Chapter 29 Vile accusation.

Chapter 29: Chapter 29 Vile accusation.

Rose leaned forward, her voice sharp with disbelief. "What is she talking about? We didn’t see who the monster was." Lamia nodded firmly in support. But when they turned to Noah, his face had gone completely white, as if something invisible held him down.

"Noah, are you okay? Why are you sweating under the air conditioner?" Rose tried to reach over and feel his forehead, but Damian stopped her with a low snarl that made her flinch back.

"Okay, Noah, you have some explaining to do. What the fuck is that attitude for?" She was about to press further when Mrs. Danielle called Sylvia up to the stage.

"You mean the person is here among the crowd where we can see them?" Sylvia nodded confidently, and Noah felt his entire body burn with anxiety. Now he was going to get expelled for real. How could he possibly defend himself against this kind of accusation?

"Then this is a serious claim. I hope you understand the offense of lying. Privilege or not, that doesn’t mean you can accuse anyone and walk away unscathed." The warning rang clearly through the hall, but Sylvia kept her head held high. She was determined to push forward.

"I know exactly what I’m saying. It happened right before my eyes." Gasps rippled through the crowd. Damian had already grabbed onto Noah in fear, draping an arm over his shoulder and burying his face into Noah’s jacket.

Noah tried to push him away gently, but he couldn’t. Deep down, he regretted coming to the assembly. He wished he had stayed asleep and faced the consequences of missing it later rather than enduring this public nightmare.

"You’re alright. Nothing will happen. I’ll be your alibi," Damian whispered. Noah didn’t understand why seeing Damian like this placed such a heavy weight on his chest.

"You’re just going to make yourself seem suspicious. What if it’s not you?" Damian still refused to lift his head from Noah’s lap. Meanwhile, Killian watched the entire exchange with intense focus, clearly putting the pieces together.

"Are you three hiding something?" Noah’s soul nearly left his body. He had completely forgotten Killian was still sitting right there while they discussed the sensitive topic.

"No, Killian. It’s just that Damian is having an allergic reaction that’s messing with his head, and I’m trying to offer comfort." Marcus nodded quickly beside Noah—almost too quickly. The response felt rigid and rehearsed, and Killian didn’t seem fully convinced.

"Speak up. Name the person. The punishment will be worse than anything he or she ever imagined. Whoever shattered this school’s peace and turned it into a nightmare zone deserves it." Danielle poured out her frustration, blaming the accused for triggering the full moon’s reaction. Noah felt a cold dread settle in his stomach. Whoever ended up pinned for this would be doomed for life.

"Aren’t you going to talk? Do it now! Don’t pity the person—they deserve to suffer." At that moment, Sylvia’s eyes began to wander slowly across the crowd. Noah’s throat tightened with each passing second.

Her strategy was deliberate. It looked like she was searching carefully, as if the culprit could be anywhere, but Noah recognized the tactic. He had watched enough movies, series, and read plenty of novels to spot the cinematic stall. She was building tension on purpose.

Then her gaze landed directly on him. Noah glanced behind himself in confusion, wondering if someone stood there. To his shock and horror, she pointed straight at him.

"It’s Ashton Lane, right there."

The entire hall fell silent. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as heads turned toward Ashton—Noah. Murmurs erupted almost immediately.

"But he saved us, didn’t he? It can’t be him. Maybe she was wrong." One girl spoke up in his defense, but another voice quickly cut in to undermine it.

"After that so-called rescue, he disappeared with the monster. Where exactly did he go?" Noah went rigid. It seemed people had conveniently forgotten—or chosen to ignore—the stunt where he had vanished alongside the creature. He hadn’t even understood how he did it at the time. They had stopped talking about it, and he had foolishly believed he was safe. Now, at the worst possible moment, it resurfaced.

"Yes, and his powers. That kind of ability has never been recorded among any students before. How did he suddenly get it? He was powerless, so it means he truly isn’t innocent." Rose immediately stood up in his defense, with Lamia joining her.

"Are you all insane? He saved every one of us. He put himself in danger to rescue us, and this is how we repay him? He isn’t the killer. Sylvia, how cold can you be? Isn’t it obvious that the monster attacked us and killed Mrs. Marie? If it was him, why would he still be sitting here with us?" Rose demanded. Sylvia glared back at her with pure anger before responding.

"Because that’s what they want us to think. It’s the plan—to divide and mislead. That’s what serial killers do." Rose was fuming, completely fed up with Sylvia getting her way.

"So you’re applying film logic here now? What are you, a toddler?" The back-and-forth grew more heated, and Noah watched as Rose fought his battle for him.

Killian’s hand stretched forward, his voice low but firm. "I can help you, but you have to tell me what’s really going on. Do you know about the monster? Does any of you know? Because I know Mrs. Danielle, and she will escalate this. It might even reach the higher authorities, like the emperor." Noah gulped at the implication. He understood that knowledge about Damian being the monster could land him in serious trouble, but Sylvia orchestrating this public attack hadn’t been part of any plan.

"There’s nothing to hide. I don’t know about any monster." Damian suddenly stood up to defend Noah before he could stop him.

"Sylvia, stop acting like a jealous child and keep your tantrums to yourself. It’s because we’re focusing our attention elsewhere that you’re taking this so hard." He spoke flatly. Danielle stared at all of them one by one, her expression unreadable.

"So all of you are supporting Ashton? Isn’t he the notorious boy who has caused so much pain to different students? Like electrocuting one guy almost to death, among many other terrible incidents I’ve lost count of. Also, wasn’t he powerless? What happened?" Danielle’s eyes narrowed. Noah knew it was his cue. He took a deep breath and spoke.

"I don’t know exactly what happened. I just started doing magic, and it came to me last night." Danielle nodded, clicked her tongue, and clapped her hands sharply.

"All of you are coming to my office." Killian stood up as well.

"He didn’t do anything, so he shouldn’t have to go anywhere." But Danielle only laughed.

"Put this same energy into catching monsters and following the right path. With Sylvia, I don’t know why you’re suddenly following a weak omega, but just come to my office." Noah’s face tightened at the blatant insult. People were already starting to doubt him. Fresh rumors spread like wildfire, with whispers calling him the secret killer. Out of pure rage, he walked out with his fists clenched tightly.

He had reached his limit. Since arriving at the academy, he had tolerated Sylvia, but this was unforgivable. What if he got expelled for something he didn’t do?

"Ashton, I want to talk to you." Marcus followed him out. Noah stopped and glared at him.

"You know this is your fault, right? Why did you guys have to involve me? And you didn’t even stand up to defend me. Just stay away, please. I just want to be alone. Can I at least have that?" Marcus looked at him with a pained expression, struggling to find the right words.

"I’m not used to this, but let me be there for you. Please don’t walk away." The assembly had ended, and now vicious glares followed Noah from every direction.

"Well, go thank your beautiful girl. Not only did she embarrass me, but she made me the most hated person in the academy. So tell her she won. She can have you back. It’s not like I was fighting for any of you anyway." With those final words, Noah stormed off, his purple hair swaying behind him as he moved.