Chapter 16: Judgment in the Classroom.

The teacher’s hoarse voice announced the end of the day’s lessons.

Classmates immediately rose and clustered in groups around the room, chatting animatedly.
Whenever someone boasted, compliments poured in right away.

In noble society, this was how one learned to survive.

The academy taught far more than magic alone.

Amelia remained seated at her desk, quietly awaiting his arrival.

From every direction came condescending glances—looks that pitied the girl who could join none of the conversations.

Family business mattered, of course—but in noble society, so did socializing.

Those who stood outside the circle were ruthlessly shunned.
Exclusivity was absolute.

To Amelia, who came from the provinces, it had been incomprehensible at first.
But perhaps this was simply how nobles raised in the capital had always been.

Reese had unjustly isolated her.
And once isolated, the group had cast her out entirely.

Still—there were people like Marie whom she met at lunch today, and Julius and Sarju.
Without them, these three years at the academy might have broken her completely.

Suddenly the classroom stirred.

She looked up.
A man stood at the entrance.

Tall.
Red-haired.
A youth in his mid-twenties, perhaps.

He wore not a school uniform but knight’s attire—and carried a sword.
In the Royal Magic Academy, only royal bodyguards were permitted to bear arms.

She remembered Julius saying Sarju’s guard detail needed reevaluation.
It seemed the prince’s habit of wandering alone had finally earned him a proper knight escort.

The red-haired knight stood at the doorway, scanning the room.

His crimson eyes—matching his hair—found Amelia among the students.

Still clutching the ruined bag to her chest, she stood.
From behind the knight stepped Sarju, walking straight toward her.

“Amelia—sorry to keep you waiting.”

His usual gentle expression had been replaced by unmistakable delight as he called her name.
The classroom buzzed at the sight.

“Why her, of all people…?”

Someone—perhaps Emira—muttered.

“Your Highness. I told you not to step in front of me.”

The red-haired knight offered a pained reminder, but it clearly did not reach Sarju’s ears.

“Sarju-sama.”

She couldn’t help calling his name in gentle reprimand.
He looked faintly sheepish.

“I was just so excited to see your materials… I’ll be more careful.”

At Sarju’s words, the red-haired knight’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“His Highness… accepting someone’s advice…?”

He muttered, then turned pleading eyes toward Amelia.

Sarju’s guards truly had their hands full.

“…I’m sorry. The materials I was supposed to give you—”

Amelia placed the battered bag on her desk.
Classmates who had been watching closely drew in sharp breaths.

They clearly had never imagined the contents were meant for Sarju.

“Why is it in this condition?”

Sarju asked, frowning at the sodden bag.
Amelia hesitated only a moment over how to answer.

She could claim she had accidentally gotten it wet herself.
Sarju would surely forgive her.

But after being targeted with such one-sided malice, simply enduring it no longer felt right.

Certainly, adapting to the strict hierarchy of nobility and maintaining harmony with others were important.
Yet—as Julius and Sarju had feared—allowing baseless rumors to dominate the academy to this degree was a serious problem.

So she decided to tell him everything.
Besides—she could not lie to royalty.

“After stepping out for lunch, I returned to find this bag had been thrown into the courtyard fountain.”

She spoke calmly and slowly, fully aware of the impact her words would have.

The classroom erupted in murmurs.
Sarju’s face hardened instantly.

“It was left here in the classroom?”

“Yes.”

She nodded quietly.

“Lies!”

A sharp cry cut through the noise.

Turning, Amelia saw Emira—surrounded by her usual clique—glaring at her.

“Your Highness, don’t be deceived! She’s only saying this to get your attention!”

Instead of admitting guilt, Emira turned the accusation back on Amelia.

“She threw it into the fountain herself. You all saw it, didn’t you?”

Pressed for agreement, the young ladies around Emira exchanged uneasy glances.
To say yes would mean lying to Sarju.
To say no would earn Emira’s wrath.

“Answer me—now!”

“Y-yes…”

“I saw it too.”

“It was definitely her.”

Three of the girls reluctantly complied under Emira’s irritated pressure.

They would likely be dragged down with Emira’s downfall.

It was a pity—such talented students who had earned their place in Class A.
But they had chosen to prioritize Emira over Sarju.
They had made their choice.

Yet Emira—Julius’s fiancée and a marquis’s daughter—had just publicly called Amelia’s statement a lie.

Curious how Sarju would react, Amelia quietly looked up at him.
But he appeared not to have heard Emira at all.
He had already opened the ruined bag and was examining the soaked pages.

“…These are completely unreadable now.”

“I’m sorry. Someone kindly used wind magic to dry them, but the contents couldn’t be restored.”

Sarju looked genuinely disappointed.
He had truly been looking forward to the materials.

“Um—the original drafts are still in my dormitory room. I can rewrite them by tomorrow—”

“Rewriting this much would be exhausting… Wind magic, you said?”

“Sarju-sama!”

Perhaps panicked by being completely ignored, Emira rushed forward and tried to grab his arm.

But the red-haired knight blocked her instantly.

“You may not approach His Highness without permission.”

His stern tone and gaze made even Emira falter.

“I-I am His Highness Julius’s fiancée! You should be the one to step back!”

She quickly recovered and glared at the knight.
Her pride was impressive, at least.

“…My brother’s?”

Only now did Sarju react.

“Yes! I am Emira Kiedari—His Highness Julius’s fiancée!”

Finally, Sarju’s gaze shifted from the documents to her.
Emira seemed relieved for a moment—until she saw the icy coldness in his eyes.
She looked around in panic, seeking support.

But no one dared approach.
Sarju’s expression—far colder than anyone had ever imagined possible—held them all frozen.

“Kaido. Bring my brother here. We need to make it perfectly clear who is responsible.”

The knight hesitated at first—he could not leave Sarju’s side.

But Sarju insisted that if he went himself, he would wander the school again.
Better to wait here.
The knight hurried out.

A short while later he returned—Julius at his side.

“Ah—Julius-sama!”

Emira rushed toward him in relief.
But Julius, who had apparently been briefed on the way here, walked straight past her to Amelia.

“Eh…? Julius-sama?”

“Amelia. Is this the materials in question?”

“Yes. It was in this bag.”

She nodded and handed it over.
Julius took it and stepped up to the teacher’s podium.
His guards positioned themselves to block both entrances.

“Everyone—take your seats. First, I’d like to hear what you have to say.”

He smiled pleasantly.

The classroom fell completely silent.

Since classes had just ended, every student was still present.

All of them now sat rigidly at their desks, faces pale with unease as they waited to see what would happen next.

Sarju stood at the very back of the room beside his red-haired knight guard.

Julius, on the podium, had apparently already received a brief report from Sarju’s escort on the way here.
He placed the bag Amelia had given him on the podium and slowly surveyed the room.

“This is Amelia’s property. It contained materials she prepared at Sarju’s request. Is that correct?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

Amelia answered clearly.
Julius gave a small nod.

“Then—why is it in this condition?”

“I stepped out for lunch. When I returned, it was submerged in the courtyard fountain.”

She repeated exactly what she had told Sarju.

Emira shot to her feet.

“How dare you tell such lies—not just to Sarju-sama, but to Julius-sama as well? We all saw you do it yourself!”

“Emira. I did not grant you permission to speak. Sit down.”

“…!”

At Julius’s icy tone, Emira’s face stiffened.
She sat back down with awkward, jerky movements.

Even she could not defy him outright.

“Amelia claims it was thrown in. Emira claims Amelia did it herself. Who can testify to what they saw?”

Still seated, Emira glared at the three girls from earlier.
They turned deathly pale, trembling, but rose to their feet anyway.

“Did you witness Amelia throw the bag into the fountain herself?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s right.”

“…Yes, we saw it.”

Each of the three nodded in turn.

There was no turning back for them now.

From here on, it would be the same as what happened in the cafeteria.

Amelia quietly lowered her gaze.

She had no intention of forgiving deliberate malice.
But thinking of what was about to unfold, she felt the tiniest flicker of pity.

Julius scanned the room once more, then spoke in a calm, quiet voice.

“In order to determine which version is true, I will use reproduction magic.”

“…Reproduction magic?”

The classroom erupted in murmurs.
No one—not even Emira—seemed to know what it was.

“Yes. One of the light magics. It allows past events to be projected as images. Most people would never encounter it in daily life. It is primarily used to uncover crimes.”

The details of light magic were passed down only within the royal family.
It was therefore nearly impossible for outsiders to know exactly what spells royalty could wield.

If any student had ever been exposed through this magic before, they would have been expelled without question.
That was likely why no rumors of it had ever spread through the academy.

“S-such a thing…”

One of the three testifying girls—already shaking—turned ashen and collapsed.
Julius immediately cast healing magic to revive her.

He had no intention of letting anyone escape.

Emira herself had gone as pale as the rest.

There was no screen here as there had been in the student council room.
Julius turned toward the blackboard, murmured “This should suffice,” and raised his hand.

Instantly an image appeared on the board.

It showed the classroom right after morning lessons had ended—apparently from the perspective of the podium.

Several students left for lunch.

Amelia, seated at the very back, took some time to check the documents in her bag.
After glancing at the time, she packed them away and left for the cafeteria.

Some time passed.

Then Emira and her group—likely having finished lunch early—returned.

The entourage surrounded Emira, nodding exaggeratedly at everything she said and showering her with praise.

Emira smiled in satisfaction—then suddenly glanced toward Amelia’s empty seat.

“I really don’t like her.”

Everyone around her immediately understood whom she meant.

“Speaking of which—I heard she was lying in wait for Lord Reese at the library yesterday.”

“Yes—Seyla was completely terrified.”

“She apparently demanded he break things off with her right away.”

Amelia’s eyes widened at the words drifting through the image.

(What…? Yesterday’s encounter turned into that kind of rumor?)

She had only given a light bow of apology and hurried past—realizing only afterward that it had been Reese.
Even if someone had witnessed the brief moment, there was no way they could have twisted it into something so malicious.

(It really is Reese…)

She felt absolute certainty now—he was deliberately spreading these falsehoods about her.

How could Reese have changed so completely?

She no longer even felt sadness.
She simply wanted the engagement dissolved as quickly as possible—exactly as he wished.

But the final decision rested with her father.

“Hey—take that bag and throw it into the courtyard fountain.”

In the image, Emira ordered with a malicious smile.

Her gaze was fixed on the three girls.

They must have been the weakest among her followers.

“Eh?”

“B-but…”

“Us…?”

The three hesitated.
But under Emira’s glare—and her muttered threat that she might tell their fathers to end business dealings with their houses—they reluctantly reached for Amelia’s bag.
They carried it out of the classroom.

Emira, left behind, giggled in delight.

“I wonder what kind of face she’ll make. This should be fun.”

The image cut off there.

Julius slowly turned back to face Emira.

“…This isn’t—”

“What a pity, Emira.”

He cut off her attempt at an excuse with calm, measured words.

“Well—it is still only a matter between students within the academy. Those three appear to have been coerced as well. If they sincerely apologize to Amelia and she forgives them, perhaps there is no need to make it overly severe.”

At his words, the three girls turned desperate, pleading eyes toward Amelia.

Emira would never apologize, of course.
But those three would bow their heads without hesitation—they had been threatened by her.
Amelia had no intention of refusing to forgive them.

Yet before their gazes could reach her, Sarju stepped in front of Amelia, blocking the way.

“Sarju-sama?”

As she had noticed during the cafeteria incident, his usual gentleness made his anger all the more chilling and terrifying.

“Ah—that’s right. Amelia was cooperating with me. In that case, this incident must be seen as interference with my research.”

Julius’s voice took on the same cold edge in response to his brother’s fury.

“Sarju’s research is vital to the kingdom’s interests. Obstructing it cannot be dismissed with mere apologies.”

From the very beginning, he had never intended to overlook this.

“I truly didn’t know… I had no idea those were materials for Sarju-sama’s research…”

Emira spoke in a tearful voice.

Only now—through Julius’s words—did she seem to grasp the enormity of what she had done.

Her arrogance had vanished.
She stared at Julius and Sarju with pleading eyes, hands clasped so tightly they trembled.

It was a pitiful sight—unimaginable from the Emira of before.

Yet Julius’s gaze remained ice-cold.

“Perhaps that part is true. But you must have known they were important to Amelia. And this is not the only issue. Forcing those in weaker positions to obey you. Looking down on classmates based on baseless rumors… I am disappointed in you.”

“No—Julius-sama…”

“I will proceed with dissolving the engagement. You did say, did you not—that if you ever became a burden, you were prepared to step back?”

Though he had not displayed it publicly, Julius must have confirmed those exact words through reproduction magic.

Emira collapsed without another word.
No one moved to help her.

“The punishment for the other three will be announced later.”

With those final words, Julius left the classroom without so much as another glance at Emira—his guards following close behind.

Even after he departed, no one stirred.

Only the sound of Emira and the three girls’ sobbing echoed through the deathly silent classroom.