Disciplinary Committee (3)
Disciplinary Committee (3)
'...?'
Ian froze, caught completely off guard.
Long, lustrous golden hair that looked as though it had been spun from pure gold thread. A dignified bearing. And a figure that could only be described as devastatingly striking.
The figure who passed by, closing one vivid blue eye in a wink, was Asteria—the Third Imperial Princess of the Britannia Empire.
'Why is the Imperial Princess looking at me...?'
At the continent's heart, where Lichten stood, the Emperor's influence was absolute.
Asteria was his direct descendant. His own blood.
Nobility. Sovereignty.
The weight of imperial lineage here was so immense that a handful of dictionary words could never do it justice.
Case in point: the disciplinary committee chamber froze solid in an instant. That alone proved it.
Even the self-important professors sat tight-lipped, as if someone had glued their mouths shut.
Sure, if you looked closely enough, there were a handful of people within the academy whose personal power and prestige rivaled the princess's.
But to reach that station, they had to be born with overwhelming talent, bleed effort every single day, and get lucky on top of it all.
The Imperial Princess, on the other hand, possessed dignity equal to their lifetime achievements by blood alone.
And now that person had abruptly materialized before the disciplinary committee.
No one in that room could have been anything but surprised.
Though Ian's shock came from an entirely different source than everyone else's.
'It is about time for Princess Asteria to enroll.'
She was a pivotal character in Chapter 2 of the main scenario, <The Frosted River>.
That scenario began the moment Asteria entered the academy and started seeking out capable, reliable students.
'The idiot princess.' 'The debauched princess.'
Contrary to the reputation that circulated among the public, Asteria was about to launch her succession campaign in earnest, starting right here at the academy.
So her presence here wasn't what surprised him.
What Ian couldn't figure out was why she'd taken an interest in him.
'Is this a good thing, for now?'
Whether it was because of her courtroom-drama obsession, as she'd claimed, or some other unknown reason, she had helped him. That much was undeniable.
If her interest was positive, he'd count himself lucky. Especially because there were things he needed to secure from the princess down the line.
— "Ahem. Then we shall resume the disciplinary committee proceedings."
After the unexpected recess, the committee reconvened.
Professor Violet swiftly seized control of the room.
— "Cadet Ian. What evidence have you prepared?"
— "Professor Violet, never mind some paltry evidence—!"
Professor Violet shot Todd Calm a crooked glare at his outburst.
— "You would call evidence—a core component of any disciplinary judgment—'paltry evidence'? Moreover, I only raised this point because I believed Her Highness made an excellent observation. Professor Todd Calm, are you characterizing Her Highness the Princess's suggestion as 'paltry'?"
— "W-What utterly preposterous...! Absolutely not!"
— "Then simply listen. Cadet Ian, please submit the evidence you mentioned earlier."
Todd Calm sputtered helplessly.
Professor Violet had masterfully seized the momentum.
Ian spoke at once.
"Regarding the Median House incident, I was able to obtain a portion of the suicide note—the note I am alleged to have written, which became the source of the controversy."
— "The Median House. That would be the threatening suicide note in Cadet Rina Rosewell's possession."
"Yes. I commissioned several analyses of the note in question. I hereby request Sylvia Laurent and the handwriting expert she has retained to testify as witnesses regarding the results."
— "Committee members in favor of accepting the witness and evidence submission, please raise your hands. The motion carries by majority. Have them enter."
Swift and decisive.
From this point on, it was a battle of speed.
Sylvia entered through the doors, met Ian's eyes with a faint smile, then stood at the witness stand with a serious expression.
Beside her stood a man in his late forties with the air of an artisan.
After a brief self-introduction, Sylvia immediately produced a sheet of paper.
The threatening suicide note that Rina Rosewell had kept.
She began to speak.
"We commissioned a handwriting analysis of this note. It matched Ian Blackangus's handwriting with 90% accuracy."
Most in the room had expected the flow of testimony to favor Ian. A stir rippled through the audience.
An emboldened Todd Calm shouted.
— "There! I told you that bastard Ian did it! What was all that nonsense about evidence for—!"
But his words were immediately buried.
Because Sylvia turned to the expert beside her and asked a question.
"However. Ninety percent match. Isn't that a figure easily achievable if one enlists a trained forgery expert?"
"Yes, that's correct. Even without a true expert, one could produce that match rate with sufficient source material to copy."
"So it's plausible that this note itself is a fabricated frame job by an unknown party?"
"From a handwriting perspective alone, that possibility remains."
Sylvia nodded, then looked toward Ian.
"At this point, I grew curious. Wondering whether Cadet Ian had anyone with whom he exchanged notes or letters."
This was a script they had rehearsed.
Ian answered smoothly.
"I exchanged notes a few times with Cadet Rina Rosewell. With Cadet Aria, there was a considerable amount of correspondence."
"If it was only notes, collecting a full handwriting sample would be difficult. Then, what is your relationship with Miss Aria?"
"We're childhood friends."
"Did you exchange letters as well?"
"Yes."
The conversation flowed like water, naturally steering suspicion toward the victims.
— "Isn't this an absurd, forced argument?!"
The quick-witted Todd Calm bristled with indignation.
But once again, his outrage was ignored without consequence.
"More importantly, there's a far more crucial piece of evidence. The ink used in this suicide note. We commissioned a component analysis of that ink. The results showed that it contains holy water..."
But Sylvia did not finish her conclusion. She let her words trail off.
This.
This was as far as the script went.
Every piece of evidence Sylvia was presenting pointed to Aria Lumines Bell.
The Saintess Candidate.
She could press no further.
Why? To accuse a Saintess was, in itself, blasphemy.
Even if she was still only a candidate, it was tantamount to challenging the authority of the Order.
That was why 'he' had to step forward now.
This was the plan Ian and Sylvia had devised.
And just as they expected.
— Scrape.
The sound of a chair being pushed back came from the gallery.
Bishop Priha of the Lichten Diocese.
He rose from the spectator seats.
"Are you now implying suspicion toward Saintess Candidate Aria?"
At his question, Sylvia continued with perfect composure.
"The ink in question is a substance the Order distributes only to specific individuals..."
The bishop, who always wore a benevolent smile.
His expression hardened into stone.
"Lady Sylvia Laurent. I would advise you to choose your next words carefully."
At the same moment, a crushing pressure of terrifying magnitude blanketed the room.
Bishop Priha.
Bishop of the Order's Lichten Diocese, and simultaneously one of the 72 Cardinals of the Holy State of Constantine.
A man whose power matched his rank.
""......!""
A force radiated from him that most people in the room could barely endure.
The Saintess was the symbol of the Order.
A being who must remain pure and immaculate.
And now suspicion had fallen upon the Saintess Candidate—the very person who could become that Saintess. No one could find fault with the bishop's response.
But this too was well within the bounds of what Ian and Sylvia had anticipated.
Sylvia Laurent smiled calmly as she finished her statement.
"...External experts have assessed that there is a possibility the ink in question is a holy relic. However, I believe this is a matter that requires investigation by the Order itself."
She had left the possibility open.
It was a signal that she would step back one pace out of respect for the Order.
She also handed the authority to investigate over to the Church.
This was, in essence, a transaction.
The bishop would not fail to grasp her meaning.
"...In that case, the Order must take charge of the investigation."
Retracting his overwhelming presence, the bishop immediately accepted Sylvia's offer.
"Furthermore, dear members of the disciplinary committee. Although I am here merely as an observer, I wish to offer a suggestion. I trust you are all aware that any case involving holy relics is adjudicated internally by the Order through a witch trial."
A witch trial.
The moment those words were spoken, an icy chill settled over the chamber.
"The Order wishes to investigate this matter as well. Therefore, I, Cardinal Priha, request that this disciplinary committee be adjourned. Until the Order's investigation concludes—that is to say, indefinitely."
— "...But—!"
Professor Todd Calm tried to object.
But the bishop's eyes flashed sharply.
"Witch trials are presided over by His Holiness the Pope."
There was no one in that room who failed to grasp the meaning of those words.
Todd Calm, too, immediately shut his mouth.
— "The indefinite adjournment of this disciplinary committee must be decided by unanimous vote. To summarize: it appears that both sides have yet to collect sufficient evidence regarding this case. The results of the Order's investigation may also serve as significant evidence. I therefore propose an indefinite adjournment of the disciplinary committee. Those in agreement, please indicate your consent."
— "I agree."
— "Agreed."
— "I concur."
And finally, Todd Calm. — "...Yes. I agree."
Unanimous.
And so the disciplinary committee was adjourned indefinitely.
◆
"Congratulations."
"Thanks for your help."
"This was nothing. I'll be heading in now. I want to establish a rapport with Her Highness the Princess over there."
Sylvia immediately dashed off to expand her network.
Watching her retreating figure, Ian let out a small sigh.
'...Done.'
With this, the disciplinary committee was behind him.
Adjourned indefinitely? He didn't need to worry about it.
The Order would, with overwhelming probability, quietly bury this case.
Because the truth was, the ink used to write that suicide note really was a holy relic.
It was one of the symbolic sacred items bestowed upon someone chosen as a Saintess Candidate.
Whether Aria had written the note herself with that ink, or had merely failed to safeguard her relic and lost it...
The fault lay with Aria.
A Saintess was meant to be unblemished purity itself.
No sin. No record of investigation.
They would not want even the smallest scratch etched into that image.
The Order would never publicly release the investigation's findings.
That was precisely why he had drawn the Order into this as the solution.
And it had been the right solution.
"Objective achieved."
In the entire history of Lichten Academy, no disciplinary committee had ever ended without punishment.
So the answer was simple: just don't let it reach a conclusion.
Indefinite adjournment. He had secured the optimal outcome.
...And yet, a lingering unease remained.
It clung to him like humidity in the suffocating lull before a summer monsoon—a sticky, cloying sensation against his skin.
The whole affair had been a complete and utter circus.
Because in the end, it all came down to political warfare.
If you stopped to think about it, evidence and facts had been beside the point in this hearing.
They were nothing but ammunition for an unending barrage of political maneuvering.
Professor and cadet, by role. The Duchy of Lichten, the Britannia Empire, the Holy State of Constantine, by affiliation. Imperial family, high nobility, clergy, knight, by rank. It felt as though he'd just gotten a sampler platter of at least half the political bullshit this world had to offer.
"Now that I think about it, it really was just a sampler."
With Princess Asteria's entrance, the board was about to grow much, much larger.
The central narrative of Chapter 2, <The Frosted River>, revolved around the conflict between the faction of the Third Princess, Asteria, and House Pierce, which had aligned itself with another claimant to the throne.
'I need to start preparing for the Chapter 2 scenario right away...'
With that thought, Ian exited the committee chamber.
"......."
His eyes fell upon Sharon Pierce, standing there looking half out of her mind.