In a quiet government hospital in the Dwarf Kingdom, Visra's recovery was nothing short of a miracle. She was healing even faster than the doctors had predicted. Right now, she was running in a small garden within the hospital grounds, still wearing the plain, simple clothes given to patients.
It was hard to believe that just yesterday, she had undergone major surgery for a kidney transplant. She ran with the energy of someone who had never been hurt at all.
A thin layer of sweat formed on her skin, and her breathing grew a little heavier as she pushed herself, but then a gentle voice cut through her focus.
"Why are you being so hard on yourself? You should be resting!"
Visra turned to see Tenha standing nearby, her face etched with worry. Visra immediately stopped, catching her breath as she walked towards her. "I'm not being hard on myself. Everything is fine. No, actually... I feel even stronger than before!"
"That's good to hear, but it hasn't even been a full day," Tenha insisted, her voice soft but firm. "You really should be resting."
Visra sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Miss Tenha, you worry so mu—"
Before she could finish her sentence, a strange sensation shot through her body, like something deep inside had suddenly clicked wrong. Instinctively, her hand flew to her side, over the area of her new kidney.
A sharp, searing pain tore through her, dozens of times more intense than the original wound from the debris that had pierced her stomach.
Visra's legs gave out, and she collapsed to her knees. A violent, wracking cough seized her, so painful it stole her breath.
"W-what happened?" Tenha's expression of concern instantly turned to one of pure panic. Before she could even form a thought, Visra coughed up a large spray of bright red blood onto the pristine garden grass.
A wave of dizziness washed over her, and the world began to spin, her vision blurring at the edges. She felt like she would faint at any second.
In that moment, Tenha didn't hesitate for a second. She scooped Visra into her arms, her heart pounding with fear, and ran as fast as she could towards the doctors, screaming for help.
---
Meanwhile, back in the courtroom, Cassandra had finished presenting all her claims against Lortell. Now, it was time for her to focus on Esdeath.
"Lortell is not the only guilty one," Cassandra announced, her voice cutting through the silent hall. "Her partner, Esdeath Mariette, is no different. In fact, I believe she has the potential to surpass Lortell in terms of evilness given time!" She gestured towards the door. "Bring him in!"
A few guards entered, escorting a man whose hands were bound by heavy handcuffs. It was Caelum Nyvari, the same man who had once arrogantly arrested Esdeath and questioned her about the death of Eldon.
"I will mainly focus on three major crimes Esdeath committed, and these happened even before she had any relationship with my sister," Cassandra added, her eyes cold. "So you can just imagine how evil and fearless she is, to commit such crimes on her own!"
"Ugh... she just keeps talking bad about Mother and Father," Selene muttered quietly from the back of the room. She glared at Cassandra with narrowed eyes, her expression a mixture of irritation and anger. "I really don't like her."
Caelum Nyvari was led to the testimony area, where he stood stiffly.
"This is Caelum Nyvari," Cassandra said, pointing a finger at him. "He used to be a captain of his own guard group, and he is the same person who handled the case of Eldon Karanthis—a noble and an awakened academy student's death!"
At that moment, King Augustus leaned closer to Queen Maddie, his voice a low whisper as he quickly explained the basic facts of the case.
Maddie, who was not from Anastasia and knew very few people here, had no idea what the Eldon case was about. After hearing Augustus's short but brief explanation, she looked at Cassandra and gave a slow, understanding nod.
"The suspect turned out to be a six or seven-year-old boy," Cassandra continued, her voice sharp and clear. "He was said to be part of the revolutionary group. But when I dug deeper, the truth was something else entirely!" She walked purposefully towards Caelum, her heels clicking softly on the floor. "So tell me, Captain Nyvari. How did a small child manage to kill an awakened person?"
"He had a gun," Caelum replied, his voice flat.
"And how did a child get a gun?" Cassandra pressed.
"When we questioned him, he revealed that a black-haired girl with red eyes gave it to him," Caelum said, his gaze fixed on the floor. "She tricked him to shoot Eldon..."
"And of course, it was obvious that girl was Esdeath Crimson," he said, "I even took her in for testimony and questioning, but—"Before he could finish.
"But you released her without taking any action or leaking a single word that she was ever a suspect, right?" Cassandra finished for him, her eyes narrowing.
Caelum nodded, a look of shame on his face. "Yes," he confessed. "Because during the testimony, she started exposing my secrets instead. I had no other choice!"
Cassandra dismissed him with a wave of her hand, ignoring his pathetic excuse.
She turned immediately to face Maddie. "See? Esdeath threatened and blackmailed him into letting her go. There is no doubt she was the real mastermind behind it all!" she spoke with the utmost confidence.
She had Caelum led away and called for her next witness. This time, the person wasn't in handcuffs, nor were they accompanied by guards.
It was a middle-aged woman with green hair, her face a mask of heartbreak, as if she might start crying at any moment. Beside her stood a younger girl with the same green hair and similar facial features. It was without a doubt that they were mother and daughter. The daughter walked into the testimony area while her mother waited just outside.
"This is Luna Cassia's sister," Cassandra said, her gaze sweeping over the audience. "Luna was also a student at the Awakened Academy. She went missing for no particular reason and was declared dead a long time ago."
"And guess what? Coincidentally, Luna used to be Esdeath's roommate. And coincidentally, Esdeath disappeared for weeks the very next day!" She let the word "coincidentally" hang in the air, heavy with sarcasm.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I do not believe in coincidences," Cassandra continued. "And all of this seems far too fishy to me. I will also blame the academy for such poor management! They should have arrested Esdeath long ago!" she added, not holding back her criticism. With a simple gesture, she told Luna's sister to go back and sit with her mother in audience's.
"And now, for my strongest claim," Cassandra declared, a fire in her eyes. "I don't need any other proof, because the person himself is the proof!"
A few guards entered again, this time escorting a young man. It was none other than Corin, the duke's son.
"Corin?" Ethan exclaimed in surprise. Even he hadn't expected this.
The same shock went through Sylvania, Violet, and everyone else in the courtroom. The duke himself was present in the audience, and for him, it was like a jumpscare. He almost shot to his feet instinctively but somehow managed to hold himself back.
Corin, however, walked on his own accord, not like a prisoner. He stood in the testimony area with a polite, gentle smile on his face. Even some of the guards felt their cheeks flush, despite knowing Corin was a man. His delicate, feminine features were just too charming for anyone who preferred cute things.
Cassandra simply looked at all the judges and said, "My fellow classmates, Corin is currently being enslaved by her. You can check for yourselves right now. That proof shall be enough!"
"What? How?" At that moment, the duke couldn't hold it in any longer. He stood up and called out in shock.
But Maddie immediately raised her hand, her gesture silencing him instantly. "Anyone here with speciality in these things or I have to take action myself?",
A knight immediately volunteered and led Corin to a quiet corner of the room.
"Scan his mind. Check if he is enslaved in any way!" Maddie ordered.
He nodded and placed his hands on Corin's head and began scanning his mind. A few other guards formed a tight circle around him, just in case Corin was actually enslaved and became hostile. Thankfully, Corin was fully cooperating, showing no signs of resistance or ill intent.
"Well then," Cassandra said, a confident aura on her surroundings. "By the time the obvious truth comes out, I shall proceed to expose Maruti Vanara instead!"
"Bring Maruti Vanara in!" Maddie ordered, her voice echoing in the hall.
It didn't take long for the guards to bring her forward. Maruti had been waiting for her turn, anyway, Barely a minute at best.
"Stop touching me. I'm not going anywhere," Maruti said, brushing a guard's hand off her arm. She walked to the defendant's area on her own and stood quietly, her posture straight and proud as she waited for Cassandra to begin.
"Compared to Esdeath and my sister, exposing her is the hardest," Cassandra thought to herself, a flicker of frustration crossing her mind.
And she was right. Unlike Esdeath and Lortell, who had long lists of morally questionable deeds—and Cassandra had the proof to back it up—Maruti had no such criminal record. Her reputation was clean.
"Well, my target is my sister anyways," Cassandra reminded herself. "As long as I can make Maruti fall from her position as Prophet, that will be enough." With that goal in mind, she walked towards Maruti, her expression sharp and calculating.
"You claim yourself to be the Goddess's blessed," Cassandra began, her voice laced with skepticism. "Yet you claimed that Esdeath was someone who would change the era and bring about humanity's supremacy. You said this despite knowing she is a criminal."
"She hasn't been considered a criminal yet," Maruti replied swiftly, her voice steady. "And just as a matter of fact, it wasn't me who decided that. It was the Goddess herself."
"Is that so? Then how does she communicate with you?" Cassandra questioned, leaning in slightly.
"By sending me visions," Maruti answered with a snort, giving Cassandra a side-eye. "You might have known that if you had ever attended one of my preachings."
"No, I have no interest in attending a place where a priestess teaches people to apply cosmetics, where a nun can have a relationship, and where people of the same sex can marry!" Cassandra shot back instantly.
"I was just teaching freedom!" Maruti interrupted immediately with a heavy sigh.
"Well, let's get back to the topic," Cassandra said, changing tactics. "Since you can see visions, how about you tell me what will happen tomorrow?"
"No, it doesn't work like that," Maruti answered calmly.
"So how does it work?" Cassandra pressed.
"It's not me who gives the visions. It's the Goddess herself," Maruti replied, sounding like a clever charlatan trying to avoid a trap.
"Then how can we determine that it's the Goddess, and not just some kind of mental illness?" Cassandra spat, her words like sharp daggers aimed at Maruti's credibility.
"Because I have already predicted many casualties!" Maruti insisted, standing her ground without backing down an inch.
Cassandra didn't say anything more. She took a few steps back and crossed her arms, a thoughtful look on her face. Then, she put both palms behind her back.
"We need a real-time proof," Cassandra said, a faint mocking smile returning to her lips. "How about I lower the difficulty for you? Tell your Goddess to show you how many fingers I'm holding up behind my back." She paused, letting the challenge hang in the air. "C'mon, you can do it, right? Or is the great prophet not even capable of that?" Cassandra's voice was dripping with a mocking tone.
At that moment, every single eye in the courtroom was on Maruti. She could feel their gazes like a physical weight, pressing down on her.
She couldn't help but gulp quietly, fighting hard to keep any sign of panic or nervousness from showing on her face.
Right now, she had only two options. One was to keep making excuses, but she knew that would shatter her reputation greatly. The other was to guess a random number between one and ten. If she got it right, it would be a miracle. If she got it wrong, answering at all would be the same as admitting she couldn't see the future.
It felt as if time had slowed down. Maruti looked at the faces in the room—judges, nobles. She even saw Kailith, Brenna, Alice, and Selene sitting at the very back. Selene had a cheerful, hopeful expression, as if she fully expected her Aunt Maruti to have a great comeback and make Cassandra taste a bitter defeat.
Maruti took a slow, deep breath and looked at Cassandra. She saw her narrowed eyes, that amusing smile, like she was an all-knowing charlatan.
"...It's four, isn't it?" Maruti said, her voice clear and steady.
Cassandra's faint smile vanished, replaced by a look of pure shock.
At the exact same moment, the guard who had been scanning Corin's mind finished his inspection and stood up. "My lady," he announced, his voice clear for all to hear. "There's no trace of enslavement. He is completely normal!"