Scumbag Fate System-Chapter 49: Gone

For two days, Yor continued sleeping in the medical wing; meanwhile, Sirin and Reinhard worked tirelessly. She cornered professors between lectures, requesting meetings she hadn’t been given. Preparing detailed documentation that made people take her seriously, even when they’d already decided not to help.

Reinhard had Rika interrupt their lunches as they wouldn’t give him the time of day. She was polite about it and persistent. Even following the plan he outlined had the professors feeling like they had come to the conclusion themselves.

On the third morning, a messenger arrived. He handed Sirin an envelope with a formal bow, then left without a word. She broke the seal and unfolded the paper inside.

Her face darkened as she read.

"Yor’s trial would begin at ten tomorrow morning. The Headmaster himself would oversee it... The notice listed the agenda: first, a review of the mall incident; next, a report on the affected students; then, an assessment of property damage; and finally, Yor’s punishment."

Everyone fell silent.

Reinhard frowned as he sat next to Rika, who was nervously biting her lip. Across from them, Alice stood with her arms crossed, her usual smile nowhere to be seen.

"Is it good or bad that the headmaster is there?" Reinhard asked since the Headmaster should know about Yor condition.

"The Headmaster overseeing it personally is both good and bad." Sirin said while tapping the paper with one finger. "Good because he’s known for being fair and actually listening to evidence. Bad because it means the academy is taking this very seriously."

"How seriously are we talking?" Alice asked.

"Serious enough that expulsion is definitely on the table as a real possibility," Sirin replied while not sugarcoating the reality. "They wouldn’t have the Headmaster involved if they were considering just a slap on the wrist."

Rika’s hands clenched together. "But we have three influential professors on our side now. That has to count for something, right?"

"It does," Reinhard confirmed. "Victoria, Professor Vance, and Miss Rosla all carry significant weight in these decisions."

"The problem is we don’t know how many professors are against Yor," Sirin continued while pacing slowly. "If the families of the affected students have been putting pressure on faculty members, then we could be facing more opposition than we anticipated."

Alice pushed off from the wall. "What about the students themselves? Will any of them be there to give testimony?"

"Some of them will definitely be called as witnesses," Sirin said. "Especially the ones who were closest to the incident or who suffered the most severe effects from the void drain."

"That could work in our favor if they’re reasonable," Reinhard pointed out. "Not all of them will blame Yor if they understand it was an accident."

"Or it could backfire completely if they’re angry and want someone punished." Rika said quietly. "People don’t always think clearly when they’ve been hurt."

Sirin nodded in agreement. "Which is why our defense needs to be airtight. We emphasize that Yor has never had an incident like this before. We highlight her efforts to control her ability and keep a distance from others to protect them. We show that this was triggered by exceptional circumstances, not by negligence."

"What exceptional circumstances?" Alice asked. "Do we know what actually triggered her?"

"That’s what we need to get from Yor when she wakes up," Sirin said while crossing her arms. "Her version of events is crucial. We need to know what was happening right before she lost control."

"The notice says they’ll review damages too," Reinhard observed while reading the paper again. "Was there actual property damage, or are they talking about the harm to students?"

"Both probably," Sirin replied. "The mall section might need magical cleansing after having that much void energy concentrated in one area. Plus, medical costs for treating all the affected students will be significant."

"Can they make Yor’s family pay for that?" Rika asked with concern in her voice.

"Possibly. It depends on the ruling." Sirin’s expression was grim. "Financial penalties on top of disciplinary action aren’t uncommon in cases like this. But some professors might push against it since Noctyne can easily pay for it... And they probably don’t want it to leave the academy."

The group fell silent while processing all the potential outcomes, and none of them were particularly encouraging.

The weight of what Yor was facing settled over them like a heavy blanket.

...

Later that evening, Reinhard lay on his bed in his dorm room. Staring at the ceiling and running through every possible scenario the trial could take.

He ran the scenarios without wishful thinking and discarding outcomes that required luck. He didn’t want to put the future of his friend in the hands of chance or luck.

And then he came to some outcomes.

The best realistic case is suspension. Regardless of anything, Yor did send multiple students into the medical department. And a punishment for attacking other students was suspension if the assault involved more than ten people.

He sighed.

"System." Reinhard said into the empty room.

A blue screen appeared in his vision with familiar text.

[Is there something wrong, Host?]

"You once said that if I can capture Yor, it would stop the destruction of the continent. Could it be that by me—"

[Yes! Just like how your kiss was able to temporarily suppress her void power from spreading out further. If you’re able to fully capture Yor and establish that connection, then I can place a complete seal on her powers that will prevent any future explosions.]

Reinhard nodded while sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Do you know exactly how she lost control in the mall? What triggered the explosion?"

[It seems the words of those third-year siblings had gotten to her.]

"Third year siblings..." Reinhard paused while processing that information. "Wait. Those people confronting her were actually the siblings of the third year who quit the academy because of her?"

[Yes. They came to the mall to question Yor about what happened to their family members. And well, things escalated out of control very quickly.]

"They got too emotional and started cursing her," Reinhard said bluntly, while it wasn’t really a question.

[How did you know, Host?]

Reinhard chuckled without humor. "That’s how it usually goes when people are looking for someone to blame. So the happiness and fun Yor felt from spending time with us had already destabilized her control over her void power. And then the confrontation with the siblings brought up bad memories and guilt, which made everything explode."

[That’s exactly right. Which is why I hope you can capture Yor soon because the next explosion might happen when you aren’t close enough to stop it.]

Reinhard fell silent while the truth of that statement settled over him. He couldn’t be around Yor every moment of every day and expecting that would be unrealistic. And would take away her freedom and control over her own life.

"Alright," he said after several moments. "When Yor wakes up, and the trial is finished, I ramp up my efforts to capture her. Because it seems most likely she’ll start to distance herself from everyone again after all this."

[Why is that? Wouldn’t she be happy that you helped and stood up for her during the trial?]

Reinhard stood and walked to his window while looking out at the darkened campus. "She would be grateful. But the guilt that comes with knowing she hurt dozens of people will make her blame herself completely. She’ll think the safest thing is to go back to being alone."

[That would be unfortunate for everyone.]

"Yes, it would." Reinhard’s hands clenched. "Which is why I won’t let it happen."

...

The next morning came with grey clouds covering the sky and a chill in the air that felt appropriate for trial day.

He checked his status after.

Not because it was relevant to a trial, but because old habits formed in situations. He always needed to know what resources he had on hand before starting a mission.

Reinhard headed out toward the club room for a final meeting with the others. He reached the building and climbed the stairs, but stopped when he saw that the club room door was closed with no light visible through the gap underneath.

Footsteps echoed rapidly from behind.

Reinhard turned to see Sirin, Alice, and Rika rushing toward him with their faces showing clear worry and something close to panic. They reached him while breathing hard from running.

"Have you seen Yor?" Sirin asked immediately without any greeting.

Reinhard blinked. "No. Isn’t she still in the Medical Department?"

Sirin shook her head while her golden hair swung with the motion. "I already checked there first thing this morning. But the front desk told me that Yor checked herself out late last night. And when I tried to check her dorm room, she wasn’t there either."

Alice added while her voice was tight. "Her room is empty as well."

Rika wrung her hands nervously. "We’ve looked everywhere we can think of. The library, the gardens, the training grounds. She’s just gone."

Reinhard’s expression shifted to a grimace. "What?