"SILENCE."
Edward's thunderous shout silenced the crowd and halted the Greed Sin Lord, who was just moments away from hijacking his authority while riding on the momentum.
The man, however, didn't seem worried. In his head, such an overflowing amount of hate and such sharp, resentful intent was capable of collapsing the mind of the most hardened warriors, let alone a lass who got cold feet before even starting.
"I am the presiding judge of this trial." Edward's voice cut through the lingering tension. "I implore Your Excellencies to maintain the minimum decorum necessary for these proceedings to conclude without bias."
His tone took a ruthless edge. "Do not fear. If the accused turns out to be guilty of the stated crimes, I will be the first to strike him down."
Having the guarantee of the respected Kingmaker seemed to temporarily satisfy the spectators, but it was obvious that their rage was barely held at bay.
Then, his hardened gaze turned toward the couple. "Lady Evernight, let me remind you of something before we proceed any further."
His tone softened a fraction. "You may withdraw from your duties as a spokesperson at any time. As long as you did not know of any crimes and were not an accomplice, no consequences shall arise."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"But if you keep going now and the accused turns out to be a criminal, then you will share a portion of the punishment reserved for him as the one who stood by his side until the end."
"..."
Seeing Lucia stay silent, everyone thought that she was deep in thought, and she indeed was, but it had nothing to do with what had just been spoken.
'The Lust Lord left a clue for me. This means that the orchestrator of all of this is the Greed Lord himself. Winstor is just another puppet. As to why he would target Ashen... it was right in front of me from the start.'
Yes. All her thoughts revolved around clearing Ashen's name.
The man on her side didn't have an ounce of worry despite her prolonged silence, as if he never considered the idea that she would abandon him from the start.
'It's greed. He is simply greedy for knowledge. He wants to know how such devastating powers could be harnessed, and for that, he will need to get his hands on Ashen.'
The Greed Sin Lord had always been known to hoard knowledge, especially about Innate skills. So Ashen's case was a buffet unlike any other for him.
'But Ashen is currently considered a hero. He can't just grab him like that without backlash. Though the solution is simple: turn him into a criminal and the problem will be solved.'
Her eyes involuntarily turned upward toward the third throne and stared intently, as if she wanted to pierce the mist and devour him with her gaze alone.
'Now, we are put in a situation where only two choices present themselves: expose Ashen's skill or let him be branded as a criminal. Either way, the Greed Lord will get what he wants.'
Her jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
'No. It's not checkmate yet. As long as I know the source of the problem, I can just give him crumbs and he will have to be satisfied with that.'
"Lady. It is time to make a choice." Not even a minute passed, but Lucia felt like hours had gone by in comparison. Edward's impartial voice finally pulled her out of it.
She nodded, her chin lifting with renewed composure. "I will not withdraw." There was not an ounce of doubt in her voice.
Edward did not add any unnecessary comments on her choice. He had already said his piece. With thoughts unknown, he gave her permission to speak. "Then you may defend the accused."
"Before I start, your honor, may I take a moment to present something?"
"Are they integral to our case?" He asked in turn.
"Absolutely, your honor." Lucia nodded.
"Then, you may."
The moment she received permission, Lucia turned to look at her own Sin Lord. "Commander, can I ask you to present the first document I have prepared?"
Cornelia merely stretched her hand sideways, and her shadow stirred before a woman in a maid uniform emerged above it. Sabrina respectfully handed a stack of documents to the outstretched hand, and Cornelia spread them upward in turn.
The documents flew to every spectator, each copy guided precisely to land in their hands, with the last one landing before the judge.
He took it and started reading it methodically.
And while he and everyone else did so, Lucia didn't stay silent. Her voice rang clear across the chamber.
"As you can see from the files, Chris Foster, the man that Sir Antonio wept so righteously over, was no more than a cultist lackey."
She took a single step forward.
"He was in contact with a cult from his days in the tutorial phase."
Another step.
"He had killed more than twenty of his fellow recruits who refused to join his gang."
Her hand gestured gracefully, as if presenting evidence at an academic lecture.
"Before even coming to Seravelle, he had been a heinous rapist in Esperra."
Then she paused, tilting her head with a look of confused concern.
"I can't even begin to imagine how Sir Antonio thought that this individual could be innocent in any shape or form." The pause stretched just long enough to become uncomfortable. "This really worries me about your mental faculties. Are you truly capable of accusing others when you can't even see such an obvious fact?"
Antonio's face took an unpleasant turn, and it wasn't because of the veiled insult toward his mental health. All of his plans and actions worked toward a singular objective: incapacitate the opposition with overwhelming fear, resentment, hate, or any other emotion that would serve to do so.
That was also one of the reasons why he'd stirred the spectators with such fervor. But it was clear from how she kept going unfettered that his strategy had spectacularly failed.
Edward lowered the document after thoroughly reviewing it. "Very well. Based on this evidence, I judge that the case of Chris Foster's death was an act of self-defense."
"The departed man had clearly targeted Ashen Hart, intending to kill first, as mentioned in the document, so retaliation is justified."
"Any objections?" He looked at Antonio.
"...None, your excellency."
Then at Lucia. "Is that all from you?"
She shook her head, of course. If that were all she had, Ashen would still be branded as a cultist.
"Commander, the second document, please."
"Gladly." Cornelia took the second stack of documents from her right-hand woman and scattered them in the same manner.
Edward took it with the same seriousness he did the first one.
And as he read, he encountered entries about the Pit's third layer first. Interestingly, after Ashen Hart's name, Alice Sinclair's name also came up.
That meant the two had spent time in the same cell. And the time wasn't short by any means if he read the records right.
The next paper detailed the records of a tech company's foundation in Esperra. The names of the founders were Ashen and Alice.
The one after recorded adoption papers, and unsurprisingly by now, Alice's name was found alongside Ashen's family name.
"I suppose that the documents are clear without my input, ladies and gentlemen, but I'll say it just in case."
Lucia looked Antonio directly in the eyes as she spoke, as if she was about to explain just for his sake, since he seemed to have some mental issues.
Her smile never wavered.
"Alice Sinclair spent months in the same cell as her supposed kidnapper. The lady has become known as one of the Lust pathway not long ago." She paused delicately. "I don't need to tell you what a man and a woman of the Lust path could do in a tiny closed cell with nothing but each other as company, do I?"
Someone in the audience coughed.
"Let's not even go there." She waved her hand dismissively, as if the very thought was beneath discussion. "The second document shows that the two individuals had known each other long before they came to this continent, and that their trust in each other is high enough to co-found a successful enterprise."
"If this doesn't prove that the claim of kidnapping is false, the fact that she is his adopted sister surely will, right, your honor?"
"The evidence is clear. There is no crime of kidnapping." Edward's flat tone echoed in the room again. "Any objections?"
"None… your excellency."
By now, Antonio's face was deathly pale, but Lucia didn't seem to be stopping any time soon.
'From start to finish, you kept trying to win others by emotion. I have never forgotten.'
'And the easiest way to deal with this type of manipulator... is to turn their performance into a clown circus.'
By then, no matter what he said, he would only be met with ridicule.
'Trying to cloud my judgment and have me abandon a seemingly lost case using the crowd was a nice move, but it also exposed that you had no real evidence, which spelled your downfall.'
If he had, then he would have simply used it instead of going through this roundabout way.
Lucia knew that evidence could be fabricated, and she was ready for at least that much, but it was clear now that even if he had such a weapon, Antonio refused to use it.
'And the reason for that...' Her eyes drifted upward. 'Winstor.'
"Is this all?" Edward echoed the same words yet again.
"No, your honor," and Lucia answered the same.
"Commander..." Now, Cornelia already understood her assignment and happily cooperated. "Here you go."
This time, the papers described Lucia's own records.
"While this may not directly tie to our case, I believe it should be taken into account."
Lucia started her usual play-by-play as the room read on. "As you can see from my official files, I was responsible for the ruin of no less than five hundred cultists, with one of them being a third step."
She put a hand on her waist. "While I did not physically catch them, I was the one who discovered their whereabouts and reported their movements."
…A slight pause for effect.
"At some point, I was so feared by these cultists that they started calling me their culler."
Her voice took on an almost humble tone, though her posture remained proud.
"So while I dare not claim to be the best at catching those rats, I'm still quite the expert at it."
Then she raised her hand—the one intertwined with Ashen's—in a single fluid motion. He smoothly followed, as if they'd rehearsed the gesture.
"But the point I want to show, your honor, is this." She held their joined hands aloft. "Would a cultist dare to blatantly get so close to someone of my reputation, going as far as to appoint them as their defender?"
She let the question hang for a heartbeat.
"Even if there was someone crazy enough to do so, what would be the point of that?"
Another pause, her gaze sweeping across the spectators.
"And would I be so blind as not to discover the nature of such an individual even after staying with them for so long?"
"..."
"..."
Everyone could see how genuine those words were. The judge was perceptive enough to do so at the very least.
"Your honor, I hope that you will take this fact into consideration when you pass your judgment." She finished her argument with that, lowering their hands with grace.
"Hmm... I will do so." Edward nodded in assent after taking a moment to weigh it in his mind.
Her opponent's previous pale expression was ashen now, but Lucia didn't feel the slightest pity toward him.
'Antonio... you are undoubtedly a competent man. In another world, we may have even been able to work together, perhaps.'
Then, her eyes hardened behind her composed mask.
'But you dared to touch something you were never supposed to…'
"Is that all?"
"No. Your honor."
'...And you deserve to burn in hell for it.'
"Then, you may proceed."
Lucia knew that even with this, she would at most be able to buy Ashen's life. But she also knew that as long as that greedy lord wasn't satisfied, he would forever stay breathing down their necks.
Therefore, she had to give him something to satisfy himself with, at least temporarily, buying her man enough time until he grew to face the avarice for his secrets on his own.
She shot Ashen a fleeting glance before speaking, and he nodded. Lucia's next card involved revealing some of his, and that last look was a confirmation of what she was about to do next.
"Your honor..." She took a breath, as if steeling herself. "This time, I will address the root of Sir Antonio's accusations. Ashen Hart's power."
Her words made everyone lean in with rapt attention.
"Sir Antonio says his natural spike in power is unnatural by our power system's standards, but I don't agree."
She began pacing slowly in place.
"There are many wonders that we have yet to discover on the Sin Pathway, and so many undiscovered skills we have yet to see. I'm sure every Transcendent will agree with me on this."
She turned, her skirt swirling slightly with the motion.
"And while the power Ashen showed was unprecedented in all our records, it is too hasty to jump to the conclusion that it is the product of cultism, no?"
Lucia didn't wait for an answer.
"Your honor, what if I tell you that there is a skill that can summon a future version of ourselves for a brief moment?"
"Are you implying that the accused has a skill of this nature, Lady Evernight?" Edward asked in confirmation.
"Yes, your honor."
"Your excellency, if I may..." Antonio finally couldn't hold back any longer and spoke almost pleadingly.
Edward didn't permit him right away; instead, he looked at Lucia, and she nodded in assent. 'Let's see what tricks you have left. I'll bury you once and for all.' She sneered inwardly.
"Your excellency, what Lady Evernight says is simply too far-fetched..." Antonio's voice carried renewed energy, as if he'd found a lifeline. "But what puzzles me even more is how she failed to state a particular fact: Path skills, and even innate ones, are always tied to a man's path. Even if the connection is faint, it has to be present, since such skills carry conceptual powers most of the time."
He looked at Ashen, his finger rising to point.
"And I fail to see the presence of the link between Sloth and the mentioned skill."
"Where are you going with this, Sir Antonio?" Edward finally asked, not willing to give him any more time when it wasn't his turn to speak.
"What I mean, your excellency, is simple." He pointed at Ashen with renewed boldness. "Let this man show us his skill right this instant, and all doubts will vanish!"
"..."
Edward turned to Ashen but left the question unasked.
The latter simply stayed silent, completely unconcerned, his trust seemingly absolute in the pinkette beauty by his side.
The pinkette in question had kept her impassive expression throughout; inside, though, she was almost gleeful.
'Antonio... oh, Antonio... are you finally tripping after showing me such a great performance at the start?'
'I can see your intentions from a mile away. You want to see his innate skill with such cheap provocation? It seems that you're really out of tricks.'
"Your Honor..." her voice rang out with perfect timing. "I will first start by addressing Sir Antonio's worry about the existence of such a skill."
With that, she surprisingly manifested a portion of her own status window in front of everyone present.
==============================
Future Echo
Pull a target's projected future state back into the present for a limited window.
Cost: The target's lifespan, depending on the temporal gap, multiplied by a hundred.
==============================
She gave everyone enough time to read the description thoroughly, standing perfectly still as murmurs rippled through the audience.
"I, myself, have a skill of this nature, so how can you dare to claim that it is too far-fetched?"
Her voice sharpened like a blade.
"Or will you also claim that the system is malfunctioning?" She almost let the sneer show on her face.
"As for claiming that such a skill doesn't have relations to Sloth, that is even more preposterous!"
She turned to face the judge fully, her posture straightening with conviction.
"I'd even dare say that his skill is the pinnacle of Sloth itself!" Her gaze turned intense as her performance reached its peak. "Your honor, there is a pretty famous saying among lazy slobs: 'I will leave tomorrow's problems to tomorrow's me.' You will often hear them say things of this nature."
She raised one finger, as if lecturing.
"But this skill takes that saying a step even further. If I had to invent one, it would be something like this: I will leave today's problems to tomorrow's me."
Edward nodded in visible appreciation of her explanation of the concept. "Indeed... slothful... indeed."
"Yes, your honor! This is the ultimate form of procrastination!!" Lucia's voice rang with passionate conviction. "Yet Sir Antonio still dares to claim otherwise. Truly baffling."
Edward refrained from reacting anymore, despite inwardly being in total agreement.
'What a dangerous lass... not even forgetting to use my identity as a teacher to gain my sympathy.' He inwardly mused.
"Returning to my original argument..." Lucia huffed a held breath, then continued after a pause, her hand coming to rest over her heart. "Your honor, you may think that this innate ability may still prove to be too powerful to belong to a Sin pathwalker, so let me shed some light on the matter so that your judgment stays accurate."
She raised one finger.
"First, like the condition of lifespan on my own skill, Ashen Hart's skill faces even more stringent conditions, the timing being first amongst them."
She glanced at Antonio during the timing portion of her explanation, her gaze sharp.
"That is also why he could not invoke this skill any sooner, not for reasons as trivial as fame."
A second finger rose.
"Second. The price after activation. Ashen Hart spent three months in a coma, his life hanging by a thread, after only a couple of minutes of invoking the skill."
She turned slightly toward the thrones above.
"The Lust Mistress could attest to that."
"She is right~ He was practically a corpse when I healed him~" An amused voice drifted from the second throne in confirmation.
Lucia nodded in her direction in turn, then raised a third finger.
"And finally, the fact that this skill could only be as powerful as its wielder is the most damning point of all."
She let her hand drop.
"If the ability was possessed by a mediocre man, then no matter what future version of himself he called forward, the result would only stay mediocre."
Her voice lowered, becoming almost intimate, as if sharing a profound truth.
"Saying it in another way, it is not the skill that is overpowered, but Ashen Hart's potential."
She finally swept her gaze across the full circle of spectators in the same manner that her opponent did at the start, her chin lifted with pride.
"Yes, gentlemen. It is as you are all secretly thinking right now. The feats that you have heard of are only a glimpse of the future of this man."
Then her expression shifted, rage flashing across her features like lightning.
"And now... forgive me for my next words, your excellencies, but this scoundrel!" She pointed a slender finger right at Antonio's face, forgoing any decorum in the process.
"This imbecile!!" Her voice rose. "He wants to brand him as a cultist! He wants to kill him with such lousy excuses and unfounded words!"
She took a step forward, her fury building with each word.
"A man of such potential! A man who would surely grow to protect our race with that might that you all fear right now! And this..." She paused, her voice dripping with venom. "Son of a bitch… dares to want to snuff that possibility from us."
Her hand trembled slightly, either from rage or performance… it was impossible to tell.
"He not only dares to do so, but he also dares to do it in the presence of all your esteemed selves! Trying to deceive men of your standing like the lowly rat that he is!"
Now she was even stirring the crowd's pride for her needs.
"For this alone, he deserves to die! Cultist? Aren't you the greatest cultist of them all for daring to kill our hope and salvation with such sophistry?!"
"..."
"..."
"Haah... haah... haah..."
Only the ragged breathing of today's top performer rang among the silence when she was finally done.
For a brief moment, no one dared to break the silence, as if they were spellbound by the lingering intensity.
Eventually, the judge broke the spell. "Very well, Lady Evernight. Your words will be taken into consideration when I pass judgment. Do you still have something to add?"
He asked the last question, but no one thought for a second that she would nod. It was clear as day who had won, after all. Talking more would do more harm than good now.
But against all expectations, she nodded still.
"Yes, your honor. I just wanted to ask a question to Sir Antonio here." The 'sir' was dripping with sarcasm by now.
Edward inwardly shook his head. 'Is this girl getting drunk on the atmosphere?'
It was not so.
On the contrary, Lucia was ice cold inwardly despite her outward fiery self.
But it wasn't strange for Edward to think so. Asking a question meant that the other party had to answer, which meant, in turn, another opportunity for him to speak and attempt to turn things around, no matter how slight.
"You may ask, but this will be your last chance." The Kingmaker knew that he couldn't drag things too much in the presence of the Sin Lords, so he spoke as such.
"Thank you, your honor." Lucia spoke sincerely to the fair judge, then looked at the now completely still man before her.
Her expression changed to a gentle, curious one.
"Earlier, you claimed to have evidence to back up your claims, Sir Antonio, but all the evidence you have presented amounts to 'trusted sources' or relying on others' information networks to give substance to your words."
She gestured toward the documents still floating in the air.
"As you have seen, my evidence is either grounded in concrete facts backed by sound reasoning or tied to documents verified by the Commander herself, a dignified Sin Lord who would not stoop so low as to deceive us."
Then she tilted her head with that same expression of innocent confusion.
"But what about you? You spoke so confidently earlier, so I'm sure you have something of a similar nature. Why don't you present it?"
"You see, I'm really curious about these trusted sources of yours."
Antonio, who had his head lowered with eyes that could not be any deader, suddenly looked up, his gaze honing right on Lucia, who shot him an almost cute smile in turn.
'Yes... that's it. That's what I want to see... hope.'
Lucia knew what she had just done was akin to giving a drowning man a life rope.
Antonio had accused Ashen of many things, but the moment he uttered the word cultist, it was guaranteed that one man had to die today.
That was the punishment of cultists.
Lucia knew that the Greed Lord would find a way to interfere and secure Ashen if she lost this trial, but there was no way he would risk exposing himself for Antonio.
Why would he do so for a mere puppet? Anyhow, the man himself seemed to have long known it and had already resigned himself to his fate, hence the dead look.
But now, the fierce opposition that had completely shut him down had, against all odds, given him a way out.
He was smart enough to notice it. Now all he had to do was pin the blame on someone else's head. Point out that all the evidence came from someone else, and plead that he was merely a poor soul who was instructed to say what he had said.
With the Kingmaker as the judge, he would surely listen to him and might even spare his life if he acted like a pathetic ignoramus.
That would definitely absolve him from part of the blame, if not all of it, if he played his part well.
'...So be a good little puppet and bring me your puppeteer.' Lucia cooed inwardly.
'C'mon, your life is on the line. What are you waiting for?'
'Aren't you an expert at performing? I have set up the perfect stage for you.'
'You will save your life, and even drag down the one who put you to such a thankless task while you're at it.'
'Trying to pull down a Sin Lord may be out of the question, but there was another more suitable target, wasn't there?'
Her eyes glinted with barely concealed anticipation.
'Look at that smug face of Sir Winstor looking at you from above like you don't amount to anything.'
'Don't you want to drag him down?'
'Don't you want him to have a taste of the mud?'
'There won't even be backlash from your betrayal. He won't even have any leeway for you when I'm done with him.'
'Just do it. Come on.'
'Come on.'
'Come on...'
'Come on...!'
Ashen felt the lithe hand interlocked with his increasingly squeeze, making him wonder what was going on behind that composed exterior.
But if he peeked in, he would only be welcomed by bitter hate for three certain men and the countless plans brewing for their downfall.
Lucia's gaze never left the hopeful Antonio. His next actions were a foregone conclusion for her, but the chants in her head kept buzzing even louder.
"Sir Antonio, you may answer the question or refrain if you prefer."
"..."
'Ah.' Lucia suddenly froze. 'Wait…'
The moment Edward put pressure, Antonio seemed as if he had woken up from a dream. A bitter gaze colored his features before he gently shook his head.
"Your honor. There is nothing to explain since there is no evidence."
"You say there is no evidence? Then what of all the claims you have made?" Edward's gaze bore into him intently.
Antonio wasn't the least bit phased, however. His shoulders straightened, and peace settled over his features.
"I have merely acted in envy for a fame that wasn't mine. I have acted in greed for secrets I had no business knowing, and based on flimsy rumors, I have acted in impatience. Finally, in my impatience, I have almost smeared the honor of an innocent man."
Then, he turned toward Ashen's direction for a moment.
"I apologize, Sir Hart, for all my accusations. However, I know a mere apology will not be enough for what I have attempted."
Then he looked at the judge, his voice steady.
"Your excellency, I'm ready for your judgment, as I have said my piece."
"I will confirm one last time. Will you still hold to your words?"
Before Antonio could nod, he added, "If you are being coerced, there is no need to heed any threat. As long as I'm here, I shall do my best to ensure fairness."
Antonio didn't hesitate. "I'm sure."
"Very well then."
Edward looked forward at the space between the accused and the accuser and finally let his judgment be known.
"After hearing both sides… I have judged that the accused Ashen Hart is innocent of all the sins stated by the accuser."
"As such, the sentence for all the listed crimes will be borne by the accuser as stated before."
His voice took on the weight of absolute authority.
"The crime of inaction in times of war: punishable by imprisonment for life."
"The crime of kidnapping a personage of importance to our human race: punishable by death."
"The crime of homicide: punishable by a hundred years of imprisonment."
"The crime of worshiping demons... punishable by immolation."
He then turned toward the seven thrones. "Your Lordships, you may pass the judgment."
"..."
"..."
For a moment, no one spoke. Pinching Greed's little puppet to death would probably sour their relationship for the next hundred years at least, after all.
One woman didn't seem to have any fucks to give to that, however.
"Very well."
It was Cornelia.
"I shall be the executioner if everyone else is too shy."
She turned her gaze toward Antonio, who stood there unconcernedly, as if all his burdens had finally been laid down.
"I sentence you to death for committing the sin of Avarice. Excommunication by holy fire."
The moment her words left her lips, Antonio lit up in golden flames like a torch.
Miraculously, he didn't utter a single scream as he burned. His gaze stayed on the frozen Lucia, peaceful despite the flames consuming him.
'Lady Evernight... you may have thought that using my life as bait would make me do your bidding… but even puppets can have something more precious than our pitiful existence.'
Those were his last thoughts as the last of his life burned away.
Without prior agreement, everyone fell into a minute of silence for the departed soul.
Each had their own thoughts as they watched the embers burn away, with most of it being awe of such competence from Lady Evernight.
Only Ashen had a completely different thought as he watched the burning corpse.
'I will never dare to entertain the thought that Lucia is weak... ever again.'
Not after he had just witnessed her kill someone with mere words. And there was nothing supernatural about it.
⛧ ⛧ ⛧