The Trial (3)
"Ah…"
Garnet couldn't bring herself to say another word.
The back of Kallen, standing squarely in her way, seemed unusually broad — and impossibly steady. He was absorbing the pressure that came raining down on her from every direction as if it were nothing at all, entirely at his ease.
After glancing around the hall, he called out in a voice full of confidence.
"The defense raises an objection to this tribunal's decision, I do!"
"…An objection?"
An exceptionally frosty voice turned on him. In the way the Imperial Princess looked down at Kallen, so late in arriving, her displeasure was plainly written.
Kallen, for his part, simply nodded along, unbothered.
"That's right."
"You arrive late and start spouting nonsense…"
"The road here was terribly complicated, and I lost my way for a moment. I ask for your generous understanding."
"Haah…"
Far from looking ashamed, Kallen only lounged about with a foolish grin, and Kaziaia pressed a hand to her forehead in spite of herself. Before long she waved him off as though shooing an irritating insect and spoke.
"Fine. Speak, then. What part of the interrogator's words do you find objectionable?"
"First of all, every last one of you is an idiot."
"…What?"
At Kallen's curling smile, her lips parted slightly in disbelief.
"You, and you, and all of you together."
A great commotion rippled through the hall. Kallen, heedless of it, kept provoking the assembled high priests, paladins, and Imperial Guard without pause.
"Garnet shook off the demonic sword by her own will. She never once yielded to the wicked whispers and temptations that would have dogged her the entire time she held that blade. And in truth, she killed no one."
Kallen ambled to the very center of the courtroom as he went on.
"And yet here you all are, heaping crimes on a future pillar of the realm with that magnificent will — calling her corrupted, and whatnot. Doesn't that strike you as a little ridiculous, hmm?"
"B-but…!"
Someone sprang up from the witness stand. It was Pas of the Swordsmanship Department, and he protested at Kallen with a voice full of wounded grievance.
"I—I really did nearly get my heart skewered! Just thinking about the look in that girl's eyes back then still…!"
"Quiet, Pas."
Kallen cut him off in a single stroke and flicked the words out like scraps.
"If Garnet had actually meant to do it, you wouldn't be sitting in that witness stand right now — you'd be six feet under. You're supposed to be from the Swordsmanship Department, and you're making this much fuss over a scraped skin?"
"Ugh…"
Pas couldn't even lift his face. He stumbled back into his seat and sat there, crumpled.
Garnet could not follow the chain of events at all. She simply stared at Kallen in wide-eyed silence.
"Sophistry!"
A rough shout suddenly burst from the direction of the priesthood. The Aten Church interrogator, who had spent the trial reciting Garnet's supposed crimes, jabbed a finger at Kallen and roared.
"Are you defending one who has been corrupted by a demonic sword? There are limits to such shamelessness…!"
"Ah, and I'm telling you she wasn't corrupted."
Kallen clicked his tongue in exasperation, then leaned down over the interrogator like a beast about to swallow him whole.
"Let me ask you something. Do you think a single one of the people in this room could resist the temptation of a demonic sword? If an Apeiron-grade demonic sword were placed in your hand, could you overcome it through willpower alone? Could you swear it openly, staking both your faith and your priestly office on it? Hmm? Because that girl — she did."
"Ugh…!"
The interrogator, struck dumb, glared at Kallen and could only stammer out his reply.
"But the sin of wielding a demonic sword still—"
"Discovering evil that hides its true nature is no easy thing — and who should know that better than your lot? Even to my eye, the thing looked like nothing more than some cheap iron blade."
Pfft— Kallen, holding back a sneer at the interrogator, turned back to the Imperial Princess and spoke.
"Garnet deserves praise, not condemnation. If anything, that is what is fitting."
"…"
A heavy silence settled over the hall. The Princess's glance at Kallen from behind her veil still carried that same inexplicable displeasure.
"…Haah."
Letting out a light sigh, she swept her gaze slowly across the assembly and murmured.
"This one's manner of speech is far too insolent — but his words are not entirely without reason. Would you not agree?"
"…!!"
And the faces of the priests filled to the brim with shock.
"Thessac of Wrath — the worst of all demonic swords, forged by the hand of 'War' itself. Its last owner was Lord Elfwin, two hundred years ago — Lord Commander of the Imperial Guard, and a Swordmaster."
The Princess turned her head and spoke in a voice that rang clear and bright.
"Even he could not withstand the demonic sword's temptation. He fell, and turned half the Empire to ash. Elfwin found peace only after the Saintess of that age rose to put him down."
Then she sent a level look toward Garnet and continued.
"…Before a great evil, human will is nothing but frailty itself. If this girl truly endured the temptation of an Apeiron-grade demonic sword — one with a will of its own, no less… then there is certainly grounds for her soundness of mind to be taken into account."
The Princess's intent was now unmistakably tilting toward Kallen's argument. The mood of the hall, which had been condemning Garnet wholesale, was likewise drifting in a strange new direction.
The priests, whispering among themselves and frantically trading opinions, scrambled one after another to plead with Kaziaia.
"B-but Forts is kin to Nigel, that wicked and shameless traitor! Can it truly be coincidence that his daughter took up a demonic sword? There must be a corruptible taint running in that bloodline, without question."
"She escaped awakening through luck this time, but what law says she will not repeat this? Her resentment toward the Empire and humanity must already be festering in her bones."
"Her skill and her will are exceptional — but that very fact may return as an even greater corruption. Does not the case of Lord Elfwin, as Your Highness herself described, prove it? Such a sprout must be cut before it grows…"
The traitor's daughter.
Even amid all this, that brand still clamped around Garnet's throat with brutal force. Having nothing to say in her own defense, she bowed her head once more. Elysion's side would have no counterargument here either — the entire point of this practical exercise had been, after all, to sift the wheat from the chaff of those prone to corruption.
The restless atmosphere was tipping once again toward Garnet's destruction.
"That, too, is a misunderstanding."
And the one who flipped the room on its head yet again was, of course, that man's voice.
"…A misunderstanding?"
"That's right."
Kallen answered the Princess without a moment's delay, then looked around at the assembly with perfect composure and spoke.
"Nigel was no traitor. He was a righteous man who defended the Empire's banner to the very end."
"What impossible madness is this—!"
A furious roar erupted before the words had even left his mouth. It came from one of the Imperial Guard standing beside the Princess.
Glaring at Kallen as if to kill him where he stood, the man ground out his words one broken piece at a time.
"Nigel is a criminal who sold out Talonde! Because of his betrayal, the North was weakened and the knights lost their honor! And the likes of you dares to speak such nonsense without a shred of evidence?!"
"As for evidence — I have it."
Kallen nodded as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
And the hall erupted into an uproar beyond all comparison with anything before. Even Kaziaia, who had held her lofty seat with untouchable poise, lost her composure — stiffening where she stood, eyes locked on Kallen.
"…Did you just say you have evidence?"
She spoke with a trembling voice. The betrayal of the Royal Guard's knight order had dealt a painful blow to the throne's credibility as well. With the Emperor himself having succumbed around the same time to the curse that swept in from the East, the imperial family had yet to recover from that blow even now.
"While blocking the corrupted ones who invaded the forest, I was dragged into the Illusion Realm — and there, by chance, I met Nigel's soul."
Kallen rummaged inside his coat and drew something out, unfolding it.
It was a banner of colossal size, large enough to drape the full body of a grown man and then some. Though its colors had faded somewhat, the gold-thread embroidery and auspicious inscriptions upon it still gleamed with unmistakable nobility.
"The banner of the Black Wolf Knights, which Nigel guarded until his final breath."
"Good heavens!"
"That's impossible…! That's…!!"
The Imperial Guard knights who saw it went wide-eyed, each crying out in disbelief.
"If he had truly betrayed the Empire, there's no way he would still have been keeping this."
"…Bring the banner here."
The Princess, barely regaining her breath, beckoned to Kallen. Passed through the hands of a guard who stepped forward, the banner was delivered directly into hers.
And then, eyes closed, stroking it for a long while, the Princess at last gave a slow nod.
"There is no doubt — it is the knights' banner. The power of the guardian magic passed down through generations of the imperial family… I can feel it, unmistakably."
"…!!"
Confirmed by the Princess herself, no less, any further proof was meaningless. Watching it all, Kallen went on with his characteristic lazy smile.
"Nigel was no traitor. The one who opened the gates that day was someone else entirely."
"What did you say?"
"I request the immediate arrest and detention of Enrak, former Vice-Commander of the Black Wolf Knights — and Seden, the interrogator who granted him absolution."
"Enrak? Iron Arm Enrak?"
"Seden, you say…?"
And every eye in the hall converged on a single point. The aged high priest, and Enrak standing guard at his side like a shadow, could only stare back, frozen and flustered.
"Well, what do you know. The parties concerned were here all along."
Kallen twisted his lips in a smirk at the sight of them and urged the room onward.
"Paladins, what are you standing around for? Restrain those criminals at once."
"Th-this is a frame-up!"
"Indeed…! You cannot trust the word of a man like that…!"
The two, belatedly coming to their senses, traded desperate pleas. But considering the meaning of the banner Kallen had produced, their protests carried no persuasiveness at all anymore.
The paladins had already converged, encircling the pair in a tight ring. And when Seden spotted the white-haired figure commanding them, he screamed with everything he had left.
"L-Lord Sibilik! This must not be allowed!"
Sibilik?
At a name he had heard somewhere before, Kallen unconsciously opened his eyes wide. Against his chest, beneath his clothes, he could still feel the touch of the cross necklace.
"What is the meaning of this delay."
But Sibilik, Supreme Master of the Aten Church, proceeded with his orders in perfect calm.
"See Father Seden and Sir Enrak to a secure place, at once."
"Lord Sibilik! Please! This is a frame-up!"
Resistance was nothing but a waste of breath. The two, wailing in disgrace, were bound by the frost-eyed paladins and dragged unceremoniously out of the hall.
"Honestly, could've gone a little more quietly…"
Still grumbling, Kallen at last turned around and faced Garnet. She was staring fixedly at him without blinking once, as if unable to believe any of it.
"…Your father was a truly remarkable knight."
And with his hand resting on her shoulder, Kallen spoke quietly.
"Truly."
"Ah…"
Garnet, who had been grinding her lips together, felt her face crumple beyond all repair.
"Hic…"
Raindrops began to fall from a cloudless sky. The only sound filling the quiet hall was the sound of Garnet weeping.
Watching her from above, Kaziaia turned to the priests and asked.
"At this point, I believe we have our conclusion. What say you?"
If the trial ended like this, the Aten Church could not avoid a loss of standing — but with Seden and Enrak hauled away, they had no path to victory left anyway. All they could manage now was a last flailing struggle to avoid a humiliating defeat.
After a long, grim consultation, one of the priests stepped forward and spoke.
"…If you accept collective liability, we will agree to a conditional pardon for Garnet Forts."
"Collective liability?"
"However resolved her innocence may be, the fact remains that she once dipped her toes into corruption. That will remain an anxiety, now and always. Therefore…"
His gaze swung sharply toward Kallen, who was glaring daggers at him.
"Should Garnet Forts ever commit the same act again, the professor who defended her shall also be put to death."
"Even in the face of all this, you people…"
At their relentless, single-minded stubbornness, Kaziaia pressed a hand to her forehead in disgust and shook her head. The priests held their ground as if they would yield no further.
"This is a minimal safeguard. If it comes to that, then he himself will take every possible care to keep Garnet Forts from going astray, will he not? That is hardly at odds with a professor's duty."
"…"
The Princess's gaze turned once more to Kallen. The final decision now rested with him — but defending Garnet as Elysion's representative and mortgaging his very life to her were two very different matters.
Should he refuse, the priests could seize on it as pretext to pin fresh charges on Garnet and angle for a comeback.
"Done."
And once again, Kallen simply nodded.
"Let it be so."
"…!!"
The Princess and the priests opened their eyes in astonishment at the same instant. Kallen, who had answered without a moment's deliberation, waited for the result with utter indifference.
Kaziaia was struck speechless for a while, staring blankly at him.
"…Then it is decided."
At last she let out a small sigh and nodded.
"To the accused, Garnet Forts, this tribunal pronounces a verdict of unimpeachable innocence in the name of the imperial throne. Furthermore, all charges of treason laid upon House Forts are hereby dissolved as of this day."
Rising from her seat, she looked around the hall and declared in a stately voice.
"This trial is concluded. All are dismissed."
The Princess departed the courtroom just as abruptly, as though nothing had happened at all.
Only a great buzzing commotion remained within the hall. A hazy, distant sensation — like waking from a long dream — lingered over every inch of Garnet's body.
She had been staring blankly ahead when she suddenly came to her senses and pushed herself upright. The shackles that had bound her so tightly existed nowhere anymore.
"Wh-where did…"
She looked around frantically, but the person she sought was nowhere to be seen, and her impatience only grew. Rushing desperately out into the corridor, she finally spotted the back of the very someone she'd been searching for.
"W-wait…!!"
Without a moment's thought, Garnet sprinted after him and threw herself in front of Kallen as he left the courtroom.
"Haa… haa…"
Stumbling, she seized his collar almost as though collapsing into him. Kallen squeezed his eyes shut briefly and looked down at her.
"You…"
"Thank… you…"
Garnet spoke without managing to meet his eyes. Her voice had already gone muffled and waterlogged, like paper soaked through.
"Everything, everything, all of it… thank you… snf."
Then a light throb of pain suddenly bloomed on Garnet's forehead. She opened her brimming eyes and at last looked up at Kallen. He, having just given her a light knuckle-tap, answered only curtly.
"Save your thanks for your friend."
He drew something from his coat and held it out to her. It was her father's locket — the one she'd been losing all this time.
"It's thanks to this that I was able to meet your father. If your friend hadn't asked me to return what she'd found, I might never have made it back from there myself."
"Friend…?"
"You know, that girl — the one who looks like a squirrel…"
"Ah…"
Garnet had no trouble at all picturing Carol's face.
"How… how could I ever repay a debt like this?"
Bowing her head deep once more, she asked in a voice choked to pieces, stumbling over every word.
"I have nothing… nothing at all that I could give you…"
"If you're that grateful, then stop skipping class from now on and pay attention."
Kallen's voice remained as gruff as ever.
"Considering all the trouble you've put me through… good grief…"
"Snf…"
"And who exactly are you calling 'you,' hmm? Manners. From now on, it's Professor, every time."
A heavy, familiar weight settled on her forehead once again. She screwed her eyes shut, bracing for another knuckle-tap — but Kallen's rough hand was only gently smoothing back her hair. Before she knew it, Garnet had let herself sink into that touch.
"I'm off."
Kallen left nothing behind but that careless farewell, turned, and walked away.
"Hic…"
And as Garnet gazed after that retreating back, her brimming eyes welled over once more.
"Thank you… thank you…"
Sinking down where she stood, Garnet simply stayed there for a long while, weeping tears of pure joy.