Episode 2: The Mocked Turnabout

Part 1-1: Trial

Augustus 14th

Castle – Second Courtyard

10:00 AM

Lumos sat on the bench facing the fountain, waiting for the guards to bring the accused to him.

"Here." The guard pushed the woman forward in disgust.

Lumos stood up and faced the accused. "Hello, Ms. Lazu." He looked down at the rope keeping her hands together.

"It is nice to see you again… Knight." Lazu smiled at him.

"I need to ask you again… Did you kill the Prince?"

"No. I never even laid a finger on him." Lazu struggled with her bindings.

"…Let me help." Lumos unsheathed his sword, backed up, and cut her ropes with one smooth swipe.

"Thank you… You are nicer than everyone else…"

"…I help those who are alone. That is what a defender does."

"I see... I should tell my son about Defenders… Perhaps he would like to see one in action…" Lazu closed her eyes in thought. "Are you positive that you can prove my innocence…? I don't want to stain your record…"

"I will be fine, Ms. Lazu." Lumos put his sword away.

A guard opened the doors to the main hall. "Trial is beginning. Get to your positions."

"Yes sir." Lumos said as he walked into the castle.

Augustus 14th

Castle – Main Hall

10:30 AM

Lumos walked up to the table set up to be the Defender's bench. (Hmph. The castle's court, yet it doesn't feel any different.)

The inquisitor walked up to her side of the Main Hall. "…Inquisitor Nox, ready to prove my case."

Nox cracked her knuckles, as Lumos stared at her with disbelief. "W-Why is she here?!"

King Libra glared at the Knight. "Because she is the best inquisitor I could find. Inquisitor Nox, please give your opening statement."

"Yes, King. The accused, or rather, Jaze Arda, found a way into Prince Lazu's room, and stabbed him in the back, killing him within a few seconds. What I have here in my hand is proof of her being in the Prince's room. Her scarf was found in there."

"Objection! That doesn't prove she killed him!" Lumos gripped his sword's handle.

"...Knight. Take a careful look at the scarf. See this? This is blood. You and I know that this must be Lazu's." Nox pointed out a spot where blood was centered in one area of the scarf.

"Arg..." (...She can't have been the Prince's killer...)

"King, with this evidence, I believe that this woman killed your son." Nox smirked at Lumos. "And apparently, this useless mercenary cant."

Lumos gritted his teeth. (M-Mercenary?! She will die by my sword!)

"...I will hand down my judgement-"

"I disagree! King, can a silly little scarf truly prove anything?! Where is the weapon?! The weapon is much more important than any other little scarf!" Lumos pulled out his sword and pointed it at Nox. "The only wrong person here... Is Inquisitor Nox!"

"You're wrong!" Nox pulled her rapier out, and started toying with it. "King, why exactly would this woman's scarf be at the scene of the crime?!"

"…That's true…"

"Objection! Ever thought that it may have been planted at the scene?!" Lumos glared at the woman. "You put no thought into your case, have you?!"

"Hahahaha!" Nox dropped her sword on the table and held her stomach while she laughed. "You have to be kidding me, right? I have a witness… A witness to the prince's death!"

Lumos recoiled, as if he was stabbed with a sword. "WHAT?!"

"Please, Inquisitor Nox, bring this witness to the stand." The king closed his eyes.

"You know him personally. I call Prince Komali to the stand." Nox sheathed her rapier, as the small boy walked up to the stand. "I feel this isn't needed, but it's a formality, name and work."

"…I'm Komali Libra. Prince of this land… Next in line to become the king." The boy rubbed his forehead with his index finger.

"I would like you to testify about the crime, please." Nox pulled her sword in and out of her sheath.

Witness Testimony – The Crime

I was in my own room…

And then I heard something from my big brother's room…

I walked over to his door…

And I opened the door a smidge, and looked inside his room…

And I saw that woman stabbing him with a sharp piece of glass…

She dropped it, and escaped through the window…

Lumos sheathed his sword. (Must be hard for the kid…)

"…" The king sighed. "…Defender Knight Lumos Kilferous, you may commence your cross-examination."

"Yes, King." Lumos gripped the sword handle, while still in the sheath. (Decisive Testimony… But I will destroy it. I need to if I want to prove Lazu's innocence!)

Cross-Examination – The Crime

I was in my own room…

"Wait! What were you doing?" Lumos stared at the boy.

"I… Don't remember. Just messing around, I guess." The boy rubbed his hands.

And then I heard something from my big brother's room…

"Wait! What kind of sound did you hear?" Lumos rubbed his chin in thought.

"Something… falling down. That's what it sounded like."

I walked over to his door…

"Wait! Did you hear anything when you approached the door?" Lumos stole a glance from Nox.

"Yes… It kept sounding like something falling over…" The boy rubbed his arm.

And I opened the door a smidge, and looked inside his room…

And I saw that woman stabbing him with a sharp piece of glass…

"Wait!" Lumos grabbed his sword, ready to pull it out. "A… Sharp piece of glass?!"

"Yeah… She just kept stabbing and stabbing…" The kid started to sob.

"You can go on." Lumos gripped his sword even harder.

She dropped it, and escaped through the window…

Lumos pulled his sword out, and aimed it at the Prince. "I disagree! If that's true… Then why wasn't the weapon found at the scene?!"

"Ack!" The boy held his hands up in defense.

"You're wrong!" Nox held her rapier in a horizontal fashion, as if she was blocking an attack. "What if we haven't looked hard enough?!"

Lumos smirked at the woman. "Then you're just insulting yourself."

Nox recoiled, swinging her head back. "Agh!"

"So, if you saw this weapon drop to the ground, why didn't we find it?" Lumos examined his blade.

"I-I don't know…" The boy rubbed his hands.

"Komali! Tell the truth. Did you see the glass drop?" The king glared at his son.

"...N-no… That was a lie…" The boy let his arms drop in disappointment.

"…We'll talk about your lie later. For now, tell the complete truth, like you should be doing." The king gripped his gavel.

"King, would you like for the Prince to continue testifying?" Nox asked. "Because we still have one more thing to go over."

"Really now? As long as he doesn't lie, he may continue."

"Okay. Prince, please testify about the scarf." Nox began toying with her sword.

"Yes, ma'am." The boy stood up straight, more composed.

Witness Testimony – The Scarf

While she was stabbing him,

Blood began to splatter all over her.

Especially her scarf.

When she left, her scarf fell from her neck.

There was blood all over it.

Lumos stared in disbelief. (H-His demeanor… Completely changed!)

"You may begin your cross-examination, Defender." The King bellowed.

"Yes, King." Lumos stared at the prince. (…Why do I get the feeling that something is wrong here?)

Cross-Examination – The Scarf

While she was stabbing him,

Blood began to splatter all over her.

Especially her scarf.

When she left, her scarf fell from her neck.

There was blood all over it.

"I disagree!" Lumos pulled his sword out, and pointed it at the Prince again. "Was there really blood all over the scarf?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it." The prince's shoulders began to tremble.

"Defender Knight Lumos, where are you going with this?" The king tapped his gavel against his hand.

"Look at the scarf."

Nox looked as well. "…!"

"Looks like Inquisitor Nox noticed it." Lumos smirked. "The problem lies… Here!" Lumos pointed at the blood stained part of the scarf.

"Defender, what is the problem?" The king had his eyebrows raised.

"He said the blood was splattered around the scarf… But as you can see, it's all concentrated in one spot!" Lumos pointed his sword at the Prince. "Your son… Is lying!"

"Grah!" The boy's eyes widened as his elbow's raised in surprise.

"You're wrong! The point is, is that there is blood on the scarf!" Nox objected.

"HA! I disagree! The blood wasn't splattered on the scarf as the Prince said… Instead it was only in one focused spot! You have to say, that is very strange!" Lumos crossed his arms and smirked at the opposition. "Especially since the Prince's room was covered with blood, and how this seems unusually clean!"

"It… It may just be that the scarf was just out of the way…!" Nox looked out of breath.

"Then… You wouldn't have too much on the accused, would you?!" Lumos readied his sword. "You would have to declare the accused innocent!"

"AGH!" Nox fell to the ground, acting as if she was hit by Lumos' sword.

"So, King… Any opinions?" Lumos smirked.

"…Guilty."

Lumos reeled back. "WHAT?! B-but… Didn't you hear what I just said?!"

"…She is the only one accused of killing my son. Any other peasants who should be accused? If so, then I will change my verdict accordingly."

"Uh… Er…" Lumos broke into a sweat.

"Having trouble there, Lumos?" Nox smiled at him.

"…Grr." Lumos gripped his sword's hilt. "I… I accuse…!"

To Be Continued…