He gazed at Karliah, a slow smile on his face. That was quick - she had dodged the question regarding the witness... and Hiroko's missing sword, almost as if she had panicked.

Almost.

"I acknowledge the fact I'll respect the privacy of the Prosecution's proceedings, and I'm sure they have a witness that must've seen the crime - which I trust that Lady Karliah will bring up in due time. Without further ado, I would like to present the weapon that the Prosecution says, is the murder weapon."

"According to Lady Karliah's opening statement and further detailing of the victim's death, Lady Reizei was killed by this weapon, by being stabbed clean through the heart and the spinal cord. Upon closer inspection, I find it hard to believe. One, according to the Prosecution, the victim was wearing her armor at the time of the death - armor, that I say without a trace of doubt, is layered and folded to block and deflect even the most determined attackers... second - there is something about this sword that the court should know about."

"Thus why, I ask your honor for permission for me to present the nodachi in question."

The judge nodded assent, and Yemhelch donned a pair of leather gloves before carefully removing the wrapped nodachi and carefully placed it on the podium.

"Lady Rose, and Lady Karliah, for the record - is this the murder weapon that was recovered from the crime scene - stabbed into the late honorable Reizei's body?"

_________________

Both nod in agreement.

"Yes, this has been established."

"Of course, I remember it quite well." Rose states.

_________________

> Press further.

"In the course of our investigation... we found that there are two serious inconsistencies in the accusation against my client, that casts very clear doubt on the veracity of this whole case." Yemhelch's facial expression went from affable smile to a stern shake of the head. "Now, lady Karliah - please explain to the court the manufacture of these beautiful, but deadly nodachi. In particular, the tip - if what you say is true, this should put us in the right direction."

_________________

"Well, that's rather simple. The tip was blunted in the damage to the spinal cord, and then going through the bone in the-"

Karliah paused.


Link


"NO FREAKING WAY!" Karliah suddenly exclaimed, realizing something, "Mr. Yemhelch, it stands to reason then, that based the way the tip is damaged and awkwardly bent, then are you implying that the person who used this katana is not particularly skilled in its use?"

The judge's eyes widen, "Prosecutor Karliah, are you arguing against the position you are holding?"

"No your honour, but given that the sword is so well damaged on the tip, it's impossible for the user to be as skilled as even a samurai apprentice, and the defendant was one of Reizei's closest students."

"Hmmm... Then, if this is the case, wouldn't the armor have also caused this sort of bend?"

"Your honour, I believe that the defense has raised a valid point. Miss Rose has been told by Kazeko to tell nothing but the truth in this courtroom, and Kazeko's word, as we know, can be trusted. However, this is where I believe the prosecution's next witness needs to be questioned."

"Excellent work Yemhelch!" Mikkael exclaimed, "Now we're getting somewhere. I have a feeling that there will be a major contradiction in the next testimony."

Karliah cleared her throat, "The prosecution calls to the stand the salesperson who claims to have sold the katana."

--------------------------------------------------

A salesman, wearing a clean suit and tie with a well groomed look took to the stand.

"Your name and occupation, witness?" Karliah instructed the man.

"Father Johannes. I am a priest and I also sell weapons to the good warriors of Vel Da Ir." The man stated in a smooth voice.

"We would like to know about-"

"HOLD IT!" The priest called out.

"Before we begin, I would like to ensure to the whole court that as a man of Lumbra, we should be sure that all persons in this room are telling the truth."

Karliah cleared her throat, "With all due respect sir, we-"

"For you see, Lumbra is the father of us mortals. We are blessed to be under His guiding light, His vision, His protection, His grace. He is the true father above, and the watcher of us all. Our love, our very being, everything we should be standing for is a gift from Him! We are but dust to the Lord, and yet we are still the chosen people of Him! Such a glorious Lord he is! Can we get a prayer going for our Lord Lumbra? I believe our case will conclude easier if we all get on our knees and pray to the Lord, our beloved God, Lumbra! I shall begin the prayer momentarily..."

Karliah clears her throat, "Father, we-"

"Dear Lord Lumbra, we give thanks to you for-"

The judge's gavel resounds through the courtroom. "Witness! We are not in need of a sermon!"

"But good judge, we are but dust beneath the Lord!"

"If you continue your preaching I will have you forcibly removed from the courtroom!" The judge barked at the witness.

Karliah gave out a sigh, "Indeed, please try to keep relevant to the case. Such as-"

"I sold the weapon to her."

"Huh?" Karliah blurted out.

"I sold the weapon to the victim. May I continue my sermon now?"

"NO!"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"I have no idea what the religion of Lumbra entails, but if it requires listening to this guy some more, I'm going to help him get in touch with this god of his."

Karliah slammed her hands onto the table, "Father Johannes! We require a DETAILED testimony! Please make that testimony!"

"Fine, fine..." The father smiled.

-----THE SALE-----

1. "As a side job, I like to earn extra money selling weapons to the people of Vel Da Ir."
2. "Quite a while back, she came to my stall and bought a two-handed katana."
3. "She was saying it was for someone very special to her, and wanted it to be the finest quality."
4. "I could never forget her name, either. I would never be able to forget a name like that."
5. "I delivered it to her directly when it was done, and saw her give it to the defendant."

"..." The judge silently nodded.

"Now may I-"

The judge slammed his gavel once more, "No. Will the defense please cross-examine this testimony... and please refrain from talking of religious figures."

-----OPTIONS-----

-Object: Use a piece of evidence to expose a contradiction.
-Press: Gather more info on a particular point.
-Submit: Agree that the testimony is accurate. <WARNING: May be detrimental to your case.>

_________________

"Lumbra"
"Lumbra"
"Lumbra"

They say that almost every priest of Lumbra working with the Magus Guild and the Cyndar Knights in the region of Frenga Farms suddenly suffered a mild hallucination - a soft whisper almost below the threshold of hearing, speaking Lumbra's name once or twice. Most took this as a sign of faith from God, and prayed. The skeptics had laughed it off as a publicity stunt.

Somewhere in new Meridia, an ancient Meridian elder woke up from her slumber and opened her eyes for the first time in 20 years. She had felt something - not right. Far away. As if it was a mild deep-sea earthquake.

-

Yemhelch had been slightly annoyed by how Karliah had sprung away from the trap he had carefully laid for her. Then, he smiled - the stronger prey were always hard to catch at one go. He would try again when he had a better vantage point.

He had suspected it for a while, but now he was certain. Vel Da Ir's judicial system was bent out of shape - and he would have to navigate its treacherous turf if he was to win this. He smiled and nodded as the next witness was called.

Odd, that a man of cloth would sell bladed weapons... he thought to himself as he listened to this man's testimony. Karliah had wisely opted to refuse to testify, instead letting this smalltime saleman serve as a temporary scapegoat.

He noticed how the priest adamantly refused to name names in his testimony. He would have to fix that.

"You are under oath to Lumbra to speak the truth in this court of law, am I correct?" Yemhelch spoke. "If so, I'd like to hear some more information on who you sold the weapon in question to, and secondly to where you got it from. In addition, please testify to the court about the meeting you saw."

_________________

"Why, I felt as though it was obvious to the court by now. However, I will state the name of the person who bought the weapon - which I should mention, I had made myself - but first, give me a moment."

The priest kept an unnerving smile for a moment as he put his hands together in silence.

"... The defendant's name is Reizei. The victim, the apprentice samurai, is sitting in the seat there."

Karliah swiftly facepalmed.

"... What...?"

_________________

In perfect synchronization with Karliah, Yemhelch had also facepalmed.

Without missing a beat, Yemhelch quickly recovered his composure and moved on to the next question - his face-splitting grin rapidly disappearing into a gentle nod. Of course it made sense!

"Now, please testify to the court about the nodachi you sold." he prompted the salesman as he picked up the nodachi, still sheathed and showed it to the salesman. "On a scale of 0 to 10, how perfect is this marvelous sword in the art of war?"

_________________

Karliah halted the priest, "WAIT, YOU'RE NOT EVEN GOING TO POINT OUT TO THE MAN THAT THIS IS A MURDER CASE!?"

The priest, shocked, looked to Karliah, "THIS IS A MURDER CASE!?"

Then he grinned, "Why, that makes sense then. Yes, that sword is very powerful, truly capable of causing deadly injury! I made it with the best materials and sharpened it to perfection! I remember now, actually, I made an error, it was miss Reizei who bought the blade, and gave it to the defendant, who I do not know the name of. My mistake."

_________________

Clearly, this court was as crooked as that hustler whose slightly singed jacket he was now wearing. First, his client had been arrested on what was rapidly becoming clear as hearsay and inconclusive logic. Second, the prosecution had tracked down this buffoon as a witness.

"So, what about the statue?" Yemhelch asked him.

_________________

"What statue?" The priest asked.

_________________

Yemhelch slapped himself in the forehead as he made an apologetic smile. "Ah, no... that was last time... I truly apologize, Father Johannes."

"It is fine, my son." Johannes replied, nodding. "We all make mistakes sometimes - what is important is that amends are made. That is the Mercy of Lumbra-"

A stern look from the judge made his voice trail off.

Mikkael looked at Yemhelch, almost to object at his sudden shift when he saw the toothy grin. It reminded him of a bull shark that had sensed blood in the water.

"Your honor, now that we have established where the sword is from and who bought it... " Yemhelch continued "I would like to have your permission to inspect the nodachi together with Lady Karliah, in front of the court with the utmost care."

The judge nodded assent and Yemhelch carefully carried the wrapped sword onto the central bench as Karliah also approached the pulpit, putting on a pair of thick gloves similar to the ones he wore. The two working together, carefully peeled the protective seal off and carefully placed the sword onto the oak surface of the central table as Karliah took out a pair of calipers and a metal tester. She placed the tester on the edge, and the calipers on the blade to test its edge and Yemhelch held the nodachi steady...

_________________

The priest began sweating in his seat as the nodachi's blade was being tested. Mikkael took note of this and smiled.

The tests came back showing that the blade was indeed sharp, but definitely not as sharp as described by the priest.

"I-IMPOSSIBLE! THE BLADE COULD HAVE SIMPLY BEEN DULLED OVER TIME! YOU KNOW THAT KATANAS REQUIRE HIGH MAINTENANCE!"

"OBJECTION!" Mikkael finally called out.


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Mikkael smiled, "Sorry, father, but you've been lying to this court the entire time. I myself am a fully skilled bladesmith, and the edge would have shown a form of corrosion by now, given that the blade is actually made of a special form of copper, blackened during the heat treating process. The blade is entirely ornamental! Now how in the name of your human god can you explain this contradiction!?"

"W-WHAAAAAAAA!?!?!?"

_________________

"Thus, why I say it's impossible that Lady Hiroko could have been the killer." Yemhelch said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I call for the unfounded case against my client to be dismissed so we can start putting a proper investigation team to hunt down and the real killer of Lady Reizei and bring whoever did this to this very courtroom. The defense rests."

With a polite bow, Yemhelch sits down.

_________________

The judge nods, "Indeed, it seems that there needs to be more information gathered. Thus I-"

"HOLD IT!"

Karliah holds a hand up.

"Isn't there something else you're forgetting?" Karliah asks the priest, "Why did your lie to the court? What is your motivation for doing this?"

"... Oh." The priest smiled once more.

"The prosecution presents this locked box as evidence." Karliah continues. "This was found in Hiroko's dresser."

"HEY! I never saw that evidence submitted before!" Mikkael exclaims.

The judge takes a look at the locked box, it was fairly big, or at least big enough that it could only fit in two hands. Mikkael went ahead to examine it himself, putting on the leather gloves as well. He saw that it was very well secured, and that trying to break it open would probably cause whatever contents to be destroyed as well.

"So, could Kazeko open this?" Mikkael asked the prosecutor. Kazeko stood up from within the audience.

"Actually, I don't mean to interrupt, but I did try, nya." She went up to Mikkael. After setting down the box, she put on the gloves he was wearing, picking it up and pointing to the lock. "I tried to pick the lock, but there's an anti-lockpicking mechanyism, looks to be custom made. Those don't come cheap, either, so I think it was a gift, nyes?"

"Which brings me to my point." The priest states, "The reason I lied is because-"

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!!!!!!"

The sudden outcry from Hiroko silenced the court, "ANYTHING BUT MENTIONING THAT!"

"You have the key to this locked box, right, Hiroko?" Mikkael asked. The girl nodded in response. Mikkael then asked, "Can you please open it?"

She shook her head, "I refuse to have the contents revealed."

"Well, it's the same reason I would want the victim implicated as well, were she still alive." The priest finished. That's when Karliah's eyes widened.

"Well, I bid you all adieu." The priest finished, stepping down.

--------------------------------------------------

The judge concluded the day's trial, requesting that both the prosecution and the defense investigate the case further, and to find the real murderer. Hiroko Hajima was not totally acquitted, but her innocence was now much better established. There were close, and yet, they were still much farther than they had realized...

Mikkael stepped out of the courtroom, Philena jumping in to give him and Yemhelch a hug, "YOU GUYS WERE GREAT OUT THERE! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!~~"

"Ah-Y-Yeah... Though, we're not out of the fire yet." Mikkael laughed. "There's still a lot more questioning to do today. Especially si-Huh?"

Looking over Karliah was walking to them, "I'm sorry to say this, but I need Yemhelch to come with me. He is being personally summoned by another defendant..." She then reached into her pocket, grabbing a silvery badge and a letter, "Also, this was sent express from her royal majesty, Queen Meridia II."

Mikkael was curious, the first letter he received was informal, from the princess, but he didn't know how the queen could send the letter, being that she was slaughtered by the dragons. Nonetheless, he pulled it out, seeing that it was written by the princess. Philena spoke in the meridian tongue...

"Rhaid i ni beidio â gadael iddo fod yn hysbys bod y frenhines wedi marw."

Mikkael responded in kind, "Yr wyf yn deall. Byddaf yn cofio hynny." He then smiled, she had heard of the trial, and had promoted him to investigator.

"Really?" Karliah asked, "Well, this should make your job easier, Investigator Mikkael. You should have full access to all areas related to the crime, as well as all witnesses. Now, if you'll follow me, Mr. Yemhelch."

<NEW EVIDENCE HAS BEEN ADDED.>
<NEW PROFILE HAS BEEN ADDED.>

-----EVIDENCE-----

-Victim File: Reizei Cynric'dair, 23, Human Fire Draco, was stabbed by the two-handed katana which lead to instantaneous death. The murder occurred on the third day of the Festival of the Lily.
-Two-Handed Katana: The weapon used to murder Reizei. It's actually ornamental, and belongs to a statue in her room, with a white wrapping over the black metal. It looks like it takes a bit of strength to get loose from the statue's grip.
-Hiroko's One-Handed Katana: A black metal katana with a white wrapping. Swapped with the two-handed katana at some point.
-Damaged Daimyo Room Key: The key to the Daimyo's room. It is one of a kind, and was likely damaged when Reizei was stabbed.
-Dilated Eyes: The eyes of the victim were dilated, indicating magic, strangulation, or drugging.
-The Armor: The armor Reizei was supposedly wearing when she was murdered. Matching stab wounds, but little blood or will evaporation presence.
-The Will Evaporated Wound: The victim's wound is smaller at the front of the chest, and thicker at the back, indicating a stab from behind. There is will evaporation surrounding the wound and going down her front and back.
-Folding Screen: A folding screen in Reizei's room. It has evidence of will evaporation on both sides.
-Furnace: A heating furnace in Reizei's room, used to burn her clothes post-mortem.
-Locked Box: A locked box with an anti-lockpicking mechanism. Hiroko refuses to open it or discuss its contents.

-----PROFILES-----

-Reizei Cynric'dair: Master Daimyo and the victim.
-Hiroko Hajima: Apprentice Samurai and our client, the defendant.
-Rose: The housekeeper who had found the body.
-Kazeko Mizuo: Master Jounin who had helped open the door to Reizei's room.
-Arisa Urushijima: Master Jiu Duan, working with the prosecution.
-Yemhelch: The defense attorney, a soldier.
-Mikkael Altans: A meridian spellsword working as an investigator.
-Father Johannes: A human priest who makes swords. Sold the two-handed katana.

_________________

Karliah had avoided his questions twice now. Then, he had managed to secure an objection against 'unfounded evidence' to the point the judge had called the trial to recess. Now, he walked alongside his pr-opponent as they returned to the Pagoda.

His smile was definitely disconcerting - especially the way his facial expressions and voice shifted as the mood dictated. In the darkness of the pagoda, the effect was amplified; Karliah led the way. Her stance did not reveal it, but she had her hand on the handle of the warmace. Something about this man made her experience a level of tension - as if she was in a duel. There was something about him that put her combat-honed nerves on edge, as if every fiber of her being was screaming 'RUN!'.

Her grip tightened at his voice - almost too loud here in this empty hallway. In a perfectly conversational tone, he asked her who this 'new defendant' was, and then wryly added that he didn't really go for pro-bono.

To drive his point home, his stomach growled.

_________________