Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Disciplinary Hearing
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“Newspaper…?”
“Yes.”
Elias answered firmly, then grinned mischievously.
“Ah~ No, forget it! Just hold the disciplinary hearing. I deserve proper punishment too.”
The professor shook his head slightly. He seemed to think Elias was just spouting nonsense again.
He stood up from his seat and began writing a note.
It was probably meant for another professor.
In the meantime, the Class 1-A kid whispered to Elias, clearly getting angry all over again.
“…I told you I’d let you know. Even if you don’t tell me, I already know—so why act out? You think begging for a hearing like that will save you?”
“Huh? Know?”
“…….”
“How?”
Elias’s mouth began to stretch into a grin. He threw his head back and let out a bizarre howl.
“Professor! Investigate this guy too…!”
“Ah! No! It’s nothing! Absolutely nothing!”
The Class 1-A student blocked Elias’s mouth with a completely drained expression.
He looked about ten years older than when he’d arrived.
“I get it…. Just stop….”
“You should’ve said that from the start~”
Elias whistled leisurely.
While that was going on, the professor trudged back with a weary face and asked,
“But Elias, why are your clothes in such a state?”
“It’s mid-January, but it’s starting to feel warm.”
“What are you talking about?! That’s not it—this guy tried to…!”
The Class 1-A kid looked utterly lost, unsure how to even explain this.
Elias watched him and chuckled, tilting his head.
“What about it, Gunter? What did I do?”
The professor repeated himself when the student couldn’t continue.
“The student?”
“He said he’d tell me…!”
“Tell you what?”
“What else goes on in a place like that? He was trying to do it to me!”
“…?! Hah….”
The professor’s face grew serious.
At the same time, I heard Leo, sitting next to me, gulp nervously.
Elias asked calmly on his own.
“Trying?”
“Yeah! He stripped and lunged at me, and now he’s denying it?”
“I didn’t strip completely.”
I wanted to tell him to at least buckle his belt first.
Right on cue, Elias fastened his belt as if nothing had happened.
The professor clasped his hands calmly and said,
“Student. I don’t want to say anything harsh, but this situation leaves room for suspicion.”
“I can assure you it’s not true at all, Professor.”
“Then where did you leave your robe and jacket? And now I see your tie’s gone too.”
“They’re safe in the classroom.”
“Button up your shirt at least. You’re not just chatting with a friend—this is an official discussion. Surely I don’t need to tell you to dress properly?”
“Yes, sir….”
Elias’s face turned sulky again.
He roughly pulled his shirt closed over where the buttons should have been.
The Class 1-A student pointed at Elias’s actions as if to say, See?
“Professor! Look! He can’t button it because there are no buttons. He just ripped off my perfectly fine clothes—you have no idea how shocked I was!”
“…….”
The professor, only now noticing the missing buttons, stared at Elias with pity, as if wondering what to do with him.
Elias cleared his throat and stood up.
“I’ll go change my clothes~ I have to go to the hearing anyway.”
“No!”
The Class 1-A student grabbed Elias.
“What?”
“It’s not just unauthorized entry to Primrose Path—there’s another report. This is evidence, so you have to go like that. Professor, please allow it.”
Determination filled the Class 1-A student’s face.
Elias smirked after a moment of surprise.
* * *
I was moved to the conference room where the disciplinary committee was being held, simply because I’d been at the scene with the other students.
The school’s response was incredibly swift.
As a school representing the Empire, they were extremely sensitive to anything that could tarnish their reputation.
Creak—
Leo and one student council member brought Elias into the conference room.
Elias shook his head at the sight of the other students and professors already inside.
“What’s this? Everyone else is dressed head to toe properly, and I’m the only one looking like a mess? I’m embarrassed~”
“You know embarrassment…? Then you shouldn’t have started this in the first place!”
Leo glared at him, his slurred words revealing clenched teeth.
Elias naturally avoided Leo’s gaze.
The two kept exchanging petty gestures until Elias sat in the center of the spacious conference room.
As I watched their pointless bickering without much thought, the Magic Department chair arrived with a few faculty members.
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes, all present.”
The chair scanned the room, then frowned at Elias’s attire.
“Student, why aren’t you wearing your uniform according to regulations?”
“I wanted to dress like a civilized person, but that Class 1-A kid over there desperately stopped me.”
“Desperately stopped you?!”
While that went on, our class professor cast a soundproof spell on the chair and whispered something.
The chair nodded in understanding, then cast an amplification spell and began.
“We will now commence the first session of the Student Disciplinary Committee. At 3 p.m. today, it was reported that student Elias Hohenzoellern visited an entertainment establishment. We will first discuss this matter.”
The chair flipped through his prepared papers and read the standard disciplinary preamble.
“This academy has a duty to supervise the conduct of Imperial Second Academy students both on and off campus. Your behavior directly reflects on the prestige of the Imperial family and the Empire, so our principle is to expel without mercy any student who tarnishes the academy’s honor.”
At the word “expel,” the Class 1-A student smirked confidently. Even while smiling, his face showed exhaustion from the ordeal Elias had put him through.
‘Well, he’s got confidence, at least.’
He hadn’t grasped the letter’s true intent and just assumed Elias had gone for a quick thrill at Primrose Path.
It was a fake, but with the photo, the misunderstanding was understandable.
“You may appeal within three months via administrative review. Today, we will verify the reported issue, and the final disciplinary notice will come after the second committee.”
The chair continued.
“First, the mail and photo Elias Hohenzoellern received at Primrose Path were re-photographed and submitted as evidence by student Gunter Vork. Primrose Path’s signature offerings are prostitution and gambling. Everyone knows it’s no place for students of this academy, who are receiving higher education as pillars of the Empire.”
“Of course. I’m well aware.”
Elias emphasized with a smile.
The chair took it as defiance and put on a stern face.
The other professors’ expressions soured as well.
“Student Elias, did you visit Primrose Path?”
All eyes in the room turned to Elias.
“Yes, that’s true.”
“…!”
Gunter, the Class 1-A student, pointed triumphantly as if to say, See?
“Student, when did you visit Primrose Path?”
“Does it matter?”
Elias asked leisurely.
“It does. Attendance will be suspended from that date.”
“What time is it now?”
“It’s 5:40. Please cooperate so we can wrap up by 7.”
“Sure, I’ll cooperate. About two weeks ago. Sorry I didn’t mention it sooner, but I didn’t want to go around advertising it. I didn’t expect it to come out like this.”
“You don’t seem to grasp that your actions are problematic.”
“Professor.”
Elias said seriously.
“I did go there, but I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s hard to explain in detail right now. I’m not trying to dodge punishment, so could we discuss the next item first?”
“There’s a set order.”
“I can explain everything in full by six. Please, Professor.”
The chair stared at him silently.
Realizing it would be hard to press him now, the chair nodded.
“We can’t delay past the time you mentioned. Then, let’s move to the second issue.”
At that, the Class 1-A kid stepped to the center of the room and stood in front of the desk next to Elias’s.
He pulled the desk farther away with a disgusted look.
“Student Gunter Vork distributed 500 unauthorized flyers around campus. Distributing them on such a scale goes beyond returning a lost item—it’s deemed an act with ulterior motives.”
The chair projected evidence footage into the air with magic.
“Even though the lost item had a name on it, why post it publicly instead of delivering it directly? Actions that unsettle students warrant 1 demerit point and 1 hour of campus service.”
The punishment was light, as expected.
The Class 1-A kid still looked relaxed.
“I’ll explain everything. First, I didn’t think 500 copies would cause such a problem, so I unintentionally caused harm. But my intent was truly just to return the lost item.”
“Hah!”
Elias shrugged and scoffed.
The chair waved a stern hand. The Class 1-A student quickly continued.
“Posting the letter on the wall despite the name was my mistake. But it wasn’t to incite students against Elias. I worried that handing over a letter from an ethically dubious place directly would make me complicit in his unethical behavior.”
“…….”
“I only wanted to avoid becoming an accomplice in tarnishing the Imperial Second Academy’s honor. I’m truly sorry for disrupting the school with my immature decision. I’ll accept any punishment without complaint.”
The Class 1-A kid bowed his head.
Elias watched him with raised lips, as if impressed.
‘Wow.’
He came prepared.
Of course, he had to, to openly ostracize someone.
“Understood. We’ll notify you of the punishment after deliberation. Now, the final issue.”
I glanced at the clock as I listened to the chair.
It was six.
The chair seemed content to finish this and circle back to the Primrose Path issue later, since he’d already postponed it.
“Student Gunter Vork reported that student Elias Hohenzoellern sexually threatened him.”
“Me? Threatened?”
“And your current attire is cited as evidence. Regarding repeatedly making remarks evoking sexual acts and pursuing him aggressively, please explain.”
“It’s a misunderstanding. I don’t even know how to do such things.”
“…….”
Everyone stared at Elias like he was spouting nonsense.
Naturally, without proof, they’d gloss over this part.
Elias stood up, chuckling to himself.
“You don’t believe me~ Wonder why?”
“Then why did you strip and chase the student?”
“Well… Let me clarify first: I didn’t strip completely. Unfortunately, my words about letting him know coincided, leading to a big misunderstanding.”
The Class 1-A student furrowed his brow.
“Misunderstanding?”
“Yeah. What exactly was he expecting from me….”
The Class 1-A student inhaled sharply, looking like he might topple backward. A flicker of understanding passed through Leo’s eyes.
Elias smirked and said,
“Professor. What I meant by ‘letting him know’ wasn’t sexual acts like you think—it was to verbally explain how unhealthy those establishments are.”
“Student. Are you now trying to evade responsibility this way? Whatever lesson you learned there, visiting an entertainment establishment is problematic in itself.”
“No matter what I did there?”
“That’s right.”
Elias smiled leisurely, glanced at the clock, and said,
“It’s past six now.”
Elias cleared away the disciplinary notice on his desk and unfolded the newspaper beneath it.
It was the afternoon edition of the Imperial Newspaper he’d bought in advance.
Elias stepped forward and handed the newspaper to the chair, pulling an ID from his pocket and giving that too.
“That’s a Public Security Bureau investigator ID. Why is your name on it?”
“Because it’s mine. Temporary credentials, but still. Please read the article first, Professor. Ideally, project it so everyone can see.”
The professor eyed Elias suspiciously, then read the paper silently. Soon, his brow furrowed.
“…Hm?”
“Now I can explain the first issue. As I said, I did visit Primrose Path.”
“So, you’re saying…”
“I had to make a visit as an investigator.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
The Class 1-A student scowled.
The chair, who’d been reading with mouth agape, focused his eyes and looked up.
His expression showed this was beyond his expectations.
‘How much of a troublemaker has he been for his face to look like that….’
The postcard from Primrose Path had said, “We’ll serve you anything, worth your time.”
That implied two possibilities.
First, like how they’d bribed local police, they were trying to buy Elias off.
Second, knowing who was after them, a warning: Don’t go too far.
And in this case, both.
It was a passive warning to Elias and literally, “We can prepare whatever you want, so please go easy if you’re inclined.”
Agreeing would give Elias his own leverage against him—a big win for the establishment owner.
Elias explained slowly.
“I heard the Capital Police were turning a blind eye to Primrose Path’s illegal activities. Collusion between local police and entertainment spots is an old tradition now. Things clearly illegal become legal there—a bizarre sight playing out nationwide.”
“What does that have to do with….”
As the Class 1-A student spoke, Elias glanced at him, then addressed the room.
“I obtained investigator credentials from the Imperial Public Security Bureau and infiltrated Primrose Path.”
“…?!”
The students who’d come with Leo exchanged confused looks, still not grasping the situation.
Elias snatched the newspaper from the chair and cast a spell. The footage projected into the conference room air.
[‘Primrose Path’ 17 Establishments Raided… Charges Include Murder, Human Trafficking, Organized Crime, 5 Total]
“The timing’s convenient, right? I asked them to move it up since I might get expelled.”
Power sure is nice….
Elias’s potential expulsion had prompted the government to act days earlier.
“And to clear up the misunderstanding from earlier: I went to the gambling side. Professor, even if it was to gather evidence for the raid, is investigating a problem?”
“…….”
“If it’s still an issue, I’ll accept it. I did visit, after all.”
The chair clutched his forehead with a complicated expression, looking like he had a headache. The other professors were dumbfounded.
Of course it wasn’t expulsion-worthy.
The article already mentioned the Imperial Public Security Bureau multiple times.
‘Come to think of it, he got investigator creds despite beefing with the Bureau.’
He hadn’t originally planned to raid the place.
He’d just heard about the betting pool on whether I’d make Team 1 and wandered in.
Of course, the ID was prepared as a defense against the Emperor, so he’d gotten it two weeks ago, not just now.
“Well~ That wraps it up, right? Can I go now?”
“No, wait. Can we contact the Bureau to verify the ID isn’t forged?”
“Of course. But…”
Elias rummaged in his pants pocket and pulled out a folded note.
“I figured no one would believe me, so I got them to write this.”
Elias’s eyes sparkled as if asking for praise. Naturally, no one did. Everyone was busy processing what had just happened.
The chair read the note Elias handed him.
“It’s a verification from the Bureau. ‘Investigator Elias Hohenzoellern’s visits to Primrose Path were essential for the investigation. We request the Imperial Second Academy’s consideration.’ You didn’t forge the seal, did you…?”
“Come on, Professor. Who’d go that far?”
“…….”
The chair looked subtly uncomfortable hearing that from Elias.
Meanwhile, the Class 1-A student was frozen, unable to believe the situation.
“Now I’ve gotta get dinner—let’s wrap this up~”
Elias snapped his fingers.
“I was just trying to show Gunter the ‘reality’ of that illegal entertainment spot, but unfortunately, he misunderstood. So, I’ll only be disciplined for running around campus, right?”
“Professor! That’s nonsense!”
Elias cut off the Class 1-A kid.
“Professor, as Magic Department chair, you must’ve seen today’s training for Team 8, which I’m on. I heard Leonard showed the faculty the footage.”
“Yes.”
“Then you saw Gunter exclude me.”
“Wait, that’s…!”
“Professor, if Gunter truly didn’t want to be complicit, he could’ve taken the letter to the faculty office. Gunter Vork did this to harass me and advertise to the whole school that I deserve expulsion. That’s the real intent.”
The professors had probably caught the wordplay earlier but overlooked it amid Elias’s bigger issue.
Now that the tables had turned, no need to belabor it.
I watched Elias with a smile.
“Professor. My actions were indeed wrong in parts. I’ll accept punishment cleanly for those. But if you find my logic invalid, please recognize that Gunter’s logic is the same as mine.”
The Class 1-A student tried to speak, but the chair already nodded.
He cast a soundproof spell, conferred with the professors, then returned to the podium.
“…It’s gotten quite late. The issues differ from what was reported, so we’ll end the first disciplinary committee here. We’ll notify you of the second session soon via your professor.”
“So, can I go back to training now?”
“Yes.”
At that, Elias stepped in front of the Class 1-A kid.
Unlike the blood-drained kid, Elias’s face held a slightly crazed playfulness.
“Failed to chase me out, huh, Gunter.”
“…….”
“Now we train together?”