Chapter 910: The Hearing (6)

The vast hearing hall, like a colossal temple.

A scene where hundreds of officials from across the land were watching the archmage’s testimony in real time.

But the strange heat and excitement felt at the start were long gone.

It was a bizarre situation where the subject of the hearing was providing far more extensive information than the testimony originally requested.

They could only listen helplessly as Lennok, merely by testifying about the events of the past, dragged out a long string of the City Council’s shames and corruptions.

“Hello? Yes, yes. Chairman. I’m listening.”

“The authenticity of the evidence submitted to the hearing hasn’t been confirmed yet. Please, calm down…”

“There are certain circumstances… It’s a misunderstanding. If you’ll just hear me out…”

Among the city council members seated in the observers’ gallery, several turned deathly pale with every phone call that came in as the testimony continued.

The sight of council members continuously bowing as they took their calls, then quietly disappearing one by one.

Even the other observers stared blankly at their pathetic figures, as if they were being dragged to an execution ground.

In stark contrast to the chaotic observers’ gallery, the area around the wizard in the center of the hearing hall was utterly silent.

Beep.

Every time the image on the projector changed, Lennok’s answer flowed without delay.

“The number is wrong again. I personally killed about thirty members of the execution squad. Ah, or does that figure perhaps include the number they killed themselves as human sacrifices?”

“…”

Beep.

“The Agent’s designated request. It wasn’t very helpful, but the Deputy Director is a competent person in his own way. When entering the closed [Bleep] at the City Council’s request, [Bleep].”

“…”

“The black wizards who colluded with Leisen Azamaha? Thinking about it now, I did kill them too easily. I’m still suspicious about how they obtained that certain item back then. It’s clear the [Bleep] Cult was involved, probably from the Apostle’s side—”

Zzzzt!!

Before Lennok could finish, static flooded the microphone, obscuring his voice.

This was his way of speaking—casually conveying all sorts of major incidents that had occurred in the city, mixed with his personal impressions and confidential information.

Everyone’s mind went blank at the insane ideas and explanations, revealing how a wizard who had lived as a freelancer in the shadows handled his business.

The audio technicians were busy muting the stream of major secrets he mixed in as casually as breathing.

It was beyond hectic; it was a scene where the concentration of everyone gathered seemed to have completely evaporated.

“Haa…”

“No, no more…”

“I can’t…”

The souls had already drained from the faces of the judges who walked before Lennok.

“The Defense Force’s treason incident. If only I had known sooner that Lieutenant General Trepen [Bleeped] when he [Bleeped], but because [Bleep] was [Bleeping]—”

“Stop, stooop!!”

Finally, it reached a point where they had to censor more than half of what Lennok was saying, practically preventing him from speaking at all.

The city council members couldn’t take it anymore and shot up from their seats, shouting.

CRASH!!

A chair fell backward with a grating roar, but no one even paid it any mind.

In the deafening silence that followed.

Some, heads bowed, desperately transcribed the words flowing from the archmage’s mouth.

Others scanned the room with sharp eyes, looking for people whose mouths needed to be shut.

The very people who had gathered to hear the wizard’s testimony were now searching for an escape to avoid it.

But Lennok, as if none of it mattered, sat in his wheelchair and leisurely leaned his head back.

One by one, he pulled out and examined the old memories that only he recalled.

The Judgment Edict that enforced the hearing’s rules was merely a trivial excuse to manipulate this situation….

Unable to control their expressions, nor dare to show their sharp hostility, the standing council members awkwardly met his gaze.

It didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.

“Recess!! We will resume after a thirty-minute recess!!”

The council members rushed out in a herd, leaving only those words behind.

The judges, who had been sitting with dazed faces, hastily followed them.

The reporters, who had been blankly clicking their cameras and microphones, belatedly came to their senses and started to move.

A quiet stillness descended upon the hearing hall.

In the middle of the hall, from which more than half the audience had vanished in an instant, Lennok leaned his head back with a bored expression.

“You’re having a tough time.”

“Haven.”

Senator Konrad Haven approached Lennok’s side.

Lennok chuckled and gave a slight nod.

“The hearing isn’t even over. Is it alright for you to be out here like this?”

“It should be fine. Now,” Konrad said, unable to hide a bitter smile.

“Since things have turned out this way, the hearing has essentially lost its original purpose.”

“Original purpose?”

“Most of the officials attending today’s hearing were wary of your influence growing too large,” Konrad said quietly.

“The goal must have been to use this opportunity to diminish the standing of not just you, but the Magic Tower you lead.”

“…”

“They might have even wanted a justification to seize the Magic Tower’s extraterritorial rights or a portion of the item market. But because of you, it’s all collapsed.”

Looking at the stone slate on the table, Konrad spoke with a conflicted expression. “Purely because of the single fact that you answered the questions too well.”

“I see.”

“Did you… know from the beginning it would turn out this way?” Konrad couldn’t help but ask at Lennok’s indifferent reaction.

Because Konrad could finally understand the meaning of what Lennok had asserted to him before the hearing began.

He hadn’t attended the hearing without a plan or a thought. This wizard knew from the very start that everything here would unfold exactly like this.

“They spoke of admitting charges and taking responsibility, but the very premise was wrong from the start,” Lennok laughed.

“I know what kind of reaction they wanted, but do you think there’s anyone who knows more about what happened back then than I do?”

All the designated requests and operations he had handled as a freelancer to survive in this city.

But Lennok had never once forgotten or discarded any of the jobs he had handled after they were done.

Collecting related information with Jenny’s help and figuring out the detailed inside story was just the basics.

Furthermore, on more than one occasion, Lennok himself had scoured for techniques or magic he could use.

“If they dig into the issue of motive, the City Council can never gain the upper hand over me.”

“…”

“The fact that they still didn’t realize that, well…”

How on earth did the judges and council members plan to play with the Lennok who had appeared at the hearing?

They must have thought it would be enough to list the deeds committed by the blood-crazed wizard and make him admit to the charges.

They likely judged that this alone would be enough to sour public opinion against the Magic Tower, diminish its standing, and reap the benefits they desired.

But the moment Lennok not only demonstrated an overly detailed knowledge of the past events but also began to pull every last detail of the inside story from his memory.

They had intuitively realized that the shames of the Central Council and the public institutions that had opened this hearing would inevitably be dragged out along with it.

And the fact that the council members attending this hearing had only just now realized this meant—

“That there are still fools who haven’t realized why I remain in this city.”

Ignoring the flinching Konrad, Lennok gave a cold smile.

“I’ll have to filter out all those bastards here and now.”

“…”

After establishing himself as a freelancer, most of the work Lennok did in this city was for the purpose of investigating the Black Consumer Project.

In other words, it meant that everything Lennok had handled in Vulcan was deeply related to the shame and corruption of the City Council.

If one were to dig into all the charges presumed to be Lennok’s, the path would inevitably lead to the Central Council or the Elder Council.

Lennok knew this, but the City Council did not. How could Lennok possibly be pushed into a disadvantageous position in this hearing?

All Lennok did was prattle on, mixing the City Council’s corruption and shame into his testimony as if forced to by the Judgment Edict.

That alone was enough to obscure the essence of the hearing, strike at the council members, and throw the whole affair into chaos.

“As I thought. You weren’t bound by the Geas of the Judgment Edict.”

Konrad, who had been staring at Lennok with a dumbfounded expression, let out a sigh.

“Knowing that, you still agreed to the hearing, intending to use it as an opportunity to organize the things you’ve done in this city?”

“Disappointed I didn’t kill all the hearing officials as rumored?”

“No. Of course not,” Konrad’s expression turned serious at Lennok’s teasing words.

“This very result is the most certain proof that there is something wrong with you.”

“…”

For a moment, a quiet silence fell.

Because everyone recognized that Konrad’s assessment of Lennok was a statement infinitely close to his true feelings.

It was also proof that Konrad Haven himself had lost his composure due to the events of this hearing.

But the senator, shaken by his own slip of the tongue, could only give a bitter smile at the reactions of the two before him.

Lennok, who let out an amused laugh rather than getting angry at Konrad’s blunt words, and Antares, who watched the scene with the utmost interest.

A conversation between superhumans, beyond understanding and common sense. Feeling as if he had glimpsed a fragment of it, Konrad shook his head and turned away.

“But, even that… might be better than stagnating and rotting in this city. I’ll be on my way.”

After giving a simple farewell to Antares as well, Konrad left, and the hearing resumed.

The exhausted-looking council members returned to their seats, and the judges once again stood before Lennok in turn.

However, as if some agreement had been reached during the recess, they skipped over a large number of minor charges, leaving only the major ones.

“An urgent matter has arisen for the officials presiding over this hearing, so the proceedings from now on will be conducted more briefly.”

A judge who had cleared his throat stepped forward and spoke to Lennok.

“From now on, the minor charges will be procedurally omitted, and we will focus only on the grave charges that cannot be overlooked for the stability of the city—”

“Before more of the council members conducting the hearing get arrested?”

“…No.” The judge’s lips twitched faintly, but he did not lose his composure.

Perhaps because he believed Lennok was abiding by the Judgment Edict, he simply shook his head, looking back at Lennok with a firm gaze.

“It is to confirm the karma that even you, who obscures the essence of this hearing, cannot escape.”

“Karma, you say,” Lennok smiled. “Do you really believe such a thing exists?”

“In any case, you won’t properly admit to a single one of your charges here.”

The judge slammed the verdict document down in front of Lennok.

THUD!!

“So we will ask directly and find the truth ourselves.”

At that moment, the scene of a grand funeral unfolded before Lennok’s eyes.

A long, drawn-out funeral procession, with the entire city mourning and commemorating one person’s death.

The moment Lennok recognized that he had seen this scene somewhere before, the judge asked.

“Does the archmage Van admit to the charge of murdering the hero of the Great War and former Chief Justice, Madrich Onnion?”

“…”

The judge, standing before Lennok with a deeply wary expression, played the related evidentiary video and said, “I’ll tell you in advance, if any words other than an admission of guilt come out first in the coming questioning—”

“I admit it.”

“—we will immediately stop the testimony and move on… What, what did you say?”

Ignoring the belatedly shocked judge, Lennok calmly nodded his head.

“I killed Madrich Onnion.”

“…”

For a moment, the hearing hall fell into a quiet stillness.

It wasn’t a soul-draining, insane monologue or a story about the City Council’s shame, but a simple, unadorned acknowledgment—nothing more, nothing less.

At the sight of Lennok admitting to a charge for what was effectively the first time, the seated council members and various officials held their breath.

“He was an outstanding military spiritmancer and an upright warrior. He understood what he had to do until the very end.”

Lennok closed his eyes. “I never saw it myself, but he was probably an excellent judge. I find that regrettable.”

“You…!!” At those words, one of the judges, as if overcome with emotion, shot up and lunged at Lennok.

But other judges simultaneously subdued him by force, pinning him to the floor.

“Maisa!!”

“That, that bastard… Chief Justice Onnion…!!”

“…”

Lennok didn’t bother to react to the vehement response.

Because Lennok also still remembered what Onnion had dreamed of while remaining in this city, and what his end was like, unable to let go of his lingering attachments even after the failure of the Myriad Ghosts’ Night Parade.

Therefore, Lennok didn’t want to add any meaningless commentary.

The secrets of the project he had heard from him were enough to honor his death.

“…”

But perhaps Lennok’s unusual attitude came across differently to the others.

A strange, dissonant atmosphere began to drift through the hearing hall, which had been in a lull until now.

The council members starting to discuss something, the cameras starting to film the scene more intently, and the changed look in the eyes of the judges as they watched Lennok.

It wasn’t long before a conclusion was reached.

“…We will end the hearing here.”

Among them, the Chief Justice who had first presented the Judgment Edict to Lennok spoke up.

“Instead, I have a few things I’d like to ask the archmage.”

“You have something to ask?” Lennok chuckled. “In my opinion, it seems you’ve skipped the most important question of this hearing.”

“…”

The Chief Justice remained silent, unable to offer any reply.

Because he also knew what incident Lennok was referring to. The mana particle exposure incident that occurred in Closed Sector 25.

The most critical and dangerous situation where Lennok had acted in this city under the name Adamant Thunder, and the first matter on which Lennok had cooperated with the City Council.

There was no way the City Council would have overlooked the incident where, after many twists and turns, he met the past Kaiser and returned.

They had ended the hearing at an earlier point precisely so that the related matter wouldn’t even be mentioned.

It could be said that matters related to Deadrise were like a dragon’s reverse scale to the City Council….

Lennok didn’t continue his speculation, instead leaning back in his chair and nodding. “I permit it. If you have something to say, say it.”

“…First, I must state that the video of this hearing is being broadcast live throughout Vulcan,” explained a council member who appeared to be from the lower house.

“The full transcript of the testimony will not be released, but the video feed itself is being broadcast. From now on, answer the questions carefully.”

“Broadcasting the video live, but not releasing the full content of the hearing?” Lennok tilted his head slightly, then chuckled as if he understood immediately.

“You intended to control the audio broadcast from the start. Then what’s the reason for broadcasting this hearing at all? Ah, you don’t have to tell me.”

Lennok sneered at the flinching council members. “I’m sure you’d just spout some pathetic nonsense about responsibility and justification. But that’s not why I attended this hearing.”

“Are you saying you didn’t attend the hearing to admit your guilt for what you’ve done?”

“It was to let them know,” Lennok said, looking around at the hundreds of cameras pointed at him.

His face might not be shown, but his voice would be transmitted.

In that case, there was something he had to say.

“That I have no intention of hiding. And that I have no intention of doing so in the future, either.”

“…”

The sight of people quietly averting their eyes, unable to even meet his gaze properly.

He wasn’t here to make excuses or evade responsibility for the things he’d done. Everyone now clearly realized that he was, on the contrary, using this hearing as a venue to declare his will.

“You came not to speak of responsibility, but of rights… In the end, it seems we were all played by you alone,” the old Chief Justice murmured, closing his eyes and slowly raising a hand.

“In that case, we will conclude the testimony here. As one who has sworn to the Judgment Edict, do you have any last words?”

“What do you mean?”

“One who swears to the Judgment Edict of Ars Nova is granted the right to designate the closing words of the hearing as compensation for abiding by the edict.”

“…”

“If you have nothing, we can skip it, but if you wish to convey something by taking this opportunity, there will be no better chance,” the Chief Justice asked, as if not expecting much.

“Won’t you say at least one word to the citizens who trembled in fear because of your decisive battle with Cheonbeon?”

So this was the only chance to deliver his words directly through the broadcast feed being sent throughout Vulcan.

He hadn’t acted while considering every such reaction, but he was mindful of how the public’s perception of him might change after the hearing.

If there was something he had to say to those who feared him, didn’t understand him, and now regarded him with awe….

“…I see.”

At that moment, Lennok understood what words he would utter, and he smiled.

The Ganges Labyrinth. The miracle met at the end of the Jindun’s cradle.

The single phrase that the inevitable one, who had walked out from beyond the blood-soaked Reverse Heaven Gate, had casually thrown at him.

Because now, he felt he could understand a little of the state of mind that person was in when they said those words.

Slowly, he picked up the microphone and turned his gaze toward the hundreds of cameras looking back at him.

“I assume you’ve already understood if you’ve been watching the hearing.”

In the middle of the silenced hall, he recalled the words the Director had spoken and opened his mouth.

The words he hadn’t understood back then, but now repeated, empathizing with that state of mind, were—

“I don’t kill people that easily.”

Lennok smiled and put down the microphone.

“So don’t be too scared.”

“…”

The blinking reporters, and the judges with pale complexions and tightly shut mouths.

Even the council members, who had been busy on the phone, turned their gazes with baffled expressions.

A quiet silence circulated through the hearing hall like a soundless echo.