Chapter 34
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Reverse Scale (1)
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No one dared to open their mouth amid the unexpected situation.
Even with his hair and beard grown wild and unkempt from neglect, covering his face,
even with his hunched back and lifeless green eyes,
there was no doubt—he was the king.
It was the first time seeing those dragon-like eyes, but the pressure was palpable.
'This sense of oppression...'
It was suffocating.
His mere presence instantly turned the courtroom atmosphere gravely serious.
The reclusive king's unprecedented attendance.
For me, it was the worst possible scenario.
And not just that—he was seated not in the jury box, spectator seats, or even the upper seats, but beside the queen.
Anyone could grasp what that signified.
"...Does this mean His Majesty intends to intervene?"
The Minister said in a low voice.
His eyes, which had always admired King Rio more than anyone, now flickered with unease.
"Even with solid evidence and justification, this..."
His voice, steady until moments ago, now trembled.
He seemed just as shocked as anyone.
At that moment, Haillin spoke up.
"...It's still worth a shot."
"What?"
"He said he's just observing. That means he won't intervene from the start."
The startled Minister looked at her.
"You know what it means for His Majesty to sit over there, don't you?"
"Sitting there doesn't confirm he's on their side."
Haillin's fists were clenched so tightly her knuckles had turned white, but she nodded anyway.
"Some things you only learn by clashing head-on, old timer. Sometimes you've got to crack a rock with an egg."
Her words prompted me to encourage the Minister instead.
"The Director's right. We can't let ourselves get intimidated from the outset."
Even with the king here, nothing changed.
The trial would proceed regardless, and we just needed to execute our preparations.
That was the best course.
"...You're right. We can't go in expecting defeat."
The Minister quickly regained his composure and muttered.
"Ahem."
Meanwhile, as the courtroom silence dragged on too long, one of the queen's retainers deliberately cleared his throat.
The dazed judge finally snapped back to reality.
"Th-then... we shall formally commence this trial."
The atmosphere slowly returned to normal.
"This trial, requested directly by Queen Helena Castor, concerns the punishment of the defendant, Nathan Kell."
The trial's first procedure was introducing the charges and the prosecution's opening attack.
"Prosecution, please present your opinions, including the defendant's alleged offenses."
No sooner had the words ended than a sharp-featured man before the queen rose from his seat.
"Inspector General Pierce..."
The Minister muttered lowly.
"As an immigration officer, the defendant Nathan Kell has a duty to treat all entrants courteously and permit entry to anyone with peaceful intentions."
Pierce pointed at me as he spoke.
"Yet without just cause, he labeled the pilgrimage group a crusade army and denied them entry. This constitutes a grave diplomatic breach."
The first strike was a cunning mix of truth laced with lies.
The judge spoke.
"Do you have evidence to support this?"
In lieu of a verbal reply, he produced a neatly folded letter and handed it to the judge.
It was the Holy Church's formal protest.
"A letter penned directly by the aggrieved party."
The judge unfolded it and read the contents succinctly.
[Insult to the Pope and Holy Church. And the baseless denial of entry to a pilgrimage group with peaceful purpose.]
The letter, riddled with lies, echoed through the hall.
"Defense, do you have any rebuttal?"
"Anyone with a conscience wouldn't even dream of it."
The queen sneered.
"Though a non-believer wouldn't have one anyway."
"..."
It was petty provocation, but something welled up inside me for a moment.
If following protocol was a crime, then what qualified as innocent?
'You're the ones spinning lies.'
But a gentle hand pressed down on my shoulder.
"Allow me to speak first."
Haillin rose, shoving the box beside me under the desk.
"Heave-ho."
- Thud! Rrrumble.
Hundreds of documents spilled out simultaneously.
"Here is every piece of rebuttal evidence against that protest letter."
"A-all of this is evidence?"
"Indeed."
She grabbed a few bundles, approached the judge, and handed them over.
"Kingdom entry regulations mandate courtesy to all entrants. However!"
"This applies only to those cooperating with inspection. There's also policy to deal firmly with those whose purposes are suspect or concealed."
"Thus, questioning motives is proper for any inspector, regardless of status or rank."
"Especially for an unprecedented group like this pilgrimage—verifying not just the collective purpose but each individual's hidden agendas is the inspector's duty."
Her words flowed like clear mountain water.
Haillin raised her voice from the center of the courtroom.
"If fulfilling one's duty is criminal, who would serve the nation loyally?!"
The irrefutable logic twisted the queen's expression.
"Finally, I question the credibility of the phrase 'peaceful purpose' at the end of that protest."
"What do you mean by that?!"
Pierce shouted indignantly.
But the judge was quicker.
"What do you mean by lacking credibility?"
"To explain, I request speaking rights for Foreign Affairs Minister Carton Grayson."
"Granted."
All eyes turned to the Minister.
Carton rose slowly, speaking in a solemn tone.
"Honored Judge. Before becoming Foreign Affairs Minister, I served as Intelligence Director, devoting myself to the nation."
With a brief self-introduction, he bolstered the credibility of his forthcoming statement.
He pulled a paper from his inner pocket and passed it to Haillin.
"Right after the pilgrimage departed, Intelligence received an urgent report: signs of the Evil God Cult's revival, and war materiel amassing in the continent's north."
Haillin handed it directly to the judge.
"Given this, I deem the Central Officer's suspicions of the pilgrimage not reckless, but reasonable inference."
A statement rooted in principles, backed by rational doubt.
And material evidence to support it.
'So this is what you two prepared!'
Perfect.
A flawlessly clean defense.
"Certainly... one could see it that way."
The judge nodded after reading the report.
"Prosecution, any rebuttal or additional charges?"
"That is..."
Perhaps because the logic landed better than expected, the Inspector General glanced at the queen with a flustered look.
She subtly eyed the king beside her.
"..."
But the king remained impassive, as if utterly disinterested.
Helena clicked her tongue in evident displeasure before replying.
"...We'll call witnesses too."
"Very well. Who are they?"
The names that followed were all too familiar, enough to make one's head spin.
"Pope Escabaor III of the Holy Church."
"1st Paladin Order Captain Mohaim Espirence."
"And Saintess Erzena Selaph."
The courtroom buzzed.
"P-Pope!?"
"The Pope is attending this trial?"
Each was a heavyweight with massive political and religious significance.
The queen concluded confidently.
"That's three in total."
"Objection noted. Attendance approved."
No sooner had he spoken than the courtroom doors creaked open.
- Creeeak.
And two familiar faces appeared.
"Gasp...!"
"It's really the Order Captain and the Saintess...!"
Mohaim and Erzena walked in.
Haillin and Carton looked stunned as well.
"H-how did those bastards get here?"
"...They must've sent a carriage straight to the capital the moment the pilgrimage passed."
I was the only one unsurprised.
As they took positions on the queen's side, Mohaim promptly activated a crystal orb.
- Whirr.
The Pope's benevolent face materialized simultaneously.
- Greetings, esteemed figures of the Crossroad Kingdom.
The man I never wanted to see again spoke leisurely.
"Y-Your Holiness—no, witness. Do you understand why you're here for this trial?"
- Ah, Judge. Of course. Allow this old man to speak briefly.
He cleared his throat and began his testimony.
- This pilgrimage was the will of the gods.
His solemn voice dominated the courtroom.
- Yet that inspector declared denial based on baseless suspicion, enraging the divine.
Utterly shameless words.
The queen nodded in agreement.
The Pope pointed to the saintess beside him.
- The saintess's holy power vanishing is the result of that wrath. The divine journey must not be impeded, yet it was.
As he said, the saintess lacked her usual golden aura.
People finally noticed her missing halo and began whispering.
- We protest vehemently. One who blocks a peaceful pilgrimage, forgetting a neutral nation's duty, deserves punishment.
Having neatly concluded, Escabaor glanced at the queen's side.
- Isn't that right, King Rio Castor?
Directly named, King Rio's eyes moved for the first time.
He gazed briefly at the Pope in the orb.
Those who sought to cross the border with 'war' in mind, and the one who staked his life to stop them.
A fateful enmity from 15 years ago now converged in this bizarre alliance.
The Minister beside me looked desperately at the king, harboring a sliver of hope.
"Your Majesty. Please, awaken..."
But the king's response shattered Carton's desperate expectations.
"...Indeed."
- I've heard execution is the penalty for immigration inspectors. We hope this serves as an example.
They revealed their ultimate aim.
My death.
- If you doubt, I'll play part of the conversation. These are the Central Officer's own words—solid evidence.
The Pope manipulated the orb.
My agitated voice echoed through the courtroom.
[Under the guise of a holy war, justifying their aggression and disrupting continental peace— their intent is clear!]
It definitively captured me declaring their purpose a crusade.
- That's all. Calling a peaceful pilgrimage a crusade is a grave insult.
Cruelly confident words.
- I take it as an affront and belittlement to our Church.
The worst feared statement emerged.
The Pope directly naming the charges.
Haillin couldn't hold back any longer.
"But we have all this irrefutable evidence! More weapons than personnel, the 1st Paladin Order's escort, and the saintess's unprecedented presence—"
Yet even she was cut off by the judge.
"His Holiness's claims hold merit. At the same time, it's understandable as an insult."
"Judge!"
"Even if subjective, it could be seen as a diplomatic discourtesy."
People increasingly sided with the Pope.
"Then, finally, does the defense have closing arguments?"
Closing arguments.
This signaled the judge had made up his mind.
In other words, we were utterly cornered.
Almost no path to victory.
All eyes turned to me.
"...Yes."
I rose slowly.
And addressed the judge.
"Lastly, I request a witness."
"For what purpose?"
"To prove the pilgrimage's true intent and my innocence."
"Granted. Who is it?"
I raised my hand, pointing at someone.
Gazes followed my finger.
To one woman on the queen's side.
"Erzena Selaph."
My final card, my last resort.
The surest weapon, usable only when the opponent believes victory certain.
"I request the Holy Church's saintess as witness."
Shocked exclamations erupted in the courtroom.
"Th-the saintess? As their own witness?"
"He's mad."
"Thinks it's already over, huh."
The Pope chuckled incredulously.
- What nonsense is this, Central Officer? Why would Erzena be your witness?
But his laughter didn't last.
"I accept the request."
- ...What?
The courtroom erupted louder.
"Saintess! What do you—"
The queen shrieked near-screaming.
But the saintess's voice cut her off.
"I swear before the Lord to speak only the truth from here on."
Erzena walked slowly to stand beside me.
She placed her hand atop mine on the desk.
A faint warm golden energy rippled.
Her eyes met mine.
I nodded silently, and she turned forward again.
After a deep breath, she spoke clearly for all to hear.
"This pilgrimage is a lie."
I had struck the reverse scale.