[Reberu] ga Arunara Agerudesho? Mobukyara ni Tensei Shita Ore wa Gēmu Chishiki o Ikashi, Hitasura Reberu o Age Tsudzukeru - CH 109

~Arc 5 The Level Idiot and the Elf’s Home~

[Suspect, Sakurai Tōru]

“Julia-sama, please refrain from doing something like this again in the future.”

This was the third day after the academy festival was over.

Inside a room in a section of the royal castle, a man wearing a silver-rimmed round glasses with a face so thin as if his cheeks were sunken, Benjamin Buzby, the Minister of Justice, was complaining while wrinkling his eyebrows.

“It is because the royal family, the top of the nation, keep the law, that its retainers do so as well. By extension, it is also the reason why the whole nation thinks that ‘the law should be kept’.” (Benjamin)

“While it might have been a youthful indiscretion, he indeed had gone too far. I will be having him seriously reflect upon himself as soon as he’s released. I apologize for causing you inconvenience this time, Minister of Justice Buzby.” (Julia)

Julia obediently apologized to him, although she could not bow her head because she was a royalty.

Benjamin, looking at her, picked up the documents near his hand while feeling like heaving a sigh, but didn’t actually do it.

“Good grief, it’s unheard of for a royalty to defend someone even if the other party is a friend, you know.” (Benjamin)

What was written in the document was the investigation results regarding the murder of the knights leading the military academy’s students that occurred during the academy festival.

The name of the suspect was Sakurai Tōru.

A lower-class student belonging to the adventurer’s academy and a direct disciple of ‘Sword Saint’ Sanuki Shoichiro.

After being suspected as the prime suspect from many eyewitness testimonies at the time of the incident, the boy was arrested – though he acted violently during the process – and brought to trial at an unusual speed.

And it was Julia von Knaust herself who appeared as his defender during the trial.

She pointed out that most of the charges against Sakurai were only circumstantial evidence, and that the wounds on the corpses were inflicted by a weapon larger than one-handed sword which Sakurai usually used.

Although she could not provide clear evidence to absolve him of his charges, she demonstrated sufficient ability to win Sakurai’s presumption of innocence with the knowledge of law and speech tempered thoroughly into her as a part of the royal education.

“Regarding the crime of murder, he was found innocent due to insufficient evidence. However, regarding the trespassing and damage to property that he himself confessed, he fully admitted them, huh.” (Benjamin)

“The only charge I couldn’t keep silent about was for the crime of murder. I’m sure Sakurai is completely innocent in this regard. But as for the other charges, I didn’t see any reasons for me to go out of my way to lie and overturn them.” (Julia)

“Well, let’s put that matter to rest here. Although the knights who did the investigations might not take it kindly.” (Benjamin)

“I admit that I ended it in a little forceful way. However, I didn’t expect Sakurai-kun would be brought to the trial the next day after he was taken away as a prime witness, so I hadn’t managed to uncover the details.” (Julia)

I ask you for your understanding regarding that matter, so Julia implied.

Benjamin closed his eyes to show that he understood, though he didn’t say it out loud.

Although it was unheard of for the royal family to be a defender, it was also certainly unheard of for a person, who was taken away as a prime witness and was not caught red-handed, to be brought to trial the next day after he was taken away.

After all, appropriate documents and procedures were required to hold a trial, and there were necessary preparations such as arranging judges and personnel to assist them.

Even a trial for a criminal caught red-handed would usually take several days of preparation to be held.

That said, everything about this trial was arranged as though Sakurai was already decided as the culprit from the onset.

In fact, Benjamin, who was the minister of justice, caught wind of this trial because he received a report that the person in charge of the judges was questioned about the legitimacy of the trial due to how unusually fast it was held, and that Julia herself became a defender in the trial.

“Julia-sama, do you perhaps suspect that the organization… ‘Black Sword’ was involved in this series of events?” (Benjamin)

“It would be unexplainable otherwise, wouldn’t it? They seem to have taken root in this nation deeper than we initially thought.” (Julia)

“According to that boy Sakurai’s testimony, he fought against the executive of the ‘Black Sword’ who had killed the knights. Do you think that this was their act of retaliation? I get the impression that it is quite… sloppy for a secret organization that has taken root inside the nation.” (Benjamin)

“They split up into two due to Obsius Co.’s incident. Into the traditional ‘Black Sword’ and the Nanashino faction— the separatists, so to speak. I believe that this trial was the work of the Nanashino faction.” (Julia)

“The reason being?” (Benjamin)

“Because Sakurai-kun testified that he engaged the leader of the faction, Nanashino Katsumi. Because according to the information I got, there was no reason for the traditional ‘Black Sword’ to create this trial… these are the most important reasons.” (Julia)

“What a headache-inducing problem, isn’t it?” (Benjamin)

Benjamin was fundamentally the adherent of the principle of letting the sleeping dogs lie.

He wanted to be spared from having his legs be pulled by an ally who poked the hornet’s nest.

However, this matter involved a criminal organization that ignored the nation’s law. Given that the matter clearly showed that they had encroached into a part of the judiciary, there was no way he could stay out of it.

(Just why is something like this have to come to light during my term of office…)

When he looked up while enduring the urge to put his hand on his forehead, there was the figure of Julia smiling gently there.

At Benjamin who frowned not knowing the reason for her smiling at him, she said brief words of apology, “That was impolite of me.”

“Well, there is no basis to it, but I’m sure that Minister of Justice Benjamin isn’t a collaborator of those lot. That’s what I’m happy about.” (Julia)

“Haah… I’m grateful to be receiving your trust.” (Benjamin)

Julia was famous for her excellent ‘eyes to judge people’ even among the royalties.

Her ability to judge the qualities of people was part of it, but she also demonstrated high accuracy as to whether they were trustworthy or not.

Benjamin was not sure whether or not he should be pleased by receiving such an appraisal from her.

“No need to worry, I have some clues as to who are cooperating with the traditional ‘Black Sword’, and if you lend me a hand when I need you, I should be able to settle the matter even earlier.” (Julia)

“Julia-sama, even though you are a royalty, you currently don’t have the official right to investigate. If you still conducting investigation related to the Black Sword on without permission after you get back to the military academy, I may have to report—” (Benjamin)

“Please rest your mind about that.” (Julia)

Julia lightly raised her palm toward Benjamin, interrupting his words.

She had a mischievous, childish smile that was different from her usual smile on her face.

“Because who knows, I may find the last evidence (piece) to pin down the collaborators by chance as soon as tomorrow.” (Julia)

Looking at Julia proclaiming as such, Benjamin sighed out loud this time.

“Haah~… Good grief, just from whom did you pick up such a no-good thinking? That manner of doing things may ruin yourself, you know.” (Benjamin)

“After all, even I don’t know what might happen while he performs community service under the Knight Order, so I figured I should keep a lookout to some extent.” (Julia)

Julia grinned and said.

Benjamin understood who was the one who made her learn such a no-good way of thinking from the flow of her remark.

He hadn’t met him face-to-face before, but he was sure that he was right for some reason.

She was an intelligent person, so she wouldn’t put such way of thinking to use frequently, that was what he wanted to believe.

And exactly because he wanted to believe he had to say it as a senior in life who had lived more than twice as long as her.

“Julia-sama, I think you should be more careful about choosing your friend.” (Bernard)

“Hmm. Why does everyone keep saying the same thing? He’s an interesting person, though…” (Julia)

There existed so many people in this world that you shouldn’t be making friends with even if you find them interesting.

Benjamin ended up wondering for a bit if he should file a complaint to everyone who was in charge of her education for not properly taught her that.