sweet poison into his father's ear.
"Karl is not the main perpetrator. Karl is a victim. He was severely depressed due to academic pressure, his mental state unstable. And in that weak condition... he was manipulated by an ambitious and radical subordinate."
The Duke's eyes widened slightly, starting to understand the direction of the conversation. "You mean... Vesper?"
"Vesper has no big family name to protect him. He is a child of a fallen noble we picked up from the streets because of his smart brain," continued Kars mercilessly. "He is perfect for this role. Make Vesper the sole monster in this story. Create a narrative that he is the evil mastermind poisoning the innocent and unstable Young Master's mind. That way, Karl will only be sentenced to medical rehabilitation in a sanatorium, not military prison."
Long silence enveloped the room.
Duke Benzzi stared at his son... no, he stared at his new heir. He realized something terrifying yet relieving. Karl might have muscle strength and explosive charisma, but Kars... Kars possessed the political cruelty needed to survive in this ruthless capital.
Slowly, Duke Benzzi nodded in agreement. He opened his desk drawer with a trembling hand, taking out a gold badge bearing the family lawyer emblem.
"Take this," said the Duke, handing the badge to Kars. "Use our best legal team. Not to defend Karl... but to ensure that narrative is firmly planted in the judges' and public's heads."
Kars received the badge respectfully. He bowed slightly, hiding a thin smile carved on his face.
"Leave it to me, Father. I will clean our family name from this stain."
As Kars turned and walked out of the room, he felt not a shred of guilt. He only felt... free.
(Arin's POV - At the Academy Court)
The Academy Court Hall today did not look like a quiet place of education. This place had turned into a savage gladiator arena, where the blood spilled was not red liquid, but someone's reputation and future.
The high domed ceiling reflected echoes from hundreds of students and instructors packing the circular stands. The air felt hot and stifling, full of wild speculative whispers and hungry gazes awaiting the drama of a noble's destruction.
I sat on the witness bench on the right side, accompanied by Elena wearing a formal uniform with the Rhyms Family badge shining on her chest. Elena's face was hard and cold, her perfect noble mask fitted tightly without gaps. Beside her, Erika sat restlessly, squeezing her magic staff until her knuckles were white, her eyes constantly glancing fearfully toward the defendant's chair.
Across from us, in the dock, sat two figures who became the center of attention for the entire room.
Vesper looked terrible and pathetic. Thick bandages wrapped his broken hands and legs. He sat silently, eyes staring blankly at the floor, hands handcuffed with blue-glowing anti-mana cuffs.
Beside him sat Karl Benzzi. However, he did not look like the Karl I knew all this time. The arrogant, haughty, and fiery Karl had vanished without a trace. There sat a young man trembling in fear, looking down deeply, occasionally covering his ears as if hearing tormenting supernatural voices. Beside him sat an old man in a slick black suit and eyes sharp as a snake; he was the Benzzi Family lawyer.
"Order in the court!"
The voice echoed loudly from the judge's podium towering high above us, amplified by wind magic to be heard throughout the hall.
There, sitting in the chief judge's chair, was Headmistress Selena Rhyms. She wore a magnificent black-gold judge's robe. Her face was flat, without the slightest emotion. She stared straight ahead with the "Iron Judge" gaze. I knew, personally Selena supported me, but here, in front of the public and kingdom representatives, she had to appear absolutely neutral.
On her right, sat the student representative. Devina Delphine.
The Student Council President sat with a lazy posture, resting her chin on one bored hand. Her red eyes stared around the room, as if this trial were a children's event wasting her valuable time. Her presence there was just a formality, a symbol that the Student Council was watching.
"The hearing for the Sector 9 Incident begins now," said Selena, her voice heavy and authoritative. The knock of her gavel stopped all whispers instantly. "Prosecutor, please read the charges."
Elena stood from her chair. She walked to the center of the room with graceful and confident steps.
"Single charge," Elena's voice was clear and sharp cutting the silence. "Attempted premeditated murder using illegal poison gas and sabotage of academy facilities endangering the lives of other students. This is not ordinary juvenile delinquency, but Terrorism."
The word "Terrorism" hung heavy in the air, creating an atmosphere of fear.
"Defense, please present your witness," continued Selena after a brief pause.
The Benzzi Family lawyer stood calmly. He smiled thinly, a professional smile that did not reach his eyes.
"We call a key witness from the defendant's family to testify. Brother Kars Benzzi."
The side door opened slowly. Kars stepped into the trial arena.
The room atmosphere changed instantly. Whispers were heard loudly again. Kars did not look like a cunning villain's henchman. He wore a neat but simple uniform. His face looked tired, his eyes swollen, and his shoulders slumped as if carrying the weight of the world on his back.
Kars stood at the podium, looking at the judge respectfully, then glanced briefly at Karl who was still trembling in the defendant's chair. That gaze was full of sadness that was... very convincing.
"Witness, explain what you know about this incident," ordered Selena.
Kars took a deep breath, his voice trembling as he began to speak, as if holding back tears.
"I... I discovered the plan at the last moment," said Kars softly but clearly. "That morning, I entered Vesper's room to borrow a notebook. And accidentally, I found proof of methane gas orders from the black market on his desk."
Kars looked down, gripping the edge of the podium tightly.
"I tried to stop it. I ran to find my brother to tell him. But... Karl wouldn't listen to me. Since exam pressure haunted him, Karl's mental state was severely disturbed. He experienced severe depression, paranoia, and his emotions were unstable at all."
The Benzzi lawyer interrupted gently, guiding the narrative, "So, you are saying Master Karl was not in a mental condition capable of planning a crime this complex alone?"
"Correct," answered Kars, crocodile tears starting to well in his eyes. He pointed at Vesper with a trembling finger full of accusation. "He... Vesper took advantage of my sick brother's condition! He whispered radical ideas! Karl just nodded because he didn't realize what he agreed to! Vesper manipulated our family's ambition for his personal satisfaction!"
"LIE!"
The shout exploded from the defendant's chair.
Vesper stood with difficulty, ignoring the pain in his broken leg. His face was beet red, his eyes bulging staring at Kars with hatred.
"IT WAS ALL KARL'S ORDERS! HE ORDERED ME! HE WANTED ARIN DEAD!" shouted Vesper hysterically, his voice cracking from despair. "I ONLY FOLLOWED MASTER'S ORDERS!"
"Sit down, Defendant!" snapped the court guard, forcing Vesper to sit back down roughly.
The Benzzi lawyer shook his head with concern. He walked to the evidence table, picking up a large ledger, Vesper's confiscated accounting book.
"Your Honor," said the Lawyer calmly while opening the book page. "We have examined all administrative trails carefully. Gas orders? Vesper's signature. Warehouse rental? Vesper's signature. Bribe payments to janitors? Money from Vesper's personal account."
The lawyer slammed the thick book in front of Vesper's table with a loud thud.
"Not a single signature or digital trace from my Client, Karl Benzzi. All this is a sole operation run by you, Vesper. You designed it and financed it, and now... you try to drag this sick young master to cover up your failed crime?"
Vesper's mouth gaped wide. He stared at the book. The book he wrote meticulously to record his "services" to get promoted.
Now, his meticulousness became the noose strangling his own neck.
He looked at Karl. Karl was still looking down, mumbling incoherently, playing the "victim" role perfectly. Then he looked at Kars on the podium. Kars stared back coldly and without guilt.
In that second, Vesper realized completely.
This was not a trial to find the truth. This was a public execution. And he had been chosen to be the corpse from the beginning. Karl was not stupid or at least the Benzzi family was not stupid. They ensured Karl's hands were administratively clean, while Vesper... the genius accountant... was too arrogant to realize he was digging his own grave.
Vesper slumped in his chair. His spirit broke instantly. He no longer shouted to defend himself, only staring blankly into the air, realizing that his loyalty was paid with the cruelest betrayal.
In the stands, public opinion began to shift like waves.
"Poor Karl..." whispered a student. "He was used while severely depressed."
"Vesper is terrible. How could he manipulate his own master."
"Kars is truly a hero, daring to testify for the truth even though he has to expose family disgrace in public."
I snorted softly hearing those whispers. Kars managed to flip the chess board perfectly.
"Prosecutor, your turn," Selena's voice broke my daydream.
I stood up. Elena patted my hand briefly, giving me encouragement. "Finish him, Arin."
I walked toward the evidence table with sure steps. I didn't need to act sad or angry. I just needed to be myself: a surgeon dissecting facts coldly.
"Your Honor," I began, picking up the remaining gas tank secured as evidence. "The defense of 'mental manipulation' might sound touching. But let's talk technical facts that cannot lie."
I raised the tank high.
"This is an illegally modified industrial tank. The valve was replaced with a remote magic trigger. The mechanism was set to release gas gradually so victims wouldn't realize until it was too late to escape."
I pointed to the magic screen displaying photos of the cave ruins.
"Ventilation was closed with magic cement a day before the exam. The entrance was detonated with military precision to create an airtight seal. This is the work of a cold and well-planned architect of death."
I looked at Vesper, then switched to look at Karl who was still pretending to be crazy.
"Someone gave the order and designed it. Vesper might have designed it, but claiming Karl knew nothing when he was at the scene waiting for us to die? That is an insult to everyone's common sense here."
Elena then stood up, taking over the stage to deliver the final moral blow.
"Methane gas in a closed space," Elena's voice echoed, full of controlled emotion. "That is a Weapon of Mass Destruction. If that gas leaked into the main tunnel, dozens of other students could have died poisoned. Vesper and Karl... they not only tried to kill me and Arin. They committed Educational Terrorism."
Elena looked at Devina Delphine in the student representative seat with a demanding gaze.
"Will the Student Council allow this precedent to happen? That students may use chemical weapons provided they have a 'depression' excuse?"
Devina, who had looked bored all this time, finally straightened up. She looked at Karl with disgust. Elena's argument cornered her. If she defended Karl now, she would look like she supported terrorism in the public eye.
"Certainly not," answered Devina briefly, her voice deadly cold. "The use of gas is an unforgivable grave violation."
Checkmate.
Selena nodded satisfied. Arin's technical evidence and Elena's moral weight were enough to drop the gavel.
"Enough," said Selena. "The court has heard enough evidence and testimony."
The room became deathly silent. Tension peaked.
Selena raised her gavel. Her face was hard. She was ready to deliver the verdict that would end Vesper's career and possibly destroy Karl's future.
"Based on existing evidence," Selena's voice echoed. "Defendant Vesper is found guilty of all charges. The appropriate punishment is expulsion from the Academy and handover to Military Authority for trial."
Selena's hand moved down.
The gavel glided fast toward the table.
However, before wood met wood...
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The sound of slow, relaxed, and sarcastic applause was heard from the front row of spectator seats. The sound was so contrasting with the room's tension it felt like a bomb explosion in the ears.
Selena held her gavel in the air, stopping just a few centimeters from the table.
Every head in the room turned simultaneously to the source of the sound.
In the front row, in the VIP area that should have been empty, a young man stood.
He was not wearing a formal court uniform. He only wore a loose casual academy robe, with blonde hair slightly messy as if just woken from a nap. However, his presence sucked all oxygen in the room.
Elian Delphine.