Chapter Eleven
The Trial of Pawns
In a tense atmosphere, Sero and Hirlo Jin Bei were made to sit on the ground. Jin Bei stared anxiously, having never expected the personal intervention of Anira's family matriarch. Sero, on the other hand, feigned fear, claiming innocence.
"Without further delay, we shall commence the trial. Miss Doska sustained physical harm last night, including an injury to her left ankle and burns to her hair. Please step forward and present your evidence," Horai spoke with professionalism.
In a world governed by magic, trials were conducted uniquely. Every mage was considered innocent until proven guilty by someone else.
In such cases, the mental state of the accuser, along with their evidence, was taken into account, and witnesses were brought in if possible. In this trial, the witnesses were the inn's servants and those bullied by Jin Bei.
At Horai's request, Doska advanced gracefully and shyly. Normally, she wore a skirt that reached her knees, revealing her ankles, but for the trial, she donned a long robe and her hair now barely touched her cheeks.
"Thank you, High Judge Horai, and the Lady Nyoska, for holding this trial. I accuse the mage Hirlo Jin Bei for this crime. The evidence lies in the testimony of witnesses who confirm that yesterday, while drunk, he harassed my servants. As any respectable lady would, I had to defend my honor, for those who dare hit my dogs are daring to hit me personally," Doska spoke with perfect eloquence, nearly causing Sero to laugh.
"A deceptive girl with two faces. It seems I underestimated her. No matter, things are unfolding better than I expected. I didn't foresee the presence of Anira's family head though, but I am thankful for it," Sero thought calmly, silently observing.
"That's slander! I never touched your servants!" Jin Bei shouted violently.
"Silence! Speak only when permitted only!" Horai glared sharply at Jin Bei, silencing him immediately.
"As I was saying, upon hearing of his actions, I went straight to the inn only to find he had fled. While there, I met this young brother having a simple meal, and out of respect for me, he invited me to a small feast," Doska continued.
"Did she ignore her threat to him? He looks extremely pale! He must have tried to stop her!" Jin Bei thought, gritting his teeth.
"Sero Geist, do you confirm Miss Doska's words?" Horai asked firmly.
"Ah... yes! I invited the big sister!" Sero suddenly replied forcefully, displaying a troubled expression.
"Based on witnesses at the scene, Miss Doska had barged into the inn searching for Hirlo Jin Bei, then sat without Sero Geist's invitation and demanded the inn's finest offerings. Is my statement correct?" Horai declared indignantly.
"I did, but it was retribution for his bullying of my servants! He had paid for the young brother's meal!" Doska claimed, feigning surprise.
"According to the witnesses, you didn't inquire about the host until you had finished your meal. I will take into account the fact that you struck the young Sero on his first day in the family. Is my statement correct?" Horty's voice grew sharper.
"This deceitful girl is trying hard to deny what she did, but this will only give me a reason to harm her, such a clever judge. It's good that I have many ways to falsify information if asked," Sero thought wickedly.
"I did that only to teach him a lesson! Besides, this trial began because I am the victim here," Doska's demeanor shifted from elegance to childish anger.
"Show some respect! Now, Hirlo Jin Bei, I will ask you a few questions, and you will answer yes or no. Do you understand?" Horai spoke seriously as he stood before Jin Bei, casting a shadow over him.
"Did you host the young man Sero Geist?" Horai asked.
"Yes! I have the bill if you need proof!"
"I have all the evidence I need. Second question, did you harm Miss Doska's servants?"
"No! The most damage I caused was knocking over their table!"
"Do you have witnesses to your claim?"
"My companion was with me when all this happened!"
Horai looked calmly, then rose, glancing at the lady Nyoska who had a sharp gaze, and then he sighed.
"Based on the information I possess, I personally exonerate Hirlo Jin Bei," Horai declared, shocking everyone except Nyoska, who smiled silently, and Sero, who knew the truth beforehand.
"Interesting. Would you care to explain?" Alice asked humbly.
"Based on the words of his companion, the inn servants, and all who saw him, everything he said is true. All he did was verbally harass the lady's servants, but they are inconsequential while he is a renowned mage known for his hunting skills. Therefore, all charges against him will be dropped, along with a compensation of twenty gold coins," Horai spoke without a change in his expression.
"But what about the food she ate at my expense!" Jin Bei exclaimed angrily.
"We will address that immediately. Young master Sero Geist, I will ask you some questions, and you will answer with yes or no," Horai spoke calmly as he stood before Sero.
"Did you order five dishes of the cheapest meal with a discount?"
"Yes!"
"Did Doska order six dishes of the most expensive meal, which was the Deer meat stuffed with rice?"
"Yes!"
Upon hearing those words, Daki couldn't help but stare at Doska in disappointment. She had previously ordered her to follow a diet, and now she heard that Doska had voraciously devoured six full plates of meat.
"Do you have anything to back up your answers?"
"Yes! You can ask the inn servants!"
"Hmmm. Very well, did Miss Doska hit you on your first day?"
"Yes!"
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"Interesting indeed. Not only did she bully you physically, but she also claimed that you hosted her, and it seems that Jin Bei's bad luck got him entangled between the two of you. Therefore, you have the most reason to commit the crime," Horai spoke seriously.
"He seems like a good investigator, but even with his intelligence, he won't overcome the wisdom of a thousand years," Sero thought while showing a face of disbelief and hatred.
"But I was at the inn when the crime happened!" Sero shouted with despair.
"Weren't you the one who brought Miss Doska to the mansion in the first place?" Horai asked calmly.
"That's it!" A thought flashed in Sero's mind, showing a surprised expression.
In his mind, he had a plan to ensure his exoneration, but he knew it was impossible to escape the stain of the crime since he had drawn the attention of many people.
But that's what he wanted. He garnered significant attention from a mage hunter and a high-level investigator, now he was going for the master and the lady of the Anira family.
In a clan where gaining attention required great effort and showing immense magical power, he had no chance, as his talent was so weak that without support, he would have died a slow death as someone's slave.
So he resorted to attracting attention by showing a different kind of power, one harder to obtain than magical strength—wisdom.
"Brought me? Do you mean it wasn't Draka?" Doska spoke with curiosity.
"No, when I saw you, you were with one of the guards, but no one said who brought you," Draka replied with a cold face.
"According to all the witnesses, you and Miss Doska were together during that time. So most likely, you made her lose consciousness and then burned her hair using some torch. Am I right, or do you have a better story?" Horai spoke with confidence.
In a normal situation, considering all points, his conclusion would be the truth. But he lacked complete information.
Especially the fact that Sero had refined a shard within one day of obtaining it.
"Can I tell the story from my perspective? I believe I have the right to defend myself!" Sero shouted, pretending to be desperate, but he was trying to lead everyone down the path he wanted.
There were many strategies to make a guilty person appear innocent. Sero was about to implement the first one: crafting a fake story with truth as a foundation.
"Go ahead then. Keep in mind that I have enough information to know if you’re lying or not," Horai said with an expressionless face while Nyoska displayed a curious look.
"When Miss Doska left the inn, she had left some of the Yellow Starfruit wine behind. Trying to get closer to her, I asked for more of the deer meat stuffed with rice, as she liked it and had it put in special boxes. I believe my words are recorded in the inn’s ledger according to the servants," Sero spoke calmly while Horai took the ledger and sighed.
"Hmm, continue," Horai said.
"When I arrived at the mountain of the family, Miss Doska was lying there. I thought she had lost consciousness from the alcohol, but to my shock, her hair was burning, so I poured some wine on it. But I was foolish and the wine made the fire blaze more. So, in my panic, I threw some dirt on it," Sero spoke with a weary face while Horai continued to stare.
Doska watched in silence, trying to piece together his story with her memories. Her hair did indeed smell of wine, and according to the four guards, there was dirt on it, suggesting that Sero was weaving a plausible story with some lies.
"And what did you do next?" Horai asked coldly, signaling the beginning of the second step: showcasing the criminal's virtues and hardships to gain the crowd's sympathy.
"I carried her on my back. Although I was also somewhat drunk, as I did not want to embarrass Miss Doska, my foot slipped and I fell on my face, causing the injury on my cheek. Even so, I continued until I reached the palace gate, and the guards took her," Sero continued passionately.
"Then why didn’t you enter? Didn’t you initially want to join the family?" Alice asked with a skeptical expression.
"The guards wouldn’t let me in! They threw some gold pieces and a Little Flame Shard at me on my first day and said I couldn’t enter until I refined it!" Sero cried with fake tears, beginning his false performance.
"Why didn’t you tell anyone?" Alice asked with concern, aiming to preserve her dignity in front of Nyoska, who was known for accepting many outsiders into the family if they showed their worth.
"Who would I tell? Who would listen to an orphan with a single candle's talent? I was beaten by Miss Doska on my first day, and my only chance was to flatter her!" Sero cried with a sorrowful tone, or at least pretended to.
He was trying to shift his status from a suspect to having a reason to help Doska in the first place. Although gaining the sympathy of the mages was difficult, he succeeded in gaining the sympathy of two people. Jin Bei and Doska herself.
Jin Bei looked at him as if he were a younger version of himself, his bad luck dragging him into a problem he didn’t commit.
Doska sympathized with him as she had faced similar issues. She was an orphan foreign to the clan and understood why he was flattering her; she had done the same herself.
However, that wasn’t enough to quench the ember of anger within her. After all, she didn’t value him as much as she valued her own silky long hair.
"As intriguing as your story is, it doesn’t cover everything. What did you do after you delivered Miss Doska to the mansion?" Horai asked, trying to break Sero's spirit.
"I returned to the inn and tried to refine my shard. Then exhaustion overcame me and I fell asleep, only waking up to the high judge asking to see me. The inn’s servants can vouch for me," Sero spoke calmly.
"According to the ledger, most of your story is correct, but you said you found Miss Doska’s hair burning and poured wine on it. So, do you admit you’re the criminal?" Horai spoke with a strong threat, intending to make Sero appear guilty even if he was secretly innocent.
For Horai, the case was more than just the burnt hair of a troublesome girl; he intended to showcase his wisdom in front of Nyoska.
In reality, Horai had no intention of intervening in this dispute except for the strong desire of the Anira family to be present. Now, he was trying to sacrifice the least valuable pawn: Sero himself.
"And how would I know! Can’t you look for someone who holds a grudge against Miss Doska instead of trying to accuse me without evidence!" Sero shouted angrily, but he was actually starting the third step: spreading false evidence to accuse someone falsely.
Doska wasn’t the kindest member of the Anira family. She would beat her opponents in friendly combat even after they surrendered and had specialized in physical magic, as it was the only thing she relied on during her days without a family. Thus, having enemies was not hard to imagine.
Moreover, Sero was not a seasoned mage. Even if he had tried to harm Doska, he wouldn’t have targeted her hair; it required someone experienced in psychologically breaking down a person.
That person was Dark Waters Immortal, but no one knew. With the lack of evidence, his words simply cast doubt on their theories, even if it was minimal.
"It seems I have to resort to using the hard way," Horai murmured calmly, bringing one of his shards from his magic realm. Daki quietly followed behind him.
"This is the Herb Mana Wasp shard. I acquired it in a fierce battle years ago, and it has caused me many problems due to its ability. It tracks a person's mana based on their mana's scent," Horai explained calmly. Behind him, Daki carried some of Doska’s hair, which she had cut when fixing her burnt hair.
The Herb Mana Wasp shard was from the second path, roughly the size of an ordinary wasp, with a green, hairy body and delicate antennae. As soon as it sensed the nearby mana in Doska’s hair, it jumped directly toward it and began to brush its antennae against it.
Despite this, Sero was not worried; in fact, he was completely at ease as he had indeed hoped for such an opportunity.
"Wait, wait! The only thing the wasp will pick up is the mana in my hair, so it will follow the mana from the used shard! Are you saying that the young master refined the small flame shard in one day?!" Doska exclaimed with irritation.
"Your role in the investigation is over, so you have no say in my actions," Horai said firmly, silencing Doska. He then channeled his mana into the Herb Mana Wasp shard, but it did not fly at all.
"You'll have to try harder to deceive someone like me. Do you think I wouldn’t expect the use of a tracking shard? The Herb Mana Wasp shard can track the mana used from the shard activation, but I didn’t use it directly on her but on a tree branch then lit the wine with it. Therefore, there was no mana in her hair, and the wasp shouldn’t move toward me," Sero thought silently.
Yet, the wasp moved, causing Sero to wonder. He hadn’t placed his own mana, so he was innocent. So why did the wasp move?
The answer was a stroke of bad luck for Doska and good luck for Sero. After a few moments, the wasp landed on Doska’s shoulder.