The Culprit Revealed?

A furious headmaster locked down the dining hall and immediately stopped the competitions. Between him and Deputy Downer the cause of the incident was soon discovered.

All that remained was to find out who the poisoner was and why they tried to kill. Ramona and Deputy Downer went to the basement to review the surveillance footage. Everyone who had been inside the dining hall that day but already left was summoned back to give a statement.

The entire room was crammed with people, aside from the crime scene which was still cordoned off. Not a single person made a sound. Catching the attention of the enraged Headmaster Marin would be a disaster. Fortunately, other people had his attention at the moment so the normal students were safe.

While the professors and security interviewed the students one by one, Headmaster Marin personally interviewed the students working that day, including Aayla.

"We have confirmed that the victims were poisoned. It's a very rare, hard to find poison from the Ixcan City States. We found the poison in their tea glasses, and in these: packets of sugar."

This poison caused symptoms similar to a severe allergic reaction, and looked incredibly similar to sugar when in a powdered form. Several packets of this poison had been found on the central table but nowhere else in the dining hall.

"Ms. Glowery, do you know where the sugar came from?"

"No. Supply intake is usually handled by a staff member, not a student. Even then, they just drop it off and Dormi takes care of the rest. I can check the intake manifests. They should be in the private office. That being said, I haven't seen these packets before."

"Have you noticed anything strange lately?"

"All of the gremlins have been going wild lately. Even more so than usual. They've stolen competitor's water bottles and taken baths in the competitor drink dispensers. Honestly, I've been too busy dealing with them all week to really notice anything else."

Theo and Chris glanced at each other while Daren looked down to keep his expression hidden. Headmaster Marin and Junius caught these subtle looks.

"Christopher, Theodore, Daren. What do you three know?"

Daren instantly broke.

"Chris and Theo were the ones who told me to stay next to Aayla since Vanessa's probably been trying to poison the competitors."

Junius glared at the nearby tables who suddenly stopped whispering and seemed very interested in listening to others' conversations. The students awkwardly laughed and continued their own conversations.

"Really? You instantly sell us out?"

"No. We've done nothing wrong, aside from maybe not reporting something that we probably should have."

"Ahem. Explain. Now."

Chris and Theo discovered what had happened over the past few days. The gremlins discovered that someone tried to poison the competitors through their drinks. So, they started to act out to sabotage those attempts. Dormi helped clean up the mess, and requested for them to keep an eye on Vanessa Landrienne.

They found evidence on the second day, but they wanted to have enough to get her kicked out of school this time. With the gremlins' interference, Vanessa failed every time. Her anger kept building on each failed attempt. On the last day, they decided to tell Daren so that he could keep an eye out for Vanessa.

"You're sure that she's attempted to poison the competitors several times?"

Now kneeling with their heads bowed, Theo and Chris nodded their heads like chickens pecking grain.

"Yes! Dormi probably has better surveillance footage though. Vanessa's acting is not very subtle."

"Was she in the dining hall today?"

"That… We're not sure."

The headmaster clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"You're not sure even when you were spying on her?"

Daren spoke up for the troubled duo. "They were with you all day today, headmaster. Meanwhile, I was with Aayla in the dining hall all day. I saw her relax here for several hours. She was in disguise, but she glared at Aayla nearly the entire time. Vanessa also had a bit of conflict with the Butterflies before she left. The entire dining hall saw it."

"Did she? Interesting. You two, hand over all of your evidence. Disciplinary Chair Ahroyor, go investigate with Officer Parlow. You two continue to kneel in the corner and repent. I will punish you for keeping such a potential risk from the university later. Daren," The headmaster's cold eyes slightly softened. "Good job keeping an eye out for Ms. Landrienne, but next time make sure that the university is aware when students are in danger of being poisoned."

Daren straightened his back and agreed. Theo and Chris internally cried. This was blatant favoritism! They told Daren to keep it a secret from the university, he did, and the headmaster knew about his deception! Why wasn't he punished?!

An exhausted medical officer walked into the dining hall.

"All of the students are awake and expected to survive, headmaster. We have neutralized the poison in all of them. Ms. Bilton consumed the most, so her recovery will take a bit more time. However, Nurse Rouse wants to send her to an actual hospital in Forest Waypoint. She will not be able to return for this semester."

"Very well. Send them all to the best hospital in Forest Waypoint. Be sure to contact their families and place them on medical leave."

The medical officer bowed then returned to his duties. Many eyes followed him out the door. Hushed whispers erupted in the dining hall. Did Vanessa Landrienne really attempt to murder her former friends and ruin the competition?

"The rest of you are dismissed when your statement has been taken. Return to your rooms and under no circumstances leave campus."

Many sighed or groaned in protest. How could they leave just when things were getting interesting?! The competition was cancelled for the day, and the remaining competitors were angry. What if it doesn't start back up again? Do they not get their prizes?! How do they take out their anger if they don't know who's responsible?

Security dragged out the ones who were free to go. Headmaster Marin went to check on the victims now that they were awake, with Aayla, Daren, Chris and Theo in tow. The Butterflies were all pale with puffy faces, but they would live. Each had a dedicated nurse to monitor them.

The headmaster talked to them one by one. They confirmed their confrontation with Vanessa. Corrine also tearfully confessed to the Butterflies ruining Vanessa's closet and blaming the gremlins. Well, she confessed to 'failing to stop her friends' and 'wanting to apologize to Vanessa', to be exact.

An official trial was set for the next day. With the evidence gathered, Vanessa Landrienne was charged with multiple counts of attempted poisoning, attempted murder, procuring an illegal substance and tampering with evidence.

Temporary lawyers were brought in for the witnesses, though Vanessa Landrienne was represented by the best lawyer in Forest Waypoint. Her family's vassals in the city had urgently hired this lawyer overnight.

The Central Administration Building was surrounded by a mob of students and professors the next day. Some refused to believe the charges. Others protested to finally have the scourge of the Magicless Majors purges from the university once and for all.

The trial was secretly moved to a remote security office. Only the people most essential to the case were allowed inside. The headmaster personally presided over the trial and called it to order right on time.

"Today we will be hearing the case of Vanessa Landrienne, who is accused of several poisoning attempts during the Student Council's First Annual Outer Gardens Trial Competition. The plaintiffs are the Student Council on behalf of the competitors and the victims of the sugar poisoning incident. President Eileen Bennett represents the Student Council.

"The plaintiffs have filed to have the defendant expelled from the university. No matter what this court finds, all evidence will be promptly handed over to the authorities for their own investigation. The prosecution may begin their opening statements."

The prosecution and defense argued for hours. All the money spent on the fancy lawyer for Vanessa wasn't spent in vain. Vanessa didn't confess to anything, but she was caught on surveillance attempting to poison the competitors. She did not have intent to kill the other competitors, and used a nonlethal poison. Her charges for those were successfully downgraded.

Her link to the poisoned sugar was sketchy at best. The Butterflies always carried their own top quality tea supplies. Vanessa did not have access to them ever since she was suddenly kicked out. She did get close enough to Corine to shove her on the day that The Butterflies were poisoned. However, the video was unclear and didn't prove that Vanessa switched the sugar packets for poison packets.

Her lawyer argued that the lack of evidence linking her to the poisoned sugar should exonerate her from the charges. Vanessa had the motive and means to acquire the poison, but she lacked the skill and opportunity. He successfully blocked the request to search her room, which was the only way to link her to the crime.

At the end of the day, the Forest Waypoint Police Department strongly requested their evidence, witnesses and crime scene. The headmaster had to make a decision. Were the charges enough to be free from Vanessa Landrienne forever? Or was her lawyer a slimy enough weasel to protect her place at the university?