Bang bang bang—!
“This won’t be resolved like this. Come out.”
Hugo stood in front of the VIP room door, located a block away from the building housing the courtroom. The door, made of a material durable enough to withstand even fire, had its leather overlay completely battered from how much it had been pounded.
Worse, there had already been several close calls, as evidenced by the surface dented in the shape of someone’s fist. Hugo, barely containing his rising anger, struck the door once more as if about to break it down, raising his voice.
“Come out—this isn’t what we agreed on! Come out and clean up the mess you’ve made, somehow!”
His fury-laced voice swept through the corridor like a violent gust. It was a chilling wave that made the battalion commanders standing behind him take a step back. But despite Hugo’s shouting, the VIP room remained silent. The doorkeeper, who had been nervously flicking his gaze between the Commander and the door, let out an awkward laugh and tried to restrain Hugo.
“Commander, you can’t do this. You know it, don’t you? Requesting a change in the trial panel due to health issues is the presiding judge’s inherent right. Please calm down first.”
“I’m not sure a judge who notified us the day of and went into hiding before permission was even granted has the right to enjoy that ‘inherent authority.’”
The doorkeeper’s expression hardened as he sucked in a sharp breath at the words spoken through gritted teeth—and at the piercing blue gaze that swung toward him. Even within the Council, this area was packed with facilities for the so-called “upper echelons,” rather than the subordinate corps. As a result, the doorkeepers employed by the upper echelons, rather than belonging to the corps, weren’t people likely to help resolve this situation.
As if even speaking to him was a waste of time, Hugo suppressed his anger again and appealed to the firmly shut door.
“Do you have any idea what it’s like inside? That half-baked presiding judge you installed is butchering the courtroom with an abuse of authority. From replacing the jury to letting in observers and witnesses without separate screening—there isn’t a shred of consideration or courtesy for the subject of deliberation.”
“Hugo, I understand you’re frustrated... but what’s going to change by doing this to someone who’s already handed over their authority? Wouldn’t it be better to go confront the presiding judge who’s at least conducting the trial, even if it’s half-baked—oof.”
As Andreas, the 4th Battalion Commander, clicked his tongue and offered advice, Loren, the 2nd Battalion Commander, punched him in the side as if telling him to shut it. Staggering despite his tall build, Andreas glared at Loren with pained eyes while rubbing his ribs.
But Hugo had no intention of moving even a step from here. The person he was pressing so relentlessly to come out was originally the presiding judge assigned to Leonardo’s trial.
This was the figure Hugo had pulled strings to invite from a check-and-balance institution to prevent the Council’s unilateral decision—absolutely necessary, more than anyone gathered here today, to grant Leonardo his freedom.
And yet, after all the discussions were finished, what they faced was completely different from what they’d expected. The judge claimed he couldn’t lead the trial due to personal circumstances, then abruptly placed someone else in the presiding seat.
The problem was that this acting presiding judge had been friendly to Council members before and leaned conservative—someone who disliked world-shaking existences like those from Bermuda, or fallen war heroes.
A person like that was unlikely to view Leonardo Blaine favorably. His intentions were transparent from the way he’d suddenly replaced half of the originally selected jury, nitpicking reasons like privacy or conflicts of interest.
And the biggest problem of all was the indiscriminate acceptance of observers. This closed trial, originally planned to allow only members of the subjugation team as observers, had become far noisier once general citizens were let in.
Some of the deceased members’ bereaved families were mixed among them, and it was impossible to know how their grief-clouded judgment would affect Leonardo’s trial.
Though it all looked like it had been decided on the day, Hugo could tell it had been planned for days before the trial began. And the “deteriorating health” excuse was undoubtedly a lie. There had to be another reason the judge—who had attended the Council normally just two days ago—had suddenly gone into hiding.
“Hah...”
He’d been shouting like this for several minutes already, but the judge remained stubbornly silent. Hugo raked a hand through his hair in frustration—and the crowd’s shouts, chilling his spine, leaked from the neighboring building.
Waaaaaah—
Hugo and the battalion commanders startled and turned toward the window. Shorendo, the Deputy Commander, checked the time and asked in a worried tone.
“Commander, it’s already past the time he should have entered. Wouldn’t it be better to go in first, as Senior Frederick suggested?”
“...”
“If more than half the battalion commanders with voting rights—and even you, Commander—are here, the situation might turn even more unfavorable.”
Hugo, brow furrowing, checked his wristwatch. He’d told Leonardo he would be there when he entered the courtroom, and he couldn’t help imagining how confused and frightened Leonardo must be, left alone in an unfamiliar situation.
But even if Hugo went back and attended the trial in this state, things were unlikely to go as he wanted. He might end up powerless, overwhelmed by a courtroom majority that would never conduct this trial fairly.
“No. Someone needs to hold out here.”
The one fortunate thing was that Abraham Langaster, the Commander-in-Chief of the Council, was still resisting and had not approved the change of presiding judge. And at least the subordinates who had followed Hugo here were favorable toward Leonardo.
Having assessed the situation as calmly as he could, Hugo turned to his subordinates with a firm look.
“Gentlemen, I have one request.”
Loren, who had been standing with her arms crossed, perceptively snapped to attention, hands behind her back. Though a close friend, she was the one who best upheld her superior’s dignity when it mattered.
“Please give your orders.”
The others followed her lead and lined up at attention. Hugo met their eyes and spoke with resolve.
“The trial proceeding there now is no different from a poorly staged play. They’ll exchange meaningless debates with the conclusion already decided, and when the time comes, they’ll hastily render judgment after voting. But we, as commanders of the just and fair Council, have a duty to correct what’s wrong.”
The listening battalion commanders’ necks and shoulders tensed. Hugo continued.
“We still have half the jury and one judge on the trial panel on our side. The verdict won’t come easily. And we have no intention of taking this lying down.”
“...”
“So I want you to return to the courtroom right now and stall for time until the verdict. Do your best in your respective roles until I arrive on the scene. Use any means necessary.”
Implying that he would stay behind, Shorendo asked with a puzzled expression.
“Then what about you, Commander?”
Hugo’s eyes went to the battered door.
“I’ll negotiate with the presiding judge and then come.”
There was no specific plan or method. It was probably the most abstract, unprepared order the Commander had ever given.
But it was also the simplest—and most interesting—order he had ever given. Shorendo flashed even teeth in a wide grin and said,
“Is this one of those? A special operation with an extremely low success rate?”
“Shorendo—”
Delua, the 6th Battalion Commander, shot him a look at his almost cheerful tone. It meant this wasn’t the time.
But Hugo, knowing Shorendo’s competitive spirit and unwavering determination, deliberately patted his shoulder as if entrusting him with a critical mission.
“Yes. I’m counting on you, Deputy Commander. Lead the battalion commanders in my stead. I’ll take responsibility for the aftermath.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
Shorendo grinned, flicked a salute at his eyebrow, then nimbly jumped out the window as if starting an interesting game. Loren watched him with a distrustful expression, then shook her head and nodded to Hugo.
“I wish you luck.”
Soon, she too ran down the opposite corridor with the rest of the battalion commanders. Hugo watched their retreating figures, then removed the watch from his wrist and slipped it into his inner pocket.
The two doorkeepers standing on either side just stared blankly, unsure what he intended to do.
Then Hugo rotated his wrist a couple of times—and clenched his large hand into a fist.
“Step back.”
Kwang—!!
*****
“Honorable presiding judge. With so many observers unrelated to the peninsula subjugation, not only is it difficult to proceed, but the subject of deliberation will inevitably feel psychologically intimidated! Please remove all remaining observers even now. And the subject of deliberation’s seat should be placed next to us, the defense team—”
Jeers rose from various seats scattered across the room. They weren’t loud, but they were sharp enough to grate on the nerves. As Leonardo’s defense lawyer turned toward the observer seats with an angry face, the judge on the bench raised his gavel.
Thump, thump—
“Be quiet, everyone. We have already removed many who were causing a disturbance, and anyone who disrupts the trial during future proceedings will be removed without fail. However, as much time has already been wasted, let us proceed as is for now...”
Click—
In a dim corner of the courtroom, a soundproof door opened carefully.
Shorendo, who slipped his head through the gap unnoticed, briefly scanned the atmosphere inside before swiftly entering.
The doorkeeper guarding the door tried to stop him—then fell silent at the sight of his white uniform and epaulettes. Shorendo flashed a friendly smile and, with his whole body, conveyed the excuse that he’d urgently needed the bathroom.
“Also, as the subject of deliberation is an S-class mage, there is a rule that high-risk mages must be seated in the center where everyone attending the trial can see them. Therefore, the request to change seating arrangements is denied, and we will now begin with the statement from the Council’s Accusator, the legal affairs officer.”
As the judge’s voice echoed through the room, Shorendo lowered his profile and slipped behind the rows, circling toward where the Council’s senior commanders were gathered.
The other battalion commanders who had followed the Commander didn’t seem to have arrived yet—the area was sparsely empty.
“Come out and explain the case overview first.”
As the judge’s voice fell, the legal affairs officer stood to indict the subject of deliberation. At the same time, Shorendo barely managed to slide into a seat beside Maria Angel, the 9th Battalion Commander.
“Shorendo?”
“Shh, Senior Angel. How’s it going?”
Shorendo asked under his breath, eyes forward. Leonardo—fortunately or unfortunately—sat quietly in the central chair. His expression wasn’t visible at this distance, but his posture was composed, so he didn’t seem panicked.
Maria lowered her voice too, complaining like she couldn’t believe he’d even ask.
“The spectators were shouting—it was chaos. Until just a moment ago, dozens were dragged out, I tell you.”
“Ah... is that so? What a shame. They should’ve done a bit more.”
“What are you saying?”
“I received special instructions from the Commander.”
Meterion, who had caught their whispering, turned around briefly from the front row where he sat with his arms crossed. Shorendo quickly clamped his mouth shut with a little “hup” and smiled brightly, as if asking why he was looking.
Meterion frowned and looked him up and down before turning forward again. The two watching the green back of his head leaned in and met each other’s eyes.
“What instructions?”
“To delay the verdict as much as possible. Until the Commander gets here.”
“...Is that allowed? More importantly, how are we supposed to delay the verdict?”
“Hmm...”
Shorendo scratched his neck and slowly rolled his eyes, scanning the room. Shouting about unfairness would be one way, but then they might be handcuffed and removed before they even got °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° to vote—like the disruptive spectators.
Rather than that, he needed an ingenious way to interfere while staying unidentifiable.
Just then, the lights hanging from the ceiling slipped into his field of view. In an instant, the corners of Shorendo’s mouth curled up.
Hadn’t the Commander said to use any means necessary?
“I’ve got an idea. A way.”
“What? What is it?”
Maria asked, and Shorendo slightly raised his right hand, pressing his thumb and middle finger together as if about to snap. Then, in a playful tone that didn’t match the gravity of the moment, he muttered,
“Great. I’ve been wanting to try this.”
Snap—
