Chapter 129: Exempted Student!

"Wait..."

The hall immediately quieted as the student looked toward the front.

"There is one student who wasn’t added to the official punishment list."

***

The moment those words left the student’s mouth, everyone’s attention immediately snapped toward him.

"What did you say?"

"Who is exempted?"

"Who isn’t on the list?"

The hall erupted into another wave of murmurs.

Students who had been quietly checking their own names suddenly became interested in someone else’s.

"Tell us who it is!"

"Who got exempted?"

"Wait, someone actually got out of this?"

The student who had noticed the missing name looked increasingly uncomfortable under the sudden attention.

"I just said there was someone missing from the list."

"Then who?"

"Check the list again!"

"Maybe they made a mistake."

The students began checking their phones again, scrolling through the names and comparing them against the faces they had seen on the CCTV footage.

Even Ethan, who had already accepted that his own name was there, became curious.

If someone had actually been exempted, who was powerful enough to receive that kind of treatment?

The thought immediately spread through the hall.

"Who could possibly be exempted?"

"Maybe someone from one of the powerful families."

"Could it be a high-ranking student?"

"Whoever it is must have someone important backing them."

The whispers grew louder.

Then someone finally noticed the name that was missing.

"Wait."

The student’s eyes widened.

"It’s Ethan."

The hall went silent for a moment.

Then the uproar returned twice as loudly.

"Ethan?"

"Ethan Ashford?"

"His name isn’t there?"

"How is that possible?"

"His face was clearly on the CCTV footage!"

"Are you serious?"

Jake and Lara exchanged confused looks.

Lara immediately checked the list again.

"Maybe they forgot to add his name?"

Jake frowned.

"That would be a pretty strange mistake."

"Maybe they haven’t finished updating it," Lara suggested.

"But everyone else is already on there."

The students around them began talking over one another.

"Why is your ex exempted?"

"Yeah, why is Ethan exempt?"

"That’s not fair!"

"If we have to serve the punishment, why doesn’t he?"

"Principal Ronan!"

One student finally raised his voice enough to silence several of the others.

"Why was Ethan Ashford exempted?"

All eyes turned toward Ronan.

Ronan’s expression remained completely calm.

He looked across the hall before answering.

"That is not something you need to concern yourselves with."

The students stared at him.

"But why?"

"His face was on the footage!"

"We were all there!"

"If we’re being punished for what we did, why isn’t he?"

Ronan’s expression hardened slightly.

"You have no right to question my decisions."

The hall fell quieter.

One student still gathered enough courage to speak.

"Then was it a mistake?"

Ronan answered immediately.

"No."

His voice was firm.

"It was not a mistake."

The students exchanged confused looks.

Ronan continued.

"You have already received your answer. You were involved, your faces were identified, and you will receive the punishment assigned to you. Why you are suddenly so concerned about another student’s disciplinary status is beyond me."

"But that’s not fair!"

Several students immediately voiced their agreement.

"Exactly!"

"His face was clearly in the CCTV footage!"

"We’re being punished while he gets to sit there?"

"We’re not going to just let this go!"

Ronan sighed.

Apparently, he had expected this reaction.

"The reason Ethan Ashford has been exempted is because I was instructed to do so."

The hall immediately quieted.

"Instructed?"

"By who?"

"Who gave the order?"

Ronan shook his head.

"That is not information I am permitted to reveal."

The students immediately began whispering again.

Ronan looked toward Ethan.

"However, Ethan has been granted the privilege of remaining exempt from punishment until further notice."

Ethan stared at him.

Until further notice?

He had absolutely no idea what was going on.

The students around him, however, clearly did not share his confusion.

Several were looking at him with expressions ranging from disbelief to irritation.

Ethan sighed quietly.

He hadn’t asked for any of this.

Yet somehow, he was now sitting in the middle of a hall full of students who were wondering why he had been given special treatment.

Rin suddenly nudged him.

Ethan turned toward him.

Rin raised his eyebrows.

"What is actually going on?"

Ethan frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Which high-ranking student is helping you?"

Ethan shook his head.

"I don’t know."

Rin stared at him.

"You don’t know?"

"I honestly don’t."

Ethan thought about it for a moment.

"But if this is related to what Principal Ronan told me before..."

His expression became slightly more thoughtful.

"Then it’s probably Drey."

Lara’s eyes widened.

"Drey?"

She leaned closer.

"As in your ex-fiancé?"

Ethan rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Lara. My ex-fiancé."

"The same Drey who hated your guts?"

Ethan gave her an unimpressed look.

"Apparently."

Lara looked completely baffled.

"Then why would he do that?"

"I don’t know either!"

Ethan spread his hands.

"That is exactly what I’m trying to figure out."

Rin looked between them, still clearly suspicious.

"So your ex-fiancé, who publicly broke off your engagement, somehow arranged for you to be exempted from punishment?"

Ethan sighed.

"That’s what it looks like."

"And you have no idea why?"

"No."

Lara shook her head.

"This is getting more confusing by the minute."

Ethan could only agree.

Nothing about Drey made sense anymore.

First, he had given Ethan money.

Then he had given him access to privileges Ethan had refused.

Now he had apparently done something that resulted in Ethan being exempted from a punishment everyone else was being forced to serve.

Ethan had no idea what Drey was planning.

And honestly, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Principal Ronan finally raised his voice again.

"Now that I have answered your questions, we can move on."

The students gradually quieted.

Ronan turned toward the large screen behind him.

"It is time for the main event."

The anticipation in the hall immediately returned.

Ronan’s gaze swept across the students.

"We will now announce the students who have qualified for Rift participation."