LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 51
Judgment.
Though I said “trial,” it was closer to a hearing.
The place the attendant guided us to was not the supreme court, but the Grand Assembly Hall. After passing through a long corridor and opening a massive door, I was met with a circular seating arrangement.
“Quite a crowd gathered, huh?”
Ophelia, who followed in her wheelchair, murmured.
I had suggested that she need not come since her legs were troublesome, but the moment she heard the word “trial,” she became stubborn.
In the end, her persistence had her attending alongside me, and the faces seated in the circular area were truly of monumental caliber.
At the very front sat the imperial dignitaries—high-ranking officials participating in place of the Emperor. Among them was Evangelin.
Next to them sat Archmage Eldarian, along with his disciple Emily and his underling mages.
On the second floor were the Director of the Information Bureau and the representative agent, Hound Owen, who had accompanied them.
Finally, directly across from me was the Cathedral Knight Order and its leader, Sword Saint Albrecht, staring right at me.
It was nothing less than the pillars of the Empire.
On my right side were seats designated for those from the Great Forest, with Elf leaders centered around Erwin of the Vinheim Tribe and Wuzmund.
To my left was the seat of the Saint, but instead of the Pope, there was a confused-looking cardinal along with some knights. Lastly, I spotted Yurede with a cheerful expression.
When Yurede locked eyes with me, he raised his hand and waved. His audacity didn’t seem to faze the surrounding knights.
The absence of the Pope in that position… it seemed Ophelia’s full-power kick was a critical hit.
Meanwhile, Auriga and the Ice Palace were filled with their own envoy group.
As for the Great Desert, it had no suitable representative due to being a community of nobles, and the Ice Palace’s powerful figures, including the Tsar, couldn’t abandon the mainland at a time when monster waves were descending.
Eventually, the presiding officer, the representative of the gathering, banged the gavel.
“Silence!”
The middle-aged chairman with white hair looked at me and spoke.
“Is the defendant, Cathedral Knight Elliot, present?”
“Yes.”
“Hm. It seems everyone has gathered, so let’s begin the trial.”
Knock, knock.
After the double bang, there was a stillness in the air.
*
It wasn’t a formal trial.
However, proceeding with an informal trial was merely a matter of securing justification.
By conducting at least a semblance of a trial and taking actions that seemed to impose punishment, we could avoid dissatisfaction from the other high nobles, including the Saint.
Such was the gravity of Elliot’s actions.
Had he not had the title of “Hero,” his head would have been on the line immediately.
“Hmph.”
Yet, no matter how formalized, there were those who held a mindset that was anything but formal.
That was the presiding officer.
“A hero? Preposterous. How dare you unleash such havoc in the great Capital of the Empire?”
Even if that person named Elliot were to be a genuine hero, the chair had no heart to absolve him of his crimes.
Of course, the chair was just that—a chair. He was not the chief justice, and ultimately, the final judgment was not his to make. Still, within this assembly hall, he wielded overwhelming power.
Therefore, his words here would surely have a significant influence on future rulings.
The chairman cleared his throat to gather attention.
“Defendant Elliot.”
“Yes.”
“Before we begin, there’s something everyone needs to confirm.”
The chairman continued with a serious expression.
“Defendant Elliot, show us the Hero’s Divine Mark.”
At that, Elliot silently removed his gloves and raised his hand.
The murmurings grew louder.
Bang, bang, bang!
“Quiet!”
The chairman silenced the commotion and closely examined the back of Elliot’s hand.
He himself had studied the Marking Arts at the Imperial University. That Mark was indeed genuine.
Tsking inwardly, the chairman nodded.
“Hm. It’s certainly genuine.”
After all, who would be bold enough to impersonate a hero?
“Elliot, or rather, Hero, I have a question for you.”
Pretending to check the agenda, the chairman unfurled a long piece of paper to introduce the topic.
“Hero Elliot, four days ago, you harassed the Envoy Group of the Saint residing in the Grand Assembly Hall Annex, took the life of one of its members, and threatened and coerced high priests, including the Pope.”
“Um.”
“Is this untrue?”
“….”
Elliot did not respond.
Well, he might have not had a comeback.
Based on the gathered eyewitness accounts, this information was undeniably true.
The chairman smiled inwardly and pressed on.
“This can easily be considered a major crime of conspiracy to rebellion and acts of terror under Imperial law. Therefore, even considering the Hero’s immunity, his fault can be seen as quite severe. Do we have any dissenting opinions?”
“It was unavoidable. I was already attacked by the Assassins of the Saint. There was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen again. More importantly, Ophelia…”
“Here isn’t the place to cover up the faults of the Saint.”
The chairman cut him off.
“I hear that defendant Elliot has lived as a mercenary slave. Can you truly claim that the resentment from that hasn’t spilled over to the nobles of the Saint? Even if you deny it, the violent incident you instigated disturbed the peace of the continent. Should it have escalated into war, the responsibility would lie solely on you.”
“….”
“You are a Hero. And the Capital is the place where leaders of the entire continent gather. Your problem could have been peacefully resolved through the Imperial Guards. However, defendant Elliot chose not to do so.”
“….”
“What I wish to ask is this: Why did you insist on using violent means? What was your reason?”
In essence, this was a session not to determine punishment for the crime itself but rather to judge whether this Elliot fellow had the qualities of a hero.
Elliot was a commoner with no castle.
And he had lived as a mercenary, essentially a thug.
Could someone who had murdered a man in broad daylight truly represent humanity?
That was the general sentiment among the high nobles present.
In agreement with the chairman’s words, several observers nodded their heads, particularly from the side of the Saint.
“Um…”
Just then, as Elliot was choosing his words, a loud crash rung out.
The white-haired woman seated in the wheelchair, Saint Ophelia Meredein, suddenly overturned the table.
“You crazy bastard, just babbling nonsense.”
“….”
“Got nothing to nitpick, so you’re hitting on my background? You’re as ugly as your appearance. Do you dare say anything to a fellow lowborn like me?”
“Y-Your Holiness.”
“And! If someone hits me, don’t I have the right to hit back? Haven’t you heard what that Pope bastard has done to us? Ah, this works out perfectly. On my way home today, I’ll smash your head with a rock. Just sit there and take it!”
Her voice was clearly disdainful.
She realistically had no need to attend the hearing, yet here she was, throwing a fit.
And, she was currently causing what you might call a “scene.”
Her words were completely inappropriate for a Saint, filled with vulgarities and insults.
“Saint Ophelia Meredein, please be mindful of your speech…”
“Who’s Meredein? Speak properly, will you? Has old age messed up your pronunciation? Should I pull out all your teeth and get you some dentures?”
“T-this is the Capital of the Empire. It would be wise to choose your words more carefully.”
“And what are you going to do about it? Can you put me on the gallows? I’ll take full responsibility for that!”
Watching Ophelia jabber, the chairman rubbed his forehead.
What made it more absurd was that Elliot wasn’t stopping her but was instead keeping his mouth shut.
His lips were twitching.
In other words, he was holding back laughter.
“Hahaha!”
The Elf tribal chief, Archery Master Erwin, burst into laughter.
Of course, he was the only one laughing.
The rest of the audience looked pale, alternating their gaze between the chairman and Ophelia.
“…”
Is this really the Hero who must slay the Demon King, and the Saint?
Is the god who chose such individuals truly a benevolent being?
That was everyone’s thought.
*
While Ophelia’s remarks were quite intense, they worked in our favor.
As she said, Ophelia and I were the Hero and the Saint.
We were not in a position to be bound by the simple constraints of law.
What’s more, as the situation grew chaotic, influential figures with the authority to speak began to counter.
“Now, now, let us calm down. Things are getting too heated.”
Thanks to the words of Archmage Eldarian and Evangelin, the situation was eased a bit.
“Sir Elliot is certainly not a villain.”
Sword Saint Albrecht defended me.
“Rather, he is a loyal servant of the Divine. I, as an Inquisition Officer, vouch for that.”
Some crazy Inquisition Officer made the sign of the cross while providing his guarantee.
“The Information Bureau also received help from the Hero.”
Hound Owen testified.
“The Hero already had a record of dealing with the Demon King’s underlings in the Great Forest. To us, he is a benefactor.”
Finally, even the representative from the Great Forest stepped forward to defend the Hero, leaving even the highest cardinal from the Saint’s side and the chairman with no choice but to relent.
What followed, of course, was the inevitable decision.
Bang.
“The defendant Elliot is sentenced to a suspension of two years.”
But even that was a suspension, in essence, just a slap on the wrist.
Ophelia looked at me with a satisfied smile, and I merely shrugged my shoulders.
Even without Ophelia’s intrusion, this was the expected outcome. Rather, it had only blemished the public image of the Hero and the Saint…
‘Well, does it even matter?’
It was already ruined beyond repair, so what harm could it do?
Ultimately, it seemed the assembly was moving on to the next agenda.
“Lastly…”
The chairman grabbed the gavel and spoke.
Perhaps due to the kind words from Ophelia, the chairman’s face looked a decade older.
“I have just one question.”
“Yes.”
“As before, you used your rights as a Hero to employ a violent and direct means of retribution.”
“That’s right.”
“…I hear you used to be a Cathedral Knight.”
“Yes.”
“Then didn’t you serve the Divine? Didn’t you swear loyalty to the Saint?”
“Well, yes.”
“Yet why did you commit such an act?”
“Because….”
Because I was irritated.
More like, to save Ophelia.
…I meant to say that, but my lips didn’t move.
I realized suddenly.
Saying “for Ophelia” in front of so many people…
“Uh?”
It felt like a public reading of a diary.
Those words had rolled off my tongue so easily until now, but declaring them in front of this crowd required a remarkable amount of courage.
I picked up a water bottle to moisten my dry lips, and just then, my gaze met Ophelia’s, who was looking this way.
“…”
Suddenly, embarrassment flooded over me.
I had forgotten my mortification amidst the incidents and battles, and now it reared its head within me.
Ophelia seemed to be experiencing the same thing.
“…Ugh.”
A strange atmosphere enveloped the room.
And it seemed that this sensation was not something I alone felt.
“Hahaha!”
Erwin erupted in laughter once again.