Chapter 12: Innocence Revealed

At the moment I was thinking that way,

Sung Hyun-wook quickly walked up to me.

He flaunted his large build, spreading his lats wide as if to show off, with his hands shoved deep in his pockets, looking down at me as he spoke.

“Ihyeon-seung, you trash criminal bastard, what the hell are you doing here? What the f**k are the guards doing? A guy who got suspended just walks in freely without any control?”

Jeong Eun-seo looked at Sung Hyun-wook with a disgusted expression and said,

“Who do you think you are? Watch your words. If you keep showing such a low attitude, I won’t let it slide.”

Sung Hyun-wook chuckled, scratching his ear at the sound from the side.

“You’re right, but why is someone else making a fuss over it? What? You won’t let it slide? What are you gonna do about it? You’re a little short, yet you’re yapping so loudly.”

Sung Hyun-wook glanced at Jeong Eun-seo, then smirked as he continued,

“Wow, you have a terrible personality, but you’re pretty damn beautiful. Hey, Ihyeon-seung, did you just hang out with girls while suspended? This girl has good taste, liking a stalker like you.”

Jeong Eun-seo shot a glare at Sung Hyun-wook with a look of disgust and muttered,

“You’re like a bug. I’ll make you regret this.”

As she tried to use magic, Ihyeon-seung stopped her and then asked Sung Hyun-wook,

“Do you not know who this person is?”

“Your lackey? What the f**k do I know?”

Ihyeon-seung thought to himself,

‘You don’t know the daughter of the Teor Guild master? What a moron. Since you’re just sucking up to the Artemis Guild, you wouldn’t know how other guilds operate or who their members are.’

Eventually, Ihyeon-seung sought permission from Nam Jin-seok, who was wearing a brown fedora beside him.

“I’m sorry. You came a long way, and I’ve shown you such an ugly scene.”

“It’s fine. It’s not your fault, so I don’t mind.”

Sung Hyun-wook, who was eavesdropping on their conversation, jumped up and shouted,

“Do these crazy bastards ignore people right in front of them? Are you out of your mind? Have you completely lost it? Answer me, you criminal bastard.”

Ihyeon-seung glared at him and replied,

“Stop calling me a criminal. I’m not a criminal.”

“Huh? You’re not a criminal? I don’t think a stalker peeping tom should be saying that.”

“Think whatever you want; you see as much as you know. I came to prove my innocence. So just get lost; I’ll make sure to beat you up later.”

Creak
Sung Hyun-wook gritted his teeth at Ihyeon-seung’s confident response and shouted,

“What the f**k… why are you so confident? Are you out of your mind? I’m Sung Hyun-wook, Sung Hyun-wook. Someone like you, a non-awakened, isn’t someone I can just be treated casually!”

Sung Hyun-wook still doesn’t know the truth. Ihyeon-seung has awakened to a legendary job.

Eventually, Ihyeon-seung passed by Sung Hyun-wook and said,

“You’re not worth responding to. I’m going to the principal’s office to prove my innocence. After that, you can keep yapping if you want.”

Sung Hyun-wook twisted his neck and chuckled.

“Oh really? Is there something great about that? I’ll set the stage for you, so do well.”

Afterward, Sung Hyun-wook began to wildly gather people around him.

“Hey, everyone gather around! That trash Ihyeon-seung claims he’s innocent. Come and see.”

Calling people to witness that a stalker and peeping tom is claiming his innocence, he referred to Ihyeon-seung as trash.

Thanks to Sung Hyun-wook’s commotion, countless people quickly gathered near the principal’s office.

Sung Hyun-wook, amidst the crowd, quietly whispered as he looked at Ihyeon-seung,

“I don’t know what kind of evidence you brought, but your innocence will not be proven. I was originally going to let it slide, but you’re just too annoying. No matter what evidence you bring, I’ll keep digging until the end. You, a non-awakened piece of trash, what kind of grand evidence of innocence could you possibly have?”

Soon after, Yoo Hee-yeon, who had been far away, also arrived at the scene.

Yoo Hee-yeon looked at me with a strongly contorted expression and said,

“What on earth is the reason for this? Evidence has already emerged from your drawer. I’ve felt your dirty gaze on me for a long time. Until now, I’ve let it slide because you’ve only looked a few times, but I couldn’t tolerate you taking pictures and was going to report it, finishing it with a suspension. But you’re still going to be this shameless?”

I suppressed the rising anger as much as possible and spoke logically since there were many witnesses around.

“It’s true that a phone containing secretly taken photos was found in my drawer. However, there is no evidence that the phone belongs to me. The fact that I received punishment without any proper investigation is extremely unfair. Where do they handle things like this? Where does someone get punished without even confirming valid evidence?”

Yoo Hee-yeon sighed and replied, “Evidence? Why would you need that? A phone was already found in your drawer, and I think you’re the culprit. Isn’t that enough?”

“I’ve been saying the same thing. Have you never considered that someone else might have put that phone there? Have you not thought that someone might be trying to frame me?”

“Ha ha ha!” Yoo Hee-yeon laughed loudly in response. “What are you? A spy hidden away by the state? Or maybe a secret agent? Do you really think someone would try to frame an unawakened incompetent like you? Do you realize that’s just an overinflated sense of self?”

Seeing her argue back while maintaining formal language made me think it would be futile to try to persuade her with words.

‘What a foolish girl.’

So, I stopped the conversation and knocked on the door of the principal’s office.

– Knock, knock, knock!

Eventually, the door to the principal’s office opened.

“Why is it so noisy…?” Choi Yi-seul began to say something but, upon making eye contact with Lee Hyun-seung, instinctively averted her gaze.

She thought to herself, ‘Hyun-seung? Why is he here…? His suspension period shouldn’t be over yet…?’

As if to answer her curiosity, Lee Hyun-seung confidently demanded his rights. “Principal, I believe my suspension is unjust. Therefore, I would like to file an appeal. The method of appeal is through ‘examination.’ I will examine the only piece of evidence, the phone, and prove my innocence through it. Please grant me permission to utilize this evidence.”

Currently, the phone containing evidence of the secretly taken photos is stored in a safe at Broad Academy. Only the principal has the authority to open or close that safe. Therefore, whether the principal accepts or denies the appeal is a crucial point.

If she starts making excuses about not being able to retrieve the evidence or says that she cannot reverse an already decided matter, it would leave Hyun-seung in a position where he cannot prove his innocence at all.

Hyun-seung was aware of this. Hence, he pressed Choi Yi-seul hard.

“Principal, I’ve observed you for several months. Your handling of this matter has been strangely emotional and biased. I won’t comment on the fact that you haven’t even conducted a proper examination. It’s not something that can just be hired out since there are very few magicians who can use examination magic. I understand that the academy has its own circumstances. However, do you really think it’s justifiable to suspend me before a proper result has even been reached?”

“It’s normal to think that it’s unjust. Isn’t your educational policy about helping those who are struggling and teaching those who want to learn? I don’t know why, but your actions contradict your educational policy. Why are you making me feel so wronged? I just wanted to learn. I’ve been someone who loves academia more than anyone else. If you have even a shred of conscience left as an educator, please grant me permission to utilize the evidence.”

Lee Hyun-seung was speaking in circles, but his words touched on essential points.

“Why did you handle things that way? Did you bend to outside pressure?”

His words seemed to suggest that, causing Principal Choi Yi-seul to lower her head deeply. Lee Hyun-seung, observing her, thought to himself.

‘This is a crossroads. Choi Yi-seul is inherently kind-hearted and does not expel passionate students. The reason she is behaving like this is obvious. There must have been outside pressure from the Artemis Guild. Of course, that has nothing to do with me. What’s important now is to get her permission to retrieve the evidence from the safe.’

“Principal, please make a decision. If you do not permit the use of the evidence, I will just drop out right here. And I will never walk the path of academia again. I will live my life consumed by this injustice. I might even become a truly heinous criminal. One thing you should know is that whatever happens, it will be because of you. If I don’t get this opportunity, my only chance to prove my innocence will disappear.”

– Creak…

– Murmurs…

The students of Class A gasped in disbelief.

“Wow, look at how that guy is talking… This is serious…”

“Is he crazy? How can he talk to the principal like that?”

The surrounding crowd began to stir. Choi I-seul spoke quietly.

“I find Lee Hyun-seung’s appeal to be valid. The use of the evidence is permitted. However, the scope of its use is limited to the appraisal magic, and it must be conducted in front of everyone.”

Worried that her mind might change, Lee Hyun-seung quickly responded.

“I have brought a magician who can use appraisal magic. The students gathered here can serve as sufficient witnesses, so let’s conduct the appraisal magic right now.”

As Choi I-seul nodded, Yoo Hee-yeon shouted.

“Principal! What are you doing right now?! Are you really giving this criminal another chance? Can you take responsibility for this statement? If the evidence is taken out and lost or damaged, will you be responsible for it? Why are you giving a chance to someone whose guilt is evident?!”

Choi I-seul tightly closed her eyes and drew mana into her hands.

Hooong.
As she spun her hand in a circular motion, a dense aura of mana began to float in the air.

Soon, a cellphone surrounded by a mana barrier descended from the air.

Yoo Hee-yeon glared at the principal and approached her, muttering,

“Principal Choi I-seul, I will not forget your decision. You will have to take proper responsibility for what you just did. While that may be one thing, the Artemis Guild will likely consider your judgment very unfortunate.”

At that moment,

Whooooosh!
The room suddenly brightened.

Nam Jin-seok began to use appraisal magic.

Gulp.
Lee Hyun-seung stared blankly at the spectacle. Before long, the blue light that had been flickering vanished like a lie.

Nam Jin-seok gently stroked his fedora and announced to everyone,

“No fingerprints of Lee Hyun-seung were found on the cellphone. Additionally, there are no traces of his mana either. The existing traces belong to Yoo Hee-yeon and Sung Hyun-wook, along with two unidentified mana traces that do not exhibit signs of life.”

If there are mana traces without signs of life, they likely belong to the minions of the Hileon group that he encountered in the labyrinth.

With an air of confidence, Lee Hyun-seung questioned Nam Jin-seok.

“Thank you for your insights. Based on the magician’s opinion, does this mean that I have never touched that cellphone?”

“Yes. That is correct. Lee Hyun-seung has never touched this cellphone. I guarantee this on my magician’s honor.”

Tada-dadadad!
At that moment, Sung Hyun-wook rushed out from behind and shouted,

“Bullshit! What the hell are you saying? What? No fingerprints or mana traces from Lee Hyun-seung? The fingerprints could have just been wiped off, and he might not have left mana traces because he’s not awakened!”

Nam Jin-seok frowned at Sung Hyun-wook’s rude attitude. However, he replied as politely as possible.

“Even an unawakened person has traces of a minuscule amount of mana. Even newborns have it. Therefore, if he touched the object, he could have wiped his fingerprints, but he couldn’t have erased the mana traces. The absence of mana traces indicates that Lee Hyun-seung has never touched the object.”

Sung Hyun-wook glared at Nam Jin-seok and yelled,

“Is this scammer spouting nonsense because he’s getting paid? That minuscule amount of mana—who are you to judge and guarantee that?”

Koo-gu-gu-gu-guung!
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room began to shift.

Around Nam Jin-seok, a furious whirlwind of mana started swirling.

Swoosh.

Nam Jin-seok, his expression noticeably distorted, removed his hat with his hand and spoke to Sung Hyun-wook.

“I am Nam Jin-seok, an appraiser directly affiliated with the Mage Tower. A scammer? Bribery?”

Sung Hyun-wook likely didn’t know that the magician Lee Hyun-seung brought was an appraiser directly affiliated with the Mage Tower.

His previously calm expression transformed into one that seemed ready to kill. In a chilling voice, he quietly addressed Sung Hyun-wook.

“Are you insulting the authority of the Mage Tower right now?”