Chapter 909: The Hearing (5)

“The Mayor of Vulcan…”

Konrad’s message that the mayor might be attending the hearing.

Lennok couldn’t simply dismiss those words and was lost in thought for a moment.

Despite having been in the city for a considerable amount of time, he had never once seen the mayor’s face.

Come to think of it, mentions of the mayor’s existence in Vulcan were extremely rare to begin with.

It might be because most duties were concentrated in the Central Council, leaving no reason for the mayor to step forward, but Lennok still remembered.

The Kaiser of the past, whom he had met in Closed Sector 25.

He remembered Kaiser mentioning the Black Consumer Project and naming the mayor as one of the deeply involved parties.

“It’s already been over a decade since the Mayor of Vulcan last made a public appearance.”

Konrad said, as if contemplating something deeply.

“I don’t know why he doesn’t show himself publicly. Only a very small fraction of the senators, perhaps only the Elder Council, might have an inkling.”

“So you’re saying you can’t be sure if the mayor is here.”

“Given the situation, and considering the price of the Judgment Edict, the possibility that he’s at the hearing is extremely high.”

Konrad replied to Lennok’s retort with a serious expression.

“The current mayor inherited the position a very long time ago and has maintained it since, so almost no one knows his face. So be careful.”

“…”

“If, by some chance, he really has come to this place, he might try to use his authority to intervene in the hearing.”

“Well.”

Lennok let out a scoff, and Avenia flinched at the unexpected reaction.

“If the mayor really is at the hearing, he won’t commit such a foolish act.”

“A foolish act? The authority he possesses is probably the greatest in this city-”

“Why do you think I attended this hearing?”

Whoosh…!

Even though he was sitting in a wheelchair and being assisted by Antares, the wizard’s presence pressed down heavily on Konrad’s shoulders.

Lennok smiled as he looked at Konrad’s faintly stiffened face.

“In this hearing, the City Council cannot win against me. If you don’t know why, there’s no need for me to explain.”

“…”

Does he mean that a causality so powerful that Adamant Thunder himself is confident in it is already on his side?

Konrad’s lips twitched for a moment as if he wanted to ask more, but he soon checked the time and let out a sigh.

“…If that’s what you think, then I suppose there’s no reason to warn you further. Is it alright not to pay special attention to your injuries?”

Konrad said, glancing at the door leading to the hearing hall with his arms crossed.

“If you wish, we can reduce questions or mentions related to that through prior arrangement.”

Does he have enough influence to intervene in the procedures or process before the hearing even begins?

But even after hearing Konrad’s words, Lennok shook his head.

“Not necessary.”

“Alright. If that’s the case, it can’t be helped.”

Konrad shrugged and slowly stepped back.

“Now that we’ve confirmed your attendance, we’ll begin as soon as we’re ready. Wait here, and when the door opens, you may enter.”

“Understood.”

“I wish you luck.”

With those words, Konrad opened a side door in the hallway and disappeared.

The moment Avenia followed him, bowed silently, and vanished, the large door in front of Lennok boomed.

KUNG!!

The shape of a massive door trembling slowly as it opened to both sides. Antares immediately began to walk, pushing the wheelchair.

HWAAAK!!

A brilliant white light engulfed the two, swirling around them, before finally revealing the scene of a grand temple.

Dazzling marble, almost transparent. A massive temple hall with thick pillars lined up densely on both sides.

In the observer seats on both sides sat over dozens of people, and in the front, a dozen or so city council members were seated, looking down at Lennok.

In the center of the hall was a small table where one person could sit, with dozens of observers and council members surrounding it, looking down at the center.

On all four sides of the temple, over several hundred cameras and recording devices were broadcasting the hearing hall in real-time.

“Adamant Thunder really came…”

“That’s the leader of the Antares Mercenary Group. I heard he’d been away from Vulcan for several months.”

“Did he return to the city just to accompany Adamant Thunder to the hearing?”

“How curious. Their publicly known dispositions are completely different, so how are they acquainted?”

Clack.

Antares stopped the wheelchair in front of the table where a chair had been removed beforehand and took two steps back.

Lennok leaned the staff he was holding to the side and quietly raised his gaze, looking around.

So among those gathered here, there is one representative each from the Central Council, the Elder Council, and the Judiciary?

And if the Mayor of Vulcan is among them in this hearing hall, where could he be sitting and watching me?

Just as Lennok was thinking this, an old judge sitting in the front row opened a thick law book in his hand and spoke.

“Bring forth the Judgment Edict oath tablet.”

At that moment, young boys in ornate ceremonial robes walked forward, shouldering a stone tablet.

The boys, dressed in the same ceremonial robes as the judge, came before Lennok with expressionless faces and quietly set down the tablet.

THUD!!

The complex rules were written in ancient script, and at the end of the tablet was a space for a signature where one placed their hand.

As Lennok silently stared at the tablet, the judge asked in a frail, aged voice.

“Do you swear, by the promise established in Ars Nova, to participate faithfully in this hearing?”

“I do.”

“Then, you may place your hand upon the tablet.”

As Lennok placed his hand on the tablet, he felt an unseen, intangible power covering the back of his hand.

KAGAGAK!!

A strange restraint, like invisible chains, bound Lennok’s hand, seeming to shackle even his inner self.

‘I can resist this using Targeted Resistance. But…’

According to Konrad, the Judgment Edict was a Geas activated not just by Lennok, but by the responsible parties present, who had paid a price.

If Lennok were to not accept the edict here, they would also immediately know that the pact had not been properly bound.

Woooong…!!

Just as Lennok was watching the restraint without resisting it, the wheelchair he was sitting in began to vibrate faintly.

Simultaneously, one of the three chains that had been trying to bind Lennok’s inner self loosened on the spot, then lost its power and vanished.

The nullification of the restraint that forbade the use of his Mindscape during the hearing.

However, the moment the Geas was adjusted, Lennok realized that the other rules of the Judgment Edict couldn’t significantly affect him either.

Even though the edict was clearly placed upon him, all Lennok felt within was a light impulse to answer the questions.

Was it because for Lennok, who possessed the Kaleidoscope mindscape, a Geas that shackled the mind couldn’t function properly in the first place?

As Lennok, having removed his hand from the tablet, rubbed his wrist and pondered this fact, the old man spoke again.

“The attendance of the great wizard Van is hereby confirmed. In the name of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, I hereby notarize that all personnel required for the proceedings have completed their oaths.”

“…”

“From this moment, we will begin the hearing of testimony regarding all charges committed in Vulcan by Adamant Thunder, Van.”

“You call this a hearing, but I haven’t been informed of the specific procedures or methods.”

Lennok asked, tapping the stone tablet before him.

“Shouldn’t you at least explain with your own mouths what we’re going to do from now on?”

“Do not worry, Adamant Thunder.”

At that moment, one of the council members seated at the head table answered.

“Now that you have signed the Judgment Edict, you will answer our questions here today whether you wish to or not.”

“…”

“Of course, we cannot ask questions about secrets you do not wish to reveal or your private life and expect an answer.”

The council member said, gesturing toward the tablet with his eyes.

“What can be compelled through the Judgment Edict are only questions directly related to the agenda of this hearing. Therefore, we can only ask about the various illegal acts you have committed in Vulcan and determine whether you will admit to the charges.”

“Is that so?”

Lennok scoffed.

“In that case, you’re saying that the things I did in Machina were never even scheduled to be discussed at this hearing.”

“…”

Did those words, which Lennok had thrown out casually, somehow pierce the unseen, inner workings of this situation?

One of the speechless judges opened his mouth.

“So you are precisely aware of what you have done in this city until now.”

“Did you doubt my memory?”

“I was thinking as much.”

The old judge’s gaze deepened.

“Otherwise, it would have been difficult to apply logic to your indiscriminate rampages that distinguished neither friend nor foe.”

“…”

“You made allies of past enemies and were preoccupied with fighting and killing new foes. Are you saying all those atrocities, in which no reason or logic could be found, were the result of your proper judgment and memory?”

The judge asked.

“If you knew all that, then why on earth did you attend this hearing of your own accord?”

“Your tone suggests you were hoping all my actions were merely accidental.”

Lennok laughed.

“I have never planned everything meticulously, nor have I impulsively picked fights with just anyone.”

“…”

“For everything I have done so far, there was a reason I myself could accept, and that is why I remember it all.”

“To disrupt social norms and order and destabilize public security for your own reasons. Don’t you realize that is precisely the mindset of a madman?”

Perhaps because he judged that Lennok had sworn the Judgment Edict, the judge’s declarations were unhesitating.

The sight of people unreservedly asserting and being confident that Lennok was mad.

But instead of getting angry at hearing this, Lennok tilted his head back indifferently.

“Enough. Let’s begin. According to your explanation, it seems you’ll need a lot of preparation time?”

“…We were planning to do so even without you saying it, so do not rush us.”

Only then did the judges in charge of the hearing’s questioning come forward one by one.

“We have confirmed that your answers are operating under the authority of the Judgment Edict. We will now begin the hearing in earnest.”

Presiding over this hearing was not the business of the Central Council’s members, but of the judges belonging to the Supreme Court.

To be precise, it should be said that they were the ones who held the authority to officially present Adamant Thunder’s charges, which had until now been unclearly presumed.

Meanwhile, the observers who were watching the conversation between Adamant Thunder and the judge exchanged words.

“He looks much more lucid than I thought. Is it true that he’s mad?”

“It’s been well-known for a while that he’s capable of conversation. Adamant Thunder’s infamy stems largely from the things he has done.”

“The profilers from District 17 actually assessed the fact that Adamant Thunder could converse normally as being even more dangerous. We’ll have to see how he acts from now on.”

“So a monster you can communicate with is more dangerous? This is like something out of a horror movie.”

One of the judges, after clearing his throat, pushed a judgment document into a projector, and a blurry video appeared.

[Crackle, crackle!]

[KWAAAAANG!!]

The image of a massive thunderbolt striking down upon an old power plant, and the building shattering into pieces.

From the shockwave, the streets and roads all around the power plant were indiscriminately smashed and crushed.

Streams of water shot up from broken water pipes, and in an instant, the entire area turned into a chaotic mess.

“This video is a recording of the charge that you, while active as a freelancer in the underworld, attacked a public facility under the jurisdiction of the city government.”

The judge said after finishing the short video clip.

“Due to the destruction of the power plant at that time, a part of the nearby District 40s was completely blacked out, and it is presumed that 40 employees managing the subsidiary facilities died.”

“…”

“The lightning wizard presumed to be the culprit of this incident coolly left the scene without facing any punishment or responsibility. What do you think?”

The judge asked, looking at Lennok in the wheelchair with a stern gaze.

“Great wizard, Van, do you admit to the charges of slaughtering the power plant facility employees and destroying a public institution under the city government, and will you accept the sentence?”

At the judge’s heavily weighted words, the council members and reporters sitting in the hearing hall looked at Lennok with tense expressions.

The great wizard known to be the most blood-crazed in Vulcan.

The first question where he would officially face and acknowledge his charges.

Because no one could predict how Adamant Thunder would react to that fact.

It went without saying, but the City Council was not now demanding compensation for the damaged equipment or public facilities from back then.

If they were to argue about compensation or responsibility in that manner, there were plenty of people in this city who would be held accountable before Adamant Thunder.

What the Council side was trying to confirm through this question was nothing other than Adamant Thunder’s response itself.

His true intentions for attending this hearing.

“Ah…”

And Lennok, who had been watching the video intently with his chin propped on his hand, nodded as if he had just remembered something.

“I remember now. Was this when I killed that lightning wizard named Eden? You’ve brought up something quite old.”

“If you admit to the charge-”

“But perhaps because it’s an old incident, there are some incorrect parts.”

“…What?”

The moment the judge faltered at the completely unexpected answer, Lennok spoke nonchalantly.

“It wasn’t 40 people, it was 103. The resistance from the gang occupying the power plant was fierce, so I had a hard time.”

“…”

“Was the name the Sigur Bang Gang? I remember they were trying to supplement the lightning wizard leader’s magic power with the power plant’s output.”

In the quieted hall, Lennok muttered as if reminiscing about an old memory.

“I thought the power plant’s output was excessively strong, but I later found out they had bribed the district office and were illegally siphoning electricity from other districts-”

Beep-

At that moment, the microphone transmitting Lennok’s voice was abruptly cut off.

The official broadcasting the situation from the hearing hall had cut the audio when a completely unexpected story came out.

However, despite the sudden shutdown of the microphone, Lennok’s voice could be heard quite clearly.

“The lightning wizard I killed back then was colluding with a council member from that district. His name was definitely Hatten-”

“Wait, wait!!!”

At that moment, the judge shouted, cutting Lennok off.

Only then did Lennok, who had been lost in reminiscence, frown and turn his gaze.

“Noisy. Stop interrupting me.”

“…This hearing is a venue prepared to confirm and officially acknowledge the charges you are presumed to have committed.”

The judge, who was desperately clearing his throat and glancing around, said.

Because no one wanted the details of a council member’s or the district office’s corruption to be revealed here and now.

“Acts of arbitrarily changing or modifying the content of the charges will not be tolerated. Especially retracting or distorting testimony without evidence-”

“Ah, was evidence necessary?”

Thump!!

With those words, an old notebook fell before the judge’s eyes.

Watching the judge pick up the notebook with a trembling hand, Lennok said.

“It’s the research journal the gang leader kept until his death. What I said is written in there, so take a good look.”

“…”

With so many people watching, the judge was not bold enough to damage or conceal the evidence.

As the pale-faced judge passed the research journal to the other judges, Lennok propped his chin on his hand and began to muse.

“That lightning wizard. He was from the Thorben Magic Tower, and it seems he hit a wall while researching Property Transformation of mana. Most of the journal was records about that. It seems he formed an organization in the underworld and tried to get into the weapons market. His ideas and skills were good.”

“…”

“Thinking back now, there probably was an easier way to kill him. I overestimated their strength while dealing with the gang’s executives. Still, looking back, the decision to force a one-on-one at the end wasn’t bad.”

Inside the silent hearing hall, only Lennok’s low voice echoed clearly.

“Haaah…”

The sight of the council members, wizards, and reporters listening to Lennok’s words with pale faces.

They were more shocked by Adamant Thunder’s answer than the evidence he had submitted, unable to even control their expressions.

They, too, understood why Adamant Thunder was currently reminiscing about the past incident and sharing his thoughts.

The three rules resulting from the Judgment Edict’s Geas.

The fact that not a single trace of deceit was mixed into any of the answers Adamant Thunder was giving.

That the wizard was not just literally mad for battle, but insane enough to remember and ruminate over the details of a fight from years ago.

Everyone gathered here was keenly realizing this from that single answer.

“…The authenticity of the evidence has been confirmed. The measurement of preservation magic shows no signs of tampering with the evidence.”

Meanwhile, the judge who had finished analyzing the research journal slowly returned with an expression as if he had chewed on a bug.

As if truly reluctant and having no other choice, the judge took the microphone and spoke to the audience in the hearing hall.

“It is confirmed that Representative Hattenstein was involved in the case at that time. We will defer judgment on this charge and handle it by requesting cooperation from the Central Council later.”

“He’s completely insane…”

“I shouldn’t have come here in the first place.”

“Things are turning out like this from the very start of the hearing?”

If the corruption of a Central Council member was getting tangled up in this from the very beginning, what on earth would come out of that wizard’s mouth next?

Naturally, among the council members gathered here, there wasn’t a single one whose background was clean in any sense.

They had no way of knowing which of the various seeds of corruption and depravity they had sown in this city might be connected to that wizard.

Leaving behind the council members who were already regretting attending the hearing, the proceedings began again.

“Well then, we shall reserve judgment on this matter and move on to the next.”

Perhaps each judge was in charge of a different case, as the first judge stepped back and a younger judge walked out.

“Ah, is it over already?”

Only then did Lennok, who had been reminiscing about the incident with Eden until just a moment ago, awaken from his thoughts.

“What a shame. I still have much more to say about what happened back then.”

“…”

“Aren’t you perhaps curious about how the brains of the gang criminals impersonating power plant employees were cooked?”

The young judge did not reply to the words of the great wizard, who sounded literally insane.

He merely unfolded the judgment document and the projector simultaneously in front of Lennok with a very tense expression.

“Well, fine. Let’s move on. But from now on, make sure you don’t needlessly interrupt me when I’m testifying.”

Lennok watched him and leisurely clenched and unclenched his hand.

“I’m slowly getting used to how the restraints of the Judgment Edict manifest. You can all look forward to it.”

“…”

Lennok’s utterly absurd remarks made it seem as if the host and guest of the hearing had been reversed.

At this bizarre sight of him seeming to have become more talkative, using the oath of Ars Nova as a trigger, one of the council members muttered helplessly.

“…I feel like I’m the one being punished, not that wizard. Am I mistaken?”