"Strangling the future of New Eridu? General Mu, please don't place such a heavy accusation on us. Words like that—"
"This isn't your place to speak!"
The old gentleman cut him off without hesitation and pressed on.
"Gentlemen, the outcome is already plain to see. What more time must we waste in this courtroom? Can you truly not hear the people's fury?"
"The city administration has committed grave errors. When I first heard the news, I foresaw this outcome—yet I was not entirely correct."
"I thought some would shirk responsibility, some would purge, some would flee, others would protest, and still others would conduct self-examination..."
"But in the end, the damned continue to struggle, the cowards remain cowardly, and not a single person has stepped forward to act."
His sharp, tiger-like eyes swept across the hall. The battlefield-honed intimidation still lingered in him, enough to make others instinctively avert their gaze.
"What are you hoping to achieve, hiding in your shells like turtles?"
"Stop dreaming of sweeping only your own doorstep clean. No one is exempt. The blame lies with the entire municipal government—every one of you should be reflecting!"
"No... perhaps reflection has no meaning for you anymore..."
The old man shook his head, his voice cold.
"Heh... what a disgrace."
He let out a low laugh, expression unchanging, his emotions gradually leveling out. Or perhaps his anger had never truly slipped from his control. As a veteran general, mastering his emotions came as second nature.
"What do you intend to show me today?"
"A play? A performance?"
"Do you want me to see how you strut about in the name of the municipal government?"
"Citizens appealing from the lowest courts all the way to the Supreme Law Court... ha! How laughable."
The old man laughed suddenly, but to others, the sound rang bitter and scornful.
"Contempt of the Law Court! Disrupting court proceedings! General Mu, you've gone too far!"
At last, the Deputy Mayor could no longer hold back. He turned sharply toward the old general, his voice raised. He could not allow the image of the administration to be dragged lower and lower—that would be disastrous.
"You don't even know what 'too far' means, Deputy Mayor. I could tell you what's right, could lecture you at length, but I won't..."
The old man fixed his gaze on him. The weight of his presence pressed down on the room, making it hard to breathe.
"I'm too old now, too tired, long since withdrawn from the center of power..."
"But let me tell you this: thirty years ago, I wouldn't have wasted words. I'd have brought men and shot down every last parasite here!"
"Too far? Do you even know who you're speaking to?!"
His hand slammed heavily against the table. Though the words sounded like the angry outburst of an old soldier, none who knew him would doubt their truth.
His voice, booming like a great bell, reverberated through the chamber.
"What haven't I seen? Back when I held power, even the municipal government's major decisions required my counsel!"
His eyes locked on the Deputy Mayor, dragging everyone's attention with them. The sheer pressure made the man's expression sink, his face dark as ink.
"I've seen the young men from your ranks join the Falkenhayn Mercenary Troupe—holding their ground, torn apart by Ethereal in the Hollow, leaving their lives behind!"
The old man did not press the Deputy Mayor further. Instead, he turned his gaze to the rest of the municipal officials.
"Death is terrible, yes. Soldiers lost in the Hollow, politicians collapsing under exhaustion, peacekeepers who die in the line of duty... but none of that compares to the horror of a spirit's death."
"Death can be replaced. Life after life steps forward, and New Eridu continues on the strength of spirit. But when spirit dies, it can never be restored."
His gaze blazed as his words cut coldly across the chamber.
"You think you're only evading blame, protecting yourselves, making the administration look less pitiful?"
"But I say this—you are driving the very spirit of the municipal government to the guillotine!"
"All for that worthless image?"
He was a soldier. A soldier who, in his youth, had been quick-tempered and fiery.
"You've harmed the very citizens you were meant to serve. You are a pack of municipal bastards—every last one of you."
And still, he did not stop.
"My administration isn't dead yet. Do you know what they said when I told them of today's state of affairs?"
"They said—damn you all!"
The crude words struck colder than the sharpest blade, stabbing straight into the heart of the city government.
In the corners of the courtroom, reporters and broadcasters alike froze, their faces shocked. Were it not for the solemnity of the moment, whispers would already be spreading like wildfire.
"General Mu, please take your seat."
From above, the presiding judge tapped his gavel, voice tight. He silently thanked the stars that the old man's ire wasn't aimed at him.
Otherwise, being publicly flayed like the Deputy Mayor would have been unbearable.
Just look at that man's face—dark as the bottom of a pot.
Unlucky fool. He had only meant to tidy up affairs before the municipal transition, but it had turned out to be a cesspit...
The judge had waited until now, only daring to speak when the old man finally paused. As judge, it was his duty to maintain order and the dignity of the court—even if it meant a futile attempt.
"I'm not finished."
The old man lifted his hand, then continued.
"Before coming here, Shin shared her worries with me. She wanted this trial handled more gently, fearing the citizens might lose all faith in the administration."
"But when rot spreads from the roots, the entire tree is beyond saving. Better to tear it down and start anew! And with the municipal transition imminent, it won't even matter."
"Everyone already knows it's this administration that has rotted through. It has nothing to do with the next. As for what the next one does... that will be their burden."
In the gallery, Shin's eyes lit up as she listened. Yes—that was the truth she had overlooked.
What does the next administration care for the sins of the last?
When trying a government already on its way out, what restraint need remain?
If all his earlier words had been to stir emotions and show his stance, then this one truth pierced through to the heart.
They were protecting only themselves—not the administration.
Even if there was some collateral impact, it would be minimal.
The timing was too perfect.
The municipal transition was upon them...
"I don't know how this trial will end. I am no judge, no arbiter..."