Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Hardworking Wastrel - 10
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‘Damn it! Damn it! You filthy bastard! I scraped together every last coin I had and invested it all, and now you go back on your word!’
Standing in the plaintiff’s box at the courtroom, Sam was unleashing a torrent of curses in his mind.
There, in the defendant’s seat that should have been empty, stood the loathsome wastrel, bold as brass.
The sight completely contradicted what his supposed ally had sworn up and down—that the guy couldn’t possibly show up in the capital. Sam’s blood boiled at the betrayal.
Unlike Sam, who had come fully prepared, Heinz was utterly unarmed.
That sheer confidence, as if just showing up was enough to win, only fueled Sam’s rage.
He desperately wanted to knock that smug look off the guy’s face, but the truth was, Sam was at an overwhelming disadvantage.
Princess Rosmel was presiding over the court in the emperor’s stead.
‘Damn it. Even the jurors I bribed in advance have all turned tail.’
No matter how much they’d been paid, none of them wanted to risk falling out of the princess’s favor.
No bribe was worth wagering your life on.
If they got caught colluding, it could cost them their heads.
In the end, Sam was left to face the storm alone.
‘I’ll have to give up on the silk. But I’m not going down alone.’
Appealing to emotions and claiming ownership wouldn’t work anyway—he didn’t know the silk’s production details.
Sam decided to skip the preliminaries and pull out his final card right away.
“Plaintiff, do you have any evidence that the rights to the silk belong to the Frontia Merchant House?”
“Your Honor, I have a confession to make!”
“Speak.”
“In truth, the silk, which is the specialty product of the Altesia Count House, was not developed by us!”
“That doesn’t match the story I heard. I recall you submitted a petition claiming the Frontia Merchant House had stolen your developed product, which led to this trial. Are you saying a mere merchant house deceived the imperial family?”
“No, that’s not it. The real reason we filed the petition was not to claim ownership of the product, but to expose the Altesia Count House for the public good!”
Sam began the theatrical performance he had prepared in advance.
He dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead against the floor repeatedly.
Even as his skin split open and blood trickled down, he didn’t stop.
Soon, tears began streaming from his eyes as well, not from physical pain, but to evoke sympathy for his tragic circumstances.
“I use this opportunity to reveal a secret that has been hidden from the people of the empire! The raw material for the silk produced in Altesia is Arachne silk!”
“A-Arachne?”
“Isn’t Arachne that spider monster known for devouring humans?”
“Heavens...! To think such beautiful silk was made from a monster’s threads...!”
As the truth spilled from Sam’s lips, murmurs erupted throughout the courtroom.
The jurors who had promised to side with him exaggerated their reactions for effect.
“Silence! Quiet down!”
Tang, tang, tang—!
As the commotion grew, Princess Rosmel slammed the gavel, seizing control of the courtroom atmosphere.
She demanded silence from everyone present, forbidding any insult to the sanctity of the trial.
Only then did the courtroom fall deathly quiet, allowing the trial to proceed.
“Plaintiff, can you take responsibility for what you just said?”
“Of course. If it’s not silk made from Arachne threads, I’ll stake my head on it!”
“Very well. Defendant, do you refute the claim that it was made from Arachne silk?”
“No, it’s exactly as the plaintiff says—it was made from Arachne silk.”
Heinz’s frank admission nearly sparked another wave of murmurs in the courtroom.
But under Princess Rosmel’s sharp gaze, everyone snapped their mouths shut.
The princess gestured to Heinz, signaling him to continue.
“Honored judge, I understand there is no law in the empire prohibiting the use of materials derived from monsters to craft goods. Is that correct?”
“Yes, the defendant’s claim is accurate.”
Adventurers made armor from kobold hides and weapons from minotaur horns.
Anyone who’d ever been an adventurer had recycled monster corpses at least once.
If the empire banned using monsters, the adventurer profession wouldn’t exist.
Since it was permitted, making silk from Arachne threads was, in principle, not an issue.
‘Gotcha...!’
Sam, still bowed low, smirked in triumph.
He clenched his fist, as if he’d finally found a way to deem Heinz’s actions criminal.
“Your Honor, there is one critical flaw in the Altesia Count House’s argument!”
“What is it?”
“Using monsters is acceptable only for dead ones.”
“Continue.”
“But Altesia is inhumanely extracting silk by feeding humans to the Arachne as payment!”
The revelation of this unforgivable act swung public opinion instantly toward Sam.
Even those trying to stay silent couldn’t hold back, shouting demands for Heinz to explain himself.
In the heated atmosphere, Heinz remained silent, and Princess Rosmel’s patience was wearing thin.
But Sam wasn’t done yet—he opened his mouth to press the attack further.
“Your Honor, to prove my claims, I request the summoning of witnesses.”
“Are there witnesses?”
“Yes. Victims who lost family to the Arachne are waiting outside. I beg you to hear their desperate voices.”
“Very well. Bring them in.”
At Princess Rosmel’s command, the knights opened the doors.
The villagers who had once chased the Arachne to kill it now stepped into the courtroom.
Each wore a resolute expression as they took the witness stand.
“Witnesses, did Heinz Altesia feed humans to the Arachne, as claimed by the Frontia Merchant House?”
“Honored judge, the Frontia Merchant House’s claim is...”
A momentary silence.
Everyone in the courtroom held their breath, waiting for the representative man to continue.
Finally, he drew a deep breath and spoke.
“...completely false.”
His single statement split the two sides’ fortunes.
Sam, who had been certain of victory, gaped in shock.
Heinz, who had maintained silence and a blank expression, finally let the corner of his mouth twitch upward.
“Let me ask again. You’re saying the plaintiff’s claim is false?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“The plaintiff said you lost family to the Arachne. How do you explain that?”
“It’s true we once chased the Arachne to kill it. But that was before we learned the true culprit’s identity.”
The man trembled with rage at having hated the wrong target all this time.
Likewise, those behind him bit their lips until blood welled or gripped their arms, venting their injustice.
“Please tell us the full story.”
“Some time ago, we encountered Young Master Heinz in the forest within Altesia territory. Without even properly investigating, we tried to kill the Arachne, and he sharply rebuked us, advising us to turn back. Foolish as we were, we thought it was noble arrogance, but after returning to the village and reflecting, we noticed several oddities.
“What were they?”
“An outsider had been staying in the village two weeks before the disappearances began, and it was another outsider who informed us of the culprit and the Arachne’s existence.”
“Certainly suspicious.”
It was reasonable to suspect an outsider, but the bloodstains and spiderwebs narrowed suspicions further.
Grieving families needed a target for their hatred.
And conveniently, Arachne was classified as a monster, so they’d been easily swayed.
“We searched for the outsider too late—he had already fled. Then we received an offer from the Frontia Merchant House.”
“They asked you to testify here to clear your name, right?”
“Yes. We came to the capital without uncovering the truth. Then, two days ago, Young Master Heinz came to us.”
“Did he demand false testimony?”
“No. He brought the suspicious outsider who had stayed in our village!”
“How was that possible?”
Princess Rosmel’s question was answered by Heinz himself.
He called in his subordinate Coco and boldly revealed her unique ability.
Having learned of the villagers’ plight early on, Heinz had sent Coco to memorize the scent from the outsider’s left-behind items.
Then he’d ordered her, along with Kizen, to track and capture the man.
“Young Master Heinz gave us the chance and tools to interrogate the outsider. That’s when we learned the truth: the outsider was the one who murdered and abducted our families!”
“So you’ve finally cleared your injustice. But that doesn’t connect to proving the plaintiff’s claims false.”
“It does.”
“What makes you so certain?”
“Because we also uncovered that the outsider had close dealings with the Frontia Merchant House.”
The witness’s words completely reversed the situation.
The atmosphere that had branded Heinz a criminal flipped, and all eyes turned to Sam, the merchant house’s vice president.
Princess Rosmel urged him for a final defense.
“Plaintiff, do you have any last words?”
No excuse came to mind, and he collapsed in place.
Sam stared blankly ahead in despair.
At the end of his gaze, the hated wastrel smiled.
Heinz looked at Sam and mouthed silently.
[Bye.]