A/N: Warning, this episode is a long one. Make sure you have time to read it properly...
The Three Houses of Hyperdimension
A Fire Emblem: Three Houses & Hyperdimension Neptunia Crossover Fan Fiction
by Derald Snyder
Episode 27: Trial, Day 1 (Part 1)
Court Record:
-Headmaster's Affidavit
-Bishop Rhea's Affidavit
April 16, 9:32 AM
Adrestia High Court
Defendant Lobby No. 1
Edelgard, Byleth and Sothis were standing together in the lobby, Rei sitting on a bench with her head bowed, snoring slightly. "I don't understand... shouldn't the trial have started by now?" Edelgard queried.
"I talked with one of the bailiffs; apparently there's been a delay," Byleth responded. "He wasn't sure exactly why, though..."
"I believe I can answer that," came the voice of Hubert as he entered the room. "It seems the original prosecutor for this case recused himself at the last minute. He was, shall we say, persuaded by a fellow prosecutor to have him take over the case."
"Why would he do that?" Byleth asked. "Ryghts, wake up."
"SNK-! Huh? (ahem) I-I'm awake, I'm awake!" Rei grunted. "Sorry... must b-be minor j-jet leg or something..."
"Well, I don't know why, but I do know that the new prosecutor is a member of House Vestra, albeit a branch family instead of the main bloodline," Hubert explained.
"Do you know him, then?" Edelgard queried.
"I've never met the man personally," Hubert shook his head. "But I can tell you that he is excellent at psychological manipulation. He can make even the most stalwart defendants confess. I'm sure you will be fine, Miss Ryghts, having no doubt faced all kinds of prosecutors in your legal career, so I say this for Lady Edelgard's sake- Do not let him trick you into a false confession. Keep your mind guarded at all times."
"I understand. Thank you for the warning, Hubert," Edelgard smiled and nodded in gratitude.
"Indeed. Now then, I shall take my leave, to watch the trial with the other Black Eagle students. I wish you good luck." With a final bow, Hubert exited the lobby.
"So, since Byleth is a potential witness in this case, I shall be the one to accompany you to the defense's bench, just like- er, ahem, I mean, if that's all right," Sothis caught herself.
"I d-don't have a p-problem with it," Rei shook her head.
"The judge might," Byleth said. "So don't do anything that forces me to get out the yardstick again, understand?"
"I know how to behave in a courtroom..." Sothis sighed.
April 16, 10:00 AM
Adrestia High Court
Courtroom No. 1
The judge banged his gavel. "This court shall come to order. The case is The State v. Edelgard von Hresvelg, charged with aggravated assault and attempted murder." He looked like an older Linhardt with old-fashioned spectacles on his face. "Due to the defendant and the seriousness of the charge, I, Chief Magistrate Weldmar von Herving, am presiding over these proceedings. Now then, are the prosecution and defense prepared to present their arguments?"
"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Rei stated as she stood straight, trying not to let her nerves show.
"Uh... defense assistant Sothis is ready, too!" Sothis added, standing on a stool so she could see over the bench.
"Well... the former villain turned goddess of the courtroom," Weldmar observed. "I must admit, when I received the paperwork confirming that you were Edelgard's representation, I was a bit taken aback. I've heard tales of your cases in the capital city, not to mention all over Gamindustri... you've certainly come a long way from your days as a final boss!"
"Um, th-thank you, Your Honor," Rei ducked her head, blushing profusely.
"That being said," Weldmar continued, "who is this child with you at the defense's bench?"
"I'm Sothis, the adopted daughter of Professor Byleth Eisner, who hired Miss Ryghts to begin with," Sothis said proudly. "But seeing as he's a potential witness, I'm standing here in his stead! And before you chastise me, let me say that I've read a lot of books, and even Bishop Rhea says I'm wise beyond my years! So I'm perfectly capable of following the proceedings, Your Honor!"
"Bishop Rhea says that, does she?" Weldmar mused. "But even so, you ARE still a child... are you really all right with this, Miss Ryghts?"
"She c-can be p-pretty st-stubborn sometimes, Your Honor," Rei sighed as she tapped her fingers together. "I d-didn't think sh-she would t-take no f-for an answer..."
"Well, Byleth can be somewhat stubborn himself, sometimes," Sothis pointed out. "Like father, like daughter, as they say."
Weldmar could only sigh and shake his head. "...Very well, I shall allow this for the time being. But this court reserves the right to have Miss Sothis pulled from the courtroom if she causes too much of a ruckus, or if the material being discussed becomes too graphic for a child to bear. Is that understood, young lady?"
"I suppose," Sothis sighed and nodded.
"Enough jabbering," a British voice suddenly spoke up from the other side of the courtroom. "Let's get on with it, already."
"...!" Rei turned her attention to the prosecution's bench, seeing a man with long black hair tied into a rough low ponytail sitting with his back to her. He wore what appeared to be a black vest or sleeveless robe over a dark-colored suit, with a white circular insignia on the back. (Is that the prosecutor? Must be...)
"...I assume that means the prosecution is ready to proceed?" Weldmar stated.
"Hmph," the man sniffed dismissively. "Who amongst us mere mortals could ever be ready to take on a former final boss like Rei Ryghts?" He turned his head to look over at the lawyer in question, Rei seeing a white streak in his hair, and a bird's feather in his mouth. "...Yet, if there be any prosecutor that is up to the challenge, it is I, Simon Blackquill."
(Music- 'Simon Blackquill- Distorted Swordsmanship')
At this, he finally turned to face the courtroom, revealing pale skin and under-shadowed gray eyes, and he was indeed wearing a sleeveless hemmed robe of sorts, with what looked like heavy metal cuffs on his wrists.
"What the-?!" Sothis recoiled at the sight. "Th-this guy looks more like he belongs in jail than at the prosecutor's bench!"
"Sothis! Be polite!" Rei scolded.
"Hmph... quite the perceptive little lass we have here," Simon Blackquill said with a smirk and a hand to his chin. "As a matter of fact, I did spend a few years in the clink, albeit for a crime I did not commit. But thanks to an old family friend, I was eventually exonerated, and even managed to regain my law license."
(He's an ex-convict...?!) Rei thought, sweating a little.
"Yes, the court is quite aware of that legal travesty you suffered," Weldmar interjected. "But that has no bearing on the case at hand. Might I ask, however, why you seem to have those cuffs on your wrists?"
"Merely training weights, nothing more," Blackquill replied. "I was doing a bit of sword training this morning, and must have forgotten to remove them before trial began."
"S-sword practice? Does that mean he's some kind of twisted samurai?" Sothis said to Rei, looking a little spooked.
"It's all right, Sothis. Swords aren't allowed in the courtroom," Rei assured her. "Um, unless one g-gets b-brought in a-as evidence..."
Weldmar then banged his gavel. "Very well then. Prosecutor Blackquill, your opening statement, please."
But instead, Blackquill slammed one hand on the bench. "...Must we continue to fritter away time like this? It is all right there in the indictment. An opening statement... would be pointless."
"Pointless? But we need an opening statement as an overview of the case... for the gallery watching the trial if nothing else," Weldmar countered.
"Hmph. Well then, if it's so very important, Your Greenness, why don't you do the honors?" Blackquill suggested.
"Y-Your Greenness...?!" Weldmar gasped, looking indignant.
"I refer, of course, to the color of the mop crowning your head," the prosecutor clarified. "Just be grateful that you are not bald, Your Greenness."
(Reminds me of what happened to the last prosecutor I faced...) Rei mused to herself. (Of course, nobody was expecting a fire-breathing dragon to appear in the courtroom, either...) She really hoped that this trial would be a bit more low-key.
"Coming back to my earlier point," Blackquill continued, "You are the Chief Magistrate, are you not? I highly doubt that you got to your position by being an incompetent lawyer... or judge, for that matter."
"Well, that is true... I was the best and brightest among my colleagues, after all," Count Herving nodded. "If only my lazy son could learn from my example..."
"Well, is he not watching the trial today? This is the perfect opportunity for you to show him how it's done," Blackquill suggested. Meanwhile in the gallery, Caspar elbowed Linhardt in the side to wake him up.
"Hmm..." Weldmar closed his eyes in thought. "...Very well, I shall handle it this once. But don't expect this to become a regular thing with me!"
(Wait, he actually fell for that?!) Rei sweat-dropped in disbelief.
"Must be that psycho-logical manipulation Hubert warned us about," Sothis said to the ex-final boss.
Weldmar then banged his gavel. "The opening statement... The incident in question took place late at night on April 12, at a weapons storehouse at the outskirts of Enbarr, the capital city, not too far from this court. Duke Gerth had been summoned there by a letter apparently written by Duke Ludwing von Aegir and Count Leopold von Bergliez, but it turned out to be a trap. The Flame Emperor, a masked terrorist who had been wreaking havoc not only in Adrestia, but the neighboring provinces as well, attempted to murder Duke Gerth, only to be stopped by Count Bergliez, who had been conducting an inspection that night. After freeing Gerth, Count Bergliez engaged the Flame Emperor in battle, and eventually emerged the victor."
"And who, pray tell, was the face beneath the Flame Emperor's mask?" Simon Blackquill prompted.
"Why, none other than the face of one Edelgard von Hresvelg, the niece of Governor Arundel," Weldmar answered, causing the gallery to start murmuring amongst themselves in disbelief. "Anyway, the police arrived not long after and took Edelgard into custody... but the Flame Emperor's lackey, the Death Knight, intervened en route and murdered the entire police escort, allowing the culprit to escape."
"And then, two days later, Edelgard was re-arrested by Duke Aegir after visiting her ill father at the nursing home," Blackquill finished. "And it is the duty of the prosecution to remove any doubt that it was indeed our dear Miss Hresvelg who committed this heinous crime. Bravo, Your Greenness."
"Hmph. I'll take your praise with a grain of salt," Weldmar responded, before banging his gavel to quiet the gallery. "Now then, Prosecutor Blackquill, please call your first witness."
"So be it. The prosecution calls a member of the Adrestian militia who was assisting the police, but remained behind with Count Bergliez after they took Miss Hresvelg into custody," Blackquill stated. With that, Randolph walked up to the stand, still clad in his armor.
"Will the witness state his name and occupation for the record," Count Herving requested.
"Yes, sir," he saluted. "Randolph von Bergliez, member of the Adrestia militia. I was working the night shift when the attack happened."
"HOLD IT!" Sothis suddenly yelled. "Did you say Bergliez? As in Count Bergliez?!"
"Um, yeah," Randolph put a hand behind his head. "I'm actually Leopold's brother-in-law..."
"But isn't that... what do you call it?" Sothis turned to Rei.
"A c-conflict of interest," the lawyer supplied.
"OBJECTION!" said Blackquill, tapping his index finger against his forehead twice. "Were you not paying attention to the opening statement, young lass? While you are correct that a potential conflict of interest exists, Mr. Bergliez here is the only one who can testify, on account of most of the other police at the scene being dead."
"Indeed," Weldmar nodded, "dead men tell no tales, as they say. The witness' relation to the victim is noted, but hopefully he understands that he must remain impartial in his testimony. Is that clear, young man?"
"Yes sir, Your Honor!" Randolph saluted. "I vow to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!"
"Very good. In that case, please begin your testimony now," Count Herving instructed.
"Yes, Your Honor. We got the call at around 10 o'clock, from Duke Gerth," Randolph began. "But by the time we arrived, the fight was already over. Leopold- ahem, I mean, Count Bergliez- was leaning against a support pillar, winded but still conscious. Not so much for his attacker, who was lying on the ground a foot or so away. The police took her into custody, while I remained behind to ensure Leo-(ahem) Count Bergliez was okay, and to gather any relevant evidence at the scene."
"And what evidence did you find?" Blackquill pressed.
"The Flame Emperor's mask, and the weapons she used at the scene," Randolph replied. "First, the mask..." He pulled out the item in question, wrapped in an evidence bag. "It looks like one of those stage masks, albeit painted with a flame pattern. Also, there's a vox encoder embedded in the mouth area, to disguise the wearer's spoken words."
"I see. The court accepts the mask into evidence," Weldmar nodded.
*Flame Emperor's Mask has been added to the Court Record.*
"D-did you find any DNA evidence on the mask?" Rei inquired.
"Well, Forensics found a couple of white hairs, but they couldn't test them," Randolph said, his brow furrowed in thought.
"Most likely because the hairs had no intact follicles," Blackquill clarified.
"Well, what about the mouth area?" Sothis asked next. "Was there any spit or anything?"
"Um, they didn't find anything there either," Randolph shook his head.
"But, wouldn't the mask's wearer need to breathe?!" Sothis said in disbelief.
"OBJECTION!" Blackquill slammed a hand on the bench. "For your information, the inside of the mask was treated with a chemical compound that broke down any DNA that came into contact with it. That is why the forensics team could find nothing."
"...Oh," Sothis ducked her head. "Um, sorry for the confusion."
"Perhaps you should leave the cross-examination to the actual lawyer," Weldmar shook his head. "Let's move on. What other evidence did you find, witness?"
"Two weapons that the attacker wielded," Randolph said. "First up, this axe..." He pulled out the weapon in question, wrapped in plastic. "As you can see, the handle is broken, most likely by Count Bergliez's hand..."
"He broke that axe in two?!" Sothis gasped. "But that's a solid-steel handle! Is this guy even human?!"
(I can't blame Sothis for thinking that...) Rei mused.
*Broken Axe has been added to the Court Record.*
"The other weapon is this steel straight sword," Randolph continued, pulling out the sword also wrapped in plastic. "As you can see, it's got a little blood on it, which testing confirmed to be Count Bergliez's."
*Bloody Sword has been added to the Court Record.*
"Ugh, a sword! You jinxed it, Ryghts!" Sothis whined.
"J-just to cover our bases... d-did you find any fingerprints on the weapons?" Rei inquired.
"None on the sword, and the only prints on the axe handle were Leopold's from when he broke it," Randolph responded.
"Obviously, the culprit was wearing gloves," Blackquill added. "Is there anything else, witness?"
"Yessir. This thing right here," Randolph pulled out a gun-shaped object in an evidence bag.
"That looks like one of those 'grapple guns' used by Batman in the comics," Sothis observed.
"Close, but not quite. What this thing actually does is fire a claw with a line reel at a target, then after attaching itself to a surface, fires another claw to another surface with a line between them," Randolph described.
"So it makes a tightrope?" Sothis said in mild disbelief.
"Yeah, but it can also be used to pull a human to a heavier object, which is what the attacker tried to do with Leo- I mean, Count Bergliez," Randolph replied. "Anyway, the police are calling this device a 'remote claw'."
*Remote Claw has been added to the Court Record.*
"Also, the only fingerprints were Leopold's, when he managed to take the claw from his attacker and use it against her," the witness clarified. "Oh, almost forgot! These are the gauntlets Leopold used to fend off his attacker..." He pulled out a pair of gauntlets with mangled claws in another evidence bag.
"Wow, those are pretty trashed," Sothis observed. "That must have been a heck of a brawl!"
(No kidding...) Rei sweat-dropped.
*Wrecked Gauntlets have been added to the Court Record.*
"Anyway, that's all I have, Your Honor," Randolph saluted.
"Very well. The witness may step down," Weldmar stated.
(Sounds like the Flame Emperor was well-prepared for a fight, just in case,) Rei pondered to herself. (But why didn't she flee after being unmasked...? Caspar said that Edelgard wouldn't want to meet his father in a dark alley, yet that's pretty much what happened here...)
"Next, the prosecution would like to call the so-called victim to the stand," Blackqull spoke up. "Though given how the fight ended, perhaps he should have been arrested instead...?" He slapped a hand against the bench as he laughed at his own quip.
"Ugh, this guy's got a dark sense of humor..." Sothis groaned.
"Well, what d-do you expect f-from an ex-convict?" Rei sighed, watching as Count Bergliez himself strode up to the witness stand, sporting a few bandages on his shoulders and arms.
"Now then, even though we're already acquainted, I still need you to follow procedure," Weldmar said. "State your name and occupation, please."
"...Count Leopold von Bergliez. I'm a general in the Adrestian militia," the stout man replied. "Nice to see you again too, Weldmar."
"Wait, do these two know each other personally?" Sothis said to Rei. "Isn't that a conflict of interest?"
"W-well, they d-don't seem to b-be very buddy-buddy with each other..." the horned lawyer shrugged.
"Count Bergliez. Your testimony on the night of April 12," Blackquill said sternly.
"Hmph. You don't scare me," Leopold snorted. He crossed his arms and lowered his head in thought. "So, that night... I was doing a routine weapons inspection when I heard some sort of ruckus nearby. When I went to check it out, I saw Duke Gerth hanging upside-down, with that Flame Emperor ready to kill him! So I ran up and tackled the guy from behind, then threw him into the delivery area. I freed Gerth and told him to call the police while I dealt with his attacker..."
"Thus explaining how Randolph and the police got to the scene so quickly," Blackquill interjected. "So what happened next?"
"Well, the Flame Emperor pulled out an axe and attacked me, but I used my gauntlets to fight back, eventually knocking his mask- or rather, her mask off."
"And who did you see beneath the mask?" Blackquill asked with an anticipatory smirk.
"...it was Edelgard's face," Leopold admitted, sending the gallery buzzing, forcing Weldmar to gavel them down. "I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't listen, so I grabbed her axe away and broke it, but then she pulled out her sword and went at me again! Then she used that remote claw, or whatever it's called, to yank me over to an ammo crate, but I regained my feet and dodged her strike before throwing said crate at her!"
"A whole crate?! Geesh, this guy could give the CPUs a run for their money...!" Sothis said, sweating a little.
"Gahhahaha! I'll take that as a compliment, young lady!" Leopold laughed. "Anyway, after that, she dropped a flash-bang to blind me, but my ears were still working, and I managed to defend from her attack with only a few cuts!" he indicated the bandages on his arms. "Then I beat her down, before using her own remote claw thingy against her, slamming her into a support pillar and knocking her out! Then Randolph and the others arrived, and you know the rest."
"Hmm... so your undefeated record remains intact, does it?" Weldmar snarked.
"Hah! You know it!" Leopold grinned. "That fool should've run when she had the chance!"
"OBJECTION!" Blackquill suddenly interrupted. "It's not that she should have run, Count Bergliez, but that she couldn't run."
"OBJECTION! What do you mean?!" Rei challenged.
"It's quite simple. Remember, the Flame Emperor's mask was pulled off not long into the fight. Had she run away, what do you think would have happened?"
"Uh... I guess Count Bergliez would have reported what he saw to the police, and we'd be right here at trial anyway," Sothis mused.
"Precisely, young lass," Blackquill smirked. "Once she was unmasked, Miss Hresvelg had no choice but to try and kill Count Bergliez to protect her identity!" The gallery began murmuring at this...
"Order, order!" Weldmar said as he banged his gavel thrice. "Honestly, this looks pretty decisive... I don't see how there's much doubt in this case."
"Nevertheless, th-the defense asserts th-their right to cross-examine!" Rei declared, slamming her small fists on the bench for emphasis.
"Of course. Never let it be said that Weldmar von Herving doesn't run trials by the book," the judge nodded. "The defense may cross-examine the witness."
"Well, time to work your Ace Attorney magic," Sothis commented.
"Right..." Rei nodded. "Um, C-Count Bergliez, first I want c-clarification on something. D-did your attacker speak after th-they were unmasked? And if so, d-did they sound like my c-client?"
"Sure. Like I said, I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't listen," Leopold responded. "I've only met Edelgard a couple of times in person, but I'm pretty sure that was her voice."
"Y-you're sure th-they weren't just imitating her voice?" Rei pressed.
"OBJECTION!" said Blackquill. "Is that the best you can do, Ryghts-dono? You are like a fresh rookie who forgot to bring their sword to a duel."
"Ryghts...dono? Geez, this guy is really playing up the twisted samurai shtick!" Sothis snarked.
"Tell me, Count Bergliez, what exactly did your assailant say when she was unmasked?" Blackquill inquired.
"Well, she said something like, 'Oh trust me, this is no laughing matter'," Leopold recalled.
"I see. Now then, would the defendant please repeat that line?" Simon requested. "And try to sound sinister."
"Very well..." Edelgard sighed, standing up from the defendant's chair. (ahem) "Oh I assure you, Count Bergliez, this is no laughing matter."
"...Yep, that's what she sounded like, all right," Leopold nodded.
"Ack!" Rei ducked her head, sweating.
"Now do you see, Ryghts-dono? The witness knows what he saw and heard. It is impossible for you to prove otherwise," Blackquill asserted. "There is no dishonor in surrendering a duel you cannot win."
(Dishonor? What would be dishonorable would be abandoning my client!) Rei thought to herself. "I'm not finished with my questioning, wo- (ahem) prosecutor!"
"Hmph," Blackquill grunted as he sat with his back to the court. "And just like a fresh rookie, you don't know when you're beaten..."
"Don't call a duel before it's even started, you fool!" Sothis shouted at him. "We haven't yet begun to fight! Right, Ryghts?!"
(Sure, now you yell at him when his back's turned, so he can't retaliate...) Rei shook her head. Retuning her attention to the witness stand, she asked, "Count Bergliez, w-when you were f-fighting with y-your attacker, d-did you ever hit her in th-the face?"
"Oh, sure, multiple times," the burly man nodded. "Hell, I knocked her out by slamming her head into the support pillar!"
At this, Rei gave an evil smirk. "Now that's interesting, Count Bergliez... wouldn't such an assault have left her face all black and blue? And yet, take a look at my client's face!" She pointed at Edelgard. "Does she look battered or bruised to you?!"
"Ah!" Leopold gasped. "Hey, you're right! Not a blemish or a black eye to be seen!"
"Which means that the woman who assaulted you in the storehouse... could not have been Edelgard von Hresvelg!" Rei declared with finality.
"Oh! You're absolutely right, defense!" Weldmar gasped. "And I know Leopold never goes easy on an opponent, no matter who they are!" The gallery buzzed with confusion at this sudden revelation...
"OBJECTION!" Blackquill said, having turned to face the court once more. "You do realize, it's been a few days since the attack in question. Wouldn't have any bruises been cleared up by now?"
"OBJECTION!" Rei countered. "Even if what you say is true, what about the day immediately following, when Edelgard was back at the academy? I'm sure someone there would have noticed her bruised and battered face! But not one person I spoke to at the academy ever said anything about that!"
"OBJECTION!" Blackquill slammed a hand on the bench. "If this woman is truly the Flame Emperor, would she not have had a cleric use healing magic to fix up her face before returning to the academy?"
"Heh, they'd have to be one heck of a healer to fix what I did to that fool's face!" Count Bergliez boasted.
"OBJECTION! Your assertion assumes that my client ever left the academy in the first place!" Rei shot back.
"Left the academy? What exactly do you mean, Miss Ryghts?" Weldmar inquired.
"Heh heh heh... you thought I was a hapless rookie with no sword, Simon Blackquill, but I've been feinting this whole time, to draw you into my trap!" Rei said with an evil smirk. "But now's the time to bring out my secret weapon!"
"Secret weapon? I certainly hope you mean evidence, Miss Ryghts!" Weldmar said.
"Of course I do, Your Honor! TAKE THAT!" Rei said as she pulled out a sheet of paper. "This is an affidavit from Headmaster Seteth. He states that on the night of the attack, the entire academy was on lockdown due to a terrorist attack, committed by the very same Flame Emperor, no less!" She slammed her fists on the bench. "He also said that Professor Byleth had to get express permission from himself and Bishop Rhea to take Edelgard out of the academy to visit her sick father! So tell me, peon... how could my client attempt to murder Duke Gerth and Count Bergliez, when she couldn't even leave the premises without permission?!" She pointed at Blackquill for emphasis.
"Gah!" Simon recoiled as if he'd been slashed by a sword, then bracing himself against the bench with one hand to his chest, his teeth gritted as if in physical pain. The gallery's chattering grew louder at this...
"Order! Order in the court, please!" Weldmar said as he banged his gavel several times.
"Gahhahahaha!" Count Bergliez laughed. "I knew that fool who attacked me couldn't have been Edelgard! My gut instinct never leads me wrong!"
(You seemed pretty convinced a moment ago...) Rei sweat-dropped.
"OBJECTION!" cried Blackquill, having regained his composure. "Hmph... it seems you did have a sword all along. But it is rusty and broken, incapable of cutting down one like myself."
"Are you saying there's a problem with my claim?" Rei challenged.
"All you have is the headmaster's word. But do you have any witnesses who can say that she was, in fact, in the academy on the night of the attack?"
"Um... that Hubert seemed pretty sure she was in her room," Sothis said uncertainly. "But I guess you're gonna say he was lying to protect her?"
"You're quite sharp for such a young lass," Blackquill said with a finger to his forehead. "Indeed, blind loyalty can be a detriment, for it can drive a person to do things they would otherwise not in their right mind."
"Yeah, I dunno if that Hubert has a right mind to begin with," Sothis snarked.
(Not helping, Sothis!) Rei groaned internally.
"Now then, take a look at this," Blackquill pulled out what appeared to be a CD. "This is security footage of the student's quarters on the night of the attack. Bailiff, if you would please." The bailiff promptly took the CD and inserted into a TV that had been rolled into the courtroom... "Now then, look for yourself, and see the deception that was laid before you cut to pieces!" Sure enough, it showed Edelgard quietly emerging from the door, taking a furtive look around before dashing off to the right.
"Well, that's certainly Miss Hresvelg on that footage, from what I can see," Weldmar observed.
(No! Edelgard, why did you lie...?!) Rei thought in despair.
*Security Footage has been added to the Court Record.*
"Grrr...! He had that footage all along!" Sothis said in anger. "That Blackquill's been playing us like a fiddle!"
"So, what does the defendant have to say about this?" Blackquill pressed. But Edelgard remained silent.
"Miss Hresvelg!" Rei slammed her fists on the bench. "Remaining silent at this point is tantamount to an admission of guilt! As your lawyer, I would highly advise you come clean, mag- (ahem) client!"
"...Fine," Edelgard said with her head lowered. "If you must know, I'd just woken up from a nightmare, and was unable to get back to sleep. So I decided to sneak out to check on a biology project that Hubert and I have been working on."
"A... biology project?" Weldmar repeated. "But isn't Garreg Mach a military academy?"
"Yes, but the academy has a greenhouse where anyone can grow their own plants," Edelgard pointed out.
"OBJECTION!" Blackquill interjected. "But the direction you ran in the security footage is in the opposite direction of the greenhouse, is it not?"
"I never said my project was IN the greenhouse, Prosecutor Blackquill," Edelgard refuted. "What Hubert and I were doing was experimenting to see if we could get plants to grow underground."
"Underground...?" Weldmar said in mild confusion.
"That's right, Count Hevring. As I'm sure you know, there are several underground chambers and passageways beneath Garreg Mach," Edelgard asserted. "Hubert and I were using one of said chambers for our project. That is all."
"How convenient that you should be working on such a project without telling anyone," Blackquill said with a smirk. "After all, you could have easily used said underground passageways to slip out of the school without being spotted..."
"OBJECTION!" Rei cut in. "Look at the timestamp on that footage! It says 9:43 PM! And Randolph said they got the call at 10! Enbarr is too far away for Edelgard to have driven all that way to attack Duke Gerth and Count Bergliez!"
"OBJECTION!" Blackquill slammed a hand on the bench, before smirking. "It seems our ex-villain failed to do her research."
"Wh-what does that mean...?" Rei asked. (This can't be good...)
"As several witness can attest, the Flame Emperor is fond of using teleportation magic to appear and disappear at will," the prosecutor elaborated. "Which means it is possible that Edelgard simply teleported to Enbarr once she was clear of academy grounds!"
"Aaaaack!" Rei recoiled, sending the gallery abuzz.
"Order! Order!" Weldmar banged his gavel to quiet the audience. "Unfortunately, it seems that Prosecutor Blackquill has accounted for every alternate possibility in this case..."
"Indeed. No room exists for doubt. The facts are irrefutable," Blackquill nodded. "I believe it may be time for the verdict to be read."
"No...!" Sothis said. "Come on, Ryghts! What about that other thing you've got?!"
(Other thing...? Oh right, I almost forgot!) Standing straight, Ryghts threw out her pointer finger before yelling, "OBJECTION!"
"Miss Ryghts, please lower your volume," Count Herving shook his head. "What exactly do you object to?"
"Prosecutor Blackquill thought he'd disarmed me, but I have another weapon up my sleeve!" Rei asserted with crossed arms and a smirk of her own.
"Is that right? Then you better hope this sword can actually land its mark," Blackquill sniffed.
"Oh, it will, peon," Rei chuckled. "You see, the prosecution's entire argument is predicated on the assertion that Edelgard von Hresvelg and the Flame Emperor are in fact, one and the same. But I have proof saying otherwise! TAKE THAT!" She pulled out another paper.
"Another affidavit?" Weldmar comprehended.
"Precisely, Your Honor," Rei affirmed. "This affidavit is from Bishop Rhea, detailing the terrorist attack that resulted in the academy being locked down to begin with. And the Flame Emperor was also responsible for this incident!"
"Yes, we're already aware of that," Blackquill said dismissively. "How does this change anything?"
"Because Bishop Rhea was attacked by the Flame Emperor herself! And it was Edelgard herself who intervened and saved her life!" Rei dropped the bombshell.
"Wh-wh-whaaaaaat?!" Weldmar cried in disbelief.
"Auuuugghhh!" Blackquill recoiled as if struck with a sword. "Wh-what utter balderdash...!"
"It's not balderdash! I was there when it happened!" Sothis asserted. "In fact, Miss Rhea was trying to protect me from being kidnapped by that Flame Emperor!"
"She was?!" Weldmar said with wide eyes, the gallery chattering in confusion.
"OBJECTION!" Blackquill grunted, though he was still hunched over with a hand to his chest. "I-is there anyone other than this child who can verify your claim...?!"
"As a matter of fact, there is," Rei nodded. "Professor Byleth Eisner himself. He was helping to fend off the attack, along with several other students! And they all saw Edelgard after the battle had ended!"
"That's right! We'll even have him testify to that fact on the stand!" Sothis concurred.
"Order! Order!" Weldmar gaveled down the restless gallery. "Well, I must say, this is an unexpected turn of events. Given this revelation, I think we could use a break to calm down, and for the professor to be prepped to testify. Are there any objections from the prosecution?"
"...No, Your Honor. Though wounded, I am not slain," Blackquill ceded. "You have yet to win this battle, Ryghts-dono. Prepare your blade for when next we meet!"
(Just as long as you don't bring a real sword...) Rei sweat-dropped.
"Court will now recess for 10 minutes. We're adjourned!" Weldmar declared, banging his gavel with finality.
*Episode 27- End*