The whole point of the trial was straightforward in concept but challenging in execution: examine the official report carefully, let the accused speak their defense, and catch the logical flaws and contradictions in their testimony.
It was a troubling trial that required intense focus and attention to detail, but not impossibly hard when you actually put your mind to it and cross-referenced everything properly.
"I understand your position... I would like to hear all three defenses regarding your cris before rendering final judgnt." Azel said while flipping to the next page of the case file with deliberate slowness. "We have heard your defense on the first charge right now, so there are two remaining accusations to address. Please elaborate on your second cri."
Being a judge was honestly fun as fuck, especially when you had ta-knowledge and knew exactly what would happen at the end. The power dynamic was intoxicating.
Thalanor took a deep breath, composing himself for another passionate defense.
"Honored Judge... thank you sincerely for listening to when no one else in this kingdom has bothered to hear my side." He began, his voice trembling with fake emotion. "Though these accusations of economic sabotage and price manipulation wound deeply on a personal level. I have never conspired with any rchant to artificially raise prices through collusion. Never."
He shook his head emphatically.
"The shortages of healing herbs and mana bark were completely beyond my control as a simple rchant... every apothecary in the capital can confirm that the northern courier caravans arrived late for three straight weeks during that period. During such natural shortages, prices inevitably rise. It is simply the way of comrce and supply-demand economics, not deliberate manipulation on anyone’s part."
Thalanor’s voice beca defensive.
"Yes, I acknowledge that I purchased herbs from rchants nad Liras and Veloran, but only because they were literally the last sellers with any stock remaining, not because we had ford any sort of secret network or cartel. Had we truly created a hidden pact to restrict supply as so claim, then why would I have sold my remaining crates at a significantly reduced price the day before the winter solstice? That makes no economic sense for a conspiracy."
He placed his bound hands over his heart again.
"I swear on the Life-Goddess’s sacred na that I acted completely alone and within the boundaries of law. The poor citizens only suffered because the land itself failed to produce adequate crops that season, not because of anything I personally did to manipulate markets."
[Oi! Don’t swear on my na with your lies] Eliarielle yelled in Azel’s head but it wasn’t like Thalanor could hear it.
"I see..." Azel said, his tone deceptively neutral as he processed the testimony.
He leaned forward slightly. "You stated that the northern courier caravans arrived late for three straight weeks... but you also claim you purchased herbs from Liras and Veloran during this shortage period. However..."
Azel tapped the report docunt.
"It states clearly here in the official investigation that there was a capital-wide shortage, in which literally nobody had any stock available for sale. So how exactly did Liras and Veloran manage to get their hands on substantial quantities of herbs to sell to you?"
Thalanor’s face flickered with montary panic before smoothing back to innocence.
"I do not know the answer to that, Honored Judge." He bowed his head down submissively. "Perhaps they had secret suppliers or personal connections I was unaware of."
Azel grinned slightly, and Sylvia sitting beside him wondered why he suddenly looked so pleased. What had she missed in the testimony?
"Are you completely sure about your statent?" Azel asked, giving the criminal one more chance to change his story.
"Completely certain!" Thalanor nodded vigorously.
’Second lie confird.’ Azel thought with satisfaction.
In the official reports he’d studied, there was docunted evidence of a capital-wide shortage where all registered rchants claid they didn’t have any stock in their formal statents to authorities.
If Thalanor bought stocks from Liras and Veloran, that definitively ant they had lied in official docunts, and also he had lied about the timing of when the couriers arrived.
The report specifically ntioned that there was no record of the Northern couriers being delayed for three straight weeks, but simply that they arrived two days late due to minor weather.
Besides, if all the supply couriers were genuinely delayed for three full weeks, then there would be absolutely nothing left in anyone’s inventory by the ti they arrived.
The math didn’t work.
Azel really didn’t care about however Thalanor felt emotionally about being caught. All he knew was that this guy was continuously spewing lies, and he, as a properly smart judge, was deliberately using the criminal’s own words to thoroughly vindicate him before taking final judgnt into his own hands.
"Alright, let us address your third and final cri..." Azel said while flipping open to the next page, ntally ready for another creative lie.
Thalanor straightened his posture, preparing for his final defense.
"Honored Judge... allow to address this final accusation, however painful it is to hear such terrible slander repeated against my character. I have never... never endangered our beloved kingdom by smuggling anything illegal through the northern border. Never."
His voice rose with indignation.
"The border officer who claims I bribed him with enchanted jewelry was a completely disgraced man seeking desperately to save himself from punishnt. He forged that entire tale after being dismissed from his position for repeated drunken negligence on duty. As for the caravan route discrepancies, the inspectors simply misunderstood my ledger entries..."
He gestured helplessly with his bound hands.
"I returned through the Voren pass because the main road had collapsed after an early frost, sothing every experienced traveler can readily attest to as common knowledge. Any discrepancies in the transport records ca from hurried scribes at the checkpoint working under pressure, not from any deceit on my part."
Thalanor’s voice beca solemn.
"I swear on Yggdrasil’s sacred sap itself that no uninspected goods crossed the border because of . The kingdom was never at risk of contraband... except perhaps from those who maliciously twist innocent mistakes into cris for political purposes."
The answer to catching this particular lie was admittedly a bit trickier than the others.
It could only be answered if you had studied the geographical and administrative details in the docunt very carefully, which Azel had morized from multiple arc playthroughs and even now.
Azel closed the case file with a definitive snap and stood up from his judge’s seat. He walked closer to the prisoner with deliberate steps.
Thalanor trembled visibly at his approach before sitting completely on the ground, looking up at the imposing half-elf with fear in his eyes.
"Your first and most critical mistake was lying repeatedly in an official hearing..." Azel said coldly.
The Bone sword he had upgraded significantly with Aurum Hand enhancent materialized in his right hand with a flash of golden light, the blade gleaming wickedly.
"I swear I did not li—!" Thalanor started desperately, his voice cracking.
Azel raised his free hand up sharply, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"On your first cri... you explicitly stated that you bought the silk on the thirteenth night but also departed at dawn on the thirteenth." Azel said, and it was only at this exact mont that Sylvia finally picked up on that obvious temporal contradiction, her eyes widening slightly. "Then you purposely dodged and completely avoided addressing the question about the fraudulent signatures, despite it being a core part of the charges. The people who created those forged signatures have already been apprehended as per the investigation report and all the rare mana silk was also recovered after being tracked and sold all around the underground market in the dwarf and human kingdoms. After thorough investigation of the main seller’s identity... it was revealed to be you operating under a false rchant na."
Thalanor opened his mouth but no sound ca out.
"On your second cri... you stated there was a capital-wide shortage of those products and that the supply couriers were delayed for about three weeks, forcing you to buy from your accomplices Liras and Veloran. However, according to the official survey report..."
Azel tapped his sword against his palm for emphasis.
"There was a comprehensive survey taken of all registered rchants, and everyone unanimously reported that they didn’t have any stock available whatsoever. So how exactly were you able to purchase and sell substantial quantities if nobody had any?" Azel asked while placing his free hand on his waist. "The couriers also arrived only two days late, not three weeks, as it is clearly docunted in the official logistics report. And even if they had sohow been three weeks late as you claim, your personal stocks were quite substantial according to sales records. That’s an additional charge of fraud against the crown. Why would you even lie when there’s detailed official docuntation that contradicts everything you said?"
Thalanor’s face fell completely, all color draining from it. He tried desperately to explain or backtrack, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, but Azel pressed his hand firmly against the criminal’s lips to silence him.
"As for your third cri... The Voren pass you claim that you traveled through is located south-eastern of the capital, but you explicitly said you were returning from the Northern border. The geography doesn’t match at all." Azel continued thodically, his voice like ice. "As for your next lie about road conditions, you said the main road had collapsed due to early frost, when in reality according to maintenance records... it is still completely open and operational. Snow season is months away from that ti period, making frost damage impossible."
He shifted his grip on the sword.
"You also claid that the officer who caught you was dismissed due to drunken negligence, however the border officer you actually t was a relatively new appointnt with completely clean records and no disciplinary history whatsoever. And finally, you said that the inspectors misunderstood your ledger, however we both know that this is not how the system works at all..."
Azel’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Ledgers are not handwritten books subject to interpretation or misunderstanding. They are magically enchanted docunts that automatically log everything about the caravan’s contents, route, timing, and participants. They cannot be ’rushed’ by hurried scribes because there are no scribes involved in the process. It’s completely automated magical recording that cannot be tampered with."
Then Azel turned to face Sylvia directly, his crimson-gold eyes boring into hers.
"Co-judge Sylvia, you’ve been silent this entire trial." He said, his tone making it clear this wasn’t just a formality. "Under trial law, both judges must agree on the final verdict. Do you agree with my assessnt of this criminal’s guilt?"
Sylvia’s face went pale.
If she agreed with Azel’s harsh judgnt, she’d be supporting the execution of a scamr when she herself was planning massive fraud and deception.
But if she defended Thalanor or argued for leniency, she’d be revealing her own corrupt nature in front of the Elf King who was watching everything.
She’d also be publicly opposing Azel, which would confirm his suspicions about her.
"I..." She started, her mind racing for a way out.
Azel waited patiently, his expression unreadable. Thalanor looked between them with desperate hope, sensing potential salvation.
"The evidence is... compelling." Sylvia said carefully, choosing each word like stepping through a minefield. "However, perhaps rcy might—"
"rcy?" Azel interrupted. "For a man who hurt the poorest citizens by driving up dicine prices? Who forged royal signatures? Who smuggled contraband across our borders?"
’Why don’t you deny it and be done with this? I want to get done with this as quickly as possible...’ Azel thought with a tired sigh.
He stepped closer to her desk.
"Tell , co-judge Sylvia... what exactly deserves rcy here? His lies? His greed? Or perhaps you believe fraud against the crown is not such a serious cri?"
Sylvia’s hands clenched under the desk.
"I simply think," she said slowly, "that the law allows for imprisonnt rather than execution. We could strip his rchant license, seize his assets, and—"
"And allow him to potentially corrupt the prison system? Bribe guards? Escape and commit more fraud?" Azel pressed. "Or perhaps you have personal reasons for wanting fraudsters to face lighter sentences?"
The implication hung in the air like a drawn blade.
Sylvia t his eyes and saw that he knew.
"I agree with your assessnt." She said finally with a sigh. "The criminal is guilty of all charges."
"And the sentence?" Azel pushed.
Her jaw clenched. "At the judge’s discretion."
"How diplomatic." Azel said with a cold smile, then turned back to Thalanor.
He raised his sword hand upward slowly, the blade catching the office light and casting shadows across Thalanor’s terrified face.
’In the ga, there are three distinct options for judgnt...’ Azel thought. ’Option one was to sentence him to prison which was technically appropriate and lawful. Option two was to punish him by permanently stripping his rchant license and seizing all assets. And option three was to execute him imdiately for cris against the crown.’
He had usually gone with Option 1 or 2 during his normal playthroughs, favoring rcy and rehabilitation over permanent solutions.
However, on one experintal playthrough where he’d chosen Option 3 out of curiosity about the consequences, sothing interesting had happened.
They had finished the entire trial sequence in an instant, skipping the remaining two criminals entirely. Because apparently the Elf King absolutely hated scamrs and fraudsters with a burning passion.
It wasn’t canonically confird in the ga’s lore explicitly, but the chanical shortcut strongly suggested it was close to canon and now he had another reason to choose this option.
Azel made his decision without hesitation.
He slashed through Thalanor imdiately with overwhelming speed, the enhanced bone sword cutting through flesh and bone like butter.
The criminal’s body separated into two clean halves, blood spraying briefly before the bisected corpse dropped to the floor with wet thuds.
Sylvia flinched at the violence but couldn’t look away.
And as his severed body hit the ground, it began to fade like it had never existed in the first place, dissolving into particles of light that scattered and vanished.
The trial magic was cleaning up the evidence.
"Congratulations, You have finished your trial in record ti." Anastasia’s voice announced through the magical communication system, and Azel could hear the barely concealed satisfaction and approval in its tone.
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