Chapter 48

Chapter 48

W-what? D-did the tower master just curse...?!

Just as everyone in the meeting hall jerked back in shock, Karlon’s repressed anger finally erupted. “Don’t look at me like that, you f*cking idiot! Do you realize what you’ve done?! Were you aware that Leonard Rodeline, the pupil you so kindly ripped off, is the grand duke’s son-in-law?!”

Hikeem felt like he’d been hit across his head with a club.

W-what...? Who’s his what now...? He sat numbly in shock, at first thinking that he was hearing things. His mind wrestled with disbelief and as he struggled to comprehend the words, he looked around to see what the others were doing.

All of the other elders were stunned into silence as they sat in their seats with their mouths ajar. All Hikeem could do was repeatedly open and close his mouth like a fish out of water, yet no sound escaped his lips.

“Answer me, you stupid son of a b*tch! Did you know about this?!”

“N-no. I had no idea…”

Karlon did not hide his contempt toward the dumbfounded Hikeem.

After a drawn-out pause, the gears in Hikeem’s mind began to sluggishly churn as he caught sight of the blazing fury in the tower master’s eyes. So... that chump, Leonard Rodeline, was the grand duke’s... son-in-law...? Son-in-law? SON-IN-LAW?!

Hikeem’s face paled as if he’d seen a ghost. “I-is that true?! L-Leonard is the grand duke’s son-in-law?!”

“Yes, you imbecile! The woman you just called a ‘gold digger’ is the royal princess! The grand duke is raising hell against me and the tower because you pissed him off!”

Hikeem’s ears caught the hushed whispers of the elders, their voices filled with realization. He could feel every pore in his body starting to sweat profusely. “T-that’s... That’s impossible... A pushover like Leonard could never—”

“Are you still struggling to wrap your head around the situation? Can you not bring yourself to face reality or something? I guess it’s only natural.” Karlon began to go off on Hikeem in rapid-fire mode, “You gutless, slimy, no-good piece of sh*t! I already know everything! You’ve been exploiting the grand duke’s son-in-law for the last fifteen years, haven’t you?”

Hikeem wanted to run up and tape Karlon’s mouth shut, but Karlon was the master of the Golden Ivory Tower, there was no way he could do that. Hikeem’s deepest, darkest secrets began to emerge.

“I knew you were a lazy, good-for-nothing maggot that struggled to make even the simplest healing potion, but out of the blue, your research started producing remarkable results, propelling you to the position of an elder. Ans it was all because you shamelessly claimed the grand duke’s son-in-law’s research as your own!”

“T-that’s—”

“You even framed Rodeline and had him evicted from the tower and have been using bits and pieces of whatever he left behind all this time. Not one single bit of work you’ve produced so far is actually yours!”

“Y-you’ve got it all wrong—”

“Shut up. You disgust me! All my life, I’ve never seen a more vile, parasitic leech than you. How could you even think of exploiting someone for fifteen years?! And of all people, it had to be the grand duke’s son-in-law!”

“I—”

The massive fortune Hikeem had shoveled out six years ago to manipulate the public sentiment was suddenly swirling down the drain before his very eyes. The conference room buzzed with horror and disgust.

“P-professor Hikeem really did that?”

“The scandalous report from six years ago... Everything Professor Orka said was the truth?”

“Then we ousted an honorable elder and dismissed a bright, up-and-coming talent from our ranks for nothing?”

“Goodness, gracious!”

Everyone in the conference room glared at Hikeem with disdain.

He began to lash out in desperation to somehow salvage his reputation. “P-proof! Do you have any proof that I did this? You have no way to prove your accusations!”

“Hikeem.”

“Y-yes?”

“Can you repeat exactly what you’re saying right now in front of the grand duke and his son-in-law? Then, by all means, be my guest.”

Realization hit hard. Recovering these peoples’ trust would make no difference. The grand duke, the master of this land, was calling the shots. And the aggrieved party, Leonard, was being backed by the duke’s authority.

“Ah...”

Hikeem sank to the floor after realizing that all was lost. Karlon’s proclamation was the final nail in the coffin for Hikeem.

“And for these reasons, it is with great shame that I announce the dismissal of Hikeem Sarmatan from the position of elder alchemist, in addition to his permanent exile from the tower. Are there any who object to this verdict?”

“No objections!”

After each of the elders voiced their unanimous support for the tower master’s ruling, they unleashed a barrage of curses upon Hikeem, pummeling him with their bitter words.

“You scumbag! How could you leech off of your precious pupil!”

“Worthless scoundrel!”

“We must bind him tightly and cast him from the highest point in the tower!”

“Damn you! I would spit in your face were we not indoors!”

A pair of burly alchemists came running at Karlon’s summons. They were members of the tower master’s personal guard, loyal only to him.

Karlon issued a command in a steely voice. “He’s a despicable criminal that cheated his own student out of success. Take him away and lock him up.”

“Yes, master!”

“U-unhand me! You fools! Do you know who I am?! I’m Hikeem Sarmatan! The star alchemist of the Golden Ivory Tow— Oof!”

“He was being disruptive, so we shut him up.”

“Good work. You may carry on.”

As Hikeem was dragged across the hall like a sack of potatoes, Karlon gave orders to his youngest pupil.

“Reinstate Orka back as an elder and clear out Hikeem’s old lab. And alert the grand duke to hurry up and take that bastard Hikeem away.”

“You wish to send him a letter?”

“No, notify the press. Have them report this on the front pages. In huge, bold letters. Rest assured, he’ll show up on his own accord,” Karlon said.

“You constantly surprise us with your wisdom, master! I shall send word to all of the newspapers in the capital.”

Hikeem’s downfall progressively fell into place.

The convict’s wails echoed through the door. “N-no! This can’t be happening!”

The following day, the capital city of Feronsa was ablaze with headlines as every single daily newspaper pumped out news about the incident.

[Breaking News] Hikeem Sarmatan, Master of Regenerative Potions, Expelled from the Golden Ivory Tower!

In a decisive and unanimous ruling, the Council of Elders of the illustrious Golden Ivory Tower delivered a resounding blow to Hikeem Sarmatan, a prominent figure within their esteemed ranks. Hikeem, a seasoned Tower’s Elder Alchemist, aged fifty, has been sentenced to permanent exile from the tower.

Startling revelations have emerged from official sources, exposing Hikeem’s audacious misdeeds. For a staggering fifteen years, he has shamelessly exploited the research efforts of his own apprentice, brazenly claiming their work as his own. As if such reprehensible actions were not enough, Hikeem’s descent into darkness reached new depths when he resorted to falsely accusing his own student, orchestrating their expulsion from the esteemed tower.

In the midst of mounting allegations, Hikeem has been adamantly denying all charges leveled against him. However, the final verdict on his fate hinges upon the long-awaited testimony of a key witness, who had bravely attempted to report his crimes six years ago. As anticipation builds, the court eagerly awaits the witness’s appearance, poised to deliver a decisive judgment in this high-profile case.

[Exclusive Coverage] Hikeem, Burdened With an Astronomical Amount of Debt!

Hikeem Sarmatan’s (fifty years old, unemployed) former sponsors have been protesting for the past three days in front of the Ivory Tower’s entrance. Meanwhile, the city’s chief justice has ruled in favor of these donors and has ordered Hikeem to reimburse the entirety of his illegitimately acquired funds.

Moreover, the Golden Ivory Tower has also moved to deal the final blow to Hikeem by repossessing all research funds and special prize monies awarded for his alleged research.

Hikeem was known to be a profligate consumer and it has been predicted that he will be unable to repay his debts. For this reason, jail time seems to be inevitable.

Meanwhile, Grand Duke Heathfenrir has criticized this incident as a “serious criminal offense that disturbs public peace and order,” and is expected to personally detain and interrogate the criminal himself...

✠

Every news agency in the duchy extensively featured the downfall of the despicable master who exploited his own pupil. Three days since he was exiled from the Ivory Tower, his entire fortune seized, and ripped apart by the press, Hikeem, unable to bear the breakneck pace at which his life was being ruined, was irrevocably crushed in mind, body, and spirit.

“W-w-where am I?”

When Hikeem regained consciousness, he was in a dark, dreary prison cell. He’d been locked in the Ivory Tower’s warehouse before being loaded up onto a convoy wagon. From there, he vaguely remembered losing consciousness from the torrent of rotten eggs and tomatoes thrown at him by an angry mob.

Then this must be the karma prison criminals were imprisoned in before standing trial in court. As Hikeem looked around, an unexpected voice echoed nearby.

“Hm! You’re awake, Professor Hikeem.”

“M-milord...grand duke...?”

A hulking middle-aged man with artistically chiseled muscles stood looking at him. There was no doubt about it. He was the grand duke.

From the looks of things, the grand duke was sitting there for a while now. The duke had pulled up a chair directly in front of the jail cell and was poring over a book. The tiny book, barely a quarter the size of the duke’s pecs, was a bible. The duke noticed Hikeem’s eyes gloss over the cover of his bible and gave him a benevolent smile.

“I was recently introduced to religion. After all, it was all thanks to the grace of god that I was not only able to be reunited with my daughter but was blessed with a son-in-law and grandchildren.”

Hikeem gave a choked gasp at the words “son-in-law.” He hadn’t been able to take a single sip of water that day, but he still began to sweat profusely.

“And so, I’ve taken up reading the bible. It’s my first day, but I’ve already found a verse that I like. It tells me that I should love my enemies.”

“E-enemies...” It was yet another word that made Hikeem sick to his stomach.

The duke set his bible down as he watched Hikeem tremble. “My son-in-law owes you a lot. He’s learned a lot of life lessons, thanks to you. Allow me to repay the debt.”

The sound of knuckles cracking echoed ominously off the prison walls.

“A-ah! I-I-I never even imagined in my dreams that Leonard would be your son-in-law! N-no! Please don’t do this!”

“Don’t be scared now. I’m just stretching a bit.”

“Oh!”

“What, did you think I was going to beat you or something? You still have the public trial ahead of you. It would put me in a difficult position if word got out that the grand duke tortured a criminal.”

“Y-yes, you’re absolutely right! Of course! It’s not like I murdered anyone. Even criminals have rights. Phew.”

“But.”

“Yes?”

“As a man of faith, I do hope I can share some love with you.”

The grand duke bent the bars of the prison apart and stepped inside. Hikeem stumbled backward until his back was against the wall before collapsing on the ground. A huge shadow loomed over Hikeem as the grand duke grew closer and closer to him.

The duke’s forefinger slightly made contact with Hikeem’s forehead. And that was it.

“Huh?”