Scumbag Fate System-Chapter 48: Professor Approval

Reinhard left the Disciplinary Department building, feeling the evening air cool his flushed skin. He’d gotten what he came for. Victoria’s support for the trial, conditional on the favor he’d offered.

Information about his Sigil, delivered at a time of her choosing.

A reasonable trade for what it secured, and one he’d gone in prepared to make.

The rest of it he filed in the place where he kept things that were real but didn’t need examining immediately.

He was three steps down the path when the blue screen appeared.

Then a familiar blue screen appeared in his vision with text that made him stop walking completely.

[Congratulations, Host! You have gained another Minor Fate!]

His eyebrows rose in surprise while he stared at the glowing words. He hadn’t expected Victoria to have such a large impact on his life.

But she has helped him before and does owe her multiple favors now. The connection made sense. He touched the blue screen with one finger, and it shifted to display something new.

An intricate symbol appeared with geometric patterns forming a stylized eye that seemed to look back at him from the glowing display.

[Spatial Lord]

[Source: Minor Fate - Victoria Ability: Allows the user to control space in the area by grabbing it like it was a sheet and shifting it around. The user can evade or move attacks by grasping the space and then pulling it, leading to the trajectory to change. Cooldown: Twenty seconds between uses. Note: Will grow stronger with Host’s development]

Reinhard’s eyes shone while reading the description of what was clearly an incredibly powerful ability.

[Host! I am astounded you would have captured an Ascendant so early! I thought it would take you much longer before you even attempted something like this!]

Are there limitations to having this type of Sigil when the difference in strength between us is so massive?

[No limitations! You simply gain the abilities they possess at the Initiate rank. For example, Victoria only had basic space altering; she could only move attacks away, and that’s it. But as you grow stronger, the ability will evolve to match.]

Good. That means no degraded version.

[Would Host like to integrate this Sigil now?]

Do it.

The world shifted around him like reality was folding in on itself. When he blinked, the familiar campus pathway had vanished completely. He stood instead in a vast hall with walls that stretched impossibly high and a ceiling that seemed to disappear into darkness.

He recognized it immediately. The awakening chamber.

The Obelisk Crystal stood before him just as it had during his first visit. Around him in a circle were stones inscribed with Sigil symbols that he remembered from his awakening ceremony, and they began to glow with inner light.

The stones lifted from the ground.

Before rotating slowly at first and then faster as they circled around him like planets orbiting a sun. The Obelisk Crystal’s color shifted from its usual blue to something darker and richer while crimson-black energy pulsed through its core.

Space itself began to distort around the rotating stones while the air rippled and bent in ways that shouldn’t be possible. The stones blurred together until they formed a solid blue wheel that spun faster and faster. The distortion grew stronger and made the chamber seem to stretch and compress simultaneously.

The crystal flared bright and sent a beam of pure energy directly into his chest.

Reinhard gasped while magic flooded through him in a torrent that felt like lightning in his veins. The power was overwhelming and foreign, but somehow right while it settled into places he hadn’t known existed.

It was different from Rika.

Where hers had been gentle and warm arriving in layers. Victoria felt a mixture of cold and warm with it coming like a cold breeze. He felt space folding and filling in places he had never known existed.

As if there was still a gap in his body that could contain a Sigil. Then the vision shattered like breaking glass.

He stood on the campus pathway again while the evening continued around him as if no time had passed at all. Another blue screen appeared with text that made his breath catch.

[Magic Potency: Average → Extremely High] [Magic Reserve: Average → Extremely High]

His eyes widened while staring at the impossible jump in his capabilities. And he felt the difference immediately as the mana inside of him jumped from a small pond.

Into a massive pond that was five times bigger.

And then he felt his magic output had vastly increased. Like the difference between using a gun versus a cannon.

Wait... So, the strength of the person whose Sigil I get matters?

[Correct, Host! The stronger the person you gain a Sigil from, the higher the increase will be! Victoria is one of the most powerful Ascendants in the academy, so the benefit is massive!]

Reinhard’s lips twitched while he processed this information. Before dismissing the blue screen and heading quickly toward the club room where the others were waiting. His steps were faster now while energy hummed beneath his skin in a way it hadn’t before.

The club room was waiting and the people in it had done their part and deserved his full attention.

...

He reached the Resonance Club building and climbed the stairs while pushing open the door to find Sirin, Rika, and Alice. They were all gathered around the main table with papers spread out and worried expressions on their faces.

They looked up when he entered and immediately focused on him with expectant hope.

"I was able to get Victoria’s help," Reinhard joined them at the table. "Though I do owe her a favor in return."

All three of them sighed in relief while their shoulders dropped, and Sirin.

All three of them looked at him with apologetic expressions.

Alice spoke first. "Thank you for doing that. We know asking her must have been difficult."

"I’m sorry you had to bargain with her," Rika added while wringing her hands nervously.

Reinhard chuckled and waved off their concerns. "I don’t mind at all. Helping Yor is our priority since she’s our dear club member and friend."

Sirin laughed and nodded with approval before turning her attention to Alice. "Well? How did things go with Professor Rosla?"

Alice grinned and crossed her arms while looking very pleased with herself. "It took some convincing and maybe a little bit of blackmail, but I was able to get her on board."

Reinhard raised one eyebrow. "What kind of blackmail exactly?"

Alice placed a finger against her lips while winking at him. "It’s a secret~"

Sirin chuckled at the exchange before continuing. "Rika and I were able to get Professor Vance to agree to help us as well. And it’s all thanks to Rika’s persuasive arguments."

Rika blushed before shaking her head. "It wasn’t just me! You did most of the talking; all I did was just help provide some examples!"

Alice rushed over and hugged Rika tightly."Good work, Rika! You’re amazing!"

She set Rika down and stepped back while clenching her fist in determination. "Now with their help we finally have a real chance to help Yor get through this."

Reinhard smiled while feeling genuine warmth at seeing his friends come together like this. "What’s the plan moving forward?"

Sirin crossed her arms, and her expression turned serious. "Now we need to gather information from Yor about exactly what happened before her explosion. Getting her side of events will be crucial for the trial defense."

"What’s the best outcome we can realistically hope for?" Reinhard asked.

Sirin furrowed her brows and was quiet for several moments before speaking softly. "If we’re very lucky, maybe just a couple of days of suspension."

The room went silent while everyone processed that even the best-case scenario still involved punishment. Rika trembled slightly, and Alice’s hands clenched, but before either could protest. Sirin closed her eyes and continued in a firm voice.

"Dozens of people were affected and hurt by what happened. Some of them lost their emotions and possibly parts of their lifespan. This isn’t something where Yor can get off without any consequences at all. We have to be realistic about that."

Reinhard sighed while remembering Adam’s warning about how the affected students might have to leave the academy. And Victoria’s concern about the severity of the situation. The weight of it settled over all of them.

"Okay," Reinhard said while breaking the heavy silence. "When Yor wakes up, we focus on three things. First, we cheer her up and show her we still support her completely. Second, we make sure she knows none of us blame her for what happened. Third, we get her full story about what led to the explosion."

Rika nodded eagerly while relief showed on her face. "Yes! When she wakes up, she’s going to feel incredibly guilty about everything. We need to be there for her."

Alice nodded with a faint but determined smile. "What do you say, President? What’s the game plan for the trial?"

Sirin grinned and straightened while her natural confidence returned. "That’s an excellent start! We’ll divide responsibilities for gathering character witnesses and documenting the incident timeline."

Sirin clasped her hand as the others began standing up before continuing. "I’ll work with the professors. Alice and Rika will handle organizing our evidence about Yor’s usual control and the circumstances that led to the breakdown."

"And me?" Reinhard asked.

"You stay close to Yor when she wakes," Sirin said while her expression softened. "She trusts you more than anyone else. You’ll be the most important person for her mental state during all of this."

The group spent the next hour planning while spreading papers across the table and making lists.

Reinhard saw all of this and smiled faintly.

I’m sure that silly girl wouldn’t believe we would go so far. He picked up a pen and pulled a blank sheet toward him. Let’s make sure she knows it when she wakes up.