Humans are complex yet simple creatures.
They each act according to their own standards of what they believe to be ‘right,’ holding on to the faith that it represents ‘good’ and ‘justice.’
According to these standards, they can easily raise their voices or condemn others, and even cheer against someone’s unjust actions.
However…
Many people were unaware that the very standards they consider to be the unyielding truth and justice can be changed more easily than they think.
*
“…I understand. Then… there’s nothing I can do.”
Cazerose spoke with a subdued voice. Listening to her, Anton and Potion were convinced that their victory was just within reach.
‘Sure, there were some risky moments along the way, but still, it’s ending well.’
‘Well, no matter how much they struggle, there’s no way to overturn this situation. The public sentiment against the heretics isn’t that easy to shift…’
While the initial situation had shifted slightly from being one-sided, the gap in perception between the heretics and the church believers was still too wide, keeping the atmosphere in their favor.
Moreover, considering the defender’s remarks about giving up, they thought the only thing left was to pronounce Shylock’s guilt and wrap things up.
In that moment…
“No more, really… there’s nothing I can do. In this court… you made it quite clear.”
“!”
A sudden chill filled the air.
The unsettling feeling within it began to dawn on Anton and Potion, their faces reflecting unknown confusion.
An ominous feeling they couldn’t precisely explain.
In their minds, they were convinced that everything was over and that there was no way to reverse the situation.
Yet, this conviction was being questioned, slowly but surely shaking under the sensations they instinctively felt at that moment.
Turning her gaze away from the two, Cazerose looked directly at the judge and spoke in a cold voice.
“Your Honor, may I ask you one thing?”
“What… what is it?”
Amidst the strangely shifting atmosphere, the judge spoke with a slightly trembling voice, and Cazerose, observing him, replied in a calm yet clear tone.
“Who was the one that handed the torn paper in front of you at this moment?”
“What?… What do you mean? Of course, it was you, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s correct. So, the previous situation can be expressed like this: Cazerose tore the paper and presented it to you, Your Honor. Is that correct?”
“Well… that is certainly true.”
Cazerose stated the obvious in a serious tone.
Her incomprehensible behavior, yet the strange atmosphere felt in the courtroom, reflected a peculiar tension.
Then, Cazerose looked at the judge with a resolute tone as if striking down with a sword.
“Thank you, Your Honor. Therefore, I request that victim Anton be treated not as a victim, but as a sinner from this moment on.”
“?”
“What… what is this…?”
Cazerose’s incomprehensible claims brought a look of bewilderment to the faces of those in the courtroom, while only one person among them… Santana began to quietly chuckle to himself.
“Wh… what suddenly is this? Calling a victim a sinner out of the blue? Are you fooling around in this sacred court?”
The judge spoke with a mix of confusion and displeasure.
Cazerose, observing him, spoke with confidence.
“This is neither a joke nor mockery. Did you not just acknowledge that the one who handed you the torn paper was none other than me, just now?”
“Wh… what does that mean?”
In that moment, the judge’s expression began to harden as he instinctively recalled something.
At the same time, several sharp-minded individuals in the courtroom also hinted at realization, their faces reflecting bewilderment. Cazerose then made her point clear with a determined voice.
“The clause in the contract submitted as evidence… Anton stated he would give his heart to Shylock. The one extracting the heart to offer is not Shylock but Anton himself. Do you not know what this means, Your Honor?”
“Suicide… is it?”
“…Yes. Precisely.”
The judge trembled as he spoke, while Cazerose quietly affirmed.
Upon hearing those words, not only Anton and Potion but everyone in the courtroom began to show expressions of shock.
Suicide.
A crime designated as the worst kind which could never be forgiven under any circumstances within the church.
Murder or robbery, even heresy, could only be treated as a criminal reform, and if deemed impossible, they would be excommunicated. However, within the church, the only charge that could lead to open execution was suicide.
It signified cutting off the precious life given by God, considered even worse than murder, condemning one to the most grievous crimes where no chance of salvation remained.
Therefore, individuals attempting suicide must be kept alive by all means until they boiled to death in a cauldron representing hellfire.
Even if they had already passed away, rather than a funeral, they would be beheaded and buried under the gallows, denoting a curse against God and one’s own soul.
And now… the agent removing the heart on the contract was definitely Anton himself.
Thus, this statement meant Anton had declared that he would dig out his own heart… indicating he intended to commit suicide and give that heart to Shylock.
“Suicide is an unforgivable grave sin for faithful church believers. No matter what happens, it is deemed the worst crime that cannot be forgiven. The sinful Iscariot’s final sin against God. And Anton signed a contract declaring he would commit such a horrible crime, driven merely by a desire for a few coins.”
Cazerose provided a new interpretation of the contract.
Now that it had been concluded that the author of this contract could not be determined, what mattered was its content, and regardless of the circumstances, the entity executing it was none other than Anton, as pointedly claimed by Cazerose.
Certainly, under normal circumstances, this could be seen as a petty argument against Anton’s claims against Shylock.
However, this trial had originally started from such a petty point, and moreover, just moments ago, Anton and Potion had even shed tears in court, transforming it all from a mere quibble into ‘the real thing.’
The crime of suicide bore heavy penalties, thus it wasn’t a charge to be decided lightly unless explicitly established.
But at this moment, Anton had boldly declared in front of numerous people, within the court where all statements held legal weight, that he was a sinner for committing the crime of ‘attempted suicide’ for a few coins.
“Ah… No! I… I had no intention of committing suicide!”
“The… the victim is right! A good believer like the defendant would never commit such a horrible crime! This… this is clearly a trap laid by Shylock…”
Anton and Potion spoke with urgent voices.
However, as they watched the two, Cazerose replied firmly.
“Any attempt at suicide is an unforgivable crime under any circumstances. Even if Shylock encouraged it, as a believer, you should have refused. Moreover, the tears still left under your eyes at this moment… that evidence remains undeniable, telling us you were gripped by the fear of committing the grave sin of extracting your own heart.”
Thus, Cazerose returned their nonsense with her own.
The atmosphere in the courtroom began to flip in an instant, and watching this unfold, a smile slowly spread across Santana’s face.
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