Prologue - What Is Justice?
Prologue - What Is Justice?
What is justice.
I thought justice was on the side of the wronged.
At least, until my father was unjustly found guilty.
Having lost my mother to cancer when I was young and living with my father, I was able to live no differently from any other family thanks to my father's efforts to fill the void left by my mother.
However, the company my father worked for framed him to cover up their corruption, and my father was found guilty, eventually falling ill and passing away from the shock.
With this as a turning point, I became a lawyer to ensure that nothing like what happened to my father would ever happen again, and I became one of the most recognized lawyers in South Korea.
While I was riding high as a lawyer, I met a friend after a long time to have a drink.
"Even lawyers need to rest. This Romance Fantasy is really fun, I'm telling you! Try it, try it!"
At my friend's recommendation, I ended up reading [I Became the Saintess Who Educates the Villainess], and I couldn't contain my anger when I saw the story of how the Lady was branded a villainess just because she was engaged to the male lead, and eventually died after being framed as a witch.
"The Lady was the one who got engaged first, yet she's branded a villainess just for being between the male and female leads? And she even dies at the end after being framed as a witch?"
Reading the Lady's story reminded me of my father, and in my desire to enter the novel, I sent a long 5,900-character email to the author explaining why the Lady wasn't a villainess, and I actually ended up falling into the world of the Romance Fantasy.
"Ah, shit."
Though I never imagined I'd drop in as a beggar.
Even though I fell in as an 11-year-old beggar, the world inside the Romance Fantasy was somewhat livable. I even had the name Mir,
and because I happened to meet a friend named Mikhail, I was able to work at a fruit shop despite being a beggar.
Furthermore, because I had read [I Became the Saintess Who Educates the Villainess] several times to defend the Lady, there were many opportunities to make a lot of money through that information, allowing me to handle a sum of money that others would envy.
After that, I
earned money using my knowledge of the Romance Fantasy and used that money to buy books and prepare for the Bar Exam within the Romance Fantasy world.
Unlike my previous life, the Bar Exam in the Romance Fantasy had many parts related to religion, but thanks to my good brain, I was able to pass the Bar Exam in one go.
"God proves innocence, huh..."
Of course, that didn't mean I understood everything.
After 10 years in the Romance Fantasy world, having risen from a beggar to a successful lawyer, I became a well-known lawyer even within the Romance Fantasy,
and through an acquaintance's introduction, I finally managed to take on the trial of the Lady I had so desperately wished for.
To defend the Lady, I went to the prison to speak with her, and it had been
[One Day]
"Get out."
the Lady said, and
"I cannot leave,"
Mir replied.
"You think I'm a witch too...! I know you believe I murdered Count Kellin with magic!"
"I do not believe in things like magic."
"You know about my red eyes, right? These red eyes can distinguish lies from truth. So don't lie in front of me."
"In that case, you must know even more clearly, Lady-nim, that I do not believe in magic."
"......Get out."
"Then I shall see you tomorrow."
"I said get out!"
[Two Days]
"I told you not to come!"
"Lady-nim, are you not going to eat this food?"
Even though she was a Lady locked in a prison, a magnificent feast was spread out before her.
"...I'm not eating."
"I don't know if you're aware, but since I come from a beggar background, I can't stand to see food go to waste. In that case, I shall eat this food."
"..Go ahead then."
The Lady, who hadn't expected Mir to actually eat the food, saw it disappearing at a rapid pace and came to Mir's side, beginning to eat the food ravenously with him.
"You idiot! Do you really eat it just because I told you to! Move, I'm going to eat!"
The Lady said, with food smeared all over her mouth.
"Didn't I tell you, Lady-nim?"
"But did you have to actually eat it!"
[Three Days]
"What's your name?"
"It is Mir."
"Mir... Do you really believe I'm not a witch?"
"As you can see with your red eyes, Lady-nim, I believe you are not a witch. And a lawyer does not lie."
"What is that..."
Elena said, as if she found it absurd.
"I'm Elena. You know, I grew up only in the Duke's estate, so I'm a loner without a single friend."
"I also have only one friend."
"Since I was 9, I couldn't even look at the social circles because of my red eyes, and my mother and older brother, who were at least on my side, died trying to protect me."
"I haven't seen the social circles either."
"...Mir, was it? You're funny. It seems there's not much time left, but will you be my first and last friend?"
"Though not much time remains, I will consider it an honor to become your friend, Lady-nim—no, Elena-nim's friend."
"Keu-keu, yes, you'd better consider it an honor..!"
[Four Days]
"You know the trial starts in 3 days, right? Aren't you nervous?"
"I am not nervous at all, Lady Elena-nim."
"You're good with words. Kuk-kuk."
"So Lady-nim, don't be stubborn like last time and make sure to eat well. I saw you eating damn well last time."
Elena, whose face turned red upon hearing that, said,
"Shut up, you idiot! It's because you were stealing it all!"
Hearing Elena's shout, Mir began to laugh, and as Mir laughed, Elena, who couldn't hold back her laughter either, began to laugh as they looked at each other's faces.
"We're really like idiots..!"
Elena said, and
"Indeed,"
Mir said as well.
[Five Days]
"Mir! Tell me a funny story!"
"A funny story... Shall I tell you about my past?"
"Yes! Mir's past story sounds fun, hehe."
"Actually, this is my second life. In my first life, I could talk to people far away, and carriages could move without horses. There were also many people way prettier than you, Lady-nim."
"You said lawyers don't lie!"
"I have never lied, Elena-nim."
"Mir was a liar..! There's no way there are people prettier than me!"
[Six Days]
"Mir, I'll probably be burned at the stake, right?"
"I will say it again, Lady-nim, you will be found innocent."
"..I hope so. If I'm found innocent, tell me more about that first life you mentioned yesterday."
"Look forward to it, Lady-nim. There are even more exciting stories."
The two began to talk frantically, forgetting that the next day was the trial.
And finally,
[Day of the Trial]
"The witch Elena is sentenced to death by burning!"
The judge's voice echoed through the courtroom.
"This makes no sense, Your Honor! There is clear evidence that Count Kellin died of poison. With evidence, why is the Lady a witch?"
"The Lady's red eyes are proof she's a witch!"
A man among the audience shouted.
"The Lady's red eyes are just one of her characteristics. To say she's a witch just because her eyes are red is nonsense!"
"Are you taking the witch's side now!"
At the same time the audience shouted, stones began to fly from the seats toward Mir and Elena.
Stones filled with mindless hatred.
"Kyaak!"
The stones flew toward Elena with terrifying speed, but Mir took the stones in her place and said,
"Your Honor! What is justice? Is it truly justice to be hit with stones and burned just for having red eyes and being engaged to the Prince-nim instead of the Saintess-nim!"
"......Stop it."
"If Lady Elena-nim is a witch just for having red eyes, then I, with my black eyes, must be a Warlock! The Saintess-nim with pink hair must also be a witch, and red apples must be the food of the devil!"
Regardless of Mir's words, the crowd's anger grew even more intense, and Mir, hit by the stones, gradually became covered in wounds.
"I said stop! Fine, I killed Count Kellin with poison. He found out I was trying to harm the Saintess! If it's like this, you can kill me even if I'm not a witch! So stop... just stop..."
Elena said, bursting into tears.
"The witch confessed! Burn the witch!"
The crowd seemed uninterested in Mir's words, appearing only to want to see Elena burn to death in agony.
"Lady-nim!"
Along with Mir's shout, the cage where Elena was confined began to catch fire.
Unable to just stand by and watch, Mir quickly ran to the Lady and did everything in his power to save her.
"Stop, Mir."
"I cannot do that."
"I'm okay."
Despite the Lady's words, Mir endured the pain of his entire body burning as he struggled to save her.
Seeing Mir trying to save her from the burning cage with his bare hands until they bled, and suffering burns all over his body, Elena said,
"Mir..! Stop!"
"......."
"You know, Mir, thank you so much for treating me as a person, not a witch."
"......."
Mir could not make any reply to the Lady's words.
Rather, every single word from the Lady felt like the fact that he had failed to prove Elena's innocence, which made it so painful.
"Mir... it's a bit hot here. If there is a next life like you said... then I'll definitely... Mir..."
Elena's voice is buried by the sound of the roaring flames.
All Mir could see now was the Lady's body and clothes, charred black.