Chapter 43 - The Hearing

He had a good eye.

Prince Arden Brimstone Lionel had heard that since childhood.

A man of every talent. A genius without equal.

All those grand titles could be traced back to his eyes.

Having a good eye did not simply mean that his eyesight was sharp. The prince could see the “trajectories” of everything.

When he first picked up a sword, it took him only days to understand the principles behind what other knights called the path of the blade. When he gained the ability to wield supernatural powers, he grasped the laws governing their movement in an instant.

And the trajectories his eyes could see were not limited to the movement of objects.

Seeing, after all, encompassed not only sight but insight. His were good eyes of a kind that could even perceive the trajectory a person's life would take.

In that sense, the man now striding confidently into the building was interesting in many ways.

It was hardly likely that he had walked in unaware this was a trap. He was the calculating sort, fond of scheming. There was no way he had failed to consider it.

Coming here so boldly despite that meant he, too, had confidence in the cards he had brought.

“...”

And, thinking about it, the very idea of a man with no backing whatsoever going toe-to-toe with the crown prince in an all-out slugfest was absurd.

The trajectory the prince saw Aiden Kellermain tracing was, if anything, like a spring.

Leave it alone and nothing happened. Attacks or threats directed at the man himself, in particular, barely seemed to register.

But apply pressure to those around him. Turn your arrows on those who had entered his circle. Press down on the spring.

The harder you pressed, the more fiercely it sprang back, with several times the force.

Honestly, it would be fair to say that by now he was more curious about what that man would do than about the Lionhearted.

“... Your Honor.”

And this business, too.

“Let us begin.”

Whatever else happened, one thing was clear: neither side was going to make this an easy fight.

▣

From the moment he entered the courtroom, Aiden had expected the other side to make some sort of biased argument laced with lies and rabble-rousing.

“I hereby accuse the Lionhearted of involvement in treason.”

... Still, he hadn't expected anything quite this bad.

“...”

At the words that burst from the minister of administration's mouth the moment proceedings began, Aiden closed his eyes and pressed his temples.

He had thought they would at least observe some decorum and feel one another out first. That modest expectation had been shattered by the opening blow.

This level of disregard for fair play bordered on art. It was like opening a boxing match with a kick to the balls before even exchanging greetings...

The move was so outrageous that even Noel, who had been sitting quietly beside him, could only ask in stunned disbelief:

“Did you say treason?”

She, too, had come expecting nonsense, yet her expression twisted. It plainly said that even bullshit ought to have its limits.

'... Seriously.'

Aiden could only sympathize wholeheartedly with that reaction.

Whatever else they might have done, leveling an accusation of treason could only mean they intended to lay all their cards on the table at once.

Naturally, anyone who sought to overthrow the state, no matter who they were, faced a minimum sentence of life imprisonment and a maximum of death. Even then, the likelihood of receiving the maximum wasn't all that high.

They had apparently held back at the final line by calling it “involvement” rather than planning or leading a rebellion, but even that could only mean they intended to destroy Noel's social and political standing completely.

And, of course, failing to make such an accusation stick would bring devastating consequences down on the accuser.

If the statements made in this trial proved false, the scandal engulfing the prince would probably be too dreadful even to imagine. He could be considered to have sacrificed most of his political standing.

And yet, when someone raised the stakes this high, people inevitably assumed he must have something to back him up.

The world was always more easily persuaded by bullshit that looked like the truth than by the truth itself.

“Involvement in treason? The Lionhearted?”

“Surely His Highness wouldn't go that far without a reason—”

Watching the assembled spectators whisper, Aiden unconsciously rubbed his stiffening neck.

'... This.'

Wasn't this the same method he had used to bury the incident when the prince had picked a fight with Dame Noel?

Hide a tree in a forest by creating an even more sensational incident.

Now the prince meant to bury that beneath an even larger forest.

Aiden had heard plenty of people call him crazy lately, but he felt the prince would give him some stiff competition.

“... I believe we have collected and brought ample evidence that I had no involvement in the series of incidents in the capital.”

As Noel countered in a rigid voice, the minister of administration made an exaggerated bow.

“And what proof do you have that it was not fabricated?”

“I am under no obligation to prove that.”

“The imperial family is likewise under no obligation to prove such things when dealing with someone suspected of treason.”

“...”

“It is an exclusive imperial prerogative, enshrined in the Empire's constitution, is it not?”

By this point, their stance was easy enough to understand.

I am the future Emperor. I can bend this country's legal system to my will. What are you going to do about it? Kneel before my authority...

And, as was so often the way of the world, the most frightening approach was a simple one you could see coming and still not stop.

'... Come to think of it.'

Hadn't the prince warned him before that if he openly crossed the line like that, the prince would have no choice but to take drastic measures?

This response made the meaning of that warning painfully clear.

Neither Noel nor Aiden had any way to counter this kind of brute pressure. It really brought home how gentlemanly the prince had been when he tried to send Aiden home quietly without escalating matters...

“And, above all—”

Still, even imperial authority had its limits. The evidence Noel and Aiden had brought back from their raid on the capital's black market was far too clear-cut. No amount of authority could justify such an outrageous distortion.

So, to poke a hole in their opponents' argument...

“How do you intend to explain the matter of the Lord Protector?”

“...”

“Have you prepared any evidence concerning that incident, Lionhearted?”

In the end, this was the decisive blow they had prepared.

The Lord Protector's spirit had attacked Noel as soon as she was summoned. Given her conduct in life, that alone could readily serve as evidence that Noel was doing something wrong. That was the gist of their reasoning.

And, naturally, there was no way to refute it. It wasn't as though they could bring the Lord Protector's spirit here and ask her. The other side knew that, which was precisely why they were being so overbearing...

“Oh, excuse me.”

... Or rather, that reasoning would have held until Aiden casually raised his hand.

“We do have evidence.”

“...”

The minister turned to Aiden, his expression tightening slightly.

“Did you say you have evidence?”

“A witness, to be precise. We can prove it.”

At that, the minister's expression shifted from a grimace to a sneer.

This was impossible to prove without summoning the Lord Protector's spirit herself and asking her. Just what sort of witness had he brought to make such a confident claim?

It was exactly the kind of bravado that invited ridicule.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. May I bring her in?”

“That will require some discussion—”

“Too late. She'll be here any moment.”

“...”

... A little of the reason visibly drained from the minister's eyes.

Presumably, he had never encountered anyone so willful in a formal trial before.

Anyone with common sense and decency would recognize that he was making a spectacle of himself, but Aiden had no particular desire to worry about that.

Hadn't they been the first to ignore every procedure and rule and make outrageous demands? He had no reason to feel guilty.

“Aiden, causing an unnecessary disturbance could work against us later—”

“Oh, it's fine.”

Above all else...

“The person coming in can afford to cause a bit of a stir.”

The “witness” he had called was someone it would be a shame not to make this much of a fuss over.

As soon as the doors swung open after those words, and everyone saw who was entering, the entire room froze.

“Well, well.”

The woman in black ecclesiastical robes opened with those words and a smile.

At that single utterance, even the prince and the minister recognized her and shot to their feet in alarm.

“The Empire must spend more on its courts than we do.”

For Abigail III, the Pontiff, ruler of the Holy Kingdom of Craven, was strolling in from the entrance as though nothing were out of the ordinary.

▣

For a while, a precarious silence hung over the stunned courtroom, as though everyone were treading on thin ice.

“Your Holiness, when did you arrive in the Empire?”

The minister of administration finally managed to speak, struggling to control his trembling cheeks.

... Honestly, he looked thoroughly cornered compared to his usual demeanor, but given the atmosphere, he deserved praise for his courage.

“Officially? Just now.”

“...”

“I contacted the Emperor personally and settled the formalities. No objections, I trust?”

“...”

How could anyone object?

More precisely, no one possessed enough reckless courage to voice any objections.

The Pontiff walked up to the dais and leaned her upper body against it, as comfortable as though she were in her own sitting room.

“So.”

Abigail III spoke through a yawn.

“Something about spirits, was it? That happens to be my specialty.”

“...”

“What was that about the Lord Protector's spirit? Go on, tell me.”

As her words settled into the courtroom full of people struck dumb, Noel, who had also risen, leaned toward Aiden.

“... Is that really Her Holiness the Pontiff?”

“...”

Aiden gave her a narrow-eyed look.

“It's not as though I'd bring a double. How would I deal with the consequences?”

“I think I would find that easier to believe...”

The words escaped Noel like a groan before she resumed whispering.

“I won't ask how you brought her here, but a foreign royal intervening in a case like this is no small matter. There are procedures that must be followed for it to be officially recognized...”

“Oh, don't worry.”

Aiden propped his chin on his hand and casually cut off her objection.

“I wrote her a script.”

“... Pardon?”

While Noel was still floundering, the minister finally recovered enough to voice the very objection she had just raised.

“Forgive my presumption, Your Holiness. While we are deeply honored by your personal visit, we must consider whether your presence here is appropriate—”

The Pontiff's answer was simple.

“So what?”

“...”

The prince and the minister stared at her in simultaneous bewilderment.

And they were not alone. Noel and everyone else in the room reacted much the same way.

Everyone except Aiden, who had told her in advance how he wanted this conversation to go.

“The ruler of the Holy Kingdom of Craven wants it. I want to intervene, right here, in this business of yours. I told you, I settled it with the Emperor on my way here.”

“...”

“If that's what I say, what can you do about it?”

“...”

“A mere piddling minister like you?”

Aiden chuckled at the speechless minister.

“She's good.”

“...”

“See? It takes brains to sit on a throne.”

If the other side intended to crush them with authority, they simply had to respond in kind.

Only much harder. Return the blow with several times the force. Leave them unable to utter a peep.

“... A spring, all right.”

The prince muttered the words before he knew it.