The hearing begins.
Upon entering the venue, I stopped once and slowly surveyed the surroundings.
The room was square, with a semi-circular gallery rising in tiers, filled with a decent number of spectators.
The front row seemed to be reserved for VIPs… On my side sat the future kings, and on the opposing side sat the Minister of Internal Affairs, whose name I couldn’t be bothered to remember since I hadn’t received a proper introduction. I had no intention of memorizing the face or name of some unnamed guy!
At the chairman’s seat in the front sat His Majesty the current King, and behind him, slightly elevated, was an area concealed by white sheets. These were the ambassadors from other nations, acting as third parties.
They would listen to the proceedings of the hearing and deliver a verdict if neither side yielded. I understood them to be something like a jury on Earth.
In the center of the chamber, a desk was placed to divide our sides, and the opposing party, who had entered earlier, was already seated.
There was a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, appearing to be around my age, and beside her, a maid holding an infant. The blonde woman must be Rashem-san, the plaintiff in this case. Behind her sat a woman exuding an extremely intellectual aura.
TN: ラーシュム changed to ラーシェム(Rashem). I’ll just since the v5c31 so I guess it’s an official name change?
According to my idiot aniki, she was a civil servant from the Republic… essentially a lawyer in the terms of my previous world.
After confirming the scene, I let out a small sigh and proceeded toward the center of the chamber alone. At this sight, whispers rustled through the crowd of onlookers.
His Majesty the King, unaware of the situation at the chairman’s seat, raised his eyebrows in surprise, while the handsome older brother in the front row of the gallery gave a wry smile.
「Argusta.」
「Yes.」
「Where is your consultant?」
Perhaps it was part of the chairman’s duty, but His Majesty called out to me.
Noie had said that in a fight, striking first is key. It seemed she was right.
「I have none.」
「……」
Perhaps my answer was poor, as the chairman placed a hand on his forehead and shook his head.
If I ignored this, I wondered what kind of revenge my idiot aniki would exact on me later.
「Initially, I considered asking my older brother, Prince Halfren, but upon calm reflection, I realized it would be meaningless to rely on him, so I declined.」
「Oh? And why is that?」
For some reason, His Majesty adopted a serious expression and asked again.
Since it was good for me to be able to explain this, I answered honestly.
「Yes. This hearing is based on a law established just the other day. To come fully prepared for such a new law… isn’t that strange, logically speaking? To appear here with witnesses after being informed of the hearing only yesterday is, ‘normally’ speaking, unusual. Everyone present here should possess knowledge above average, after all.」
I continued speaking, addressing not just the chairman, but the ambassadors hidden behind the sheets.
That’s right. The hearing was scheduled for the next day specifically to prevent prior preparation, yet coming fully prepared… that wasn’t normal.
The VIP seats on the Republic’s side buzzed with my words.
「Moreover, deciding matters by consulting with someone who is not even a party involved is impossible unless you have coordinated your answers and prepared in advance. Since we have not made such preparations, having a muscle-bound brother like that behind me could even lead to arguments due to differences of opinion. Therefore, I judged it better to handle the questions and answers alone from the start.」
「…I see. Understood. If that is your mindset, I will allow you to proceed alone.」
With the chairman’s permission, I walked toward the prepared desk.
I spotted my idiot aniki, who had moved to the spectator seats, shrinking his massive frame as he headed next to my other brother.
For some reason, he gave me a thumbs-up and made a throat-slitting gesture. I thought I had handled it safely, though?
Sitting down in the chair, I looked at the opposing side again.
The woman who called herself Rashem had short hair and a sharp, strong-willed gaze.
How should I put it? She was the type who might exist in any school class, the kind who would reign as the boss if she formed a group. Honestly, not my type.
Then, the baby beside her, who was glaring at me, started crying. Probably when Lady Rashem glared sharply, the maid hurriedly began to soothe the infant.
She was probably hungry, wasn’t she?
His Majesty the King at the chairman’s seat also noticed and looked at her with gentle eyes.
「Rashem. If the child is crying, shall we take a brief pause?」
「I will silence him(neutral), so it is unnecessary. Please begin.」
「…Very well.」
To her, who spoke firmly like an example of someone unapproachable, His Majesty quietly shook his head and announced the start.
「Then, we shall now begin the hearing.」
-0-
The opposing side didn’t even let Rashem respond from the start; instead, the consultant woman behind her spoke first. She really was like a lawyer.
「…We were prepared to visit Argusta-sama from the beginning and ask questions regarding this matter, so we came prepared thinking that ‘some form of discussion might be possible’ depending on the situation. Therefore, although it may appear that we are fully prepared, I hope you will understand our intentions.」
She… Kumura-san, started by trying to erase the bad impression or excuse regarding their full preparation.
She was essentially saying, 『We came ready to fight from the start, so it can’t be helped, right?』
Once her excuse was over, it was my turn. I would start with a standard attack.
「First of all, I would like to ask why she ‘defected’ to the Republic. Defecting to another country without notification violates the laws established by the Kingdom. As a result, her family home is currently under suspicion of ‘leaking secrets to a foreign nation’.」
Manipulating the impression to make her seem like a woman who left after doing something wrong… The fact that my idiot aniki, who had suggested this, nodded magnanimously was irritating.
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