Volume 2 Chapter 6 Oblique Upper Court Trial
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I’m sorry, Lord hero. It’s my fault for being slow.”
Mr. Laken, the village head of Toyata and also the Adventurer Guild branch leader, apologizes to me.
I was suddenly arrested by armed knights called by the Guild.
They treated me with respect, but it was one-sided and forceful.
”I am Detective Tohara Kia Barthra. There is a charge against Hero Amando Saburois (アマンダ・サブロワ) and all Toyata villagers for attempted kidnapping of Hero Alexander.”
She was a cold-looking knight, around 40 years old.
I was disarmed without question and put into a transport.
Mr. Laken also seems to have been put into another transport.
”This must be some mistake. I will be back soon. Take care of things here.”
I hear words that sound like bad news.
It seems Alexander complained that we killed him as soon as he came back to life.
Mr. Laken was not slow at all; he did his job too well.
Since he filed the complaint first, it became a situation where Alex is the victim, and we are the criminals.
It’s unreasonable, but it seems like the law favors the first to act.
We are to be taken to the royal capital for trial.
Whether we win or lose, it will be a waste of time.
I really want to avoid this.
I just want to live quietly with Ms. Nina until her last day.
* * *
The Supreme Court in the royal capital is in a building that was once the old royal palace, slightly renovated.
Despite its stylish appearance, there is a moat around it and sharp metal blades on top of the high walls.
This isn’t a prison, right?
The room we are in was the servant’s dining room when it was a palace.
Now there is a wooden spectator’s seating like bleachers, making it feel like a small movie theater.
I remember my school’s AV room.
At the back of the room, there is a raised stage, where a judge looking like a white-bearded sage sits in a spot like a bathhouse attendant.
Next to him is the plaintiff Alex, and 3 seats for the jury are set up in front of the judge.
Mr. Laken and I are sitting on the floor, surrounded by armed knights, facing the judge.
It feels like we are in an old samurai drama.
In this setup, the judge and Alex look like heroes, while we seem like the villains.
Because it’s a trial for a Hero, many noble-looking people are in the audience behind us.
I can hear them discussing cutting the budget for summoning Heroes.
It seems the anti-summoning crowd plans to use the Hero’s mishaps as political leverage.
Still, the 3 truth-seekers wearing skull masks look creepy.
They say these truth-seekers have a skill like a lie detector, judging the truth of the defendant’s words.
Because of this, it’s said that false accusations do not exist in this world.
However, truth judgments are only made on the defendant, giving the plaintiff an unfair advantage.
The defendant can only answer the questions asked, and from those answers, a verdict is given.
Without lawyers, the judge’s word is everything.
In the past, it was mostly nobles judging commoners, which created a system favoring the plaintiff.
But when commoners fight in court, the one who complains first gets a huge advantage.
An extreme case of this is when someone who is guilty, fearing they will be sued, strikes back by suing first, like in our situation now.
Since the plaintiff pays for the lawsuit, only rich people can pull off this stunt.
But it seems Alex, lacking money, has a generous sponsor.
When the trial actually began, I realized what they meant by the plaintiff having the advantage.
I never thought we, the victims, would be cornered like this.
* * *
”The defendant, Hero Saburois, took the plaintiff to the guild hall and attacked first. Is this correct?”
From Alex’s point of view, if you twist the story just right, it might not be completely wrong.
But really, claiming it as the truth is just too much, right?
”I was asked by him to guide them to the guild. It was Alexander who attacked first with a magic arrow.”
”The defendant should only answer with the truth.”
The judge cuts me off, looking annoyed.
Whether they are on Alex’s side or just want to finish quickly, it seems we can’t expect a fair trial.
”…False.”
Two of the 3 truth officials shake their heads.
Does that mean I just lied?
Sure, Alex took damage first, but if I had just waited quietly for the attack, I would have died.
”The defendant is hiding the truth, answer only the facts.”
This is bad, the plaintiff has too much advantage.
The strange thing is Alex’s quick thinking──he started the lawsuit right after returning from death and blocked Mr. Laken’s move.
This isn’t something Alex, who came to this world less than ten days ago, can do alone.
There should be someone from this world behind him.
If so, what is that person’s goal?
Why is Alex being used as a pawn for some plan?
”False.”
The only truth official who shook his head this time was just one.
Even he doesn’t seem to understand what true or false is.
Maybe it’s a skill like a lie detector, or maybe he’s watching my heart’s confusion?
The farce will probably continue until all 3 truth officials agree.
I feel like I’m wasting my limited time with Ms. Nina.
On top of that, if I go to prison, I might never see Ms. Nina again.
It probably won’t go as far as the death penalty.
Is there no chance for a big comeback?
Even if I shout “Objection,” that judge probably won’t listen.
A trial without a defense is really problematic.
Alex decides what questions to ask, and I have to answer true or false.
If he doesn’t make any mistakes, we’ll eventually lose.
And if we become criminals, our accusation becomes invalid.
So, is it just first come, first served?
Justice doesn’t necessarily win──using the system well is what really wins.
The justice system in this world is messed up.
Mr. Laken probably knows all about that too.
His face looks like he just bit into a bitter bug.
”Defendant, Toyata village head Laken, lied, stole the princess doll of the plaintiff, and tried to imprison her to silence her. Is that correct?”
”Defendant, Hero Saburo, knowingly offered to sell the princess doll illegally to the plaintiff. Is that correct?”
”Defendant, Toyata village head Laken, used violence against the plaintiff and was counterattacked. Is that correct?”
They asked me dirty questions with a little bit of truth mixed in.
The judges still don’t all agree.
The judges’ opinions are important too.
Alex looks weak and shy, like a cat.
But I’m angry and upset, so I don’t look good.
I need to calm down.
This unfair trial is wearing me down.
The people watching are on Alex’s side.
They want Hero to be a criminal.
But I think Alex should be the criminal.
I’m so frustrated, it’s unfair.
Alex is smirking at me, and it pisses me off.
He’s trying to make me angry on purpose.
But then, help came suddenly.
A woman in a cool uniform walked in.
She gave the judge a binder with papers.
The judge read the papers for a long time.
Then, he coughed and spoke.
The audience was getting noisy.
”Ah, there’s another case. We found out that a complaint against Hero Alexander was received by the Hero Bureau first. So, we will stop this trial for now.”
Ms. Nina complained to the Hero Bureau before Alex.
She used my laptop to contact the bureau at the same time Alex went back in time.
The time stamp was a little earlier than Alex’s complaint, so his complaint will be put on hold.
If Alex is found guilty, his complaint will be invalid.
And in this world, the plaintiff is very strong.
The situation has completely changed.
I’m always helped by Ms. Nina.
Alex did what he wanted today, but next time it’s my turn… no, it’s Ms. Nina’s turn.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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