“Silvia Astra, I will give you the chance to defend yourself. Please explain why you involved the entire grade in such an act.”
Upon Diakonos’s statement, the eyes of the assembly slowly turned towards the girl who had stepped forward from among the students.
Receiving the collective gaze, Silvia couldn’t help but feel a peculiar tremor in her hands, which puzzled her. She was accustomed to being the center of attention; standing in the spotlight was something she had done time and time again as the heir of Astra. Yet, why was she trembling now? Even as she muttered to herself to steady her nerves, the shaking only grew, spreading throughout her body.
She hadn’t even trembled like this when she had almost slit her own throat earlier, so why—
At that moment, Silvia heard one of the students standing behind her stutter unexpectedly, as if he was nervous, causing her to turn her head.
Seeing the students look at her with anxious yet trusting eyes made her realize the source of her trembling. It was clear now. Standing there, it was not just her fate that was at stake but also the treatment of these students.
In such a situation, how could she not be nervous? A moment of doubt crossed Silvia’s mind: Would she be able to handle this?
Cold sweat trickled down her back. Ah, she had known this, but as it unfolded, the realization hit her anew; how terrifying the concept of responsibility could be.
The weight of it almost made her feel nauseous. Yet, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to straighten her shoulders.
It wasn’t a matter of whether she could do it or not. Her comrades who had believed in her and helped Scarlet deserved to have her do her utmost.
It’s okay; you can do this.
Silvia muttered to herself, tightening her fist as she spoke.
“…If there’s a valid reason, will you show clemency?”
“If there is a valid reason, yes. We wouldn’t want to lose future heroes who will protect the city,” Diakonos replied to her question.
That was exactly what Silvia was counting on. Those aspiring heroes were essential resources in safeguarding the future of the city.
Even if they were guilty of major crimes, executing all of them would be an enormous loss and risk. Moreover, among those involved in Scarlett’s escape was his daughter, Florene.
Thus, even in the worst-case scenario, it was unlikely all of them would lose their heads. Silvia thought this was the case, but—
“It would be best not to think that my daughter’s involvement will lessen the punishment. It will be painful, but regardless of blood relations, there are no exceptions to punishment.”
With Diakonos’s immediate reply, Silvia had to concede that her previous assumption had been a significant miscalculation.
From the cold, almost heartless gaze he projected, sincerity shone through.
His words implied a willingness to punish even his own daughter if necessary. As Silvia swallowed hard, Diakonos continued.
“Therefore, we hope for a reason that we can all agree is acceptable. Otherwise, we would have no choice but to execute your daughter.”
At those words, Silvia forced a bitter smile.
After all, it was naive to expect someone as rigid as him to simply let things slide.
The situation had indeed worsened, but with optimism out of the picture, her mind became clearer.
With her composure returning, Diakonos asked her.
“So, what is that reason?”
“…The reason we assisted in the escape of that witch, Miss Scarlet, yesterday.”
In response to his question, Silvia spoke with confidence.
“That is because we deemed her a ‘harmless witch.’”
Upon that declaration, the expressions of most of the crowd twisted awkwardly.
“A harmless witch…”
Someone murmured with a scoff, as if questioning whether ‘harmless’ and ‘witch’ could coexist.
Most would likely think the same. In truth, Silvia held a perspective not much different from theirs.
“What is the basis for such a judgment?”
“That’s because we had reasons to think so.”
At Diakonos’s inquiry, Silvia turned to the place where Jessie was situated.
“Miss Jessie Ruthenia over there is the one who encountered the witch when the witch-hunting order was issued yesterday.”
Hearing this, the gathered gazes shifted towards the girl wrapped in bandages, her face showing signs of nervousness indicating she might hurl.
Judging from her appearance, which clearly indicated serious injuries, someone asked.
“Why is she covered in bandages?”
“That’s because she fought against the witch,” Silvia replied.
At her answer, someone exclaimed in shock.
“Oh my…! We told you to avoid battle! Why would you do something so reckless…!”
With a concerned expression directed at Jessie, he then turned to Silvia, his voice rising with agitation.
“Wait, are you saying that the witch, who injured this person, is harmless? What is that—”
“No, no!”
But the refutation did not come from Silvia.
It was the bandaged girl, Jessie, who shouted in response.
She paused for a moment under the throng of gazes directed at her, but then, as if resolved, she shouted loudly.
“Don’t misunderstand! I got injured because I pushed myself to use my powers out of vengeance against the witch. But Miss Scarlet didn’t retaliate; in fact, she was worried about me and told me to stop! So, so…! Please don’t say bad things about Miss Scarlet…!”
Though her voice lowered at the end due to the glances of everyone around her, it was clear that everyone heard what she said.
Silvia turned to the people, whose expressions showed shock at Jessie’s words.
“As Jessie said, yesterday, Miss Scarlet did not lay a finger on her, even though Jessie attacked her. In fact, she was concerned for Jessie and even tried to help. If Miss Scarlet had any intention of hurting people, she wouldn’t have acted that way. Oh, and there’s another person who encountered her. Dwight?”
At Silvia’s prompt, Dwight, who had been standing in a corner, bowed his head towards the assembly before speaking.
“I am Dwight Ninehart. As Silvia stated, I also directly met the witch yesterday and conversed with her. From my perspective, she is definitely not someone who would harm people.”
At Dwight’s remarks, the crowd fell into a momentary silence.
The Ninehart family had a reputation for not speaking untruths, which made their words notably convincing.
Yet, despite this, there seemed to be some lingering distrust, as someone voiced their doubts.
“…Isn’t this just a way to avoid punishment by coordinating their statements?”
And as if waiting for that remark, Silvia pulled out a stick from her pocket.
“I figured you might say that. Could you take a look at this?”
“What is…?”
Without needing to explain at length, Silvia pressed a button on the stick.
In an instant, light burst forth from the stick and projected an image in the air.
The man appearing in the video was not in a school uniform, but in the attire of a current hero.
[…Is it being recorded now? Ah, it is? Hah, I wonder if this is okay.]
What Silvia had revealed was a magical tool recording an image.
What was contained within was a testimony from a man.
Sebastian, who had worked hard all night on her request, came to mind as she silently thanked him again.
[That’s the red-haired girl student… so, the one who helped that… witch. I almost died fighting against the demonic beast that invaded the city yesterday, but that girl saved my life. She burned the tentacles flying at me with flames. In the end, she also defeated the demonic beast. If it had taken longer, there would have been many more casualties, so looking at it that way, quite a few heroes, not just me, owe her their lives.]
[Anyway, since I owe her my life, I can’t just say that the witch is evil. Even if she harmed Captain Yoon Si-woo, it’s true that she saved my life and defeated the demonic beast. Can I use this as a testimony? Ah, do as you please. What’s the worst that could happen for saying this? If what you say is true and the witch isn’t as bad as you claim, I should repay my life debt somehow… ]
As the man’s words concluded, the video ended, and Silvia addressed the assembly.
“This is a testimony from someone who received help from the witch, not us. Doesn’t this provide some level of proof that Miss Scarlet is not a bad entity?”
“Hmm…”
With the addition of someone’s testimony who wasn’t involved, the crowd seemed to contemplate.
However, amidst this, there was still one person whose expression was unwavering.
“So, what this means is that the witch was indeed responsible for injuring Captain Yoon Si-woo,” Diakonos murmured with a blank face.
Silvia stated firmly in response to his words.
“…That’s right. However, the only victim from her actions is Captain Yoon Si-woo. Before and after that incident, she did not attempt to harm anyone. Perhaps she was swallowed up by the demonic beast and lost her rationality momentarily, and Captain Yoon Si-woo might have returned her to her senses.”
Though it was a hope, it was not entirely unfounded.
Silvia believed that both Yoon Si-woo and Scarlet trusted her, which led her to genuinely think this way.
“Maybe that could be the case… but again, that’s just a mere assumption.”
But that was a thought that existed solely in Silvia’s mind.
“Then let me share a hypothesis that’s been on my mind.”
Diakonos muttered, suggesting that his thoughts differed from hers.
“That witch has been hiding her true nature all along. When her true self was revealed, she fought Captain Yoon Si-woo, and realizing she’d expended too much energy, she decided it was dangerous to remain. Thus, she deceived and manipulated those students she was familiar with and escaped the city.”
His emotionless demeanor seemed to suggest he was contradicting her thoughts, causing Silvia to lose her temper and shout.
“That’s…! That’s not true!”
“That’s right. It may not be true. Just as you stated, it’s merely a hypothesis.”
However, Diakonos continued, “But it’s also something we cannot firmly dismiss.”
His voice bore no changes in tone, but it remained resolute.
She wanted desperately to shout that he was wrong, that she was certain Scarlet was not an evil witch.
But before Silvia could vocalize her claim, Diakonos continued.
“There’s a well-known story associated with witches. It’s about the witch of greed, and it suggests that she once pretended to be a frail orphan just like any other ordinary girl.”
At those words, Silvia flinched involuntarily.
Among the tales concerning the witch of greed, there was one particularly infamous story that was widely known.
It was a story she recognized, one she didn’t want to hear precisely at this moment.
“So, a man, unaware of her true identity, took pity on her and raised her as his adopted daughter, cherishing her. And you know, the ending wasn’t pleasant.”
Because,
“The man who raised the witch met his demise at her hands. The city he lived in crumbled by her doing. And among the few survivors that escaped the city, the tale of the witch was concluded with this message.”
The lesson of that tale was.
“Never trust a witch.”
That was the undeniable lesson.
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