PART 25 :-
THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIAL
Iras perspective :-
[At the entrance before the Royal Gate of Justice in the High Authority Council.]
"My lady, are you nervous?"
"Kind of."
"Just as I said before, believe in yourself."
"Wearing that cloth doesn't give you freedom."
[Minidra was wearing a royal dress with gold and blue colors that represented freedom, and it covered her skin from her neck to her footwear.]
"Athena!! I didn't expect you to be here."
"For your kind information, my clan is not going to vote for you."
"You know about my powers, and I know your inner feelings. So…"
"Stop focusing on me." She left the place with an embarrassed voice.
"You two still haven't made up?"
"We never talked about it, though."
[Inside the council hall, Minidra stood in the middle of a circular stage. Every member of the Higher Council sat on the first floor in their respective chairs, and the three rural judges (Nekhbet, Horus, and Bennue) were about to begin the trial.]
"My lady, your friends are not here yet."
"I know they will come for sure."
"I am sorry, my lady, but for now I have to leave you alone. The last thing I want to say is that I believe in you, so go and give it your all."
"Thank you, Iras."
I left the place and went to stand in a corner.
"Are you nervous!?"
"Yes, I am. And where are they? You are here before them." I anxiously asked Sagurd.
"Don't worry. My students are not going to run away."
"Woo… so she is the most beautiful girl in the world. Well, she really deserves that title."
"Oh God, if only I had her…"
Every man's desire surfaced again, and considering my lady's power, she could easily hear them.
"You know, Sagurd, if I had never taken that oath, I would kill all those men who look at my lady with those eyes."
"Well, those oaths are the only reason I let that clan go."
[Now the trial was about to begin.]
"Today we are here because the Princess of Scribes, Minidra, filed a Veto against her own clan council's decision. Not only that, but she also demands her freedom from her clan. The High Authority orders everyone to pray and request our God for the best outcome, because today our God is going to decide her fate," the Herald announced.
"There are several people who came to see the trial."
"Well, it's a public hot topic after all. But all of them are from the higher clans."
"Hey, is Chiron also here!?"
"It doesn't matter. He already knows what is going to happen."
"I want to know who is going to represent the Council of Scribes," the judge announced.
"It is going to be me."
What!?? Why is he there?
[Edward, Minidra's brother, was going to represent his clan's council.]
"Hey, he is so young."
"At this stage, I heard that he is very intelligent. He is four or five years younger than her, but everyone says he is smarter than her."
"Brother!! You really came to oppose me…"
People started talking about him. He might be a kid, but his maturity was far beyond that of an adult. He might look like a child, but his mind was much sharper than most clan heads. When he realized that my lady was creating a chance of winning, he instantly advised my lord to hold the trial today so she wouldn't have any more options.
"Sagurd, go look for your students. If my lady's brother is the representative, then there might be a chance he created some trouble so they would arrive late, and that would make a bad impression."
"Don't worry. They have to win this fight without our help. Chiron already told me what the chances are. His tricks are not enough to stop them."
"So what will happen?"
"Well, most of the outcomes are negative. Only three are on the positive side."
"But…"
"Stop talking and focus on your job. You are more important to them."
"The representative may start the trial with his statement," the judge ordered.
"Thank you for giving me the first opportunity. As you know, my sister Minidra is not an ordinary girl. She possesses one of the rare boons and is the Princess of Scribes. But because of her stupidity, she was injured in the market while facing a low-level threat. Her group couldn't even protect her properly, and when we advised her to change her group and correct her mistake, she refused while also demanding her freedom rights. Today, I am going to prove that her teammates are not worthy of standing beside the Princess of Scribes, and that she does not deserve those freedom rights."
"Woo, I never thought a kid would be that good."
The audience started clapping and appreciating his opening speech.
"The defendant may now present her statement."
Go, my lady, and prove everyone wrong.
"Sorry for the interruption… hah… hah… hah…"
"We deeply apologize for being late…"
Those idiots finally arrived.
......…..
PART 26 :-
THE ENTIRE
Minidra perspective :-
"Hey, Mini, we're sorry we're late."
"It's okay, but are you all alright? You guys are panting."
"Who the hell are you people? Interrupting the council makes you criminals."
"Sorry for the misunderstanding. We are the remaining members of the Machimoi Group. We are here to stand with Minidra and help her obtain her freedom."
"Are you bluffing? Don't you know the consequences of supporting her?"
"Yes, we know, and we are ready to face the consequences."
"I want to tell the Authority something. This is not a circus. The charges concern the Princess of Scribes, not those filthy low-born people. One of them is even cursed by our God."
"Is the Machimoi Group cursed!? Is that why the princess has faced so much trouble?"
People started bad-mouthing them.
"Who the hell is that kid?"
"He is my brother, Bright."
"What!? You have a brother?"
"Hey, Minidra, if you don't mind, I'd like to begin our defense."
"Ahem… okay."
"Everyone is wondering why we joined Minidra. The answer is that this is no longer just about her. She is not only the Princess of Scribes; she is also a member of our group. She is our friend. Letting our teammate fight alone, especially when our group is at the center of this matter, is not going to happen. Today, it doesn't matter what the result will be—we will face it together."
"Those who have no one are talking about friendship…"
"Having no one is better than having a family like yours."
"What did you say…?"
"Who started it first!?"
Be silent, brother!! I can't stand here and do nothing. I have to do something as well and help him.
"Stay there. Bond and I will take care of the rest. You and Bright should focus on securing your freedom," Dex told me.
"You don't have to worry, Mini. It's going to be okay. Believe in them."
......…..
Bond perspective :-
"May I ask the representative what the exact allegation is?" Dex asked.
"Your friend refused her clan's decision."
"No, you don't understand what I'm asking. I'm not asking what she did. I'm asking why she refused, what exactly she refused, and why your council made that decision."
"My clan believes that your group can neither protect her nor help her become stronger. Furthermore, associating with a cursed boy damages both her reputation and our clan's reputation. We gave her two options: either change her group or accept the Golden Cage. And she refused."
"You believe our group can't protect your princess, right? But is that really true? Because, as far as I remember, my friend protected your princess very well that night. More importantly, the situation would have been under control if those guards and night watchers had arrived on time. So I think you should be questioning those guards who only acted when they saw an opportunity for profit."
"This trial is not about deciding whether they were right or wrong. It's about her. What guarantee do you have that your group won't cause trouble for the princess in the future?"
"And yet, we protected her."
"That's only your claim. The guards have already given their statements describing how all of you were defeated and how the monster was about to kill her."
"And yet she returned home without a single injury. If we truly failed to protect her, then how do you explain that?"
It looks like we are in a good position.
......…..
PART 27 :-
DESERVE OR NOT
Minidra perspective :-
[The interrogation is ongoing in the Council of Justice.]
"We would like to call Iras, the princess's bodyguard and master."
Iras entered the stage and stood in the middle of the circle.
"Can you please tell everyone what happened at the house? And please share your findings."
"The princess returned home not only without any wounds or scars, but her QI was also in a balanced state. That boy protected my lady without any regard for his own life, and it caused him severe injuries. Even the clan head agreed to treat him because he had saved his daughter."
"Thank you."
"I would like to tell the council something more."
"You may," the judge agreed.
"I was reviewing the Royal Blood Laws, and nowhere is it written that a princess cannot choose her own group. Therefore, she has the right to choose her companions. Not only that, but the Warrior Laws, Rule 3A, state that no one may change their group after it has been officially registered unless they are eligible for graduation."
"But we have many examples where, under special circumstances, students changed their groups. We even have a recent example where students changed their group because they didn't want to stay with that monster."
"Erebus is not a monster!" Bright shouted.
"Keep your mouth shut if you don't want the situation to turn in their favor," Bond scolded him.
"In those exceptions, the students changed their groups of their own free will. My lady does not wish to change her group. As for the recent example you're referring to, that decision was made by the God Slayer, Chiron. And as far as I know, ordinary laws do not apply to him."
"But that boy harmed our clan's princess and damaged our reputation as well."
"Sorry for the interruption, but we are here to decide whether the princess should remain in our group or not. We are not here to judge whether Erebus is evil or good. Earlier, you told us to stay on topic, but now you're the one changing the subject," Bond mocked her brother.
"Ahem... but she is not mature. How can she decide what is good or bad for her?"
"That's strange. If we follow your logic, then how can you decide what is right or wrong when you're younger than her and not mature yourself?"
That left him completely silent.
"Regardless, we cannot allow her to stay in that group. After all, staying with a cursed boy will affect both her and our clan's reputation."
"What I know is that Minidra carries God's blessing. She was born with a divine boon. So are you saying that an orphan boy with a curse, who doesn't even know who his parents are, can shatter God's blessing? As far as I know, anyone can form a group, and nowhere is it written that a cursed person cannot be a member of one."
Her brother had no response to Dex's statement.
"Sir, we are neither adults nor as mature as all of you. But if we can understand her, then I believe everyone else can as well. She is a princess—a role model for many. If she loses today, then no woman in the future will dare to become a warrior. Her clan believes she will damage its reputation, but if she succeeds as a warrior—a female warrior—then we all know it will greatly enhance their reputation. Female warriors are incredibly rare. Therefore, we trust that all of you understand this better than we do. Whether she deserves to remain with us or not is a decision only you can make. This is our final statement."
"Woo, Bond sure knows how to pull it off."
"That kid is amazing. Just look at him. I don't think the judges will rule against them after hearing such a powerful speech."
"The council will announce its judgment at the end. Before we proceed further, we will take a twenty-minute break."
Everyone left their seats.
"Your name is Bond, isn't it? I have to admit, you're very smart. You know exactly what needs to be said at the right time."
"You two did great out there."
"My lady, it was easy for us because you weren't harmed that night. That's why I knew things would be alright for you. But the real challenge begins now. Everything depends on the others. Convincing them won't be easy."
"You don't have to worry, Aunty. I will make sure she wins, no matter what."
"Don't call me Aunty!!!! How many times do I have to tell you!?"
I have to win this for them. I can't let them suffer the same punishment as me if I lose.
[Machimoi currently has the advantage, but the toughest challenge is yet to come.]
......…..