The Hearing Hall of Justice
Immediately the following day, Frida arrived.
At the very moment when two suns climbed toward their zenith.
I entered the court hall dressed in my uniform.
A colossal edifice reminiscent of the Parthenon stood before me.
At its entrance towered a gigantic statue embodying the empire's guardian deity.
The statue gazed toward the empire's horizon with eyes that seemed to survey the world itself.
I placed my feet together and stood in a reverent posture.
Slowly I raised my head and looked up at the statue, placing my left hand on my right chest.
“For the prosperity and eternal endurance of the Gilorian Empire!”
The instant my voice rang out, a majestic radiance erupted from the statue.
The pouring light enveloped me.
Then the statue began to move slowly.
With a gesture as if granting permission for my presence, it lowered its spear and opened the way.
Simultaneously, the enormous doors of the court hall slid open with a slow creak.
Exhaling deeply, I took my first step.
At that moment, hundreds of lenses that had already been waiting sprang to life in unison.
The reporters’ voices thundered in my ears.
I halted for a moment and addressed them.
“I will speak only the truth, without the slightest lie. And I promise to build a better empire through that truth.”
Thousands of magic stones ignited with blinding flashes behind me as I walked toward the hall.
On the raised platform above, nine high-ranking elders of the Gilorian Empire watched me from their lofty seats.
In truth, attendance at the hearing was not mandatory.
Like any political spectacle, a reasonable excuse could have been fabricated to avoid it.
Any illness would have sufficed.
Yet I had no intention of avoiding it.
I raised my gaze and scanned each of the hearing members one by one.
— Deputy Chief of the Imperial Magic Tower: Shiran Elizabeth.
— President of the Imperial University: Dr. Hermann Wilhelm.
— Minister of the Imperial Finance: Lucius Croford.
— First Battalion Commander of the National Defense Force: General Maximilian von Eisenhauer.
— Chief Justice of the Imperial Supreme Court: Tiberius Prima.
— President of the Imperial Senate: August von Reichenbach.
— President of the Imperial Academy of Sciences: Alexander Novak.
And beside them sat a golden-haired man who glared at me with eyes as if welcoming the world itself, a splendid sword sheathed at his side.
— Captain of the Imperial Knights: Leo Falax.
Even the mere names of these figures caused jaws to drop.
Among them, one chair remained vacant.
Whispers rippled through the audience as they eyed the empty seat.
Five hundred randomly selected spectators filled the seats on both sides.
I placed my palm on the book before me and recited the prepared oath of truth.
Magic chains swept across my entire body.
Should I lie, the book would rise into the air and transform into glowing chains that would bind my wrists and ankles.
Only the truth would release it, and the longer the statement, the greater the pain.
It was only logical.
Once the oath concluded, a pale woman with an expression impossible to decipher opened her mouth.
It was Deputy Chief Shiran of the Imperial Magic Tower.
She turned the pages of documents one by one and began to read aloud, her voice carrying to every corner.
“1st Grade Prosecutor Zeo Blood… hmm… what an unusual background. Your parents died in a monster outbreak, and you have wandered from place to place ever since without receiving any formal imperial education.”
An orphan raised without parents.
That was me, Zeo Blood.
The spectators looked at me with pity.
Yet my heart did not ache.
One of the scenes entered as data when I first fell into the Gilorian Empire.
A child who received tender love, who after his parents’ death wandered alone in the deep mountains until someone rescued him and he lived like a hermit.
That was my recorded childhood memory.
It felt like watching someone else’s memory through a movie screen.
I did not know whether it was real or fabricated.
All I truly remembered was the old man who appeared before me the moment I landed in the empire.
Shiran’s voice continued.
“It is said you received direct instruction from Arandil Drotein… hmm? Arandil Drotein? …Is that the Dragon Knight Arandil?”
Her lavender eyes fixed firmly on me.
Arandil Drotein.
The empire’s greatest hero who, hundreds of years ago, had repelled the dragon invasion.
A legend still whispered among the people.
Yet the reason Shiran questioned me with such suspicious eyes was because “Arandil accepted disciples only one generation ago.”
Because he was a wandering hermit.
A hero of uncertain age and identity who suddenly appeared, saved the empire from dragon invasion, trained countless disciples, abandoned everything, and vanished without a trace.
He was my master, Arandil.
For an instant the entire court hall filled with hushed murmurs.
Someone among the spectators exclaimed.
Whispers erupted from everywhere.
At that moment Shiran’s voice silenced the murmurs.
“Prosecutor Zeo Blood, might there be an error in the records?”
“No. My master was indeed Arandil Drotein.”
I answered calmly yet firmly.
All eyes in the hall turned toward the empty air.
The oath book remained motionless.
Then silence spread throughout the hall.
President August von Reichenbach asked in a voice like scraping metal.
“What was Arandil like? Did he still maintain that eccentric personality?”
His silver eyes pierced straight through me.
As if he knew everything about Arandil.
“Yes. If calling someone who climbed a waterfall bare-handed for three days is eccentric, then yes.”
A few snickers escaped from the spectators.
Climbing a waterfall with bare hands was possible, after all.
Yet the president kept his gaze fixed on me and did not move.
“Naturally, under the condition that magic could not be used?”
“Yes, of course. Master Arandil strictly forbade the use of magic during training.”
A low sigh escaped the spectators.
Even with only the body’s strength, one had to climb while gripping the flowing water for three full days.
Even now, thinking about it felt like a perversion.
I looked up at him with wide eyes.
A faint smile spread across his lips.
“Still the same as ever. You were the one who told me to steal a basilisk’s egg from its nest. Of course, without killing the basilisk. Naturally, magic could not be used.”
Ah… so even the two-hundred-year-old president was Arandil’s disciple.
The feeling of fellow sufferers.
“Hmm… how about exchanging disciple marks between us, as old friends?”
President August drew a magic circle in the air with a rejuvenated appearance.
Points connected with lines.
Faces with surfaces.
Strange characters began to appear.
Characters only Arandil’s disciples could read.
The entire hall stared blankly at the floating symbols.
I asked the president with a troubled expression.
“Um, may I ask if the president’s nickname… can be spoken aloud?”
“Haha, it was a nickname bestowed by my master like salt on water. What is your nickname?”
Whoa!
The symbol in mid-air turned into a bat.
While I hesitated.
The entire hall felt as if it was holding its breath and suspecting me.
Slowly I closed my eyes and focused my inner energy.
I lightly clenched and opened my fist.
At that instant.
Blue lightning sparked between my fingers and began to move like a living creature, growing brighter and more intense.
The entire hall was enveloped in mysterious blue light.
Gasp of surprise rose from the spectators.
The lightning left my hand and shot into the air.
The characters only disciples could understand appeared and then vanished like smoke.
And in their place stood a majestic dragon.
The ancient legendary dragon from tales, writhing as if alive, looked down upon the hall with dignified eyes.
“……!!!”
President August shook his head vigorously as he pointed at the symbol I had drawn in the air.
“The title that only the greatest disciple could receive… you?”
The title and mark bestowed directly by Master Arandil upon me.
Though it was merely a lightning drawing in the air, only Arandil’s disciples could deploy it in this empire.
And only I received the mark itself, not a character.
The eyes of the hearing members sparkled.
President August stood up and continued with excitement.
“You truly are a disciple recognized by Master Arandil! To witness his mark alive once more…”
President August convulsed as if suffering a heart attack.
Shiran’s calm and low voice quelled his excitement.
“Prosecutor Zeo Blood, I thank you for verifying your past.”
“Heh. Hmph.”
President August cleared his throat unnecessarily and straightened his posture to speak with dignity.
“Prosecutor Zeo Blood, thanks to your valiant actions, the citizens of Clovan City were saved. On behalf of the hearing members, I convey our gratitude.”
He was still panting as if about to pass out, but soon regained his authoritative voice.
All eyes focused on him.
The development of the cure was faster than Miko had predicted.
Three days after identifying the virus origin, the treatment was successfully developed.
Immediately it was distributed to the citizens.
Mid-stream distribution would be handled by Demison Erestor of Red Corporation.
This was the rainbow I had prepared for him.
While he had been quietly enduring the storm, I would call it my own gift.
Due to my press conference, the market capitalization of Red Corporation had evaporated by twenty-eight percent that day.
“Thank you, President.”
I nodded in thanks.
President Alexander Novak of the Imperial Academy of Sciences leaned close to the microphone.
“Inspector Blood, your insightful investigative methods align perfectly with the magic-science methodology. I hope opportunities will arise for you to share your experience in the field of scientific investigation.”
Upon closer inspection, the president stood on his chair to reach the microphone.
A clear lack of consideration for dwarves.
“Yes, anytime.”
I answered with a sympathetic gaze toward the man dangling on the microphone.
I maintained a polite expression while gradually growing weary.
The members on the raised platform competed in showering me with praise.
Perhaps because of Arandil’s halo? I thought to myself.
Captain Leo Falax of the Imperial Knights opened his mouth.
“Furthermore, Her Majesty the Empress herself highly values Inspector Blood’s contributions and is considering personally awarding a medal.”
The Imperial Medal.
The greatest honor for a Gilorian citizen.
The moment Captain Falax finished speaking, the hall erupted into murmurs.
Whispers of excitement filled the spectators.
“However, there are some matters that must be clarified first.”
Captain Falax continued with a solemn expression.
“Prosecutor Zeo Blood, do you know the extent of damage caused by the monster disease?”
The original purpose of holding the hearing had finally arrived.
I knew better than anyone.
Three hundred and fifty thousand dead.
Twenty-six million still in hospitals.
One point five percent of Clovan City’s citizens had suffered direct damage from the monster disease.
Adding indirect numbers only made the figure worse.
It was not enough to call it catastrophic.
It was horrifying and hopeless.
Someone must bear responsibility.
They probably wanted to shift the blame onto me.
I did not state specific numbers and instead conveyed the words from my heart.
“I apologize. To the departed and their families, and to all those still suffering somewhere, I offer my sincere condolences.”
It was the truth.
At that moment, General Maximilian von Eisenhauer of the National Defense Force’s First Battalion opened his mouth.
“The Capital Defense Command’s duty is the safety of the empire and crime prevention. Yet while countless citizens of the empire lost their lives, what did you, the Capital Defense inspector, do?”
Was this the beginning of the real questioning?
The true intent behind preparing the hearing.
The attack did not stop.
Chief Justice Tiberius Prima of the Imperial Supreme Court took the microphone.
“While a private corporation secretly conducted experiments beneath the lives of citizens to murder them through conspiracy with high officials, where were the inspectors supposed to protect the citizens?”
His voice carried the solemnity of passing a death sentence as he looked down at me.
At that moment, the oath of a Capital Defense inspector flashed in my mind.
They were attacking me with logic.
They knew it well.
The duty of supervising high-level corruption in the upper echelons fell under the High Public Official Management Office under the Supreme Court.
Protecting citizen safety was the responsibility of the National Defense Force, not the Capital Defense Command.
Management of facilities fell under each government ministry, not the Capital Defense Command.
I knew it better than anyone.
…But opposing them this way was nothing more than a cheap excuse.
I needed logic to counter logic.
I pulled the microphone closer.
“Yes, the Capital Defense inspector must prioritize the safety of the citizens. However, I have one point I wish to address.”
I took a deep breath and began to speak slowly and calmly.
“Who exactly are we gathered here for? For the safety of the empire and its citizens? Or simply to shift the responsibility?”
The hall stirred.
I felt the members’ expressions subtly change.
I continued.
“Econova Industries. The evil party behind planning and executing the monster disease. But how could they have a close relationship with the Minister of the Environment? They are only a brand-new company that has just emerged.”
After a moment of breathing, I addressed everyone with my gaze.
“Chief Justice, do you know who was registered as an external director of Econova?”
The chief justice looked down at me with narrowed eyes and answered.
“The Judiciary does not keep detailed records on individual private individuals.”
A logical response.
Then.
I floated documents through a hologram.
The corporate registry of Econova Industries.
“Then you don’t know this name either?”
The chief justice’s face froze rapidly.
He could not possibly not know.
It was his own son’s name.
“Your son is registered as an external director of Econova Industries. Is it not a rational suspicion that your son became the conduit connecting politics and corporate power?”
Anger and bewilderment crossed his eyes.
Whether he knew about his son’s corruption did not matter.
I ignored it and turned my gaze to his side.
“And while the citizens of the empire suffered under the monster disease, where were the National Defense Force?”
The First Battalion Commander flinched.
“The National Defense Force was pouring all its efforts into sealing off Scrap Ville, the goblin residential district. While criminals roamed the city with their eyes wide open, the National Defense Force was swept up only in unfounded malicious rumors and disregarded the safety of the citizens. Was that truly a measure for citizen safety?”
The battalion commander answered without hiding his discomfort.
“At that time, rumors were circulating about suspicious rituals in the goblin district. I ask you, Prosecutor Zeo Blood, to refrain from unfounded criticism against the National Defense Force, which carefully guards even the smallest clues for the safety of the citizens.”
His inner anger seemed difficult to suppress, as red energy flickered across his body despite his calm tone.
“Yes, I would like to believe that too. But someone large-scale purchased land around Green Energy Park. Naturally, those who would profit from the land price increase after the park opened would gather. What would be the issue from their perspective?”
I asked him directly.
“What is your intention in asking me that?”
The battalion commander spoke with suppressed anger.
“From the perspective of speculators, the only place they can invest is Scrap Ville, the goblin district. Who would invest in a stinking garbage dump village? At this opportunity, they could clear out the goblins and build beautiful buildings, turning a huge profit. Isn’t that right, Battalion Commander?”
I ignored the battalion commander who tried to speak and floated various transaction records under the name of Ryan Sorlant in the air.
Shocked voices rose among the spectators.
Ryan Sorlant, who had begun purchasing all land in the region a year before the Green Energy Park plan.
A nonexistent person.
A shell company.
“As a Capital Defense inspector, I intend to thoroughly investigate this Ryan Sorlant. Without missing even a single piece of evidence, I will bring all those involved to court and punish those who placed the lives of citizens on the gambling table.”
I stared directly into the battalion commander’s face and continued.
“I will also thoroughly investigate who was behind this person, and whether any high-ranking officials of the National Defense Force may have been involved.”
The hall fell into silent tension.
The battalion commander’s face gradually paled.
At that moment, Deputy Chief Shiran of the Magic Tower opened her mouth.
“Prosecutor Blood, according to your claims this is clearly very serious. Smells of something unimaginable… dirty… But do you have evidence to support your claims?”
I nodded.
“Yes, I do. And I will investigate more thoroughly and bring them to court without fail.”
The spectators stirred again, and interest flashed in Shiran’s eyes.
I stood up and continued.
“We have gathered here under the mission of protecting the citizens of the empire. Of course, the responsibility of the Capital Defense Command is undeniable.”
The hearing members fell silent.
“But is that responsibility only for the Capital Defense Command? Or only for me? All the members here and all the high-level bureaucrats from each ministry must bear the same responsibility together. Do you truly believe you are free from the responsibility of this crisis?”
I slowly turned my gaze toward the members.
Complex emotions were reflected on their faces.
“When the citizens of the empire are in danger, we should not look for scapegoats to blame, but truly discuss how to make the empire safer and more just. Rather than destructive criticism, we must create constructive plans for real change!”
With that, I sat back down.
There was much I wanted to say, but I swallowed it down with effort.
One by one I looked at the people who would become my targets of investigation.
The atmosphere of the court hall was cold yet strangely charged with tension.
At that moment the enormous doors of the court hall opened, and a shaft of light poured in deeply.
All eyes focused on that spot.
Therion walked in slowly, clad in formal attire.
The spectators’ conversation spread subtly across the hall.
Therion approached me slowly without hearing it, smiled, and extended his hand for a shake.
“I apologize for being late. And thank you for listening.”
As I clasped his hand.
Whispers grew louder among the spectators.
Suddenly someone’s applause rang out.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
One, two, more claps followed.
Finally applause erupted among the spectators.
A thunderous applause echoed through the hall in the silence.
Meanwhile, Therion pulled a ring with a turquoise stone from his finger and handed it to me.
“A token of promise. The power of the emerald will become a great strength for the inspector in a critical moment.”
Therion, who had given me the ring and climbed onto the president’s platform, walked slowly toward the seat prepared in the center of the stage and sat down.
With the host’s announcement, the hearing resumed.
From then on, the hall was filled with boring and unnecessary speeches again.