Chapter 476: Bloody Liar 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 crimes before rendering final judgment." 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 crime." Being a judge was honestly fun as fuck, especially when you had meta-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 me 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 me deeply on a personal level. I have never conspired with any merchant 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 merchant... 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 commerce and supply-demand economics, not deliberate manipulation on anyone’s part." Thalanor’s voice became defensive. "Yes, I acknowledge that I purchased herbs from merchants named Liras and Veloran, but only because they were literally the last sellers with any stock remaining, not because we had formed any sort of secret network or cartel. Had we truly created a hidden pact to restrict supply as some 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 name 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 name 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 document. "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 momentary 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 statement?" Azel asked, giving the criminal one more chance to change his story. "Completely certain!" Thalanor nodded vigorously. ’Second lie confirmed.’ Azel thought with satisfaction. In the official reports he’d studied, there was documented evidence of a capital-wide shortage where all registered merchants claimed they didn’t have any stock in their formal statements to authorities. If Thalanor bought stocks from Liras and Veloran, that definitively meant they had lied in official documents, and also he had lied about the timing of when the couriers arrived. The report specifically mentioned 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 time 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 judgment into his own hands. "Alright, let us address your third and final crime..." Azel said while flipping open to the next page, mentally ready for another creative lie. Thalanor straightened his posture, preparing for his final defense. "Honored Judge... allow me 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 punishment. 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, something every experienced traveler can readily attest to as common knowledge. Any discrepancies in the transport records came from hurried scribes at the checkpoint working under pressure, not from any deceit on my part." Thalanor’s voice became solemn. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎 "I swear on Yggdrasil’s sacred sap itself that no uninspected goods crossed the border because of me. The kingdom was never at risk of contraband... except perhaps from those who maliciously twist innocent mistakes into crimes 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 document very carefully, which Azel had memorized 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 enhancement 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 crime... 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 moment 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 merchant name." Thalanor opened his mouth but no sound came out. "On your second crime... 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 merchants, 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 documented in the official logistics report. And even if they had somehow 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 documentation 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 crime... 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 methodically, 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 time period, making frost damage impossible." He shifted his grip on the sword. "You also claimed that the officer who caught you was dismissed due to drunken negligence, however the border officer you actually met was a relatively new appointment 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 documents 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 assessment of this criminal’s guilt?" Sylvia’s face went pale. If she agreed with Azel’s harsh judgment, she’d be supporting the execution of a scammer 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 mercy might—" "Mercy?" Azel interrupted. "For a man who hurt the poorest citizens by driving up medicine 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 me, co-judge Sylvia... what exactly deserves mercy here? His lies? His greed? Or perhaps you believe fraud against the crown is not such a serious crime?" Sylvia’s hands clenched under the desk. "I simply think," she said slowly, "that the law allows for imprisonment rather than execution. We could strip his merchant 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 met his eyes and saw that he knew. "I agree with your assessment." 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 game, there are three distinct options for judgment...’ 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 merchant license and seizing all assets. And option three was to execute him immediately for crimes against the crown.’ He had usually gone with Option 1 or 2 during his normal playthroughs, favoring mercy and rehabilitation over permanent solutions. However, on one experimental playthrough where he’d chosen Option 3 out of curiosity about the consequences, something 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 scammers and fraudsters with a burning passion. It wasn’t canonically confirmed in the game’s lore explicitly, but the mechanical 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 immediately 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 time." Anastasia’s voice announced through the magical communication system, and Azel could hear the barely concealed satisfaction and approval in its tone.