Cazerose stepped forward in the center of the court.
She then took the pen she was holding in her left hand and a large sheet of prepared paper, starting to write something.
Her act of writing in the middle of the courtroom without using the desk drew everyone’s attention.
Cazerose was diligently recording as if she were an inspector examining something, glancing around at the people.
This caused the chaotic atmosphere in the courtroom to settle momentarily…
Realizing this, Cazerose tossed the pen she was holding onto the floor.
And then…
“Scratch!”
“!?”
“Uh?”
Immediately afterward, Cazerose tore the paper she had been using.
People’s faces displayed a momentary surprise, coupled with curiosity about why she was acting this way.
And…
After successfully gathering everyone’s scattered attention through this series of actions, similar to how the past savior focused people’s attention by writing on the ground…
Cazerose slowly approached the judge, holding out a piece of the torn paper alongside the contract that was presented as evidence in this trial, specifically the one owned by Shylock.
“Before starting the argument, Your Honor, please take a close look at these.”
“Hmm? Ugh… okay.”
The judge felt a bit flustered by Cazerose’s actions but took the situation a bit more seriously than before.
Being inherently indecisive and overly easygoing, he began to examine the contract placed in front of him and the random writing by Cazerose.
And at that moment… he instinctively recognized one fact.
“…? What is this? Why do the handwriting of the contract and yours look similar?”
“Yes, Your Honor, it’s because I wrote just now using my left hand, just like when I filled out the contract.”
A trick reminiscent of something from a famous classic revenge novel.
If you write with your left hand, you can create text that feels uniform and different from your own handwriting.
This was a method commonly used by authors to hide their own handwriting, and Anton had written the contract this way to ensure evidence was concealed.
Of course, it had become a self-defeating move that reversed the atmosphere.
“Is that so? Hmm… There might be subtle differences, but they do feel quite similar. But what does that matter? Even if this document was written with the left hand, there’s no guarantee that the signatory isn’t Shylock or his accomplices, is there?”
“That’s true, but at least we can open the possibility that this was not written by Mr. Shylock’s side 100%.”
“Hmm… well… that’s true but…”
The judge showed slight hesitation in response to Cazerose’s words.
While this alone couldn’t turn the situation completely upside down, Cazerose’s actions reminded the judge and the spectators that this matter shouldn’t be judged so simply.
‘Humans are easily swayed by emotions, but the moment a tiny doubt arises, they start to ponder over it… just as Mr. Santana mentioned…’
Cazerose had successfully paused the unilaterally flowing atmosphere for a moment.
Though that moment wouldn’t last long, it certainly provided her with the psychological and temporal leeway to argue.
Seizing the opportunity, Cazerose then spoke to Anton in a slightly chilling tone.
“Then, let’s hold off on making a judgment on this part and allow the Defender to pose a few questions to the Victim.”
“…Uh… me? Well, okay. Go ahead.”
Sensing that the atmosphere was oddly shifting against his expectations, Anton replied with a hint of confusion.
Seeing him, Cazerose quietly asked.
“Victim, you claimed that you had no choice but to sign this contract because you needed money, is that correct?”
“Y-yes. As a merchant operating a guild, it’s common to suddenly need a large sum of money. Because of this, I had no choice but to borrow money under the conditions presented by that filthy Jew.”
Although slightly shaken, Anton maintained a posture still engulfed in fear as he recounted the situation.
Cazerose didn’t stop there and continued questioning him.
“So, you mean to say that the Defendant signed the contract with the awareness of the consequences, under circumstances he couldn’t avoid?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Anton nodded definitively.
Cazerose pressed on with her questioning, now in a slightly different atmosphere…
“Then, Defendant… does that mean you were unaware that the expression in this contract–the promise to sacrifice your heart–is a common idiom among Jews?”
“I-I had no idea there was such an idiom! I’m a devout believer of the Church; why would I know about the idioms of wicked Jews?”
“Is that so? That’s quite surprising… For someone to be so ignorant of a basic expression when they have come to borrow money from a Jew…”
“W-What do you mean by that! I’m telling you, I’ve never heard of such expressions!”
Anton responded with a strong tone to Cazerose’s question.
Admitting this would be tantamount to admitting that Shylock had done nothing wrong, so he desperately denied it.
At that moment…
“Defender! Are you intimidating the Victim right now? The Victim is suffering from psychological pressure caused by Shylock! No matter how filthy you are in defending the Heretics, let’s not cross this line!”
Potion sensed the worsening situation and opened her mouth.
In response, Cazerose slowly nodded, appearing to understand, then turned to the judge and the observers.
“This phrase that caused the trial, ‘I will sacrifice my heart,’ is simply an idiomatic expression used among Jews, meaning a promise to keep one’s word. To assume that Mr. Shylock intended to kill the Victim based on this alone is quite a stretch.”
This was basic knowledge for anyone who had studied Jews even a little.
Using this as a foundation, Cazerose tried to defend Shylock, but Potion, who had anticipated such behavior, immediately replied in a firm tone.
“No, that’s not the case. Even if such expressions exist, they are used only among Jews. We, the believers of the Church, cannot accept this expression as valid! This is merely a clever trick used by that Shylock to cover his sins!”
“And where’s the evidence for that? Is there real proof that this phrase is an oath by the Victim Anton to sacrifice his heart to Shylock?”
“I have the evidence right here! Look at this! The tears of the Victim who felt threatened by that wicked Jew… the tears of a holy believer are the proof!”
At that moment, Anton was indeed glistening with tears, as if he were bearing all the world’s woes.
The reality was that Shylock had not taken any physical action related to this phrase, so ordinarily, it would clearly be nonsense.
However… alas, this place was filled with people who inherently had to hate Jews and support the believers of the Church.
Even if they couldn’t fully agree, they certainly didn’t want to see ‘evil’ Shylock thrive, so the overall sentiment was leaning towards sympathizing with Anton.
In a world where the presumption of innocence did not exist, when situations became ambiguous, the atmosphere determined the verdict, so if things continued this way, the trial would surely end in Shylock’s conviction.
Potion’s lips began to form a slight smile of victory, and even Anton, squeezing out tears, started quietly smiling to himself.
At that moment…
“Understood. Then… it can’t be helped.”
Cazerose spoke in a heavy voice.
At this, despair began to settle on Shylock’s face and the faces of his onlookers.
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