Chapter 33: Trial!

On the day of the trial, Alicia was brought to another Justiciar room. The room was larger, and a crowd was gathering. Count Shadowstep, Rodrique, and several knights from Shadowstep were present on John’s side.

On the other side of the bench were several people—some rough-looking, like bandits, while others were soft-featured but had sharp looks about them. Cunning, like a weasel. Alicia assumed these people were from the Allegory Company.

Rodrique had explained to her that the Allegory Company was owned by Duke Luca, but it was unofficial. That’s why, no matter how this trial unfolded, Duke Luca would not be harmed. So, instead of implicating them, they should focus on John’s debt.

To Alicia’s surprise, she didn’t stand with her father during the trial. Of course, she had committed no crime. The one who would be tried was John, her father. So, Alicia was guided by the maid to the witness seat. A few moments later, the four Justiciars came into the judge’s seat, and the black-robed Justiciar led the case.

“The trial shall begin. Defendant: Allegory Company. Plaintiff: Knight John,” the Justiciar with the black robe—better known as the Justiciar of the Crown—said while knocking a wooden hammer on a pedestal.

“I shall begin,” the Justiciar of Faith, the one with the white robe, said. “John, the knight, was distraught at the enormous debt that had been burdened upon him, causing his child mage enormous distress and mental harm. For the well-being of the mages of the country, I petition the Justiciar of the Crown to grant Knight John amnesty in his debt.”

“I shall follow,” the Justiciar of the Arms, the one with the blue robe, said. “John, the knight, had paid two and a half gold coins toward his principal. Debts are not like fruit on trees; they must not be allowed to grow indefinitely. Right now, John has accrued a debt of over 1,034 gold coins, and his debt will increase to 1,239 gold coins in a few days. For the sake of all citizens, this practice must not be allowed. I petition the Justiciar of the Crown to limit debt to a maximum of 200% of the principal.”

“I shall counter,” the Justiciar of Commerce, the one with the golden robe, said. “Knight John had signed the debt willingly. The contract was legal and made without coercion, and thus, it must be held. I petition the Justiciar of the Crown to deny all of Knight John’s plea.”

“I have listened to your plea. We shall start with mediation. Allegory Company, do you have anything to say?”

“We shall forgive the entirety of Knight John’s debt in exchange for five years of Mage Alicia’s employment once she graduates from the academy. We shall not pursue the matter of the breach of contract any further. Paying over a thousand gold for five years of labor is very generous, don’t you think, Knight John?”

“I see. That sounds reasonable. Knight John, will you accept?” The Justiciar of the Crown turned toward John.

Alicia was underage and therefore, according to medieval customs, she must follow her father’s order. Alicia gasped at how cunning these merchants were.

“I refuse. Do not bring Alicia here. Your contract was in breach of Duke Bron’s law where I resided. Should a dispute arise, his law should take priority. I shall pay no more than two gold.” Knight John answered.

“I see. Allegory Company, do you accept?”

“We will not. Knight John’s debt has surpassed 1,000 gold coins. Reducing it to mere two gold coins would incur tremendous losses to us. In addition, the contract was signed within the capital. Thus, Duke Bron’s law should not be applicable in this case. I agree that forcing a mage to work for us would not be prudent. In that case, we shall let John work off his debt to us. How about 20 years of labor? It is normal for a person to work on his debt, right?”

“I see. That sounds reasonable.” The Justiciar of the Crown nodded.

“I will not. I will only pay five gold at maximum and nothing more.”

“Lord Justiciar, it is now proven that Knight John did not intend to pay his debt and did not honor his contract. He preferred to pay hundreds of gold coins to the Justiciar just to evade this debt. I ask for justice, Lord Justiciar of the crown.” The Allegory Company smirked. The two Justiciars who supported John seemed to change their minds as they raised their hands.

“Let me counter. A knight’s salary was about 2 gold coins per year, right? How about I pay 40 gold coins in exchange for the right to knight John? He is the father of a mage, and a mage’s family must be protected.”

“John is a man of arms. It is our duty to pay 40 gold coins.”

Alicia couldn’t believe her ears. So evil. So corrupt. She took a few deep breaths. Should she just do it? Should she abandon her duty and let Elidranthia kill these guys? This world was broken. The allure of letting Elidranthia kill these guys and become a demon queen was becoming more and more enticing.

Alicia clenched her teeth. Her fists curled into balls. She took another few deep breaths as she tried to contain her anger.

They were pawns. Even if I killed them, blacklisted their company from Shadowstep or my projects in the future, it would not harm them. The one I need to target is Duke Luca. I don’t want Eli to become a murderer. She is pure. She must not be corrupted in dealing with these evil guys. The bad guys are the CEOs; the salarymen working the counters, the laborers, the cleaners — they are innocent. It would be best if I were the one who killed them. Then, Eli could live in a world full of good people. She is kind. She has suffered from bullying all her life. She should not breathe the same air as these crooks.

Alicia didn’t know Eli was an assassin and child soldier in her previous life. She thought Eli was just a bullied paraplegic girl in her previous life. The capitalist practice here was egregious. Alicia wondered how the state could allow this. This kind of practice would ruin people — their own citizens. Alicia knew slaves existed even back on Earth; they just came out with different names. But this was another type of nasty.

Eli was watching from the sideline with a grim expression. She, who had experienced the dark side of the underworld back on Earth, sulked. She remembered these guys’ names and promised to ban the entirety of their companies from Shadowstep in the future.

Alas, all she could do was clench her teeth. The tide seemed to turn against their favor. Twenty years of slavery… John was a middle-aged man in his forties. Twenty years of work meant he would be a slave until his retirement.

Eli could feel her eyes wet with tears. She was a noble. But look at how powerless she was—she could not even save her friend’s father.

The Justiciar of the Crown broke the heavy atmosphere as he continued, his expression unchanging, as if all of these events were a mere Wednesday for him. So uncaring. So ruthless.

“Very well, the mediation has failed. We shall now turn toward the Justiciar. May I assume the Justiciar of Faith and the Justiciar of Arms sided with John in this argument?”

“Yes, Justiciar of the Crown.”

“And you, Justiciar of Commerce?”

“The Justiciar of Commerce shall side with the Allegory Company.”

“The Justiciar of the Crown shall ask Mage Alicia a question. Alicia, will you come to the castle with Lady Elidranthia for a few days? The King wishes to meet both of you.”

“Huh? Erm… when… milord?” The question came out of nowhere, that Alicia couldn’t help but blink in confusion.

“After the trial is finished,” he answered. Alicia glanced at Count Shadowstep and Eli. Count Shadowstep nodded while Eli turned to him in surprise.

“Yes… milord. If it is only for a few days.”

“Very well, the Justiciar of the Crown shall side with both the Justiciar of Arms and the Justiciar of Faith. With this, Knight John shall win the case. His demand will be fulfilled. From now on, Knight John will pay five gold to Allegory Company, and then his debt will be considered paid in full. Case dismissed.”

The old man knocked the hammer on the stand, signaling that the trial was over. The Allegory Company left without a word. No cursing. Nothing. Their faces didn’t even look like they had lost. It was as if this were a mere Wednesday for them.

Alicia looked at the trial in a daze. Her two brain cells could not comprehend what had just happened. She had won the case. But it didn’t feel like she had won.

That was a bit… anticlimactic. What the heck just happened? Ugh. I really need to polish my court etiquette skills. These noble schemes had gone right over my head. I didn’t even see them coming.

“Phew. That was nerve-wracking,” Count Shadowstep sighed at the tavern he had rented with Elidranthia. Now that the trial was over, Alicia and John had been evicted from the castle’s guestroom. However, since they had meetings with the king in a few days, they could not leave the city.

“Father, why did you nod? We already had two votes. Despite what they were saying, the Slane Dukedom and the Bron Dukedom were on our side, right?”

“The Justiciar of the Crown is the most important Justiciar. Unless all other Justiciars are against him, the one he votes for will win the case. Remember, Eli, this is the Althemer Empire. The Crown has the most authority.”

“That went faster and better than I thought. While we must still be on guard for what the king may request of us during the meeting, we should celebrate this win. It was the first time our Count Shadowstep had made a name for ourselves.” Rodrique poured himself and the other adults a glass of expensive wine he had ordered from the waitress.

He didn’t forget to give grape juice and milk to Eli and Alicia. But Alicia didn’t care. She was swept up in the jubilant mood the knights the count brought with him. They all cheered for John, celebrating his victory as if it were their own.

“We won!!”

“Yes, we won, Alicia! Now I can finally work to make you happy!”

Alicia leaped toward her father, who embraced her with a smile. Silent tears of happiness wet his cheeks. The knights and even bystanders all raised their beers in unison.

It might not be a full victory, but a new page of life had finally opened for John. He had escaped the treacherous spiral of slavery. Now, he had a future — a happy future with a happy daughter.

“Yay!!! We won, Dad!” Alicia hopped around the tavern, raising her arms as she ran and bumping against fellow knights of Shadowstep. The knights cheered with her, forgetting their manners. Even other customers who sat far away — since they knew there was a count present — smiled and raised their beers, infected by Alicia’s jubilant mood.

The jubilant mood continued, and the count was not so insensitive as to stop them from partying just because of etiquette. He let them be. Deciding to slip a gold coin to the barkeep to let the party go on.

“Thank you, Alicia! From now on, I can finally be with you. We can be happy!” John hugged her, patted her head, and lifted her into the air. She was his pride and joy. Always.

“Father…” Eli, who had etiquette ingrained in her, pinched her father’s robe. She should feel happy for Alicia. She had won against the evil of this world, The crushing debt that threatened her family. But a little bit of envy crept into her heart.

Eli and Alicia might have had different lives before and now, but one thing remained: they had never felt what parental love was. Eli couldn’t help but feel envious when Alicia’s father loved her so.

“Good grief, we are of a count’s household. Why would you envy mere peasants?” The count rolled his eyes. But his arm still went to her head, patting her as he nudged it to his bosom.

The envy dissipated, evaporating like smoke in the air. Eli hid her smile as she silently thanked her father. Her face embraced his chest as she hugged him tighter.