Cassandra and the Slave Girls Moved by Geum Taeyang's Defense, and the Decisive Evidence That Flips the Unfavorable Trial!
"What, what did you say!!!!"
Alfonso's face flushed red with rage at Geum Taeyang's bombshell declaration that the Granada family stood behind the Black Wolf Bandits' invasion of the Ragnark tribe. Was it fury at being falsely accused? Sheer disbelief? 'How the hell did that ignorant barbarian bastard figure it out????' Because it was true. It was an episode that appeared in the story of nearly every mode in World Conquest Chronicle.
"That is quite the insolent claim, Counselor. I expect you to present sufficient grounds and evidence for it."
"Understood, Your Honor."
Judge Count MacArthur first demanded that Geum Taeyang provide more logical grounds and evidence. The claim was explosive enough to cause serious trouble if mishandled.
'Fine, show your evidence, you son of a bitch. Got any?'
Alfonso's surging panic dopamine eased at the judge's intervention. He was certain there was no evidence.
"This case never made sense to begin with. The Black Wolf Bandits may be powerful now, but back then they were nowhere near strong enough to invade the Ragnark tribe."
Step, step, step. Geum Taeyang began speaking in response to the judge's request. He stood in the center of the courtroom, withdrew his gaze from Alfonso, and walked toward the jury box. The Black Wolf Bandits currently ruled the Sahara Desert and were counted among the continent's four great bandit groups. Ironically, the moment they grew into a true fourth great power was right after their war with the Ragnark tribe.
"However, twelve years ago, even though the Grace Incident investigation team was wiped out, their report—which had already reached concrete conclusions—details exactly how the Black Wolf Bandits were able to field that level of combat strength."
Geum Taeyang distributed copied documents to the jury. They bore the royal seal. The originals had already been handed to the judge. In any time and place, sharp-eyed people exist, and when sharp-eyed people grow suspicious, they cannot rest until the truth comes out. It had been the same twelve years ago. They obtained royal permission, formed the Grace Incident investigation team, and looked into the war between the Ragnark tribe and the Black Wolf Bandits that had occurred two years earlier. What they found was this:
"Most of the weapons the Black Wolf used were special weapons from the Grace Kingdom???"
It was revealed that the Black Wolf Bandits had carried special weapons used by the Grace Kingdom's elite soldiers into battle against the Ragnark tribe.
"According to this report, doesn't that mean Grace Kingdom soldiers were mixed in with the Black Wolf Bandits?"
The jury's shock was palpable in the jury foreman's reaction. Special weapons were an entirely different matter from ordinary ones. Ordinary weapons could be used even by the less-skilled Black Wolf Bandits, but special weapons could only be wielded by Awakeners who had received elite training from the Grace royal training grounds.
"Correct. Grace special weapons can only be used by the royal family's elite soldiers and the elite private troops of the noble alliance who trained at the same royal facility."
Geum Taeyang was not referring to the royal family's direct elite soldiers. The elite private troops of the noble alliance trained alongside the royal elite soldiers. The reason was simple: in the event of war between nations, ordinary private troops would defend their lord's territory, while the elite troops were meant to be deployed directly to the battlefield. Geum Taeyang believed those very troops had disguised themselves as Black Wolf Bandits and been thrown into battle against the Ragnark tribe.
"That is a narrow-minded and extreme claim!!!"
Bang! Alfonso shot to his feet, slamming the desk.
"It is true that the Black Wolf Bandits used special weapons, but they obtained them illegally through a weapons workshop that lost the bidding war! The warriors who used those weapons were deserters from the royal elite and noble elite troops who had been blinded by money. That is why the official announcement of this data was banned!"
The investigation results were far too controversial, so they were suppressed. The noble alliance, especially the Granada family, had already grasped the contents and blocked them with counterarguments.
"...."
Geum Taeyang stared silently at Alfonso, who was passionately defending himself.
"Would your loyal dog, Bale, think the same way?"
He mentioned the name Bale.
"What...!?"
The moment the name Bale reached his ears, Alfonso's face stiffened.
"Your Honor, I call Bale Cadmus as a witness."
Geum Taeyang made the request with a calm expression. The heavy arena doors rumbled open.
'B-Bale Cadmus!'
Bale Cadmus entered alongside Inquisitor Camilla. Alfonso's face turned deathly pale at the sight of him.
"I ask you, Bale Cadmus. Did you participate in the battle between the Ragnark tribe and the Black Wolf Bandits fourteen years ago while disguised as a member of the Black Wolf Bandits?"
"I did."
Bale Cadmus, who had entered the courtroom, took the witness oath and began answering Geum Taeyang's questions.
"Then were you scouted by the Black Wolf Bandits while working as a mercenary and joined the battle?"
"No. At the time, I was the chief elite soldier of Granadio, the private army of the Granada family. My activity records from that period remain in numerous official Grace Kingdom administrative documents."
Bale Cadmus, with his bushy beard and ragged clothes, spoke as though making a confession.
"Is this the document? It shows that Bale Cadmus, chief elite soldier of Granadio, received weapons."
"Correct."
"Here it lists you as a commander, not a chief elite soldier."
"I was promoted to commander after disguising myself as a Black Wolf bandit and fighting the Ragnark tribe."
"Hmm... Does that mean the Granada family ordered you to participate in the battle under disguise?"
"It does."
Geum Taeyang led Bale Cadmus to give the answers he wanted with the skill of a protagonist lawyer in a courtroom drama.
"The head of the family could not possibly be absent from such a massive operation. In the end, we must conclude that Duke Alfonso at the prosecutor's table gave the order. Is that correct?"
Then he delivered the most important question, the highlight of the entire exchange.
"Correct. Duke Alfonso, who was in his third year as head of the family at the time, gave me the order."
Bale looked at Alfonso and spoke the truth.
"Lies!!!"
Bang!! Alfonso shot up again, slamming the desk.
"The defense is insulting this prosecutor by using the words of a vagrant who betrayed the family that raised him after being corrupted by money!!!"
Veins stood out in his eyes as he roared.
"Counselor Alfonso, sit down. Counselor, continue examining the witness."
"Your Honor!!!"
The dignified Count MacArthur maintained control of the trial without being swayed by the higher-ranking duke's outburst.
Grin...! Geum Taeyang flashed an infuriatingly smug smile at the mentally broken Alfonso.
"Very well. What was the motive? Why did Duke Alfonso give such an order, Witness Bale Cadmus?"
He switched back to a smooth, lawyer-like expression and moved to the next question.
"In his third year as head, Duke Alfonso wanted to become the leader of the noble alliance's hardline faction. At the time, all the Granada family had to offer was the strength of its private army. To make the other Grace nobles depend on that strength, he needed to drag the Ragnark tribe—whose belligerence had been fading for the past nine years—back onto the battlefield."
Alfonso's ambition had been vast. To fulfill it, he had needed the blood and belligerence of the Ragnark tribe.
The jury and spectators, who had been watching in breathless silence until Bale's previous testimony, now stirred more loudly than ever at the mention of the reason.
'It was... for that reason...?'
The Ragnark tribe prisoners were equally shaken. Cassandra looked back and forth between Bale and Alfonso. After driving out the Black Wolf Bandits, the Ragnark tribe had naturally conducted their own investigation. Their findings had also pointed to Grace Kingdom involvement. They had tried filing complaints through various channels, but the evidence was weak and unspecific, so everything was buried. As a result, Cassandra had drawn her sword against her own principles.
"Looking at this data, we can see that the hardline nobles' dependence on Granada's private troops increased significantly. As a result, Count Alfonso obtained the power he desired. Then I have a question. After you performed your duties so loyally and perfectly, why were you suddenly purged after being promoted all the way to commander?"
Geum Taeyang had already organized all the escort data from the Grace noble merchants.
"It was because of the investigation that took place two years after the mission. They had managed to suppress it in a hurry, but just in case, they purged the key figures involved in the operation."
The movements of the Grace investigation team created an unexpected butterfly effect. Feeling threatened, Alfonso tried to silence every mouth through betrayal and purge. Bale Cadmus barely survived that purge and now stood here.
"This might be a side note, but could you tell us how you survived that purge, Witness Bale Cadmus?"
Geum Taeyang asked in a sly tone about a story he already knew, for a very specific purpose.
"I fled into the Sahara Desert with severe injuries. In that state, I would have died within half a day anyway. But a Ragnark woman named Vieira saved my life, and I was able to flee even farther and hide."
That was right. This was the story connected to the mother of the Narsha sisters, Vieira. Alfonso's side had been unable to confirm Bale's death itself, but they had confirmed he entered the Sahara in a dying state. They had assumed he would either die in the desert's desolation or be killed by the Ragnark tribe. Yet a Ragnark woman—who should have seen humans as enemies—had saved Bale instead.
'Mother...? Our mother saved that man's life...?'
All three Narsha sisters were naturally present at the trial. At the unexpected mention of their mother, Vieira Viviana, Narsha wore an expression of disbelief. Because Vieira had not been tainted by hatred toward the people of Grace, the foundation for her daughters and their kin to live today had been laid.
"It may not serve as atonement, but I wanted to repay my benefactor's kindness, even if only a little, by revealing the truth like this."
They had been given four days until the trial. But for Geum Taeyang, that had been more than enough time. He already knew exactly where everything and everyone was. He had immediately sent Camilla to the place where Bale Cadmus was hiding and persuaded him. Bale had felt guilty toward the Ragnark tribe and wanted to repay Vieira, so persuasion had not been difficult.
While Geum Taeyang's perfect trial show was in full swing, someone began clapping.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
"That was a very moving story. Even I, who was cast as the villain, Alfonso, feel like I might shed tears at such a wonderful narrative."
Alfonso, who had been raging with bloodshot eyes moments earlier, spoke calmly.
"Correct. Bale joined the Black Wolf Bandits and fought against the Ragnark tribe. On his own initiative. Then later he tried to blackmail me, claiming that the Granada family was doing well because of him. So I purged him."
That was right. In the end, there was no evidence that Alfonso had ordered Bale. Using that lack of evidence, Alfonso was claiming Bale had acted on his own.
'Kuh... As expected, Alfonso is no pushover. In the story mode without Sword Empress Marianne, that bastard becomes the head of the Grace Kingdom noble alliance. He was seriously annoying.'
Geum Taeyang was impressed. Through the game, he had experienced firsthand just how skilled a schemer Alfonso was. That was why he watched with genuine curiosity to see what card the man would play even while mentally broken and thrashing about like an idiot.
Alfonso's counterattack perfectly met Geum Taeyang's expectations.
"How unfortunate, Duke Alfonso. If your opponent had been anyone but me, Geum Taeyang, it would have been perfect."
Grin...! Geum Taeyang smiled warmly and gently. It was clearly a taunt, given the smile and the words that followed.
Smack! His applause rang out.
"Bring it here, Inquisitor Camilla."
Geum Taeyang had the evidence to refute Alfonso's attempt to cut off his own tail.