Turning Chapter 1321

Apparently, Kiole wasn’t the only one who felt that way—Crown Prince Kachian was quietly curling his lips into a smile.

Just how had he managed to gather so much evidence in such a short time? He couldn’t have sought help from House Diarca, and the young nobles who had once followed him had scattered long ago. Yet somehow, he had even managed to retrieve the very documents submitted during the old Crown Prince selection exam. Kiole, born of House Diarca himself, had never even imagined such papers might still exist somewhere! Of course, he would never have thought of proving his innocence using them either.

Was this all thanks to the skill of that “advisor” Kishiar had mentioned?

Everyone in the room—including Marin and Kishiar—was calm to the point of serenity. Only Kiole could not overcome his anxiousness; he crossed his arms and chewed hard on his lip. Before he realized it, he was completely absorbed in the situation.

“—That concludes the list of evidence submitted in advance. If either side wishes to submit additional evidence, or raise an objection to the opposing side’s evidence, please state so now.”

At that, a person who had been quietly seated beside Marin raised a hand. Judging by position, it was Marin’s legal representative.

“It is true that our client was detained in the past. However, each time was due to mutual altercations that began from the other party’s wrongdoing. Why, then, is the reason for detention omitted from the criminal record document?”

“Because the record is over two years old. The local authority stated that, due to storage limitations, all but the most basic details are discarded after two years have passed since case closure. It has been verified by knights dispatched under His Majesty’s order, and this procedure is not in violation of the law.”

“......”

Kachian’s smile deepened. Kiole’s insides tightened with frustration.

'No, seriously. Why didn’t she get into a single incident after those two years! If she had, at least one reason would’ve remained on record!'

If Yuder Aile had heard him, he probably would’ve taken back the thought that Kiole had matured.

Kishiar leaned slightly and whispered something to Marin’s representative. The representative nodded, then raised their hand again.

“—In that case, we will add to our evidence list the document submitted when the accuser joined the Cavalry. It includes a clause stating that detentions shorter than one week do not constitute grounds for disqualification from imperial service, which should assist in verifying the accuser’s credibility.”

After a brief private discussion, the investigators and judge announced that the submission would be accepted.

Even after that, Marin’s side continued to persistently question each piece of evidence from the Crown Prince’s side. But every answer that came back was simply that there was no legal issue, so to Kiole’s eyes, all that effort seemed to yield nothing.

By contrast, Kachian’s side raised not a single objection to the opposing evidence. It was hard to tell whether they simply weren’t interested—or were so confident they could win regardless of what was presented. Perhaps it was both.

Either way, one thing was clear—his demeanor was completely different from the way he had acted the first time he faced Marin in the Chamber of Truth.

An investigator wiped the sweat from his forehead and opened his mouth.

“Then now... with both sides’ evidence confirmed, we will proceed to verifying the witnesses—”

It seemed that Kiole’s turn to step out had finally come.

Just as he was about to rise from his seat, he suddenly caught a strange smile flicker across Crown Prince Kachian’s face through the window.

'...What is that?'

Kiole froze instinctively—and in that very moment, someone knocked on the inquiry room door.

“Pardon the interruption.”

It was another investigator, one who had been outside, entering.

“Just now, someone delivered this envelope to the door. Upon opening it, it appears to contain documents urgently addressed to His Highness the Crown Prince...”

'What?'

New evidence?

Even as confusion rippled through the room, Crown Prince Kachian spread a wide smile and murmured,

“At last, it’s arrived.”

The judge, bewildered, demanded an explanation of what was going on. The answer came from the Crown Prince’s advisor.

“It is evidence that could not be submitted earlier because of the time it took to retrieve it. It is of great importance, so we attempted to deliver it as quickly as possible, but it only arrived just now. Submitting it at this moment is still permissible under the law, is it not?”

“Well, technically yes, but...”

“Then please accept it and read it aloud immediately.”

The investigator took the envelope with a stunned look, opened it, and scanned the papers inside—his expression shifted in shock.

“This is...”

“That, indeed, is the clearest proof of my innocence. It shows that the true culprit was someone else all along, and that this accusation and inquiry were meaningless from the very start.”

Crown Prince Kachian declared this proudly, his eyes gleaming with a feverish joy.

“The true culprit? What do you mean by that?”

Marin shot to her feet and demanded. The investigator, sweating more than before, spoke with difficulty.

“According to the newly received evidence... before the victim ‘Maiki’ died, there were wanted criminals operating in that region.”

Wanted criminals existed everywhere—but what if one of them turned out to be someone who had once served near the Crown Prince, deceived him, and committed numerous crimes behind his back?

If the culprit were that sort of man, could he not have acted early, under orders from somewhere, to frame the Crown Prince?

The papers contained precisely such an argument—accompanied by several pieces of “supporting evidence.”

The person identified as the presumed culprit—was “the Sage.”

Once dispatched by House Diarca to treat the Crown Prince, now the leader of the Awakener organization, captured by the Cavalry and slain in the South.

'Wh—what?!'

A name he never expected suddenly appeared. Kiole’s mouth fell open in shock.

The Sage?! Could they possibly mean that con artist he remembered?

'That... that man didn’t die in the South? And now they’re calling him the real culprit? What is this supposed to mean?'

It couldn’t be. He must have misheard. He wanted to believe that—but he hadn’t. The Crown Prince’s advisor began reciting the contents of the documents as if urging everyone to listen.

“‘The man known as the Sage concealed his power and continually insulted His Highness the Crown Prince. He and his companions hid within the Radiant Palace, and even went so far as to summon monsters into the Sun Palace, committing an audacious act of treason. When discovery was imminent, they fled. And who was charged with the heavy task of tracking those intruders into the Sun Palace? It was none other than His Highness the Crown Prince. They committed such malicious acts early on, to ensnare His Highness in their trap!’”

In the silence of the room, only the advisor’s voice resounded.

“Even after fleeing south, that heinous criminal continued to deceive His Highness the Crown Prince. Could such relentless malice possibly be the work of one man alone? Was this truly the extent of what he did to slander His Highness?”

The impassioned voice rolled on like someone reading from a well-crafted script. The oddly stirring tone carried a dangerous persuasiveness. When Crown Prince Kachian lowered his eyes, lashes trembling with a pained expression, the investigators and judge began to waver.

“His Highness the Crown Prince has suffered deeply, for despite his innocence, he stood to become the first imperial to be disgracefully accused in court by a commoner. In striving to clear his name, he investigated every lead—and at last, he uncovered the trail of this so-called Sage.”

“......”

“A man who commanded numerous Awakeners and committed many crimes—such a one could easily murder and fabricate false evidence to frame His Highness the Crown Prince. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“...If the evidence is all factual, it does appear convincing.”

“Indeed. Therefore, this accusation itself was mistaken from the beginning. Yet the true criminal has already died, so if blame must be laid, it should fall upon House Diarca who employed him, and upon the Cavalry who recklessly supported a subordinate’s baseless accusation! Honorable investigators and judge, I urge you to recognize the gravity of this situation.”

Before anyone realized, the mood in the room had shifted—now it felt as though the true culprit really was the Sage. But the investigators couldn’t bring themselves to issue a reprimand.

“For the moment... we shall recess briefly to deliberate on whether this evidence is admissible.”

The judge and investigators all gathered together, speaking in hushed tones. The weight of their discussion was on an entirely different level than before.

'Haa... What on earth is happening here?'

Kiole clutched his head blankly and stared at the scene inside.

Kachian turned a pitying smile toward Marin and Kishiar’s side and opened his mouth.

“This baseless accusation should never have made it to trial in the first place. It seems the truth will soon come to light—so perhaps it’s time we prepare to leave.”

The instant Kiole saw that face, a realization struck him.

'...Don’t tell me—he was certain from the very start that this inquiry would never be properly concluded?!'