46 – Soirée (2)
I argued that he was mentally ill. As the long speech that lasted for 10 minutes came to an end, the court became quiet. In silence, I felt eyes paying attention to me.
Those watching me were showing a variety of inconsistent emotions on their faces, such as interest, surprise, hostility, and boredom.
A young boy who had never been seen in the capital announced himself as a wizard and spoke eloquently, so it was natural for him to attract attention.
Of course, the fact that he is the Golden Lion’s defender is enough to attract a lot of attention.
“Dorothy.”
Dorothy, who was sitting next to me, stood up with a bundle of documents in her arms. The document described what the Golden Lion had done so far in the capital. Dorothy walked up to the judge and presented the documents.
“It lists the problems the defendant has solved so far in the capital and their details. He has made over 100 requests in the capital. Among them, 5 were cases in which he helped others without receiving compensation, and 10 cases were for the imperial family. Even though it was a risky job for the prosperity of the city and the capital, I supported it without hesitation. Collock…”
His throat was dry from talking incessantly. When I coughed dryly, Dorothy tactfully handed me a canteen.
“Thank you.”
I quenched my thirst with water and continued talking.
“He is a brave and good citizen of the Empire. We assert that the actions that Leoric the Golden Lion committed were never intentional decisions, but rather were the result of the severe paranoia he suffers from. Dear Judge, I have one more thing to say to you. There is.”
Dorothy began rummaging through his backpack. He took out a document from his backpack. She approached the judge once again and handed him her paper.
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“On that paper are written several cases of paranoid patients, that is, mental and physical disorders. An assault incident committed by a guard belonging to the capital guard on May 6, 853, Imperial Calendar, and the cancellation of dismissal from office on August 17, 1032, Imperial Calendar. “A case where a customs officer exercised public power against a merchant without knowing the facts, etc.”
I jumped out of my seat, banging the desk in front of the seat I was sitting in.
“Article 8, Paragraph 1 of the Imperial Criminal Code, the acts of a person who is incapable of discriminating between objects or making decisions due to a mental or physical disorder shall not be punished. Article 8, Paragraph 2 of the Imperial Criminal Code, and the preceding paragraph due to a mental or physical disorder shall not be punished. “The punishment may be reduced for the actions of those with weak abilities.”
I gave strength to my stomach. The climax of this trial had to be extravagant.
“All of the aforementioned precedents positively apply the criminal law to mental and physical disabilities. The crime of molesting a member of the royal family is serious, but considering the defendant’s condition and good deeds as follows, we request that the defendant’s sentence be reduced. Above. No see.”
I finished my defense with those last words. The atmosphere in the courtroom was tense. To this extent, it was a successful defense.
It was the jury’s responsibility to determine guilt, but it was the judge’s responsibility to decide the sentence.
The Golden Lion’s guilt was invariably confirmed, but according to precedent, a reduction in sentence was certain.
If you ask me how I know so much about imperial law, I can tell you. I don’t know how to fly.
Since the old woman did not also serve as a lawyer, not only did he never learn the law, but he had never been to a court in his life.
The reason why I, who does not know the law, could make such a fuss is simple.
The content of the defense came from the princess, not me. The precedents, materials, and flow of the trial were all the princess’s plan.
This trial was the princess’s own play. She wondered if the golden lion would freak out and faint if she knew about this.
The judge’s sentence was handed down.
“The crime of molesting the princess is a serious one, but considering the good deeds he has done so far in the imperial capital, his willful absence, and his mental and physical disability, I will sentence him to confiscation of his property and permanent exile from the capital.”
Princess Amelia stood up from her seat with an expressionless expression and left the courtroom. She must have seemed like a very angry person to someone who didn’t know her insides.
Her trial ended with the princess’s departure. Dorothy and I also stood up from the defense table.
I was concerned about the Golden Lion’s somewhat unfair gaze, but I couldn’t help it. Having her shoulder bitten by the princess was like a natural disaster. At that time, she could only blame herself for being there…
Well, the ruling ended with confiscation of property and exile from the capital. Dorothy and I walked down the hallway.
“You’re out of your mind.”
When I went out into the hallway, someone said that to me. Those words were more of an interest than an accusation. I turned my gaze towards the direction where the sound came from.
That person was Joanna, a famous linguist in the capital. She is a gruff middle-aged man wearing glasses. He was wearing a fedora and a black suit. I smiled and answered him, who had the appearance of a gentleman.
“I often hear that.”
“Hmph, others may think it’s strange, but I like your crazy courage. I’m Joanna, a linguist. What’s your name?”
“I have no name. In Freud’s order, they call me Baekgolgyeong. Call me whatever you want.”
“I know that most wizards are eccentric, but I have a feeling that you and I would communicate well. If you have time, come to my lab. I’d like to talk to you.”
I stared at him.
“Is that proposal because I lost my relationship with Her Highness through this trial?”
“What are you talking about? It’s just because I was interested in you for showing an interesting trial.”
There seemed to be no lies in Joanna, who said that she liked me, not for political reasons or necessity.
Linguist Joanna, does she know the language written in the Necronomicon?
“I’ll see you when I’m done with work in the capital.”
After a short conversation with Joanna, I left the courtroom with Dorothy. Under the open blue sky, I took a deep breath. Honestly, I’m a little tired…
“Haaah, I’m tired.”
Then Dorothy’s small hand came up to my head. Suddenly, Dorothy casually stroked my head.
Her hands gently tangled my hair. I closed my eyes and felt her warmth.
I didn’t say this because I wanted to be comforted, but when I received Dorothy’s caress, I felt like the fatigue from the trial was going away.
When the stroking stopped, I gently opened my eyes. Dorothy smiled and greeted me, as bright as the sun before my eyes.
“Master, you worked hard.”
For a moment, I felt as if my eyes were dazzled by that sun-like smile. There was a short silence and I stuttered comically.
“···Dorothy had a hard time too.”
Wow, I guess I just answered in a very foolish way… I don’t think they will look at it as strange…
“Yeah, now I just have to wait for the golden lion?”
“Oh, that’s right. Now we have to take the next step.”
Now that the trial is over, the Golden Lion is released. We had to follow him.
As we waited in front of the court, we saw a golden lion coming out wearing a winter fur coat and thick pants.
The golden lion’s angry expression was visible even from a distance.
“How dare you make me a psychopath!?”
The Golden Lion shouted in a deafening voice.
Oh, this wasn’t planned?
“Now, let’s talk about the details outside the capital.”
“All your assets were confiscated! They said they would protect you!”
“Mo, your voice is too loud…”
I started to comfort him. But he was a golden lion who could hardly calm down.
“Oh, if I had known it would turn out like this, I should have just admitted it and apologized…!”
He was so angry that he tried to hit the wall of the court with his fist. But the action did not follow. Dorothy grabbed the golden lion’s wrist.
“Calm down. The master will explain.”
The Golden Lion did not continue speaking due to Dorothy’s cold voice. He sighed and nodded his head.
“I survived anyway, so…Let’s listen to the story.”
Once the Golden Lion calmed down, we left with him through the capital’s gates. Only when I arrived under a secluded tree with no one around did I quietly open my mouth to him.
“Take this first.”
I took out a sack from my backpack and held it out to the golden lion. The Golden Lion took his sack, and when he looked inside he was astonished.
“What is this…?”
The sack was full of jewels and a quality assurance certificate signed by an imperial craftsman. At least, it was a sheep worth much more than the amount the golden lion had earned in his life so far.
“This is a heartfelt consolation gift from Her Highness the Princess to you.”
There is a saying that the best treatment among treatments is financial treatment.
The expression on the face of the golden lion, which had been rotten the entire way, naturally raised the corners of its mouth.
“Ha, my goodness… Who would like to receive something like this?”
You seem like the happiest person in the world, right?
“I will continue. From now on, Dorothy and I will accompany you.”
The Golden Lion seemed to be busy trying to tell whether the jewel was real or fake.
“···That’s it. Do you have any questions?”
“Ah, yes. What?”
“I’m following you around from now on.”
Only then did the golden lion come to his senses and look at me.
“Why?”
“That’s because you hold Her Highness’s greatest weakness.”
He looked at me with a puzzled gaze.
“You saw that no one believed it. Even if I knew the princess’s identity, what does that mean?”
“It has meaning. There is someone who is convinced beyond belief in what you say. That person will try to contact you as soon as possible.”
“Who is that…?”
“He is the culprit who turned Her Majesty the Princess into a vampire.”
The golden lion looked at me in silence. After a while, he understood the true meaning of what I said. The golden lion’s exclamation was heard.
“Then, this trial itself…!”
“Yes, it is bait to attract criminals.”