Chapter 110
Merian furrowed her brow.
Once again, Christian was acting in a way she couldn’t understand.
He was clearly scheming something.
Nordian chuckled softly.
“I’m curious to see what reckless stunt that boy will pull this time. I wonder what’s going on in that head of his.”
With a smirk, Nordian said something unexpected.
“I’ll have to attend this trial in person.”
“!!”
“Surely that’s not too much? I’m just coming to watch.”
The head of the family attending the trial in person.
Though he said it lightly, this decision would turn the entire house upside down.
Especially for Eshed, the true culprit and accused standing in the courtroom.
No matter how cunning Eshed was, he wouldn’t dare pull any dirty tricks in front of Nordian.
In other words, by showing up at the trial, Nordian was tacitly throwing his support behind Christian.
The extinction of the Ribery Count family!
The Dark Maga was thrown into chaos.
Yet no one dared to blame the Kazar Count family.
The truth had been uncovered in the Brusenn Duchy.
It was revealed that the Ribery Count had colluded with Baron Bord of Brusenn to conduct human sacrifices.
Moreover, it was the Ribery family who had framed the Kazar family.
Public opinion was completely overturned.
The Kazar family was cleared of all charges, and instead, all eyes turned to Eshed.
Of course, there was no direct evidence linking Eshed to the human sacrifices.
Ribery had been meticulous in covering any connection to Eshed.
Still, many Ma-in had long suspected Eshed.
And if Ribery had truly committed human sacrifices, who else could it have been for? There was only one candidate.
The Ma-in of Dark Maga gathered frequently, whispering about the case.
“How do you think the trial will go? Eshed Gongja is now under suspicion and standing trial.”
“Well, there’s no evidence tying Eshed Gongja to this, so it’ll be hard to do anything to him. Even if evidence surfaces, it’ll be difficult to impose a harsh sentence. He still has many retainers loyal to him.”
Others nodded in agreement.
“Since the Ribery family was wiped out, I think this will be settled at that level.”
“I agree.”
Most of the Dark Maga shared this view.
Though Eshed had taken a hit, the overall balance of power wouldn’t change.
Meanwhile, hearing their talk, Merian approached Christian.
“Are you sure you don’t need my help?”
“I’m fine, really.”
“Think again. You know as well as I do—you can’t underestimate Eshed.”
Christian just stared at Merian for a moment without answering.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I just wonder if you’re being a little too biased in my favor. As the direct elder of the family, I thought it was improper to openly support a particular heir…”
Merian snorted.
“What does that matter? You don’t mind me taking your side, do you?”
“No, I’m just saying it because I like it. I love you, Aunt.”
“Hmph. You’re the nephew who never even brings me cookies, and you’re talking about love? Still spouting nonsense without a care.”
Christian chuckled, and Merian spoke seriously.
“How about I take over the trial proceedings for you?”
“That’s fine.”
“Think again. This is originally my responsibility. Besides, me stepping in is far more intimidating than you, a mere collateral relative.”
She had a point.
But—
“Thank you for the offer, but please leave it to me.”
Christian shook his head calmly.
“I will make sure to teach that Eshed bastard a lesson.”
“!!”
Merian noticed the conviction in Christian’s eyes and fell silent for a moment.
“Alright, I trust you. But remember—who are you?”
“A proud provisional Black Moon Knight, aren’t I?”
Christian lifted the Black Moon badge hanging from his collar.
He was still a provisional member of the Black Moon Knights.
But Merian surprisingly shook her head.
“Yes, that’s true. But there’s something even more important.”
“Yes?”
“You’re my nephew. The one I trust most.”
“!!”
Merian’s gaze was unwavering.
“So go, and crush that damn Eshed properly.”
The moment Christian entered the courtroom, the atmosphere was stiff and tense.
It was expected in a courtroom, but this felt excessive.
Christian quickly understood why.
‘…Why is the head of the family here?’
An old man sat in the spectator seats.
His presence was overwhelming, almost suffocating.
It was Nordian.
“Heh heh, why is everyone so frozen? I’m just here to watch, so don’t mind this old man.”
“……”
But the pale, tense air didn’t ease.
Especially on Eshed’s side.
He seemed to sense something ominous, his expression hardening.
‘Damn it, why is that old man here?’
Eshed clenched his fists tightly.
With the head of the family sitting there, his retainers’ ability to assist him would be limited.
‘It’s fine. There’s no evidence left.’
But still, an endless unease gnawed at him.
It felt like something terrible was about to happen.
Meanwhile, as the courtroom remained silent, Nordian clicked his tongue.
“Heh heh, I said don’t mind me. What are you waiting for, Marquis? How long will you keep tiptoeing around this old man? People might think I’m the judge here.”
“…My apologies. We will begin the trial.”
Marquis Langham rose from his seat.
As the acting head of the family, he would deliver the verdict.
He glanced briefly at Nordian before speaking.
“We will now begin the trial regarding the human sacrifice incident involving the Ribery Count family. Christian, please come forward.”
“I am Christian Van Barron Kazar. I will testify regarding this case.”
Christian stepped onto the podium and scanned the room.
“I’m sure everyone knows the full story. The Ribery Count colluded with Baron Bord of Brusenn to conduct large-scale human sacrifices. Fortunately, both the Ribery Count and Baron Bord have been dealt with. The issue now is to uncover who else was involved in this horrific act.”
Christian’s gaze shifted.
It was directed at Eshed’s side.
“First, I ask: Eshed Gongja, do you deny any involvement in this matter? I understand you stayed at the Ribery estate until recently.”
Eshed twitched his eyebrows but soon smiled confidently.
“Well, I have no knowledge of it. I never imagined the Ribery Count was behind such a terrible deed.”
“So you claim no connection whatsoever.”
“Of course. Had I known, I would have dealt with the Ribery Count myself.”
His nonchalant answer.
Christian nodded.
“Thank you. Honestly, I initially suspected Eshed Gongja, but no evidence surfaced linking him to the Ribery family.”
Eshed nodded as if that was obvious.
But then—
“During the investigation, we uncovered unexpected evidence. It wasn’t Eshed Gongja, but others who were involved in the human sacrifices.”
“!!”
The courtroom murmured in shock.
“Who exactly?”
“Sadly, there are many. Baron Valham, Count Malcolm, Baron Shannon, Count Woodcock…”
“!!”
Everyone’s faces turned pale.
They were all key retainers.
Not as prominent as the Ribery Count, but pillars of Dark Maga.
And supporters of Eshed.
“This is absurd!”
“We never did such a thing!”
Those accused shouted in confusion.
Their faces showed genuine innocence.
Of course.
‘Because this is a setup. My setup.’
Christian grinned wickedly inside.
Yes.
Today, he planned to pin the blame on them.
Why?
To trap Eshed.
“I didn’t believe it at first either. They’re not the type. But in the Ribery Count’s secret vault, we found unbelievable letters. Look here.”
Christian pulled out several letters.
“These are requests from those retainers to the Ribery Count, asking for human sacrifices. I thought they might be forged, but they’re not. The handwriting and seals match perfectly.”
“!!”
The seals matched because Christian had forged them himself.
Of course, forging these letters wasn’t easy.
The seals were no ordinary stamps.
To prevent forgery, the seals were embedded with complex magical patterns.
Each time they were stamped, variables like angle, pressure, humidity, and paper texture created a unique multidimensional magic pattern, impossible to replicate even by high-level sorcerers.
It was difficult even for Christian.
‘But this time, it was possible. I had thousands of samples to study.’
The Ribery Count was the highest vassal.
Therefore, his retainers sent him an enormous number of letters, all stored in his study.
Christian analyzed thousands of these samples to understand each family’s seal pattern and successfully forged them.
“Please verify the authenticity of these letters.”
Marquis Langham ordered.
The family’s black magicians thoroughly examined the letters Christian presented.
“All the magical patterns in the seals perfectly match the respective family seals.”
“The handwriting matches as well.”
“The paper and ink’s weathering correspond to the time the letters were supposedly written.”
“Fingerprints on the paper also match.”
They checked from every angle.
The conclusion was clear.
“No evidence of forgery was found.”
The verdict was that the letter was genuine.
The judge was stunned.
“!!”
Those accused were supporters of Ashid, yes, but they were not people with bad reputations.
They were individuals no one could ever imagine being involved in something like this.
“No! We absolutely—”
“This is unjust!”
“We’re innocent!”
At that moment, Christian spoke unexpectedly.
“I believe they’re innocent too.”
“?!”
Everyone looked at Christian with puzzled expressions.
After branding them as criminals, now he was saying they were innocent?
“The reason is simple. None of the owners of this letter are the type to engage in human sacrifice. Of course, you can never truly know someone’s heart. But even the reasons given for participating in the sacrifice are utterly ridiculous.”
“…”
“Baron Balham sought to extend his life, Marquis Malcolm wanted financial blessings, Baron Shannon desired external beauty, and even Count Woodcock prayed for his government’s health.”
Christian smirked.
“Isn’t that just too crude? I can’t believe these people would take part in a human sacrifice for such petty reasons.”
The courtroom fell silent.
Everyone looked confused, unable to grasp Christian’s true intention.
Especially Ashid.
‘What is he really up to?’