BXBX NOVEL Chapter 82 The Trial 2
Yuki paused, allowing her words to sink in before continuing. "The fact that I am still alive is evidence in itself that Lord Justius is also alive. Miss Wrath could not have killed him, as she is the source of my continued existence. I urge the court to consider this crucial piece of information in the pursuit of justice."
The courtroom fell into a hushed silence as Yuki's words resonated with those in attendance. The weight of her testimony hung in the air, casting doubt on the allegations against Wrath. All eyes turned to Envy, the presiding judge, awaiting her response.
"Your Honor, may I ask some questions?" the prosecutor interjected, raising his hand. It was evident that this prosecutor hailed from the Alchemont clan, which had ties to Lucien and the Willow family and shared the same faction as Cyrus.
Envy and Cyrus both nodded, granting permission for the prosecutor to proceed with his line of questioning.
The prosecutor bowed respectfully to the judges and approached Yuki, who stood poised on the witness podium.
"Miss Yuki, you are the homunculus of His Majesty Victor Justius, correct?" the prosecutor inquired.
"Yes, that is correct," Yuki responded with unwavering honesty.
The prosecutor pressed on, his tone laced with skepticism. "Then, why are you here, acting as a witness for the one who allegedly killed your owner?"
Yuki began to explain her motives, her voice unwavering. "I promised to assist Mr. Magitek with the case of Miss Wrath because she..."
The prosecutor quickly cut her off, his finger raised to signal her to stop speaking.
"That's it! That's exactly what we needed!" the prosecutor exclaimed, a triumphant expression on his face.
Envy, observing the situation, intervened without hesitation.
"Prosecutor, please refrain from interrupting the witness's statement," she firmly stated.
The prosecutor, bowing to Envy's authority, responded with reluctance.
"Yes, Your Honor." He glanced towards Cyrus, seeking support, but Cyrus, well aware of the risks involved, shook his head, signaling for the prosecutor to comply with Envy's request.
Cyrus understood all too well that engaging in a direct confrontation with Envy would offer no guarantees of victory, especially if she unleashed her formidable demonic form.
Having experienced the perils of such a clash before, Cyrus was determined to avoid a repeat at all costs. Consequently, he found himself limited in his ability to assist his faction's desires, be it their pursuit of Wrath's blood and magic essence or their wish to conduct experiments on her. Adhering to the rules became his sole recourse, regardless of his faction's fervent aspirations.
The prosecutor, albeit reluctantly, directs his attention to Yuki and urges her to continue. "Please proceed, Witness."
Yuki, resolute in her stance, delivers her response. "Yes, it is because Miss Wrath didn't kill him."
Curiosity evident in his tone, the prosecutor probes further. "And why are you so certain that the defendant, who is currently absent, did not kill him?"
"As I mentioned earlier, one of my loyalty protocols stipulates that if he were to perish, I would meet the same fate. My presence here stands as the strongest evidence that he is still alive," the homunculus confidently declares.
"Thank you, Witness," the prosecutor acknowledges before turning his attention back to the judge.
"Based on the witness's statement, there are two crucial points we must address: firstly, the identity of Mr. Magitek, and secondly, the credibility of the witness's testimony. Let us not overlook the fact that she is, ultimately, a homunculus," the prosecutor asserts, raising the two important aspects for discussion.
"To shed light on Mr. Magitek, we have gathered relevant information," the prosecutor explains, and a screen emerges from the floor, displaying the collected data.
The screen displayed all the available information about Magitek, including his real name, his relationship with Wrath, his conflict with Victor Justius, and his exceptional abilities as an Artificer.
The information was concise and straightforward, leaving little room for doubt. However, it did not include the fact that Daniel was also a brilliant alchemist, which only a few people, including Ragnar, Greed, Yuki, and Klause, were aware of.
After a brief moment for the courtroom to process the information on the screen, the prosecutor continued, emphasizing the motive and relationship between Magitek and the defendant.
"As you can see, Mr. Magitek and the defendant had a strong motive to kill his majesty Victor Justius, and their relationship was clearly one that would lead him to want to protect the defendant from punishment under the Hightower law.
Additionally, as we learned from the information presented, he was an excellent Artificer and a genius, capable of modifying and decrypting loyalty protocols and even planting false memories in homunculi," explained the prosecutor.
"But he didn't do it!" the homunculus protested.
The prosecutor didn't respond; he only turned towards the homunculus and smiled, as if he had trapped a large deer in his trap.
Seeing the prosecutor's reaction, Greed's face grew solemn as if something was about to go horribly wrong. However, she steeled herself and chose not to interrupt.
The prosecutor turned to the judge and requested permission.
"Your honor, may I call an expert witness?"
"Permission granted," Cyrus responded on behalf of Envy, while Envy nodded in confirmation, following the established rules.
The prosecutor gestured towards a person seated not far from him and said, "Please step forward, witness."
The individual, a man in his mid-30s with slight wrinkles around his eyes and plain white hair extending down to his shoulders, was dressed in a brown suit over a white shirt, with a black necktie. His red-glowing iris indicated that he inhabited a specially crafted homunculus body, superior in power to a typical human body.
This man is Magnus Alchemont, the current patriarch of the Alchemont Clan and a nemesis of Ragnar Stenmar.
As his nemesis walked up to the podium beside Yuki, Ragnar's eyes grew sharp with a determination to finally eliminate the man he had sworn to kill. Magnus, on the other hand, looked at Ragnar with deep-seated hatred, concealed within his glowing red iris.
Magnus hadn't transformed into a homunculus to extend his life or prolong his natural lifespan; it was a consequence of Ragnar destroying his body during their confrontation in World War II.
This event ignited a fierce feud between the two largest mage clans, depleting their resources and manpower.
Even to this day, conflicts and skirmishes between the Stenmark and Alchemont clans persisted worldwide. Within the curtained world, it had become the norm that the mere presence of Stenmarks and Alchemonts together would inevitably lead to a fight to the death.
But in the midst of the courtroom, the two had no choice but to reluctantly tolerate each other's presence.
"Your honor, I am Magnus Alchemont," Magnus introduced himself, bowing toward the judges.
"As you are aware, I am the patriarch of the Alchemont clan and the foremost expert on the nature and workings of homunculi. Regrettably, we have reason to suspect that the homunculus named Yuki has been tampered with by a third party," Magnus stated, his cold eyes directed toward Yuki.
Magnus then produced an artifact resembling a hand-scanning device used for security measures.
"This is a reading device that can determine whether a homunculus has been tampered with or not," Magnus explained, placing the device on the podium and resting his hand on it. A beep sounded, and a red light illuminated the device.
"As you can see, the red light indicates that my body has undergone numerous modifications in an attempt to strengthen it beyond the standard factory settings," Magnus clarified, turning his gaze toward the spectators in the courtroom.
"Has anyone brought an untampered homunculus with them?" Magnus inquired.
In response, an elderly man stood up, supported by a girl who appeared to be around 17 or 18 years old. The girl received instructions from the old man and approached the device, placing her hand on it.
"Beep."
The room filled with the sound of the beeping, accompanied by a green light, signifying that this homunculus had not been tampered with by any third party.
Magnus nodded and expressed his gratitude to the old man before turning his attention back to the judges.
"Your honor, as you can see, this is the signal that appears when a homunculus has not been tampered with," Magnus concluded.
"Now, I can only request that this homunculus demonstrate whether she has been tampered with or not," Magnus stated, directing his gaze toward Yuki.
"This is ridiculous! You know Victor's nature. There is no way he wouldn't have tampered with his homunculus, whether to enhance her combat capabilities or increase her mana power. It would still be considered tampering by a third party!" Ragnar protested.