This was Luo Wei's second time standing in front of the Headmaster's office, and compared to the last time, she felt a bit more uneasy.

"Senior, can you give me a hint about why the Headmaster is looking for me this time?"

Why did she feel so nervous?

Veronica Malachi gave her a meaningful smile. "Junior, you'll know once you go in. Don't worry, there are several other students inside. You're not the only one."

Several other students?

Luo Wei's eyelid twitched. Could it be that their "Death Sentence Squad" had been caught red-handed altogether?

Veronica pushed the door open and said gently, "Junior, go on in. Good luck~"

"…Thank you, Senior." Luo Wei felt even more uneasy.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the Headmaster's office.

As Veronica had said, there were indeed several other students inside, all of whom were familiar faces.

Hol Felix, Gladys, Laura, and Theodore were all here. Including her, the entire "Death Sentence Squad" was present.

"Headmaster, you wanted to see me?"

Headmaster Morrison glanced at Luo Wei and stood up, holding a record book made of papyrus. "Now that everyone's here, let's move to the next room to talk."

He led the five of them into the adjacent meeting room.

Once everyone was seated, Headmaster Morrison opened the record book. "Aside from you all, every other student who violated school rules this semester has already been disciplined. Do you know why you're the last ones to be called?"

Theodore grinned. "Because our mistakes were the lightest?"

"I know," Gladys said, her serious expression tinged with a hint of excitement. "Because we're good students, and the school wants to reward us."

"Hah," the Headmaster let out a sarcastic laugh and slammed the record book onto the table with a loud thud. "Because your mistakes were the most severe!"

"Let's start with the Intermediate Division."

"Theodore, there have been multiple strange holes appearing on the academy's lawns and gardens. Two willow trees have fallen, and three pine trees have died. Do you have anything to say about this?"

"Honesty earns leniency, resistance brings severity."

Theodore hissed, "Headmaster, I think there might be a groundhog on campus, destroying our beautiful grounds!"

"A groundhog?" Headmaster Morrison sneered. "However, according to the investigation by the dormitory supervisors and the student council, someone was seen sneaking around the campus for two consecutive nights, digging up tree roots and grass. What do you have to say about that?"

"You can't pin that on me!" Theodore protested.

"Pin it on you? The dormitory supervisor personally saw you carrying dug-up tree roots back to your dormitory. Do you still want to argue?"

Theodore fell silent.

Headmaster Morrison mercilessly announced his punishment: "You will lose 20 academic credits, fill in all the holes, and restore the damaged vegetation before the semester starts. At the beginning of next semester, you will read a self-reflection essay in front of the entire school and complete ten days of community service under the student council's supervision."

Hearing the lengthy list of punishments, Theodore deflated.

"Laura, Professor Tobias's owl was attacked in the middle of the night half a month ago. Using scent-tracking magic, the dormitory supervisor traced the scent to your dormitory and found owl feathers on your clothes. Do you have any explanation?"

Laura lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Headmaster. I admit my mistake."

It was all because she was so hungry that she mistook the owl for another bird and grabbed it. Although she realized her mistake before taking a bite and let the owl go, the dormitory supervisor still found out.

"Given your sincere attitude and the fact that this is your first offense, you will lose 5 academic credits, write a self-reflection essay, and apologize to Professor Tobias's owl," Headmaster Morrison announced.

"Yes, Headmaster."

After dealing with the Intermediate Division students, Headmaster Morrison turned to the Junior Division students.

He glanced at the three of them and started with the lightest offense. "Hol, the student council received a total of forty-seven complaints about you this semester."

"You caused two classmates to faint with your potion during Potions class, released toxic gas that knocked out seven classmates during Alchemy class, and thirty-eight classmates complained about the smell on your body. Can you fix this?"

Hol's earnest smile nearly faltered as he quickly lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Headmaster. I admit my mistake."

"The smell on my body—I can fix that. But I don't know why the potion and metal I made turned out that way! I followed the professor's instructions exactly."

Headmaster Morrison was silent for a moment. "From now on, for these two classes, wait until everyone else has left before you start your classwork."

"Additionally, you will lose 10 academic credits, read a self-reflection essay in front of the entire school at the beginning of next semester, and complete five days of community service."

"Yes, Headmaster." Hol accepted the punishment.

"Gladys," Headmaster Morrison called her name. "This semester, you were absent from your dormitory overnight four times, scared classmates to tears four times, and caused chaos in the stables three times during Equestrian class. Do you have anything to explain?"

"I didn't scare them," Gladys said, puzzled. "They cried when they saw me. As for the horses, I don't know why they acted up when I rode them."

Headmaster Morrison's temple throbbed. "You stared at classmates who were gossiping about you while chewing raw meat in the cafeteria. Is that true?"

"It wasn't raw meat, it was steak. Medium rare. I was looking at them because I heard them mention my name."

"And the chaos in the stables? Did that happen?"

"I don't know. The horses just ran wild when I got on them."

"And sneaking onto the castle rooftop to watch the moon overnight—did you do that?" Headmaster Morrison asked sharply.

Gladys lowered her gaze. "That, I admit."

Headmaster Morrison rubbed his chest to calm himself. After a moment, he said, "You will lose 10 academic credits, write a self-reflection essay, and bring your older brother to meet with me at the beginning of next semester. I need to have a serious talk with him about your issues."

Gladys frowned, clearly displeased, and stared at the Headmaster.

Headmaster Morrison felt a headache just looking at her. He shifted his gaze to Luo Wei, which only made his headache worse.

"Luo Wei, do you know what you did wrong?"

Luo Wei's mind raced as she reviewed everything that had happened since the beginning of the semester. Tentatively, she asked, "Was it because the fragrance I concocted during Potions class made my classmates cry from hunger?"

"Think again."

"Was it because I wasn't sincere during Astrology class and ended up with a turtle shell?"

"Keep thinking."

"Could it be because I knocked over the wine barrels in the dining hall's storage room and didn't pay enough compensation?"

Headmaster Morrison's face darkened. "No."

Luo Wei genuinely couldn't think of anything else. Surely it couldn't be about her stealing a magic book or cheating during Rune class, could it? If it wasn't, mentioning those would be like confessing to a crime unprompted.

"Headmaster, could you give me a hint?" Luo Wei asked cautiously, looking at Headmaster Morrison.

                              Mist Empire