Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Exiled

In the prestigious Hallsworth Imperial Academy in the Hillsbrooke Empire, it was the graduation ball for the 4th year students who were finally going to graduate two days from now, and during this moment right now, in the middle of the ballroom of the academy, in front of everyone in the batch who is to graduate. A group of people is making a scene. It was a group of people of about nine people consisting of eight boys and one girl. The boys were all different species ranging from an elf to dragonkin to humans. The girl on the other hand was a fair maiden with beautiful golden hair, a cute face, and a body figure that most girls her age would be jealous of. The boys stood behind the girl, and all of them were staring down at another girl across from them.

"Grand Duchess Ophelia! your cruel and brutal treatment towards Lady Amelia ends today!" Shouted the crimson-haired crown prince Visnet as he held onto the girl's shoulders.

"Indeed, your actions towards Lady Amelia are something you should be ashamed of!" followed by the shout of the gray-haired knight-to-be Lance.

"Everyone here tonight will see you for the truly despicable and disgusting witch you are!" added the elven exchange student Roimir.

The students watching erupted into murmurs and noises of agreement and astonishment as the group confronted the one person, they were all shouting at, a fairly tall girl, her elegant face was stiff and showed no emotion as she continued to just stare at the group yelling at her in silence with her hands crossed over one another in a calm demeanor.

'By the Goddess these men are annoying'

Were the thoughts in the head of the accused, dressed in a lavish black gown that cupped her beautiful and alluring figure which stood out amongst the colorful dresses of the rest, with beautiful black hair let all the way down past her shoulders and resting just above her bottom, and a beautiful face that had a pair of rectangular eyeglasses resting upon it, was one Grand Duchess Ophelia.

'Why are a bunch of idiots considered the "Best" in this school, they misread every single interaction I have had with her and they really misread our relationship'  she thought to herself as she held an unwavering poker face that hid her inner rage.

Ophelia shifted her eyes towards Amelia who was not only on the brink of crying but also quivering as she heard the things being said about them, they locked eyes and continued to do so for the rest of the time, she knew that those were not quivers of fear and sadness but of absolute rage that could permanently unalive the people who were "protecting her honor", the boys began to take turns making statements about the numerous times Ophelia had bullied Amelia.

Such as Ophelia harassing Amelia via sending other noble girls to confront her and insult her or the times Ophelia used her connections and riches to fake the grades of Amelia by replacing her high scores with low scores instead.  Which in reality was the doing of a jealous countess who wanted to destroy Amelia and Amelia herself getting low scores because the tests were too hard but the faculty and students refusing to believe that their most beloved student/classmate had gotten low scores. 

The crowd of students and teachers were shocked and let out murmurs of disgust and disdain towards the Grand Duchess. it quickly became a situation where everyone turned against Ophelia and saw her as nothing more than a shameful aristocrat.

"You were jealous of Amelia's skill in both her magic and combat! She became an SS rank adventurer before she joined the academy three years ago, while we know that you did nothing but lay around in your estate doing nothing!"

Shouted Emilio, the little blue-haired boy that was named the strongest mage in the empire, only overshadowed by Amelia.

In this world there are many threats that endanger people on every continent, thus it is up to the adventurers or the government to deal with them. The adventurers come from the established Adventurers Guild which has many established guilds in different regions, nations, and continents. Their ranks stretch from the lowest rank which is F to the highest rank which is SSS.

And in the Hallsworth Academy, it was a requirement during the four-year period of their stay that they become part-time adventurers to rack up experience and skill. To many in this room, they range from C to A rank with the highest being those of A rank, and when this fact was shouted by Emilio, Amelia's face gave a wry smile as she once again locked eyes with Ophelia. 

A smile that was met with an unwavering and unchanging poker face. And finally, as the conversation was coming to a close, the last of the boys stepped forward, the high priest wannabe, Jacon.

"As Miss Ophelia has shown no reaction to the many things, we have talked about against her, I see it as nothing more than guilt and acceptance for her crimes. Crown Prince Visnet. What shall we do with her?"

Visnet smiled and said

"Throw her into the dungeons of the Academy, we will decide her fate after the ball!"

This was met with cheers from both the students and some of the teachers present. The guards cuffed Ophelia and took her away as the crowd cheered for the group of boys that had supposedly defended the honor of a maiden.

Marwick and Nerwick, Visnet's twin younger brothers held Amelia arm-in-arm and spoke

"It is ok now Lady Amelia, she will no longer hurt you or annoy you ever again"

"Indeed, we will decide her fate after this ball and so we would like to ask you a question"

All the boys then turned to Amelia and raised a hand to her 

"Would you care to dance with me?" they all asked

Amelia simply smiled and said

"I am far too drained at this point, if you will excuse me, I will be going back to my dorm, thank you anyway"

The response made them all frown as she gave her answer but before any of them could press her, a lady with brown hair that flowed to the end of her back, dressed in a lavender gown,  walked up and spoke

"Amelia, do you want to go back to the dorm? You look tired"

Amelia smiled and said "Please Sharon escort me back to the dorm"

Sharon nodded her head, and they left behind the disappointed group of boys.

As they exited the ballroom, music began to play and the shouts and cheers of the people attending became louder, Amelia walked behind Sharon and she looked up at the starry night sky, and as she did a tear rolled down her eye. Sharon who was walking ahead of Amelia stopped and turned to her, she embraced her friend and the two of them walked towards the dorm, but as they walked Amelia grabbed Sharon by the arm and said in a serious tone, 

"We are going to the dungeon" 

To which Sharon replied with a nod. Both of them ran towards where the group bringing Ophelia went and found them, 

Sharon casted a cloaking technique to hide them both as they trailed behind the group and soon arrived at the cell that was for Ophelia. they watched as the guards opened the cell and tossed her in with no regard to her and laughed as she hit the cold, hard floor. Then Lance entered the cell and looked down at Ophelia with a disgusted expression before slapping her across the face, leaving a red mark.

"This is the least you deserve for causing so much pain to Amelia" he then fired another slap toward the same area and spat at her

Ophelia said nothing and looked into his eyes without reacting, he scoffed as he backed out of the cell and he and the guards left the dungeon area. 

"If you plan to kill him, I advise you don't. not yet at least" Ophelia said as she dusted herself off and stood up, her eyes focusing on the empty corridor beyond her cell door. 

Then in the middle of the corridor, Sharon and Amelia suddenly appeared, with Sharon patting the back of Amelia. She saw that Amelia's face had a dark expression that was alongside a river of tears from both of her eyes. What Amelia witnessed angered her to her core and a dark cloud of dangerous thoughts loomed inside her mind, Amelia then approached the cell and simply punched the cell door, shattering it in an instant. She then ran into the cell and hugged Ophelia tightly as she began to cry and wail, all the while Ophelia casted a barrier around them.

"WAAH! Ophelia! please tell me I can finally get my revenge on them for their treatment of you! I...I can't stand it anymore!"

Amelia cried as she hugged Ophelia tightly and dug her face into Ophelia's bust.

Ophelia sighed as she held Amelia close in return, she stroked her head and kissed it,

"I am sorry for putting you through this Amelia, but we both know this must be done to ensure we have a beautiful future together"

"The visions you keep talking about, the visions about us...you never really tell me their contents...I love you but I also want to know why do you hide these things from me?"

Ophelia had a sad expression on her face as she heard those words, she hugged Amelia tighter 

"It is almost over Amelia, just hang in there a little longer. And I assure you that, the both of us will have a lovely life together"

Amelia looked up at Ophelia with teary eyes and a reddened face before saying

"You promise?"

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"I promise"

Ophelia then kissed Amelia on the forehead again and another on her lips, all the while Sharon kept watch in the corridor. 

"You know, it was very hard to convince you not to let loose inside the ballroom my dear" Ophelia said with a chuckle as she stroked the hair of Amelia who had returned to resting her head on Ophelia's bossom

"I know" Amelia replied weakly as she hugged Ophelia tighter

"If you didn't keep reminding me using your telepathy I would have beaten all of them then and there without a care in the world" she added as she looked up at Ophelia with watery eyes. 

Ophelia simply smiled as she kissed the crying girl again and again until all the tears were wiped away. 

"Can you call your friend Sharon for me dear?" Ophelia asked to which Amelia nodded in reply

"Sharon, I need you to come in" Amelia said. 

Appearing from the corridor, Sharon gave a smile as she saw that Amelia was back to normal and currently hugging the supposedly "evil" Grand Duchess. She gave a short bow to Ophelia as they locked eyes

"You called?" she said with a soothing voice

"Yes, I have left something for you inside your dorm room. It will be helpful for both of you down the line" Ophelia responded

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked as she looked at Ophelia with curious eyes. 

Ophelia simply let out a smile as she cupped the face of her beloved and gave her another kiss on the forehead and lips, before staring into her eyes. 

"You will know soon my dear" 

 

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It was now the next day, and the sun was shining brightly, the many students got ready with their graduation preparations, some were running around with papers trying to finish assignments and submit reports while others were finishing practical tests and displays of their skills before the ceremony. Meanwhile, in the grand hall of the academy, there was sentencing going on.

The hall was converted into a makeshift jury court with selected teachers and staff members attending as witnesses to the sentencing, all of them had mixed looks on their faces, and then at the podium was the principal himself Alger Amber, the oldest person in the academy who has had a lifetime of experience now strokes his long white beard as he sees the sight before him.

Surrounding the person in the middle of the hall were bleachers and stands with students and teachers, and right next to him was a stand filled with nine people, the same nine people throughout this four-year period have repeatedly outshone the other students in multiple ways, from the upcoming star mage Emilio, the crown prince Visnet, and his two brothers Marwick and Nerwick showing much promise in their leadership capabilities, to the commoner boy known as Lance who is has shown promise in becoming an amazing knight of the empire, to the girl who came into the academy as an SS rank adventurer to her being crowned the newest Saintess by the church, Amelia. All of these people next to him were those who had major achievements in the school and Alger held special respect and happiness alongside high hopes for their futures. But the person in front of him made his expression darken and he looked at the person with pity.

That person in front of him was chained from wrist to wrist and leg to leg, her stiff expressionless face had rectangular and sharp glasses that rested on a dirtied but still pretty face, and her hair instead of the usual bun on the back was now flowing. That person was the sole heir to the Erstad Family, and the last remaining Grand Duchess, Ophelia Erstad. He had heard about her and her family when they were still prominent figures before their untimely deaths, he had also heard the rumors about her just staying within her dutchy territory and barely going outside the estate, but what surprised him the most was her enrollment during the start of the 4th year when she had never gone to the academy before. What surprised him was that this was an order from the emperor Gaius himself and Alger being the loyal man he was did not question the reasons why but still had many reservations about an entirely unknown noble joining a batch that had been together for three years.

He scanned those present and was surprised to see that Gaius was not present himself despite the girl before him being recommended and backed by him. He felt a small hint of uneasiness but decided to shrug it off for now and proceed with the event.

"Lady Ophelia Erstad, you are being accused by these fine students to my left that you have been doing nothing but bullying and hurting people ever since you enrolled in this academy last year. What say you of the accusations"

The gathered students and teachers all looked at Ophelia and waited for her response, the silence in between was tense enough to see. They all saw Ophelia lift her head and stare directly at Alger and she simply replied with

"I find no fault in their accusations"

Her response was met with murmurs among the crowd alongside sharp glares from the group standing to her right, Alger himself was caught off-guard by her nonchalant response and more questions arose within him.

"Do you have anything to say before we give you your sentence Lady Ophelia?"

The response to his question was a small headshake from Ophelia, Alger looked confused and decided to at least see if he could get anything out of her,

"I have read your record Lady Ophelia, in your written academics you have scored high with A's and B's yet when it came to physical activities like hunting, swordsmanship, and magic you had only D's or C's at best. Is that one of the reasons you decided to bully Lady Amelia? Was it because of your feeling of inferiority?"

The room went silent once again and all eyes were on the emotionless lady, as she was about to speak one of the boys in the group looking down on her shouted

"Of course, it is!"

The people looked at the group and saw the purple-haired dragonkin, his eyes were filled with burning hatred and his pose with his arms crossed expressed anger. This dragonkin was one of the many outstanding students in the academy, the boy named Kier, was one of the few dragonkin who was in the academy.

"She lacked the physical strength to challenge Amelia and instead used her wits to shame Amelia in a way that I see as nothing more than cowardly!"

The statement made the room erupt into murmurs and insults hurled toward Ophelia, all the while she showed no genuine reaction or care as to what had happened. This only angered everyone present as they saw this as a waste of time if the person on trial did nothing and fail to defend themselves.

"Silence everyone, please! Since Lady Ophelia has nothing more to say then we shall proceed with her sentence"

The crowd regained their composure and silence returned to the hall, Alger turned to the group and spoke

"Crown Prince have you and the others decided on the punishment fitting for the Grand Duchess?"

"Yes, Principal. Although we are saddened that it was not execution or imprisonment for life, Amelia suggested we banish Ophelia to a random place in the world"

The crowd was in awe of the sentence and all of them turned to look as the blue-haired Emilio walked down in front of Ophelia before opening a portal, he smirked as he turned to her and spoke

"This portal will send you somewhere in the world, somewhere where you will no longer harm anyone ever again. Pray you are lucky to survive, hahaha!"

Alger looked down on Ophelia and spoke

"Are you sure you have nothing to say, Lady Ophelia?"

Ophelia looked up at Alger and then at Emilio, she then scanned the faces of the room before looking at the group of boys and a girl on the stand to her right, she locked eyes with each one of them leaving Amelia as the last before saying

"When I return, pray to the Goddess that I have mercy"

The crowd simply laughed at her as they heard her final words and then they looked to Alger, he waved his hand and spoke

"Ophelia Erstad, by the power vested in me as the principal of this academy with the permission of the crown prince, I hereby banish you, throw her into the portal!"

A pair of guards standing behind Ophelia then violently lifted her to stand before throwing her into the portal and then it closed behind her as she went through. This made almost everyone in the room cheer or heave a sigh of relief, they no longer had to fear the Grand Duchess, and order was once again restored to the academy. But as all of the people were relaxing and cheering in joy, Amelia continued to stare where Ophelia once stood, a single tear running down her eye. 

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