Chapter 711: Strays

"Ehn?"

The girl who had claimed to be the victim blinked in confusion.

Her body rose up in the air, then she was suspended up in the air, unable to move.

Even her clothes seemed to have been held in place by an invisible force, clinging to her body as though she had been wrapped in something she could not see.

She tried to move her arms, but nothing happened.

Her legs were just as helpless.

The struggle only made her realize how completely she had lost control of her body.

"W-Why...why... am I being the one taken?!"

Her voice rose almost to a shout. It was still unsteady from her earlier cries, and the sudden turn of events had only made her more confused.

"I’m taking you two for questioning. That’s the only way to solve this situation."

Clive Morgan spoke calmly.

There was no need for him to raise his voice.

The decision had already been made, and his tone suggested that he had no intention of arguing about it in front of the crowd.

"How dare you treat me like this?! I’m a Count’s son, for scholars’ sake! I can’t be treated like this, even in this Academy!"

Basil shouted at him. His face was still twisted with anger, and he struggled against the force holding him down.

"If you don’t shut your mouth, I promise to exact legal violence on you. And trust me."

Clive walked closer to Basil.

His steps were unhurried.

He did not need to rush towards the boy or make a show of his authority. The moment he approached, Basil’s shouting began to falter. His eyes followed Clive, and the anger on his face gave way to something much less confident.

Clive had not even finished his words before Basil fell silent.

"Good."

Clive turned and walked away from the place.

The students watched him leave.

Some were still trying to understand what had happened, while others had already begun discussing the decision to take both parties for questioning. The commotion that had drawn so many people together was not over, but the central figures involved had been removed from the immediate scene.

Prince Tristin Aethelmont had watched the entire thing unfold right in front of him.

A moment ago, he and his group had been busy speaking to the gathered students.

They had been discussing how he intended to crush his brother, Prince Charles Aethelmont, in the upcoming debate tomorrow. The conversation had been going well enough, with students listening and responding to the prince’s words.

But now...

"What’s even going on?"

Tristin asked himself, completely bewildered.

His attention remained on the place where Clive had been standing. He had witnessed the argument, the accusation, and the sudden appearance of the Disciplinary Officer. Yet the situation had changed so quickly that he was still trying to piece everything together.

"We should go meet Prince Daniel Aethelmont now."

Felix Ashenlocke suggested almost immediately after Clive Morgan left.

"Huh? Oh, yes. Let’s go."

Tristin still looked confused. However, after hearing Felix’s words, he seemed to return to his senses.

He glanced at the crowd once more before turning around. His group followed as he led them away from the commotion.

"Are you serious?"

A Noble lady from the Ivory Circle Faction frowned and folded her arms.

She was also a member of the Orchestral Society, the same club Basil belonged to.

"They are just leaving like that and don’t even plan on explaining what the hell is going on."

Her displeasure was clear. She watched Tristin and his group depart, seemingly unable to understand how they could simply walk away without saying anything about what had just happened.

"Is that not how you Nobles, especially those in high positions, act?"

A Second-Year Young Non-Noble boy pointed at her, his expression almost accusatory.

"Because she’s a Non-Noble, she doesn’t get justice immediately, and you’re telling me she should get interrogated?"

He raised his voice as he looked around at the other students.

It was not difficult to tell what he was suggesting. To him, the fact that the girl was being taken for questioning alongside Basil was already enough to make the decision suspicious.

"Is your hearing stable or what? Didn’t you hear what Sir Clive Morgan said before he left?"

A Third-Year Young Non-Noble man responded, clearly annoyed.

"That’s not the point!"

"Then what is your point?!"

A small argument suddenly erupted among the crowd.

The voices began overlapping.

Some students supported the decision to question both parties, while others were more concerned about the difference in their social positions.

A few tried to make their opinions heard over the others, only to be interrupted by someone with a different view.

The discussion was no longer limited to what had happened between Basil and the girl. It had become an argument about Nobles, Non-Nobles, and the way the Academy handled such matters.

Ezra, Lucy, and Cyrus continued watching from a distance.

They had not joined the argument.

The three of them remained outside the main gathering, observing as the students around them became increasingly vocal. The crowd was still thick, and the noise made it difficult to distinguish one conversation from another.

"You missed a lot of the show, inventor."

Vera’s casual, light voice came from Ezra’s side.

Ezra did not bother turning to look at her.

"I wonder where you were?"

Vera stopped beside him.

Her arms were folded as she looked at him quietly.

There was no particular urgency in her expression. She seemed more interested in teasing him about his absence than in making a fuss over the scene.

Ezra finally turned his head.

He saw Vera standing close to him. Diane was behind her, resting her head on the shoulder of her Maid, Hermione.

Both of them had arrived with Vera, and they stood just behind her as the argument continued in the distance.

Ezra looked at Vera for a moment.

"..."

He wanted to reply, but after thinking twice about it, he chose not to.

Vera did not press him for an answer.

Her gaze moved briefly towards the crowd, where another group of students had begun arguing over Clive’s decision.

"But what actually happened?"

Ezra finally spoke.

He already had a good idea of what had taken place. However, he wanted to know the full story, at least if Cyrus or Lucy had managed to find out more than he had.

"Basically, it seems Basil might have assaulted a lady during one of his group’s night parties. Now she’s crying and exposing him because he refused to take responsibility for his actions."

Cyrus explained what he had managed to learn about the situation.

He kept his voice low enough for their group to hear without adding to the noise around them. His gaze remained on the crowd for a moment before returning to Ezra.

"She also said he tried to pay her parents off, and even tried to pay her, so they would forget about the matter. Otherwise, he would ruin their family’s reputation."

Lucy added with a clearly displeased expression.

Her brows had drawn together.

She seemed unable to accept the possibility that someone would use their family’s position to threaten another person into silence.

"Master, Lady Vera... He should receive the best punishment possible."

She tightened her fist as she spoke.

"Calm down, Maid."

Vera replied calmly.

Her voice was neither harsh nor particularly comforting. She simply looked at Lucy, who had become visibly worked up by the situation.

"Evidence is important before the Student Council. Then the Royal Academy would decide what to do."

Vera replied straightforwardly.

She did not argue that Basil was innocent, nor did she dismiss what the girl had said. Her response was simple. The matter had to be examined, and the Academy would decide what to do after the necessary evidence had been considered.

However, judging from her bored expression, it was clear that she already knew what was going on. She simply did not seem interested in revealing what she knew.

Ezra looked at her briefly but did not ask any further questions.

"Since the commotion is over, let’s head out. I need to inform our club about something."

Vera spoke calmly as she turned, preparing to walk away.

Ezra also saw no reason to wait any longer. The main people involved had already been taken away, and the crowd was now occupied with its own arguments. There was little point in remaining there to listen to students repeat their opinions.

Cyrus, Lucy, Diane, and Hermione appeared to share the same thought.

The group began moving away from the gathering.

However, before they could get far, a loud voice rose from behind them.

"What about Ezra Ashenlocke, who is a freaking murderer?! Someone who killed his own family, and even the Duke of Ash defended his act! We all know it’s because of how useful he is to the family. If not, we all know the Duke of Ash would have dropped his ass! Why do we keep letting these kinds of bad people get away with evil, all because they are useful Nobles?!"

A First-Year Young Non-Noble boy shouted loudly.

He had joined the argument that had been developing among the students, throwing his own opinion into the growing discussion.

His voice carried above the others, drawing the attention of people who had not been part of the original exchange.

The words were not directed at Basil anymore.

They were directed at Ezra.

Even Willow Derlis had joined the argument because of some of the things being said. Selena Galehart had done the same.

The other prominent First-Year students, however, had already left after Clive Morgan took away the main students who had caused the trouble in the first place.

But now...

A serious argument had broken out among the remaining students.

And someone had even brought Ezra’s name into it.

Immediately, the boys began shouting.

Many eyes turned towards Ezra.

Yet he and the others continued walking without bothering to pause.

Ezra did not even look back. His pace remained the same as he moved with the group, leaving the argument behind.

The murmurs grew louder.

"What does Mr. Ezra Ashenlocke have to do with this situation now?"

"He’s also part of those people who get all the privileges."

"You’re just bitter because he’s close to the flowers."

"What?! Are you crazy? Why would I be bitter about a killer?"

"Hey, you do know he’s Number Three, right? What if he beats you to a pulp?"

"He can’t do shit! I haven’t done anything wrong. I only told the truth. Ezra Ashenlocke is just like Basil Evermont. Even Sir Desmond Derlis seems to be a better person than him."

The argument continued.

Different voices came from different directions, each adding something to the discussion.

Some students were openly criticizing Ezra, while others questioned why his name had been brought into a situation that had nothing to do with him.

The accusations did not remain in one place.

They spread through the gathering as students repeated what they had heard, sometimes adding their own opinions to the words.

A few continued watching Ezra’s group as they walked away.

Others turned towards the people arguing with them, eager to defend their own positions.

The subject had changed, but the crowd’s noise had not died down.

"Are these people actually alright in the head?"

Willow Derlis looked at the crowd of arguing students.

She had already grown tired of speaking to them.

Whatever point she had tried to make, the discussion seemed to be going nowhere.

Every response only brought another argument, and the students appeared more interested in shouting their opinions than listening to one another.

She turned and left.

Selena noticed Willow leaving and followed her.

Her chest felt heavy as she continued listening to everything being said about Ezra.

She knew she had to leave, or else...

She might actually be recorded for attacking a fellow student.