Chapter 31: The Trial is Boring!

“Greetings, Lady Alpheusus, from Filica Countdom. I am Count Shadowstep, here to bring Alicia, the mage, and her father, John,” Count Shadowstep said to the receptionist in Althemer Palace. Alicia looked at him weirdly for remembering the name of the receptionist, thinking he was a stalker.

“Ew. How did your father know her name? Is he a stalker? The girl was literally half his age. Ouch!” Alicia whispered to Elidranthia. Her whisper was loud enough that she earned another head smack—this time from Rodrique.

“It is common and expected for nobles to know each other’s names, Alicia. It seems you have been skipping your etiquette lessons. I need to remind you once more that here in the palace, every employee is of noble birth. Please show respect.”

“Yes…”

“Miss Laura hadn’t gone that far in the lesson. I wonder if she didn’t expect us to go into the palace,” Eli pondered. Unlike Alicia, who didn’t pay much attention to Laura’s lessons, Eli studied all the material given to her as if her life depended on it. She was sure Laura hadn’t taught her about palace etiquette.

“I see. Then, I owe Alicia an apology. Her misconduct arose from ignorance, not malice. As for your answer, Lady Elidranthia, Miss Laura likely did not expect you to visit a palace so soon. A more advanced etiquette lesson in the Royal Academy would have covered this. She likely focused more on etiquette for the Royal Academy.”

“It dawned on me that I will have to attend the Royal Academy, won’t I? I am nervous.”

“Yes. In less than two years, when you turn twelve years old, you will need to attend the Academy, Milady. Fear not—from Miss Laura, Mr. Brexford, and Mr. Alexandraine’s reports, your academic ability is exceptional. I am sure you will do well in the Academy.”

“Alicia, John, will you come with us?” a court noble called. Alicia didn’t know who he was, but he was definitely a noble. His uniform was like Count Shadowstep’s. When Alicia scanned her surroundings, she realized that these nobles all wore different uniforms. The receptionist was probably a baron’s or count’s daughter—that’s why her uniform had few embellishments, while a full noble like the one who greeted them just now had distinct embroidery on his.

“Greetings. I apologize, but I am merely a knight from a rural area. I know your lordship is a count, but I failed to catch your name.” John bowed.

So that uniform means a count, huh?
Is it the embroidery on his chest, or is it the embroidery on his shoulder?

Alicia looked at the court noble in front of her, scanning him from head to toe, trying to find a distinct mark that might distinguish his rank.

“I am Count Alistar—a court noble, granted title by His Majesty. You shall address me as such. According to the report, when you were traveling here, you were attacked by bandits with your mage daughter. Was the report correct?”

“Yes, Lord Alistar.”

“And you assumed that this attack was specifically aimed at you? What made you think so?”

“Because the bandit pointed at me. The bandit leader singled me out from among all the caravan members I was traveling with.”

“Why were you and your daughter traveling to the capital?”

“We were trying to get debt amnesty from the capital.”

“Was the debt made illegally? Were you scammed or coerced into signing it?”

“...No, Lord Alistar. We borrowed money from Duke Luca—one gold coin. However, our business went bankrupt, and I can’t pay off the rest of the debt.”

“I see. Then what makes you think you have a chance of winning the case? The debt is legal and made without coercion.”

“I am a resident of Shadowstep County, serving as a knight. In our county, we have a usury law that forbids any debt from growing beyond twice the principal.”

“I see. How much debt do you owe Duke Luca now?”

“1,034 gold coins, Lord Alistar. The principal was one gold coin. I’ve paid two and a half gold coins over the past three years, using almost all the money I earned while working as a knight.” John clenched his teeth. He knew he should remain calm, but his voice still trembled as the weight of reality crushed him.

His hand clenched, grabbing the black trousers Count Shadowstep had bought for him. The wrinkles on the fabric mirrored the ones on his face.

“... I see. That will be all for today. I hope your case goes through,” Count Alistar said. “You’re lucky. Most people don’t even have the money to pay a Justiciar for a case like this—even some nobles. I suppose the Goddess Sistielle has blessed you, giving you a mage daughter.”

“My daughter is my daughter. The only one I have. The only family I have left and love. Her being a mage changes nothing.”

Alicia turned to her father. His words sank deep into her heart. His conviction was unwavering. Without thinking, Alicia leaned her head against his arm.

“I’ve heard your case. While the trial is ongoing, you’ll remain here at the palace. A room will be provided. You may not meet with anyone except court nobles approved by the Justiciar.” Count Alistar nodded and left.

“Thank you, Lord Alistar.” John bowed. Alicia curtsied. A maid appeared moments later. After several turns and corridors, Alicia and John arrived at a luxurious room—nearly five meters wide, with two beds and a bathroom outfitted with arcane stones.

“You may use the water as you please. It’s safe to drink or use for bathing. A maid will visit three times a day to deliver food and collect laundry. You may not leave the room until further notice,” the maid said, then left.

Alicia flopped onto one of the beds. Despite having done nothing all day, she already felt exhausted.

“Let’s go outside!” Alicia pleaded with her father, but he refused.

“Alicia, didn’t you hear what the maid said? We’re not allowed to leave this room until further notice.”

“Eh? Why? We didn’t do anything wrong—why are we being kept like this? Are we in prison?” Alicia asked, startled. John made it sound like they were being held in a very fancy cell.

“We did nothing wrong, Alicia. Prisons aren’t just for criminals—they’re also used to protect eyewitnesses and victims. This way, we’re protected.”

“Huh?” Alicia widened her eyes. This wasn’t modern Earth—jails and prisons here were used to secure relevant parties, not just to punish them.

A few hours later, lunch arrived. The maid came in, said nothing, placed food for two, and then left. She didn’t even offer a greeting.

“Papa….”

“Please hold on until the trial is over, alright? We’re not supposed to talk to anyone, to prevent our story from getting muddled. Bribery during a trial is a serious crime.”

With nothing to do, Alicia lazed around on the bed. If this were modern Earth, she could’ve stayed cooped up in her room for days—but without games or entertainment, boredom quickly set in. She played with her magic, floating a fireball, waterball, and windball over her head. She swirled them slowly, tapping her feet on the corner of the bed as she watched her magic spin in a daze.

After a dozen hours of magic play, she grew tired and curled up beside her father on the soft couch, resting her head on his lap. John, used to long hours as a gate guard, sat without complaint. His mind was off to the future trial.

As the day passed, a maid came to them.

“A second preliminary trial will be conducted. Please proceed to the Justiciar Room.”

Through the dizzying maze of palace hallways, Alicia followed the maid’s footsteps like a convict. The only thing that kept her from truly feeling like one was the lack of a prison uniform—and the maid’s overly polite demeanor.

“John may come first. After he finishes, Alicia will go next,” the maid said.

“Yes.” John patted Alicia on the head before stepping inside as the door opened.

Alicia glimpsed the Justiciar Room through the opening. It looked just like a courtroom from modern Earth. In that moment, Alicia knew what awaited her inside—a long list of questions from some evil lawyers. She sighed.

“The trial is boring…” she muttered, echoing the title of the chapter.

Seeing how empty the room was, she knew there wouldn’t be any drama—just endless questions about what happened during the attack.

“Please be patient, Child of Mana. We wish only to protect you. To protect you, we need to know the truth,” the maid said with a smile. She then handed Alicia a pouch filled with cookies. “Here, some sweets for you.”

“Thank you!” Alicia, the airhead, took the cookies without question. The sweet and crunchy taste filled her with such joy that she briefly forgot where she was. Now that she had something to distract her, her thoughts began to wander.

Of course, she didn’t wander far. She knew her limits. As long as the maid could see her, it was okay. Three hours passed like that, and eventually, John finally came out.

“Alicia, if you will,” the maid said, gently shaking her from her daze.

The birdbrained Alicia had been busy inspecting pigeons that had landed on the palace windowsill, eating the crumbs from her cookies. Alicia was a prime example of someone doing her best to waste time. There was no skip button in the real world, after all, and boredom had thoroughly taken over.

“Huh? Oh, right.” Alicia nodded, wiped her drooling mouth, and handed the nearly empty pouch of cookies back to the maid before heading in.

The courtroom—no, the Justiciar Room—was silent, with only four people seated where the judges were supposed to be. One sat at the forefront, while the other three were positioned behind him.

“Please have a seat,” the old man at the front said, gesturing to the chair in front of him. His black robe bore no embroidery. It was as if the color alone was enough to declare who he was.

“The Justiciar will now conduct a direct review of the case with the child of the victim. Alicia, are you the daughter of John, Knight of Shadowstep?”

“Yes. I am.”

“Answer with ‘Yes, milord.’ You are a mage, but you are a commoner,” the old man with a black robe, sitting at the forefront, snorted.

“Yes, milord. I am Alicia,” Alicia replied, bowing. She wasn’t in Shadowstep anymore. Despite her usual casual attitude, she understood the importance of TPO—Time, Place, and Occasion.

“I see that your etiquette is lacking. Apparently, Count Shadowstep didn’t teach his subjects well,” the old man said. His demeaning tone grated on Alicia’s nerves.

“I am a mage… milord. Count Shadowstep offered me a degree of flexibility in etiquette lessons, as long as I filled arcane stones within his domain,” Alicia said. It took all her strength to keep calling him ‘milord.’ His belittling remark made her want to lash out, but she knew this was the courtroom. She had to be polite at all times.

“Good. I’m glad Count Shadowstep honors his mages—unlike the Crown, who only values status. Mages must be honored and protected, for they are the pinnacle of our progress. I can’t accept how Count Shadowstep put such a young mage against bandits,” said a man seated behind the lead judge. He was young—barely thirty—and wore a white robe with a sun embroidered on it.

“I must counter that,” said another man, this one middle-aged, wearing a blue robe adorned with a sword and shield emblem. “The bandit attack was sudden and unpredicted. I’m glad Count Shadowstep trains his mages to cooperate with knights. According to the report, there were ten knights and two mages against over fifty bandits, with only slight injuries. Mages from Slane territory wouldn’t have stood a chance. They’d panic, fumble their spells, and endanger everyone—including themselves.”

“Move on with the question,” the old man in black interrupted. “Let us proceed with the review. Alicia, is it true that your father owes a large sum of money to Duke Luca?”

How am I supposed to know? Alicia thought. Well, everyone’s been saying it. But I can’t just say, ‘I heard it from Count Shadowstep’ in front of a judge, right?

Her two brain cells scrambled, discussed, and ruminated. After a moment, she answered:

“Well. Yes. I suppose so?”

“You suppose?” the old man echoed, unimpressed.

“I didn’t see the deed myself, but my father and Count Shadowstep talked about it. He also said my father had to borrow more money just to pay the Justiciar.”

“Could there be another reason he called for the Justiciar?” the man in the white robe asked. “Perhaps he wanted to migrate to another province, but Count Shadowstep refused?”

“No. There’s not… milord.” Alicia mentally reminded herself again to keep tacking on “milord” at the end of every sentence.

The man in black was about to ask another question, but a bell rang, sharp and clear. A single ting was all Alicia heard, but all the men stood up from their chair in practiced motion.

“It seems recess is in order. We shall continue the review after lunch, Alicia,” he said.

He stood up. Meanwhile, a silent, round man in a yellow robe fixed Alicia with a dangerous glare.

But for now, Alicia was safe.