Chapter 57

A commotion surged in the conference room in an instant.

The dean, who was trying his best to sort out the situation, was stunned out of bewilderment.

Witchcraft.

The moment it got stigmatized as heresy, this case would become so large that it would be almost impossible to control.

In which the situation of accusing a young lady that entered the Duchy’s family registry as a culprit would be far better.

His lips trembled as if he couldn’t understand this current situation.

It was the same with the professors.

If there was someone between these people who were in contact with witchcraft, then there was no doubt that they were a very talented actor.

Who knows if this problem will turn out to be unrelated to other people inside this academy.

If this problem was not related to the professors with influence in this academy, then this could be a problem from the Beryl Family or Trevor’s individual action.

I myself hoped that was the case, and supposed so.

There was nothing I could do about getting attention since I brought Orion in this case, but there was nothing good if this case got too big to handle.

“That is impossible, Sir Bishop. Witchcraft?”

The theology professor shook his head with a confused face.

“I couldn’t feel anything . . . !”

His face was showing that it was impossible for him to not know if the students he taught used witchcraft because, despite not having divine power, he was teaching the theory.

The bishop walked past him as if not caring of his statement and called me.

“Miss Marianne.”

“Yes.”

As I slowly lowered my body, greeting him politely, he nodded with a mild face.

“There is a reason for you to have such a suspicion, right?”

“On the day when Mister Trevor collapsed in this academy, I felt tired and had a headache that I slept all afternoon as if passing out. When I woke up, I found an item I had turned into like this.”

I put the blackened locket necklace on top of the bishop’s palm.

Because he was a bishop, he probably could feel the remaining faint trace of the divine power there.

His eyebrows wriggled after his hand held my necklace.

“It was a necklace imbued with divine power that I received from my acquaintance when I was a child. Because I knew how precious that item was, I never took it off me even for a second.”

At my half truth, half lie statement, the bishop examined the locket and looked at me with an odd gaze.

It was as if he knew that was not the whole story.

However, as I feigned innocence and kept my silence, he nodded, agreeing with my statement instead of asking more.

“Indeed, this is an item with divine power in it.”

The bishop’s gaze directed to the one behind me.

I myself also stared at Abigail Frey, who was trembling pitifully with a clueless face.

She was already in a fright from the murderous intent emanated from the Duchy’s knights lining up behind me.

I calmly explained the situation back then.

“Right on the day where it is said that Mister Trevor was attacked by me, Miss Abigail showed severe animosity to me even before she knew me. I find her behavior of defaming me only with strong belief without proof to be difficult to understand.”

I could understand that she could be irritated by me as I was a commoner while she was an aristocrat to the bone.

On top of that, it was true that I had spoken with Trevor before the accident.

Still, was it possible for a mere student to nonchalantly lie in a hearing that was attended by so many people?

While she was smoothly explaining the fabricated situation, there was no sign of doubt, anguish, or even falsehood in her face.

It was as though she truly believed that I was the culprit.

What was it that made the honor student Abigail Frey to be sure that I was the culprit based on such crude logic?

“N-no. It is not. Professor . . .!”

She shook her head hard and turned her body, trying to run away.

She desperately looked around, but all the professors who gave her endless trust before, turned away from her.

Sir Rune came closer and lifted a sword to her neck.

Stealthy, on top of being fast.

That probably must be very humiliating for her who had been living boastfully as a noble.

She looked very frightened as if she couldn’t even notice that.

Supposing that Abigail Frey is being used . . .

Wouldn’t it also be possible to hypothesize that it was because someone had strongly influenced or planted thoughts in her mind? Thoughts that claimed that it was my fault that Trevor received the curse in reverse?

There was a possibility that the marionette curse wasn’t used on me alone.

I hoped the pale professors sat on the side to not talk big about believing her words.

Because such a thing was proof that they had no nature to be a teacher.

They only applied the needed testimony that matched the situation without investigating it.

Sir Bishop patted my shoulder before slowly moving his steps.

He spoke to the professors.

“We just need to verify it.”

His steps stopped before Abigail Frey.

When he reached out his hand, Abigail hiccupped with a frightened face.

Two knights held her still roughly when she tried to step back.

It was impossible for a body that was never trained to escape those hands.

“Relax, Young Lady. If you’re not influenced by witchcraft, then nothing will happen.”

Faint light began to gather on the bishop’s hand while he said that gently.