The Three Houses of Hyperdimension
A Fire Emblem: Three Houses & Hyperdimension Neptunia Crossover Fan Fiction
by Derald Snyder
Episode 32: Trial, Day 2 (Part 1)
Court Record:
-Headmaster's Affidavit
-Bishop Rhea's Affidavit
-Flame Emperor's Mask
-Broken Axe
-Bloody Sword
-Remote Claw
-Wrecked Gauntlets
-Security Footage
-Byleth's Testimony
-Young Yoshisaur
-Tax Documents
-Tenten File
-'Monica' File
April 17, 8:31 AM
Super 9 Motel
Room 6
Rei Ryghts was busy freshening up when her phone suddenly went off. Grunting in frustration, she quickly dried her face before answering. "H-hello?"
"Ah, Ryghts-dono, I presume," came the voice of Simon Blackquill.
"Huh?! P-Prosecutor Blackquill?! How d-did you get th-this number?!" Rei asked in surprise.
"I called your office in Lowee City," Blackquill responded. "I'm not calling to stalk you... I've arranged a pre-trial evidentiary hearing at Count Hevring's office at around 9:30 AM. It seems that Duke Aegir has come across some new evidence that proves Edelgard is the Flame Emperor..."
(Wait... Duke Aegir?!) Rei realized. "I'll be there as soon as I can, maggot!" she growled, promptly hanging up. "Eisner!" she shouted.
"What are you yelling about?" Byleth grunted, having just put on his shirt.
"Once I get dressed, I need to get to the courthouse as soon as possible!" the lawyer yelled. "Duke Aegir's trying to pull a fast one on us, just like his son predicted!"
"What about me?!" Sothis grunted as she began to look for her clothes.
"You don't have to come..." Byleth began.
"To heck with that! Where you go, I go! End of story!" Sothis said stubbornly as she grabbed her crown and worked it into her hair.
April 17, 9:25 AM
Adrestia High Court
Chief Magistrate's Office
"I'm sorry to spring this on you on such short notice," Count Hevring said apologetically, Duke Aegir at his side while Rei and Blackquill stood before him. "But Duke Aegir insisted on having this evidence submitted before trial began today..."
"As if I would let decisive evidence remain hidden!" Duke Aegir sniffed proudly. "It's in that folder there, in case your glasses aren't clean..."
(Arrogant slime!) Rei thought, just managing to hold her tongue as she picked up the folder and started rifling through it... there were several pictures of what appeared to be Edelgard wearing the Flame Emperor's robes, some in Garreg Mach, others in an unknown location where she was talking with a man with pale skin... (At least some of these are photoshopped,) she discerned. It hadn't been the first time she'd had to deal with forged evidence, after all.
"Hmph. It certainly does seem to be decisive evidence," Blackquill noted. "But given the look on your face, Ryghts-dono, you clearly don't agree..."
"This evidence should have been submitted last night, not just before the trial starts!" Rei stated. "I want this all surpressed!"
"Excuse me? Just because I only found it at the last minute?!" Duke Aegir harrumphed.
"No, because you have a vested interest in making sure my client is convicted!" Rei shot back. "Fruit of the poisoned tree, worm!"
"What? What interest could I possibly have in ensuring Edelgard's conviction? The niece of Governor Arundel?!" Duke Aegir insisted.
"Because Edelgard has made it clear that she will root out corruption if and when she becomes governor of Adrestia!" Rei elaborated. "And I have proof that you, in fact, are corrupt! TAKE THAT!" She whipped out the tax documents.
"Miss Ryghts, there's no need to shout like that in my office," Weldmar chastised her, putting a pinky finger in his ear. "Now, what is that you have there?"
"Tax documents that prove Duke Aegir is guilty of financial fraud, at the very least!" the ex-villain elaborated.
*Tax Documents handed over to Count Hevring.*
"Let me see..." Weldmar muttered as he looked over the documents. "...Oh my. You've been cutting some corners, have you, Ludwig?"
"What..." The blood drained from Duke Aegir's face. "W-w-where did you get those...?!"
"Why, it was your own son Ferdinand who graciously provided these to me," Rei said with an evil smirk.
"No! Ferdinand...?!" Duke Aegir recoiled in utter shock. "How can this be...?!"
"Well, I'll be," Blackquill smirked with a hand to his chin. "Seem that fop is too 'noble' even to turn a blind eye to his father's wrongdoing. You certainly raised him well, didn't you?" He slapped a hand on a nearby chair as he silently laughed from the irony.
"Anyway, Your Honor, you see what I mean about a conflict of interest," Rei pressed.
"...I'm sorry, Ludwig, but I can't turn a blind eye to this," Count Hevring shook his head. "All evidence that you've provided is hereby suppressed. And I would highly suggest getting counsel for yourself, my friend."
"I..." Duke Aegir's face briefly shifted to one of pure rage, before regaining his composure. "...Understood, Chief Magistrate." He turned on his heel and marched out, slamming the door open as he went.
"Hmph. As if I needed that fool's assistance to prove my case, anyway," Blackquill sniffed.
"Don't expect me to say thank you, peon," Rei said to the prosecutor.
"I do not want or need your thanks," Simon shrugged. "Well then, Your Greenness, now that that fairy tale has been dispensed with, shall we proceed to the courtroom?"
"We shall," Weldmar nodded as he stood up, reaching for his judge's robe.
April 16, 10:00 AM
Adrestia High Court
Courtroom No. 1
The gallery's muttering was silenced by Weldmar's gavel. "This court shall come to order. We will now resume the case of The State v. Edelgard von Hresvelg. Are the prosecution and defense prepared to present their arguments?"
"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Rei stated, Sothis at her side like yesterday.
"The prosecution has been ready for a while," Simon Blackquill half-snarked.
"Very good, then we'll get underway at once. I understand the defendant has been retrieved after her fellow student attempted a jailbreak?" Weldmar asked the prosecutor.
"She has indeed, Your Greenness," Blackquill replied. "She insists that she had no intention of escaping, but that Hubert wouldn't be dissuaded. On a side note, Mr. Vestra has been arrested and is being held in isolation from the general population under 24/7 watch."
"Geez, he's not taking any chances with that guy, is he?" Sothis said to Rei, sweat-dropping.
"I can't say I honestly blame him. That worm made things so unnecessarily complicated!" Rei muttered darkly.
"Very good," Count Hevring nodded. "Now then, while I did you a favor yesterday, I really must insist that you handle the opening statement this time, Prosecutor Blackquill. We wouldn't want people to think you're too lazy to do your job properly, now would we?"
Blackquill slammed one hand on the bench in response. "...Hmph. I suppose not. Very well, listen closely. Putting the defendant's... involuntary jailbreak aside, Ryghts-dono suggested yesterday that Miss Hresvelg had been framed by the terrorist group known only as 'those who slither in the dark'. However, the prosecution has obtained evidence that will put this silly fairy tale to rest once and for all, and prove that it was the defendant alone who was responsible for the attack on Duke Gerth and Count Bergliez. Conspiracy theories need not apply."
"Conspiracy theory?!" Sothis protested. "But Miss Ryghts had evidence backing up her assertions!"
"SILENCE!" Blackquill rebuffed her. "We need not listen to wailings from a child barely old enough to use the loo without assistance."
"The loo...?"
"He means the bathroom, Sothis," Rei ducked her head. (ahem) "Regardless, she does have a point despite her age. The defense intends to present evidence definitively establishing Miss Hresvelg's alibi, and that she was indeed set up by sinister forces!"
"Hmph. Do you speak of Miss Hresvelg's pet that we found yesterday?" Blackquill assumed.
"Pet...?" Count Hevring blinked in confusion.
"Yes, Your Honor. Specifically, a sick yoshisaur that Edelgard and Hubert discovered while clearing out bandits at the Red Canyon," Rei elaborated. "And we've brought said pet to the courtroom today. Professor!" she called out, the courtroom doors promptly opening...
"Come on, boy, it's all right," Byleth's voice could be heard, the man himself appearing a moment later, pulling something on a leash... then the yoshisaur emerged into view, causing many in the gallery to gasp, a few voices calling out 'Look at it!' 'It's so cute!' 'Mommy, can I have one? Pwease?'
"My word! A green-skinned yoshisaur!" Weldmar gasped with wide eyes. "Why, I haven't seen one of those since way back when I was a young lad myself, on a trip to the zoo! I'd thought for sure they'd gone extinct..."
"And just how does this prove Miss Hresvelg's alibi?" Blackquill asked.
"Because this was the reason she snuck out of the dormitory in the dead of night, as shown by the security footage!" Rei spelled out. "As I'm sure many of you know, yoshisaurs tend to have a voracious appetite, so she was likely going to make sure it wasn't starving!"
"I see..." Weldmar nodded. "But why be so secretive about it to begin with?"
"It seems the academy has a strict 'no pets' policy," Blackquill answered. "If this critter had been discovered, Miss Hresvelg would have been forced to release it into the wild or turn it over to the animal shelter, which is likely not equipped to handle a yoshisaur's appetite."
"Or in the worst-case scenario, the poor creature would be euthanized outright!" Sothis added. "Or so she believed, anyway..." The gallery muttered in disapproval upon hearing this, forcing Weldmar to gavel them down.
"Hmph. What a charming fairy tale you've come up with," Blackquill sniffed. "But it proves nothing! After all, it's quite possible the defendant just took this creature from somewhere a day or so prior to the attack, to engineer an alibi for herself!"
"OBJECTION! Professor, would you care to respond to this?" Rei deferred.
"Certainly," Byleth nodded, gently pulling the yoshisaur along as he came up to the witness stand. "I checked with the nearby fruit orchard which had been having problems with its yield over the past few months. It seems someone has been coming in the dead of night and stealing their fruit, forcing them to put guard dogs in order to dissuade them..."
"Wait, are you suggesting...?" Count Hevring trailed off.
"Yes, Your Honor. It seems that my client is indeed guilty of a crime- the crime of fruit theft, in order to feed her precious pet!" Rei affirmed, Edelgard bowing her head in mild shame.
"Yoshi..." the yoshisaur also looked down, apparently sad that its master was sad.
"SILENCE!" Blackquill objected. "Again, this does nothing to disprove the prosecution's proposed theory of the crime from yesterday's trial!"
"It doesn't?" Count Hevring said curiously.
"Recall yesterday, that we established that the Flame Emperor uses teleportation magic in order to escape less than desirable situations," Blackquill tapped a finger against his forehead. "Even if she was checking on her pet, she could have still teleported to Enbarr regardless!"
"OBJECTION!" Rei cried. "There is no evidence that indicates my client has any knowledge of teleportation magic!"
"SILENCE!" Blackquill rebuffed her. "Have you already forgotten about what occurred yesterday after the trial ended?" He slammed his hand on the bench. "Namely, that hopelessly enamored Hubert teleporting her to Garreg Mach?"
"OBJECTION!" Rei shot back. "Are you suggesting that Mr. Vestra is complicit in my client's supposed crimes?! There's nothing on the security footage that shows him ever leaving the dormitory, worm!"
"Perhaps not directly complicit," Blackquill demurred. "But isn't it possible that poor misguided Hubert might have taught her that teleportation spell, say, in case she was cornered with no way out?"
"OBJECTION!" Rei cried again. "There's nothing that indicates that Edelgard has any talent for magic whatsoever! Isn't that right, professor?"
"Miss Ryghts is correct," Byleth nodded. "When I initially evaluated the Black Eagles students, I determined that Edelgard was best suited for physical combat instead of magic, be it combat or healing. Your theory of the crime is thus illogical, prosecutor."
"Hmph. Very well. But there is another possibility," Blackquill suggested.
"And that is?" Count Hevring asked.
"That the Flame Emperor has some sort of technology in her costume that enables her to teleport, magic potential or no," Blackquill tapped a finger against his forehead. "Thus, whether she has magic potential or not is irrelevant. After all, the mask found at the scene did have a voice-changer, did it not?"
"Hmmm... I suppose that is a possibility as well," Weldmar mused. "But, why did she not simply teleport away after regaining consciousness?"
"Recall that Count Bergliez had just slammed her head into a support pillar at the crime scene," Blackquill pointed out. "It's quite likely Miss Hresvelg simply had too much of a headache to use her teleporter, thus necessitating the Death Knight's intervention. Which leads me to my next point- the decisive evidence that I mentioned in my opening statement." With that, he put his fingers to his mouth and whistled...
There's was a hawk's screech, Sothis instinctively ducking... but Taka alighted on Count Hevring's head instead. "Ahhh! Not again!" the Chief Magistrate cried in distress... but then Taka dropped the object he was holding in his beak in front of him. "Wait, what's this? A forensic analysis?"
"Indeed. On a hunch, I had Forensics head back to the crime scene after trial ended yesterday, to examine the very support pillar in question. Recall Count Bergliez's testimony, that he managed to unmask the Flame Emperor early on in their scuffle... Which means when her head was slammed into that pillar, there was likely trace evidence left behind."
"Uh-oh..." Sothis said worriedly. "I don't like where this is going..."
"Now then, if His Greenness would read the highlighted portion," Blackquill requested.
"Of course. But first... shoo, you!" Weldmar flailed an arm at Taka, who promptly jumped off his head and flew back to alight on Blackquill's shoulder. "There, that's better. Now then..." Running a hand through his hair to put it back in order, he adjusted his glasses and began to read... "...analysis of the skin cells left from the subject's impact on the pillar's surface indicates... a 99.9% DNA match with Edelgard von Hresvelg."
"Whaaaaaaat?!" Sothis cried in shock, the gallery muttering amongst themselves in disbelief.
*Forensic Analysis has been added to the Court Record.*
(So that's why Blackquill said he didn't need Duke Aegir's help...) Rei thought with her head bowed.
"And with that, the defense's fairy tale is seen for what it is," Blackquill stated bluntly. "It's over, Ryghts-dono. The outcome of this duel was decided before we ever stepped into the courtroom. All that remains is for the verdict to be handed down, and for the defense to submit to terms for a plea bargain."
"Yes, you really can't get more decisive evidence than this," Weldmar shook his head. "Very well, this court shall now announce the verdict..."
"Heh heh heh heh heh heh..." Rei began to chuckle sinisterly.
"Wh... Miss Ryghts?" Count Herving blinked at the unexpected reaction.
"HAAAAAA-hahahahahaha!" the ex-final boss let loose with an evil laugh causing everyone save Blackquill to rear back slightly. "You fool, Simon Blackquill! You did exactly what I expected you would do, and thus fell right into my trap!"
"Your trap?" Blackquill glared back. "You still try to continue the duel, even after having been struck a lethal blow?"
"Joke's on you, twisted samurai!" Sothis shot back. "To put it in your terms, Miss Ryghts had armor where you struck that blow! Time to show them our trump card, Ryghts!"
"Indeed. First, some circumstantial evidence to establish our counterargument! TAKE THAT!" She pulled out the file on Tenten Ryghts and tossed it in Weldmar's direction, landing right in front of him.
"Well, I must say, good throw," the judge grunted.
(It helps that the judge's bench is set a bit lower than back in Lowee City...) Rei thought to herself. "If you'll take a look, Your Honor, this person should look very familiar to you..."
"Oh my, you're right! It's... your picture?" Count Bevring said in confusion. "Wait, your horn is on the wrong side..."
"Maybe you should try reading the file, your Honor?" Sothis snarked.
"Sothis, be nice," Byleth scolded. "You don't want the prosecutor siccing his bird on you again, do you?" Blackquill just gave a sinister smirk, causing Sothis to slide off her stool in fear, though her eyes remained visible.
"What in the... Tenten Ryghts?" Count Hevring said in disbelief. "Subject is... a failed cloning project?!"
"Exactly, Your Honor," Rei nodded. "And if evil scientists could make a clone of me, who's to say that Edelgard couldn't be cloned as well?" Slamming her fists on the bench, she continued, "Recall the affidavit from Bishop Rhea, where she said that Edelgard and the Flame Emperor were perfectly evenly matched! If said Flame Emperor was in fact, a clone, that would perfectly explain why their fighting styles were so similar!"
"Argh!" Blackquill immediately hunched over the bench with a hand to his chest. "A-absurdity...!"
"W-wait, is the defense seriously arguing that the true culprit is a clone of the defendant?!" Weldmar realized.
"That is exactly what I am arguing, Your Honor!" Rei exclaimed with her arms crossed.
"SILENCE!" Blackquill pounded both fists on his bench. "Your counterattack smacks of desperation. Who in their right mind would actually believe such poppycock?!"
"OBJECTION!" Rei shot back. "Remember, 'those who slither in the dark' are masters of deception and misdirection! Pulling a stunt like this fits perfectly with their MO!"
"SILENCE!" Blackquill objected. "Why would this terrorist group target a mere academy student, even if she's a relative of the current governor?"
Rei looked over at the defendant's chair. Edelgard's eyes widened slightly, but then her face hardened and she gave a subtle nod. Rei nodded back to her before answering, "Because, prosecutor, she isn't just a mere student. Edelgard is, in fact, a former victim of their experiments!"
"A f-former victim...?" Count Hevring gasped. "But, Miss Edelgard appears perfectly healthy from my perspective..."
"Oh really, Your Honor? Then why is her hair such an unnatural white?" Rei pointed out. "I'm you've met her in her youth, and her hair was a different color, was it not?"
"Ah, yes. If I recall, she used to be a light brunette," Weldmar nodded. "But then she and her siblings fell ill with a terrible disease, and she was the only one who recovered..."
(That's the same line Duke Aegir fed to his son,) Rei pondered. (And Count Hevring doesn't seem to be lying... which means that Ludwig lied to him as well!) Aloud she said, "Your Honor, I'm afraid that's a complete lie. The truth is, Edelgard and her siblings were experimented on by the man named Solon, the very same one responsible for the massacre at Remire Village!"
"Wh-wh-WHAAAAAAAT?! Weldmar cried in shock, sending the gallery into a tizzy from the revelation...
"SILENCE!" Blackquill cut in. "Another fairy tale, Ryghts-dono? Do you have any evidence to support your claim? If not, I will cut you down here and now!"
"Even better, Prosecutor Blackquill. I have a witness!" Rei said confidently.
"A witness?" Count Herving asked. "Who, pray tell?"
"Our good professor's co-worker, Professor Hanneman," the lawyer replied. "He researches blood diseases and genetics, after all. And he's examined blood samples from every student at Garreg Mach."
"Ah yes, I know of whom you speak," Count Herving nodded. "He used to be a nobleman himself, before renouncing said nobility after his sister perished from a rare blood disorder..."
"Thus he threw himself into his research into blood disorders, to ensure no one suffered like his sister did," Blackquill finished. "Well now, this is getting interesting... it seems you were indeed prepared for our duel this time around, Ryghts-dono."
"Ugh, that guy keeps wanting to get a sample of my blood," Sothis groaned. "Thankfully, Byleth has made it clear that he doesn't have permission, but still..."
Weldmar banged his gavel, before saying, "Well, in that case, we'll take a short break while Professor Hanneman is prepped... it seems the defendant's pet could use a snack as well. Court will now recess for 10 minutes." He banged his gavel with finality, the gallery beginning to empty out...
*Episode 32- End*