Chapter 80: Trial (4)

“I object!” the plaintiff’s attorney shouted, raising one hand like a kindergartener crossing the street.

“Calling a witness without prior notice is unacceptable! It must be rejected to maintain order in the court!”

If this witness request was allowed, their already slim chances of victory would vanish completely. No, it wouldn’t end with just losing the trial – their entire family could be ruined, so they absolutely couldn’t allow this.

“That’s right!” one of them added. “I don’t know much about the law, but shouldn’t witnesses be requested in advance like evidence?”

“Surely a kingdom’s judge wouldn’t break the law?” another chimed in.

As such words poured from their mouths, the judge looked flustered. In contrast to their heated outbursts, I spoke in a calm voice that almost sounded kind.

“Your Honor. The plaintiff’s attorney has a point.”

They fell silent for a moment, staring at me as if they couldn’t believe those words had come from my mouth.

“If you prefer, I can formally request to summon the witness at the next trial. However, that would risk them fleeing.”

“What?! How dare a mere baronet-” the mother of the Ponpon duo started to shout indignantly, but I cut her off with a forceful voice before she could finish.

“If… the witness I’ve summoned reveals the truth about Pierre’s death, their status won’t end with just being demoted to baronet.”

Having falsely claimed to be descendants of a hero for centuries and reaped undue benefits, they would surely face execution, not just confiscation of their territory.

“In such a situation, it’s only natural to think these women of questionable character might flee. They might even try to assassinate me.”

“Hmm…” The judge’s face tilted towards me as he stroked his chin. I continued with an inner smile.

“So while highly unusual for the court, I ask that you allow this witness request. Above all, I wish to convey the truth about his death.”

Emphasizing the truth about Pierre’s death, I felt the pressure of supportive gazes from the gallery directed at the judge.

With such looks coming from a group including many influential figures, not just nobles, the judge, being a civil servant, sighed deeply and said:

“I reject the plaintiff’s objection. While rare, there is precedent for such cases, and I’ve taken into account that the defendant is unrepresented and unfamiliar with the law.”

“This is absurd!” cried one of the Ponpon duo.

“This trial is a sham! A complete farce!” the other added.

As the Ponpon mother-daughter pair jumped up and tried to leave, their attorney stopped them.

Though it might be better to flee quickly from a trial they’d surely lose, doing so would be tantamount to admitting their guilt.

After persistent persuasion from their lawyer, they finally gave up and sat back down. I stepped forward and extended my hand toward the witness stand.

“Marga.”

As I slowly called his name with my eyes closed, the ground began to shake, and a tiny speck like a grain of sand appeared in the empty air.

That speck grew in the blink of an eye, swelling to the size of a large boulder, and an elderly face was carved into that boulder.

“Ooh…”

As the rare high-ranking earth spirit revealed itself, everyone from the judge to the gallery couldn’t hold back their exclamations.

The Karn group wore expressions like they’d met a long-admired star, perhaps because Marga was the spirit that had accompanied Pierre.

“Ugh, uuugh…”

Meanwhile, as Karn’s group beamed, not a trace of a smile could be seen on the faces of the Ponpon duo and their lawyer.

“Hmm…” Marga slowly opened his eyes, looked around, and furrowed his brow as if he’d grasped the situation.

“Was it really so difficult to just stay quiet?”

“It may not compare to being unable to use Baldo, but it was far too difficult!”

“You madman.”

Marga said this, but he was smirking as if he’d secretly hoped for such a situation.

“So what do you want from me?”

“You already know, don’t you? Just tell everything you saw and heard that day to the judge… no, to everyone gathered here.”

“Very well.”

Moving from the witness stand to the center of the courtroom, Marga slowly began to speak.

“Now, where shall I begin…”

“And so… Pierre met his death and things came to the present. After that, Lobo transformed into Marang the demon beast and continued guarding Pierre’s grave until he met his end at that fellow’s hands.”

As Marga’s tale went on, the faces of everyone in the courtroom grew redder and redder.

Not just Karn’s group, but even the judge who should remain neutral was visibly trembling with anger.

Those who had heard the story from me beforehand seemed less shocked, but the other spectators were not so composed.

Faced with a scandal more shocking than they had imagined, some were stunned while others raged as if it were their own affair.

“Whore!”

Starting with that shout from an unknown source, even those of noble birth began hurling crude insults more fitting for a commoner’s tavern.

“How dare you claim to be heroes with such filthy blood, you f*cking sluts!”

“Drag them out! Rip their mouths so they can never lie again!”

“Yeah! And while you’re at it, rip their lower mouths too!”

As that sweet symphony of profanity rang out, I closed my eyes and savored the curses directed at the Ponpon duo.

‘Excellent! Simply delightful!’

Observing their expressions, I saw them trembling with a complex mix of anxiety, fear, and rage.

Seeing those faces glaring at Marga with resentment as they ground their teeth in frustration, I couldn’t help but smirk.

“Ahem… Everyone! The trial is still in session. Please be quiet so we can proceed smoothly!”

After over 10 minutes of unrelenting jeers, the judge, having regained his senses, tried to calm the gallery.

“Now then, plaintiff’s counsel… I’m not sure if ‘witness’ is the right term, but it seems his testimony is finished. Do you have any questions for him?”

“Y-yes!” The lawyer, as terrified as the mother and daughter, gulped and jumped to his feet, shouting:

“Witness! Are you truly that spirit who accompanied Pierre?!”

“Human, what do you mean by that?”

When Marga asked, sounding slightly annoyed, the lawyer hesitated for a moment but, having nowhere to retreat, raised his voice at Marga instead.

“I mean exactly what I said! How can you prove you’re the spirit who accompanied Pierre?! You seem to be contracted with the defendant – couldn’t you be in cahoots as his contracted spirit?!”

Though it was an insulting accusation of fraud, Marga didn’t get angry. Instead, he looked at the lawyer with pitying eyes.

‘Poor bastard…’

To end up making such pathetic excuses because he got mixed up with those worthless women…

I felt a tinge of sympathy for him as he blurted out anything he could think of while sweating profusely.

“Even if it was you, that’s no proof such events actually occurred! For all we know, you could be lying!”

“You f*cking piece of sh*t! How dare you insult one who stood beside a hero!” Karn’s group rushed forward in outrage, unable to contain themselves.

“After the trial, we should hang that bastard along with those b*tches!”

Marga sighed and spoke: “Don’t get so worked up. So, you’re saying you don’t believe my words?”

“That’s right!”

“Then I swear on my very existence. Everything I’ve said today is true, and if there’s any falsehood, may my body crumble to pieces.”

“Ah, ah…”

The lawyer seemed to know that an oath sworn by a spirit on its own existence actually takes effect. If broken, their body would collapse and they’d regress to a quasi-spirit without even a sense of self.

The lawyer was at a loss for words. But then his eyes lit up, and he cried out, refusing to give up:

“Even if what the witness said is true, that’s not enough to prove the plaintiff isn’t a descendant of Pierre!”

“Why not? He said so himself, didn’t he?”

I asked out of genuine curiosity, and he trembled as he sputtered something that sounded almost reasonable.

“Because there’s a possibility he was mistaken! Even if there was an affair, that doesn’t necessarily prove they’re not his children!”

He had a point. To put it crudely, without a paternity test, it’s possible they were simply mistaken.

However…

“Then please provide evidence to support what you just claimed, counselor.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean exactly what I said. If that’s what you think, please provide evidence to support your claim. Of course…”

If you can prove that what a human who died 200 years ago said was false, that is.

The testimony I presented didn’t require additional evidence to establish the facts since it came directly from the person involved. But his case was different.

To prove his claim, he needed evidence to back it up.

“Ah, ahhh…”

Knowing full well he could never obtain such evidence, the lawyer collapsed to the floor as if giving up everything.

But unlike the lawyer who had given up completely, the mother of the Ponpon duo sprang to her feet as if she couldn’t accept defeat.

As all eyes turned to her sudden movement, she removed the glove she was wearing and threw it at me.

“W-we challenge you to a duel for insulting our family! P-pick up the glove!”

The glove she threw at me fell limply to the ground, and snickers could be heard from the gallery.

“Has that b*tch lost her mind?”

“A duel in this situation…”

“A duel without honor or anything. No one in their right mind would accept.”

As they said, it would be foolish to agree to a trial by combat when my victory in the trial was already assured.

But contrary to their expectations, I jumped up from the defendant’s seat and picked up the glove she had thrown.

“Very well! I accept your duel!”

“What?”

That dumbfounded response came from the very person who had issued the challenge. Not just her, but everyone tilted their heads as if wondering if they had misheard. The judge asked me:

“Defendant… are you sure about this? If you lose this duel…”

“I’m well aware, Your Honor. I’ve accepted knowing full well what’s at stake.”

After a moment’s hesitation, confirming my resolve was firm, the judge banged his gavel.

“Then so be it. The outcome of this trial will be determined by the winner of the duel, as per custom!”

“This is absurd!” As everyone shouted that this made no sense, I yelled with all my might at the fool who had thrown away her last chance to die comfortably:

“I’ll rip your cunt to shreds as many times as your mother had abortions! You f*cking b*tches! Bwahahahaha!”

[raei: this novel is… hectic]