Chapter 355: Crime and Punishment (2)  

Nakajaniye, the Great Judge at the center of the ecliptic.

Standing before the place where the guilty are judged, Night Hound stands still with his characteristic expressionless face.

Despite everyone's worries, Vikir was quite at peace.

'...I've finished my work at the Academy.'

With a lot of things checked off his to-do list, a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

Everything was going the way he expected, and now it was really just a matter of finishing touches.

That's why Vikir feels lighthearted. In fact, he's even looking forward to it a bit.

Meanwhile, there are many eyes on Vikir as he stands there with a nonchalant expression.

First of all, there were the members of the Seven Great Families of the Empire: Baskerville the Iron-Blooded Swordsman, Morg the Mage, Quovadis the Faithful, Bourgeois the Conglomerate, Leviathan the Poisonous Dread, Don Quixote the Spearman, and Usher the Archer Divine Palace.

Representatives of the families were seated separately in the courtroom as jurors, while other family members were seated in the audience.

With the Emperor absent from the trial, the representative of the Imperial Family, dressed in a nun's robe, a distinctive garb often worn by members of the Imperial Family, sits at the bench and conducts the trial in a mechanical, clerical manner.

"Juror Hugo Le Baskerville, Iron Blood Swordsman Baskerville"

Juror Hugo Le Baskerville, representing the Baskerville family.

He was sitting in a wheelchair with his back to the judge.

The deputy called on Hugo and asked.

"Attempted poisoning of the second son, Set Le Baskervilles, and the patriarch, Hugo himself. You have accused Vikir Van Baskerville of the theft of the Red Whistle, a sacred item that could mobilize the family's military power; is that correct?"

"...."

Hugo turned away and did not answer.

The poison had left him too weak to move, let alone answer.

Instead, his eldest son, Osiris, stood beside him and nodded.

"...."

With an extremely dry expression.

With that, the deputy ended the Ironblood swordsman's final interrogation.

Then he abbreviated.

"The allegations against the Baskervilles are as follows. While the crimes of rebellion, premeditated murder, and the poisoning of a patriarch are serious and heinous, the accused is a member of the Baskerville family and therefore deserves to be treated as a nobleman. I therefore request a verdict of mitigating circumstances."

There was no objection.

The deputy took his eyes off Baskerville and looked at Morg next to him.

Morg's juror, Morg Mu Respane.

She stood over the judge, her expression stiff and rigid.

The deputy was still reading from the papers in a bland voice.

"Morg's case is as follows. Although the crimes charged are grave and heinous – rebellion, murder with intent to kill, and poisoning of a patriarch – the accused is entitled to the treatment of a nobleman. Therefore, I ask for a verdict of mitigating circumstances."

Morg Respane came to the same conclusion as Baskerville.

No matter how grave the offense, a man of noble blood should be treated as such.

Respane spoke in a calm voice.

" ... The previous precedent for this can be found in the 47 Men's Riot, 35 years ago." freeweb(n)ovel

Back then, the problem was much more serious.

It could have overthrown an empire.

"There were two heroes who put down the 47: Winston, who is no longer with us, and Orca, who is no longer with us. Their sacrifice ensured that what could have been a dangerous situation was quelled early." Everyone in the courtroom swallowed hard at Respane's words.

"But what was the verdict in the end? Despite the strong pleas for death from the two heroes, Winston and Orca, who quelled the riot, the Marquis de Sade, the ringleader of the riot, was not sentenced to death in the end. Wasn't it because of the 'respect for the Great Nobility'?"

In other words, Vikir, too, has the blood of a great nobleman, so the death penalty is too much.

Respane concluded with these words.

Following her, Nabokov I, a juror from the Quovadis family, and Demian, a juror from the Bourgeois family, expressed similar opinions.

"Holholhol... that kid is a devout believer in Lun. I realize we have to take into account the circumstances of the dead, but I can't help but be merciful. I think the death penalty is excessive."

"I believe the accused has already paid his dues. The astronomical amount of money he's put on the line shows that he's remorseful, and I, too, believe that the death penalty is excessive."

Baskerville, Morg, Quovadis, and Bourgeois.

Four of the seven major families argued for Vikir's commutation.

But there were others who disagreed.

"This is nonsense, if we don't execute a murderer who has killed so many people, who are we going to execute?"

"Exactly, I think we should at least isolate him forever so he can't crawl back into society, and the death penalty is the best way to do that."

The attitude of the jurors in Usher and Don Quixote was decidedly hostile.

They were representing the patriarchs Cervantes and Roderick, both of whom were in need of nursing care as a result of the Hell Tree incident.

Don Quixote La Mancha Passamonte, and Usher P Madeline.

These young men and women were each patriarch siblings and stood before the jurors in the capacity of the family's representative.

They were also the uncle and aunt of Tudor and Bianca, respectively.

And, finally, Hobbes de Leviathan, the patriarch of the extreme poisonous family of Leviathan, broke the heavy silence and delivered the final verdict.

"... death, and no other punishment will make him pay the price he deserves."

Four of the seven families were arguing for mitigating circumstances, and the other three were arguing for the death penalty without mitigating circumstances.

Even the Imperial family's representative was perplexed, for he had never seen a trial with such a divided jury.

He looked back at Vikir and asked.

"Do you have any last words before the verdict?"

Vikir looked up at that.

"...."

His calm eyes swept over the judge.

Hugo, sitting in his wheelchair, his back turned, his expression unreadable.

Osiris, his brow furrowed.

Respane's face is stony as she thinks of her daughter.

Nabokov I and Demian, who look like they're having a bad day.

The other three jurors have different expressions.

Passamonte, Madeline, and Hobbes.

On the outside, they appear calm, just, and fair, but in reality, they harbor evil intentions that are uglier and more hideous than anything else.

'...Almost all of the remaining Ten Corpses have come out.'

Vikir kept a sharp eye on the three remaining demons.

Originally, the 'Gates of Destruction' could only be opened if ten demons gathered together.

But with only four of them left alive, it was likely that they would have to resort to more extreme measures to accomplish their mission.

And it was clear that they would want to eliminate Vikir first.

'I'd be happy to play along with your plans.'

Vikir also had a separate goal, and it did not particularly conflict with the three demons' goals.

So Vikir simply closed his eyes in silence and swallowed all the arguments.

Meanwhile, those listening in on the trial were growing impatient with Vikir's demeanor.

"Look at him, look at him, look at him, look at his shamelessness!"

"He killed so many people and he doesn't even show any remorse!"

" ...I thought you were a hero, how disappointing."

"The death penalty! Evil people like him should be put to death!" "Let's show him that justice is alive!"

The uproar barely subsided after the guards left.

The imperial family's representative descended the stairs, the hem of a nun's robe fluttering, and asked

"I'll ask you again, this is the last time. Do you have anything to say before the verdict?"

Only then did Vikir answer.

His eyes were fixed on the imperial representative, but his voice was directed elsewhere.

"Retreating is not running away, and it is not wise to wait when danger outstrips hope. A wise man knows how to save today for tomorrow and does not risk everything in one day."

From a brave knight of the Don Quixote family long ago.

"...."

"...."

"...."

Hearing this, Passamonte, Madeline, and Hobbes exchanged meaningful glances.

Then, the verdict was in.

The Emperor's representative read the verdict in a reverent voice, with the hem of the nun's robe hanging down.

"The defendant, Vikir Van Baskerville. He is a devout follower of Lun, son of the Baskervilles Family, evangelist for the Quovadis, prospective son-in-law of Morg, and godfather of the Bourgeois."

This means that he is a scion of the Baskervilles, is on good religious terms with the Quovadds, has a marriage contract with the Morg, and is considered by Demian of the Bourgeois to be the godfather of their deceased daughter.

"But the accused has committed the unpardonable felony of murder on several occasions, and the offense is the more grave and heinous because each of the persons he has murdered has played a vital role in the security and progress of the Empire. Accordingly...!"

The final verdict came.

"The death penalty is denied, with due consideration for the noble lineage of the accused."

The words brought a sigh of relief from Baskerville, Morg, Quovadis, and Bourgeois.

"However, given the gravity and viciousness of the accused's crimes, a mere sentence of imprisonment is deemed unnecessary."

Another sigh, this time from Don Quixote, Usher, and Leviathan.

Now, Vikir's fate was officially sealed.

"I hereby sentence the defendant, Vikir Van Baskerville, to '3,021 life terms of imprisonment without parole' .... Furthermore, the place of confinement shall not be a 'general prison,' but a 'special prison' intended for the permanent social isolation of felons."

Life imprisonment without parole. That too over 3,000 times.

This meant that even if he lived and died once, he would not get out of prison until the process was repeated three thousand times and twenty-one more times.

The sentence reflected the court's determination to never reintegrate Vikir back into society.

... However, what Vikir had in mind before the sentencing was something else.

Not a 'normal prison', but a 'special prison'. This could only mean one thing.

'...Nouvelle Vague.'

It was a prison that existed at the very edge of the Empire.

A prison so terrifying that once imprisoned, even their souls were trapped there.

Vikir is imprisoned in a prison so harsh and horrific that death is considered preferable.

For a life sentence that will last a whopping 3,021 times!

Baskerville, Morg, the Quorvadis, and Bourgeois audience members are in a somber mood.

On the other hand, the audience of Don Quixote, Usher, and Leviathan is buoyant.

A swirl of mixed emotions.

In the middle of it all, Vikir was quietly sharpening the sword in his heart.

'...This is the end game.'

End game.

A few chess pieces left on the board. The battle becomes extremely fierce.

It was the beginning of the final chapter.