Heaven's Greatest Professor

Chapter 118: Punishment

The moment June entered the elder's office, she knew what it was all about even though they only requested her presence without giving a reason. The smug look on the face of the junior professor, Torin Walt, was evident enough for her to guess.

So, he's finally back, she thought, and decided to create trouble for the Warden.

Other than the junior professor, two elders held the seat: Elder Pavlov, the oldest among all the elders, was in charge of discipline, and Elder Medwin, who looked even older, though he was a century younger than Elder Pavlov. He was in charge of public relations.

Elder Vess, responsible for the Treasury and Acquisition, already had too much on her plate to be informed about this. Elder Allen, in a similar case, was dealing with administration. Lastly, there was the enigmatic Elder Hiroko, who mostly detached from everything. June had been in this academy for a couple of years, and she could count on her fingers how many times she had seen him talk.

"Welcome, Professor June," Elder Pavlov said. "Please take a seat. This might take a while."

She narrowed her eyes but accepted the offer, taking a seat across from the table while Torin Walt stood on the side.

"There has been a complaint about your oversight," Elder Pavlov said. "Professor Walt claims he was wrongfully subjugated on duty by a highly suspicious and deadly individual. Instead of helping the professor, you decided to band together with the suspicious individual and even led him to our academy, offering him a post for a combat instructor. Is that correct?"

"I merely recommended him," June said in a tight voice. "The end decision is on the academy board. As for Professor Walt's claim, I would suggest the elders make a thorough investigation before deciding anything."

"We have made all the investigations we need," Elder Pavlov claimed. "Although Professor Walt might have acted a little out of place, considering his state of being with young students, he deemed it necessary to subjugate the suspicious person before he could decide any better."

"That reminds me, where is that person?" Elder Medwin said. "The new combat instructor, what is his name again? I am sure he was also summoned to turn up into this meeting as well."

"He is not in the academy at this moment," June said. "He will probably be back tomorrow."

Walt clicked his tongue in distaste, while the elder of the disciplinary narrowed his eyes. "For recommending an unlawful person to our prestigious academy," he said, "we can cancel your privilege of taking combat instructors under you from next year, you know."

June didn't necessarily need such privilege, but she would still like to recommend good seeds into the academy. Moreover, how the elder was deciding everything without hearing her pissed her already.

"Elder Pavlov, please enlighten me on what you deem as unlawful," she asked.

"You need to ask that question?" Torin Walt cut in. "I literally saw him bury a dozen corpses in broad daylight. And when I asked him for his arcane society badge, he said he did not have one. Do you want to hear more? How about when I asked him to surrender himself, he attacked me in front of my students, and the guildsmen. All of them can testify in my case."

"The combat instructor really has a suspicious background," Elder Medwin commented. "We should have checked thoroughly before deciding to select such a person."

"Warden was in a unique situation back then," June said, choosing each word carefully. "He had fought a whole dungeon by himself that day to save a village. And when he came back, he found bandits sacking the village. He decided to do what was best at the moment, which was essentially not even his job."

She eyed the junior professor with a tangible weight in her voice. "It was your job to protect the village and take care of the beast surge that has been going on. Where were you at that time? You were supposed to be there a week ago. But instead, you finally show yourself when everything is taken care of, and now you want justice? For what exactly?

That someone did your job for you while you were messing around the whole time?"

"I have already written a letter of reparation for my delay with the reasons," Torin Walt said, gritting his teeth. "I don't have to explain anything to you."

June had filed a complaint about the conduct of this junior professor to the disciplinary. That was more than 10 days ago, when she just came back to the academy from the expedition. However, she hadn't heard anything from it, as the Disciplinary Board seemed to be investigating the matter deeply.

But from the look of it, it appeared the Disciplinary chose to forgive Torin Walt, just because his family was one of the big fish in the Empire.

"Professor June, I advise you not to raise your voice or use an aura to intimidate in our presence," Elder Pavlov said, his voice heard, hard, and laced with a clear warning.

June was speechless. She did raise her voice, but it was only a little. As for her aura, when had she used it to intimidate?

"And you too, Professor Walt," the disciplinary elder said. "Do not open your mouth unless we ask you a question."

Torin Walt nodded heavily and sealed his lips. While June's face had turned into a scowl.

"We have heard your complaint, Professor June, about Professor Walt's callous behaviour at work," Elder Pavlov said. "We have already taken steps to discipline Professor Walt. He will not receive any payment for his job in the next three months, and he will have to do more academic work as we devise for that amount of time."

From the look on his face, it appeared Torin was hearing this at the moment as well. He opened his mouth to complain but decided to close it again, finding the elder looking at him. He swallowed the words of complaint and looked away.

"However, this does not end here," the elder of disciplinary continued. "Combat Instructor Warden acted heavy-handedly and attacked a lawful prosecutor of Arcane society in front of students and guildmen alike. If we do not take any step to discipline him, it will only tarnish our image."

"What have you decided, Elder Pavlov?" Elder Medwin asked. "I say rusticating him from the academy won't be going too far."

"Perhaps," Elder Pavlov said with a cold glint in his eyes. "But since he acted in good faith and saved a village, I'll look kindly in this case. He'll not be rusticated, but--"

"Hold on," June said. "Are you going to decide his punishment without him being here? At least give him a chance to justify himself."

Elder Pavlov considered for a moment. "Your appeal is heard," he said. "We will decide the punishment at the fourth bell tomorrow. We won't be waiting anymore if he decides not to show himself at that time. You're all dismissed."

June came out of the office and found Torin Walt following her. she turned to give him a stink eye. "You want something?"

"Just you wait," Torin Walt sneered. "I'll make sure he pays tenfold of humiliation for what he did to me."