Chapter 945. Trial (4)
We were in the court of the Sacred Democratic Country, and this court, which was built on the blood of countless people, had to be the purest and sacred place throughout the Sacred Democratic Country, yet Jin Cheong was here spreading lies using his witness.
I got angry at the fact that the idea of fairness had just been thrown out of the window. How can I not be angry when the uncivilized beast of the Republic was using the sacred court to put his enemy in a difficult situation?
‘That cowardly and wicked bastard...’
I glanced at him. Was he unable to feel even an ounce of shame? Jin Cheong’s expression remained unchanging, and he was nodding at the witness’ every single word. The sound of prayer filled the court at some point.
“O Benigoa...!”
“Son of Light...!”
The guy who was summoned as a witness was someone I had never seen before, but it was possible that I had encountered him before, and I simply couldn't remember him. I could have run into him at the inn inside the Republic.
I wasn't sure where we stumbled upon each other, but I had definitely run into him at least once.
‘There’s no way he’d work in vain.’
I had no idea how long he had stayed at that inn, but he was definitely there...
‘And inns usually have logs containing the names of their guests...’
His alibi definitely matched perfectly with his sworn statement.
“He sounded like he was in extreme pain; he sounded like he was trying to hold back his screams, but he just couldn't do so because he was in so much pain.
"I heard someone scream as if they were venting their anger, and then I heard another scream immediately afterward. He must've been gagged at the time, as I could hear a muffled sound before everything went quiet.
"Just as I thought it was over, I heard someone hitting something, but I didn't hear any screams. I-I think that was when he fainted..." the witness explained.
“Objection, Your Honor. The witness is saying what he believes to be true rather than actual facts. He’s trying to sway the jury using speculative remarks,” a member of our side argued.
“Objection overruled. Let’s keep listening. Witness, did it happen only on that one day?” the judge asked.
“I don’t really remember, but it wasn't just that one particular day. I could hear it day and night from that day on,” the witness replied.
“Why did you not contact the local authorities?” the judge asked.
“B-because I was scared. I’m just an ordinary merchant. I was scared of revenge and getting caught up in a scary situation.
"S-So I comforted myself by saying it wasn’t a big deal. I really never imagined that something like that was going on, but I have no excuses,” the witness replied.
‘They sure are prepared.’
“Have you ever seen those two come out of their room?” the judge asked.
“I remember them spending most of their time in their room. They'd sometimes come out to the dining room to eat... but I couldn't quite see his face because he was always covered in what looked like a blanket—” the witness answered.
“Your Honor, there isn't enough evidence to support the witness’ testimony. Being in the same inn is not enough evidence,” Miss Kim Mi-Young interrupted.
“I swear to the Goddess that I am not giving a false testimony. The man covered in what looked like a blanket was limping; he was having a hard time walking with his legs!
"Back then, I couldn’t tell whether that man was Father Lee Ki-Young or not, but I’m sure of it now. He'd often drop his spoon while eating as if one side of his body was in pain, and he couldn’t eat properly,” the witness argued.
“Objection, Your Honor!” our party shouted.
Our defense counsel raised objections, but the judge didn’t even look their way.
‘We’re going to submit evidence as well.’
The annoying Jin Cheong got up and said, “I will now present the list of guests who stayed at the inn at the time and a video footage of the dining hall as evidence.”
The video contained in the video orb was promptly displayed on a big Goddess’ Mirror.
‘Damn. I really went all in with my acting here.’
Obviously, we saw the dining hall of the inn.
A limping man entered the dining hall. He was covered in a dirty blanket and was eating his food cautiously, but it seemed that he lacked the energy to even hold up a spoon, as it kept falling to the table. His hands were trembling as he forced himself to eat a few bites before dragging himself back upstairs. He looked really pitiful.
“Honorable judge, Cardinal, and jurors, I believe you’ll make the right choice here. The evidence is rock solid. Upon entering the Republic, Father Lee Ki-Young was faced with extreme brutality, and we don't even dare to imagine... the suffering he had gone through before he arrived in the Republic,” Jin Cheong said.
‘Father Lee Ki-Young, my ass! He’s such a... dirty bastard.’
“This is what Father Lee Ki-Young looked like when we discovered him,” Jin Cheong added.
A picture of me appeared on the Goddess’ Mirror, but I had no idea when that picture was even taken. I looked like a mess, and I looked like I definitely received a good beating or two. My wounds were treated using holy power, but traces of the ruthless torture were still visible to me. My neck was swollen, and my eyes were bruised.
I was so dehydrated that my lips were chapped, and blood was dripping down from it.
“Ah...” I heard someone gasp from the crowd. Belier, a new guild member, was staring at the Goddess’ Mirror with a flushed face.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
My weak smile brought tears to everyone's eyes. The smile that seemed capable of forgiving everything—even the criminal who had subjected me to extreme torture—made everyone feel like crying on the spot.
“Let go of me! That bastard! That bastard!” someone shouted.
‘Ah, shit.’
I heard a commotion among the crowd.
‘Why did he come here?’
The furious Park Deok-Gu stood up.
The Holy Knights and the security guards tried to stop him from shouting, but it was useless.
“That bastard! You’re telling me that’s how he treated our hyung-nim?! You shameless bastard!” Park Deok-Gu shouted.
The pig was even crying.
“Let go of me! I don’t care about this court or trial or whatever! I have to beat him to a pulp, or I'm never going to feel better!” Park Deok-Gu yelled.
“...”
The Holy Knights and the security guards had no choice but to drag him out, but he didn't stop cursing as he was being dragged out of the court.
“You’re a monster! How dare you hurt him! Our hyung-nim did nothing wrong! H-How could you hurt him?! Oh no... hyung-nim...! Oh no... I feel really bad for you, hyung-nim...” Park Deok-Gu cried out.
‘Just leave, man.’
“That bastard is guilty, Your Honor! Cardinal! And jurors! I’m ignorant, so I don’t know much about the law, but that fool is guilty! He’s guilty!” Park Deok-Gu shouted.
‘Please leave.’
“Sob! Our hyung-nim had once decided to abandon everything for the continent, which resulted in his demise. It hasn't even been that long since he was revived, and he has already suffered such a—sob!
"How could you do that to him?! How could you do such a thing to such a selfless and self-sacrificing man?!” Park Deok-Gu exclaimed.
‘Please just leave...’
The pig was just rambling on, but it was pretty effective. The crowd empathized with him as he spat out a bunch of nonsense while crying his heart out. In addition to those quietly sobbing, I saw a few people crying their hearts out as well.
‘Get out already, man.’
“I’ll say one more thing. Jurors, my fist... this fist of mine won’t reach him, but your fists will reach. I’m... just his stupid younger brother, and I can’t avenge him, but all of you can avenge him!
"The job to avenge him is in your hands; you have to do it for the continent and for hyung-nim! You must punish that fool... so that this will never happen again. We must create a continent where hyung-nim will be safe!” Park Deok-Gu shouted.
‘Just get out. Why are you still here?’
He didn’t lower his voice despite getting dragged out. The unexpected favorable situation caused Jin Cheong to smile and it was to the point that I started questioning if maybe that pig was on his side.
“Please remember my words! Jurors! Our hyung-nim!!!”
Boom!
The doors closed and although it didn’t last long, it was impactful.
‘Damn it.’
“I request for a recess.”
The atmosphere was so one-sided that there was no way a proper trial could be done.
Miss Kim Mi-Young quietly raised her hand, requesting for a recess but even that was hard here.
“The witness’s testimony isn’t over yet, Your Honor,” Jin Cheong argued.
“Please continue, then," the judge said.
“I’ll also submit these pictures as evidence,” Jin Cheong said.
“Objection, Your Honor. Those pictures cannot be used as proof that Templar Gen was violent to Father Lee Ki-Young,” Kim Mi-Young chimed in.
“Then, who did it?!” Jin Cheong shouted.
“...”
“Who?! Who inflicted those wounds on Father Lee Ki-Young?!” Jin Cheong questioned.
Everything felt fabricated.
To make matters worse, the bastards who gave me a beating were no longer a part of this world.
“Who committed such malicious and thoughtless brutality on Father Lee Ki-Young?! Tell me! Who? Who did it?!” Jin Cheong asked.
They had completely disappeared, and I was sure the videos with their figures on Benigoa Net had all been taken down.
Of course, I didn't really think that they'd be useful in this private prosecution.
The defense counsel hesitated.
Jin Cheong seemed to be enjoying this, as he was really energetic.
He slammed the table and opened his arms wide with exaggeration. It was like he was relieving his regret of not being able to participate in Father Lee Ki-Young’s rescue operation. He spoke with confidence as if he was the protagonist of this stage.
“I know the answer, Your Honor,” Jin Cheong said.
“Go on.”
“We found some blood in one of the places where Father Lee Ki-Young and that vicious criminal stayed for a while. I’ll also submit them as evidence,” Jin Cheong said.
“...”
“We also discovered traces of Father Lee Ki-Young getting beaten up in a desolate building inside the Demonic Forest of Laios. We believe they stayed there for a while before entering the Republic," Jin Cheong added.
It really was too easy to transform someone into a criminal.
I was bleeding at the time due to all the sewing that I was doing.
“Objection, Your Honor!” Kim Mi-Young shouted.
“Objection overruled. You’ll have your turn once the prosecution is done presenting their evidence,” the judge said.
“...”
“The exhausted and weakened Father Lee Ki-Young was constantly being assaulted even in Laios, and it was the same in the Republic. With that in mind, I'm sure it was the same even while they were moving around hiding from our rangers.
"There’s an overwhelming amount of evidence that supports this claim. The rangers of the investigation team also discovered traces of holy power being used constantly from the Demonic Forest to the Republic, but there were no traces of battle,” Jin Cheong said.
“...”
“There were no traces of battle, but we found traces of a healing spell being cast by holy power. I'm sure it's the accused. He definitely used Father Lee Ki-Young’s holy power to heal the latter, who was probably dying at the time.
"I'm sure Father Lee Ki-Young was dying because his weak physique couldn't endure the ruthless beating and violence being inflicted on him. The accused must've been taking out his anger on Lee Ki-Young.
"Of course, it could have been just a joke, or he could have done it for literally nothing at all. We are unsure of his motives, but he was killing the Son of Light,” Jin Cheong added.
“...”
“What are you so afraid of, Father Lee Ki-Young? What are you so afraid of that you’re sitting there? You shouldn't be there,” Jin Cheong questioned.
'Annoying bastard.'
“He can no longer harm you, and you no longer have to empathize with his pain. He’s a criminal,” Jin Cheong said.
“He’s the accused, not a criminal,” Kim Mi-Young corrected.
“There’s a story behind every criminal out there. I know you’re trying to side with him and understand him. Everyone knows you love humans, after all. Hahaha!” Jin Cheong chuckled.
'Why are you laughing? Is it that fun?'
Jin Cheong seemed to have realized that he had made a mistake because his expression immediately turned solemn.
“However, you don’t need to show love to such a vicious monster, Father Lee Ki-Young. You’re a victim, so you don’t need to defend him. Don’t make excuses for him. You must live for yourself,” Jin Cheong said.
“Objection, Your Honor. He’s talking about things unrelated to the trial,” Kim Mi-Young argued.
“That's it. I’ll also submit the rangers' notes as evidence. Honorable Judge and Cardinal, I'm done,” Jin Cheong said.
And that was the end of it.
I felt like he had punched me a few times, and his storytelling was so perfect that I couldn't find any holes in it.
He took advantage of the temporary guild members, who were no longer part of this world. The documents and evidence that he had gathered while I was acting my heart out at the time were perfect.
They were fabricated, but the fabrication was so perfect that they were basically the truth.
‘Damn it.’
There was no way we could turn this around today. Park Deok-Gu had made such a big commotion out of this case that it was no longer possible to turn this around. Still, I had to stand up. It was going to sound like nonsense, but I had to say something here.
“Templar Gen... He’s a victim as well,” I said.
Of course, it was just a bunch of nonsense.