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Chapter 93
“So, that’s why I invited him here. We shouldn’t accuse an innocent student without evidence. He should be arriving around now… ah, there he is.”
‘Damn it. I didn’t expect he’d summon him beforehand.’
Rozia bit her lip hard. She had walked straight into Lionel’s trap.
A middle-aged man, holding a fedora in his hand, hesitantly stepped into the workshop.
Rozia recognized him instantly. She had seen his face far too often these past few weeks, frequenting his pharmacy endlessly.
“Sorry I’m late. The academy is so big that I got lost on the way.”
The apothecary owner grew flustered when all the students in the workshop turned their eyes toward him at once.
“It’s quite all right. We called you here for academy business, so I apologize for not sending someone to escort you. I didn’t think of it.”
Lionel bowed politely, and the apothecary quickly waved his hands.
“No, no, that’s fine. But what did you need me for…?”
“Do you recognize this concentration enhancer?”
Professor Ines pointed at the pile stacked high on Rozia’s workbench.
“Of course I do. I bought it directly from a trustworthy manufacturer and sold it myself. Is something wrong? I was under the impression that selling it was perfectly legal…”
The apothecary darted his eyes nervously toward the professor.
“That’s right. There’s nothing wrong with selling it. However, our academy forbids students from consuming concentration enhancers. We prohibit it to prevent desperate students from becoming dependent and abusing it. Could you perhaps recall which student purchased these from you?”
At Ines’s words, the apothecary glanced around.
Rozia lowered her head to hide her face, but her hair color was far too distinctive to forget.
The apothecary spotted her immediately and pointed.
“Oh! Right there. That student.”
“Could you recount what happened at that time?”
“She was a student who’d been coming by on and off since early this year. At first, she bought maybe four or five bottles at a time. But about a month ago, she came in and asked how much I had in stock. Then she told me to bring it all out. I asked what on earth she planned to do with that much, and she just said she had her own ways to handle it. She bought that much a couple more times.”
“Is it possible for one person to consume this much on their own?”
The apothecary waved his hands in alarm.
“Good heavens, no! No one could ever consume this much. Absolutely impossible. Besides, the longer you store enhancers, the less effective they become. I even told her that, but she brushed it off. Said she only needed it until the final exams anyway.”
“I see. So, in other words, it would be impossible for one person to finish this much in a short time?”
“Exactly. Unless they were sharing with others, it would be ridiculous.”
“How many people could reasonably consume this amount?”
“About twenty students could get through it in a week, easily.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
Turning back to Rozia, Ines paused briefly before declaring:
“Miss Rozia, as of today, you are expelled from Phelodian Academy.”
“What? You’re expelling me over something like this?”
Rozia shrieked in protest. She could not be thrown out over something so petty.
“Yes, Rozia. Simply possessing enhancers is already a violation of academy rules. But judging from the circumstances, we now suspect distribution. Possession alone might have been overlooked with leniency, but unfortunately, distribution of enhancers warrants immediate expulsion.”
Rozia knew this well. That was why she had prepared this card to destroy Jaellin in the first place.
Her hands trembled violently. Phelodian Academy was the finest educational institution in Flannel.
Every proper noble was expected to graduate from Phelodian.
Being expelled from here was the ultimate disgrace. Her father might even cast her out as a family shame.
Worse still, word of her expulsion would spread like wildfire among the nobility.
It wouldn’t end with expulsion. She’d be finished in Flannel’s high society too.
“But everyone’s been taking them! I wasn’t the only one! How many students here can honestly say they sat their exams without enhancers?”
Rozia screamed, glaring at the surrounding students.
Most met her gaze with proud defiance, though a few glanced away uneasily.
“Rozia, this is not something we can overlook. The academy cannot ignore the discovery of such a large stock. An official notice will be issued soon. Naturally, the decision will be expulsion. I’m sorry, but that’s how it must be.”
Leaving those words behind, Ines departed the workshop.
As the matter ended, the students who had filled the room streamed out.
Most looked curious, while some gazed at her with pity.
Rozia couldn’t bear their eyes. She was not someone to be pitied. She was superior—worth more than them.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.
No. This couldn’t be happening. Lionel wasn’t supposed to treat her like this. Of all people, not him.
When the last of the students had gone, Lionel knelt slowly before her.
Rozia dazedly lifted her head. Even kneeling, he still loomed above her.
His face was beautiful, but his eyes—cold, arrogant, merciless—sent chills down her spine. They were the very eyes that had captivated her at first sight.
“How long did you think I’d let you run loose?”
“……”
“You claim you know me well. Then you should’ve seen this coming. Or did you think you’d be an exception?”
Lionel whispered in a low voice.
“How could you do this to me…?”
“As a student of this academy, I simply reported what I witnessed. Who it involved doesn’t matter to me. I’m a former student council president—wouldn’t it be shameful if I ignored wrongdoing? I only acted according to the rules.”
“Aren’t you afraid? Of what I might do? I could reveal the secrets I know about you and ruin you!”
“And what exactly do you know?”
At his question, Rozia fell silent. The truth was, she knew nothing. She had only ever used half-baked suspicions to threaten him.
‘Did he already know I had nothing concrete, and just bided his time to destroy me like this?’
“That I once privately helped Jaellin late at night, using academy facilities without permission? What else do you have? As you know, that’s no secret. Everyone’s aware of it, and I’ve already been punished for it.”
“……”
“And what were you planning to do with just that? Even if I had done something worse, do you think I’d admit it? Who would people believe? A soon-to-be-expelled student who illegally distributed enhancers, or the former student council president?”
His voice dropped even lower.
“If it were me, I’d believe the latter. Wouldn’t you?”
“Not expulsion… anything but that. I promise this will never happen again, so please, just—”
“It’s already too late. You should’ve backed down when I warned you.”
“No, it’s not too late! One word from you could overturn this. Say I didn’t do it—please, just once. It wouldn’t be hard for you. I’ll never try to manipulate or threaten you again. I won’t challenge you anymore. Please…”
Rozia clutched desperately at the hem of his trousers.
His golden eyes, filled with disdain, fell upon her hands.
Lionel brushed her hands away and dusted his clothes as if something filthy had touched him.
“Goodbye. I hope we never meet again. Best to study abroad.”
A tear slipped from Rozia’s eye. Her pitiful figure was enough to break anyone’s heart, but not Lionel’s.
“In a place where no one knows you, you might be able to start over. Live well there. And don’t resort to tricks like enhancers to boost your grades. Imagine how unfair that is for students who study honestly. Don’t you think so?”
He stood, straightening his clothes.
“Oh, and it wasn’t easy this time. I had to put in quite some effort digging into your background—approaching your friend to learn your weaknesses, for example. At least I’ll remember it.”
With those final words, Lionel turned his back on Rozia.
With that, he had rid himself of the nuisance. The process had been noisier than his usual style, but he’d allowed it to become public for a reason.
Yes, partly because there was always the chance the professor might’ve buried it quietly. But more importantly, he wanted it to spread among the students as gossip.
Because of this, Jaellin would be quickly forgotten. And no one would dare to bother her again.
A few days later, Rozia’s expulsion was made official. The notice was posted on the academy’s bulletin board, but Rozia did not give up.
She went around desperately looking for someone to testify that she hadn’t been selling enhancers. But the students all avoided her.
To prove her innocence, someone would have to admit they had used enhancers during exams but not purchased them from her. No one was willing to confess to breaking academy rules.
No one wanted to risk being expelled themselves by associating with Rozia.
In the end, Rozia vanished from Phelodian Academy the following semester.
It was a lonely exit.
