53 - Prosecution

While preparing to write this chapter, the first thing I thought was "Alright, how would a trial proceed in a world where they have devices that can confirm whether people are telling the truth." The second thing I thought was "Wait, how do trials proceed normally?" The third thing I thought was, "Is this even a trial in the first place? It's more of a hearing really. Or maybe with the truth orb it's both at the same time. Or maybe..." etc etc... and eventually I ended up here. Enjoy.

A low murmur passed through the crowd at my words, but they dissipated as Evelyn spoke.

“Thank you. Now, Humility, you may begin.”

“Thank you, Saintess,” said Sylvia. “So, Lucille, you say that you are not the a Demon King, but you are the incarnation of the Demon God Pride, correct?”

“Yes,” I said. “But not of my own volition.”

I had known this question was coming from the moment I was captured, and had been thinking over how best to answer it since then. I could have refused to answer, or tried to deflect by questioning the relevance of the question, but both of those methods would just delay the inevitable, and sour my image in the eyes of the audience. I decided it was best to just come out and say it without hesitation, and add the caveat that it was involuntary before Sylvia could change the subject.

I could tell from the mutterings and mumblings around me, and the slight twitch in Sylvia’s facial expression, that my response was the correct one. I doubt any of them expected me to be so forthright and confident, and hopefully, the addition of the latter phrase would throw off whatever Sylvia had planned.

“But you were chosen as the most prideful person in the world, correct?” asked Sylvia.

“No, I was chosen because I am the best,” I said.

Sylvia’s brows furrowed, but before she could respond, Evelyn interrupted.

“I would like to hear more about how you are not Pride’s incarnation of your own volition,” she said.

“That’s irrelevant,” said Sylvia quickly. “The how and why are not important. It only matters that she is the incarnation, and a criminal.”

“I disagree," said Antonio. “If she was forced into this position, then she may be a victim as well. The fact that she did not take the [Demon King] class adds weight to this theory.”

“Humility is correct,” said High Priestess Elaina, the elderly woman to the right of Evelyn. “How she came to be chosen is irrelevant. The Demon God of Pride chose her because he believed she would serve best as his incarnation. That makes her inherently dangerous.”

“Precisely,” said Sylvia, regaining some confidence. “And in addition to that, Lucille is not innocent. She has committed numerous serious crimes since being chosen.”

“Ha,” I scoffed. “Serious crimes? What have I done then?”

I immediately regretted that statement when I saw Sylvia’s smile.

“Well, you committed the gravest crime of all: using mental magic to take away the free will of others,” she said. “Do you deny this as well?”

The crowd erupted into a chorus of gasps and murmurs as Sylvia grinned triumphantly. Behind her, the elderly woman and dwarven paladin scowled at me, while the faces of the other three remained unreadable.

“I only did it in self defense,” I said.

“Oh, did you now?” said Sylvia, still smiling. “I would like to call my first witness.”

To my right, the crowd parted and a tall, bearded man approached, flanked by a pair of armored guards. At first I didn’t recognize him. The only tall, bearded men I knew were Alphonse and Casimir, and this man was clearly neither. He was a foot and a half too short to be Casimir, and 50 pounds too light to be Al, and his pitch black hair matched neither. But as we made eye contact, I recalled the first day after I had arrived in Astraeus, and the uncomfortable cart ride to the river. He had lost weight, and moved with a confidence and competence that was absent in our initial meeting, but his face and eyes were unmistakably Jacques’.

“Present yourself,” said Evelyn once he arrived at the foot of the stairs.

“I am Jacques, a tailor in service to Baron Humphries,” he said in a deep, smooth voice.

What the fuck, I thought.

I quickly used my [Create Thrall] skill to observe his stat sheet out of curiosity. He was indeed a Tailor now, and a level 45 one as well, which put him well within the requirements for employment at a small barony like the Humphries. While I had left geas on him in hopes he would turn his life around, I hadn’t expected it to be so effective, and, as much as I hate to admit it, I was a little proud of his growth.

“Saintess, this man has been subjected to Pride’s skill, and is unable to speak freely,” said Sylvia. “If you would…”

Evelyn held her hand out, and for a moment a beam of soft white light emerged from it and engulfed Jacque entirely. As it disappeared, I received a System notification.

Your connection to [Thrall] Jacques has been severed!

“It is done,” said Evenlyn in a monotone.

“Thank you,” said Sylvia. “Now, Jacques, how long have you been enslaved to Lucille?”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it enslaved,” said Jacques. “It was more of a contract really.”

“Did you enter this ‘contract’ of your own free will?”

“...No,” he said.

“Then it is enslavement,” said Sylvia happily. “So, how long?”

“...6 years,” he said reluctantly. “But she never made me-”

“Irrelevant!” interrupted Sylvia. “What she made you do is irrelevant! What matters is that she used a mental skill to forcibly rob you of your free will, yes?”

“But she-” he started to say.

“It doesn’t matter!” shouted Sylvia.

“Humility,” said Antonio sharply. “Calm yourself.”

Sylvia glared at the cat man for a few seconds before huffing in frustration and turning back to Jacques.

“So, Jacques, would you please walk us through the events preceding your enslavement?”

“Well…” Jacques tapped his fingers on his legs nervously. “Well I-”

“Did you intend to harm her?” asked Sylvia.

“Not exactly, but-”

“So you were not trying to harm her, but she enslaved you anyway?”

“What the hell kind of trial is this?” I asked.

“It is not your turn to speak,” said Sylvia.

“Why does she get to call witnesses? When do I get a chance to defend myself?”

“When it’s time,” said Sylvia curtly.

“I am curious as well,” said the old man to Evelyn’s left, High Priest Donovan. “This trial is quite non-standard. It’s hardly a trial at all really. When will the accused have a chance to speak?”

“She will get a chance to speak once the charges against her have been adequately presented,” said Sylvia angrily. “Now, may I continue?”

“Carry on,” said the old man, shrugging.

“So, Jacques, as I was saying before I was interrupted, is it correct to say that you meant no harm to her, but she decided to enslave you anyways.”

“No,” he said. The orb turned red.

“May I remind you that all lying is not possible here,” said Sylvia.

Jacques frowned. “Well, I didn’t intend to harm her, but I did-”

“Then as you can see,” said Sylvia loudly, “the accused’s flimsy argument that she only used such skills in self defense has been proven false.”

“It was self defense!” I shouted.

“Silence!” shouted Sylvia louder.

“He was trying to rip my clothes off!” I shouted even louder.

Jacques’ face flushed, but he nodded his head in agreement. A hush fell over the crowd, followed by a slow crescendo of whispers while he began to speak.

“I believed she was dead, and I-” started Jacques.

“It doesn’t matter!” said Sylvia with a manic look in her eyes. “Pride enslaved an innocent man who meant her no harm! That is the end of it! There is no more to be said! Jacques, you are dismissed!”

“Humility!” said Antonio, his voice magically amplified. “We have allowed you to make a mockery of the justice system out of necessity, but there are limits to our tolerance. If you are going to continue to behave this way, this trial will be adjourned, and will be continued at a later date when you are more calm.”

“...Fine,” said Sylvia after a few seconds of glaring.

“Then I would like to ask the witness a few questions,” said Antonio. “Jacques. Lucy seems to believe that her actions were justified, and you seem to not disagree. You may spare us the details if you wish, but do you believe that she acted in self defense as she claimed?”

“Yes,” said Jacques firmly.

“And do you feel that you were forced to do anything unreasonable while under her control?”

“No,” he said.

“Is it possible he is still under her influence?” asked Tobias, the dwarven paladin.

“No,” said Evelyn. “Even if the mental control was brought about by a divine skill, it would not have been able to survive my [Purification].”

“That is all the questions I had,” said Antonio. “If any of the other judges have questions, now is the time to ask, but I believe that the events have been clarified.”

“What did she force you to do?” asked Elaina.

“Well…” said Jacques, shuffling his feet. “It’s a bit embarrassing.”

“Just spit it out already,” said the priestess.

“Well, she made me stop- stop stalking women… and embezzling money…”

Elaina gave him a disgusted look. “I am done,” she said.

There were a few seconds of silence before Antonio spoke again.

“If that is all, then Jacques, you are dismissed. Thank you for your testimony. Humility, if that is all-”

“It’s not!” said Sylvia “That was only the first! There are more!”

“Then bring them out,” said Antonio.

“I will,” she said. “I call my second witness!”

This time, they arrived from my left side, and the crowd parted much wider to allow them passage. In addition, instead of two guards, there were over a dozen heavily armored knights, led by Rubén, the Ravellian Lion who had been guarding the duke’s castle when we went to capture Ophelia. In the center of this procession was the duke himself, hunched over and leaning on the side of his cane as he shuffled his way to the foot of the stairs. He had deep, dark circles under his eyes, and the scowl he directed at me was even fiercer than usual.

“Present yourself,” said Evelyn.

“I am Duke Louis Lyon of Ravel, ruler of the Lyon territory and 7th in line to the throne,” he said in his jarringly strong voice.

“Saintess…” said Sylvia gesturing toward her father.

Evelyn held out her hand once again, and again, I received a System notification.

Your connection to [Thrall] Louis Lyon has been severed!

“So, duke,” spat Sylvia. “How long have you been enslaved to Pride.”

“Well, hello to you too, my daughter,” he said.

“You’re no father of mine!” she said angrily. “Now, answer the question!”

“Well, it’s been around a month since that bitch-”

“Language,” warned Evelyn.

“Since that bloodsucking whore-”

“Duke Lyon!” said Evelyn.

“Since Pride enslaved me,” finished the duke finally. “And every day since then has been agony. I’ve hardly been able to sleep, and I haven’t been able to take care of the dukedom at all.”

“And why is that?” asked Sylvia.

“She gave me completely unreasonable commands!” said the duke indignantly.

“And why did she enslave you?” asked Sylvia.

“Because she has a grudge against me for not giving her a completely absurd salary when offering her a job,” he said.

“Lies!” I said. “You sent an archmage after me!”

He sneered. “I told her to summon you so that I could speak with you. And she returned crippled, in tears, and enslaved to you, and you enslaved me immediately after.”

“She attacked me! On your orders!” I said.

“I ordered her to do nothing of the sort,” he said as the orb remained blue. “You merely acted on assumptions without bothering to check their validity, and ended up nearly ruining my life!”

“That’s bullshit!” I said.

“Clearly not,” said Elaina, looking at me. “And am I to understand from that exchange that you also have Archmage Beatrice under your control?”

“Yes, but-” I started.

“That’s all I need to hear,” she interrupted. “You have enslaved two of the most powerful people in the world. Regardless of your intentions, that cannot be construed as anything but a threat.”

“What the hell?” I said. “You haven’t even heard my side of the story!”

“I don’t need to,” she said. “Taking away the freewill of others is inexcusable, regardless of the circumstances. The fact that you have done it to persons such as the duke and an archmage only add to the severity of your actions.”

“Well, then what should I have done, killed them?” I asked. “Would that have been better? I didn’t really have any other options!”

“You did with the duke,” said the priestess. “From what I’ve heard, there was no need for you to interact with him at all.”

“If I had left him alone, he would have just sent more people after me trying to kill me, or ‘teach me a lesson’ as Beatrice said!”

“And why do you believe that?” she asked. “He had not done it before.”

“Not directly! But he sure as hell didn’t do anything to stop it! I’d be willing to bet that he implied that Beatrice should attack me.”

“Her actions were entirely her own,” said the duke. “I had no say in them.”

“But you knew what she was going to do!” I said. “And you sent her anyway!”

“She is her own woman,” he said, sneering. “Her crimes are not mine.”

“As you can see,” said Sylvia loudly, “Pride is a dangerous individual willing to enslave people simply for being associated with her enemies. She has committed the ultimate taboo of mind enslavement, and feels no remorse for it.”

“That’s because I have nothing to feel remorseful for,” I said. “Everything I did was justified.”

“She is unable to even see that what she did was wrong,” continued Sylvia. “I believe that such a dangerous individual should never be allowed to walk freely again. And for someone as powerful and as long-lived as her, imprisonment is impractical and insufficient as punishment. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that she is the incarnation of Pride. She may not be a Demon King yet, but if she changes her mind in the future… well we all know what could happen. We all know what Demon Kings are capable of. I say that the only viable option is execution!”

The crowd erupted into a cacophony of voices. Most of them seemed to be in agreement with Sylvia about my execution, as did a few of the judges sitting above me, namely Elaina and Tobias. The faces of the other three judges were expressionless, but the looks in their eyes did not fill me with hope. I did not believe that Evelyn and Antonio would vote for my death, but then again, I had only met with them twice, so I didn’t know them well enough to be certain of it. And High Priest Donovan had seemed to be neutral, so I had no idea which he would side with.

“This is ridiculous!” I protested. “I’ve done nothing worthy of death. Are you really going to execute me over hypotheticals? You haven’t even heard my side yet!”

“Nothing has been decided yet,” said Evelyn in a commanding voice that calmed the crowd. “As you said, we have yet to hear your own testimony. Humility, have you finished?”

“Yes,” said Sylvia smugly.

“Then Duke Lyon, you are dismissed,” said Evelyn. “And Lucille, you may now present your case.”

“Thank you,” I said in a not-very-thankful tone.

As the duke slowly made his way back into the crowd, I took a few moments to calm myself and collect my thoughts before speaking. As Donovan had mentioned, this wasn’t really much of a trial. All the charges against me had not only been presented, but had also been proven via the truth orb, so there wasn’t much room for me to do anything. While I still believed I had done nothing wrong, by the standards of this world, I was undeniably guilty as charged, and it seemed that some of the judges had already chosen their verdict. Therefore, rather than trying to prove my innocence in the coming minutes, my efforts would be much more well spent convincing them that I would not be a danger to them, and that I was more valuable alive than dead.

“As I said at the beginning,” I started, “while I am the incarnation of Pride, and have the potential to become a Demon King, I have no desire for conquest or domination over anyone or any nation. I am no danger to anyone who does not try to harm me.”

I paused for a moment, organizing my thoughts more before I continued.

“The incarnations of the Sins are all granted power, but in exchange, we are forced to participate in a game among the Demon Gods. We must all fight each other, and the last survivor will have a wish granted by the gods themselves. My only goal is to defeat the other Sins and claim my wish, which I will use to leave this world forever. This world is not my home, this body is not mine, and my only goal is to return to my original life.”

The orb turned red.

Jacques redemption arc???

And more importantly, are we finally going to get some juicy Lucy backstory??? I have no idea, I haven't written those chapters yet. We'll probably find out this week sometime. Thanks for reading.