News of Desmond Wyndale's attempted murder of a professor quickly spread like wildfire.
The consequences were severe. Desmond was expelled, blacklisted from every academic institution, and sent to prison.
But the rumors didn't stop there.
Aristocratic families who had grudges against the Wyndales didn't want to miss the opportunity.
They further expanded on the narrative, claiming Desmond had been practicing dark magic, just like his father.
Others claimed his father pulled some strings and was behind the attack.
Some even suggested the Wyndales had been plotting against the empire after their fall from Duke status.
None of these claims had any proof, but that didn't matter. The saying, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" played a part in their punishment.
However, the Council of Aetherion weren't fools. They didn't blindly accept such baseless claims, even against someone with the Wyndale name.