Zachariel stood there in chains, ready to listen to what they were about to say. However, Amelia’s peculiar obsession with staring intensely at Zachariel disturbed everyone.
“Ahem! I am High Honor Adolf Norde, alongside the Minister of Law, Minister Lex Judeas, and His Imperial Majesty will be the overseers for today’s court trial.”, the scholar on Emperor Marcus’s right side spoken.
Amelia lent a deaf ear to his words.
“Amelia and Zachariel Strom, you are being suspected as the main perpetrators behind the ghost assault incident that happened yesterday here at the Imperium Capital City.”, High Honor Adolf narrated while holding a stack of papers.
“Captain Slader, is this correct?”, he then looked to his right.
Captain Slader was sitting behind a wooden table, with three other Imperium guards on his back.
He stood up, “Yes, your High Honor.”, then grabbed a stack of paper out of nowhere and read aloud.
“The witnesses are identified as the students from 2 classes of two different Great Schools, namely Class W1-A from the Great Weaponry School, and the Class M1-A from the Great Magic School.”
“According to the witnesses, Amelia Strom acted insanely in front of a public establishment. When the guards tried to stop her, she suddenly released a mysterious dark mist and with it, the ghosts that assaulted the Imperium Capital City.”
His narration was met with objections from many students, especially those from Class W1-A.
“Silence!”, High Honor Adolf exclaimed, “Continue.”
Captain Slader nodded, “Reasons for her unscrupulous public behavior were variedly described by the witnesses. However, it can be generalized into one person, Zachariel Strom.”
“What is his involvement in this matter, Captain Slader?”, Minister Lex inquired.
“The two Stroms were having a quarrel when the Imperium guards tried to interfere. However, Amelia Strom suddenly punched her cousin in the face, knocking him out. After the small bout, she then released a strange dark mist that produced the said ghosts which rampaged throughout the Imperium Capital City.”, Captain Slader narrated.
“I see. Is there anyone objecting to Captain Slader’s testaments?”, High Honor Adolf asked.
“Yes, your High Honor!”, Instructor Rebecca stood up, “I am Instructor Rebecca, Class W-1A’s mana essence cultivation class instructor.”
“Yes, Instructor Rebecca, state your opinion, please.”, Adolf gave way.
“The accusation about my student and his cousin are falsified, your High Honor.”, Instructor Rebecca defended.
“Continue.”, Adolf waved his hands.
“Amelia was apprehended by my student. It was the Imperium guards who stood there doing nothing to stop their quarreling!”
Captain Slader objected.
“Lies! The Imperium guards tried to apprehend that insane young girl but alas, she released her hidden power and endangered the lives of everyone in the scene!”
“You say that but you did not even invite those Imperium guards who were at the scene from yesterday! Did you push the scheduled trial ahead of time so that you could make an excuse that they were still injured?”, Instructor Rebecca retorted.
An Imperium guard behind Captain Slader raised his hand.
“Hmm.”, High Honor Adolf nodded.
“I am one of the Imperium guards who were at the scene, Instructor Rebecca. Did you forget about me?”
“How could I forget someone who wasn’t even there in the first place? Stop with your acts, bring out the real deal!”, Instructor Rebecca did not want to fall on their lies.
“Instructor Rebecca, Captain Burton has specifically called out to me to represent him in this court trial. If you say I am not qualified, you are disrespecting Captain Burton’s position.”, the Imperium guard replied.
While they exchanged heated arguments in court, Zachariel felt strange about his body again.
`What is going on? Why is my body absorbing mana essences even inside the courtroom right now?`
He was worried about getting caught in the act.
`And I don’t think it’s just mana essence as well.`
Amidst his predicament, Instructor Rufus was getting annoyed about the stupidity that was being displayed.
`Damn the Elders! Don’t they know that it was Prince Kane who did all of this? How come he’s clear of all involvement in this incident?`
He had received information about the incident directly from Captain Burton himself. They were close friends, so to speak.
He looked at Emperor Marcus and recognized the smugness in the Emperor’s face.
`What a dirty move from His Imperial Majesty. Someone needs to do something about this…`, Instructor Rufus thought.
…
Amelia’s instructor raised his hand, “Your High Honor, may I be permitted to speak?”, ending the quarrel between Instructor Rebecca and Captain Slader.
High Honor Adolf was surprised, “And you are?”
“Instructor Jaylen from Class M1-A.”
“Continue.”
“As a witness who observed the scene first-handedly yesterday, what Captain Slader had said is the truth, Your High Honor.”, Instructor Jaylen explained.
His statement angered the students from Class W1-A, and a few people from Class M1-A as well.
Helena’s patience ran out, “Your High Honor, this is utterly unacceptable! Amelia is just a freshman student, how can the Imperium guards explain that fact that she could release a group of high-level monsters when she’s not even calibrated yet?!”, defending Amelia’s innocence.
“Helena Summer, your mother may have sacrificed herself for this horrible event, but you still have to follow the rules of the Imperium Court even if you are the daughter of one of the Imperium Golden Guardians.”, Minister Lex warned.
Jeremias suddenly grabbed Helena’s arms, “Helena! Stop it! What Instructor Jaylen had said is real. Zachariel did not manage to control Amelia and caused a huge incident instead! It is him who should be responsible for all the deaths and destruction those ghosts have brought instead of Amelia!”
Helena swatted his arms away, “Don’t touch me, you scumbag! How dare you turn your back against one of your friends!”
“Stop it, you two!”, Minister Lex pressured them.
The two cowered in fear and sat back in their seats.
High Honor Adolf, Minister Lex, and Emperor Marcus looked at each other. They then nodded their heads in approval after the slight eye contact.
“Since the instructor themselves had said so, Amelia Strom, do you have anything in particular to your defense?”, Minister Lex asked.
Amelia, who was still looking at Zachariel, had an annoyed look on her face when she was disturbed by the call.
She coldly looked at the minister, “I don’t have any excuses about it, Minister Lex. In fact, it was rightful for them to die!”
Her statement dumbfounded everyone.
`What an insane thing to say inside the Imperium court!`, Instructor Rebecca and Jaylen both remarked.
Even Amelia’s classmates were starting to get afraid of her.
“Look at this, your Imperial Majesty, your High Honor, and your Honors. Is this the type of behavior a student of the Great School should have?”, Captain Slader asked, taking advantage of the situation.
“We did not ask for your opinion, Captain Slader, or are you belittling us?”, High Honor Adolf warned.
Captain Slader gulped.
Many of the spectators mocked Captain Slader’s arrogance.
`Fool, don’t you dare lecture those scholars about such things!`
High Honor Adolf was rather interested in Amelia’s behavior.
`For a young student like her to display this kind of bloodlust at an early age, something must have happened to her. Either a family member died, or her freedom was deprived.`
“You said that that student had the right to die. What is your reason, Amelia Strom?”, he asked.
Amelia laughed, “Because they’re a nuisance in my eyes.”, glaring fiercely at them, “Anyone who snatches my brother from me will die!”
“Impudence! How dare you speak like that in front of His Imperial Majesty?!”, the Imperium guards were angered.
High Honor Adolf sighed, “Amelia Strom, do you know that the words you said right now could kill you?”
“Kill me? What do you mean by killing me? My brother’s here to protect me! All of you won’t be able to do anything to me as long as he’s alive!”, Amelia declared, then looked at Zachariel, “Right, my brother?”
Emperor Marcus and High Honor Adolf were shocked about Amelia’s behavior, then remembered a specific detail about the Stroms.
`Interesting. She is already exhibiting the unique characteristic as a descendant of the Strom household.`, High Honor Adolf rubbed his chin in amusement.
What most people did not know about the Strom Household was that their direct descendants had the tendency to act insane when met with specific situations.
`If I remember, Gilbert Strom would retaliate insanely when attacked by others. His father, Albert Strom ravages everything around him whenever he starts killing. Even the trees and small critters are not exempted from this. Befitting of the title Madman Strom, and the junior Madman, at the very least.`
High Honor Adolf then looked at Zachariel, `However, something’s wrong with this Zachariel. Or maybe his craziness hasn’t been developed at this young age.`
“Amelia…”, Zachariel replied, wondering why Amelia was acting like this.
`She’s gone mad. I need to do something about her soon or else it’ll go worse.`
On the other side, Emperor Marcus was worried, ` This is bad. Her bloodline could reduce or even remove any punishment that might be granted to her.`
There was already a similar incident when Gilbert once attacked and killed a few of his classmates after they tried to bully him. Luckily, it happened during the battlefield exercise and was caused by his bloodline, thus mitigating the intensity of his punishment to a one-week class suspension.
“Zachariel Strom, may I ask you a question?”, High Honor Adolf took his turn.
Zachariel raised his head, “Yes, your High Honor.”, indifferently replying.
“How come you lost to a mage and got knocked out?”
This baffling question intrigued everyone. A student from the Great Weaponry School shouldn’t lose to an extremely frail mage like Amelia when it comes to physical attack and endurance.
“That, I do not know, your High Honor.”, Zachariel replied.
Emperor Marcus sniggered, “You’re a student from the Great Weaponry School yet you easily lost to a mage? Furthermore, both your dantian and mana core are undetermined until now. Don’t tell me you’re just a farce and isn’t worthy of the title of a Prospect candidate?”
Zachariel didn’t take his insult to heart, “Your Imperial Majesty, no offense given but, are you deliberately targeting me because of my talent?”
The spectators did not expect Zachariel to fight back.
His reply angered Emperor Marcus, “You impudent little brat! How dare you compare my son to your measly talent?! He is the Child of Destiny, the chosen one to lead the Imperium to its greatness!”
“What about you? You’re nothing but someone who came from a low-ranking nobility! Exceed my son’s talents? Hah, have the measuring platform identify your grades first!”
Emperor Marcus did not hold back. His sermon confused the spectators, including those who were watching the public broadcast.
The mercenaries back in Brion City discussed Emperor Marcus’s strange behavior.
“Does his Imperial Majesty have to go all out like that? Isn’t he just a kid?”
One of them shrugged, “What can we do? They have the pride as the Royal Family of the Great Human Imperium. Of course, they won’t take such an insult pass easily like that. We’re simply commoners here, how could we relate to their royal behavior?”
The rest sighed in defeat.
They could only bow to those who were in authority and nobility. Even though they had sacrificed their lives for the sake of the Imperium, the honor and recognition they received did not equal the efforts they made.
“Oh, that young boy’s about to retaliate again!”, one of them pointed at the screen.
Everyone glued their eyes in.
“Your Imperial Majesty, speaking about your son, Prince Kane, may I know where he is right now?”, Zachariel asked.
“How dare you drag my son to this case? He doesn’t have anything to do with this!”, Emperor Marcus objected.
Zachariel smirked, an unusual sight from an indifferent student.
“Your Imperial Majesty, I did not say anything about Prince Kane being involved in this incident.”, looked intensely at Emperor Marcus, “I only asked about where he is right now. Are you hiding something from us?”, emphasizing the last sentence.
Emperor Marcus suddenly realized he overstepped his bounds. He regained his composure, `Does this kid think I’d fall for his trap?`
He was about to reply to him but Zachariel was faster.
“If I remember correctly, Prince Kane is also a student from Class M1-A. The entire class is here, except for him. How did that go over? Isn’t he supposed to be a witness as well? Are the Imperium Laws only applicable for those who are not a member of the Royal Family?”
His words awed the spectators.
`He’s deliberately targeting the Emperor and the Royal Family’s privileges!`, Arlette remarked.
Instructor Rufus celebrated inside, `Finally! To think that my prized student is the one who has the courage to spill out the truth!`
It looks like Zachariel wasn’t only gifted in cultivation, but in other fields as well.
High Honor Adolf complimented Zachariel as well, `He does not waver when being pressured by someone in authority. We need more people like this.`
The public should always have the right to question those who were in authority. If they flee from the slightest intimidation, those officials may just use it to suppress them until they die.
“The witnesses gathered here today are more than enough to testify against you and your rebellious acts against the Imperium, Zachariel Strom! What more does my son do in this trial anyway? Increase the validity of our suspicions towards you?”, Emperor Marcus retorted.
“My context, your Imperial Majesty, is not talking about him testifying against us, but him to be present here to testify against us. I’m very certain that the Imperium guards have rallied to all of these people’s residences and forced them to come over here, but what about Prince Kane?”
“You-!”
The Imperium Court doors were suddenly opened. Everyone looked over as to who was so daring to interrupt a special event like this.
The Imperium guards drew their weapons.
The big golden Imperium guard who led the procession earlier stepped in front, “Stop, whoever you are! How dare you interrupt and infiltrate this sacred place without His Imperial Majesty’s order!”, pointing his sword at the entrance.
His armor shined in golden radiance and he exuded an aura of honor and valor.
A laugh was heard.
The golden Imperium guard narrowed his eyes.
He saw a plain-looking middle-aged man stepping inside, dressed in a sky-blue mage robe that covered his entire body.
“Your Imperial Majesty, the young boy has a point though.”, rubbing his long beard as he spoke.
Cody identified the figure who just entered, `It’s father! Why is he only here now and how did he get past through the Imperium guards outside?!`
Despite his concerns, his father continued.
“Are you going to tell us what happened to your son, or…”
He opened his blue eyes and extended his right hand. A small crystal ball suddenly appeared on his right hand.
There was a formation engraved in it and a small hole at the top.
“Do I have to do it in your part?!”
“You bastard! What are you trying to!”
`Strings of Puppetry!`
The golden Imperium guard was locked in place.
`I can’t move, and I can’t speak! I also can’t gather my mana or qi essence! What kind of power is this?!`
He wasn’t the only one affected as well. Even Emperor Marcus could not do anything about the mysterious spell.
`Is someone about to attack the capital? How come the Imperium guards are not responding to this threat? Who in the Elders’ names would try to mess with us in our city?!`
Elder Kent smirked in victory, `Matthias’s goons are sure handy! I won’t be having too much of a trouble then!`
He tapped on the crystal ball, lighting it up, and conjured a huge magic screen for everyone to see.
The magic screen was very huge, covering almost an entire side of the Imperium Court, and almost as high as the ceiling itself.
“Behold and open your eyes, everyone! I present to you, the dark and miserable truth about the Royal Family!”, Elder Kent loudly proclaimed.
