Volume 2 Chapter 7 The Judge is Baroness
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I am Floria Kia Nandes. I will be the judge in tomorrow’s trial.”
In front of me is a beautiful woman, maybe 40 years old.
No, she’s an older sister!
Ms. Lyra says, women are always older sisters, no matter their age.
Her silver hair is in a bun, but it has a detailed braid.
It must take a lot of work.
Noble ladies in this world hire servants just to do their hair.
It’s normal for great nobles to have dozens of servants.
It’s a huge gap in society, where only a few people own most of the wealth.
”I don’t like your rude gaze, Hero. Are you unhappy that an old woman is the judge?”
She got angry at me right away.
As expected of a real judge, she has a lot of pressure.
”No, um, you’re not an old woman, you’re an older sister.”
I panicked and said something strange.
Really… it’s Ms. Lyra’s fault.
Floria was stunned for a while, but suddenly started laughing happily.
After she laughed, she became a normal, beautiful old woman.
No, an older sister.
”As expected of Hero, trusted by Princess Auroora. You’re a little strange, but you don’t seem like a bad person.”
”Are you, perhaps, Teacher Floria?”
Ms. Nina looks at Floria’s face with a puzzled expression.
Are they acquaintances?
”I’m surprised. You look just like Princess Auroora when she was young.”
Floria used to be Princess Auroora’s tutor.
Now she is a judge of the Supreme Court and a Baroness.
”Well, congratulations on your marriage.”
”I was properly blessed by the real you. Even so, it’s a really strange feeling to talk to a doll princess who is a copy of someone I know.”
”I feel strange too. Teacher, you have become even more beautiful with age.”
”I envy you for staying young… No, that’s not it. The other doll princesses are, you know, more doll-like. You’re like a human, so I was surprised. I wonder if it’s because I know you.”
It feels like they’re close sisters.
Usually, Ms. Nina seems grown-up, but when she talks to Ms. Floria, she shows a girl-like expression.
This person seems trustworthy.
”Right, right, we need to prepare for tomorrow’s court meeting.”
I woke up when Ms. Nina nudged me.
I must have dozed off while listening to their chat, as the evening sun was already shining through the ceiling window.
”I don’t really understand this, so I’ll leave it to Ms. Nina.”
”Nina?”
Oh, I see, for Ms. Floria, she’s Princess Auroora.
”That’s my name now.”
Ms. Nina looks a bit happy saying that, even though it’s a name I just made up.
”Ah, right, you are not Princess Auroora.”
Ms. Floria looks a little complicated.
”If there’s anything you don’t understand, I’ll explain it slowly later, so Sir Saburou, please listen carefully.”
Ms. Nina’s attitude towards me makes Ms. Floria chuckle softly.
”Well then, let’s explain in a way that’s easy to understand for the hero.”
Ms. Floria’s long lecture began.
* * *
”This incident is caused by the anti-hero faction pulling strings in the background. Do you know about the Totoana Empire?”
Suddenly, the topic got serious.
Well, I thought there might be a mastermind pushing Alex around.
”Totoana… it’s famous for issuing high-quality silver coins, right? I know it’s a big country with silver mines.”
”Yes, it’s the second-largest country in this world. And there hasn’t been a demon attack in Totoana for several years.”
”That’s… good to hear.”
Despite summoning heroes all the time, this world is peaceful.
Apparently, demons haven’t been attacking much lately.
”But that’s not the case. To fight against the demons, countries in the world formed alliances and managed well, but with the threat reduced, their struggles for interests have surfaced.”
Is it better for the demons to attack?
I’ve heard that just one attack causes a lot of damage.
”Totoana has recently started not paying her share of the demon-slaying alliance dues. She’s involving other countries.”
Oh, I see.
That’s the thing.
The money for summoning Heroes is collected through the alliance from each country’s contributions.
Countries that are safe and no longer under attack don’t want to pay, but countries still being attacked can’t just do that.
”The opposition group is really pushing to cut the dues and shrink Hero summoning. They keep holding meetings, but there’s no real progress. Totoana probably hopes Heroes cause scandals.”
The capital of the Holy Kingdom, where this is happening, is a base for the alliance, but the Holy Kingdom itself is just a small, old, weak country.
Well, maybe it’s good to pick a small, weak country as the base.
Because of that, noble families in the capital play power games over profits, and that’s how I got caught up in all this.
To the opposition, troublesome Heroes like Alex are perfect pawns.
If Toyata Village had been wiped out, that would have been exactly what they wanted.
”Punishing Hero Alexander also benefits the opposition. His crime will be broadcast as the crime of all Heroes.”
”Then why did the Bureau move at all?”
”Because they want that ridiculous trial to go on. They want to keep using foolish Alexander as the defendant and keep him making a fool of himself. If I were the opposition’s judge, I’d drag it out for a year, no problem.”
That bearded judge was on the opposition’s side?
To deliberately let Alex testify as he liked and then pull the rug out from under him, keeping him embarrassing himself for a whole year──amazing.
Even if it was all part of a plan to make Alex ruin himself, being stuck in it was awful for us.
”In this Holy City, representatives from each country and noble councilors are gathered. It’s also confirmed that the opposition invited neutral nobles to the audience seats.”
Thinking about it, the people in the audience talking trash about summoning Heroes seemed to be that kind of crowd.
Maybe they wanted to plant negative images of Heroes in the neutral nobles and pull them into their side.
”So, what do you plan to do in tomorrow’s trial, Teacher?”
Ms. Nina asks worriedly.
That’s right, if judging Alex helps the opposition, isn’t it the same even if Florira-san is the judge?
No way they’ll declare Alex innocent, right?
”I’ve been thinking of many tricks, but this time I plan to go straight. Even if he’s the Hero, a crime is a crime. It’s the judge’s job to reveal the truth.”
”Wouldn’t that play into the opposition’s hands then?”
”The opposition has overdone it a little. Continuing to lie without getting caught is harder than you think.”
”Are you trying to reveal the opposition’s conspiracy?”
”That would be hard and unnecessary. Just make the audience think the opposition cheated──that’s enough.”
”The audience, you mean?”
”Yes, the spectators in the gallery. We’ll put on the best clown act at the world’s most prestigious court.”
Ms. Florira smiles mischievously, like a naughty child.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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