Suddenly, he used his hand to comb his hair backwards as though overwhelmed with the entire situation.
I would have fallen prey to his words if I had not been smart enough to connect the dots and understand that he was also involved in this scheme.
"Don’t you have anything to say, Ezekiel? If you don’t speak up, I will be forced to believe that you possess such degraded morals and, of your own volition, choose to indulge in an inconceivable act of preying on your fellow classmate," Fredric said.
"I will, as such, take this matter to the administration."
He tapped his finger against his elbows.
"And if you are found guilty, you will be expelled. And I assure you that no academy will touch you."
I finally understood why they had gone through the trouble of devising these awful schemes.
Their goal was to expel me from the Grand Avalon Academy and ensure that I was unable to enter into any other Hero Academy. This was tantamount to ensuring that I would never become a Hero.
The way to get out of this mess would be to move to another shelter and undergo the difficulties of signing up for a new academy.
By then, my peers would already be far ahead of me.
This would grant them the ability to suppress me further if they still see me as a threat.
Nonetheless, I wasn’t terrified of their threats.
This was a tiny issue compared to the cruelty I had to face within the Zahara Clan, except the stakes were just as high.
"Thank you for giving me a chance to speak, Mr. Fredric," I said.
"Go ahead," Fredric responded with a subtle smile that I would have missed if I had not been paying close attention to him.
Regardless, I nodded and responded, "I was returning to the boy’s dorm when I encountered her at the gate, tired and drunk. I told her that I would go in to get the dorm supervisor so he could help her."
"But just as I stepped through the gate, she tackled me to the ground and started crying. I tried to free myself, but then she wept even more profusely. That was when you all emerged. I am certain that you saw her clinging onto me."
"Is that all had transpired, Ezekiel?" Fredric asked.
I responded with a firm nod.
"Okay," Fredric nodded.
He turned to look at Ivory. "Now, let’s hear what Miss Ivory has to say and see if her words coincide with yours."
Ivory, however, didn’t utter a word. She wept dramatically.
I remained silent, ignoring the hateful gazes from the three boys directed towards me.
At the same time, I was curious about how the event would play out.
I had spent a considerable part of my new life in reclusion.
Apart from training, moments were the only times I would be entertained without having to lift a finger.
This time, they even had a guest actor as an instructor of the most prestigious hero academy in the Thunder Sky fortress.
It should be entertaining at the very least.
Fredric’s expression softened. "Ivory, take a deep breath and exhale. Try to relax," he said, his tone soft and gentle. "Take your time, then explain to us what had transpired?"
Ivory nodded. She wiped away her tears with a handkerchief that had been given to her by one of the boys and took time to inhale and exhale.
Then, she stood up from her seat.
With an expression filled with a mixture of hatred, indignation and disgust, she pointed a finger at me.
"He’s lying. He had met me privately to confess feelings to me. I told me I wasn’t interested, but he said that he would commit suicide if I continued to refuse, saying that he would have reason to live anymore."
"Because I couldn’t bear to carry such a weight, I pitied him. I told him that I would think about it."
"He told me to meet him privately when I was ready to give him an answer; I should wait by the boy’s dorm gate side, where we would easily run into one another as he returned from his nightly training."
"When I saw him. I said no. That’s when he attacked me. After we sensed several footsteps heading our way, he proceeded to run away, but I gathered myself and stopped him from fleeing."
"If it wasn’t for the fact that you guys came right on time. I would have.... Hiccc!! Hiccc!!" Her cheeks were flooded with tears as her profuse weeping continued.
I realized that they had been secretly observing my movements.
This explained how they managed to execute their plan so flawlessly.
The boys, flanking her like bodyguards, comforted her.
The intensity of their hateful gaze intensified as they stared at me.
Ivory collapsed on her knees. "Mr Fredric, please, give me justice. He should be expelled. No! Imprisoned so that he can never put any woman through such a harrowing experience again." Her voice was tinged with hatred and cracked with emotion.
Fredric let out a long, withdrawn sigh meant to sound sympathetic. "Ivory, you made several mistakes in your judgement. First, when Ezekiel threatened to take his life after your rejection, you should have reported it to the faculty member."
"Second, knowing his question reputation, you shouldn’t have met him alone. You should have gone with several of your friends."
"However, I will not blame you for trusting him. You obviously had no idea that he had such vile intentions about you in mind."
Vile intentions? Really?
Fredric gestured for her to sit.
"I will do my best to ensure you get the justice that you deserve," he continued, "Please take a seat. After we are done here, you will be taken to the infirmary to be treated for any injuries you might have sustained."
With the help of her loyal supporters, Ivory returned to her seat.
Her red and puffy gaze, tinged with venom, locked on mine.