Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: Defense
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“The charges against First Prince Marib Berosion are as follows. Centering on high treason and the assassination of His Majesty the Emperor, rebellion, usurpation and mishandling of the imperial seal, injury to imperial family members, violation of Mana Sealing Stone management laws, special destruction of property……”
The list of Marib’s crimes recited by the presiding judge seemed endless.
Even things that would normally earn leniency due to his status as a prince were being applied harshly. Since he was doomed to fall into the abyss anyway, it was the judiciary’s intent to make him carry the full weight of his accumulated sins.
The paper flipped midway, but the charges continued to ring out clearly through the courtroom.
“That concludes them. A total of thirty-two charges.”
Ian checked his pocket watch with a click. Though it had started early in the morning, if Marib didn’t cooperate, it could drag on until night. Jin seemed flustered by the unexpectedly long list of charges and kept staring at the back of Marib’s head.
“Marib Berosion, do you acknowledge the above charges?”
“Some I acknowledge, some I don’t.”
“…Let us proceed one by one, then.”
This will take a while. Sighs erupted here and there at Marib’s bold denial. The judges exchanged brief, troubled glances. Since it was already public knowledge that Marib had behaved disgracefully during interrogation, everyone had to feign tension without truly feeling it.
“First, high treason. On the fifth night of this month, Marib Berosion colluded with the Imperial Defense Department to unlawfully intrude into His Majesty the Emperor’s chambers, injuring guards in the process and inflicting harm on His Majesty himself. Do you acknowledge this?”
“……”
“Riama, the captain of the imperial guard, was with you as well. With her at the lead, you neutralized Beols, then seized the imperial seal and entered the council chamber in the morning. Is this correct?”
“What if I say no?”
“We will dismiss it. Even without the defendant’s acknowledgment, there is ample testimony and evidence to prove the charges.”
“Haha. Then why bother asking?”
“It is the sacred procedure of the empire.”
“Sacred procedure? How laughable. It’s just a show to legitimize those twin princes sitting there. Only after Gail and I are executed through trial will they stand firm, won’t they?”
Suddenly singled out, Jin flinched. The nobles’ gazes from the second floor shifted from Marib to Jin and Arsen. Arsen stared straight ahead with a calm expression.
“Maintain decorum!”
“What do you want? Do you want every detail of that day? What’s written in the documents—most of it is probably true, even if it’s not shown here. I clashed with Gail and tried to kill Dillaina, who had colluded with him.”
The unfiltered remarks amplified murmurs throughout the room. Dillaina frowned and hid her face with her fan. Her jaw clenched tight, clearly deeply offended.
“But I showed mercy and agreed to kill only one of the twins. Then Dillaina seized the moment and pushed one of them aside.”
“That’s not true!”
“Lady Dillaina, silence!”
At Dillaina’s outburst, the presiding judge banged the gavel harshly. Though it had been mentioned at the Grand Council, hearing it secondhand and hearing it directly were worlds apart. The nobles whispered among themselves, questioning Dillaina’s fitness as guardian.
“So I struck. Jin, that wound wasn’t from me but from your own mother—so don’t resent this brother of yours.”
Jin bit his lip hard at Marib’s words. In this sacred courtroom, instead of any sign of remorse, he spewed utter nonsense—a truly pathetic sight.
As if reading the boy’s heart, Marib rose from his seat with a bitter smile.
“If you wish to hold me accountable, do so. But before that, let me ask first. If Gail or I had emerged victorious here, what would you all have done? Would you have clung to the senile emperor to the end and denounced me?”
Of course not. If Marib or Gail had clearly seized the advantage, they would have scrambled to prostrate themselves, proclaiming a new era.
“Those who shift with the winds of the world—how dare you judge me? It’s absurd, so please end this performative condemnation.”
“No.”
Ian directly contradicted Marib. He raised his hand to the judge for permission to speak, then stood from his seat.
“Condemnation is, by nature, meant to be performative. That way, in the future, no fool will follow in Prince Marib’s footsteps. It warns that this path leads to that end—a strong admonition from Bariel.”
In other words, judges, don’t get swayed by his nonsense and proceed as planned.
Marib was testing the waters now. He was quickly calculating what attitude in the trial might benefit him even slightly.
Worst case: revocation of imperial surname and hanging. Second worst: just the guillotine. If a miracle occurred, perhaps even a postponement.
Thwack! Thwack!
“Marib Berosion, we now address the violation regarding Mana Sealing Stone management. You knew that the unregistered amber stone named ‘Idgal’ absorbed mana and used it in your rebellion, correct?”
Instead of answering, Marib gave a short nod.
“Where did the funds to acquire it come from?”
“Hmm. Well.”
Marib wagged a crossed arm, delaying his response. Then he looked up at the second floor and smirked amusedly.
“There, the Marquis of Zalton’s brother-in-law handed over some very precious gems last year for the central renovation project. Sold those to make it, I think?”
“Pardon? Me? Prince Marib, I’m Zalton.”
“Right. Ah! No, not just that—Bisgard made a tidy profit approving some medicine officially. You know, the one with the pain relief effects.”
Well, well? Ian couldn’t help but scoff and tilt his head. The parties Marib mentioned jumped up in shock, protesting.
“Slander! Nothing of the sort happened!”
“Calm yourself, Marquis Zalton.”
“This concerns my honor—clarify this properly. Prince Marib, what are you trying to do? Huh?”
Shouts of rebuttal came from the second floor, but Marib shrugged indifferently. When he demanded silence from the presiding judge, the judge reluctantly ordered Zalton to leave.
“Marquis Zalton, you are expelled from the courtroom for one hour.”
Thwack! Thwack!
“No, wait! Just a moment!”
As the agitated man was dragged out by guards, the other nobles maintained silence with tense expressions. They had realized what stunt Marib was pulling.
As the second-most powerful after the emperor in Bariel, he could recite nobles’ petty secrets with his eyes closed.
“Shall we continue?”
Marib elegantly gestured for the judge to proceed. By now, some judges had their own skeletons, exchanging uneasy glances, doubting it could happen to them.
“I know that after sentencing, there’s a chance for a final defense. Above all, that will prove my innocence. I look forward to it.”
It was a threat: after imposing punishment, the imperial family and palace officials would grant him the floor.
“Let’s see. Many have changed due to the chaos, but plenty of familiar faces remain.”
“Marib Berosion, speak only on matters relevant to the trial!”
“You asked about funding sources, and I answered sincerely—why stop me? Or is there a specific answer you want? Keeping an imperial prince like me here, you’re the ones desecrating this sacred court.”
His words flowed eloquently. The presiding judge continued in a much softer tone.
“How did you collude with the Imperial Defense Department and Riama?”
“Colomo from the Administrative Office—are you here?”
“…Gasp.”
“There you are. Long time no see. The three of us met thanks to him. Colomo was quite close privately with the Imperial Defense Minister. And Riama was Colomo’s ex-lover before that—though he had a wife at the time—”
“No! That’s not true!”
“Well, everyone denies it so readily. I wonder if my testimony even holds legal weight.”
Romandro bit his lip and glanced at Ian. Not just him—all the high palace officials shot Ian subtle pleas for help. Even if a man with nothing to lose is fearsome, this was too much! They clearly wished someone would shut the mad prince up.
The mages muttered among themselves, adding their two cents.
“I-Ian, this is getting awkward.”
“Better to take measures, no? The palace is already chaotic—shaken by all this nonsense, it’ll harm Bariel too.”
“Ian, everyone’s staring at us.”
“Damn it. Is he really going all the way to the end like this? Throw away all imperial dignity and honor like dog food?”
Ian clicked his tongue at the rampaging Marib. A few nobles on the second floor hurriedly fled their seats, fearing mention. With such cunning, Ian reluctantly raised his hand again.
“Oh, Lord Ian!”
“If I may, please review the report prepared by the Magic Department. Prince Marib has given testimony starkly at odds with facts throughout the interrogation, which we assess as a tactic to disrupt the trial.”
Rustle.
At Ian’s words, papers flipped throughout the room. All sorts of unsubstantiated claims—like having met Ian in Bratz territory—were listed, with objective rebuttals clearly attached.
“Please take this into consideration in your judgment.”
It was an agreement. Marib was doing everything to survive, so let’s not take it as truth—a tacit consensus.
In short, whether Marib’s claims were true or false didn’t matter now; it was a signal to endure the humiliation together for a swift, accurate trial.
“Hmm. Yes. I see.”
“In such cases, altering the questioning format may be advisable.”
“Understood. A valid suggestion—we accept. Prince Marib, henceforth answer only ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Anything else will be dismissed.”
Thwack! Thwack!
Marib seemed regretful but showed no sign of yielding. Everyone knew the truth anyway. The anxiety from his exposures would linger.
“Next, regarding special property destruction. The list of palace assets damaged in the rebellion is as follows: First Palace annex and main building right side, second floor……”
Proceed firmly but swiftly. The judge quickened his pace. Whenever Marib tried anything beyond ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ the gavel swiftly interrupted. That judge likely had his own weakness to Marib.
Thwack! Thwack!
“This concludes the thirty-two charges against Marib Berosion. In accordance with palace law and His Majesty’s directive, we propose revoking his imperial surname and sentencing him to hanging. Show your intents.”
Revocation of Berosion and hanging. Marib closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He’d struggled to the end, but it was inevitable.
“Show your intents.”
At the presiding judge’s words, Marib opened his eyes and looked back. Strangely, no one raised their hand first in agreement. Fearing Marib’s final self-destruction, they avoided being the most visible supporter.
“Haha. What are you all doing? Come on, someone agree.”
Marib, as if perfectly trapped, draped an arm over his chair and shouted. Dillaina peeked at Arsen from behind her fan.
“…Arsen?”
“No need to go first. Why step in the muck and get dirtied? Just wait a bit.”
Even Arsen didn’t know the intimate details of his followers’ misdeeds like Marib did. Everyone tacitly knew the exposures were true. Even if ignored in court, they’d return as blades someday.
Swish.
A heavy, eerie silence stretched.
“I am Fifth Prince Jin Berosion.”
Jin raised his small hand, signaling agreement. Ian, seated to his left, had given a subtle okay. Stepping forward when no one else did held value in many ways.
“I concur with the court’s verdict.”
Especially for one eyeing the throne.