Right after looking at the school boards exam results Joseph went into a panic, being overwhelmed by what he saw, he immediately started worrying for his future, he felt anxious and uneasy, fearing for what's to come.
"Why? Why did this happen? I was sure I was able to pass the exam but why is it this low? I couldn't even barely pass it!" He contemplates, lost in thought.
Before long he started getting crazed and this gathered the attention of other students and they all started murmuring about him.
He noticed one of them smiling as if they knew something, he lost his temper and he suddenly jumped towards the person smiling but he was apprehended by someone from the disciplinary council before he could harm the person.
As Joseph panics, he was stared down by the students, looking at him pathetically, disgustingly, and some angered by his actions, they were all booing Joseph for what he had done. He was later knocked out by the council member for squirming around too much.
The council member took him to their disciplinary office and waited for him to wake up and to have a discussion.
The moment he woke up, he was was stunned by the disciplinary councils' presence. He was about to speak but he noticed his mouth was sealed by an artifact and so he panicked.
One of the council members noticed and explained to him, "You were out of your senses and you were going rampant doing everything you could to escape. So we had to restrain you with some artifacts." They look at him as he stares blankly at them.
"Are you alright?", one of the members said. He snapped back to his senses and tried to motion to them to take off the mouthpiece that was keeping him away from speaking. The members noticed this and took it off with precaution.
He tries to gasp for air right after it was taken off, "Why am I here? I can't remember anything clearly." Joseph told the members who stood infront of him. The members reminded him of everything that has happened starting from the very beginning.
"It seems to us that you've lost your conscience when you went a bit rampant." One of the members told Joseph. "Do you not remember anything clearly?"
"I don't, but I'm sure that I didn't do anything wrong! I wasn't the one at fault!" He exclaimed to the officers, trying to convince them. "Then if it wasn't you, who could it be? You were the only one who's clearly going rampant in the school grounds at the time and everyone else seemed normal." One of the members asked in an interrogative tone.
"I..." Joseph tries to speak but he couldn't bring out any information or evidence to prove that he was innocent from the start.
"It's better to face the consequence rather than lie about it, if you admit that you did the wrong thing and acknowledge it then there might be a chance to save you from expulsion." One of the members talked.
"I'm not even properly enrolled yet..." He said in a defeated voice.
The council was a bit shocked to know that he has caused so much trouble and yet he's not even enrolled yet. "Kid, it still is better for you to admit to your mistakes, since you're still not properly enrolled you might face great charges.", "especially knowing that the higher ups don't like tolerating commoners..." He murmurs."We'll try our best to help you drop your charges if you confess to your mistakes."
Joseph had no choice and gritted his teeth out of frustration, "Okay, I admit to my wrong doings and will take any punishment necessary to repay back the charges." "I'll make those nobles pay... Especially those who set me up in this." He mumbles to himself.
"With the disciplinary council as witness, we will do our best to lessen the charges for what you did at the school grounds." They told Joseph, trying to reassure him
Joseph had no choice but to exit the room and continue heading towards the school gate. As he leaves he saw the bullies who he met a couple days in the past, and as they exchanged glances he saw them grinning at him.
This angered Joseph but he controlled himself to avoid any more trouble, so he continues on his way towards his house but he was stopped and grabbed by someone on his way there.
"Hmph!! Hmph!!!" As Joseph tries to scream for help but his mouth was covered with the hand of the person that snatched him. "Shh, quiet down or they might hear you." As the perpetrator try to pipe down Joseph.
The perpetrator slowly released Joseph as he starts to calm his self down, the perpetrator slowly backed away to keep distance from Joseph and being highly alert towards him. "Why did those nobles tried to frame you? What caused them to do that to you?"As the perpetrator asked and Joseph stood his ground firmly trying to keep composure and alertness to his surroundings.
"What does it have to do with you? Are you with them? Trying to make me confess some nonsensical problem?" He accuses the perpetrator thinking that he was conspiring with the corrupt nobles. "Why aren't you speaking? Did I catch you red handed?" He asked trying to taunt the person but this seemed ineffective.
The perpetrator stayed silent for a few seconds before moving towards Joseph, "You better keep your distance or I won't hold back!" Joseph tries to threaten the perpetrator but he continues moving forward. Joseph attempts to strike him down but his punch missed and the perpetrator dissapear, reappearing behind Joseph with a blade pointed at Joseph's neck.
Joseph stood still in fear as cold sweat drops besides his face and his body trembling from the perpetrators gaze. "That's a bit much of you to accuse someone you just met, I was even nice to you..." The perpetrator answered as he glares at Joseph from behind. "I can't kill you as I was told not to by the higher ups, but to answer your question — I don't work with anyone corrupt." He answered to Joseph's questions.
"I was only told to hand you message by the people who hired me." He told Joseph. "I was told to say that you should abandon the kingdom or else something bad will occur and you'll be the center of it all." The perpetrator relayed to Joseph the message. "I've done my job now." He turns his back away from Joseph, preparing to leave.
"Wait! Before you go I have to ask something!" Joseph yelled as the perpetrator was about to leave. "Make it quick." Said by the perpetrator, "What do you mean by being the center of all of it? All of the trouble you mentioned." Joseph asks. "All I know is that trouble is heading your way and it's best you prepare for it and leave the kingdom." The perpetrator answered. "What about my family and the friends I have here?" He asks, "The people are after you not them but if you stay — they'll be affected as well." The perpetrator answered,
"I wanted to apologize for what I said about you." Joseph says but the perpetrator had already left and Joseph got confused but continued to walk it off and think about it at his house. And as he gets back home he headed straight to bed, having been exhausted by all the things happening at once, as he drifts to sleep he dreamt of a weird place, covered in darkness, and stuck inside a cage and dirtied like a stray dog. He saw and felt heartache from the pain that he's dreaming of, as if he was the one in the actual situation.
And after he woke up with an uneasy feeling and covered in his sweat, Joseph headed to the bathroom to take a midnight shower and clean himself from the sweat. He began seeing scars appear and disappear around his entire body as he blinks so he got out to get dry himself, feeling a bit light headed from tewrghe hallucinations, but because of it — right as he enters his room he immediately fell and got knocked out on the ground for the rest of day.
He soon woke up from it and then stood up before walking to the mirror to see himself dirty from being on the floor all night, he then again takes a shower and got out, after getting dressed he noticed his mailbox getting full so he decides to take it all out and check everything he has gotten the past few weeks, Joseph notices familiar mark on one of the mails so he decides to open it first.
As he checks the name and mark — it seems it had come from the Royal Academy of Vargath, the letter say, "Dear Joseph Orsel, this letter was sent to inform you that after assessing and discussing your actions in the academy the previous day towards the higher ups and meetings between the teachers, I Skellar Alto, the principal of the Royal Academy of Vargath has decided to put you on trial due to what your actions have done to the students present at that moment. Your trial is presented for the next three following days."
As Joseph reads the letter, he is filled with resentment and anger towards the corrupt and biased school, but also with doubt towards himself, "Did I really cause that much trouble yesterday? Even though my memory of it isn't as clear I'm sure that I didn't do it..." He thinks to himself. As he thinks deeply trying to remember what had occured that day, his sister jumps onto him from behind and clings to him.
"Big brother, what's that?" She asks him.
"Oh it's nothing." Joseph replies, putting on a blank expression as he puts back the mail he was holding back in with the other mails.
She got more curious the more she pondered but she decides to brush it off for now, "Hmm, alright." And then she quickly went away to play with her friends outside.
"Well that's new, she didn't try to bother me about it this time, huh.", Joseph joking to himself before heading back to his room to continue his usual everyday routine, when suddenly there's rapid knocking on the door so he immediately went to check who it was and to his surprise it was the princess who went to check up on him after she heard the rumors and news about what had happened at school.
"Joseph! Are you alright?! Were you hurt? What happened yesterday?", She barges in grabing Joseph by the arms and blasting him with multiple questions. "Calm down first, your highness.", he asks her.
"O-oh, I'm very sorry! I must've startled you." She apologizes to him repeatedly, "C-calm down your highness...", He looks at her with a hint of worry on his expression.
Sulpha slaps her cheeks a few times bringing her back to her senses and surprising Joseph by her sudden action. "W-well that was a bit hysterical." She tries to brush it off.
"You don't say..." He replies to Sulpha, "And also why are you calling me your highness? we aren't even outdoors so it's fine to call me by name." Sulpha reacted to Joseph's reply to her, clearly annoyed by it.
"Forgive me your hi- I mean Sulpha." He stutters trying to avoid making her even more annoyed. "Stop acting so formal, I came here on my own so nobody knows I'm here." Sulpha replied.
"Okay, I'll stop. So you came here all on your own?" Joseph asks. "Yes, because I heard bad news about what had happen the previous day and so I came rushing here after doing the things I needed to do." She replied to Joseph, "But it seems to me you're doing quite fine here." She said in addition to what she had said.
"There's not much going on about that problem because I was told that the disciplinary council would do what they could to help me.", Joseph replies to her hiding what was said in the letter that was sent to him to avoid worrying Sulpha.
"If that's so, can I stay here for a bit longer?" Sulpha asks him. "Sure, that's fine with me, you can play with Eli outside if you want to." Joseph answered.
"Thanks for the offer but I'll stay here for a bit, worrying about you had me exhausted." She exclaims to Joseph. "Well I'm sorry if I worried you too much." Joseph replies.
Elizabeth barged in through the door but was shocked to find who was at their house. "Y-your majesty! Welcome to our humble abode!", Elizabeth stutters as she was in complete shock by Sulphas sudden appearance.
"Take it easy Eli, I'm fine with the informality since I did visit unannounced.", Sulpha replied to her. "O-ok your highness.", Elizabeth quickly ran towards Joseph and pulled him aside to another room.
"What's wrong Eli? Is there a problem?" Joseph asks Elizabeth, "What's wrong?! What do you mean what's wrong?! Her highness is at our house and you're casually talking with her?!" Elizabeth said in a panic.
"Calm down Eli, you've got nothing to worry about, like Sulpha said, it's fine so there's not much to worry about." Joseph replies to Elizabeth trying to reassure her.
Elizabeth kept walking back and forth rethinking if what she did infront of Sulpha was really fine and she won't get punished for it, as she does this Joseph looks at her with worry but decides to leave her alone for now.
"How is she?" Sulpha asks Joseph, "She's going to be fine, she's just a bit shocked." Joseph answers.
"Well I'm glad to hear it, but it looks like I'll have to go now. I still have some unfinished business waiting." She stood up as she tells Joseph. "Alright then, take care Sulphy!" Joseph waves to her goodbye and so does Sulpha.
Joseph went on with his day, helping around the house and taking a walk around town forgetting about all the bad things that had happened.