Reincarnated As The Villainess's Best Friend

"The accused may step forward," a loud feminine voice echoed across the chamber.

I stepped onto a small platform, elevated just a few inches above the rest of the floor. A bright spotlight shone from above, coming from a small hole at the very top of the domed ceiling.

"Aldrin Stormborn, you've been summoned before the Imperium Tribunal, to answer for the charges brought against you..."

It was the same monotonous, lifeless voice that made my skin crawl. Rather than focus on it, I decided to pay attention to each member of the tribunal.

There were five of them, seated around a long bench in front of me.

The large woman with the boring voice sat in the middle, wearing a long dark robe. On the table in front of her, was a small plaque inscribed with the words "Dean Zerella."

To her left, I quickly recognised Professor Long, his long white beard resting on the table, as he stared at me with a stone-cold face. And to her right, Professor Varyn sat comfortably, leisurely swinging his crystal wand.

Sasha, class leader for the third-year students, sat on the far left edge of the table, her bright pink hair combed down to cover half of her face.

On the far right edge was another student – a short male elf with pale skin, and a face that reminded me of a baby dragon. I hadn't really seen him before, but since he was on the tribunal, I assumed he was the leader of the second years.

A bunch of students were seated behind me, carefully observing the show.

"In summary," Dean Zerella concluded, "you've been accused of being a false mage, cheating, and sabotaging the school tournament. The punishment is expulsion. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty," I replied.

"Very well. We shall begin the hearings, and afterward, the tribunal will come to a conclusion. It will be wise of you to speak honestly." She pointed at a truth orb in front of her, which beamed a red light when a person lied.

I nodded, slipping my hands into my pockets.

The Dean carefully opened a book on the table and read from it.

"Do you recall the second part of your entrance examination?" she asked.

"I do."

"What were you asked to do?"

"We were asked to obtain a crystal from a Grimwolf den."

"And how were you supposed to pass?"

"By activating our magic aura to intimidate the Grimwolf."

"And did you use magic to intimidate the Grimwolf?"

"No."

The crowd behind me murmured. My muscles tensed up. This was not looking good for me.

Dean Zerella flipped a page in her book.

"Two days ago, you fought against Baron Borain in the tournament. Correct?"

I nodded.

"You won the fight, correct?"

"I did."

"And did you use magic to defeat your opponent?"

"No. I didn't."

The murmurs behind me grew louder.

"You defeated a C-Rank Body Affinity user without magic?" Professor Long asked, his eyes bulging. "Impossible! You must have cheated somehow."

Many other tutors nodded in agreement.

"I didn't cheat," I replied.

"Then tell us." He demanded. "How did you defeat Borain?"

"I didn't need to. Baron lost because he was reckless. He didn't know the limits to his magic. I did. I just knew how long to hold out."

For a moment, the murmurs quieted down. Then, Dean Zerella carried on with her inquisition.

"A compelling statement," she said. "But it doesn't justify why you didn't use a single spell throughout the tournament."

I kept silent. I had a feeling that these tutors had made up their minds to expel me.

Then, I heard Professor Varyn's voice. Equally stern, but oddly sympathetic.

"His decision not to use a spell doesn't necessarily mean he couldn't. Might just be a way to hurt his opponent's ego."

A new wave of murmurs rippled through the audience. I wore a faint smile and imagined myself walking up to Varyn and shaking his hand.

"I disagree," Professor Long argued, raising his voice. "The boy didn't use magic because he couldn't, and when he was threatened with expulsion, he decided to sabotage the tournament!"

A few gasps erupted in the audience. My mouth went dry.

"Do you deny this, Stormborn?" Dean Zerella asked.

Of course I do.

"I deny the allegation."

She flipped open another page in her book.

"Yesterday, during the fifth match of the tournament, did you jump into the arena?"

"Yes... I did."

"By doing so, did you knowingly interrupt an ongoing tournament match?"

I swallowed, caught in a tough spot. There was no way to explain it without revealing a few secrets.

"I did."

"So, you admit to wilfully sabotaging a tournament match?"

"I didn't do it to ruin the tournament," I admitted. "I did it to protect my friend."

"By 'friend'... You mean Lucy Daevalia?"

I nodded.

"Protect her from what?"

"From Si Ya."

The whispers around me suddenly grew louder.

"Why were you protecting her?"

"Si Ya had a grudge against Lucy," I lied. "After Si Ya had won the fight, she still had a desire to hurt Lucy, so I intervened."

The truth orb quickly turned red.

"Lies!" Professor Long cut in, nose flaring. "The boy weaves tales to hide his true intentions!"

It took a while for the murmurs to die down, but soon afterward, Dean Zerella continued with her questioning.

"Before we proceed, I need Si Ya Lin to lend credibility to, or disprove this story."

"I don't think that's possible," Sasha cut in, her voice surprisingly dense. A sharp contrast to the loud cheerful voice from earlier. "No one has seen Si Ya since the tournament."

"Is that true? Well, where is she?"

No one could give an answer. Instead, low grumbles filled the audience.

"How convenient...", Professor Long scowled. "The one person who could clear the air is nowhere to be found."

"Well, without Miss Lin here to say her own words, we're going to proceed with the leading theory. You intentionally sabotaged the tournament to avoid your expulsion!"

Silent boos erupted in the small audience behind me.

I sighed. The members of the tribunal were determined to expel me no matter what I said.

Sasha raised her arm to the other members.

"I speak for Si Ya when I say this: Rin is guilty, and he should be expelled!"

The crowd of students behind me applauded her, clapping their hands in unison.

But then, the chamber doors burst open.

"I can speak for myself!"

A familiar voice rang out, silencing the entire room.

Immediately, everyone turned toward the doorway.