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Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Second Betrayal (5)

The disciplinary committee was in session.

Merhen and Dolores were called to stand before the professors.

“Merhen, is it true that you were the one who grabbed Dolores’s hair?”

“Yes, that’s true. But—”

“Ah, enough,”

They seemed uninterested in any further explanation.

Instead, they turned to Dolores.

Only that morning, she had a full head of beautiful golden hair.

Now, it was all chopped into an uneven bob.

“Dolores, did Merhen use a blade to cut your hair?”

Another professor asked, confused by the situation.

A group of professors whispered amongst themselves.

“It was that troublemaker, Cairn.”

Cairn had gained a reputation, even among the faculty.

He was the oddball who came from the swordsmanship department to attend magic classes.

He didn’t display any noteworthy magical abilities; he just sat through the lessons with a peculiar indifference.

However, whatever was going on between him and Dolores was their problem.

The professors did not want to get tangled up in the affairs of two influential houses, especially when it was a trivial disciplinary matter.

They just wanted to move on and get back to their usual business.

Professor Lammer continued questioning them, but it became clear that this session was nothing more than a formality.

As it went on, Merhen’s expression grew increasingly somber.

She had put up with nearly a year of harassment and abuse.

She had reached her breaking point, but nobody here seemed interested in hearing her side of the story.

Dolores was from a prominent ducal family.

She had the prestige, the connections, and the magical talent to back it up.

But what did Merhen have?

She was just a commoner with no magical ability to speak of.

The professors had already decided whose side they would take.

This was supposed to be an academy that valued equality, right?

But it was all just a façade.

The truth was much uglier.

“Merhen, we have collected testimony from your classmates. They say you are antisocial, you have no friends, and you have incurred debts because of your lack of self-discipline. Is that correct?”

Merhen said nothing.

“So, it makes sense that you would lash out without any hesitation, your record is quite poor, and your behavior reflects that. Your grades are abysmal in everything but theory. It’s clear to see that you are not fit for this academy.”

Merhen stood there in silence, realizing that there was nobody on her side.

It was as if the academy’s promise of equality was just a pretty lie.

Everyone cared only for the powerful and influential.

‘It’s just a matter of time before they expel me,’

Merhen clenched her fist tightly.

Even if she scored well on written tests, it didn’t matter.

The practical exams, which carried more weight, always brought her down.

She was consistently at the bottom of the class.

She knew it was only a matter of time before they expelled her.

Thinking about it made her feel a little less miserable.

‘What will I do when I’m out of here…’

A wave of regret hit her.

She wished she had tried a little harder, given it everything, before it got to this point.

What if she could have activated her magic?

Maybe she wouldn’t be standing here, about to get expelled.

Professor Lammer adjusted his glasses and spoke with authority.

“I suggest we expel Merhen. This is for the honor of the Prial Academy,”

“I agree.”

“Me too…”

Then, suddenly, the doors to the disciplinary committee room flew open with a loud crash.

It was Cairn.

“Enough! Listening to you lot is driving me mad. What, is this a gathering of morons?”

“What do you think you’re doing? Do you know what kind of meeting this is?”

“Tsk, and they call you professors. At least the swordsmanship department has some decent people.”

“You insolent brat!”

But before they could react, Cairn’s sword was surrounded by a burst of energy, sending dozens of sword slashes through the room.

In an instant, the professors found the blades pressed to their throats, with their defensive spells shattered before they even finished casting them.

Cairn stepped forward, smirking at the paralyzed professors.

“See? A bunch of fools.”

The professors were stunned.

Prial Academy was supposed to be prestigious, yet these professors were embarrassingly weak.

‘Not even War Mages,’

War Mages were known for their battle prowess, unlike these professors who stood still, thinking they could protect themselves by simply chanting spells.

They were easy targets—pampered magicians who had no idea how to fight.

The simplest type to deal with.

‘Sure, the spirit sword skill I used is strong,’

Cairn thought, acknowledging that his skill was S-class.

And the more mana he poured into it, the more powerful it became.

He had used over 4,000 mana to overwhelm the professors’ defenses.

He walked over to Dolores.

“Hey.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Why aren’t you speaking properly?”

“What do you mean?”

“You were bullying her, weren’t you?”

“…”

“Don’t deny it.”

“I-I wasn’t bullying her…”

“That’s right. You kept throwing things at her from behind, making fun of her, and acting all sly. You even called her a commoner’s child. Aren’t you ashamed to treat a commoner like that?”

Dolores clamps her lips shut, her hands shaking visibly.

“Why are you doing this to me! For bullying a commoner, that’s all you can do!”

“I told you, you don’t understand. Have you still not come to your senses? Do you want your hair cut off again?”

Minwoo pressed the sword closer to her back, causing her face to pale.

She involuntarily thought of her hairstyle, the only thing she’s managed to salvage from the previous encounter.

If he cut her hair any further, she won’t be able to go out in public.

The professors are already subdued and can’t help her.

“Please don’t! What do you want?”

Minwoo spoke calmly, his voice devoid of emotion.

“Apologize to her and promise not to bother her again. And let’s just forget about this incident. That’s all I ask.”

“…”

“Think carefully. Do you really want to keep seeing me? If you continue to bully her, I’ll cut off more of your hair.”

“I’ll tell my father! Do you think our family will just stand by?”

“Go ahead. Try putting a knight guard on her. But do you think he can handle me when even the head of the swordsmanship department can’t?”

“…”

“Are you going to try to get me expelled? You can’t.”

They were both from noble families, but the power gap wasn’t overwhelming.

The two families were relatively equal in strength.

Cutting off her hair was nothing compared to cutting off her head.

At most, she could only demand compensation.

And that could be easily settled with money.

“Waaah! Waaaah!”

Despite her sobs, the sword remained firmly pressed against her back.

“Three seconds. Make your choice. Three, two, one.”

“Ugh! Fine! I’ll do it, you bastard!”

“You agree? It seems like the parties involved have reached a peaceful agreement.”

Cairn said, casting a cold glance at the paralyzed faculty.

It was clear he wasn’t expecting a challenge from these pampered scholars.

“Yes, y-yes, we understand,”

One of the professors stammered, his voice laced with fear.

Nobody wanted to cross Cairn, especially after witnessing how easily he overpowered them.

“Good. Just remember what I said,”

Cairn replied, slowly withdrawing his sword from Dolores’ head.

“Let’s go.”

Merhen followed, feeling a mixture of relief and confusion.

She wasn’t sure what to make of Cairn’s sudden intervention, but she knew one thing: things would be different from now on.

* * *

Merhen and Dolores received a fair punishment and the disciplinary hearing was over.

It was possible because of the active cooperation of the professors and Dolores.

‘Well, I guess it’s manageable.’

The professors there were typical sycophants who bowed their heads to power.

They had caused a ruckus, but they were also children of a prestigious family with their own pride.

There was a high possibility that this incident would be swept under the rug.

Even if it wasn’t, it didn’t matter.

With the backing of the head of the swordsmanship department, things would work out somehow.

It wasn’t like he killed a professor, was it?

They left the disciplinary committee together.

“……Thank you.”

“I was the one who instigated it, so this is the least I can do. How are you feeling?”

“I feel a little, no, a lot more relieved…….”

Certainly, Merhen’s face seemed much lighter, as if she had shaken off something.

Maybe the pent-up anger she had been holding onto had been released to some extent.

Since they had gone all the way to the disciplinary committee to cause a scene, the rumor would spread quickly.

This should reduce the number of students who harass Merhen.

‘Then I have to solve the fundamental problem now.’

He looked at Merhen.

All of this was ultimately a problem that arose because she couldn’t manifest magic.

If she could manifest it, she would quickly rise to the top as her aptitude was excellent.

At least it would make her academy life much happier than it is now.

‘Of course, it won’t end just like that, but…….’

Compared to the case of Cedric, it would just take a little more time, and the fundamental difficulty itself was on the very easy side.

All he had to do was make one girl happy.

And for that, he would get her, a super-powerful summon like Cedric?

The math didn’t add up.

There had to be more to it than that.

“Merhen. May I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“If someone told you to become an undead, would you do it? Assuming you could become a very powerful being.”

She tilted her head at the sudden question and replied.

“……I don’t know why I should. If I become an undead, my emotions will die, my senses will disappear, and it will be full of bad things.”

“Let’s say you were expelled from the academy and then heard that offer. Would you still think the same?”

“I think I would still feel the same way. I haven’t had many happy moments in my life. If I become an undead without living a proper life…… I think I would feel very resentful.”

“I see.”

“But why are you asking me that all of a sudden?”

“I was just curious.”

Why was she reliving the stage of her time as a human?

Because she couldn’t have a happy academy life?

It was ambiguous.

Even if she had been bullied and expelled, that would have been it.

As a Banshee Queen, she would be able to easily repay the grudges she had from her human days.

She would have taken revenge to the point where not even a fragment of bone would be left.

That meant it wasn’t a situation that would leave her with much regret.

That was why he asked the question.

He wondered if that regret had something to do with becoming an undead.

He had just learned from her answer that the possibility was very high.

The one who could make Merhen a Banshee Queen.

There was only one person he could think of.

‘Death Lord.’

Maybe his past self had come to this stage directly.

And then he found Merhen and made her an undead.

Even if Merhen didn’t want to become an undead, there was no answer if he forced it.

Maybe that’s why she had a grudge.

Because she missed her human days endlessly.

Then, is the main theme to stop the Death Road of the past?

It was in the realm of speculation.

But somehow, it felt like that would be the case.

If not, there was no reason why the stage of her human days would be unfolding.

‘It also seems like it would be a similar level of difficulty to Cedric’s.’

The progress so far had been extremely easy.

It wouldn’t be strange if something big showed up.

‘I’ll have to think about it.’

He returned to the classroom with her.

He could see the students quietly avoiding their eyes.

The same was true of the bullies who had been harassing Merhen.

What could the cowards do in a situation where Dolores was bowing her head?

They had to keep their eyes down.

Unlike before, Merhen took her seat without any resistance.

He naturally sat down next to her.

Soon, a professor came in and started the class.

“As you all know, the practical exams will start next week. We will form teams of two with students from the swordsmanship department and enter the Devil’s Forest.”

The Devil’s Forest.

It was a place where academy students gathered once a year to enter.

Its characteristics were that magic gathered there and all sorts of mutated monsters appeared.

Despite its ominous name, it wasn’t that dangerous a place.

Students could complete their practice without any major accidents if they were careful, they said.

He looked at Merhen.

Fortunately, she was enrolled in the swordsmanship department.

It was as if it had already been decided who she would be paired with.