Kiole walked after Kishiar and once again checked what he was about to see from now on, and what he had to do.

Even though he had heard everything he needed to do, chosen to do it, and come all the way here, the moment the time actually came his stomach churned helplessly.

'His Highness the Crown Prince… no, they said this accusation tied to the Crown Prince is special in many ways, so through a prior inquiry they’ll verify both sides’ evidence and witnesses in advance. From the standpoint of the Crown Prince’s former bodyguard knight, I just have to answer honestly what I saw and heard….'

A trial involving a member of the imperial family is already special in and of itself.

But Crown Prince Kachian had been accused of the shocking crime of murder—of killing someone he knew before he became Crown Prince—and in resistance he filed a countersuit asserting his innocence. And that wasn’t all. Right before the accusation, in a trial that had been held, he left everyone with the impression that he was the real culprit who had ordered his attendant to try to kill innocent imperial citizens and Cavalry members.

One incident linked behind another. And a countersuit thrown out in a situation where, to anyone’s eyes, he didn’t look able to escape guilt.

It was truly the scandal of the century. Everyone was cautious enough to set a separate day of inquiry before the formal trial date.

'Haa…. They did say it would be over quickly…. Will this really be okay?'

Kishiar had asked Kiole the day after he came to stay with the Cavalry whether he could participate in the inquiry.

That day when the Diarca blood flowing in Kiole’s body revealed additional truths it had been hiding. While Kiole sobbed, he said this to him.

'-You have now chosen to turn your back on both your house and the shackles of your blood and to carve out your own fate. I too will do my utmost so that choice does not wither meaninglessly, but in truth the road we have chosen is not one to yield results quickly. We’ll be walking a path whose end is not in sight, so it will feel quite stifling.'

'….'

'If, before we go a long way, you had a chance to feel certain about what sort of road you chose for yourself—would you think of taking part?'

'What… is that?'

'Seeing up close someone who made the exact opposite choice from yours.'

'Who would that be….'

'Someone you know very well.'

That was Crown Prince Kachian.

To express “it would be good if you could participate in the inquiry to be held before the trial and give some testimony” in that way! It was absurd, yet Kiole thought perhaps this might be another test from Kishiar la Orr and Emperor Keillusa.

Kishiar had said, “If you don’t feel inclined, you needn’t do it,” but he had already decided to turn his back on his house. It seemed right to show as much sincerity as he could, so he pressed down his fear and answered that he understood.

And so the day arrived.

'Damn it. Don’t be nervous…!'

“You seem very nervous.”

It had not been even a few seconds since he told himself not to be nervous when Kishiar smiled and spoke to him.

“No, sir! I—I’m fine.”

“It’s a situation plenty worth being nervous about, so you don’t need to deny it by force.”

After saying so, Kishiar let out a small thoughtful hum.

“In any case, I’ll be the first to go ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) into the inquiry room. You will wait outside until your name is called and simply watch.”

“I—right, understood.”

“You may think the Crown Prince will spot you, grow excited, and flare up in anger, but that likely won’t happen, so don’t worry about that either.”

“That… th-then, why are you… so certain?”

“The Crown Prince today has a good advisor at his side.”

What was that supposed to mean? Kiole couldn’t make sense of it no matter how he tried.

“Uh, um? Then wouldn’t that… be bad… for our side…?”

“Yes. No doubt it would.”

Kishiar smiled. Even in the days when he was famous as the foolish Duke of Peleta who smiled blankly as if he didn’t understand the insults thrown at him, he would smile like that. Perhaps because that expression did not match the content of the conversation at all? Kiole blanked for a moment, and then he understood the words that followed a beat late.

“-If you want to make your opponent fall, keep making him laugh. It’s one of my favorite sayings.”

'Huh…?'

What was that supposed to mean? Before he could voice the question, Kishiar stopped walking. The inquiry room was before them.

“The waiting room you’ll go to is over there. Then I’ll go in first. Watch closely.”

Guided by the investigators, Kishiar went inside. Kiole entered the waiting room attached to the side. From the inquiry room side, one could not see inside the waiting room, but from the waiting room one could see into the inquiry room. There was a window inside, making it easy to observe the scene within.

'Am I the only one who’ll be coming in here? Are the Crown Prince’s witnesses using a different waiting room?'

Kiole harbored a quiet doubt at the sight of the empty waiting room, but there was no way to know the answer.

“Now… we’ll begin.”

While he was glancing around, the inquiry began. Kiole flinched and straightened his posture.

At last, the scene within the inquiry room came properly into view.

One judge and five investigators sat at the upper seats with stiff faces. Kishiar was seated at the rear left, speaking in a small voice with the woman sitting in front of him. Kiole recognized Kishiar’s conversation partner as the Cavalry member who had accused Crown Prince Kachian of murder.

How shocking the content she had cried out in the previous trial had been—just seeing her face made the memory of that moment spring out unbidden.

'Come to think of it… she said she knew Crown Prince Kachian from long ago.'

If everything she asserted was true, it would mean House Diarca, while knowing Kachian’s real identity and background, hid everything and let him participate in the Crown Prince selection exam. The former Kiole would have thought the proud House Diarca would never do such a thing, but the current Kiole was different. Diarca was more than capable of it.

'Father would do such a thing….'

He shifted his gaze. Crown Prince Kachian sat opposite Kishiar.

The boy in Kiole’s eyes looked in better condition than in his last memory. His brittle hair and the shadows beneath his eyes were neatly cleared, and instead of a nervous expression, a beautiful smile rested at his lips. At a glance, he looked almost like Crown Prince Kachian from when he had been fine.

But Kiole no longer let that face deceive him. Kachian was someone who could turn at any time and become a madman. Feeling a brief chill, Kiole noticed the person glued to the Crown Prince’s side, constantly whispering in his ear.

'Is that the “advisor” the Cavalry Commander spoke of?'

He tensed, guessing it might be someone attached by House Diarca. But it didn’t look that way.

'Right. My eldest brother decided to abandon His Highness the Crown Prince, so that wouldn’t happen….'

The rumor that Diarca had abandoned the Crown Prince had already spread so widely that even commoners knew it. At the formal trial, with other people’s eyes upon them, they might attach a defender for appearances’ sake, but now was not that time.

'Then where on earth did that person come from?'

“Please maintain decorum.”

A voice rang out announcing the inquiry would begin shortly. Everyone fell silent.

Kiole watched Kishiar and Kachian with tension. Kishiar looked simply at ease—so much so that it was hard to believe he was in a courtroom.

First, one investigator stood and read the two complaints. He already knew all the contents.

One was the complaint filed by the Cavalry member Marin, demanding the revelation of Crown Prince Kachian’s murder charges and of his being the true culprit in the previous trial. The other was the countersuit filed by Crown Prince Kachian against Marin for fraud and intimidation, insult to the imperial family, and defamation.

“By His Majesty the Emperor’s order, this session was convened to meticulously verify in advance the evidence and witnesses from both sides before the formal trial to be held in a few days. From the verification process that will proceed now, any evidence or witness judged to be false, fabricated, or unfit for the stated accusation will not be permitted to appear at trial. Now, let us begin.”

The process was simple. The list of evidence submitted by both sides was first read aloud by the investigator. On Marin’s side, the first item was the record of testimony stating that the people who had lived in the village of Gwanaman remembered a boy named Kachian who had lived there. After reading the document in question, the investigator turned his head toward Kishiar’s side.

“Commander of the Cavalry, you placed your name as guarantor for the documents submitted by the accuser. Please confirm whether this is indeed your signature.”

“It is indeed signed by me.”

Kiole finally understood why Kishiar had been seated in the inquiry room from the very start of the inquiry. It was because, for the sake of the commoner Marin, Kishiar had double-checked all the evidence she submitted and affixed his truth-guarantee signature.

Every time evidence submitted by Marin came up, the investigators conducted a back-and-forth verification with Kishiar.

Meanwhile, Crown Prince Kachian’s side submitted copies of his personal identity documents that House Diarca had filed at the time of the Crown Prince selection exam. They were papers proving that Kachian la Orr was the offspring of a legitimate noble house.

“These documents were verified by the imperial household before His Highness the Crown Prince entered the Radiant Palace. There is no need for doubt; they are genuine.”

Next, a portrait sketch by a painter from Marin’s village—of a certain father and son—was added to the evidence list. The young boy drawn in that picture looked chillingly identical to the present Kachian.

Crown Prince Kachian’s side submitted the criminal record of Marin from before she became a Cavalry member. According to the record, while at work she had been involved in violent incidents and detained by the watch for more than a day on about four occasions. There was a mute pressure of “Do you believe what a criminal says?”

As he watched the evidence lists roll out one after another like a rally of traded balls, Kiole let out a quiet breath.

'I don’t know for sure, but to my eyes for now… the Crown Prince’s side doesn’t seem to be losing as badly as I expected…!'