Chapter 96
Chapter 96
“Marquis Cloi, do you have evidence?”
“Yes, Your Majesty! Of course, I’ve prepared it.”
Marquis Cloi was confident.
The Emperor nodded and spoke in a loud voice.
“Then show it. Here, before all the people, prove the crimes of Grand Duke Luwin and Irina Seike.”
When the Emperor spoke with such a majestic voice, suddenly the audience began to cheer with “Woaaah!”
The deafening sound and the massive vibrations that shook the huge circular hall with it swept over me.
Although I had been fine after lowering the resolution, my heart started pounding ‘thump-thump’ in time with the vibrations.
‘Ah.’
[SYSTEM | Adjusting ‘resolution’ from ’30’ to ’20’.]
The System seemed to notice my unusual state and immediately lowered the resolution.
It happened without even giving me time to ask.
However, my ‘thump-thumping’ heart remained, and it took some time to calm down.
[Are you okay now?]
[Irina… you alright?]
[Seems to be getting better…]
‘I’m fine now. Thank you.’
I’m really fortunate that the System is so sensible.
I finally calmed down and looked around. Not only that, but I could see Cassis holding my hand secretly under the table.
‘When did he grab it?’
[When you spaced out earlier.]
I see.
I always think of Cassis as just the male lead in a game, a hero from the original story, someone who will protect the world.
But in reality, Cassis is my superior.
But I felt strangely excited, wondering if it was okay for a superior to care for me this much.
[It should be fine, our Irina isn’t just any subordinate.]
[Right, you’re practically the only key to paying off Luwin’s massive debt.]
True, I’m not just an ordinary subordinate.
Thinking I’m at least on Roen’s level, I smoothly withdrew my hand.
Noticing me pulling my hand away, Cassis turned to look at me.
“It seems Uncle has finished his preparations too.”
Where he pointed, several mages and knights appeared to have finished setting up equipment in the center of the huge circular theater.
The mages even floated a massive screen in the air using illusion magic, presumably to show everyone in the circular theater what would happen on the small table.
“They’re really going all out.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why?”
“If I had kept my wits about me from the start.”
“It’s fine. You know that wasn’t possible. Let’s just focus on getting through this hearing for now.”
Perhaps because they embezzled so much money from Luwin, everything was flashy, from the illusion magic to the overall setup.
And the public seemed moved by such spectacle, gasping in amazement at even trivial things.
“Your Majesty, thank you for waiting. I will now demonstrate the connection between Grand Duke Luwin’s ‘ice cream’ and the ‘demonic beast’ incident at Duke Hellis’s residence.”
The floating illusion magic showed Marquis Cloi.
Again, people let out cheers of “Woaaah!”
I watched the scene with a disgruntled feeling.
Just looking at his appearance, doesn’t Marquis Cloi look like a villain?
Look at me and Cassis.
Where else would you find such beautiful terrorists?
However, judging by these cheers alone, Cassis and I were already criminals who should be sent straight to the gallows, while Marquis Cloi was a great saint who had uncovered such people.
“Count Anders! Now demonstrate this proof before His Majesty and all the people.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
They seemed intent on showing it as directly as possible.
A white ice cream that hadn’t melted, clearly preserved with protective magic, was brought out in a cup.
“This is ‘ice cream’ purchased directly from Lady Irina Seike’s ‘ice cream truck.’ I can swear that it has not been tampered with in any way.”
That ice cream was indeed purchased from the ‘ice cream truck.’
However, it’s not exactly ‘just’ ice cream.
Because we had already heard from the Academy laboratory.
They said Marquis Cloi had placed so-called ‘amplification’ magic on an entire container of ice cream.
They had fabricated evidence to satisfy our falsified report that claimed mixing ice cream and magi would amplify its effects.
However, we hadn’t properly obtained evidence to prove this.
[Why?]
‘Since magi isn’t related to magic power, it can’t be amplified with existing ‘amplification magic.”
[So?]
‘We’re still looking into that part… but I think the priests are involved too. They seem to know that demonic beasts are related to ‘divinity’ as well.’
[Then why not just state the facts? Tell them there’s ‘amplification magic’ on it and demand they prove that ice cream hasn’t been tampered with.]
Well.
In a normal trial, that would certainly be a valid approach.
However, considering that this is a somewhat sloppy fantasy game world, that the Emperor is already on Marquis Cloi’s side, and that I need to convince the ignorant public, this approach wasn’t particularly good.
‘It won’t be the hook needed to turn this situation around.’
While I was talking with the System, about six people who looked like mercenaries dragged in a huge demonic beast corpse.
A massive spider-like demonic beast, black, with many legs.
The people seemed to be seeing it for the first time, showing visible disgust.
“This demonic beast corpse is still continuously releasing ‘black smoke.’ This is what we call ‘magi.’ When people come in contact with this magi, their skin begins to rot and decay, they experience difficulty breathing… and in severe cases, it leads to death!”
At the Count’s gesture, a knight in uniform stepped forward.
The knight was wearing the Imperial Guard’s uniform.
When he struck the demonic beast with his sword with a ‘bang,’ its legs were cleanly cut off, and black fluid began pouring out.
The magi was flowing out along with the black fluid.
“If we bring this magi… to the ice cream.”
Well, it’s obvious what would happen.
Hmph, I tried not to make a sullen expression while watching the scene.
“Like this, it’s amplified!”
Count Anders, one of Marquis Cloi’s men, raised the beaker high as if for emphasis.
As soon as the magi touched the ice cream, the smoke visibly began to writhe, becoming darker and larger.
The Count, wearing white gloves, slightly swirled the magi that had now started overflowing from the beaker, as if telling everyone to watch carefully.
In the air of the circular hall, illusion magic was clearly broadcasting everything happening below in real-time.
“Oh my!”
“The ice cream really…!”
“How could they sell something so evil to people!”
“They must be executed!”
*Sob* Don’t listen, my cute ice cream.
You’re the best ice cream to me, no matter what anyone says.
[It looks just like black dry ice.]
[Indeed.]
[It does look quite convincing.]
[Mm-hmm.]
It would certainly look convincing to someone who doesn’t know anything.
“…”
No.
Honestly, wouldn’t anyone find it a bit strange if they just thought about it a little?
Why don’t they understand?
‘This is unfair! People, please think!’
[It’s because basic education isn’t widespread here.]
[Can’t be helped.]
[Besides, people fall for propaganda similarly regardless of education.]
That’s evident from many past examples.
Even when something is clearly false, people only believe what they want to believe.
So it’s natural that both the nobles, who supposedly received quite good education, and the public, who are naturally swept along by propaganda, would be swayed by such visual demonstrations.
“…It’s okay, we’ve prepared an equally visual rebuttal.”
It will be far more striking than that black smoke, at least.
“Cassis, after your parents passed away, I truly raised you with love. To keep you from going astray, to raise you properly.”
“…”
“So why have you gone so far astray? Why commit such treasonous! Such heinous acts!”
Seeing Marquis Cloi’s speech getting longer, it seemed it was now Cassis’s turn to step forward rather than mine.
I nudged the calm Cassis who was staring at Marquis Cloi.
His red eyes briefly flicked toward me before returning.
“Although due to the demonic beast’s first appearance being recent, and thus research still being insufficient, we need more time to prove that ice cream summons demonic beasts.”
“Understood.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. However, there is no room for excuse regarding the fact that ice cream causes demonic beasts to go berserk and amplifies magi. I beg you to punish the perpetrators.”
The Emperor looked at Cassis and asked.
“…Grand Duke Luwin, do you have anything to say?”
All of this development was exactly as planned by me, Cassis, and Roen together.
If anything, it wasn’t even that impressive.
“I raise an objection.”
“Granted.”
“First, I swear that ‘ice cream’ and ‘demonic beasts’ are unrelated.”
Cassis began with a firm declaration.
His declaration caused tens of thousands of people to start murmuring.
Not stopping there, Cassis made a statement that was both more impactful and reversed what Marquis Cloi’s side had been carefully arguing all this time.
“Rather, ice cream is a food that contains dissolved ‘divine power.'”
“Cassis! This is before His Majesty the Emperor. False statements are equivalent to treason!”
“Because the most fundamental power in making ‘ice cream’ is ‘divine power.'”
