The Aether’s Testimony

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became rather peculiar.Applicants who were supposed to attend the trial were still sleeping in, forcing the esteemed Principal Louisa and even the Little Prince Augustus to wait.Augustus frowned, his gaze subtly flicking towards ‘Teacher Luna’.’What exactly is the background of this Aether magic professor?’After a considerable pause, the white-haired loli emerged, rubbing her eyes as she pushed open the door, muttering incessantly, “Loved it, loved it.””Loved it, loved it, don’t ask… Oh.”She blinked, wondering why so many people stood outside the door.”Preposterous!” The teacher who had been most vocal last night slammed a hand onto the table in indignation. “Knowing she was to be judged today, she still slept until now, making us wait all this time!”Suddenly, a chill crept over him.He turned to find Louisa casting a cold, disdainful glance in his direction.Indeed, with so many important figures present, it was hardly his place to speak.Yet, the teacher was utterly bewildered; confronted with such an absurd situation, why was the Principal not angered in the slightest, but instead displeased with ‘his’ outburst?’This loli is a criminal, after all.’Iordera, however, seemed to grasp the situation, quickly turning back to her room to straighten her collar before re-emerging.Several minutes later, Iordera and Sophia once again sat opposite the assembled group, just as they had the day before, positioned to the left and right.The difference was that today, Principal Louisa occupied the main seat, while the Little Prince and several teachers stood deferentially to the side.As for the Crossbowman student, he was relegated to the periphery, barely having the right to stand there if he weren’t directly involved.To begin, without further ado, a teacher stepped forward to detail the injuries sustained by the three students.”One student suffered severe injuries; had he been brought in any later, he would have faced amputation, thankfully, medical attention was prompt.Even so, he will require a cast for the entirety of the upcoming semester.””Another student sustained severe burns to their skin, necessitating careful treatment with ice magic for at least two weeks before they can return to school.””A third student is currently suffering from a concussion, still disoriented and babbling incoherently.”Iordera’s lips twitched; C Language’s (TL Note: A character whose name is a pun on the programming language C, implying they are a straightforward, foundational fighter.) sword strike was undeniably fierce, but as for the last person, she knew exactly what she had done—just a single elbow jab.It was impossible for them to still be unwell.’Clearly, they were feigning madness.’Augustus drew a sharp, audible breath.”This sounds quite serious.Though I’ve only met these students a few times, as fellow classmates, we should always support one another.I hope to see justice served for them.”Iordera’s expression soured considerably.’Listen to him, spouting such eloquent nonsense, exhausting every pretty word in the book.’Louisa pondered for a moment, then stated gravely, “Students being beaten to such an extent on campus is indeed a grave matter.Was this your doing?”Sophia bit her lip, steeling herself.”Actually, the first two were my doing…””Who did it is irrelevant!” Iordera suddenly interjected loudly. “You should be focusing on the cause and sequence of events!”Pointing at the male student, she declared, “These individuals bore a grudge against me, deliberately waiting on the road after school to ambush me, and were the first to launch an attack.For the sake of my own safety—both my life and… certain other aspects of my well-being—I was compelled to act in self-defense.””Self-defense?” The same teacher sneered. “Your self-defense entailed beating them to such a state?”Iordera shrugged her small shoulders.”Yes, I merely retaliated once.”‘Truly, it was just once.'”You lie,” the Crossbowman student retorted furiously. “We did indeed have an unpleasant verbal disagreement earlier today, and because we felt wronged, we merely intended to reason with you after school.Who would have thought you’d resort to physical violence when words failed you?”With both sides presenting conflicting accounts, Principal Louisa turned to Augustus.”Young man, what is your perspective on this?”Augustus lowered his head, pondering for a moment before stating, “I believe that since there are two differing accounts, we should examine the evidence—both witness testimonies and physical proof.”No sooner had he finished speaking than the Crossbowman leaped up.”Precisely!You bear no injuries whatsoever, making your accusations against us utterly baseless.Meanwhile, my three classmates are still hospitalized!”The other teacher chimed in, “The moment I entered, I saw the security guard beating the students.”‘That was an outright fabrication; the fight was clearly over by the time he arrived.’This time, Louisa turned her gaze to Hecate.”Professor Luna, what is your opinion?”Hecate idly twirled a strand of hair, her voice soft.”Hmm… it sounds as though the evidence is quite unfavorable for the security guard and the female student.””Are you siding with the accusers?””Theoretically, yes, or rather, based solely on this evidence, it would indeed appear so,” Hecate said, producing a glass orb from beside her. “However, I possess this.”The other teacher stared, dumbfounded.”What is that?””After the incident last night, I collected some Aether (TL Note: A fundamental, pervasive medium in this world, often associated with magic and various energies.) from around the scene and refined it,” Hecate explained with a gentle smile. “It can display what transpired there within the last hour.”Her voice remained soft, yet the expressions of several individuals present shifted dramatically.Aether, the omnipresent medium in the air, could manifest as space, consciousness, or even pure void.According to a certain ancient text, developing Aether to a certain degree could indeed allow one to retrieve information from the past.”That’s merely theoretical,” the nearby teacher hastily interjected. “In reality, no one can achieve such a feat!””It’s simply that you cannot achieve it, or perhaps you haven’t encountered anyone who can.”Hecate levitated the glass orb into the air, and with a gentle tap, the images and voices of the four male students immediately materialized within.It was plainly visible: they were blocking the path of the security guard loli (TL Note: A young female character, often depicted as small and cute, but not necessarily a child.) as she left work.”My esteemed, nameless teacher, I do believe you possess some capability, though your perspective might be a tad narrow, limiting your imagination,” Hecate’s voice remained utterly gentle. “In such instances, I suggest you spend more time in the library.Of course, this is merely a suggestion.”The teacher was instantly dumbfounded with rage, his mouth agape as he prepared to speak, when suddenly the voices from within the glass orb resonated—”Hey, the little chick should be here soon.””Almost, almost.””So, how do you think we should ‘handle’ her later?””Happily, happily.””Hehehehehe.””…%&…%&…%*&…*&%￥￥!”A string of crude, lewd remarks, potent enough to be censored, instantly darkened the faces of everyone present.The Crossbowman student was so utterly terrified by this turn of events that he collapsed onto the ground, his face ashen, cold sweat beading and trickling down.Augustus’s brow furrowed, his face turning livid.Yet, he quickly recovered, declaring, “What a group of scoundrels!I am ashamed to have even briefly known you!”He then turned to Louisa.”Principal, I fully defer to the opinions of the professors and teachers; there shall be no leniency!”‘Such was the advantage of speaking elegantly beforehand; outwardly, he appeared perfectly decent.’