Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Punishment Again?

Within the ancestral estate of Duke Arthal Von Magnus:

Bang!

​Marquis Hogarth, a man with a face like a hatchet and eyes of flint, slammed his fist onto the mahogany table.

Beside him, Duke Alfred sat calmly in a velvet chair, but his silence far more terrifying than the Marquis’s rage.

Both men had spent the morning looking at the medical reports of their sons.

Shattered kneecaps, internal hemorrhaging, and a trauma so deep that Marcus and Alfred had woken up screaming at the mere sight of a violet robe.

​”That bastard!” Hogarth roared, “A low-born, illegitimate stain from the Kingsbane gutter has crippled my heir! This is not just a schoolyard scuffle, Duke. This is an act of war against our bloodlines.”

​Duke Alfred narrowed his eyes coldly.

“The Royal Academy has long enjoyed its autonomy, but it exists because we allow it to. If the Dean thinks he can shield a common-blooded dog after such an atrocity, he is mistaken.”

​The Duke pulled a sheet of heavy parchment toward him.

Next, with a quill dipped in ink that looked suspiciously like dried gore, he began to write.

​”To the Dean of the Royal Academy. The blood of a Duke and a Marquis has been spilled within your halls. We demand the immediate arrest and public execution of Adonis Kingsbane according to the noble Laws of Retribution. If the boy is not in chains by sunset, we shall march our private legions to the Academy gates and collect him ourselves. Do not mistake our patience for weakness.”

​The Marquis signed his name with a jagged flourish.

“Send the swiftest courier. I want that Dean trembling before the noon bell.”

—-

​At the Royal Academy.

Dean Silverlight sat in his office, staring at the letter through trembling fingers.

A cold sweat ran down his spine, soaking into his silk robes. He was a powerful Swordmaster, but he was also a politician.

He knew that the combined military might of a Duke and a Marquis could turn the Academy into a pile of smoking rubble before the King’s guards could even mobilize.

​”This is a disaster,” Silverlight whispered to the empty room.

“Duke Kingsbane… you son is a fool. I have no choice. I must convene the Judiciary Committee and hand him over. If I don’t, the blood of every student will be on my hands.”

​He reached for his official seal to authorize the arrest warrant. The metal was cold in his hand, a heavy finality that would end Adonis’s life before the day was out.

​Just as the seal was about to touch the wax, the heavy double doors of his office swung open without a knock.

​A woman stepped in wearing a valiant golden armour.

It was Claudia, the First Princess’s personal shield and the most feared knight in the Capital.

Her presence alone was like a mountain falling into a quiet pond.

​”Dean Silverlight. You may want to put the seal away.”

​The Dean blinked, his heart hammering against his ribs.

“Royal Knight Claudia? Why are you here? I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation. The Duke and the Marquis—”

​”I understand perfectly,” Claudia interrupted, walking to his desk and placing a small, gold-embossed scroll on top of the Marquis’s letter.

“This is a direct decree from the First Princess, Mariana Von Magnus. You are to nullify any and all orders for the arrest or expulsion of Adonis Kingsbane. Any move made against him by the Judiciary Committee will be viewed as an act of treason against the Crown.”

​”W-What!” The Dean’s jaw dropped. Another cold sweat, much colder than the one from before, ran down his back.

“Treason? But, the Princess? Why would she interfere for a student of his standing? The Duke is her own kin!”

​”The Princess does not explain her reasons to the likes of us. She only gives orders. The boy will stay. The noble houses neef stay back. If the Duke has a complaint, he may take it up with the Princess at the next Royal Gala. Until then, you will find a way to settle this that keeps everyone’s head on their shoulders.”

​Claudia turned and left as quickly as she had arrived.

The Dean was left in a state of absolute paralysis.

He looked at the Marquis’s threat, then at the Princess’s decree. He was caught between a hammer and a paper.

​”Fine… I cannot arrest him, but I cannot let him go unpunished either. If I do nothing, the nobility will revolt. If I do too much, the Princess will have my head.”

​He paced the room for nearly an hour, his mind spinning through every legal loophole he knew.

Finally, he sat down and began to write a new order. It was a compromise born of pure desperation.

—

​The following morning, the Nova Class was gathered in the main lecture hall.

The environment was still very tense.

Every student was whispering, their eyes darting toward the empty seats where Marcus and Alfred usually sat, and then toward Adonis, who looked remarkably bored.

“Teacher’s here.”

​Isabella Frostbite entered the room, her face grimmer than usual. She held a scroll in her hand, the seal of the Dean freshly broken.

​”Silence! I have the Dean’s final ruling regarding the incident involving Adonis Kingsbane, Marcus Hogarth, and Alfred Von Magnus.”

​Prince Malvis leaned forward with interest. He expected a sentence of death or, at the very least, a permanent branding and exile.

Rai Calder watched with a lazy, curious grin, tapping a finger on his chin.

​Isabella cleared her throat, saying, “By the decree of the Dean’s office, and in light of the ’provocation’ involved, the Judiciary Committee has reached a decision. Adonis Kingsbane is hereby banned from attending classes and all academic activities, for exactly one week.”

“…..”

​Everyone felt silent after that.

This oppressive silence lasted for five seconds before the room exploded.

​”A week?!” a noble girl muttered in disbelief. “But he broke their legs! He nearly killed them!”

​”This is a joke, right?!” another shouted, standing up. “Is the Dean gone insane? A one-week suspension for crippling the heirs of two Great Houses?”

​Prince Malvis’s calm shattered, replaced by a look of genuine shock.

He looked at Adonis, who merely leaned back in his chair and let out a long, slow yawn.

The Prince knew better than anyone the weight of a Duke’s name. For the Dean to give such a pathetic punishment meant only one thing: Adonis had a shadow behind him so large it eclipsed the noble houses.

​Rai Calder started laughing, “Hah ha ha—”

“A week? That’s not a punishment, that’s a vacation. Adonis, my man, you really are a monster.”

Bam!

​Isabella slammed her book on the podium to restore order, but even she couldn’t hide the flicker of confusion in her eyes. She knew the Dean wouldn’t have the courage to do this on his own.

She looked at Adonis, who was now looking out the window at the volcanic mountain in the distance.

​”The decision is final. Adonis Kingsbane, you are to leave the premises immediately. You are not to return until the seventh day from now. Class dismissed.”

​Adonis calmly stood up, putting his bag over his shoulder.

He didn’t look at his classmates, and he didn’t look at the furious nobles.

He walked toward the door.

​As he passed Isabella, he paused for a second.

“Then I suppose I’ll use the time to catch up on some personal projects,” he whispered.

​”Just try to stay alive, Rogue,” she replied, so softly that only he could hear.

He smiled back.

​”Since my favourite teacher said so, I would definitely comply.”

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