Chapter2

The next day, Liam trailed closely behind me the entire way. He carried my wand case, intercepted the oncoming patrol golems, and subconsciously pulled me into his arms as we stepped through the teleportation array. His movements were so practiced, acting as if nothing had ever happened.

I coldly avoided him time and time again.

Pushing open the door to the potion laboratory, I saw a mithril crucible jammed into the waste bin next to my personal workbench. It was an exquisite magical artifact personally awarded to me by my mentor after last month's grand exam, now soaking in foul-smelling residue.

Anna was holding my starlight herb, clumsily squeezing its juice into a cheap glass pot.

I grabbed her wrist. "Who gave you permission to touch my workbench?"

Her eyes reddened. "I'm sorry... Liam said the High Tower Academy's trials are very difficult, so he told me to practice at your station first."

Liam again.

"Take this pile of garbage and get out."

Anna did not leave. Catching a glimpse of the half-open door from the corner of her eye, her lips suddenly curled into a faint smirk. She backhandedly grabbed the mandrake acid from the table and poured it directly over the back of her own left hand.

"Ah—! Sister, please don't—!" she shrieked, collapsing to the floor.

Liam burst into the room and scooped her into his arms. Upon seeing the burning wound, his gaze snapped toward me. "Are you truly so vicious that you'd cripple her hand?!"

"With my level of micro-control, if I really meant to splash her, half of her body would be melted by now. She did it to her"

"She trembles just holding a wand, and you think she'd dare pour strong acid on herself?!" he roared, cutting me off. He tore off a piece of his white robe to press against Anna's wound. "You have completely lost your mind."

Carrying Anna, he stormed out the door without sparing me another glance. I didn't know when, but several people had already gathered in the corridor, peering in our direction. Word spread much faster than I had anticipated.

I walked to the window. Just as I was about to catch my breath, the magical dome overhead abruptly shifted from blue to blood red.

A memory projection played across the vast ceiling: a woman wearing my exact robes chanted dark magic in a dim basement, clearly targeting Anna with a curse.

"It's Elena! The top student is actually a degenerate practicing forbidden arts!"

The furious insults and curses from the plaza below could be heard even through the thick stone floors. Anna was physically frail and possessed zero spiritual power; she absolutely could not have fabricated an illusion of such high caliber.

Within five minutes, the Enforcement Mages broke down my door. I noticed they arrived far too uniformly six men, fully armed. They twisted my arms behind my back and marched me toward the Central Grand Hall.

My father and stepmother stood at the accusers' podium.

"Her heart is utterly wicked! To think she would use dark magic to curse her own sister!" A calculating glint flashed deep in my father's eyes. "I will absolutely not shield such a treacherous daughter!"

"He's lying!" I thrashed against my captors. "The spellcaster in the projection used her right hand! I cast with my left! The resonance frequencies of the magic cores are different, and any mage above the intermediate level can tell the difference!"

"Silence!"

I turned to Liam. He knew my spellcasting habits better than anyone else in the entire hall, and as a high-tier mage, it was impossible for him not to spot the flaw in this projection.

"Liam!" my voice trembled. "Just use a tracing crystal to examine my recent mana flow trajectory. That will prove the projection is a forgery!"

The hand Liam used to grip his staff tightened for a split second. I saw it. He lowered his head, as if weighing his options. A moment later, he looked up, his gaze sweeping right past me.

"According to the academy's temporary arbitration rules, when visual evidence corroborates an act of violence, the incident shall be directly ruled upon by the highest-ranking student representative present, without waiting for the Elders' council the following day."

His voice was steady, as if delivering a long-prepared outcome.

"The visual evidence, along with today's act of violence, has been verified. It is confirmed that Elena Griffin has recently shown signs of dark corruption."

"...By academy regulations, she is stripped of her student status, and her academy robes shall be confiscated."

A deathly silence swept through the hall.

I opened my mouth, but it felt as if something was blocking my throat.

Liam turned his face away, actively avoiding my eyes. "The hearing is adjourned," he said.

"No—you can't—"

Two of the Enforcement Mages delivered a brutal kick to the back of my knees. I crashed to the floor. The robe draped over my shoulders—the ultimate symbol of three years of grueling study—was violently ripped away. The sound of tearing fabric was exceptionally harsh in the dead-silent hall.

An hour later, the Grand Hall was completely empty. I sat slumped against a stone pillar when a pair of premium leather boots came to a halt right in front of me.

Liam crouched down and pulled a thick parchment envelope from his sleeve.

"An admission pass to an ordinary magic school on the border, along with a pouch of purple-gold coins. It's enough to sustain you for five years." His tone was steeped in unbearable condescension. "Your reputation is ruined, but at least you will survive. As long as you swear never to target Anna again, I will compensate you further."

I glared down at that envelope. He had callously stripped me of all my dignity, and now here he was, offering me scraps off the floor just to feed his own cheap sense of self-righteous salvation.

I forcefully slapped his hand away, smashing the envelope right into his face.

"Elena, this is already the absolute best way to preserve your magical qualifications"

"The greater good. Visual evidence. Anna's suffering." I let out a dry laugh. "You all colluded to steal my life, and now you think you can toss me a bone to shut my mouth?"

I stared straight at him, my eyes harboring nothing but pure, unadulterated disgust.

"Drop your devoted lover act. Looking at you for even one more second makes me want to vomit."