"Torture. Mass murder. Genocide. Forced laws, slavery, prostitution, and bribery. There is literally nothing she has not done!"
Cassandra's voice was sharp and clear as she stared at the rulers of all the kingdoms, who sat as judges. She stepped forward, holding up a stack of photographs.
Esdeath herself had taken these pictures. In them, dozens of people were shown, chained and filthy, their faces hollow with exhaustion. They were enslaved, forced to refine essence stones from dawn until dusk. Their skin was covered in grime and sores, and their eyes held a deep, empty despair. Just one picture was enough to show the hellish life they were living, but Cassandra had dozens more just like it.
"This is just the beginning," Cassandra declared, her voice unwavering. "I would like to call her closest subordinates, Mr. Verdes and Ms. Medlia to the stand!"
Maddie, the lead judge, gave a slow nod. But before she could even give the order, Verdes and Medlia rose from their seats in the audience. They walked with a chilling confidence to the defendant's area, the space reserved for the accused.
"So, what questions are you going to ask?" Verdes asked, a smug smirk playing on his lips.
"None," Cassandra replied, her face a mask of indifference. "I only called you here because I thought you might get tempted to take the audience as hostage."
She turned her back on them and walked back to the judges, her movements deliberate. She handed a thick bundle of documents to Maddie.
"These are the historical records of the Third Squadron members," she explained. "Every single one is a criminal. Mr. Verdes is a notorious pirate and burglar who takes a sick persues women. Number Four, Cecil, is a traitor who fled the Dwarf Kingdom and is a wanted criminal. Number Five is a serial killer. In short, all of them are monsters, each more dangerous than the last." Her voice was flat, yet the words felt like ice, sharp and unforgiving.
"Especially Ms. Medlia," Cassandra continued, her gaze falling on the woman in the nun's habit. "In her younger days, she made an entire kingdom vanish in a single day. The kingdom, killing everyone, And made it's surviving peaple into her shadows."
A wave of shocked murmurs rippled through the crowd. People could believe the other accusations were lies, a trick to ruin Lortell's good name. But this claim was too monstrous, too bold to be made without proof.
Cassandra walked until she was standing directly in front of Medlia. "And here you are now," she sneered, "wearing a nun's costume, pretending to be some kind of holy being."
"I'm not playing around," Medlia answered, a serene smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes.
"Is that so?" Cassandra challenged. "Then can you answer this one question truthfully: Was what I just said about you true?"
Medlia's smile widened slightly. "Yes," she admitted calmly. "It is true."
Gasps filled the hall. Every eye widened in disbelief.
At that exact moment, the doors at the back of the courtroom, Selene entered, followed closely by Kailith, Alice, and Brenna. They moved quietly to the farthest seats, trying not to draw attention.
"Please don't change back to Arlecchino," Kailith whispered urgently to Alice.
"I'll try," Alice replied, her hands trembling slightly in her lap.
Kailith's gaze swept across the room and landed on the front row of the audience. There sat Ravenna with her siblings.
"We also need to talk to her," Kailith muttered to herself, her eyes fixed on Ravenna.
Meanwhile, it only took a few seconds for Lortell, on trial, to sense Selene's presence. A flicker of confusion crossed her face, but it was quickly replaced by a gentle, knowing smile as she looked at her. It was as if she was saying, Don't worry, everything is fine.
Selene saw the smile and offered a small one in return.
Cassandra launched one claim after another, her voice a relentless storm of accusations. For the next half hour, she didn't pause, didn't even seem to take a breath. Even Maddie, the judge, was rubbing her temples, a dull ache starting to form behind her eyes. She glanced at Lortell, who stood with a calm, almost bored smirk on her face.
"Just how many crimes did you commit?" Maddie thought, a feeling of exasperation washing over her. "And why are you still smirking?"
"Do you have anything in your defence?" Maddie asked, her voice heavy with fatigue.
"I deny all of these claims," Lortell answered, her tone professional and sharp. "The photos prove nothing; they don't even show my face. As for my squadron being full of criminals, you seem to be forgetting that the unit was already set up before I was chosen to lead it at the age of sixteen. Perhaps you should be asking your king why he didn't conduct a proper background check!"
"So you're telling us that as a commander, you had no idea what your subordinates had done? What a ridiculous lie!" Cassandra shot back.
"Order! Order! Let her finish first!" Maddie slammed her gavel down, the sharp sound cutting through the tension.
Lortell gave a slight nod and continued, "As for them, Verdes was a pirate hunter, not a pirate. And the place Medlia destroyed was not a true kingdom, but a tiny settlement that proclaimed itself as such. Its ruler was known for his racist hatred of moon worshippers. What she did was an act of self-defence, not a massacre."
The knowing nods that spread through the crowd showed that her words were having an effect. The shock on their faces was fading, replaced by thoughtful consideration.
"She knows how to counter every question. Truly the daughter of Arthur," Maddie thought to herself, a grudging respect in her mind. "But it's not enough, Her opponent is also daughter of arthur."
For the next half hour, Cassandra brought forth one witness after another. A merchant wept as he told how Lortell's soldiers had seized his goods. A woman shook with sobs, describing how her home had been burned down. Each person stood and shared their own story of pain and loss at Lortell's hands. Cassandra had an endless supply of people who had been wronged.
Lortell listened to it all with a blank expression, but her mind was working. "Nice," she thought, a cold anger simmering beneath the surface. "She said all their names, and their families' names too. I'll have to look into that once this is over."
She turned her cold eyes to Cassandra. "It's not so hard to buy fake witnesses," Lortell said, her voice flat and empty of emotion. "And none of them have anything to offer but a sad story designed to make me look like a villain."
"That will be for Queen Maddie to decide!" Cassandra retorted swiftly. Then, she raised her voice, letting it ring through the silent courtroom. "My next witness is none other than Princess Ravenna!"
A fresh wave of shock swept through the courtroom. All eyes turned to the princess as she slowly walked to the witness stand, directly opposite Lortell. Ravenna kept her gaze fixed on the ground, her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles were white.
"Princess," Cassandra began, her voice soft but carrying a sharp edge. "I have received information that when you confronted her at the academy about her bullying, Lortell kicked a chair so hard it shattered, just to intimidate you. She even used threatening words against you. Is that true?"
Cassandra was twisting the story, of course. Lortell had only been protecting Esdeath from bullies and had turned the tables on them. But Cassandra made it sound like a cruel and unprovoked attack on the princess, Well in a way she was telling the truth.
"Yes," Ravenna whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Threatening a princess? How dishonorable!" someone in the crowd gasped, and a chorus of disdainful sighs followed.
"Of course, she is not the only person she has threatened," Cassandra said, her gaze shifting to the stern-faced King Augustus. "She has made such statements against the king himself!"
King Augustus, who had been sitting silently, closed his eyes and took a quiet, steadying breath. "Yes," he said, his voice heavy with the weight of his oath. "In the name of the Goddess Seraphine and my vow to this throne, I swear that she has indeed threatened me on several occasions!"
"See, my lady?" Cassandra said, turning back to Maddie with a triumphant look. "I believe these points alone are enough to prove that she respects no one's status and is a threat to us all!"
"Hmph," Lortell snorted, a flicker of annoyance finally breaking through her calm facade.
"I gave no threats. People these days just don't have a sense of humour."
---
While the courtroom drama unfolded, the revolutionaries were making their move. Their time of hiding was over. It was now do or die, and this was the best chance they would ever get.
Ducton, Cleric, and Vesilisa each led a massive force, no smaller than a true army, cutting down every opponent who stood in their way. All three were Rank A awakeneds, and just below S rank, they were considered invincible in this world.
The sheer power of their auras alone was enough to make enemy soldiers explode into a bloody mist or collapse, vomiting blood on the spot.
They were not alone. The protesters and common citizens, sick to their bones of the corruption and inequality, rose up to support them. They cheered the revolutionaries on, boosting their morale, and many even picked up weapons to fight alongside them.
This help was crucial, as they had no time to waste. They couldn't afford to kill every single guard or awakened in their path. It was a civil war, a chaotic mess where telling friend from foe was very difficult.
But under the brilliant guidance of the three squadron leaders, their forces kept conquering land, their victory march relentless.
Although all three armies were marching from different corners of the kingdom, their goal was the same: the Royal Palace, where the trial was being held.
They had agreed to meet on the outskirts of the capital city, Celsius, and then strike as one to free Maruti and seize control. Their plan was working perfectly because everyone's attention was fixed on the struggle between Lortell and King Augustus.
In the shadow of that drama, everyone had forgotten the revolutionary group even existed. It was a completely unexpected attack, and the kingdom was being caught with its guard down.
Vesilisa led her forces, conquering village after village, city after city. The attack had started at early morning, and already, many hours had passed.
She was slowly closing in on the outskirts of Celsius, her army of ten thousand warriors swelling with the addition of angry citizens and protesters. With every piece of land she took, she left a small group behind to secure the area and bring it completely under her control.
For the next half hour, they pushed forward. Even though Vesilisa was on horseback, the deep exhaustion from continuous battle was beginning to settle in her muscles.
She pulled a glass bottle from her satchel and drank the sweet, cool liquid of a mana potion, feeling a wave of relief wash over her as her energy returned.
"My target is already within my sight!" Vesilisa smirked to herself, a fierce glint in her eyes.
Just then, she saw them. Two other enormous groups of people were approaching from two different directions. It was Ducton and Cleric, leading their armies.
Their clothes were slightly tattered and stained with blood, but they moved with a steady, determined strength. Vesilisa's face lit up with pure joy the moment she saw them. She swung down from her horse and ran to meet them.
"It's so good to see you both safe!" Vesilisa said, her voice thick with emotion as she reached them.
"Same goes for you!" they both said at the same time, their faces mirroring her relief.
"Let's go. We can't waste a single second," Ducton said, his voice urgent. He looked back at the massive combined force and shouted, "Everyone, merge as one! You can see our goal ahead! Don't stop until that city is ours!"
They could already see the bustling, crowded capital city looming before them. Behind them stretched one of the outskirts of a great forest, the same forest where tribes like the Vanara, Lothal, and Gorga lived—most of them fierce barbarians.
It was the same forest where Esdeath had once escaped before finding her way to the capital for treatment.
Now, so close to their goal, the dream of building their Empire of the Republic felt like it was just one final step away.
But then, a voice suddenly echoed in everyone's ears, dripping with contempt.
"You dare to attack at such a crucial time? How disgusting!"
Everyone looked up. Floating high in the air was a tall man with a wide chest, his face one that almost everyone in the kingdom recognized.
"Caesar!" Cleric snarled, gritting his teeth in pure hatred.
"You really thought we wouldn't notice our moment of weakness?" Caesar spat, his voice booming from the sky. "This kingdom is older than your ancestors!"
In the next second, several other figures shot out from behind him, flying into the air to join him. Their Rank A auras leaked out, a crushing pressure that forced most of the soldiers below to their knees, their weapons clattering to the ground.
Vesilisa's eyes went wide with horror, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
"Twenty... twenty Rank A Awakeneds?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Her legs gave out from under her, and she fell to her knees in the dirt. The hope that had burned so brightly inside her was extinguished in an instant, replaced by a cold, suffocating dread.
"It's over,"