Chapter 29

If he still had his mercenary temperament, he would’ve smashed that face immediately, but he was no longer a mercenary – he was now an academy professor. There were already people looking down on him as an uncouth mercenary of humble birth who didn’t even know proper manners, and now he would assault students too?

Regardless of circumstances or right and wrong, his reputation would plummet below rock bottom that very day.

“I trust you won’t deny words that the students present at the time also heard. Surely someone of Professor Felix’s stature wouldn’t say one thing and then another?”

“…I did say those words, but there are limits. Among the students you attacked, some received such severe injuries they would have lost their lives without the priests’ quick intervention. This is no longer an individual matter but an academy matter.”

“What exactly are the criteria for dividing individual and academy matters?”

After staring down Felix, Yuseong turned his gaze to the professors looking down at him from their high seats and spoke slowly.

“I entered the academy staking all my hopes on fulfilling my dream of restoring lost techniques and reviving my fallen family. Even if I failed, I planned to serve as a soldier to repay His Majesty the King and this kingdom that gave even someone like me the chance to dream by providing equal learning opportunities to all subjects.”

-Huh? I, I never thought like that…

‘You just stay quiet.’

Whatever conversation might be happening internally, Yuseong showed no outward signs of anything strange.

Rather, thanks to the ‘Acting’ skill taken from Philip, he exuded an aura of truthfulness that created a strangely compelling atmosphere.

‘…What is he suddenly talking about?’

The professors unconsciously tilted their heads at Yuseong’s words that seemed to veer off topic.

However, while it felt slightly off track, they decided to listen further as they were curious about where this was going.

“My family members, who had fallen to a status lower than commoners, struggled to support me even in difficult circumstances. To live up to their expectations, I devoted myself to training, cutting down even on time for eating and sleeping.”

-I didn’t work that hard though…

“Even when my flesh was torn and bones broken, I endured thinking of repaying my family, His Majesty, and the kingdom. But because of what Professor Felix dismissed as ‘individual matters’, that dream had to be shattered.”

As he casually prodded at wounds received from today’s fighting, moisture began rapidly gathering in Yuseong’s eyes.

“All professors here must know what I went through.”

In truth, more professors were unaware of Leon’s situation than were aware of it.

While both professors and students united in or turned a blind eye to bullying Leon, that was merely an incident within the warrior and knight department – most professors from other departments like magic, alchemy, administration, and law were hearing Leon’s name for the first time today.

However, the atmosphere made it feel awkward to say they didn’t know, and with Yuseong slamming the desk and shouting with veins bulging in his neck without giving them a chance to speak, they had no choice but to keep listening.

“I was violently attacked by groups of students for no reason! They stole the living expenses sent by my family! They prevented me from properly attending classes and training to get higher scores for themselves! They continuously mocked and defamed me, inflicting mental wounds! For over a year! For over a year that terrible time continued!”

“……”

“Even when I begged the students to stop, when I asked the professors for help, no one would listen to me. Why? Was it because of status? Could you not disadvantage students from high nobility or prestigious families for the sake of one student from a fallen noble family? Was it because of money? Did you think it better to please merchant or wealthy students who could fill your pockets than a student too poor to offer even one bribe?!”

“…Enough.”

“Are problems faced by students from poor and powerless families merely individual matters, while problems faced by students from wealthy and powerful families are issues important enough to gather all the academy’s professors? I was just trying to survive…”

“I said enough!”

Yuseong’s words cut off mid-sentence when exposed to Felix’s aura.

It took all his strength just to avoid collapsing from the massive impact by bracing both legs.

“A mere student dares raise his voice in a place where the kingdom’s distinguished figures are gathered. Just who do you think you are to speak so loudly here!”

“I was just…”

“Whatever you’ve been through until now doesn’t matter. This gathering was formed to decide your punishment. No matter how you try to obscure the essence, the fact that you assaulted students and extorted money won’t change!”

Felix turned to the other professors and said:

“I trust no one has gone soft after hearing the ramblings of a single student?”

“Ahem.”

“Well, Professor Felix is right in principle.”

“Though the circumstances are unfortunate, violence can never be justified in any case. Indeed.”

Though not a few people were shaken by Yuseong’s blood-curdling lament, the people here weren’t the type to handle matters based on emotion, and the scale of the incident Yuseong had caused was far too large.

This gathering was merely arranged to create the appearance of having held a trial in the first place.

No matter how pitiful the circumstances, considering the power and influence of the families of today’s injured students, there was absolutely no possibility of leniency. To appease their anger and avoid unnecessary trouble for themselves, they had no choice but to hand down the harshest punishment possible and make his family pay the price as well.

“I will pronounce judgment. Student Leon has inflicted serious injuries on innocent students and extorted valuables, therefore he shall be sentenced to labor in the mines operated by the Grindel family. The term shall last until Student Leon has paid full compensation for the medical expenses and damages of the students he harmed, any shortfall will be claimed from the Bermund family as well, and if they lack the ability to pay, members of the Bermund family shall also labor in the mines.”

“That’s impossible! Why involve my family members when I’m the one who did wrong!”

“If you find it unfair, you shouldn’t have caused trouble. This is all your own doing.”

“…So it’s all my fault? Everything was my wrongdoing?”

“That’s right.”

“……”

Was he crying?

Felix felt somewhat refreshed seeing his shoulders trembling with his head bowed.

“Since His Majesty the King will be attending the appointment ceremony in three days, punishment will be postponed until after that.”

Though he would just make a brief appearance before returning to the palace, they couldn’t leave any room for criticism when the king was coming to the academy. Though the incident had already occurred and punishment decided, ‘officially’ Yuseong’s assault of students and his punishment would be recorded as happening after the appointment ceremony.

“I…”

“Get out.”

Under the pressure of numerous professors, Yuseong staggered out without being able to say anything.

“Tsk, what are kids these days thinking…”

“Whether potions or priests or whatever, we must ensure the students recover before the appointment ceremony.”

“Just what kind of education are you providing in the knight department for something like this to happen? Don’t tell me this is common?”

“Ahem. He’s just a misfit, don’t misunderstand.”

Amidst the professors’ noisy chatter, the academy dean looked at Felix and said:

“If this gets out, our academy’s honor will hit rock bottom so we must bury it as quietly as possible. I can somehow keep the uninvolved students’ mouths shut, but we need bait to silence the students who were harmed in this incident…”

“…I’ll give the highest marks to affected students in my lectures and write the best possible evaluations and recommendations when they graduate.”

Professors generally try to avoid giving students good evaluations.

If a student’s performance after graduating and entering society falls short of expectations, it affects the professors’ reputations as well. If that’s true even for regular evaluations, it goes double for recommendations.

However, realistically there was no way to keep the students quiet without something like a special-grade mercenary’s recommendation.

“That should suffice. Though we managed to settle this somehow, such things must never happen again. As their supervising professor, I hope you’ll pay more attention to the students in the future. Hehe.”

Felix ground his teeth seeing the disappointment in the dean’s eyes.

It was humiliating enough having to give recommendations to those without ability, but now he had to receive such blatant looks of disappointment too. Considering that academy professors held positions of influence in every field, his reputation within the kingdom must have dropped several levels due to today’s events.

Bang!

Felix left the room without looking back, grinding his teeth.

Though he wanted to destroy everything in sight, that would only lower his already fallen reputation further.

‘Just let anyone catch my eye.’

He planned to find any excuse to wring tears from anyone he caught, student or otherwise, but given the academy’s strict regulations there was no way any students would be wandering around at this hour.

‘Sigh, guess I need a drink today.’

As Felix was considering breaking out his saved alcohol, he stopped walking upon sensing a presence behind a pillar.

“Who’s there.”

“It’s me.”

“…Ha!”

Seeing Leon suddenly appear, Felix barely suppressed his surging killing intent and anger as he spoke:

“Why aren’t you back in your dormitory but standing here? Since you’re ruined anyway, are you just going to do whatever you want now?”

“I was waiting for the professors. I wanted to have a little chat.”

“Chat? Are you trying to beg for mercy? This is absurd. As I said earlier, this incident absolutely cannot be overlooked. The punishment for your family is the same. Even if we were to overlook it, the families who were harmed this time absolutely won’t.”

“You seem to misunderstand something, but the topic isn’t mercy. It’s negotiation.”

“Negotiation?”

Felix’s face twisted strangely.

Basically, negotiation is only possible when there’s some benefit for both negotiating parties, not when only one side stands to gain. In a situation where Leon might benefit from negotiating but the students, professors and academy had nothing to gain, how could negotiation be possible?

However, when Leon took something out from his chest and fiddled with it, Felix’s thoughts had to change.

‘I simply followed Professor Felix’s teachings.’

‘…You followed my teachings?’

‘The academy isn’t your home and I’m not your parent. Even when an academy student is beaten so severely by other students that they can’t properly attend lectures…’

“Wow, it recorded really cleanly.”

A smile that seemed unable to contain its amusement played across Leon’s face as he held up an unknown rectangular object that was perfectly reproducing the sights and sounds of the trial that had just taken place.

“I heard His Majesty is coming to the academy in three days. I wonder what interesting things might happen if His Majesty were to see this then – what do you think, Professor?”