Scumbag Fate System-Chapter 41: Bad News

Yor lay sleeping on the medical bed with white sheets pulled up to her shoulders. Reinhard sat in a chair beside the bed with his elbows resting on his knees.

Doctor Adam stood near the window with his arms crossed. His expression was grave as he delivered news that made the room feel smaller and colder.

"What Yor did was drain the emotions of those around her," Adam said. "And most likely she also drained some of their lifespan based on the readings we’re getting from the affected students."

Reinhard’s eyes widened. "How did she drain lifespan? I thought her ability only affected emotions."

Adam sighed and ran one hand through his blond hair. "Her void ability was pushed to a critical level in that moment where it tapped into its next evolution stage. Of course, this is just an assumption based on the data, but the symptoms do explain the vitality lost in the sleeping students."

Reinhard held his chin with one hand. "How will this affect the other students who were caught in the effect?"

"I’m not sure exactly, but I can already guess that most of them will be leaving the academy permanently—"

"Just like the third years who touched Yor before," Reinhard interrupted while his voice was flat.

Adam fell silent for several long seconds before speaking carefully. "So she told you about that incident? I guess that’s to be expected considering you can somehow touch her without getting drained like everyone else and know about her emotion draining."

Reinhard nodded once. "She did tell me about them. But I don’t understand why she exploded now. She didn’t show any signs of stress or problems lately. She was actually doing better than ever."

"Her Void Sigil doesn’t work like that," Adam turn away from the window.

"What do you mean?"

Adam closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again with something heavy behind his gaze. "Before I say anything more, I need to know something. Do you care about Yor?"

Reinhard thought about the question for a second before inwardly chuckling. The honest answer and the safe answer had how some became close enough that there’s barely a gap.

"She’s my friend and clubmate," he said with a faint smile.

Adam studied his face for several seconds. Whatever he was looking for, he seemed to find enough of it. "Then what I’m about to tell you must never be repeated to her. Do you understand?"

Reinhard raised one eyebrow but slowly nodded. "I understand."

"I think the more positive emotions Yor feels, the more unstable she becomes."

Reinhard froze completely while his breath caught in his throat. "Wait. Are you saying-"

Adam nodded grimly. "Her getting close with others and having fun and feeling happy is a direct danger to her control over her void ability. And that’s most likely what led to her explosion today."

Reinhard’s hands clasped together as he began to realize the implications he didn’t want to reach.

It made sense, it was something he should have realized and could connect.

But it was also something cruel and utterly terrifying. Every smile he drew out from her, every laugh she had made, and every time she had fun.

All of it was pushing her towards the edge.

"That’s... Did you tell her—"

"No," Adam cut him off while shaking his head firmly. "And that’s exactly why she must never know about this. If she knew—"

"It would destroy her," Reinhard finished while his voice was rough. "No... It would destroy anyone to know that being happy is a danger to everyone they care about."

Adam sighed and nodded while the weight of keeping this secret settled visibly on his shoulders.

He was quiet for a moment and then spoke. "You’re asking me to not say anything while still being her friend."

"Yes."

Another paused with his expression still neutral.

"I understand," Reinhard said.

It was not only an agreement but also an acknowledgment of what he would be keeping from Yor. It wasn’t like the previous lies he had woven. No, this one really held the power to make or break Yor current life.

Reinhard glanced at Yor, who was still sleeping but trembling occasionally. It was as if she were having bad dreams. "Can you tell me how long will... She be sleeping?"

Adam furrowed his brows. "Maybe two or three days, depending on how much this episode exhausted her reserves. Her magic was completely depleted, which puts enormous strain on the body."

"Why did you tell me about this if we can’t tell her?"

"Because I think you might be a key person who can help Yor with her void problem," Adam said while leaning against the wall. "You’re the only one so far who can touch her without being affected... So maybe that means something significant about your connection to her ability."

Reinhard nodded slowly, but before he could speak, the door burst open with a bang.

Sirin rushed in first with her golden hair flying behind her. While Alice came right after looking out of breath, and Rika followed close behind with her face pale and worried. They surrounded Reinhard while their voices overlapped with urgent questions.

"How is Yor?"

"Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"We heard dozens of students collapsed!"

Reinhard held up both hands. "We’re fine. Yor is still sleeping, but she’s stable. I’m good."

Sirin’s eyes narrowed while she studied his face carefully. "Is that actually true? You’re not hiding anything?"

Doctor Adam quickly explained what he had said before, leading Reinhard to hurl an annoyed look at him. Telling them more details would only cause worry and complications.

The three girls reacted with visible relief while their shoulders dropped, and Alice actually laughed nervously. They moved around Reinhard, asking more specific questions that he answered as simply as possible without revealing what Adam had told him.

Then Sirin held her head and turned to Adam. "How many students were affected in total?"

Adam sighed heavily. "I haven’t fully examined all of them yet, but so far, over fifteen students."

The number was small, but the impact was massive. He recalled Victoria’s previous words, and he knew this wasn’t something that could be brushed under the rug.

Alice instantly went silent. Rika looked at her hands with a tremble. Sirin’s expression settled into the particular focus of someone already thinking of the consequences and what to do.

Reinhard furrowed his brow, wondering if there might be a chance Yor could give back what she’d taken if she learned to properly control her powers. He made a mental note to ask the system about possible methods later.

Sirin lightly bit her thumbnail. "For something this serious, it means a trial will be held soon."

Reinhard blinked and leaned forward. "Are they planning to punish Yor?"

Rika shifted nervously while wringing her hands. "Depending on how many professors are against her, she might not even get a real trial. Just a fake one."

"Why is that?" Reinhard’s eyes narrowed. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Doctor Adam crossed his arms. "A big part of academy trials is where professors vote on whether the accused is guilty or not. If the defendant lacks sufficient support from the faculty, then there is no point to the trial. They’ll still hold it for appearances, but it’s just a show since everyone already knows the verdict."

Reinhard leaned back in his chair. "How objective and neutral are the professors usually?"

"They usually try to be fair," Sirin said while her expression was troubled. "But some of the students who were caught in Yor’s effect are favorites of certain professors. That complicates things significantly."

Alice sighed and slumped against the wall. "Meaning those professors might call in favors from others to push for a verdict of expelling Yor from the academy permanently."

Rika bit her lip hard enough to leave marks. "What makes it worse is that they have a very strong case against her. Yor can’t control her power, and nobody knows when another explosion might happen. They’ll argue she’s too dangerous to keep on campus."

Silence filled the room while everyone processed that reality.

"Then we need to get more professors on our side," Reinhard said while breaking the quiet.

Sirin nodded immediately. "Or we target the ones with the most influence who can help sway the others to vote fairly."

Reinhard tilted his head. "Who are they?"

"The Magic Department professor, Mister Vance," Sirin began while counting on her fingers. "The Engineering Department head, Miss Rosla, and from the Disciplinary Department, Victoria."

Rika nodded quickly while her eyes brightened slightly with hope. "If we could get their help, then maybe Yor actually have a real chance at a fair trial."

Reinhard hummed thoughtfully. "What are the chances of getting their support?"

Everyone fell silent while considering the difficulty.

Until Alice chuckled despite the serious situation. "Well, Miss Rosla owes our clubmate Louis quite a lot from when he helped her with a major project. So we can cash in on that favor. But—"

"Professor Vance would take enormous amounts of convincing," Sirin continued while shaking her head. "He’s very strict about academy rules. As for Miss Victoria—"

"She’s too scary," Rika said quietly. "And she won’t do anything without a good reason that benefits her or the academy."

Reinhard stood up, and his voice was confident. "Alright then, let’s divide this up. Alice, you go help convince Miss Rosla since you know Louis best. Sirin and Rika, you two work together to see if you can get Professor Vance’s support. And I’ll handle Victoria."

The three girls blinked in surprise while staring at him.

Rika asked nervously. "R-Reinhard, how are you planning to—"

Reinhard gently caressed her hair with a reassuring smile. "By simply giving her something she wants. And I know just the right thing, so leave Victoria to me. I promise I’ll get her help. All you guys need to do is secure the others."

Sirin smiled while curiosity sparked in her eyes. "Now I’m really curious about what you’re planning, but I won’t pry. How confident are you that you can actually get Victoria’s support?"

Reinhard smirked. "Enough."