"......"
After getting a signal from Gazel that he could speak freely, Adelio alone continued speaking in the silent courtroom.
"To state the conclusion first, the one who first hurled insulting words at Kaijin and his group in the tavern was Minister Vester, and the assault was retaliation for that."
The [Hero] who had been called the strongest of humanity for hundreds of years.
The weight of testimony spoken directly by such a [Hero] was anything but small.
The very path he had walked through life was itself overwhelming proof that made people trust his words.
"......Mm..."
"...Haa..."
The judges listening to Adelio's testimony did not even think of doubting him. If anything, they were too afraid to ask questions in case they might end up sounding like they opposed him.
If anyone here dared to speak in Vester's defense, it would look like they were declaring their opposition to a monster who alone rivaled a great nation.
Before such primordial force, beyond ordinary comprehension, even the position of a royal judge was little more than a hollow title.
"Of course, that does not mean Kaijin and his group's assault should be considered justified. However, bribing the other side's representative and padding the evidence with injuries that were not caused by the assault is unmistakably trial fraud."
From the moment Vester bribed the representative, this had stopped being a trial in any meaningful sense.
If one insisted on defining it, it was closer to a one-on-one debate between Gazel, the king of this land, and Adelio, the witness.
Before Adelio appeared, it had been nothing more than one-sided fraud. The moment he appeared, it became little different from a one-sided debate.
"So before punishing Kaijin, shouldn't Vester and the representative be judged for their crimes first?"
"Hmm... Then as for Kaijin's punishment..."
"Considering his service as the former captain of the knights, it would be best to reduce it to some extent. To begin with, judging by the level of violence I witnessed yesterday, even at the harshest it should amount to no more than a fine."
Since he had assaulted someone as important as a minister, the fine would be substantial, but for Kaijin, who had once been the knight captain favored by Gazel, it was still within a range he could pay.
Kaijin knew that perfectly well himself, which was why he had not held back and had thrown that punch expecting to pay a fine from the start.
But now,
because Adelio had brought up leniency here, it effectively meant the punishment Kaijin should have received had vanished altogether.
If Gazel truly was the wise king he was famed to be, then he had already recognized Rimuru's worth and aura, and he would want to use Kaijin, who had grown close to Rimuru, as a bridge to forge that connection.
'In the end, the only ones getting punished are Vester and the representative.'
The demon turned his gaze toward the two [Dwarf]s, both pale as death, and smiled so faintly that no one else could notice.
Just as he did whenever his lover smiled.
**
Since Vester could not voice any objection, Adelio's testimony was ultimately accepted in full as fact, and the trial moved at once to sentencing.
"I will now deliver the verdict."
The judgment of the trial was handed down directly by Gazel, king of the realm, in place of the judges.
"Minister Vester will be punished not only for this matter, but also for the crime of shifting the blame for the failure of the Magisteel Soldier project onto Kaijin. He is to step down from his post as minister and remain under house arrest for the time being."
"!!"
"Furthermore, Kaijin's past merits as captain of the knights will be taken into consideration."
"......"
"Lastly, the representative is sentenced to twenty years of forced labor in the mines. That is all."
"...?! T-Twenty years?! W-Wait just a moment...!!"
The representative had never imagined that a single bribe would land him in forced labor. His face went past pale blue and turned completely white, but Gazel had no intention of listening to him.
"Guards, drag him out at once!"
At Gazel's command, the knights standing at both ends of the courtroom immediately seized the representative and dragged him out.
And Vester—
"......How... the Magisteel Soldier project..."
—only now realized that Gazel had known the truth all along about the incident he had pinned on Kaijin.
"...No way... from the very beginning..."
At last, Vester stared at Gazel and muttered like a man refusing to accept reality, but Gazel wore only a cold expression.
"Tch. Do you have anything you wish to say?"
"........."
Slide...
Hearing that tacit final blow, Vester lowered his head deeply, and even as the royal guards dragged him away, he said nothing more.
"......"
'He hasn't truly reformed yet, but once he's punished over this, I think he'll change at least a little.'
Though Vester looked like nothing more than a reckless [Dwarf] now, Adelio knew he would repent later, and quietly watched as he was taken away by the guards.
'I still don't really understand how a [Dwarf] from a marquis family can completely turn over a new leaf in such a short time... but Rimuru will probably just accept him somehow.'
Thinking that perhaps it might have been better if he had stayed an irredeemable villain like the representative, Adelio soon turned his gaze toward Rimuru and Kaijin's group.
"......"
They looked happy to have won the trial, yet at the same time they were staring at him in confusion, clearly recalling the Adelio they had seen reflected in the orb yesterday.
Receiving all of those looks at once, Adelio slowly began walking toward Rimuru, as if the moment he had been expecting had finally arrived.
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