*Alright, young lady, it is time to wake up.*

Rising and stretching, Lily Arvensdaughter got out of bed. Surprisingly enough, she was able to sleep soundly after her encounter with Crassus, falling asleep as soon as she got in the bed. She'd honestly thought that she would be spending the entire night tossing and turning, doubting her decision, but either due to being so tired or because her conscience was no longer shouting in her subconscious, the rest of her night was untroubled. Getting herself dressed while Rine stared at the corner, she contemplated the upcoming match.

She had handed Crassus the means by which he could go from an easy victory for her to a challenging opponent... at least, he would be if he wasn't so heavily specialized in fire magic She was fully prepared for a fight with a fire element specialist. Admittedly, he may be able to pull an ace out of his sleeve now that his conduits were perfectly clear, but with so little time for preparation that seemed highly unlikely.

Still, she'd risked her plan for an overwhelming victory in the first round of today's tournament for the sake of her conscience. Objectively, she knew that a single moment of pettiness wouldn't automatically mean she would become like Crassus. Emotionally, however, fighting an opponent who had no way of hurting her or stopping her from hurting him just felt like bullying. She did not want to be a bully.

*I think you made the right call,* Rine said, interrupting her thoughts. Buttoning up her school uniform's jacket, she turned and face the lich.

Still staring at the corner, he added, *I realize that I may sound like a hypocrite, having said that defeating Crassus would be satisfying to watch. However, it will make for a much more clear and impressive message if you fight Crassus and win when he's at full strength, rather than when he only had two spells. Defeating him now says 'Here is the strongest person in my class, at full power and capable of more than he ever could before, and I still came out on top'. Before, other people might have been able to lie and say that you only won because you knew things he did not, and he was fighting with a handicap. Now? No matter what happens afterward, no one can argue that the victory went to the better wizard.*

He chuckled, then concluded, *And who knows? Maybe he'll just concede immediately out of gratitude?*

Rolling her eyes, she said, "That'll never happen. He's not going to become a better person just because I did something nice for him. People don't change that easily."

His tone pensive, Rine retorted, *As someone who has lived far longer than you and seen a lot more than you likely ever will, I have to disagree. People do change, often in ways you don't expect. I've seen bad people turn over a new leaf because of a single act of kindness, and I've seen good men become absolute monsters because of a single, inconsequential slight. People can change for the better or the worse, they can turn over a new leaf, fall back on evil ways despite themselves, or even just stubbornly refuse to change no matter what good or ill befalls them.*

*All we can do is wait and see what happens, now that the die is cast.*

Lily shrugged, and her only response was to tell Rine she was fully dressed. She supposed that the lich had a point, but she believed he was mistaken about Crassus. Then again, she hadn't done what she'd done because she thought it would change him. She'd done it because of who she was and who she wanted to be...

Lily turned to open the door but was surprised by a sudden knock. Unlocking and opening the door, she saw that it was Madeline. Without hesitation, her friend grabbed Lily's hand, and dragged her off, only saying "You've got to see this!" Lily barely had enough time to shut and lock her door before being hauled away, Rine chuckling as they went.

------------------------------

The doors to the tournament hall were easily tall enough to admit even a tall ogre and wide enough that even were such a theoretical ogre was massively obese, he could easily walk through. A dozen people could easily walk through the door side by side with arms fully outstretched and could pass through without touching each other. So, it was saying something that these gigantic oaken doors were covered top to bottom with documents, each one secured by nails.

Dozens of students were gathered in front of the doors, gawking at the sight, pointing out various documents and what was written there. First years, seconds, thirds, fourths, and even post-graduates and faculty were gathered, some looking shocked, others looking deeply troubled and concerned. As she and Madeline approached the crowd, they heard whispers of conversation.

"Gods, I didn't think it was this bad..."

"...I'd heard rumors, but..."

"...I can't believe even the teachers..."

"...Heads are going to roll..."

"...I thought it was just first years, I didn't think that even upperclassmen and post-grads were in on it..."

Someone turned and saw Lily, then tapped the person next to them on the shoulder. That person turned, saw Lily, and did the same. Almost like the ripples of a stone thrown into a pond, the assembled students turned and saw the young girl and her friend standing there, rapidly going silent. Slowly, seemingly unaware they were doing so, the crowd split, allowing Lily and Madeline to step through to see the documents for themselves. Lily stepped forward, Madeline in tow, to see what was going on.

On the right-hand door was a long series of documents in various forms of handwriting, detailing various times that Lily had been bullied. While the names were blanked out, the dates and times were listed with such precision that the victim of these misdeeds herself could not have noted them better. Each page held the seal of both the royal spymaster and the king, to show that these pages were confirmed valid and originated with the crown. No one would have dared duplicate either seal, since forging a royal document was a capital crime.

Madeline had been right: The king had been watching everything from day one, and he was making it clear now that he knew everything.

On the left-hand door was a document penned in handwriting that Lily could recognize as that of the clerk she'd seen yesterday, the small, cramped script working to fit as much information as possible on each page. However, even with such small, tidy handwriting, it had taken dozens of pages to record everything documented here. Names were blacked out, barring Lily's own, but it became clear very quickly that this was a list of everything that Crassus had done to Lily over the last six months.

Every strike, every insult, every round of bullying and intimidation was listed. At the bottom of the lowermost document was a single line, followed by a blacked-out signature, the time and date it was signed, and the seal of both the royal clerk and the king himself, likewise to show it was authenticated as valid by the king himself.

"By signing this document, I do hereby confirm that the words listed above are true and complete to the best of my knowledge and that I confess to having committed these wrong-doings without coercion and of my own free will."

Lily stared at that final statement in disbelief: This wasn't simply a record but a signed confession and the only person who could have had such given such a comprehensive record of everything he'd done was Crassus himself.

"Lily Arvensdaughter."

Lily found herself turning to face the speaker, surprised to find herself facing Crassus. He looked... well, he looked like he'd only gotten maybe four hours sleep after an exhausting night of training, but he had clearly made an effort to look presentable. He looked like hell, but a hell that was trying to look its best. Holding up a hand he waved a small greeting and asked, "Pax?"

"Pax," Lily replied, still getting over the fact that he'd used her name. He'd spent the last six months referring to her only with insults, to the point that she would have honestly believed that he didn't know her name at all.

"I..." he began, then paused. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly let it out, before reopening and starting again. "I did a lot of thinking last night... regarding how I should comport myself in today's tournament, given how thoroughly I have disgraced myself and by extension my family line. I will even admit that I considered conceding to you without a fight. However, I decided that would be wrong."

"Today's tournament isn't about deciding who is the better wizard, or the better person. Given the circumstances, I think we both know who'd win such a contest."

There were some small chuckles from the crowd at that.

"The tournament is supposed to showcase our own growth and development before the king and all others assembled to bear witness to it. As such, it would be wrong for me to rob you of the opportunity to do just that. So, let me say this: Today, I will fight you with everything I have. I will not hold back because you are a woman, of common birth, or... because I owe you a debt of gratitude that I will never be able to adequately repay. I will face you as an equal and ask that you do the same. If I lose, it was because I deserved to. May fate favor the righteous, and fortune trip the blackguard." He extended his hand.

Despite herself, she took his hand without hesitation. If he was going to try and be civil, she wasn't going to let him show her up now. She was resolved to be a better person than Crassus, so if he was going to try and raise the bar, she was going to rise to the challenge herself. "Agreed. May the best wizard win," she stated.

"I expect she will," Crassus said with a nod, chuckles coming from the crowd as they shook hands. Lily was forced to admit, when he wasn't being a total ass and actually trying to be nice, Crassus was almost likable. After the two had disengaged, Crassus looked to the crowd and said, much louder, "The king has announced that he wants all students and faculty to gather at the central auditorium within the next thirty minutes. Attendance is mandatory! So stop gawking and get moving!"

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

As they made their way towards the auditorium, Madeline asked, "What happened last night?"

Given that they were in a crowded hallway, Lily replied, "I'm not one hundred percent sure myself. I'll tell you what I know later when there are fewer people to hear it."

Rine said nothing, but he hardly needed to as somehow Lily could feel Rine's smugness at being proven right, despite the lich never saying a word and remaining invisible. He seemed to be radiating a field of 'I Told You So' so intense that it was practically tangible.

--------------------------------

It said something for the size, grandeur, and affluence of the academy that the largest of the school's auditoriums was large enough to hold all of the students and staff, along with all of the guests present to see the tournament with their entourage, plus the entire royal delegation, and not only be able to fit everyone in the seats provided but do so with seats to spare and plenty of elbow room.

Lily took a seat, glad that she wasn't needing to be up on the stage. The multi-tiered, elevated seating arrangement meant that everyone could see whoever was at the podium speaking, but it also meant that anyone onstage could see everyone in the audience. Even with the moderate amount of training in oratory, her father had given her, being the center of attention of such a crowd would have been horribly unnerving.

She was doubly thankful not to be on the front row. That was reserved for a specific group of students and was ringed by members of the royal guard. A few students and a couple of teachers, after seeing what had been nailed to the door of the tournament grounds, had decided that cowardice was the better part of nobility, and tried to run for it. They ran right into an immobilization field that Corfax, the royal court wizard, had set up during the night, then were dragged here to be watched by the royal guard in case they tried to run again.

The message was clear: If the king said mandatory attendance, he meant mandatory attendance whether you liked it or not. The dozen students and pair of teachers in question were clearly not happy to be here, as they knew that they were in no end of trouble. It was time to face the music.

As the last remaining students filed in and took their seats, the king walked onto the stage. It was clear on his expression, even to anyone at the rows furthest back and highest up, that he was unhappy. He marched over to the podium. He tapped at the small rod that jutted from the podium, an enchanted object that magnified the sound of his voice, then began speaking.

"My disappointment is immeasurable, and my opinion of this academy is ruined," he stated bluntly without preamble. "Most of you have seen the documents nailed to the door of the tournament hall, so you know why. For those few of you who were unaware, I will state the reason."

"Six months ago, I had chosen at random from a list of promising commoners a young woman by the name of Lily Arvensdaughter to attend the Royal Academy of Sorcerous Studies. I had given the command that young Lily was to be treated with the same courtesy and respect as any other student within the academy and that she be allowed to prove that she had a right to be here based on her own merits. I did all of that, while at the same time not placing any overt means within the academy by which to confirm that my command was obeyed in both letter and spirit."

The king raised his hands and clapped twice. Behind him, twenty men and women dressed in the robes of the royal intelligence agency appeared, a glamour of invisibility dispelling around them. "That did not mean that I was not watching." The king clapped his hands again, and the royal intelligence agents disappeared once more.

There were some mutters from the crowd before the king raised a hand to call for silence. "I had placed a single commoner within the school, seemingly unwatched and unprotected so that I could ferret out which among the faculty and student body would place their king's command over their own personal opinions, and which would disobey if given the opportunity. Had any known that they were watched, they would have only acted when they were certain they were alone and could not be caught."

"I had used this method, expecting to find one or two of the faculty who put their own views above the word of the crown, and perhaps a dozen or so students of a similar mind. Never before in my life have I been so wrong, and for perhaps the first time in my life, I had to apologize to someone last night for my own underestimation of how badly I and my advisors had misread the situation."

"I will not name who amongst you actively harmed Lily Arvensdaughter, aided and supported that harm, or willfully turned a blind eye to her suffering, but rest assured, I know who you are, and most within this academy know who you are as well. However, the fact that so many of you were aware of this damns not only you but all within these halls."

He glared down at the small group of students and faculty who were surrounded by guards, then looked back to the crowd and stated, "The knowledge that some of the best and brightest of your generation might engage in activities that I'd normally attribute to common thugs and criminals speaks ill for the future of our nation."

The king glared towards where the rest of the faculty sat, and added, "Worse, perhaps, is that many of those entrusted to guide that generation either supported those heinous actions openly, covertly, or simply turned a blind eye to it. A king's word is the law, and it is wrong to break the law, aid others in breaking the law, or turn a blind eye to lawbreakers."

"I am sickened, shocked, and disgusted that staff within an academy with the mark of the crown upon it would think it acceptable to teach its students by example that it was acceptable, or simply just allowable, to ignore the command of their king when they didn't agree with it. Is it allowable to commit murder if you hate that it is against the law to do so? Is it permissible to help another in committing murder if you think someone doesn't deserve to live? Is it acceptable to allow someone to kill someone else because you don't feel it is not your place to intervene? The answer is no on all counts."

"The laws must be obeyed, even the ones you disagree with, and even when it is inconvenient for you, or else all order breaks down."

"And yet, the faculty within the academy decided to teach its students otherwise. Again, this is the behavior of common criminals, not nobility of the realm. I brought Lily Arvensdaughter to this academy to see how far she might rise if given the opportunity. Instead, in one semester I have learned to what depths the nobility of my realm might sink to when they think they can get away with it."

Silence reigned in response to the king's condemnation. He glared for a long minute, then continued, sternly, "Yesterday, I had planned to announce my awareness of what was going on at this academy only after the tournament. I would be handing out expulsions and dismissals, banishments and disinheritances, and perhaps even harsher punishments depending on who might try to weasel out of their rightful condemnation. I might even have decided to close the academy down if I deemed it necessary. Perhaps permanently, to show that I will not tolerate such behavior even from a long-standing institution of the crown."

A bit less sternly, the king admitted, "However, an incident occurred last night which forced me to reconsider my planned course of action."

The king seemed to glance over where Crassus was sitting, then stated, "A young man, the chief antagonist of this sorry, sordid tale, came to me with the intent to confess his wrongdoings. He did not ask for anything in return. No request for leniency was made or asked for, and he was unaware that I already knew everything he'd done. He did not confess out of a desire to escape punishment, but to face punishment because he had wronged, knew he had wronged, and regretted it more than he could adequately express."

"And do you know why? Because despite Lily Arvensdaughter having suffered greatly at his hands, she still saw fit to help him in his hour of need. So shines a good deed in this dim world we live in that even someone so blind to their own wickedness could not help but see the error of their ways. If a girl of common birth can see fit to reach out to help someone who has wronged her so mightily, I suppose that her king can be no less merciful."

"As one of my close advisors has said, 'The sword of justice must be tempered with mercy, or it will become a tool of the oppressor instead of a weapon of the righteous'. Many of you are young enough that you still have the chance to change for the better. And so, I will tell you what is going to happen."

Placing his hands upon the podium and folding them, August Vi Rilmgar announced, "The punishments that I had intended to deal out this day are hereby suspended. They are not canceled, and as I told the young man I mentioned earlier, the misdeeds committed have not been forgiven or forgotten. Those of you who have committed these misdeeds be aware, they will be kept in your records until and unless I deem that you've earned the right to have them stricken."

"If you wish to know what punishments were intended for you, you may ask one of my clerks to provide you the full record in private. I will not shame you all further by singling you out here and now."

The king paused, slightly cleared his throat, then continued, announcing, "Please note, those of you who have violated my decree are not being pardoned, you are simply being given the chance to prove that you are worthy of a pardon. That goes for both students and faculty. The school year will continue as planned after your summer break. Upon your return, you will be watched, and you will know that you are watched. Most importantly, you will know that you deserve to be watched, as you have proven that you cannot be trusted to obey your king's command without oversight."

"You have proven yourselves disloyal and must now prove that you can become loyal again. There will be changes and reforms to the way this school is run, and even if you dislike them, you will follow the rules that have been set when you return. Your right to complain or object to any changes made has been robbed of you, by no other hand than your own. If you violate the rules without a valid and compelling justification, you will face your suspended punishments along with whatever else I deem is warranted at that time."

"If you don't like it," he paused and pointed towards the main exit of the auditorium, "there's the door. If you find the rules of this academy so disagreeable, leave. If you don't like breathing the same air as a commoner, get out and stay out. Go to the bursar and ask for a refund of your remaining tuition as you go, then never darken these halls again. If you don't want to be here because you don't like the way your king wants a royal academy run, I don't want you here."

"Leave, however, and you give up any chance of getting that black mark off your records, and you will live the rest of your life with that suspended sentence over your head, ready to descend if you ever violate the laws of this kingdom again. Any student who leaves can give up on any hopes of enrolling in any school or academy, royal or otherwise, anywhere in the kingdom. For the faculty, if you leave you can give up any hopes of finding employment elsewhere or of collecting a pension."

"However, if you choose to stay, you do so knowing full well that from here on out, you're on notice. The only reason you're allowed to remain is that a commoner had more compassion, empathy, and mercy in her heart than you did."

"On a final note," the king stated, winding down the speech, "the documents nailed to the door of the tournament hall are to remain there until I have decreed otherwise. If I find even one page has been willfully removed before then, the culprit will automatically be expelled or dismissed. Let their presence be a mark of shame that those who remain within this academy do not forget that you've failed your kingdom and lost the trust of your king."

With that, he pulled out a pocket watch and announced, "The tournament begins in one hour. I expect everyone to be in attendance. You're dismissed."

Glaring down at the guarded students and faculty, he added, "Except for you fools. You tried to run because you knew you were in trouble, rather than facing your well-deserved punishment. I don't know where you thought you could escape to that you wouldn't be found and made to answer for your misdeeds, but all you've done is run away from your second chance."

"Even a king's mercy has limits, and you have exceeded mine. If you're so eager to leave, you'll be doing so: You are hereby expelled, stripped of all properties and titles, and you shall be banished from this kingdom with no greater a sum than twenty-five silver pieces to your name. Attempt to flee again, and not only will you not be allowed that small sum, but I will have you stripped of even the clothes on your backs before you are thrown from this kingdom."

"I will do you the small mercy of allowing you to choose the destination of your exile, and to allow you to say your goodbyes to friends and family. After that, you will be transported from this kingdom, never to return on pain of death. So it is decreed."