Peace Hunter

"Instead of asking that question, you'd better think about what to do with those two Dukes. No, I mean the two 'former' Dukes," said Miss Karina.

"Well, you have a point. Rather than wasting time on pointless talk, we'd better get to the bottom of this."

"I'll start with the case of Rid Archie. After listening to the voices from the crystal, I've decided that Rid Archie, the former perpetrator of the murders in Hevea Forest, is innocent. Rid Archie was proven guilty of murdering the victims in Hevea Forest, but his actions were in self-defense, as he was the one the victims wanted to kill first. According to the laws of the San Fulgen Kingdom, Rid Archie is declared innocent after the act of self-defense has been proven. Therefore, Rid Archie will be released immediately. Gentlemen, please remove the handcuffs from Rid Archie's hands," said Judge Roswald.

"Yes, Your Honor," said the knights standing behind me.

One of the knights approached me and took a key from his pocket. He then unlocked the handcuffs on my hands. The handcuffs were now removed, and he put the key and the handcuffs back into his pocket. After the handcuffs were removed, I immediately held my handcuffed hand.

"Finally, it's off. It felt so uncomfortable," I said.

Meanwhile, Miss Karina was smiling as she looked at me.

"Please stand, Rid Archie," the knight said.

"Yes," I said.

I immediately stood up from the chair in the middle.

"Since you've been released, you can move to the back seat to await the conclusion of this entire trial," the knight said.

"Ok," I said.

I prepared to walk back to the audience seats, but before that, I decided to speak to Miss Karina, who was in front of me.

"I already knew that Miss Karina had planned something by giving me the crystal. Thank you for freeing me, Miss," I said.

"No, I'm the one who's grateful. Thanks to you, this great evil plan was uncovered. Her Majesty the Queen seems to want to thank you for this as well," said Miss Karina.

Then I turned to Queen Kayana, who was standing near the entrance to the courthouse. When I looked at Queen Kayana, she also looked at me with a smile.

"I see. We're both grateful, Miss," I said, turning back to Miss Karina.

"By the way, Miss Karina, I'll be waiting in the back seat after this. What about you?" I asked.

"I'll stay here; feel free to go there if you want," said Miss Karina.

"Ok, miss, then if you'll excuse me," I said.

I immediately walked to the back seat, which was the audience seat. As I walked, Duke James and Duke Darwin looked at me with angry faces. I also looked at them and smiled. It wasn't just the two of them; Commander Luka was also looking at me with an angry expression. Meanwhile, Duke Remy looked at me with a casual expression.

After looking at those on the right side of the audience seats, I then looked in front of me, to the left side of the audience seats. In those seats were Commander Asier and Duke Louis, in the front seats. It seemed that Duke Louis had been calmed and brought back to his seat by Commander Asier after nearly attacking Duke James. Meanwhile, Caroline and Commander Oliver were right behind Duke Louis and Commander Asier. As I looked at them, Caroline waved her hand when she saw me.

"Brother Rid, come here. There's an empty seat here," Caroline said.

The empty seat Caroline was referring to was the one next to her. It seemed Caroline had overheard the conversation between the knights telling me to wait in the audience seats, so she immediately offered me the empty seat. I immediately approached Caroline after she told me that and took the seat.

"You seem relieved, Rid," said Commander Asier, who was standing in front of me.

"Yes, I can finally relax now that my case is over," I said.

"I already suspected that Brother Rid was innocent in that incident," Caroline said.

"But I didn't expect the academy principal to be the one to help free Rid. I've already ordered some of my men to search for suspicious evidence in Hevea Forest, and my father is also looking for other evidence related to Duke San Angela's suspicious activities. I also didn't expect that the evidence the academy principal possessed would not only exonerate Rid but also uncover a major criminal plot underway in this kingdom. Who would have thought that the two of them intended to kill our entire family and even Her Majesty the Queen," said Commander Asier.

"You're right, Asier. I didn't expect them to intend to assassinate Her Majesty the Queen, even though they are Dukes whose authority is directly under Her Majesty the Queen," said Commander Oliver.

"It seems we must be careful from now on, Commander. Because even though those two people have been identified, there is still one person who has not been identified from that conversation," said Commander Asier.

"You're right. From that conversation, before the son of Duke San Angela mentioned the name of the mysterious person, he was heard vomiting, and after that the conversation ended. Young Master Rid, did you kill him immediately before he finished speaking?" asked Commander Oliver.

"No, Commander. Enzo vomited blood on his own before he named the mysterious person. I also interrogated Javier, the son of Marquess Marcelo. I asked who instructed him to help those people kill me. When he was about to mention the person's name, he immediately vomited blood, just like Enzo had. It seems the person whose name Enzo and Javier wanted to mention is the same person, and that person seems so wary that it causes those who mention his name to vomit blood," I said.

"I see. It seems very difficult to identify that person," said Commander Oliver.

"For now, we should focus on protecting the target they intend to kill, Commander. Since they intend to kill our entire family, my father and I will focus on protecting our entire family," said Commander Asier.

"Yes, that's right. Since there's still one person who hasn't been identified, there's a possibility they'll still be targeting our family. So we will focus on protecting our entire family. I won't let them touch our entire family," said Duke Louis.

Duke Louis looked angry, but he managed to calm himself.

"I see. Since Asier and the Duke San Lucia are part of the San Lucia family, it's your duty to protect your family. Then I will focus on protecting Her Majesty the Queen, as that is my duty. Well, although it seems Her Majesty the Queen doesn't need my protection," said Commander Oliver, looking back at Queen Kayana, who was standing there.

"Wait a minute, isn't the one who deserves to be protected more than Brother Rid? Because, as mentioned in the conversation earlier, the reason they want to kill Brother Rid is because Brother Rid is currently in a relationship with Princess Irene. This prevents Princess Irene from participating in the ~Matchmaking Battle~ and hinders their plans. For their plan to proceed smoothly, they must kill Brother Rid and end the relationship between Brother Rid and Princess Irene. Once their relationship is over, Princess Irene will automatically return to being a participant in the ~Matchmaking Battle~, and their plans can proceed according to plan," said Caroline.

"Princess Caroline, don't worry, since Rid is already part of the San Lucia family, he is one of the people we will protect," said Commander Asier.

"Since when did I become part of the San Lucia family? I haven't even married Irene yet. Rather than that, I don't mind not being protected by anyone because I'm confident I can protect myself. In fact, I feel uncomfortable being surrounded by people who are tasked with protecting me all the time," I said.

"I understand that feeling completely," Caroline said.

"Why do you say that, Princess?" asked Commander Oliver, surprised.

"Besides, since the scenario they planned for Matchmaking Battle has been revealed, it's impossible for them to use that scenario again. Also, since there's a major scenario planned for that event, there's a chance that Matchmaking Battle will be canceled altogether. So they won't use that scenario again. There's a possibility that those who haven't been revealed will implement a new scenario, possibly one where they intend to directly attack the targets they intend to assassinate," I said.

"What Young Master Rid said is correct. It seems like they might attack their targets directly after this. We can't rest easy until all the perpetrators are revealed. We must protect the people they're targeting," said Commander Oliver.

"Yes. My father and I will continue to strive to protect the entire San Lucia family, even though it's difficult because the members aren't all in the same place. For example, Irene and Nadine are currently at the academy, as they are students there," said Commander Asier.

"Don't worry, Brother Asier. You can focus on protecting the San Lucia family members outside the academy, while I will protect Irene and senior Nadine inside the academy. I will make sure nothing happens to them," I said.

"Hearing you say that, I think I can rest assured," said Commander Asier.

After we exchanged words in the audience seats, we looked back to the front as Judge Roswald appeared about to begin taking action against the two Dukes.

"Gentlemen, please bring Duke San Angela and Duke San Minerva before me. Also, please bring another chair, as there is only one in the middle," said Judge Roswald.

"Yes, Your Honor," said the knights.

The knights divided their duties: some took another chair, while others held Duke James and Duke Darwin and carried them before Judge Roswald. Some knights had already carried Duke Darwin before Judge Roswald, but the knights tasked with carrying Duke James hadn't yet completed their task. They were still struggling to free Duke James from the vines that were wrapped around his body. Miss Karina, seeing this, attempted to undo her magic.

"Ah, I apologize. I'll undo my magic," said Miss Karina.

Miss Karina then unwound her magic, and Duke James was freed from the vines that were wrapped around his body. Duke James was then brought before Judge Roswald. Duke James struggled as he was brought before Judge Roswald, but the knights who carried him managed to calm him down.

A few moments later, Duke James was brought before Judge Roswald. Duke James and Duke Darwin were sitting in chairs, with Judge Roswald looking at them.

"Plotting the assassination of another noble, especially one belonging to the Duke's family, and also plotting the assassination of the ruler of this kingdom, Her Majesty the Queen. According to the laws and regulations of this kingdom, the perpetrators of such a plot will be sentenced to death," said Judge Roswald.

Several people in the room were shocked after hearing Judge Roswald's words.

"N-no, we are both innocent, Your Honor. We were simply framed, so we don't deserve the death penalty," said Duke James.

"T-that's right, Your Honor. The ones who framed us should be punished. How dare they frame us," said Duke Darwin.

"Do you have any proof that they framed you? If you do, please present it to me so I can examine it and determine whether you were indeed framed or not," said Judge Roswald.

Duke James and Duke Darwin immediately fell silent upon hearing Judge Roswald's words.

"It seems you have no evidence. That means you are still found guilty. According to the laws and regulations of this kingdom, any perpetrator who plots to assassinate a noble will be sentenced to death. However, I would first like to ask Her Majesty the Queen, the ruler of this kingdom and the target of their assassination. Your Majesty, do you have any other punishment you wish to impose on these two?" said Judge Roswald.

Duke James and Duke Darwin turned back to Queen Kayana. Queen Kayana, who had been near the entrance of the courthouse, slowly began to walk to the front of the courtroom. Then, Queen Kayana stopped right behind Duke James and Duke Darwin.

"I have no other punishment to impose on them. According to the laws and regulations, the death penalty is the most appropriate punishment for them," said Queen Kayana.

Duke James and Duke Darwin were shocked by Queen Kayana's words.

"P-please forgive us, Your Majesty," said Duke James.

"P-forgive us, Your Majesty. We do not want the death penalty," said Duke Darwin.

"You two better be quiet! You're not allowed to speak yet," said Queen Kayana, looking angry.

Duke James and Duke Darwin were shocked and both fell silent after hearing Queen Kayana's words.

"I see. Her Majesty wants them punished according to the law, which is the death penalty. By the way, Her Majesty seems so calm even though the two of them were just exposed for attempting to assassinate Her Majesty," said Judge Roswald.

"That's because I already knew about their plan before it was revealed in this trial, as I was informed in advance by Academy principal" said Ratu Kayana.

"So that's how it is. Academy principal already informed you. As for the Academy principal, you could have submitted the evidence to the courthouse before the trial began so that Rid Archie could have been released immediately. But you chose to present the evidence while the trial was in progress. It seems you did this deliberately so that they could both be tried immediately," said Judge Roswald.

"What you say is true, Your Honor. I did do that on purpose," said Miss Karina.

"So it's true," said Judge Roswald.

After hearing Judge Roswald and Miss Karina's words, Duke James became furious.

"You're insolent, Karina. How dare you frame us both," said Duke James.

"What are you saying? If I'm framing you, then prove it with solid evidence," said Miss Karina.

"I don't have any proof, but I know that what you and that kid did was a trap to trap us. It's true that the voice coming from the crystal is my son's, but is it really my son?" asked Duke James.

"What do you mean? It's clearly your son speaking," said Miss Karina.

"The crystal only emits sound without providing a visual image of what's happening there. So we can't be sure that the voice coming from the orb is truly my son's. You could be using magic to mimic my son's voice. Or you could be using disguise magic to disguise yourselves as my son and make your voice sound exactly like mine," said Duke James.

"Unfortunately, I can't use that magic. Rid can't either. So there's no way we could use that. Besides, the voice coming from the crystal is truly your own. You don't need to deny it anymore," said Miss Karina.

"What Duke San Angela said is true. It's possible that the voice coming from the crystal is a form of magic that can mimic another person's appearance. So, it's not necessarily true that the voice coming from the crystal is the owner's own voice. You may have claimed you can't use magic, but it's possible you're lying about it. The same goes for Duke San Angela; he can't prove he's being framed. If the evidence is only his own words, it's not valid. So, you could say your situation is currently tied. To move on to the next stage, further evidence is needed to determine which of you is right or wrong," said Judge Roswald.

Hearing Judge Roswald's words, Duke James smiled.

"If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to cancel this trial? The situation is currently tied, and neither of us has any additional evidence," said Duke James.

"I suspected the crystal wouldn't be sufficient evidence. The situation is truly complicated," said Miss Karina.

As the courtroom grew tense, the door suddenly opened. Everyone who heard this turned to look at the open door, which was the front door of the courtroom. They were curious who had opened it. Then, two women were seen standing in front of the door. The two women wore different uniforms. One wore a knight's uniform and a long robe. The knight's uniform bore the symbol of a wolf. The woman was Vice Commander Sara. The other wore a knight's uniform similar to the royal knight's, but it was not a royal knight's uniform. The woman also wore a long robe, similar to Vice Commander Sara's.

"I apologize for interrupting this trial, but I came here to present evidence related to the incident in the Hevea Forest to Commander Asier," said Vice Commander Sara.

"I also apologize for interrupting this trial. I came here to present evidence regarding Duke San Angela's suspicious activities to the Duke San Lucia. Furthermore, the evidence I've brought also includes evidence of Duke San Minerva's suspicious activities, evidence of the Elf murders, whose bodies were found in San Lucia, and evidence of experiments involving the hearts of the deceased Elves and the individuals involved in those experiments," said the female knight.

Duke James and Duke Darwin were shocked after hearing the two women's conversation. Commander Luka and Marquess Marcelo were equally shocked.

Meanwhile, Duke Remy suddenly smiled after the two men explained their purpose in coming to the courtroom.

-To be continued

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