Chapter 253: Fallout

(Seven Days Later, Principal Boseman’s POV)

Principal Boseman sat inside his office with his head buried in his palms, knowing full well that today might very well be his last day as the Principal of the Imperial Academy.

Over the past seven days, his life had unraveled spectacularly, all because of his decision to allow Duke Dawnriver to leave the Academy with his son, without offering any resistance.

On one hand, Boseman had no regrets about prioritizing the lives of his staff members over Imperial protocol, as he firmly believed that confronting the Duke would have resulted in unnecessary bloodshed.

However, on the other hand, by allowing Drew to walk away after assaulting the Chief Imperial Inquisitor and murdering two Imperial officers, Boseman had practically destroyed his credibility in the eyes of the Emperor and the countless noble families who had entrusted their children’s futures to the Academy.

And the consequences had been nothing short of disastrous.

Within days of the incident, the West Duke had personally arrived at the Imperial Academy to retrieve his son, Gary Ironveil, from the infirmary, making it abundantly clear that he no longer trusted the institution with his son’s safety.

Following his example, numerous Counts, Marquises, Viscounts, and even Barons had begun arriving at the Academy, demanding the immediate withdrawal of their children before another tragedy could unfold.

All in all, 125 of the 400 first-year students and another 40 of the 400 second-year students had officially withdrawn from the Imperial Academy, with countless others threatening to follow suit unless the administration could provide satisfactory assurances regarding their safety.

And as Boseman stared at the mountain of increasingly hostile letters scattered across his desk, many of which bore the official seals of the Imperial Government, he couldn’t help but wonder whether the next one would finally demand his resignation.

"Haaaah... Where the hell did I go wrong?"

Boseman muttered, as he leaned back against his chair and stared towards the ceiling, desperately searching for an answer to a question that had been tormenting him for the better part of a week.

Even now, he struggled to imagine what he could have done differently, although what troubled him considerably more was the fact that the Rabid Dog Jack Sullivan apparently believed that he had committed several serious violations of standard academy protocol.

For the past seven days, that damned investigator had been snooping around every corner of the Academy, questioning professors, examining records, and interrogating everyone associated with the events of Black Week.

And much to Boseman’s growing frustration, Jack had begun treating the Academy administration itself as though it were somehow involved in a conspiracy surrounding the twenty-one murders.

"So you’re telling me, Principal, that your Vice Principal casually announced he had a Truth Orb in his possession, and you never once thought to ask where the bloody thing came from?"

Jack had demanded during their most recent interrogation, his expression growing increasingly hostile as Boseman struggled to explain himself.

"You didn’t question how he obtained it, didn’t bother verifying whether its use had been authorized, and apparently had no objections whatsoever to interrogating a student with an artifact that this institution wasn’t even supposed to possess.

And you expect me to believe that?

What the hell are you hiding, Principal? Who exactly are you trying to protect?"

Even recalling those accusations made Boseman’s blood boil, as throughout his career he had prided himself on maintaining the Academy’s neutrality, regardless of the political influence wielded by the families of its students.

He had genuinely believed that the questioning of Riven Dawnriver had been conducted fairly, and yet Jack Sullivan had interrogated him with the same suspicion and ruthlessness that he would have shown an actual criminal.

’Who the hell does that bastard think he is? I’m supposed to be on his side!’

Boseman thought bitterly, as he rubbed his temples and glanced once again towards the unanswered letters scattered across his desk.

’I am a radiant rank ascendant, I could leave this institute tomorrow and join a sect as an elder.

I don’t need this life....’

He told himself, and yet, he also knew deep down in his heart that he did not wish to end his tenure in disgrace.

However, what currently bothered him even more than his inevitable removal was the fact that Jack’s investigation was gradually shifting away from the massacre itself and towards the decisions made by the Academy’s leadership.

And with every passing day, Boseman found himself growing increasingly concerned that he might ultimately be forced to shoulder the blame for crimes he had never even committed.

’If I quit now, I might be implicated for crimes I never even committed.

And for that reason, I must stay.’

He told himself, as begrudgingly, he opened another letter and forced himself to read through the cruel words, as he continued to serve the academy as a principal should.

—-----------

(Meanwhile, Vice Principal Chadwick’s POV)

While Principal Boseman was merely disturbed by the possibility of losing his position, Vice Principal Chadwick found himself on the verge of making an irreversible decision, as the events of the past seven days had left him increasingly convinced that his own life was in danger.

After being repeatedly interrogated by Jack Sullivan and having every letter he had sent to the Prime Minister’s office go unanswered for six consecutive days, Chadwick had begun to suspect that the Imperial Government was deliberately distancing itself from him.

And the more he thought about it, the more he feared that the Emperor’s administration was preparing to sacrifice him like a disposable pawn.

’After everything I’ve done for those bastards, is this really how they’re going to repay me?’

Chadwick wondered bitterly, as he paced around his office while scratching his beard, unable to understand why the very people who had entrusted him with such a sensitive responsibility were now refusing to acknowledge his existence.

’Drew Dawnriver practically spat in the Emperor’s face, assaulted his personal investigator, and walked away without suffering any immediate consequences, yet I’m the one being treated like a bloody criminal?

Are they seriously planning to throw me under the bus? Are they going to make me take the blame for possessing a Truth Orb that they themselves sent me?’

The thought made Chadwick’s stomach churn, especially when he recalled the questions Jack Sullivan had asked him during their most recent interrogation.

"Tell me something, Vice Principal. When you questioned Riven Dawnriver, were you actually trying to establish the truth, or were you hoping the boy would take the blame regardless of what the evidence suggested?"

Those words had troubled Chadwick more than any other accusation, as they suggested that the Chief Imperial Inquisitor knew nothing about the instructions he had received from the Prime Minister’s office.

’What the hell did he mean by that? Wasn’t he informed about the plan? Wasn’t Riven supposed to take the blame? Wasn’t that what the Emperor wanted?’

Chadwick wondered, as he stopped pacing and slowly turned towards his office window, his expression growing increasingly pale as another possibility began taking shape in his mind.

If Jack Sullivan had genuinely been sent to investigate the massacre without knowing anything about the Prime Minister’s involvement, then perhaps the Imperial Government had never intended to protect Chadwick in the first place.

Perhaps he had simply been useful for as long as he could carry out their instructions, and now that everything had gone wrong, they were preparing to dispose of him before he could reveal what he knew.

’Should I run? Should I disappear before those bastards decide to silence me forever?’

Chadwick wondered, as he nervously began biting his nails, his gaze wandering towards the distant Academy walls while he considered the possibility of abandoning everything he had worked so hard to achieve.

’I know too much. I know that the Prime Minister’s office wanted to systematically eliminate the Dawnriver heirs, and if I ever confessed to that, the entire Imperial court would be thrown into chaos.

They can’t afford to let me talk. And if they can’t afford to let me talk, then why the hell would they let me live?’

The realization sent a cold shiver down his spine, as Chadwick finally began to understand just how precarious his position had become.

For while Duke Drew Dawnriver was influential enough to punch an Imperial investigator and dare to wait for the consequences, a mere pawn like him could very well pass away in his sleep tonight.