Nanomancer Rising: Divine Alchemist Reborn as Academy's Worst Teacher
Chapter 44: Guilty by default? (Collapse - Part 6)

Chapter 44: Guilty by default? (Collapse - Part 6)

"I will now read out the crimes Theo, the accused, is to be determined innocent or responsible for."

Julius’s voice rang out in the hall.

Despite Theo’s warnings and even after the few exchanges that greatly uprooted the dignitas he was trying to create, he still went ahead and modified his voice to make himself sound grander than he really was.

"First, a physical abuse of a student, as seen by a confidential source!" Julius’s voice now returned to the norm... Or rather, the abnormally normal version of it.

Deprived of that fake grandeur but also the seething sense of superiority Theo experienced before, and even the anger he saw flashing in the man’s eyes, it has now turned into a voice of a scribe reading out their script out loud.

"Second, disobeying the settlement terms with the academy by ignoring the lessons you were obligated to attend!"

For but a moment, Julius’s voice cracked a bit, revealing a hint of anger... but also a hint of why he was out for Theo’s skin.

’That’s why?’

Hearing this accusation, Theo couldn’t help but let his eyebrows raise a bit on his forehead in surprise.

Contrary to the charges that he expected to hear, this one...

It was true.

Theo did miss one of the lessons he was obliged to attend according to the terms of the settlement his former self reached with the academy in a foolish attempt to avoid expulsion.

’Even if I’m perfectly aware it was actually a plot to get me fired for a proper reason so that my family wouldn’t get the grounds to retaliate against the academy...’

Theo sighed.

’I guess I will have to give it to him,’ he admitted before his very own self. ’At the very least, that’s something I’m actually guilty of.’

"Extorting a higher-rank colleague while they were out to help and support him, abusing their goodwill just as much as he abused the unique circumstances he is in!" Julius continued, his face perfectly still with the exception of his eyes that tracked every tiniest movement of Theo’s barely shifting expression.

This time, however, rather than a moment of reflection and even a hint of guilt... All Julius could see in Theo’s eyes was confusion.

’What?’

Furrowing his brows to the point several wrinkles appeared on the bridge of his nose, Theo stared at Julius like he was a madman.

’Just when the hell did I...’

Sensing movement, Theo glanced over to the side, only to see Celeste rapidly blink her eyes with a look of not confusion but slight surprise as she now stared blankly at Julius while shifting from leg to leg, clearly uncomfortable now out of nowhere.

’Wait...’

Another wrinkle appeared on Theo’s forehead, running all across it as the realization dawned on him. Yet, as the young man turned his eyes back to Julius...

"Oh..." a silent moan escaped from Theo’s mouth as everything suddenly fell in place.

The strange hostility displayed by Julius, the degree to which he was willing to twist the facts, set the stage or even push for Theo’s expulsion—something that was pretty much set and done already anyway.

For the look Julius gave to Celeste as he brought up the third accusation...

’There is no mistaking it,’ Theo gulped his spit down his throat, torn between amusement, shock and even a fleeting sense of respect.

Amusement over how this man was willing to waste everyone’s time over such a folly.

Shock due to the lengths this man went to impress Celeste, who he was clearly crushing on, all because of the one hefty sandwich Theo extorted from her all the way back a few days ago, before he participated in her lesson.

And a fleeting respect over a determination and dedication to go through with so much just for something so damn stupid and inconsequential!

"Finally, inappropriately treating a female student!" Julius suddenly raised his voice, finally revealing why he made sure to keep a perfectly still voice and face as he brought up the earlier accusations.

In a way, he played it perfectly.

From the way he arranged the accusations, starting with the heaviest one to open up an impression, following with one everyone could sympathize with and he was personally angry over, dropping the most inconsequential grudge of his next and then finalizing the series with the most shocking out of the four crimes he accused Theo of.

This arrangement allowed him to perfectly modulate the impression just this short listing would leave in the judges... No, in their fellow quasi-star and star teachers of the academy.

In a way, this was just another way he exploited, just like the banquet from before, to secure goodwill of those damn fellow teachers of his!

And now that he even added the element of suddenly raising his voice, switching over from a flat, emotionless one to a loud and passionate one?

’I know it was all aimed to screw me over, but a man has to respect another man’s proper grind,’ Theo thought.

Then, he did the unthinkable.

He allowed a small smile to appear in the corners of his lips before giving Julius a small nod of acknowledgment.

A single gesture that was enough to make the man’s face go tense as he finally realized his play, while great all in its own right, wasn’t even enough to throw Theo off!

"Theo..."

Even though this wasn’t the protocol, Celeste spoke out in a small, worry-filled voice.

As someone who was clearly on the fence when it came to believing in Theo’s guilt or innocence, just like she swayed over to his side when she saw all of Julius’s shenanigans, now that Theo’s former crimes were properly brought up?

It was only natural for her opinion to sway to the other side.

Still, even this potential loss of the one and only person willing to openly support him in the room wasn’t enough to disturb Theo’s mental or to mess with his head.

’Now, I guess it’s high time for me to start clapping back, isn’t it?’ Theo thought, taking in a breath as he prepared to denounce those—mostly—false accusations.

Once again, however, Julius had no plans of letting him do that.

"And since we all know of your infamy and thus what you are capable of, is there even any point in asking the obvious?" Julius rhetorically asked while shaking his head. "No, there’s not," he continued before Theo could even swallow such a blatant attempt to cut the proceedings right where he finally had the proper chance to speak out and dispel all of Julius’s idiotic and outright false or grossly over-exaggerated claims.

"Because by the time those charges were first brought up against you," Julius continued, struggling to hide the vicious smirk that nearly pressed its way through the man’s defenses and reached the surface of his lips, something he couldn’t afford to happen just yet, "you’ve already been deemed guilty by all of your superior peers gathered here."

This time, rather than ending his claim on a strong note, Julius allowed his words to just... fizzle out, making it seem as if he merely reached the middle of his point rather than its final line.

And out of sheer curiosity of just how the man was going to twist the situation even further, Theo actually kept his mouth shut, putting his response on hold as he waited to see just what the man would do.

"Everyone, am I right?!"