Innocence Revealed
As I stood there thinking, Seong Hyunwook strode toward me with heavy steps. He puffed out his massive frame, spreading his lats wide like he was showing off, both hands jammed deep into his pockets as he glared down at me.
“Lee Hyunseung, you worthless criminal bastard. What the hell are you doing here? What are the damn guards even for? How can a suspended piece of trash just walk in whenever he wants?”
Jeong Eunseo looked at him with open disgust. “Who the hell are you? Watch your mouth. If you keep acting like this lowlife, I won’t stand by quietly.”
Seong Hyunwook dug a finger in his ear at the voice coming from the side and let out a snort. “I’m just saying the truth, so why’s some random bitch throwing a fit? What? You won’t stand by quietly? What the hell are you going to do about it, shorty? All that yapping from someone so tiny.”
He gave Jeong Eunseo a once-over, then grinned wickedly. “Wow, nasty personality but a disgustingly pretty face. Hey, Lee Hyunseung, were you chasing girls while you were suspended? This chick must have a strong stomach, liking a stalker bastard like you.”
Jeong Eunseo glared at him with pure revulsion and muttered, “You insect. I’ll make you regret this.”
When she started to gather mana for a spell, I stopped her. Then I asked Seong Hyunwook, “You really don’t know who this person is?”
“Your little sidekick? Fuck if I care.”
Idiot. He doesn’t even recognize the daughter of the Teore Guild’s leader. He’s too busy licking the Artemis Guild’s ass to know how other guilds operate or who their members are.
I turned to Nam Jinseok, who was wearing a brown fedora beside me. “I’m sorry. You came all this way and had to see something so ugly.”
“Not at all. This isn’t your fault, so please don’t worry about it.”
Seong Hyunwook, who had been listening, suddenly exploded. “Are these crazy bastards seriously ignoring me while I’m standing right here? Have you lost your minds? Are you completely insane now? Answer me, you criminal piece of shit!”
I stared at him coldly. “Stop calling me a criminal. I’m not one.”
“Ha? You’re not a criminal? That’s rich coming from a stalker and secret photographer.”
“Think whatever you want. People only see what they know. I came here to prove my innocence. So get lost. I’ll beat you half to death later.”
Grind…
Seong Hyunwook bared his teeth at my confident attitude. “Fuck… why are you so damn cocky? Have you gone insane? I’m Seong Hyunwook. A non-awakened piece of trash like you has no right to talk to me like that!”
He still didn’t know. He had no idea I had awakened as a Legendary class.
I walked past him. “You’re not even worth responding to. I’m going to the president’s office to prove my innocence. After that, keep barking if you want. I don’t care.”
Seong Hyunwook cracked his neck from side to side and smirked. “Oh yeah? Must be something really amazing, huh? I’ll set the stage for you, so give it your best shot.”
After that, he ran around the area like a madman, gathering every student he could find.
“Hey, everyone gather up! Lee Hyunseung, that trash bastard, says he’s innocent! Come watch this!”
He went around calling me a stalker and a secret photographer, treating me like garbage while rallying people to watch me claim my innocence. Thanks to his commotion, a huge crowd quickly swarmed near the president’s office.
From within the throng of people, Seong Hyunwook stared at me and whispered quietly, “I don’t know what kind of evidence you brought, but your innocence won’t be proven. I was going to let it go originally, you know? But you’re such a piece of shit that I can’t. No matter what evidence you have, I’ll bite down and never let go. I wonder what kind of amazing proof of innocence a non-awakened beggar like you could possibly have.”
Soon after, even Yoo Heeyeon, who had been far away, arrived at the scene. She looked at me and her face twisted violently.
“Just what do you think you’re doing? Evidence has already been found in your desk. I’ve felt your filthy gaze on me many times before. I let it slide when it was just a few glances, but I couldn’t tolerate the secret photography, so I reported it and tried to end it with suspension. Yet you still have the nerve to show up like this?”
I suppressed the rage boiling inside me and spoke as rationally as possible. There were too many eyes watching now.
“It’s true that a phone containing secretly taken photos was found in my desk. However, there is zero evidence that the phone actually belongs to me. The fact that I was punished without any proper forensic examination is extremely unfair. Where in the world do they handle cases like this? Where do they hand out punishment before even confirming proper evidence?”
Yoo Heeyeon sighed. “Evidence? Why would we need something like that? The phone already came out of your desk, and I believe you’re the culprit. What more is needed?”
“You keep saying the same thing, but have you never considered that someone else might have planted that phone? Have you never thought that someone framed me?”
“Puhahaha!”
Yoo Heeyeon burst into laughter. “Who do you think you are? Some secret agent the nation is hiding? Or a covert operative? Who in their right mind would go through the trouble of framing a powerless non-awakened person? Do you realize how delusional that sounds?”
Watching her stubbornly use polite speech even while arguing made it clear that trying to convince her with words was pointless.
Stupid bitch.
So I stopped talking to her and knocked on the door of the president’s office.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The door soon opened.
“Why is it so noisy…”
Choi Yi-seul started to speak but froze the moment her eyes met mine, instinctively looking away. Inside, she thought, Hyunseung? Why is Hyunseung here…? His suspension period shouldn’t be over yet…?
As if answering her confusion, I confidently demanded my rights.
“President, I believe my suspension was unjust. Therefore, I am filing an objection. The method of objection is ‘appraisal.’ I will prove my innocence by having the only piece of evidence—the phone—appraised. Please permit the use of the evidence.”
The phone containing evidence of the secret photography was currently stored in the Broad Academy’s vault. Only the president could open and close that vault. That was her sole authority. Therefore, whether she accepted or rejected the objection was critically important.
If the president stubbornly refused to retrieve the evidence or claimed the matter was already decided and could not be overturned, proving my innocence would become impossible. I knew this perfectly well, so I pressed her hard.
“President, I have watched you for several months. Your handling of this case has been strangely emotional and biased. I won’t comment on the fact that you didn’t even conduct a proper appraisal. Appraisal mages are extremely rare, and they can’t be hired with money alone. I understand the academy must have had its reasons. But do you truly believe it was fair to suspend me before any proper results came out?”
“...”
“It’s only natural to think it wasn’t fair. Isn’t your educational philosophy about helping those in need and teaching those who want to learn? For some reason, your current actions completely contradict that philosophy. Why are you making me suffer such unfair treatment? I only wanted to study. I was simply someone who loved learning more than anyone else. If you still have even a shred of conscience as an educator, please permit the use of the evidence.”
I had spoken indirectly, but my words struck at the heart of the matter. It was as if I were asking, Why did you handle it that way? Did you bow to external pressure?
At my words, President Choi Yi-seul lowered her head deeply.
I looked at her and thought, This is the crossroads. Choi Yi-seul is originally kind-hearted and doesn’t abandon students who are passionate about their studies. The reason she did something like this is obvious without even looking. There must have been pressure from the Artemis Guild. Of course, that’s none of my business. What matters right now is getting her permission to take the evidence out of the vault.
“President. Make your decision. If you do not permit the use of the evidence, I will simply drop out here and now. And I will never walk the path of learning again. I will live the rest of my life consumed by resentment. I might even become a heinous criminal. One thing you should remember is that whatever happens, it will be because of you. If I miss this opportunity, the only way to prove my innocence will disappear.”
Grind…
The A-class students around us began murmuring in horror.
“Wow, just listen to that bastard… He’s seriously crazy…”
“He’s lost it… How can he talk to the president like that?”
The crowd grew noisy. Choi Yi-seul spoke in a low voice.
“Lee Hyunseung’s objection is deemed justified. I permit the use of the evidence. The scope is limited to appraisal magic, and the appraisal must be conducted in front of everyone.”
Fearing she might change her mind, I answered quickly. “I have brought a mage capable of performing the appraisal. With all the students gathered here as witnesses, we will conduct the appraisal magic right here and now.”
When President Choi Yi-seul nodded, Yoo Heeyeon shouted, “President! What are you doing?! You’re giving this criminal bastard another chance? Can you take responsibility for that statement? If the evidence is lost or damaged after you take it out, will you bear the consequences? Why! Why are you giving a chance to explain when the crime is so obvious?!”
Choi Yi-seul closed her eyes tightly and gathered mana into her hand.
Whoosh.
When she drew a circle in the air, dense mana floated in the space. Soon, a phone sealed inside a mana barrier descended from above.
Yoo Heeyeon glared at the president like she had gone mad and approached her, whispering fiercely, “President Choi Yi-seul, I will not forget your decision today. You will pay a proper price for what you have done. Even if I let it go, the Artemis Guild will be extremely displeased with your judgment.”
The moment she was ranting—
Flash!
The entire area suddenly brightened. Nam Jinseok had activated his appraisal magic.
Gulp.
I stared blankly at the scene. Before long, the blue shimmering light vanished as if it had never existed.
No fingerprints or mana traces belonging to Lee Hyunseung were discovered on the phone.
Only Yoo Heeyeon’s fingerprints and mana traces, Seong Hyunwook’s fingerprints and mana traces, and two additional unidentified mana traces from individuals whose life signs can no longer be detected were found.
Nam Jinseok adjusted the fedora he was wearing and announced to everyone, “The owner of those two mana traces with no detectable life signs must be the Hilleon underlings I met in the Labyrinth.”
I asked with a triumphant expression, “Thank you for your professional opinion. To summarize the mage’s findings, it is correct to say I have never touched this phone, yes?”
“Yes, that is correct. Lee Hyunseung has never touched this phone. I stake my honor as a mage on it.”
Tap tap tap!
At that moment, Seong Hyunwook burst forward from behind and shouted, “Bullshit! Don’t spout nonsense! What? No fingerprints or mana traces from Lee Hyunseung? He probably just wiped the fingerprints, and since he’s a non-awakened, no mana trace remained, right?”
At Seong Hyunwook’s rude attitude, Nam Jinseok’s face hardened. Still, he answered as politely as possible.
“Even non-awakened individuals possess trace amounts of mana. Even newborns do. Therefore, even if fingerprints could be erased, mana traces cannot be completely removed if the object was touched. The absence of mana traces here is proof that Lee Hyunseung never touched the item.”
Seong Hyunwook glared at him and roared, “You damn fraud! Are you spouting this nonsense after taking a bribe? Who the hell are you to judge trace mana or whatever and guarantee anything? How do we know you’re not lying because Lee Hyunseung paid you off?”
Rumble…
The atmosphere in the area suddenly changed. A violent vortex of mana began swirling violently around Nam Jinseok.
He slowly removed the hat he was wearing, his face clearly distorted, and spoke to Seong Hyunwook.
“I am Nam Jinseok, official appraiser directly under the Magic Tower. A fraud? A bribe?”
Seong Hyunwook probably never imagined that the mage brought by the non-awakened student he looked down on was a direct appraiser from the Magic Tower.
The once-gentle expression on his face had turned murderous. In an extremely chilling voice, he said quietly to Seong Hyunwook, “Are you insulting the authority of the Magic Tower right now?”