Danistasia's smile remained in place, but there was a sharper edge to it now.
"Why would you refuse?" she asked.
Lancet did not answer at once.
He stood in the middle of the chamber with every eye on him, feeling the weight of the room pressing in from all sides. The administrators sat in silence along the walls, the King watched from behind the table, and Danistasia stood there like she had already decided this conversation would end the way she wanted.
Lancet could feel the tension in his shoulders, but he kept his expression under control.
"This whole thing feels unsettling, don't you think?" he said at last.
His voice was level, but there was no mistaking the caution in it.
"I'm only a first year, and I'm alone in a room with people as powerful as all of you, asking me to prove my Summons on command. What's wrong with believing the people who've already seen? Even the Dean has."
A few of the administrators shifted slightly.
Dean Ordenance's face tightened.
