Chapter 621: The Struggle of a Cornered Beast
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 621: The Struggle of a Cornered Beast
“...”
Faced with the Pink Bear’s suddenly solemn interrogation, Thraswell’s beard quivered. His darkened lips moved as if to speak, but the words caught in his throat, leaving him momentarily choked.
He suddenly felt a sense of inexplicable absurdity.
As the most senior Grand Judge of the Empire, he had spent his entire life striving to maintain the sanctity of the Tribunal. And now, someone was telling him... that he had defiled it?
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
The person saying this—isn't he the one who's got it backward?
Yet, faced with this insult that was practically a finger pointed at his nose, he found himself temporarily unable to retort.
He couldn't even argue against being called "kid."
The man was the Imperial Uncle Ancestor, after all. His seniority was terrifyingly high; if the Pink Bear called him a grandson, Thraswell would almost be under suspicion of trying to social-climb into the royal family.
Moreover, once he calmed down and thought about it, his act of "despising" the evidence was indeed somewhat biased for a Grand Judge.
"Then... you tell me. What exactly is the connection between this evidence and Muen Campbell?" After regaining some composure, Thraswell straightened his black robes once more and asked sternly.
A brief lapse in decorum wouldn't change anything. As long as he pulled the proceedings back on track, this trial would remain a brilliant jewel in his crown of honor...
"Ah, that."
The Pink Bear tucked his mace away and scratched his head. "You're right. There actually isn't any connection."
"What... You!"
Thraswell’s eyes bulged. When those breezy words hit his ears, his blood pressure nearly doubled instantly.
What do you mean 'there actually isn't any connection'? Then what was with that righteous act just now?
Are you intentionally playing me for a fool?
Thraswell gnashed his teeth. If he weren't so old that he already had his coffin ready, he would have lunged forward to strangle this dog of a man.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm telling you, the sacred Tribunal doesn't allow physical violence!"
The Pink Bear hopped back, crossing his arms over his chest warily. "Careful, or I'll call for help!"
"You... I..."
"Don't get worked up, don't get worked up. I can't afford the compensation if you drop dead from anger. Let me explain it to you slowly."
The Pink Bear leaned back in as if their previous conflict had never happened. He threw an arm around Thraswell’s shoulder and, with a sleazy grin, flipped open the photo book.
Thraswell was utterly repulsed, yet he couldn't push the damn bear off. He could only watch as that filthy photo book was thrust before him again. The bear pointed at a photo of a young girl in a maid outfit and asked, "Recognize this face?"
"This face?"
Thraswell frowned. He hadn't paid much attention earlier due to his agitation, but now that the Pink Bear mentioned it, the face did look familiar. "She looks like... a certain Saintess?"
"Exactly. This is the esteemed visage of the Saintess from five generations ago. It seems your memory isn't too bad, kid."
The Pink Bear continued, "Now, do you think Her Highness the Saintess would ever wear clothes like this?"
"No."
Thraswell shook his head almost reflexively. It was a joke—the Life Church was holy and noble. How could a Saintess, revered by countless believers, wear such shameless clothes and do such indecent things?
He would sooner believe Her Majesty the Empress would do such a thing than the Saintess.
"Very good. She wouldn't. In that case, looking at these photos, do you understand now?"
"Understand what?" Thraswell asked, still looking a bit dazed.
"Photos can be faked, you idiot!!"
The Pink Bear slapped the half-broken long table and said solemnly, "Photos imprinted via magic, like that one just now—I could forge ten of them for you in a minute. Do you think this kind of thing has any credibility?"
"That... seems to be true."
Thraswell nodded subconsciously, finding the logic sound. If one’s methods were sophisticated enough, it was indeed possible to forge a photo.
Wait... no. Determining the authenticity of evidence is supposed to happen in the subsequent stages of the trial. There was no need to emphasize it so specifically right now...
"Tsk, tsk. To think you don't even understand something as simple as that."
The Pink Bear put his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle. With a sigh of lament, he paced back to Muen’s side, then turned back with a contemptuous smirk. "To think a man like you managed to scramble into the position of Grand Judge. The Empire is doomed!"
"You... you bastard!"
Thraswell was finally pushed over the edge. Ignoring everything else, he raised his gavel, intending to expel the Pink Bear on the grounds of obstructing the trial.
But... just a moment before the gavel fell.
"The Imperial Uncle Ancestor has a point."
The cold, clear voice caused Thraswell’s movements to freeze instantly.
"Magic is flourishing more than ever these days. Master Propol of the Tower of Origins created an image magic twenty years ago that can perfectly pass for reality. While magic learned by ordinary people certainly wouldn't reach that level, if he were to take action personally, the authenticity of such a photo would be impossible to discern."
Celicia rested her chin on her hand, picked up a photo with two fingers, and tossed it aside casually. "Therefore, using such things as evidence is indeed inappropriate. Seniority is important, but for a judge, working behind closed doors is a grave sin. If you aren't even aware of such developments, how can you bring about a fair trial? Wouldn't you agree, Grand Judge Thraswell?"
"...Your, Your Majesty is correct."
After a moment of silence, Thraswell took a deep breath, practically squeezing the words out of his lungs.
Though everyone present knew the Bugard family couldn't possibly commission Master Propol, the Pink Bear’s nonsense had indeed pointed out a flaw where the evidence failed to hold ground.
And justice that fails to convince is not justice.
That was the hidden meaning—and the warning—in the Empress's words.
*
"How was that?"
The Pink Bear high-fived Muen, asking triumphantly.
"Full marks," Muen critiqued with a straight face.
"Then... the reward?"
"You won't be short-changed." Muen leaned into the Pink Bear’s ear and lowered his voice. "I know exactly where to buy more of that kind of stuff!"
"Really?" The Pink Bear’s eyes lit up. He felt this trip had definitely been worth it.
This kid is alright!
While dangling a carrot in front of the Pink Bear, Muen didn't forget to steal a glance at Celicia.
In his eyes, Celicia’s current cold and regal demeanor made her look like an angel descended from heaven.
As for the other two seniors and Liya, they hadn't done anything strange from start to finish; they simply stood there like invisible pillars of support, silently guarding him.
As I thought, you all came to save me.
I'm sorry. I apologize for having those vile thoughts earlier. You are all my wings—how could you ever actually do anything to me?
Muen was moved nearly to tears, once again displaying a smile of pure enlightenment.
Now... I can finally relax.
*
"The authenticity of the photos is impossible to verify. Therefore... they cannot serve as evidence of Muen Campbell’s collusion with an Evil God!"
Thraswell brought down his gavel, officially closing the book on that little farce.
"What?"
Count Bugard stood frozen. He hadn't expected that the evidence he had so meticulously prepared would be neutralized so effortlessly by the back-and-forth between the Pink Bear and the Empress.
According to his calculations, that photo was supposed to be a vital link in forcing the Empress's hand. Without it, he might not be able to pressure her at all, and if he pushed too hard... it would mean total mutual destruction.
And now...
Count Bugard stole a glance at Celicia. She remained expressionless, calmly observing the spectacle, but Bugard felt as though he could read a hint of mockery in her eyes.
The composed mockery of one looking down at the struggles of an ant.
He couldn't help but shudder.
"Count Bugard, do you have any other evidence to provide? If not..."
"I—of course I do!"
Thraswell’s voice snapped Count Bugard out of his daze, and he answered hurriedly.
That’s right, it wasn't over yet.
He had come this far; how could he be intimidated by a blonde brat?
If she wanted to play, he would see it through to the end!
"This is my new evidence."
Count Bugard produced a container wrapped in layers of magic patterns and opened it before the crowd.
Stored inside the container... was an eyeball!
The eyeball was far larger than a human's, likely originating from some sort of beast. Surprisingly, despite being just a lone eyeball, the container’s enchantments allowed everyone to clearly perceive that it still possessed a startling vitality.
The pupil even twitched occasionally, meeting the gazes of those around it.
"What is this?" Having learned his lesson from the Pink Bear, Grand Judge Thraswell was much more cautious this time.
"As you can see, this is an eyeball. But it is no ordinary eye; it comes from a rare magical beast known as an Eye Beast!"
"An Eye Beast?"
"Yes. I believe with the Grand Judge’s experience, you must have heard of this creature. It can temporarily store images it has seen, scents it has gathered, the ripples of an aura, and even... the remnants of a certain power within its eye."
"It does indeed have such an ability." Thraswell nodded. Though Eye Beasts were rare, they weren't a new species discovered in the last few decades, so there was no risk of him being ignorant of them.
"To be honest, the photos from earlier also came from images recorded by an Eye Beast. However, since you don't believe in things like photos, I have no choice but to bring out the most convincing proof..."
Count Bugard held the container high and scanned the room. His gaze lingered on Celicia for a moment before he continued:
"And that is the residual power of an Evil God remaining within it!"
Everyone’s vision surpassed that of ordinary people. Following Count Bugard’s guidance, they soon saw a wisp of... eerie, pitch-black color drifting within the crystalline lens of the eyeball.
"So that's how it is." Muen’s gaze sharpened.
Ever since the photos appeared, he had suspected that some magical beast remains had accidentally escaped during his battle with the little girl. Looking at it now, the truth was far more terrifying than mere remains.
An Eye Beast.
Among the thousands of magical beasts the little girl had stitched together, it would have been impossible for him to identify this specific one.
Perhaps Count Bugard had intended to monitor the little girl to prevent her from losing control or to guard against accidents, and thus added this specific component to the beast's limbs. That was within expectations.
But he hadn't expected it to be used this way in the end.
Ultimately, his control over his power back then hadn't been precise enough. In his state of mental exhaustion, he hadn't noticed the traces of the Black Sun’s power leaking out.
"Nonsense! Just because you have a big eyeball and say there's residual power, there's residual power? Are you mocking the Tribunal?"
The Pink Bear reacted quickly, jumping out immediately to try and pin a label on Count Bugard.
But Count Bugard was not Thraswell. He knew the Pink Bear well, so he ignored him entirely and turned to Celicia.
"What does Your Majesty think?"
"Why does my dear subject ask me?"
"I simply wish to know if Your Majesty believes it or not."
"Does it matter if I believe it?" Celicia’s lips curled slightly. "Isn't a trial supposed to be about the truth?"
"I see..." Bugard smiled as well, but his smile still carried a hint of madness. "In that case, there is no other way."
Count Bugard suddenly looked up and shouted, "Since there are still those who doubt the authenticity of this item, I request an inspection!"
"Oh? And who do you wish to invite to inspect it?" Thraswell asked.
"Hmph, does such a thing even require much thought? Did I not go through all this trouble to facilitate this Tripartite Trial for exactly this reason?"
Count Bugard seemed to have regained his confidence, his voice ringing out with conviction:
"I request that the authority on matters regarding Evil Gods, the Empire’s special organization—the Silence Bureau—perform a thorough, public inspection of the power within this eyeball!"
“...”
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell into a sudden silence.
Everyone’s gaze fell upon Count Bugard, and then upon the young girl sitting to the side, who was currently playing with a strand of her hair out of boredom.
"You want to request an inspection?" the Pink Bear asked blankly.
"Correct!"
"And you want the Silence Bureau to do it?"
"Of course. Are you afraid?" Count Bugard sneered.
In truth, this request had been carefully considered.
The Imperial faction was out of the question; based on her actions, the Empress was dead-set on protecting her fiancé.
The Life Church was also ruled out after consideration, as Muen Campbell was clearly close to them, and the Church’s shadow had been behind several of his recent actions.
Therefore, the task could only fall to the most mysterious and most ruthless organization when it came to dealing with Evil God remnants: the Silence Bureau.
Rumor had it they were so thorough they would scramble the eggs in an evil cultist’s house, slap any passing dog, and dig up earthworms just to slice them vertically. Given their high level of secrecy, Bugard didn't know the personality of the Sword Bearer, but he assumed they would never cover up for an Evil God’s spawn.
It was the perfect choice!
"I see..."
The Pink Bear seemed to finally understand, nodding repeatedly. "Scared... yeah, I'm scared. Scared to death..."
As he spoke, he leaned on Muen’s shoulder and let out a laugh...
"Pfft..."
"What are you laughing at?"
"I'm not laughing."
"Liar! You're clearly laughing, you haven't stopped!"
As he spoke, Count Bugard frowned at Muen, who was also struggling to keep a straight face. "And what are you laughing at?"
"Pfft... I'm not laughing either."
"Do you think I'm blind? You're clearly—"
"Enough!"
Thraswell struck his gavel, signaling for silence.
"In that case, we shall proceed according to Count Bugard’s request. We ask the Silence Bureau to check if there are Evil God power remnants within the Eye Beast, and if so, whether they are connected to Muen Campbell."
Thraswell looked at Anna, his tone softening as he remembered her status. "Would that be acceptable?"
"Of course. I would be more than happy to oblige."
Anna smiled faintly. With a flick of her finger, the container flew up and landed in her hand.
She toyed with it for a moment, then stole a glance at Muen with a look full of charm.
Muen felt his heart melt. He puffed out his chest even further, looking at the still-confused Count Bugard with a cold smirk in his heart.
Hmph. The judges here are all my people. How do you expect to beat me?