Chapter 84: The Parent-Teacher Conference
Viva asked the headmaster where Hildegard was, and Leonart spoke while leaning on his cane.
"We placed her on a temporary suspension and sent her to her dorm with a few guards. I can take you there if you want."
Viva nodded thankfully, and Leonart let out a calm sigh as he said his goodbyes to Percy.
"You still haven’t honored my chess invitation, Percival. Hopefully, when things finally settle down into a better mood, we will have time to do just that. I’ll be looking forward to it!"
Percy huffed in amusement, and he waved Leonart away nonchalantly! Viva gave Percy another deep bow, and Percy just smiled at her as she followed Leonart out of the library. Once they left, Percy looked around at the ruined library one more time, and he wondered what sort of game was being played here this time.
Although Hildegard was the only person here who could open the gateway to the world of Gahenna, Percy knew that she was not the sort of person to do something like this. Hildegard was far too introverted and solitary to suddenly snap and kill twenty students at once. But at the same time, Percy couldn’t rule out anything yet. After fighting the demihuman war for more than ten years, Percy had seen manipulative liars that would put the devil himself to shame! Was it possible that Hildegard had been hiding her true nature all this time?
Percy shook his head with a frown.
’I’ll wait to see the result of the investigation before making any decision.’
This was the conclusion Percy reached before he left the library and allowed the officers to secure the area properly.
....
[Two Days Later]
[The Verati Academy Main Assembly Hall]
The main hall was the single largest room in Verati Academy. The hall was located within the main building of the school, and it was where most student, teacher, or parent meetings took place in the academy!
Just yesterday, a student meeting had been called where the names and cause of death of all the students who had passed away in the Hellfire were announced to the public! The reaction from the students was exactly as the teachers predicted it would be! There were many students who showed fear and caution once they heard that this had been caused by [Hellfire], and there were many more students who showed intense anger towards the only person in the school who wielded the [Hellfire] affinity!
A few of the teachers had been against announcing what killed those students, but none of them had a say in this announcement since it had been mandated by law that every incident involving a third-class magical risk or higher would be announced to the public! Rosaline had commented on how horrible that rule was since it only painted a target on Hildegard’s back, but she was largely ignored since the law wouldn’t be changed for anyone!
And now that the student assembly was finished, it was time for the parents to have a meeting regarding what had happened in the library. The parents whose children had been killed by the explosion were informed of their children’s deaths the previous day, and Percy heard that they had been inconsolable! The children had been taken to the morgue by the City Guard for a magical autopsy, and both Viva and the headmaster had been the ones in charge of telling the parents what had happened.
"I couldn’t even look some of them in the eyes. They looked devastated. I don’t know how I’d react if I learned my child was killed in school."
Viva had come back to tell Percy how things went, and this was what stuck with Percy most of all. There was no way to bring people back from the dead after they were gone – at least, there was no normal way to do that – so Percy knew those parents would have to live with the knowledge that they had lost their children for the rest of their lives!
Right now, Percy was sitting in the teachers’ section of the large assembly hall while waiting for the meeting to begin. There were thousands of parents sitting across the hall. They filled all the seats on the ground floor as well as the seats up on the balcony looking down on the main stage. All the teachers had also been called to attend the meeting, and that was the only reason why Percy went out of his way to come here!
Beside him, Rosaline had her hands folded across her chest while waiting, and Percy could tell that she was not looking forward to the reaction of the parents at all! Most of the parents already knew what had happened, but the moment the headmaster gives the official announcement, there would be a mob calling for Hildegard’s blood!
"This isn’t right! Why do we have to make this announcement before the investigation is even finished?"
Rosaline suddenly muttered in a low voice while looking towards Percy, and Percy hummed when he realized that she wanted him to give her an answer. Percy shrugged and said that it was the law, and Rosa clicked her tongue.
"The law is bullshit. Verati would never allow something like this to happen."
Percy hummed.
"Is that so..."
In truth, Percy didn’t really mind what was happening one way or another. Percy knew that this meeting was going to put a lot of pressure and hatred on Hildegard’s shoulders, and she would likely suffer from it, but at the same time, Percy knew that it would not be right to hide something so serious from the other parents. Hellfire wasn’t some joke that you could just pretend wasn’t dangerous. If there really was an incident concerning something so serious, then the parents had every right to know so they could decide what is best for their children’s future!
"Have you found out anything about what happened?"
Percy spoke up all of a sudden while watching some of the academic stakeholders taking their seats on the stage. Rosa was a little caught off guard by the sudden question, but she eventually deflated and shook her head!
"No, not yet. I’ve been looking into the Hellfire affinity to see what could’ve gone wrong with Hildegard’s powers, but I can’t find much on it. And since the City Guards took over the investigation, they’re not letting anyone talk to Hildegard for a few days so they can question her properly."
Percy nodded, and he decided to ask Viva later if she had gotten any new information about this!
Pew! Pew!
"Greetings, everyone. Please can I have your attention?"
Someone finally walked up to the podium on the large stage and let out a few blasts of mana into the air with their finger. The mana blast exploded harmlessly in the air like fireworks, and that was enough for everyone in the room to turn their attention towards the mature woman with greying black hair and thin glasses. She had on a long robe that covered most of her figure, and the moment Percy saw the gloves on her hands, he immediately knew that she was someone who handled potions regularly!
This was Rebecca Strauss, the professor in charge of Advanced Herbology and Natural Potions at the Academy as well as the Deputy Headmistress of Verati Magic Academy. Once she got up on stage, the hall fell silent as they gave her their attention, and Rebecca nodded as she spoke.
"I will not waste your time with pointless pleasantries. We have all gathered today for one purpose, and it is the most important purpose for each and every one of us. On the third Wednesday of the month after the full lunar cycle, there was an incident in the secondary library located in the third tower of the Verati Magic Academy."