In an instant, Anton found himself facing unfathomable accusations of attempted suicide.
At the same time, the atmosphere in the courtroom, which had focused on punishing Shylock at all costs, began to fill with disdain for Anton, who was attempting the horrific crime of suicide.
“I don’t like that Shylock guy, but suicide? That’s just unthinkable for a believer.”
“Throwing away the precious life given by God over money? This has gone too far…”
“In the end, it all comes down to a single detail, and look where we are now. Pathetic fools, if you’re going to plan something, at least be thorough about it.”
Despite this, no one openly advocated for Shylock’s innocence anymore. However, at the same time, not a soul remained to support Anton.
He found himself in a position where he had practically confessed his wrongdoing in the courtroom.
Aligning with such a person was unappealing, and moreover, getting swept up in the wrong atmosphere could lead to his own peril.
Thus, with the cold, judging stares of the spectators upon him, Anton and Potion began to realize their predicament.
Just moments before, they had boldly advocated for Shylock’s punishment, but now they trembled in fear at the completely reversed atmosphere of the courtroom.
If this continued, Anton could truly be thrown into a boiling cauldron as the attempted suicide culprit.
Overwhelmed by fear, he desperately tried to run forward.
“Wait a moment, Anton!”
“Let go! I can’t die like this!”
“Please! No matter what, if you do that, our plans…”
“Plans? I don’t care about that anymore! You want me to die over a few coins? No way!”
Brushing off Potion’s hand that was trying to stop him, Anton dashed to the center of the courtroom.
He then knelt before the judge and Cazerose, pleading with a desperate voice.
“I… I confess! I knew about that phrase! The expression about sacrificing one’s heart is an idiomatic expression among the Jews!”
Anton flipped his denial like flipping a pancake, scrambling to escape the boiling cauldron labeled “attempted suicide.”
And then…
Cazerose, observing Anton’s desperate display, delivered his cold words with a chilling edge.
“So what you’re saying is, everything Anton has said in this courtroom has been a lie?”
“Y-yes! I… I mean… the truth is, my business went awry, and I couldn’t pay Shylock, so I… did that…”
“To think you’d lie yet again in such a situation. It’s unfortunate, but you have enough assets to cover your debts through the collateral you brought as a transaction, don’t you? Unless you forged official documents…”
“No! I… I didn’t! That’s not what happened…”
In the midst of trying to lessen his faults, Anton’s half-hearted excuses fell flat before Cazerose.
“Your Honor, I believe we can no longer consider Anton’s testimony credible in this courtroom. Therefore, it seems appropriate to proceed with sentencing for attempted suicide according to the principles.”
“Hmm…”
With a retraction of his statement, and now facing doubts surrounding that very statement, the judge began to ponder seriously.
Simultaneously, Anton’s face grew increasingly pale.
If this continued, he genuinely risked being thrown into the boiling cauldron.
That said, doubting the credibility of his testimony left him unable to make any clarifications.
‘N-no… I can’t die like this alone… if that’s the case…’
Caught in the intense fear, Anton nearly lost his mind.
Ultimately, he began to spill the truth while chewing over Potion’s gaze behind him.
“I… I’m sorry! The truth is, this was all a scheme to frame Shylock! That woman… she paid me a lot of money to orchestrate this… I was just following orders!”
With those words, he pointed at Potion, standing behind him.
In shock at the seriousness of his hostile situation, he desperately sought to survive and argued against the backer he had relied on.
“What is this nonsense? What is Potion saying now?”
The judge, startled by the unexpected claim, asked. Meanwhile, Potion’s face registered shock mixed with a quivering voice.
“N-no! How could I do such a thing…? Anton’s just rambling in extreme fear and confusion! I have nothing to do with this…”
Potion attempted to cover for Anton, but to him, her actions came across as a betrayal, an attempt to sever ties.
As a result, Anton, fighting for his survival and vowing not to go down alone, pulled out the item he always kept on hand for emergencies.
“Don’t lie! I-I brought proof! I have a document saying you’d pay me a large sum to cooperate to take down Shylock! I was told I’d gain control over Benetsa’s market rights!”
“Wh-what!?”
As he pulled a document from his coat, the surprise object drew a mix of horror and deep betrayal onto Potion’s face.
“You… you bastard… you mean from the start…?”
“Did you think I’d just roll over? I kept this just in case, but if you’re going to leave me, that’s how it is! I can’t die alone! We go down together!”
With that, Anton handed the document to the judge. The judge’s expression stiffened with astonishment.
Though typically indifferent and apathetic, he found the contents of the incriminating contract before him utterly irrefutable.
It contained information that any respectable citizen of the proud Benetsa Republic could not simply ignore:
A declaration to assist the Sacred Empire in seizing control of Benetsa’s market rights, along with corresponding rewards, with Anton’s seal prominently displayed alongside Potion’s as a bishop from the Sacred Empire.
“…This is beyond the scope of what can be decided here.”
“I agree, Your Honor.”
Just moments before, this trial had merely been a matter of determining the rights and wrongs between the citizens of Benetsa.
Yet the contents of this document represented a far more serious issue.
Clear evidence of an attempt to invade Benetsa’s market from a foreign nation.
Recognizing the potential for this to escalate into international strife, the judge understood that this matter should be dealt with not in the courtroom but in the Republic’s assembly.
And before that, the judge felt it was futile to continue disputing such a massive issue that could even be perceived as an invasion by a foreign nation.
Thus, he decided to conclude this trial.
“The defendant Shylock is found innocent as he has been wrongfully accused due to the conspiracy of the Sacred Empire to seize the interests of the Benetsa Republic. He is declared not guilty.”
With that statement and the slam of the gavel, there was no uproar from within the courtroom. No utterance of protest, nor any applause or relief.
Just the usual indifference and a hint of bitterness lingered in the air.
To the believers of the church, the acquittal of the Jew Shylock held not much more meaning than that.
At that moment, all eyes were solely on Anton and Potion, now entangled in their own machinations involving the Sacred Empire.
In this atmosphere, the spectators filed out, while Anton and Potion were dragged off to prison, exchanging curses as they went.
Leaving behind the indifferent crowd and the two conspirators, Shylock deeply bowed to his two saviors, Cazerose and Santana, who had pulled him out of this crisis, feeling a wave of profound relief and joy.
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