"I don't have any proof," Damian said, visibly frustrated.

The headmaster had already expected that. "Then let's continue. Why were those things found among your belongings? If you give up some of your superiors, maybe we can reduce your sentence," the headmaster said.

Now they were trying to make Damian betray his so-called partners—which was impossible, since he was being framed.

What could he even say?

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a student here like anyone else," Damian replied.

The headmaster was already losing patience. He slammed his fist on the table. "Nonsense! Stop playing dumb!"

Another voice joined in, trying to help frame Damian. It was the librarian. Damian already knew he was involved in shady things, along with the headmaster and that officer in the room, but he hadn't expected him to try and accuse him directly.

"I've noticed strange behavior from him in the library… At the time I thought nothing of it, but now, with everything that's happening, I think there was more to it than I realized…"

Damian was boiling with anger. "That's a lie! I've only been to the library once—when I was recruited. And everyone was there!"

"Silence, Damian," the headmaster ordered. "You only speak when I allow it."

And so the trial continued. Everyone tied to the headmaster spoke nonsense, doing everything they could to make Damian look guilty in front of the others.

Whenever Damian tried to defend himself, they either told him to shut up or ignored his words completely, insisting he had no proof.

It was all one big conspiracy. Damian's hands were tied; he was powerless to do anything. From time to time, he glanced at Lindy and Randal. Neither of them had spoken a word. He was starting to get worried.

But then, to ease Damian's mind, Lindy finally spoke up. She raised her hand.

The headmaster, though clearly reluctant, allowed her to speak.

"We have a witness who saw the items being planted in Damian's belongings to frame him. May we call her?"

Visibly uneasy, the headmaster said, "And it'll just be this so-called witness's word? Let me guess—one of Damian's friends?"

Damian knew the witness was Mitra. She had seen someone tampering with his things. At first, she thought they were searching for something, but in reality, they were slipping something inside to incriminate him.

Lindy, already expecting the headmaster to respond like that, smiled. "That's why I brought a friend. A famous hunter who can extract memories and show them to everyone. Don't worry."

At those words, the headmaster's demeanor shifted drastically.

The officers opened the door, and in came Mitra—alongside another woman. She had golden hair and a captivating smile. When the headmaster saw her, he grew even more nervous. The two clearly knew each other.

In fact, many people knew her. She was a renowned hunter, a born investigator who didn't just hunt demons—she investigated hunters as well.

And right beside her was Mitra. Mitra was the key to everything. Having seen the person sneaking into Damian's room that day, she now had the chance to clear his name once and for all.

The first to speak was the blonde woman. Mitra stayed quiet, nervous under the weight of so many eyes fixed on her.

Some of those stares were far worse—the ones from everyone involved in framing Damian. Their eyes were full of hatred, because now there was a real chance Damian would be cleared.

Not only that, but the academy's reputation would take a hit. And more than anyone, the headmaster's own reputation was on the line. After all, every problem in the academy ultimately fell on his shoulders. That was what he was paid for.

"Good afternoon, everyone," the blonde woman said. "My name is Sarah, an investigative hunter known for my… special abilities."

"My witness saw someone planting the incriminating items among Damian's belongings, and she's here to show you what she saw. Could I have a chair?"

One of the officers brought her a chair. Sarah placed it in front of Mitra, inviting her to sit.

Some in the room already knew how Sarah's abilities worked. She could access people's memories.

For the process to work, Mitra had to focus on the specific memory while Sarah used her abilities. It was slow, but effective. And the headmaster knew well that Sarah's powers made it impossible to fake anything.

The most striking part was that Sarah could also project those memories to others. Which meant everyone in that meeting room would see exactly what Mitra had seen that day.

In fact, they would see even more. Because Mitra had been groggy when she woke up, she might have missed small details at the time. But those details were still buried in her memory, and Sarah had the power to pull them out.

Before starting, Sarah explained exactly how her ability worked to those unfamiliar with it—Damian included.

When he understood, he was overjoyed.

"How lucky that Mitra saw that person sneaking into our room that night!" he thought.

After her explanation, the process began. Sarah placed both hands on Mitra's head and started using her abilities.

For several minutes—about three minutes of complete silence—nothing happened. Then, finally, it was over.

An orb appeared in the center of the meeting room, floating in the air. Inside it were the images of Mitra's memory! Not just images—there was sound too. It was complete.

Everyone watched. Damian did as well. He wanted to see it with his own eyes, since it was very different from simply hearing Mitra describe it.

The headmaster clenched his fist. Rage burned inside him. Those images threatened to ruin everything he had planned.

And Mitra's memories turned out to be even clearer than she herself had recalled. She saw the man take the incriminating items from his pocket and slip them into Damian's belongings.

Not only that, but at the very last moment, the face became visible. It was the same officer who had stood by and watched while Damian was beaten—the same man clearly involved in the scheme Lindy had been investigating.

The entire room fell silent once the memory ended. One of the guards, without even waiting for the headmaster's permission, removed Damian's handcuffs.

"It seems this was all a misunderstanding," the headmaster said. "Damian is free. And I will see that everyone involved in this scheme is punished."

Neither Lindy nor Damian believed a word of it. After all, everyone implicated was close to the headmaster. Surely, he would try to shield them.

Sarah reminded him, "I expect you to follow through on that—and not cause any more trouble for my client, Damian. After all, you wouldn't want this memory footage circulating on the internet, would you?"

Once the trial was over, Damian was finally free. The officer who had planted the false evidence was arrested. The headmaster also called for a meeting with all the guards, officers, professors, and recruits.

The idea was to make a public announcement about what had happened, doing everything possible to clear Damian's name. After all, the headmaster couldn't allow Damian's classes—or the academy's reputation—to suffer because of this. His own position was on the line, too.

Afterwards, Damian went to speak with Lindy, Randal, and Sarah. Looking at Randal, he said, "Didn't expect to see you here."

"We didn't start off on the right foot," Randal admitted, "but I knew you wouldn't do something like this. When I found out, I spoke with Lindy—and I managed to bring Sarah in to help."

Randal held out his hand. The two seemed to be on good terms now, at least for the time being.

Standing beside them, Sarah added with a smile, "They paid me a good sum to come help you—you must be a promising young man. Anyway, I have other duties calling me. If you ever need anything, call me."

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