I spoke.
「You won’t know how the trial will turn out until it begins.」
「kukuku… Is that so, I wonder?」
Lord Hydra gave a low chuckle, then said:
「Well, do your best to win a not-guilty verdict. I’ll be observing the trial as an official witness. Until then.」
With that, Lord Hydra left.
I began walking again.
Heading toward the courtroom where the trial would be held.
The spectator seats were completely empty.
Seven judges sat above, looking down from their bench.
Three men.
Three women.
And one male presiding judge in the center.
I stood at the witness stand as the defendant.
They kept me waiting there for a while.
Eventually, Lord Hydra arrived at the spot meant for the prosecutor.
Two knights, one man, one woman, stood behind him as guards.
Clearly, they were there to restrain me in case I acted out.
Just a glance told me they were seasoned veterans.
「……」
Hydra looked down on me with an amused smirk.
And so, the trial finally began.
The presiding judge at the center declared.
「We will now begin the trial. The defendant is Henry. Lord Hydra is present as a witness. The outcome of this trial, with Lord Hydra’s name attached, will be recognized as a proper and just ruling.」
As I listened to the opening remarks, I thought to myself:
(No spectators… The only ones here are the judges and Hydra.)
In a way, this was a closed trial.
If all the judges had been bought by Hydra,
then no matter how absurd this trial became, no one would ever hear about it.
「The serial murders that occurred in the royal capital. Henry is suspected of being the perpetrator. Today’s trial will deliberate on this matter.」
Not just a murder, but a serial murder case.
If I’m found guilty, it’ll definitely be the death penalty.
That’s clearly what they’re aiming for.
(Normally, they’d conduct an investigation before even holding a trial…)
I thought.
Before I could speak, Lord Hydra raised his voice.
「Let me make one thing clear first.」
「In the Warrior Kingdom of Bernada, trials must last for two full hours. This is because a rule set by the spirits decrees, ‘No trial shall be concluded in less than two hours.’ Thus, stopping a trial before the two-hour mark is absolutely forbidden.」
…Huh.
So it’s a rule handed down by the spirits.
In other words, no matter what happens, the trial must last at least two hours.
Breaking that rule could invite divine punishment.
(Well, that rule doesn’t apply to me anyway)
I thought, smirking inwardly.
I don’t fear the wrath of spirits.
If any spirit dares stand in my way,
I’ll crush them, just like I did with Nea, the spirit of the Theocracy.
「That is all I have to say.」
Lord Hydra concluded.
The trial officially began.
「Now then, Defendant Henry. I’ll ask you plainly, are you the murderer?」
The presiding judge asked.
It was all so farcical, but I answered seriously.
「I’m not. I have no knowledge of any such killings.」
「Lies!」
One of the female judges shouted.
「He’s obviously the killer! Just look at him, he has the kind of face that could kill without blinking!」
Rude…
I could say that, but in truth, I have killed people without blinking.
I’m just not the killer they’re looking for in this serial murder case.
Then, another male judge chimed in, agreeing with the woman.
「I think he’s the killer too. Shouldn’t we just declare him guilty already?」
Getting convicted in such a careless, offhand way would be ridiculous.
Just then, I noticed the male judge briefly glance toward Lord Hydra.
With a groveling, sycophantic gaze, as if begging for approval or trying to score points.
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