Chapter 11 | The Assassin Goes to Trial
We arrived in the capital after a few days of travel. I had totally brainwashed the observers and turned them into my loyal servants.
“Nothing to report. He sat there in dejected silence the entire time without any resistance. His possessions have been seized.”
That was what I had them say.
The substance I had used to brainwash them was very useful. There were plants in this world that could be fed mana to amplify their medicinal effects as they grew, which meant significantly stronger drugs could be made here than in my previous world.
I appreciated these chemicals, but I took heed of the danger that someone could use them on me as well.
There were nobles who made a fortune on pharmaceuticals. I had knowledge from my previous life and from House Tuatha Dé, which was famed for its medical knowledge, but even then, I doubted I could rival nobles who specialized in the subject. It wouldn’t have surprised me at all if they possessed drugs more vicious than what I had.
“…I’m being treated this way even after arriving in the capital.”
I sighed at the situation I had wound up in. They had covered my eyes and mouth and restrained my arms and legs even in my jail cell.
This was way overboard for a suspect who hadn’t been convicted yet. Marquis Carnalie had used his influence to ensure I was treated this way. His plan was to cut me off from the world to keep me clueless about the crime he was framing me for and overpower me at the trial.
I had to give him credit for his thoroughness. Still, he had no idea who he was messing with. I had already used my intelligence agents to bribe a number of the prison guards. Those guards let me do as I wished while it was their shift to watch me.
One of the guards told me that the case was tomorrow, exactly as my intel had said.
I decided it was time to slip out of my jail cell for a bit. Those watching me had been bought off by my agents, so I had plenty of time. I would return after obtaining one final weapon for tomorrow’s trial.
My trial began the next day in a courthouse in the royal capital.
The hearing was open to the public, so nobles and people qualified to reside in the capital could watch from the spectator seating. This kept the judge and the plaintiff in check, as having witnesses prevented them from performing an unjust trial. This newly introduced system was keeping fraudulent charges down.
Interest was high in my trial because I was a Holy Knight and had already defeated two demons, so the courthouse was packed.
I spotted Nevan in the audience, grinning at me as if nothing were amiss. She must have heard about the case.
She doesn’t look worried. Normally, people are finished by the time they’re put in this position, though.
Trials weren’t held in Alvan unless there was evidence that proved guilt with near certainty. In other words, the verdict was decided the moment a case was approved.
Usually, the plaintiff’s evidence would be read and thrust before the defendant, who would be told to confess. If they did so, they would be officially branded a criminal. Even if they didn’t, though, the judge had the right to declare the evidence valid and convict them anyway.
Marquis Carnalie himself stepped to the podium as the plaintiff and read his fabricated documents without faltering.
He was stout with a face colored by greed, and he behaved in a haughty manner. He fit the stereotype of a corrupt noble so perfectly that I almost laughed.
I waited for him to finish without interrupting.
“This evidence clearly shows that Lugh Tuatha Dé abused his privileges as the Holy Knight to intentionally kill Count Marlentott, who had been in a feud with House Tuatha Dé. It is an outrage that he would take the rights awarded to him to protect the country’s peace and abuse them for his own self-interest! He deserves severe punishment!” proclaimed Marquis Carnalie.
His claim was almost verbatim what my intelligence said it would be.
“The defendant may now speak,” announced the judge.
“I did not kill Count Marlentott, and there was never any feud between him and House Tuatha Dé. This accusation is a total lie. A thorough investigation of his evidence should make this apparent,” I said.
“You disgrace yourself, Lugh Tuatha Dé. I even have a witness. Count Frantrude happened to be in Jombull at the time, and he saw everything. I have called him here today. Your Honor, permission to have him deliver testimony,” the marquis responded.
“Granted. Your witness may take the stand.”
Count Frantrude, the man I’d won to my side by cross-dressing, approached the podium.
“I was in Jombull the day the demon attacked, and I happened to catch sight of Lugh Tuatha Dé as he fought. He looked divine as he battled the powerful monsters, utterly devoid of fear. It was captivating. He appeared like a legendary knight out of a fairy tale, and despite the danger to my person, I was rooted to the spot.”
Wow, that’s a surprise.
It was clear that he wasn’t lying. He actually had witnessed my fight against Liogel.
“During the struggle, something diverted his attention from the monsters. He saw Count Marlentott. The count had been knocked off his feet while trying to flee. Lugh Tuatha Dé laughed, then kicked some rubble toward him. The rubble hit Count Marlentott in the head and killed him. I am confident he did it on purpose.”
Everyone in the audience began to talk at once.
“That’s horrible.”
“To think the Holy Knight would do such a thing.”
“Sure, he’s the Holy Knight, but he’s still a lowly baron’s son.”
I heard many such comments among the uproar.
“Silence!”
The judge struck his podium with his gavel, and silence returned to the courthouse.
“You are sure of this, Count Frantrude?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s the truth.”
Marquis Carnalie smirked to himself after Count Frantrude finished. He surely thought he had this in the bag.
But he was getting way ahead of himself. He was so intent on setting me up that he didn’t realize I was the one trapping him.
Count Frantrude was not done yet. He took a deep breath, then once again began to speak.
“What I mean to say is it’s the truth that Marquis Carnalie threatened me into saying that. He blackmailed and bribed me into giving false testimony. Given that he used me this way, I say it’s likely the rest of his evidence is fabricated as well. Your Honor, I am not here today to frame a Holy Knight for a crime but instead to charge Marquis Carnalie for bullying me into committing perjury!”
Marquis Carnalie’s face went pale. His earlier confidence had vanished.
The audience grew even louder than before.
Marquis Carnalie hadn’t expected for a second that Count Frantrude would betray him. He had been overly confident of the man’s cooperation. I, on the other hand, had known about this upset.
It was common for things to go wrong during an assassination or any other operation. Professionals made sure to prepare a plan B or a plan C for such occurrences.
Only an amateur trusted everything would go off without a hitch.
“You fool! Have you lost your mind?!” exclaimed Marquis Carnalie.
“I’m the one who’s lost my mind?! You’re the one pinning a felony on a Holy Knight who risks his life to protect this country, nay, the world. And for what? Repulsive jealousy. I could never do such a thing! You can have your money back. Threaten me all you like. I have decided to abide by my own sense of justice and expose your plan for the good of the kingdom!”
Mentally, I was applauding Count Frantrude. He was giving a convincing performance, and he quickly won over the entire audience. I was the one who had written the script, but it resonated as much as it did because of the actor’s skill.
I decided I would increase his reward.
“Your Honor, I don’t know what has come over my witness. I ask that you invalidate his testimony,” requested Marquis Carnalie.
“I will do no such thing. It does not look to me like he is lying. If what he says is true, Marquis Carnalie, you’ll be standing here not as the plaintiff but as the defendant,” the judge stated.
“That’s absurd. I swear by the goddess, I’ve done no such thing.”
He truly has no shame.
Struggling was going to get him nowhere at this point.
The trial was shifting in my favor. It was time to deliver the final blow.
“Your Honor, may I make my argument? I prepared some documents regarding this case. They contain evidence that Marquis Carnalie has been unjustly plotting my downfall. Please take a look at this summary first,” I said.
I had gathered a massive amount of proof, and it would have taken a long time for anyone to read through it all. For that reason, I’d drafted a synopsis and prepared many documents to supplement it.
The judge ordered his aide to collect the papers from me and bring them to him.
Pure shock colored Marquis Carnalie’s face. He had ordered for my things to be seized and for any documents found to be destroyed. He was also under the belief that I had been brought here ignorant of the situation and without any time to prepare.
“Good heavens, this says that Count Marlentott wasn’t killed in Jombull, but here in the capital, and that Marquis Carnalie ordered his body transported to Jombull after the fact. That’s not all—the feud between House Tuatha Dé and Count Marlentott was fabricated, and it was actually Marquis Carnalie who had a hostile relationship with the late count… This is very interesting,” commented the judge.
“Lies! It’s all lies!” screamed the marquis.
“That is a possibility. But these accounts are far more convincing than the evidence you brought here today. I believe we could use them to prove your guilt. At the very least, I cannot convict Lugh Tuatha Dé here today. Your witness was the only person at the scene of the purported crime. Now that he has retracted his testimony, there is not one person who saw Lugh Tuatha Dé murder Count Marlentott.”
“B-but, uh… That’s circumstantial evidence!”
“Everything suggests that you are more suspicious than Lugh Tuatha Dé. Marquis Carnalie, do you know what it will mean for you if Lugh Tuatha Dé’s documents are verified?”
Falsifying evidence in court was a very serious offense. That alone could result in compulsory labor designed specifically for nobles and the demolition of his house.
To make matters worse for him, he’d tried to try to hinder the person entrusted with saving the country all because of a personal grudge. This was a major crime.
What’s more, he was also guilty of killing a noble. Marquis Carnalie was ruined.
“I’m innocent! Who are you going to believe, the head of the honorable House Carnalie or some lowly baron’s brat?!” he shouted.
What an imbecile. That statement revealed his hostility toward me for all to see.
It made him look bad in the eyes of the audience. His behavior was enough to convince anyone he’d frame me.
The judge squinted as if he was thinking the same thing.
“To answer your question, I must believe him over you. He has risked his life multiple times to repel the demons. Judging by his achievements alone, he surpasses even the hero as this country’s greatest hope. I have reached my verdict. Lugh Tuatha Dé is innocent. Subsequently, I am ordering an investigation into Marquis Carnalie using these documents as a foundation. Depending on the results, a trial will be held to prosecute him. Because I believe there is a high risk he will destroy evidence or flee in order to protect himself, I am exercising my authority as judge to arrest Marquis Carnalie until the inspection is complete,” announced the judge.
The door behind the judge opened, and knights entered to restrain Marquis Carnalie.
“Don’t be absurd! I’m a marquis! A Carnalie! Why won’t you do as I say?! I-I’m innocent!”
He passed by me as he was led away. I used a wind spell to carry sound as he did so. The magic assured that only those I wanted would hear my words.
“Don’t think this is over yet. I ransacked your estate while you were away. You’ve been getting up to some really crooked activities. I’m going to expose it all to the public and end you. I won’t stop there, either. Your associates are going down, too. You’ll spend the rest of your days in jail wishing you never messed with me.”
I filled my voice with malice.
A stain formed on Marquis Carnalie’s pants. Someone in the audience noticed it, and whispers spread through the crowd. Before long, people started pointing at him and erupting in laughter.
Marquis Carnalie’s face went red, and he trembled from humiliation. For someone as proud as him, there was no greater disgrace.
He had set out to satisfy himself by ruining the impudent son of a baron, but now he was the one ruined beyond saving.
“Lugh Tuatha Dé, I extend my deepest regrets to you. If we can corroborate the information in these documents, we will confiscate Marquis Carnalie’s private funds as per regulations and use it to pay you indemnities,” said the judge.
“No apology necessary, Your Honor. I’m just grateful you believed me,” I responded.
I was glad I got such a levelheaded judge. My greatest fear was that Marquis Carnalie had bought the judge. Had that been the case, it would’ve been a tough fight.
Bribing a judge was a major offense on its own, however, and would’ve been very risky.
…If I had been trying to bring someone down the way Marquis Carnalie just was, however, I would have done it. If I used every method of persuasion available to me, it would be hard but possible. Even if the bribery failed, I could just silence the judge before they could tell anyone about it.
In the end, the reason he lost was because he did nothing a small-time villain couldn’t do. He wasn’t nearly ready to pick a fight with me.
All right, time to test the gift I nabbed for myself.
I’d slipped out of my jail cell yesterday to sneak into his estate. My goal was to find dirt on him for insurance.
Marquis Carnalie had amassed a large collection of valuable goods, all of which had been procured through wicked means similar to how he’d cheated Count Frantrude. Thinking I might find something interesting, I’d cased the estate thoroughly.
I was right to do so. I found a divine treasure that not even my agents knew about.
This was the second divine treasure in my possession. I hoped to study it to learn more about the workings of divine treasures than I could from the Leather Crane Bag alone. Plus, it undoubtedly possessed helpful properties of its own.
Acquiring such a valuable item made the recent hassle worthwhile.
That was why I could find it in my generous heart to forgive Marquis Carnalie. I wasn’t interested in fixating on him.
That said, he was going to be tried in court regardless of whether I continued to get involved.
I prayed that he would find it in himself to repent for his misdeeds. He would probably die or attempt suicide before he ever repented…but that was none of my concern.
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