The One Who Conquered the Mage Class with a Single Fist #5
The One Who Conquered the Mage Class with a Single Fist #5
That fearsome lawyer!
His name was Jo Byeong-min!
"Why did a lawyer come instead of Ahn Do-min in the first place?"
The instructor crossed her arms and tilted her head as she asked. The lawyer adjusted his glasses and answered.
"Cadet Ahn Do-min is a minor. I am attending this hearing in my capacity as his legal representative."
"Are you a first-degree relative of Ahn Do-min?"
"No, I am not."
"If you are not a first-degree relative, a civilian cannot serve as a superhuman's legal representative. Leave."
"That is discrimination against superhumans and—"
"It is a legitimate distinction. If you are a civilian, stay out of this case. Superhumans live by the code of the superhuman."
"You are making this difficult. I cannot leave."
"Leave now and bring Ahn Do-min here yourself."
"Kk—!"
Without another word, Instructor snatched the lawyer by the collar and deposited him outside. The motion was so natural, it felt like watching someone scoop up a stray hamster and put it back in its cage.
The lawyer who had made such a dramatic entrance was dismissed with surprising anticlimax.
"Wow. But, Instructor, is that really okay?"
"What could a civilian lawyer do? It's not like there's a superhuman lawyer. It doesn't matter. A superhuman should speak for themselves and act for themselves. Using a proxy like that... Someone who isn't even a civilian, what a disgrace."
Watching her say it so matter-of-factly really drove home that this was a different world.
"But a superhuman lawyer? Is that a real thing?"
"It isn't."
Excuse me?
"Likewise, there are no superhuman judges or superhuman prosecutors."
"Then how do you resolve superhuman-related cases?"
"Superhumans settle things among themselves, rationally and with common sense. Just like now."
Ah!
There it was!
That mindset of superhumans settling things face-to-face among themselves!
For someone like me, who had lived life on an Earth from a different dimension, their way of doing things felt genuinely novel. They operated on rules completely separate from the rule of law.
Though, that's exactly why I got to beat the crap out of Ahn Do-min.
"Well, that's true and all. But isn't there some kind of law?"
I asked this out of pure curiosity. The instructor thought for a moment, rubbing her lips before answering.
"Well... The Sovereign Commander claims to uphold a nation governed by the rule of law, and says that even superhumans live under it. But in truth, a sort of implicit customary law that transcends the constitution applies to superhumans. Kim Geun-cheol, were you interested in law? Drop it. It's something superhumans don't really need to know."
"Yes, ma'am."
That customary law must literally be the thing where superhumans just work things out among themselves.
"Kim Geun-cheol? Why are you asking something so obvious? This is how we resolve things because you're superhuman. If you were a civilian, you'd already be under investigation at the police station."
"I suppose so."
Anyway, with the lawyer gone, I sat back down next to Leona to wait for Ahn Do-min. But no matter how long we waited, Ahn Do-min didn't come... What gives?
"Understood. We're moving."
Right then, Instructor got a call and took charge.
"Follow me for now."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Okay."
We ended up in a place I'd been a couple of times before. The exact spot where I'd been when receiving disciplinary action.
Looking up, I could see the judges looking down at us through the glass window.
"Cadet Kim Geun-cheol. Cadet Leona. Take your places."
The judge's voice was dispassionate.
"Kim Geun-cheol, I see you already have two disciplinary records."
That stung a little.
"At any rate. Having examined the situation, it is acknowledged that this was a just duel in response to an insult that occurred after school hours. However, because you violated school rules by fighting on school grounds, you are hereby sentenced to 10 hours of community service."
An excellent ruling: the beating itself wasn't the big issue, but breaking the rules on school grounds earned me 10 hours of community service.
"I understand."
After I answered, it was Leona's turn.
"Cadet Leona Kainus. It is acknowledged that you committed assault in response to an insult during lunch period in a location off school grounds. You are likewise sentenced to 10 hours of community service. Even though it was a just duel and outside the school, the act occurred during school hours. It was a violation of school rules."
"Yes."
"That is all. Instructor Lee So-ra. Please manage the cadets. Additionally, as Cadet Kim Geun-cheol has now received a third disciplinary mark, I am requesting special guidance for this student of concern."
"Understood."
Was that it?
With all that talk of a Chairman Ahn or whatever showing up, it ended up being no different than usual. I'd worried the case would blow up over nothing. I really thought the Disciplinary Committee was over at that point.
—Scrape.
Ahn Do-min came in, late.
"Oh, Do-min?"
"..."
"Ahn Do-min? You're late. And we have yet to receive your written statement. Do you still wish to participate in the Disciplinary Committee?"
"Y-yes..."
Intimidated by the judge, Ahn Do-min answered timidly.
"In that case, I shall conduct a direct, temporary interview here as your disciplinary judge. Ahn Do-min. From what I hear, you exercised your right to remain silent and sent a lawyer as your proxy. This leads me to conclude that you had something to hide. As a result, the credibility of Kim Geun-cheol's statement has increased. Do you have anything to say about that?"
"Th-that's! I didn't really know..."
"You didn't know? A superhuman should know their own affairs well. Even if you don't know the procedures, you should be able to speak for yourself about what you experienced. Abandoning that responsibility can only be seen as intentional."
The judge continued to emphasize that superhumans must confront these matters clearly and directly on their own, saying that exercising the right to remain silent and sending in an outsider as a proxy was both problematic and damaging to one's credibility.
A truly superhuman way of thinking.
In a nation governed by the rule of law, it was a right guaranteed to everyone that when faced with a legal case, you could appoint a lawyer to protect yourself.
But superhumans, who followed a customary law that sat above the constitution, had no such thing. They had to act boldly and handle everything themselves.
"That's not true! The truth is, that cadet, Kim Geun-cheol! He showed up out of nowhere after school and assaulted me!"
This son of a bitch?
I looked at him, pissed off, but the judge just asked calmly.
"Assaulted you? Where?"
"I mean, he came to find me..."
"Where did he find you?"
"Behind the school..."
"So, you are saying that after school, for some reason, you were behind the school, Ahn Do-min, and Kim Geun-cheol came to find you and assaulted you? That narrative is strange. It contradicts Kim Geun-cheol's statement."
"He's lying!"
Ahn Do-min shouted, his face bright red.
He's going to insist on that?
"I understand. Kim Geun-cheol's claim is that Ahn Do-min came to him, insulted him, and after listening to the insults, he threw him out a window leading to the back of the school and assaulted him. However, Ahn Do-min's claim is that Kim Geun-cheol came to the back of the school after class and assaulted him. If that is the case, let us review the CCTV footage from that time."
They had that?
"According to the hallway CCTV, it is confirmed that you, Ahn Do-min, went directly to find Kim Geun-cheol. There is an error in your claim. Care to explain?"
"Th-that's... Kim Geun-cheol called me out there..."
"Your statement is vague and keeps changing. Speak clearly. If you contradict yourself again, Ahn Do-min, your statement will be rendered void."
"..."
In the end, Ahn Do-min couldn't give any answer.
"The ruling will not be reversed. It is acknowledged that Ahn Do-min used insulting language toward a classmate on school grounds. I hereby sentence you to 10 hours of community service. That is all."
And with that, the Disciplinary Committee, which was no big deal after all, came to an end.
A truly rational judgment.
"Let's go."
Leaving the trembling Ahn Do-min behind, Leona and I followed Instructor out.
"Is it really over?"
"I told you. It was a minor incident. Complete your community service hours when you can. And now go pack your bags... No."
—Beep.
While she was talking, Instructor suddenly checked her phone.
"Go wait in that supply room from before."
"What? What about you, Instructor?"
"Something's come up. Wait there for me."
"Yes, ma'am."
The instructor strode off immediately.
"Hmm, Kim Geun-cheol?" Leona said. "Should we just go wait?"
"Let's. But I wonder what that's about."
"No matter what, that Chairman Ahn did bring people and cause a ruckus. She's probably going to deal with the aftermath."
"I guess."
Fine then. Let's wait for Instructor.
* * *
The Chairwoman's office.
"What?! 10 hours of community service?! That's absurd!"
Having received the report, Chairman Ahn—a middle-aged man commonly known as Jade Ahn—screamed as if having a seizure.
"Chairman Ahn. Calm yourself."
Lee So-ra said, but Chairman Ahn could not be calmed.
"I can't calm down! To have one of my own family beaten to a pulp like that, and all he gets is that level of discipline...! This is an affront to my honor as a superhuman! I won't forgive this! Chairwoman! Does this make any sense to you?!"
"Hmm."
Chairman Ahn shouted at the Chairwoman seated at the head of the table, but she merely rested her chin on her clasped hands and nodded.
"In the first place, that bastard Do-min didn't even give a statement! And Instructor Lee So-ra, I heard you roughed up my lawyer!"
"I did not rough him up. And his failure to give a statement is an admission that Kim Geun-cheol's words were true, is it not?"
"Bullshit!"
That was all that could be said in response to Instructor Lee So-ra treating the right to remain silent as nonsense.
"Chairman Ahn."
Amidst the middle-aged man's fit, Lee So-ra spoke calmly.
"Ahn Do-min is not a civilian. Under no circumstances can he ever exercise the right to remain silent. A lawyer's statement as a proxy was also out of the question. The lawyer's presence in the first place was absurd."
"What kind of insane, absurd nonsense is...!"
"It isn't nonsense, Chairman Ahn. Have you been drinking too deeply from the civilian world?"
"That's—!"
At the mention of the civilian world, Chairman Ahn's mouth snapped shut. Having retired decades ago, he had lived a life running businesses quite removed from superhuman society.
Of course, he had profited greatly by skillfully leveraging his status as a superhuman, but for decades he had lived a life close to that of a civilian and hadn't mixed much with other superhumans.
Those thoughts flickered through his mind, but Chairman Ahn would not bend his will.
"N-no matter what, against a student, that kind of... You don't recognize the right to remain silent, you treat a lawyer like shit—is that what makes sense?!"
"He is a student and a hero cadet. And strictly speaking, Ahn Do-min damaged Kim Geun-cheol's honor first."
"I know! I know that!"
That was something Chairman Ahn acknowledged as well.
"But does it make sense to beat a kid senseless just because of a few words?! He's black and blue all over his whole body from how badly he was beaten! Does it make sense to turn a kid into that over a handful of insults?!"
"Hmm."
He shouted while looking at the Chairwoman as if demanding sympathy, but as before, she merely rested her chin on her clasped hands and nodded.
"I asked if this makes any sense!"
"Does it?"
A low tone.
Lee So-ra met Chairman Ahn's eyes as she spoke.
"Not make sense, you think?"
"Huh?"
For a moment, Chairman Ahn felt a fear at that voice and gaze, as if facing a predator.