Chapter 43

Trial

He had good eyes.

That was something Prince Arden Brimstone Lionel had heard since he was young.

A jack of all trades. A peerless genius.

All those grand titles stemmed from one thing: the 'eyes' he possessed.

It didn’t mean simply having good eyesight.

For the prince, he could see the 'trajectory' of all things.

When he first held a sword, he grasped the patterns of what other knights called 'sword paths' in just a few days.

Once he was able to handle what people called supernatural powers, he quickly broke down the logic behind how those things moved.

And.

The trajectories visible to the prince’s eyes were not limited to the movements of objects.

To see, in truth, encompasses not just observation but also insight.

The prince’s eyes could even perceive the trajectory of a person’s life—a truly 'good pair of eyes' in that sense.

From that perspective—

The man confidently walking into the building now was an intriguing individual in many ways.

He surely knew this was a trap before walking in.

That man was the strategist type, someone who liked to use his head in all things. He wouldn’t have overlooked that.

Yet he walked in so confidently. That meant he must have faith in the cards he brought to the table.

"……"

And when you really thought about it—

A man with no background or backing whatsoever planning to go toe-to-toe in a slugfest with the Crown Prince was absurd.

The trajectory that Aiden Kellermain traced, as seen through the prince’s eyes, was—

If anything, like a coiled spring.

Left alone, nothing happened. He didn’t even seem to care much about attacks or threats against himself.

But when pressure was applied to the people around him—when the arrows turned on those inside his fence—when the spring was pressed—

The more it was pressed, the harder it bounced back, multiplied in strength.

Honestly, at this point, it wouldn’t be strange to say he was more curious about what that man would do than the Lionhearted.

"……Your Honor."

And this time, too—

"Let’s begin."

One thing was clear, even without knowing the details.

This wasn’t going to be a simple, straightforward fight.

▣

In whatever form it came, Aiden had already expected there would be biased claims mixed with incitement and fabrication from the opposition as soon as he stepped into the courtroom.

"-I hereby charge the Lionhearted with involvement in an act of treason."

…Still, he hadn’t expected it to go this far.

"……"

As soon as the trial began, the sentence that flew out of the Minister of Administration’s mouth made Aiden close his eyes and rub his temple.

He had thought there would be some mutual probing with subtlety and etiquette but that modest expectation was shattered from the very first blow.

The lack of decency here was practically an art form. It was like launching a groin kick in the middle of a boxing match without even touching gloves first…

Even Noel, who had been quietly standing by, was so dumbfounded that she reflexively fired back in disbelief.

"-Did you say treason?"

Even though Noel had come prepared for nonsense, her expression still twisted in dismay.

Her face practically screamed, "This bullshit is getting worse by the second."

'…No kidding.'

Aiden couldn’t help but fully sympathize with that reaction.

No matter what else, the moment treason was brought up, there was no other way to interpret it but as the opposition going all-in and laying down all their cards.

Of course, someone accused of attempting to overthrow the state, regardless of who they were, faced a minimum of life imprisonment and a maximum of execution. And truth be told, the maximum wasn’t all that unlikely.

It wasn’t framed as conspiracy or leadership in the rebellion—just that she was “involved.” That wording showed they were still preserving a final line, but even so, the implication alone was enough to completely crush Noel’s social and political standing.

And obviously—

If they tried to pin such a charge on someone and failed, the blowback would be no joke either.

If the claims made in this trial turned out to be false, the scandal the prince would be dragged into would be beyond nightmarish. It would likely cost him the bulk of his political capital.

But even so—

Raising the stakes this high meant people would naturally assume they had something solid to back it up.

Because the world was always more easily convinced by bullshit that sounded like the truth than by the truth itself.

"-Involved in treason? That Lionhearted?"

"Doesn’t seem like His Highness would do something so reckless without a reason—"

Hearing the murmurs ripple through the courtroom, Aiden instinctively rubbed the back of his stiffening neck.

'…This.'

Wasn’t this the same tactic he had used himself when the prince had picked a fight with Sir Noel?

Causing an even more provocative incident to bury the forest beneath a bigger forest.

But now, they were trying to cover that with an even larger one.

Aiden hadn’t exactly been a stranger to being called a madman lately but it looked like the prince was giving him some serious competition.

"…I believe I’ve brought more than enough evidence to prove I had no involvement in the incidents that occurred in the Capital."

When Noel rebutted in a cold, stiff tone, the Minister of Administration, who had been continuing his argument, dramatically bowed with a sweeping motion.

"And what proof do you have that it wasn’t fabricated?"

"I have no obligation to prove that."

"The royal family also has no obligation to disclose such things when dealing with suspected traitors."

"……."

"That’s an exclusive right of the royal family, clearly stated in the Imperial Constitution, isn’t it?"

At this point, it was easy to understand the stance the other side was taking.

"I'm the man who’ll become Emperor of the Empire. I can manipulate the legal system as I please—what are you going to do about it? Bow before my authority..."

And as always in the way of the world, the most terrifying thing was the simplicity you couldn’t stop even when you understood it.

'…Come to think of it.'

Hadn’t the prince warned before that if he crossed the line so blatantly, Aiden would have no choice but to act aggressively?

Now, Aiden could fully understand why those words had been said.

With this kind of pressure, neither Noel nor Aiden had any means to respond. It really made him feel firsthand that the prince had, until now, handled things like a true gentleman by trying to quietly send Aiden back home without escalating matters...

"And more importantly—"

Still, even royal authority had its limits. The evidence Noel and Aiden had gathered from the Imperial Capital black market was irrefutably clear. No matter how powerful the authority, they couldn’t bulldoze past that level of proof.

So, the only way for the other side to poke holes in the claims was—

"—How do you explain the case of the Warden of the Realm?"

"……."

"Do you have any evidence prepared regarding that incident, Lionhearted?"

So this was the final blow they had prepared.

The ghost of the Warden had attacked Noel the moment it was summoned. Considering that person’s actions during their lifetime, that could indeed be used to argue that Noel was engaged in something nefarious—something along those lines.

And of course, it wasn’t something they could easily refute. They couldn’t exactly bring the ghost of the Warden here and question it. The other side knew that and was pushing hard precisely because of it...

"Ah, excuse me."

…Which meant—

That argument might’ve held water, right up until Aiden casually raised his hand.

"I do have it—evidence."

"……."

The Minister of Administration’s expression twisted slightly as he turned to Aiden.

"You said you have it?"

"Well, it’s not so much evidence as it is a witness. But yes, I can prove it."

At that, the Minister’s expression warped from annoyance to ridicule.

This was something that couldn’t be proven unless they actually brought the ghost of the Warden into the courtroom. So what kind of witness could he possibly have to be this confident?

It was the perfect moment to become the object of mockery.

"—Is that so?"

"Yeah. Can I bring them in?"

"That would require some discussion—"

"It’s already too late. They’ll be coming in shortly."

"……."

…A glint of reason faded slightly from the Minister of Administration’s eyes.

This was probably the first time he’d seen someone throw such a tantrum in an official courtroom.

Anyone with a sense of decorum and propriety would recognize they were making a spectacle of themselves but Aiden didn’t care one bit about that.

They were the ones who ignored all procedure and rules to throw a tantrum in the first place. There was no reason to feel guilty.

"-Mr. Aiden, if you cause a scene, it might end up disadvantaging us later—"

"Oh, it’s fine."

And more importantly—

"The person who’s about to come in is someone who’s allowed to cause a scene."

The "witness" Aiden had called was someone too significant to just quietly sit back.

Right after those words, the courtroom doors burst open.

And the entire courtroom froze.

"Wow."

A woman in black judicial robes entered with a smile and began with that casual line.

At just that one sentence, both the prince and the Minister of Administration shot up from their seats in shock, recognizing who she was.

"Seems like the Imperial court spends a lot more on its budget than ours, huh?"

—Because Abigail III.

The Pontiff.

The ruler of the Holy Crown Kingdom of Craven, was casually walking in through the entrance.

▣

The courtroom, filled with shock, became heavy with silence like walking on thin ice.

"—Your Holiness, may I ask when you entered the Empire?"

The Minister of Administration barely managed to speak, suppressing his trembling cheeks.

...Honestly, compared to his usual demeanor, he was cornered to a pitiful degree. But considering the atmosphere, he deserved credit just for managing to speak.

"Officially? Just now."

"……."

"I just contacted the Emperor personally and wrapped up the procedures. You’ve got no complaints, right?"

"……."

There could be no complaints.

Or more accurately, no one had the audacity to voice them.

Then, the Pontiff stepped forward to the platform and leaned her upper body casually on it.

Like she was just lounging in her own living room.

"So."

With a yawn, Abigail III spoke.

"You said something about ghosts? Now that’s right up my alley."

"……."

"So the ghost of the Warden of the Realm, huh? What about him? Go on, tell me."

As her words dropped softly into the courtroom full of silenced mouths, Noel, who was also still standing, leaned toward Aiden.

"…Is that really His Holiness the Pontiff?"

"……."

Aiden narrowed his eyes and looked at Noel.

"Do you think I’d bring an imposter? How would I deal with the aftermath?"

"I’m just saying, it would be easier to believe if that were the case…"

Muttering like a sigh, Noel continued in a whisper.

"I won’t ask how you called her here, but having royalty from another country get involved in an incident like this is no small matter. There are procedures to follow for official recognition—"

"Oh, don’t worry about that."

Aiden cut her off with a casual tone, propping his chin on his hand.

"I wrote the script for her."

"…Sorry, what?"

While Noel stared at him in stunned disbelief, the Minister of Administration, having barely regained his senses, voiced the very concern Noel had just raised.

"—Pardon the impertinence, Your Holiness. While we are honored by your presence, we must consider whether your involvement is truly appropriate—"

The Pontiff’s reply was simple.

"So what?"

"……."

The prince and the Minister of Administration both stared at her, utterly dumbfounded.

And it wasn’t just them.

Noel and the entire courtroom had similar reactions.

Everyone except Aiden, who had given her advance instructions on how to steer the conversation.

"The ruler of the Holy Crown Kingdom of Craven wants to intervene. I want to get involved in this little mess you’re having here. I even talked it over with the Emperor on my way here, okay?"

"……."

"So if I say that, what are you going to do?"

"……."

"A mere minister, huh?"

Watching the speechless Minister of Administration, Aiden let out a small laugh.

"She’s good."

"……."

"Guess the throne really is for smart people, after all."

If they tried to crush him with authority—

Then he’d respond with the same weapon.

Only far stronger. With overwhelming force. So they wouldn’t be able to say a word in return.

"…A spring, huh. That’s accurate."

The prince unconsciously murmured those words.