The Beat-Riding Lawyer
From the look of things, Trisha was about to bolt—and I was headed for a guilty verdict.
The prosecutor had been angling for a life sentence, and no matter how fair the judge might be, it seemed there was no escaping a prison cell.
At this point, drawing up an escape plan first seemed like the smarter move.
Right—what’s the best way to punch a hole through a prison wall?
Blow the whole thing open with a cannon in one shot?
Or chip away at the gaps between the bricks a little every day, so quietly the guards never notice?
My hand had just settled on the doorknob when—
"…You're right."
A voice came from behind me.
"…Everything you said is right, Client."
It was a firm voice, nothing like the one from moments before.
I stopped and turned around.
Trisha was slowly straightening up from her crouched position.
"Never again… I will never do that again."
That was the moment.
Wiiiiing—
The fading Heartbeat of the Metronome resonated with the debtor’s resolve and began to pulse once more.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
The metronome’s beat traced a heavy, perfectly regular rhythm in time with Trisha’s heart.
Huh…? Looks like I don’t need to worry about punching holes in prison walls anymore.
Still holding the doorknob, I let out a short snort of laughter.
"Client."
Trisha looked me straight in the eye.
Behind her glasses, those green irises shone with absolute clarity.
"Shall we go in. …This time, it’s my turn to counterattack."
We flung the waiting-room doors wide open, both of us wearing satisfied smiles.
Just imagining a lawyer who would devour the courtroom to the beat made my chest swell with grandeur.
Recess was over.
The judge rapped his gavel.
"Defense counsel for the defendant. Begin your argument regarding the prosecution’s three charges."
At the judge’s call, Trisha turned toward him.
Then she opened her mouth in a clear, ringing voice.
"Regarding the prosecution’s charges, this counsel first wishes to point out that critical defects exist in the prosecution’s claims."
That calm voice froze the air of the courtroom in an instant.
The overwhelming, precise diction that rolled through the entire chamber cut the jeers from the gallery dead.
The prosecutor’s arrogant expression hardened.
"First: the defendant’s skill-rental authority is a skill granted by the system window, and falls within the scope of self-employment authorization under Article 17 of the Imperial Commercial Law Enforcement Ordinance. The very expression ‘unlicensed’ does not correspond to the facts."
Trisha’s metronome beat became words that slapped the prosecutor straight across the face.
His face flushed crimson in an instant.
He rifled through the documents in front of him, then scrambled into a rebuttal.
"…But the defendant’s skill-rental authority is an unidentified power that does not appear on the existing Imperial skill list! Circulating such an unidentified power is an act that disrupts market order."
Trisha fired back at once.
"Powers encompass everything granted by the system, not merely those enumerated on the Imperial skill list. The prosecution’s claim that a power is illegitimate simply because it is absent from the list cannot stand. Furthermore, Defendant Celia’s skill rental is a legitimate contractual relationship founded on the debtor’s voluntary consent and signature. Therefore, the prosecution’s claim is untrue."
There was not a shred of hesitation in Trisha’s answer.
The prosecutor looked thoroughly rattled.
"L-Look here! But isn’t the unauthorized keeping of a dangerous magical beast by the defendant an act that threatens urban safety? Moreover, the defendant’s shop is located in a slum particularly vulnerable in terms of safety! Does counsel truly see no problem with this?"
"The shop familiar kept by the defendant is not a ‘dangerous magical beast.’ The individual in question is a bird of the corvid family, genus Corvus, and is not subject to any reporting obligation. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that on the very day the defendant was detained, this shop familiar was kidnapped by local thugs and dramatically rescued. Is this truly the dangerous magical beast the prosecution claims? Did the prosecution take the stand without verifying these facts?"
Laughter burst from the gallery.
The prosecutor’s face went from red to nearly black.
"E-Even so! The third charge is clear. The defendant used an anonymous account to spread false information and artificially manipulate real-estate prices in the Ash Valley district!"
The prosecutor raised his voice, as if this were the one charge he still had confidence in.
Trisha did not so much as twitch an eyebrow as she opened the next document.
"According to the evidentiary materials submitted by the prosecution itself, the post in question was deleted within five minutes of posting for the reason of ‘trolling.’ Nowhere in the prosecution’s evidence list is there any material proving a causal relationship that a post remaining for a mere five minutes affected real-estate prices. Furthermore, this counsel has confirmed that the content of the post in question denied any correlation between the witch and Ash Valley, and was in fact content that ran counter to any rise in property values."
Oh no… Counsel… that’s friendly fire! Honestly, that one stung a little.
But separate from my personal embarrassment, that dark history of getting banned for trolling had just become evidence of innocence.
In perfect time with the metronome’s beat, Trisha’s rebuttals continued to thrash the prosecutor’s solar plexus without mercy.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
"……!"
The prosecutor’s face flushed like a beetroot in an instant.
He clearly had not expected the evidence he himself had submitted to shoot him in the foot.
Having my investment pay off this quickly—could there be a happier moment for a merchant? The corners of my mouth were twitching with excitement all over again.
The atmosphere in the courtroom had completely flipped.
The prosecutor hastily looked back toward the advisory seats.
At that look pleading for help, the elderly man seated there lowered his gaze.
The courtroom was already under the complete domination of the genius lawyer riding the beat.
Trisha lightly pushed up her glasses and looked up at Judge Aurelius with the eyes of a legal expert who had finally reclaimed her genius.
"Your Honor. Nowhere in the Imperial Criminal Code or the Code of Criminal Procedure does there exist any legal basis to detain Defendant Celia. This counsel requests the immediate dismissal of all charges against Defendant Celia and a verdict of not guilty."
For a moment the courtroom went silent.
Every gaze in the chamber fixed on the judge.
The white-haired, stern-faced judge adjusted his glasses and looked down at the documents before him.
Five seconds….
Ten seconds….
……
Then Judge Aurelius’s voice rang out, breaking the grand silence of the courtroom.
The judge began to read the verdict.
"…I hereby rule. As the three charges raised by the prosecution against Defendant Celia constitute cases in which the crime has not been proven, all charges against Defendant Celia are dismissed, and an immediate verdict of not guilty and release is declared."
No sooner had the verdict fallen than the mana handcuffs binding both my wrists clicked open and fell away.
"Waaaaah!"
Cheers erupted from the gallery.
"Holy crap, what a crazy comeback!"
"The public defender is insane. Look at her chewing up the prosecution’s entire case."
It was the moment the Empire’s judiciary’s witch-hunt of injustice was utterly crushed by a single defense from a public defender out of the slums.
Leisurely savoring that satisfying spectacle from the defendant’s seat, I rose slowly to my feet.
"The return of the genius lawyer! Man, I did it again, didn’t I!?"
At that very moment, a status window exploded into view before my eyes, filling my vision with a dazzling crimson effect.
Ding—!
Debtor Trisha has perfectly overcome a massive psychological barrier and trauma!
Soul Awakening and reward output amplification of 400% complete!
Shopkeeper-attributed bonus settlement: Amplified premium experience and system mana-stone points will be granted in large quantities!
Shopkeeper Celia’s main mana capacity ceiling and output have been permanently raised.
"Huh!? Whoa!? Amazing!"
The surprise tore a full-voiced shout of delight out of me.
Hell yeah! This is it! If there’s anyone else who can squeeze this much out of renting a single F-class skill, I’d like to see them!
I puffed up with pride.
There was no one else in the world who could do that—only me!
Business really is all about finding one premium customer and working them for everything they’re worth, isn’t it?
Watching the sweet experience-settlement numbers flood my vision, my grin climbed so high my cheeks actually started to ache.
I pressed hard at my cheeks with both hands, massaging them for all I was worth.
But where did our protagonist, the genius lawyer, go?
Still pressing at my cheeks, I looked around.
Trisha was standing at the defense table with the tension of someone one second away from collapsing.
The effect of Heartbeat of the Metronome was gradually fading, yet in those green eyes there remained none of the self-reproach or fear of before.
It was the face of a genius who had finally overcome the vast trauma of the courtroom by her own strength.
That was when it happened.
"Trisha. Not bad at all."
An elderly man approached from behind her.
It was the man who had been seated in the prosecution’s advisory chairs.
In that instant, Trisha’s expression stiffened.
Tick. Tock. Tick-tock-tick-tock.
The metronome’s beat sped up in frantic haste.
It was a desperate rhythm, as if she were barely holding something back from running wild.
I could see her hands trembling faintly.
"It’s been a long time, Master."