510 Chapter 510: Punishmen (1/2)
I felt as if I was standing trial, my solitary figure hunched over a table as I patiently awaited the surrounding teachers to pass judgement. Said teachers were seated in a rough semicircle around me, while at the center of, right opposite my forlorn figure, was a huge desk where the headmistress, Teresa Taylor, presided. Like a judge, she watched me sagely, her eyes devoid of pity.
To the side stood a guilty Kufa Van Peer, who had already received his sentence and was hanging his head in shame. He had confessed his crimes and was now repenting. On either side of him were two students from the disciplinary committee, standing taut and ready to whack him if he so much as displayed a single sign of resistance.
Yeah, the whole scene resembled a session in court. If I were a bit bolder, I would be pointing animatedly and yelling, ”OBJECTION!” like the famous game lawyer in a blue suit and had fancy hair.
Teresa Taylor studied me for a moment before finally passing her sentence.
”20 points from Gryffindor.”
”Excuse me?!”
”That's your punishment, a deduction of points from your house. You didn't think you could get away with breaking the rules, did you?”
”Um, that's not the problem here! I'm not protesting to being punished for breaking the rules, but I don't belong to any house! And even if I did, wouldn't Hufflepuff be more suitable for an average, plain person like me?”
”Don't be ridiculous. Just look into the mirror. You look much more like Harry Potter than Cedric Diggory.”
Okay, I had to give her that. I was wearing glasses and had messy black hair, after all.
”Stop this nonsense.” A male teacher in his mid-forties said sharply. He reminded me of a male version of Professor Minerva McGonagall for some reason, what with his strict and serious composure. I recognized him as Fu Xiao Zhang, the vice-principal of Saint Teresa Academy. Finally, someone who was going to take this trial seriously. ”Harry Potter was like so ten years ago.”
I was stupid for ever thinking that I could believe in the teachers.
”Says who?” Teresa Taylor retorted in a strong voice that belied her advanced age. ”Did you not hear that Ms. Rowling has just released an eighth book a few years ago? Granted, it's not exactly the 8th book, but it's still a sequel to the Harry Potter series that supposedly ended 13 years ago.”
Uh, if we wanted to be consistent, the legendary Harry Potter series and its sequels were all published about a millennium ago. But let's not allow consistency and logic to get in the way of fourth wall breaking now, shall we?
”Will the both of you cut it out?” An elderly female teacher cut in crossly. ”Now's not the time to be bickering over literary relics of the ancient past. Can you take the matter more seriously, Headmistress?”
Teresa Taylor immediately adopted a grave expression and looked down at me in an intimidating manner, as if the earlier conversation had not occurred at all. I didn't know whether she wanted to be Albus Dumbledore or Unohana Yachiru (the badass version). The old lady was switching between them as suddenly as a model changing underwear for gravure shots.
”Student Richard, you do understand the reason why you're being punished, don't you?”
Yes, indeed. For breaking school rules and getting involved in an unauthorized mission without permission. Even if I did it to save someone, the fact remained that I had flouted one of the regulations that clearly and specifically warned students not to get involved in missions not authorized by the school unless they had obtained permission in advance.
”I understand that you did it with good intentions, to save a friend. Hence your punishment will not be as heavy as the usual sentence we hand out to more blatant culprits. And you were dragged into this by Kufa Van Peer.” She nodded in Kufa's direction, and he flinched visibly. ”So unlike him, you will be spared the corporal punishment.”
Yay. That meant no getting my ass caned in front of the whole school. I was mentally steeling myself for the embarrassment, but it seemed I needn't had bothered. Come to think of it, Kufa only received two lashes of the whip, and they didn't use canes in this day and age anyway. At least I wouldn't be whipped like poor Kufa.
”But you'll be stripped of your privileges and be put on probation for a week, just like Student Kufa. No going anywhere after school. You are to return straight home and adhere to a strict curfew. Let's say you must be home by 7pm for the next week. Think of it as a house arrest.”
Great. It wasn't that big of a loss. I wasn't the socially active type, so not going out didn't bother me much. In fact, I did nothing but go home straight after school to either train or teach Adrian and Melina, so this didn't really make a difference in my life.
Still, what was with this court-like scene being enacted out in front of the whole school? While the teachers and Teresa Taylor stood before me, the entire student population of the high school division was watching from the back of the hall, chattering to themselves in amusement.
This was downright humiliating. Then again, that was probably the point.
Sighing, I stared upward at Teresa Taylor.
”Why didn't you just…kill me?”
”You don't fear death. You welcome it. Your punishment must be more severe.”
Seriously? First Dumbledore, then Unohana Yachiru, and now Bane? Who's next, Greyworth Ciel Mais from Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance?
There was a ripple of laughter from the students, but Teresa Taylor silenced them with a glare. She turned back to me and smacked her hammer against the desk.
”Dismissed. This court session is adjourned.”
And so my 1-week punishment began.
”I'm so sorry!”
Kufa Van Peer was bowing his head so low I almost swore that it was touching the desk. He had come to my classroom to apologize, much to my chagrin. Everyone was watching us and whispering, a situation that caused me no small amount of discomfort.
This was particularly after Kufa had received two lashes in front of the school earlier, and I felt sorry for him. He didn't seem to be in pain – corporal punishment was nothing to us mages. Our bodies were too tough for whips to damage. That said, the humiliation was a more effective punishment than the agony.
”No need to apologize. You were just concerned about Saya, after all.” I felt uncomfortable under all the stares from my classmates. Good thing Teacher Einsberg hadn't arrived yet, or he would also be watching this whole scene play out in bemusement. Clearing my throat, I tried to change the topic. ”So, what's your relationship with Saya?”
Immediately the girls in class leaned over, as if to eavesdrop on our conversation. Kufa didn't seem to notice, probably because he was more focused on apologizing to me. He blinked, and then glanced away.
”Uh, well…”