Chapter 196 - 'INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY'

WULFRIC stared at the two teenagers in front of him.  The Lancaster brat’s face looked like a mauled sausage.  Although Reas looked a bit better, he still had a bleeding nose, a broken lips, and a blackeye.  It could be soon that the two really gave everything to hurt the other.

“Now, tell me the real reason why this fiasco even happened,” he said in a severe tone of voice. 

Which he had never done.  In his army, only Leland would use this tone.  Because the other was the one who often do the scolding.  He couldn’t believe that there would come a time when he would talk in such a manner. 

He looked at the two culprits and continued, “Don’t even try to make up some lame excuse.  I only want the truth, you hear?”

“After our virtual Mecha battle, Townsend suddenly rushed up to me and punched me for no reason.  Of course, I fought back,” Cyrus Lancaster started explaining.  “That’s how the fight began.” 

Wulfric didn’t give his opinion on that and just turned to Reas who was only standing there silently.  “You don’t have any counter argument?”

Reas only glanced at Wulfric as if saying ‘I was just about to do that, it’s your fault for speaking suddenly’.  And then said in an emotionless voice;

“During our Mecha battle, my thoughts are not transferring properly to the virtual pod.  My movements inside while piloting the Mecha became sluggish.  I knew by then that the virtual pod I’m in was most likely tampered.  I planned to log out immediately because I knew how dangerous it would be to continue the battle with a tampered virtual pod.  But it wouldn’t allow me. 

“It only did so when I was ‘defeated’.  As if it was purposely programmed in that manner.  So as to let everyone see that my opponent has ‘defeated’ me.  Whoever tampered with the virtual pod obviously wanted my opponent to look good by stepping on me.  Making me appear weaker than that person.

“Just Ash said earlier, the only one I could think of who would do something like that is Lancaster.  His cronies had been bothering me these past few days.  I know those fools wouldn’t move unless they were made to believe that troubling me would earn them brownie points with their beloved lord. 

“What happened with the virtual pod was the last straw.  So, I simply beat up Lancaster to make whoever did this know that I’m not afraid of this guy’s family.  That if they ever try to sabotage me again like that, I would give double the damage to the person they’re trying to please.”

Once Reas said all that, Cyrus’ face turned red due to anger and maybe even embarrassment.  “What’s this?  You’re delusion of grandeur?  How could we believe that there really is something wrong with the virtual pod you’re in?  And if that’s really the case, then how are you so sure that it’s related to me or any person around me?  If so, then show me the evidence!  In the first place, how would we even know what virtual pod you will use ahead of time?  This is simply nonsense!  You can’t just blame someone just because you suspected that they did it.  Haven’t you heard of the phrase ‘innocent until proven guilty’?  Would you take the same attitude when you become a soldier?”

Reas only turned to Cyrus and looked at the other straight in the eyes.  “I could have died.”

That properly shut Cyrus up.

It was the reason why Reas snapped.  Tampering a virtual pod could lead to brain damage because a person’s brain was essentially connected to it.  Worst case scenario, a person could even die. 

All he could think of when he realized that someone had tampered with the virtual pod he was using was ‘if he died here in such a useless manner, what would happen to his family?’.  That thought kept on circling inside his head.  It didn’t stop even until he got out of the virtual pod. 

That’s why when he saw Lancaster’s cronies snickering at him, the last thread of sense inside his head just snapped.  The next thing he knew, his fist was already hammering Lancaster’s face.

Cyrus clenched his fists.  When he heard the other say that he could have died, he just clammed up.  Because he knew that there’s a possibility that that could happen.  Even if the possibility was small, the important thing was it indeed could happen.  He didn’t want that.

In the first place, he didn’t even tell those students following him to do something like that.  Although it’s true that he instigated them to make trouble, but those were just for small things.  He just wanted Townsend to feel a bit of discomfort.

He admitted that he was jealous because the other was always the one in the first place while he was always the second.  Yes, it was petty and immature of him to do that.  But even so, he wouldn’t ask someone to do something that could lead to murder just because of his own jealousy.

Wulfric looked at the two.  The Lancaster brat didn’t look guilty.  Instead, he seemed to be angry and frustrated.  Not at Reas but at the situation.  Reas, on the other hand, was still calm and silent.  But he could see in the kid’s teal-gray eyes that he was just holding in his anger. 

“Whether the virtual pod was tampered or not, whether Lancaster had something to do with it or not, I will thoroughly investigate the matter,” he said.  “Everyone involved would be punished accordingly.”  He turned to Reas.  “Go first.  I have something to say to Lancaster.”

“I request for my points to be deducted as punishment for throwing the first punch,” Reas said. 

Even if the reason why he did that was justified, resorting to violence was simply not right.  As much as he hated to admit it, as an aspiring soldier, he should exercise that phrase ‘innocent until proven guilty’. 

Wulfric raised one of his brows in interest..  But he didn’t refuse and just said, “Fine.”