CHAPTER 126: SECOND TRIAL

"Hem... about that."

"Shaan, what’s wrong?" Nalira furrowed her brow. "Why do you seem hesitant to answer Chelsie’s question? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, no. Nothing’s wrong at all." Shaan shook his head. "It’s just... I only managed to retrieve a small part of Doppleshade’s corpse because something happened inside the cave."

"S-something?" Chelsie’s face instantly tensed. "Don’t tell me this has something to do with another dark creature?"

"No, it wasn’t because of that," said Shaan. "At first I thought so too, but it turned out not to be the case. It was all because someone deliberately used a destructive spell to destroy the evidence."

"What Shaan is saying is true," Dr. Marshal nodded. "I was also quite surprised when Shaan told me that, because no one else should have been able to enter this cave since Sir Kael’s members guarded the cave entrance strictly. Unless..."

"’Unless what?’" Chelsie furrowed her brow.

"Unless the person who cast the spell also knew the secret entrance, just like us."

"Yes, that makes sense." Shaan nodded. "Sir Walter mentioned that. There are a few people besides him who also know about this entrance, but only a few."

"The thing is, we have no idea who did it or why he/she tried to destroy the evidence. Whether he/she did it on purpose to get Shaan thrown in jail or not," explained Dr. Marshal, scratching his head. "It’s all a mystery and requires further investigation."

"I never expected something like this to happen," Chelsie shook her head. "Could this all be the work of resistance members?"

Dr. Marshal shrugged. "I don’t know. I can’t say anything for sure. Without solid proof, people will treat your claim as a lie—and that could throw the entire Twilight Sanctum into chaos," he explained. "Alright, now finish your food and get some rest. I have something important to take care of."

"Okay, we understand," they said in unison.

After finishing their food, all of them decided to return to their rooms to rest. Shaan slowly leaned back on the sofa in the living room, but his mind was far from calm. He kept thinking about Dr. Marshal’s words, that someone might be deliberately trying to harm him. But who? Who was this person, and what was their reason for doing it?

"I don’t know, rather than keep thinking about it, I should get some rest..." Shaan stretched his arms above his head, then slowly lay down on the sofa. "Tomorrow is definitely going to be a long day."

***

’Knock! Knock! Knock!’

"Today, we will continue the trial of Mr. Shaan Devansh, which was previously postponed," said Madam Yashina as she gestured for Shaan to take a seat. "Defendant Shaan Devansh, please take a seat."

"Yes, Madam Yashina."

"Mr. Shaan Devansh, after being granted several extra days, have you managed to find evidence that proves your claim? That a mutated Doppleshade appeared during the incident you described?"

"Yes, Madam Yashina. I have found evidence that I was not alone there."

"Then show us all the evidence that supports your statement."

Shaan walked closer to the table in front of him, holding a brown bag in his right hand. He then placed the cloth bag on the table and opened it, causing a commotion in the room.

"Hhhhkh!"

"This is the severed hand of the mutated Doppleshade I mentioned earlier," said Shaan. "Thanks to Dr. Marshal’s help, I managed to get this and prove that what I have said is true."

"Dr. Marshal, is defendant Shaan Devansh saying the truth?"

"Yes, that’s correct, Madam Yashina," Dr. Marshal replied, standing up from his seat. "Everything he said is true."

"How did you manage to obtain that evidence?" Sir Kael asked, clearly curious. "The rules strictly forbid unauthorized access to the cave. Guards have secured the entrance, so no one should’ve been able to get in."

"That is true. However, it was not ’someone’ who entered and found it, but with the help of ’something’ that allowed us both to obtain the evidence."

Hearing Dr. Marshal’s words, Madam Yashina was silent for a moment. "Dr. Marshal, please explain what you mean."

"I used my Homunculus to enter the cave," said Dr. Marshal. "That shouldn’t violate the policy, right?"

Sir Kael’s face immediately stiffened. "Tch. That still breaks the rules," he argued. "Each faction has its own Homunculi, and each of them must operate strictly within their assigned territory," he explained. "So why did a Homunculus from the Crimson Twilight faction enter a mine that clearly lies outside of its jurisdiction?"

’Ugh, Sir Kael really likes to find excuses.’ Shaan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. ’I’m really sick of seeing him.’

Hearing Sir Kael’s statement, the atmosphere in the courtroom grew increasingly noisy. The whispers among the crowd grew louder and louder, breaking the silence in the courtroom.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

"Everyone, please remain silent. Keep the courtroom in order and do not interrupt the ongoing proceedings," said Madam Yashina, turning her gaze toward Dr. Marshal. "Dr. Marshal, please respond to Sir Kael’s question."

"First, I just want to clarify what Sir Kael said," explained Dr. Marshal. "I did not violate anything. I was only helping the leader of the labor faction because some of his homunculi were undergoing repairs, so the faction was short on members to retrieve some materials from inside the cave. Therefore, the leader of the labor faction himself asked me to use homunculi from the Crimson Twilight faction to help retrieve the raw materials."

"That’s right. Dr. Marshal told the truth. I asked for his help myself."

As those words were spoken, Shaan quickly turned his head to the side. A man with jet-black hair and matching dark clothes stood up from one of the seven seats in front of Shaan—his seat likely positioned to the right of Dr. Marshal’s. A scar ran just above his right eyebrow, making his appearance stand out from the others.

"But isn’t that still against the rules of the Twilight Sanctum?" said Sir Kael. "Rules are rules. We must obey it."

"No." Madam Yashina shook her head firmly. "As long as there is a mutual agreement between the two involved factions and the reason is to assist one another, it does not count as a violation," she explained. "Dr. Marshal didn’t break any rules."

’Wow... Dr. Marshal is even smarter than I thought.’