Dressed in his finest attire, Raphael stood outside the Royal Court, his hair slicked back into a tight bun. It was morning.

How could this happen? He thought.

It had only been a year since Raphael and Alicawa really got to know eachother, and everyone should’ve known by now that the captain would never hurt his student... unjustly.

He shrugged.

I’ll just have to get myself out of this mess, and then we can begin finding the true killer. Raphael clenched his fist.

At the same moment, the huge doors to the court opened up, and a stoic butler emerged out of it.

“Captain. It’s your turn.” He said.

Raphael nodded silently.

Entering the chamber, he began scanning the crowd.

He recognized several faces, including the senior knight in charge of training the squires. These people were the privileged few to be allowed to spectate how a royal trial went on.

The knight looked at Raphael with concern, and he realized that those who sympathized with him were situated on the left side of the court, while those who held indifference or contempt were on the right. The left and right wings were roughly equal in number, but not in rank.

Despite being part of the lower aristocracy, Raphael showed exceptional talent in swordsmanship and, together with his discipline honed from training for years under tutelage of Gauss, one of the chief architects for the Villianus Style sword art, he became one of the mightiest warriors of the kingdom.

While Raphael was both admired and feared by people, there were some that looked down upon him because of his blood lineage.

After all, as if being part of the lower aristocracy wasn’t enough, Raphael was born to a lowly slave woman.

Some saw him as a person that would change the world, the more powerful wanted him dead.

A house divided... Raphael thought.

The judges were non other than the king himself, princess Euphy, and the chancellor.

“Captain Raphael of Oaktree,” The chancellor declared “you’re here today because we have discovered compelling evidence that you had killed Sergeant Mathius Kyulkas Alicawa.” The chancellor announced.

Raphael remained silent, looking down.

Euphemia looked at the captain with sorrow and regret in her eyes.

“Raphael of Oaktree.” The king said in a powerful voice.

Raphael of Oaktree could feel the weight of the king's gaze upon him, a heavy burden that seemed to press down upon his very soul.

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His heart was pounding in his chest, and he could feel the eyes of the court upon him as he stood there, silent and unmoving.

For a moment, it seemed as though time had frozen, and the only sound in the chamber was the soft rustle of fabric as the judges shifted in their seats.

Then, the king spoke again. "You stand accused of a most heinous crime, Captain Raphael Jung," he said, his voice ringing out across the room. "The murder of Sergeant Mathius Kyulkas Alicawa is a grave offense, and one that cannot be taken lightly."

Raphael clenched his fists as he nodded in silence.

“I do hope you will tell the truth and nothing but the truth.” His Majesty stated.

“After all, I trust you.”

"I can explain everything, Your Majesty," he said, his voice steady and controlled. "But first, I must ask for the chance to speak with my accusers, to hear the evidence against me and to present my own case in full."

His eyes shifted towards the chancellor. “I may know who killed my disciple.” He muttered.

Raphael’s glare didn’t intidimate the right hand man of the king.

In fact, the corners of his mouth went up ever so slightly as he noticed the captain’s glare.

"Very well, Captain Raphael," The king said. "You may have your chance to speak. But know this - the evidence against you is strong, and the punishment for this crime is severe. If you are found guilty, you will pay the price with your life."

The whole trial was a mockery of justice and even the king couldn’t help but feel suspicious about the whole ordeal.

Most of the evidence presented to the court were circumstantial at best, so Raphael had been confident that he’d be able to get out of this mess.

However, the prosecutors had managed to twist the narrative in such a way that it made the captain look all too guilty.

There was no other suspect in this murder case, and Raphael knew that accusing the chancellor of it would be met with laughter and ridicule, as he had nothing to prove it.

The hearing went on until the sky darkened, and the blue moon rose up.

In the end, the king had to choose between punishing the captain, or declaring him free of crime.

Doing the latter would be hugely controversial and would shake the stability of the realm, as the king didn’t deliver ‘rightful justice’ towards Raphael.

The chancellor was all too eager to punish the evildoer, but princess Euphemia was against it.

Half an hour went by as the court decided amongst themselves what to do with Raphael.

Tension in the room was undeniably high, and the crowds were highly divided.

As the king weighed his options, Princess Euphemia stood up from her seat, her eyes fixed on Raphael.

"Your Majesty, I must speak,"

she said, her voice clear and unwavering. The king nodded for her to continue.

"I have known Captain Raphael for many years," she said, her gaze never leaving the captain. " And I cannot believe that he would commit such a heinous crime.

There must be more to this than what we have been presented with."

Raphael smiled as he saw her gentle gaze upon him.

The chancellor scoffed. "Your Highness, with all due respect, the evidence against the captain is overwhelming. It is not our place to question the verdict of the court."

“True justice must be enacted to ensure that-”

“Enough!” The king yelled, his voice echoing throughout the room.

The sudden outburst left everyone paralysed.

“Both of you, sit down.” He said as he looked at Euphemia and the chancellor.

“Raphael Jung,” His majesty stated “You have been a faithful servant of mine for decades now, and I personally believe the evidence presented here is somewhat dubious.” He conceded.

“However, I cannot nullify it based on my own suspicions, and you’re the prime suspect in this murder case. I declare you guilty of all charges, but you won’t receive capital punishment. Your dominant hand will be chopped off, and you will be relieved of your duty.”

I shouldn’t have asked. I thought to myself.

Raphael looked downward for a moment before cracking a smile.

“You know, you’re the first person besides Arinia I told this story to.” He muttered.

I don’t know what happened, but an irresistable urge made me grab his index finger with both of my hands.

“You’re strong, Raphy!”

After a short pause, Raphael began laughing.

That was our first real bonding experience.