"I call on Vice Captain Diobor to take the stand!"
That line shuttered the hearts of many throughout the courtroom. But the judge's reply hit all the harder.
"Very well. Proceed."
"Objection–"
"Overruled," Lord Trynell cut the prosecutor off without batting an eye. "... What are you waiting for, vice captain? Take the stand."
Finally, a crack appeared on the man's chiseled face. "My Lord, for what reason would this make sense–"
"Take the stand. Before I hold you for contempt of court, Vice Captain Diobor."
"Yes… Your Honor."
Diobor's polished armor glistened as he shuffled into the witness stand. A clear expression of discontent bannered across his brow.
On the other hand, the defendant couldn't have been happier.
"Mr. Vice Captain, my name is Gartin Ramsey, as you very well know by now. However, just in case, allow me to jog your aging memory of what you've come to know me as over the past decade."
The vice captain shook his head. "Surely, we can–"
"You've addressed me as 'filthy orphan' the most, I believe," Gart steamrolled the objection. "But that's too general, so you might not put it to my face alone. 'Unworthy filth' and 'lucky rat' probably wouldn't relate to only me, either. What was it you called me on my birthday just days ago…"
"Your honor," Diobor turned to the judge, "is this necessary–"
"'Cursed Demon Orphan!' That's the one!"
Gart clapped as he coincidentally remembered his community nickname. "I'm the 'cursed demon orphan' who supposedly terrorized your streets all these years and is unloved by the gods. Do you remember me now, Mr. Vice Captain?"
A smug sigh wafted from the witness's lips. "Yes. How could I ever forget someone like you?"
"Perfect! Now, on to the real hitting questions… I hope you're ready for it. Especially since this was all in order to get noble support and surpass the current captain of the guard–"
"Objection! He's leading the witness!"
"Nuh uh!" Gart interrupted the prosecutor's interjection. "That wasn't me leading up to a question. It was me stating a fact. His Honor, Lord Trynell, could find that out from any informant in the neighborhood.
"Isn't that right, Mr. Sleezal?"
"OBJECTION!"
K-Thud!
"Acknowledged!" the noble remarked. "Mr. Ramsey, you're currently questioning the vice captain. If you have questions for anyone else present, then call them up to the stand next."
"Very well, Your Honor, I'll take that into account."
Gart winked at a juror, who was shivering even harder than he was during the opening statements.
"Anyway, back to the most important matter at hand, Mr. Vice Captain… For what cause or warrant did you detain my lawyer and witnesses just minutes before the arrival of Lord Trynell?"
Taking a quick breath, Diobor shook his head. "That is a separate matter, not involved in your own criminal case–"
"Answer the question, Vice Captain Diobor."
The judge's stern objection added to the tension, bringing a drop of sweat to the vice captain's hairline.
"How about we start on easy mode?" Gart chuckled. "Did you or did you not detain my lawyer and key witnesses the moment we entered the courtroom, just moments before the jurors and judge entered?"
"..."
"I told you to answer the question, vice captain."
Diobor ignored the judge's glare as best he could while maintaining his usual stoic expression.
"I did detain them before the arrival of Lord Trynell and the jury."
"Now we're talking!"
Gart darted to the witness stand, already leaning an elbow onto the wooden frame. "And who was it that filed the order for the urgent detainment of my lawyer and witnesses?"
"..."
"Come now, Mr. Vice Captain, don't clam up so hastily," Gart mocked him.
"You've got to be careful. This proceeding is under the protection and care of Father Earth and Mother Heaven. There's no way that Mr. Vice Captain would want to be caught withholding the truth while under the sacred oath, would you?"
Diobor kept his expression stiff. But his eyes darted toward the judge before he could realize it. And Lord Trynell's reaction sent shivers down his spine.
"... I was merely doing my job. It was a warrant marked with 'utmost urgency' and filed by Lord Powell."
Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Oh, so it's Duke Powell!" Gart stopped applauding as he steadily turned his haunting gaze to the prosecutor's table. "How coincidental, to have Duke Kausten Powell's personal lawyer and legal advisor leading today's prosecution.
"If I remember right… It's table 31. That's the private deck table Duke Powell reserves whenever he and you meet for legal advice–"
"OBJECTION! Contempt of–"
"Acknowledged!" Lord Trynell proclaimed, interrupting the leading prosecutor without a single pound of the gavel.
"Defendant, have you finished questioning your witness?"
"Just about, Your Honor."
Gart nodded to the judge before granting the stiff vice captain another inquiry.
"Now, now, Mr. Vice Captain. Then just one last thing we're all dying to know…
"What's your alibi for the rainy night two days ago?"
"HOW DARE YOU–?!"
K-THUD!
The gavel kept Diobor from cutting down the nosey defendant on the spot.
"... Why can't you answer him, Vice Captain Diobor?"
That lingering question sucked all the air from the courtroom. Only half-beating hearts and Gart's muffled chuckles could be heard.
Diobor took a deep breath along with an acknowledging nod.
"Very well… Then I will answer the question, despite its irrelevance to this case. If you must know, I had been summoned by a noble that very morning and was more than busy two days ago."
"And to which noble estate did you visit just two days ago?"
"That would be divulging the private business of noblemen–"
"Answer. The Question. Mr. Vice. Captain."
Gart didn't allow the judge to cut in. Rather, he leaned over the witness stand and stared into Diobor's soul.
"Did it just so happen to be Duke Powell's estate here in the capital?"
"That's only an assumption–"
"Is that a declaration of 'no' while under oath, Mr. Vice Captain? Or did you just dodge the question out of habit against this cursed demon orphan?"
Diobor's cool finally faded as fury took over his eyes and frown. A hand firmly gripped the pommel of his sword. But Diobor could control himself, stopping himself at the sword's pommel instead of the full handle while at the witness stand.
"... Even if you don't answer, it wouldn't be hard to prove which estate you visited. After all, you coincidentally filed a leave of absence that very morning. And you stated a very clear reason in order to get the captain's approval on such short notice. Didn't you, Diobor?"
"... How do you know that?"
Instantly, all anger fled from the vice captain's face. Despair gripped his cheeks instead.
"Now, now, Mr. Vice Captain," Gart continued, going back to his happy-go-lucky nonchalance. "Will you answer the question? Or should I fill in the gaps for the judge?"
Diobor gulped down his despair as best he could. But it only made his face appear all the more sunken.
"... I had been summoned by Duke Powell that morning. And remained occupied by his personal request for the rest of the day?"
"And what, pray tell, was that personal request?" Gart asked with vigor.
"OBJECTION!" yelled the red-faced, leading prosecutor. "That would be a breach of noble code to reveal without the duke's personal consent or a subpoena!"
K-Thud.
"Acknowledged…"
The weakest pound of the gavel brought the first frown to Gart's face.
"... Really? Can I at least ask for some of the general details of the job?"
Lord Gustin slowly shook his head with great disappointment. "No, that would be a breach of noble code at that point, which would render Vice Captain Diobor's witness testimony as invalid."
"Then I'm fucking done. Just hit me the book and get it over with."
For thirty seconds, only the clatter of chains and barefoot steps rolled over the courtroom tiles. While everyone kept their mouths shut and their thoughts to themselves for one reason or another.
"... In that case, with the prosecution present any rebuttals to the defendant's case?"
"No, Your Honor," declared the leading prosecutor. "After all that's been said by our proven witnesses and shown as evidence here today, we're confident that such an outrageous, unplanned questioning won't disprove the truth behind the deceased's adopted murderer."
"... Very well. I'll take that as your closing statement."
"Your Honor–"
Ignoring the prosecution, Lord Gustin Trynell turned his gaze toward Gart. "Defendant, have you any closing statements to make?"
"Yeah… I guess I've got one final thing to say. And make sure it's recorded clearly in the ledger, got it?"
Only after getting an awkward nod from the court scribe did Gart move on. With one hand over his heart, Gart raised a middle finger by the square of his elbow, as if saluting the national flag.
"Fuck Duke Powell! Fuck the nobles! And fuck this pretentious Holyland! Some of you are worse than the scum of Filthaim. As someone born in that gutter called a ghost town, I testify to that fact as true!"