Chapter 30 - The Grand Trial

Chapter 30 – The Grand Trial

Author's Note: Will justice be delivered to Naofumi? Wait and see!

The rambunctious crowd was quite confused at what was going on. Though, since it was a very big event, much of the city showed up to watch. There were at least a few thousand spectators.

All my witnesses agreed to come, and I had completed my script and gathered my evidence. Before the trial, Malty had a restraining seal attached to her, which would not hurt her but only serve as a lie detector. I didn't need to hurt her, as her lying alone would cause the crowd to turn on her.

"Order in the court!" Mirellia ordered.

The crowd immediately shushed. They really did fear the queen's authority.

"Today, we are adjudicating the case of Melromarc vs. Malty and Aultcray Melromarc. Her Majesty Mirellia Q. Melromarc will be the judge of the case and will hand out the verdict, while his excellency the bow hero and Count of Port Sera, Satoshi Sera, will be prosecuting on behalf of the crown."

The crowd was baffled. They knew who was being accused, but for the royal family to be prosecuted was extremely rare. Maybe this was the first similar case in the history of Melromarc.

"All that are present in the court of law today, do you all swear to tell the truth?"

"Yes!" We all answered.

Suddenly, Malty's crest flashed. The crowd was very confused.

"Does this mean she will be lying for the entire case?"

"It's probably just broken or something."

The crowd eventually quieted down.

"Now, may Count Sera deliver his opening statement."

Thousands of eyes glared in my direction. Malty was looking at me in disgust, Aultcray quite assertively, and Naofumi very hopingly.

I stood, and walked up to Mirellia, the judge.

"King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII and Princess Malty S. Melromarc have committed countless, unsurmountable crimes against the Kingdom and its people. The acts they have committed are too many to name. Out of the two, however, Princess Malty's crimes are most grievous. According to our investigations, she has committed arson, poaching, petty theft, treason, high treason, manslaughter, damaging and stealing crops and finally false accusation of rape."

The crowd were taken aback at the severity of the crimes and the accusation.

"That is false!" Malty cried.

A guard held her back and silenced her.

"Silence! It is not your turn to speak yet!"

The crowd gasped at the interruption.

Unphased, I continued my opening statement.

"King Aultcray, however, has committed high treason and treason. Both people being accused today have wronged the good people of the kingdom, from Riyute to the Northern Territories, from Mirso to the West. With undeniable proof, the two are absolutely guilty of their accused crimes."

"Now," Mirellia thundered. "The prosecutor may make his case."

I stomped over to Malty and slammed my hands as hard as I could on the table in front of her. Cracks emerged, and the echoes rung throughout the crowd.

"Is it true that during your mother's departure from the kingdom, you have spent to the sum of 3000 gold, which was withdrawn from the royal treasury?"

"No, I have not. That is completely untrue. The bow hero has been possessed and controlled by the Shield Demon!"

Her seal had flashed with the brightness of a thousand suns, twice. The crowd was booing, knowing that she had lied.

"This means you have spent that much money?"

"You witch!"

"Shame on you!"

The queen hushed the crowd.

"Furthermore, I have a witness and evidence to prove myself. May the first witness please make his way to the center."

A fat, old man stumbled on to the stage, his palms sweating profusely.

"Is it true that Princess Malty has spent 3000 gold and had taken it from the royal coffers without her mother's permission?"

The man hesitated, before continuing.

"Yes, that is true. She forced my signature at knifepoint, with guards surrounding me. Here is the document to prove it."

The finance minister pulled out a sheet of paper. A guard read it aloud to the crowd.

"I, the finance minister of the Kingdom of Melromarc, hereby grant to Princess Malty the sum of 3000 gold, effective immediately."

The crowd booed even louder. Many were screaming profanities.

"I pay my taxes every year! Why should you get my money?"

"This is lies! Lies, I tell you! Lies!"

Malty's crest shined even brighter.

"Liar!" The crowd chanted. "Liar! Liar! Liar!"

Some were even yelling: "Guillotine!"

The crowd had to be hushed again.

"This is but a fraction of her crimes. Is it true that you have caused a forest fire to rage on in the countryside, ravaging hundreds of homes and causing thousands to lose their livelihoods?"

"Nonsense!" Malty pleaded. "I'd never do such a thing! It was the Shield Demon!"

Her crest flashed three times. The crowd was even more furious.

The villager that I had summoned as a witness told her tear-jerking story of how her husband had died trying to protect his family from the fire. Furthermore, her entire farm had burnt down, and she had spent the last few weeks scouring the streets for food and water.

The tension in the crowd was palpable. Then, it exploded.

"Traitor! Execute her!"

"How dare you starve us! How dare you!"

Many people were pelting her with rocks. She had to duck under her table to avoid getting lynched on the spot.

"Order in the court! Order in the court!"

Royal guards had to storm the stands to quell the chaos. Ignoring this, I continued making my case, walking right up to Malty and staring into her horrified eyes.

"You have also wrongfully accused the Shield Hero of rape, have you not?"

"That is completely false!" Malty asserted, amidst boos from the crowd. He forced himself on me, and I was rescued by Motoyasu!"

Her crest flashed two more times. At this point, I was surprised my retinas hadn't burnt out.

"Furthermore, you had conspired with the church to overthrow the country and helped them launch a coup against the kingdom. And you also conspired with them to falsely accuse the shield hero of rape upon his arrival!"

At this point, I was going off script. I didn't care, as it had a profound effect, and we were obviously winning the case at this point.

"You're lying! I never did those things, or anything you have accused me of! I've done nothing wrong!"

The crest flashed three more times. The crowd was so furious that many of them started scaling the barriers between the stands and the square. The entire guard had to be gathered to prevent them from doing so.

"Furthermore, I have a witness to further prove it!"

The church disciple that had overheard Malty walked in. He nervously told the tale of how Malty was talking to the high priest, and about how she wanted to be queen and how she wanted the shield hero to be the scapegoat for everything.

The crowd were deeply sympathetic with Naofumi. Some even began throwing flowers into the court.

Malty was on her knees at this point, begging the crowd to forgive her. All she received was an oyster shell to the face. Blood was streaming down her cheeks, making her look quite scary.

A rain of spontaneous objects, from rocks to oyster shells to even chickens rained down above the entire court. Naofumi had to use air strike shield to keep us safe. Malty was screeching in pain from the descending projectiles.

"We have heard enough." Mirellia announced. "Princess Malty and King Aultcray shall be put to- "

"Your Majesty, if I may. I'd like to offer them a plea bargain."

Mirellia hesitated for a bit, but then agreed.

"Go on."

The crowd was fixated on me, prepared to pelt me if I didn't do what they wanted.

Malty was in excruciating pain from the projectiles thrown from the crowd, her body bruised and battered. She was in horrible shape, and she was wincing from the pain.

"I will give you a chance to avoid death. If you relinquish your royal title and legally change your name to "Swine" and your adventuring name to "Witch" and promise to stay in the Spear Hero party for the rest of your life to atone for your wrongdoings and pay back every cent you earn to pay off the kingdom's debt, you shall be allowed to live. Allowing such scum to die would be too easy for her."

The crowd nodded in agreement. Naofumi did as well.

Then, I turned to Aultcray, whose face was somber upon hearing my previous statement.

"And you, King Aultcray. If Malty will accept her punishment, then considering your heroic actions in defending the country in previous conflicts, you shall lose nothing, but you will be forced to walk one lap around the castle in shame."

"No!" Malty screamed. "I won't accept! I won't! I'd rather die!"

Obliging, two guards grabbed their halberds and prepared to slice her neck in half. One lightly jabbed the nape of her neck, causing some blood to trickle to the floor.

Malty was shivering violently, her eyes wide open. She stared into my soul, and Naofumi's as well.

"You." Her voice quivered. "It was you who did this to me."

"Tut-tut-tut." I hushed her. "If it wasn't for Naofumi's graciousness to let you keep on living, you'd have your head lopped off right now. You have one last chance. Do you want to live and accept your punishment, or die at the guillotine right now?"

"Let me die! I'd rather die than have my reputation tarnished!"

"5." I counted.

Malty was puzzled. She didn't know what to do.

"4. The clock is ticking."

"3."

The crowd joined in.

"2."

Malty was shaking uncontrollably. She had to make a choice soon.

"1."

"Alright!" She screeched demonically. "I'll take the plea bargain! Just let me live!"

Aultcray reluctantly agreed to the plea bargain as well, since he was barely receiving any punishment.

Mirellia slammed her gavel onto the judge's desk.

"Thus, this case is settled. The punishments shall be dished out immediately."

The crowd was disappointed that nobody got executed, but they cheered, nevertheless.

"Long live the queen!" They exclaimed. "Long live the Bow Hero!"

How did you like the trial? Chapter 31 out soon!