"Heeeeeee….?"
Seemingly curious, with his ever so creepy grin that we were all familiar with, he turned his head fully towards us this time.
"It seems like both Eldest Ashford siblings have pretty good healing and regenerative capabilities, huh? Especially you Maia. Even though I did my best to cut your arms off cleanly, they're back as if nothing happened."
"Well, what can I say? I'm not really sure about others, but personally I wasn't fond of the idea of remaining without both my arms, so I grew them right back and healed Cael… after you ran away, that is."
"Is that so?"
We didn't reply, since at that point it felt as if anything we may have said would've kinda just eased up the clear taunting that Maia let out. But surprisingly, his eyes didn't leave our bench, yet they were now directed towards someone other than either one of us.
"It's been a while, hasn't it? Auntie, Mivana."
Auntie…?
Maia seemed just as surprised as me somehow, as we both stared at the two of them.
"A while, huh? Is your memory perhaps deteriorating? You saw me all and well last year, didn't you?"
Ah, that livestream….
If I remember correctly, it was that time when a bunch of wyverns were sent by the Dragon King, and she was the one to take care of them. But towards the end, a mysterious man covering his face appeared, but she didn't instigate a fight with him. So it was him after all…
"Ah, now that you mention it, that's right. But at least it has been a while since the last time I saw you, right? Mivana."
"Yeah, fortunately enough, as far as I remember at least, the last time I met you in person was… 200 years ago or so?"
"Haha, I have nooooo idea. So it's probably correct. Glad you're both doing well though."
"Right back at you, you creepy sadistic lizard."
"Now, now, even if it's my dear childhood friend, even I will get offended if I'm insulted like that, you know???"
Childhood friends?? That's not something I was expecting… The elf Captain and Lieutenant having known him for a long time isn't surprising in itself, but the setting on the other hand…
But if the Queen of Nature is his "auntie" then I guess it only makes sense for her daughter to be a childhood friend of his, huh? For that matter, what even is the life span of a dragon Demi human? Apparently the Dragon King has been ruling the world for at least 2000 years, and he's still alive.
Coincidentally, his son who's at least 200 years old at bare minimum looks to be a young adult physically, but since it's only been 200 years since their last meeting, I doubt that they were anywhere near children when that happened. So I guess he's probably way older?
Even then though, if the Queen of Nature knew Alduin personally, and they're familiar enough for him to call her auntie, then it wouldn't be crazy to assume she also knows the Dragon King personally, no?
But something doesn't add up. The Queen of Nature is one of the primordial Sentinels, yet history books say they've been around for only 500 years or so, don't they? Meanwhile they also say the Dragon King had taken control over every continent besides ours for at least 2000, yet she probably knows him personally?
Isn't there a whole 1500 years gap in this dynamic? Did she just never do anything about it, yet she knew him and Alduin on most likely friendly terms at first? But how was that possible if the other continents were already off limits as most likely war zones from the moment they were conquered?
Something's missing here, and it's actually a pretty big hole too. But it's not like I can just ask her about it here, huh? Maia seemed just as surprised as me too so she most likely doesn't know either, and i'd rather not get lost in a mana communication flashback while Alduin is here, even if I were to just ask the Queen of Nature that way…
"My, my, I apologize for my daughter's rude behavior. But it's about time you get going, isn't it? I'm not so sure of how much more patience Mio has in store for you after all."
"Tsk… alright, alright. No need to tell me twice."
I guess I'll have to ask another time about it. For now, it's best if I focus on the trial, at least now that he's here.
Though he took his sweet time with these few last steps, he eventually stopped in between our parents and His Majesty's desks.
"G-Great Sovereign, what is the meaning of this?!"
"What does it look like to you? Of course, it's to get to the bottom of this entire trial. What better way there is, if not asking the man himself?"
"B-but e-even then… w-what if he goes crazy, and su-su-suddenly attacks everyone here?!——"
"Say, old man…."
While His Majesty was freaking out, surprisingly enough it wasn't Mio who interrupted him. He even paused his sentence and waited until his Majesty looked at him to finish it.
"…Are you trying to get yourself killed or something?"
"W-what are you—"
"Now, now, don't misunderstand. It ain't me who you should be scared about after all, but that damn monster that you've insulted twice to her face already."
"I-insulted…? I've d-done no such thing!"
"Oh? Even though I've been obediently listening to her, I'm keeping my hands in my pockets and I'm completely calm with clearly no intention of harming anyone… Yet you, who's been doing nothing but making a fool out of himself for the entire trial, keeps doubting her? As far as I'm aware, that's a form of insulting her, no matter how I look at it."
"T-that's…"
"But very well. I'll be nice enough and save your life, but this one time only, got it?"
"…"
"First things first. Even if I did wanna do something, although most people in this room have no way of noticing it, a few others besides me are well aware already. I'm talking about the barrier surrounding this entire damn building, that makes it impossible for anyone that isn't a pure human to use any of their mana. Of course, that includes magic too."
"…and how w-would I know that you're telling the truth?"
"…you really are annoying, you know that?"
"You….!"
"But fine. I'd honestly rather not break stuck here next to a fat, stinky and annoying old man that thinks I'm gonna murder him any moment now, so let's reassure you, shall we?"
As he spoke, without giving an opportunity to reply to his Majesty, he turned around towards us once again.
"Auntie, would ya mind? I'm sure that he'll feel better if you're also proving what I say. At the very least we could avoid that damn monster snapping and killing him on the spot."
"If anything, the one that may end up killed on the spot is you, with all these not so subtle insults you've directed at her… but either way, even if I did wanna shut His Majesty up, I'd need Mio's approval."
He then turned right back at Mio.
"Ya heard her. I'm sure we'd all like to have this old fart shut up though, right?"
"Putting aside your way of speech, I do agree that it's better to not leave the geezer alone to possibly have a heart attack out of unreasonable fear. Go ahead, Sylara. Try and use your vines."
"Alright."
Without getting up, maybe also because Nala was in her lap, she simply extended her arm towards Mio, and opened her palm. It shone for about a second or so, then a bunch of vines quickly bursted forward. However… it only lasted for about a split second, before they pretty much imploded out of existence.
"There ya have it, old man. As I said, this barrier prevents anything that isn't a pure human to use their mana. And last time I checked…"
He stopped midway, pointing at his horns.
"I don't quite fit that description, you know?"
"A-alright… I understand that you can't use your mana… however-"
"You're making me regret saving your life here, you know…?"
To think that the day I relate with Alduin would come…
Maybe it's a special talent, or curse? That His Majesty has. Being annoying to the point where even enemies start relating to each other simply over the fact that you're a pain in the ass. On one hand, it's honestly just impressive, although I'm surprised he's managed to live so long without getting murdered by someone with less patience than us.
"H-how dare you-"
"But once again, it's better to reassure you than having to deal with your paranoia. Yes, that's right old man, I could kill you even without using any of my mana, before you'd even blink."
"I-I knew it-"
"However. I advise you to not open your mouth for the time being. You're already on your 3rd, maybe 4th? Offense towards the damn monster."
"…"
"Good. Now I can explain without your annoying ass voice interrupting me. To put it simply, since I know you'd also ask about it, I'll explain 2 things not just for you, but for everyone in this courtroom."
"First off, the reason why you're all about to crap your pants, even though I'm not doing anything. The answer is a lot simpler than what you may think. All living beings naturally leak some of their mana, in other words, their aura, which is invisible to the naked eye unless you become aware of said living being, or other scenarios that are irrelevant now. You all know that, right?"
"It's the same principle. The only difference in my case, is that my mana is so dense that even that invisible and microscopic layer that leaks out of my body naturally, is enough to scare you all. I could suppress it, but honestly that's a bit of a pain so I'm not going to bother. But worry now, the barrier is still effective."
"Lastly, I'll explain why there's absolutely no way that I'd even wanna touch your wrinkly and oily skin, let alone kill you, old man. You see that damn monster I'm pointing at? Unlike me, she's actually someone who has to constantly suppress her mana density, you know? If not, forget being scared, every single person in this room would be crushed to death, just by being near her."
I knew that it was most likely true, but even then I still turned towards Maia.
"It's true, Cael. Though all Captains do it as well, in our case it's just a matter of commodity. It would be a pain if everywhere we went we'd have to deal with that. Most people with great mana density do it, and it's not actually a hard thing to do."
"So rest assured, old man. If I even flinched one of my muscles in a way which that damn monster doesn't like, my head would fall on the ground way faster than I could even make a second flinch."
"So when he said it's a pain…"
"Obviously, he's just straight up lying, but that much should be expected. It's something he should be able to do subconsciously after all, the same way we do."
"Then what about the thing he said about Mio? Was that also a Lie…"
"I already told you it's true, didn't I? I didn't elaborate since there isn't much to say that he hasn't already said. In our case it's a choice to suppress our mana density, but that doesn't apply to Mio. In her case…It's a requirement. In order to keep everyone safe from her very existence."
Deep down, I knew that was the case. After all, this world's mana system works pretty similarly to spiritual pressure, so it's the same concept as a captain from the Gotei 13 suppressing their spiritual pressure 24/7. But even then…
My heart ached.
I know it's most likely not that big of a deal.
I know that I'm most likely just overreacting.
But…
Having to suppress the very proof of your existence as a living being, just to not harm others…
Not as a choice, but as a requirement, that if not met, would 100% harm someone else…
A choice between dimming your own essence of life, even if just on the outside, just so others wouldn't get hurt by it.
It all just feels…
Like a really lonely and unfair thing to me.
"Say, Maia. Can you teach me how to suppress my mana sometime?"
Perhaps it doesn't really matter in the end.
Maybe I'm really just doing it for no real reason.
"Is there any particular reason why you suddenly want to? For that matter, your mana density is still around D, maybe C rank at most, you know?"
Mio herself may really just be used to it by now, and probably won't even notice if I ever do it.
"Do I need a reason? Not to mention, if I get used to it while my mana density is still low, by the time I get stronger and it gets denser, I won't ever even have to think about it, since I'd have been doing it subconsciously for years ahead of time."
"Hmmm… alright then, I'll teach you one of these days."
"Thanks…"
But if it's pointless, then it's also riskless. I have no reason not to do it, right? So that only means, I have all the reasons in the world to do it at the same time.
"I…understand. I'll calm down…"
"Good, good. To begin with, stress isn't good for elders, you know? So take it easy, old man. You're not the one who has to worry about that damn monster anyway."
Maybe because he knew he'd say something that would shorten his life span, His Majesty didn't actually reply to Alduin.
"Say, I appreciate the fact that you calmed him down in my place, but would you mind stopping making me look so scary? All that "damn monster" talk is getting a little offensive, you know? You damn blue haired lizard."
"Is that how you ask a favor…? For that matter; a wolf asking to stop being referred to as a wolf is not going to become a sheep, no matter how hard it denies the fact that it's a wolf."
"My, my. You sure have your way with words, huh? Have you considered becoming a writer?"
"As if I have the time for that. I've already missed a good few months of work because of a certain damn monster. Seriously, I can only imagine the pileup I have to deal with once this is over."
"I have no idea what you're talking about, you know? But either way, as far as I'm concerned, if you're so eager to go home, all you have to do is keep being obedient for a little longer. The more you obey, the faster you can leave."
"As if I had any choice but to obey to begin with. As everyone can see, right now I'm completely trapped and cornered, forced to watch everything play out the way you want them to, am I not?"
"Though the phrasing is a little off, I guess you can also put it that way, can't you?"
"You damn monster… enjoy being on the cornering side while you still can. You never know after all, maybe one day the one getting cornered and trapped, forced to watch things play out the way I want to… will be you."
"Is that so? I'll be looking forward to that day then."
"Tsk… you damn monster."
"But putting that aside, it's about time we begin, isn't it? As I said, you're here because it's the fastest way to get to the bottom of this trial."
"Ahhhh, what was it again? Oh, right, whether the Ashford family is a bunch of treasoners or not, is that it?"
"That's right. Cutting short the chase, we both already know that you're involved. After all, I'm still paying the fee that those 2 failures got this entire continent involved for."
Now that I think about it, me and Luna did also talk about that, didn't we?
"…so that's the approach you're taking, huh? Fine by me. That's right, due to a deal that me and the previous commander and captain of this kingdom made, even to this day, I'm receiving a constant fee from this damn monster."
Though I'm fairly sure that literally everyone in this courtroom already knew, since it's mostly high end nobles here that were in on the whole true scheme. It doesn't seem like they plan on revealing the full truth, so that's probably what Alduin meant when he said that she's taking this approach.
Regardless, they had to at least act surprised. Which is most definitely the sole reason why the entire courtroom erupted once again into whispers, gasps and all that sort of stuff, you already know the drill.
It lasted for about 10 seconds or so, before Mio spoke again, silencing them all by default.
"Though I myself have no idea of what that deal even is, nor whether the Ashford family was involved or not, you see… At the end of the day, I'm just paying up a fee that was passed on to me. All I know is that if I don't pay up… then that would be the start of a war, with the blue haired lizard's father, so I'd rather avoid that."
"I can't display the details either unfortunately or not, confidentiality and all. But I am able to give you some insight, and answer probably most of your questions."
"That's more than enough. But before that, how about you tell us… why did you attack the village where the Ashford family resided in, before they came here to the capital?"
"Hmmm, well, for once, my father had sent me there with 2 goals in mind. One was to kill the Ashford family, or at least hurt them enough to stay silent I guess?"
"I see. Then why were you trying to silence them? Last time I checked, your attack came shortly after I killed the previous Commander and took his place too, didn't it?"
They sure are talking about it casually…
I'm not surprised in Mio's case, but I expected Alduin to beat around the bush a lot more. Or rather, since he's not beating around it at all, I was expecting him to at least try to do it…
"That's because both Isolde and Bartholomew Ashford are more than aware of the truth. To begin with, it was more like finishing up a job that I didn't finish 20 years ago."
"And by an "unfinished job from 20 years ago" I'm assuming you're talking about…"
"Destroying and silencing the main Ashford bloodline. 20 years ago or so, when I first attacked the former Ashford main estate, those 2 managed to escape. I didn't follow or try to kill them until now though, since there was no need. They were shortly framed as treasoners and began hiding from the public's eyes as adventurers either way."
"Then why did you suddenly get sent to finish that job when I became the new Commander?"
"As I said, one of the 2 goals I was sent with was silencing them. The previous Commander had made it so the Ashford estate would be framed as traitors, by telling this old man and excuse of a King so, then he of course believed it, and revoked their noble rights."
"So you're saying that the Ashford Estate has nothing to do with the deal which the previous commander started?"
"Not one bit. The reason I was going to kill and silence them is because the Late Great Ashford Duke… found out about that deal. I doubt he told his kid the details, but either way, he's long gone so it doesn't really matter."
"Then why are you confessing so eagerly, after all the effort you put into trying to silence them?"
"You already made the deal's existence public, so what's the point? The previous commander wanted to keep it hidden from the public, so we couldn't risk the Late Great Duke revealing its existence. But since no one knows the details of the deal besides me, and you already made it public, then I have no reason to silence them anymore."
"We'll get to that in a bit, but first, I'm fairly curious, you know? What… your other reason for attacking their village was."
"Eeeeeeeeeehhh???? Diiiid I say something like thaaaat? I have noooooo ideeeeeeaaa what you're talking about, but the way you're glaring at me is pretty scary, you know???"
"…alright then, let's forget about that. It doesn't seem to have any relevance with this trial's goal either way. Though you've already summed it up, we have to make sure that you were also telling the truth, don't we?"
"Of course, I get what you mean, but how exactly do you plan on proving that I wasn't lying?"
"It's quite simple."
She then snapped her fingers, seemingly nothing actually changing from it, however.
"Geezer, answer this real quick, will you? Is your weight over or under 100KG"
"W-what kind of question is tha-"
"Just answer."
"…u-under—-bouhhhaaahhh!"
The instant he did reply however, he… Well, he threw up. Thankfully he did it under his desk, but even from our spot, it was pretty disgusting to see and hear.
"I've added a lie detecting spell to the barrier around this entire building. This affects not just non humans as you can see too, so to put it shortly, no one can lie now. Well, not unless you want to empty your stomach through your mouth at least."
That's an oddly efficient and disgusting way to uncover the truth.
But hey, whatever works, works.
"Yeah, I'd rather not throw up whatsoever, so I'll pass on lying…"
"Then it's about time we get this over with once and for all. So go ahead, blue haired lizard, tell us how things truly stand. Don't be stingy on the explanation either, since I'd rather avoid getting complaints from idiots who think they need more proof than what you gave them."
"That's one insightful way of speaking about the people in your own continent, oi…"
She didn't reply, which was the signal for him to just move on and begin talking.
"Alright, alright. I wanna go home already, so here I go. Better listen up everyone, I'm not gonna repeat myself."
"…about 20 years ago, due to terms I cannot display due to confidentiality and all that, this entire continent ended up in a deal with me. The previous Commander had to constantly pay a fairly hefty fee on a regular interval, and if he failed to do so, it would be the start of a war between our continents."
"When the Ashford Late Great Duke, or in other words, Isolde Ashford's father found out, I was sent to the Ashford main estate to silence, or in other words, kill him. As for how he found out? I guess someone must've told him, though I'm not going to give out any details on that."
"When the Ashford couple managed to escape from the former main estate, I honestly just saw no reason in chasing after them, even though I could've done so. I was unsure of how much the Late Great Duke had told them for once, and either way, shortly after their escape, they were framed as guilty, and exhorted of their title, so it was not necessary. No one would believe the story of a fallen noble after all."
"However, when the former commander was killed and replaced, we had no choice but to take action and try to silence the last remaining possible future leakages. But because of the Eldest daughter and son, I ended up running out of time, and needed to retreat."
"Putting it frankly, now that the deal's existence was made public, I have no reason to go after them for that reason anymore. There's no point in keeping a secret that was already exposed after all."
"I see. But if we don't spell it out, some people may still not understand. So would you mind doing the honors?"
"Seriously…? Just how biased are this Kingdom's people? Are they all as stupid as their King or something?"
He sighed, but continued right after.
"What I'm saying is that… The Ashford household… was never involved in any kind of treasonous deals with me, or any other continents. They're innocent."
I would've never guessed that the one helping us get a clean innocent verdict would be him… life sure is unpredictable.
And seeing as there wasn't a single ounce of vomit around him- well, besides what was below his Majesty's desk at least, no one could do anything but accept it. And what I mean by that is, the fact that 90% of this courtroom which was made of people hoping that we'd lose… had to respectfully, or not so respectfully, blow us.
"Say, can I go home now? I wanna go back home and get started on some work—-goaaeaah…"
Though he managed to cover his mouth before any vomit came out, I'm actually impressed that this is where he did lie…
"I meant… I wanna go back home and do nothing in particular."
At least he's not lying this time…
"That's fine by me. You're free to go. I can't judge you on any criminal counts anyway. Even if you did destroy the former Ashford estate and kill too many people for my personal liking… the deal's terms make me unable to sentence you."
"It's a pretty convenient deal, ain't it?"
"Sure is. But don't be mistaken. I can't sentence you for those crimes solely because they were in agreement with the former commander. But if I catch you doing anything like that inside of my continent ever again…"
"No need to tell me, you damn monster. I'll be behaving for a while. I have something I wanna work on at home anyway."
"Then it's best if you get going."
"And that's exactly what I'm doing."
He said as he began walking towards the exit, as casually as he walked in. Only after he was fully gone, did Mio speak again.
"Though it's a fairly unsatisfactory result due to my inability to sentence him for those crimes… nonetheless, we've managed to come to a conclusion."
His Majesty looked as pissed as usual, but once again he could do nothing but behave like a good boy.
"Geezer, do you have anything to say to them, before I go ahead with the final verdict?"
"…I do."
"This is your last chance after all, so go ahead."
"I…I was convinced for over 20 years of a complete lie, and caused an unforgivable amount of damage to your family. For that, I apologize, Ashford family. I'll make sure that the entire kingdom will stop believing that harmful lie, and your name will rise to its former glory and nobility, once again."
I get that you're doing your best to gain some face, Your Majesty… but you're doing a terrible job at hiding the anger in your voice…
But I guess this is the best he could pull off too, given the circumstances. Though the lie detecting spell was definitely disactivated, otherwise he would've thrown up after the first sentence.
"While we can't simply forgive you right away…"
"We have no intention of being on bad terms with you, Your Majesty. Which is why, both me and my husband will accept your apology for the time being."
"But we won't be forgetting all the damage you've caused us. The discrimination that not just us, but even our children faced just because of their name and appearance, those aren't things we can just forgive blindly."
"But even so, we believe that it wasn't truly your fault at the end of the day, so we shouldn't be too harsh on you, or anyone else that was convinced of that lie, as painful as it may have been for us."
"The Ashford household is the first out of the founders of this Kingdom. And as its successors, we happen to also share a common thing with our ancestors, no matter the circumstances."
"That's right. Even if everyone hated us for 20 years straight, even through all of the discrimination that not just us, but our children too have been forced to face… we all still…"
"'Love this Kingdom, and its people. And we're willing to give everyone a second chance.'"
I have no real idea of how much of what our parents said was true, but nonetheless, one thing was certain. Acting skills run down the family. I'm genuinely convinced, like, without any doubts that out there, among the entire kingdom watching this livestream, at least a good few people are currently in tears just from their speech! regardless of how much of it they meant it too.
"Quite the honorable hearts you two have, Ashford Couple."
And Mio's assists are as flawless as ever too.
"Haha, you flatter us. But we were just honestly letting our thoughts out, that's all."
"That's right, we have no real intention of rejecting the Kingdom nor its people, even if they rejected us once."
"I see. Then I guess it's time we end this trial for good, and put an end to the Ashford rejection."
She then picked up her hammer thingy once again.
"As the Supreme Judge, and Commander of the Sentinels, I, Mio, hereby declare that the Ashford Household is… Not Guilty!"
And slammed it onto her desk, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Furthermore, they're to reclaim not just their rightful titles as Great Duke and Duchess, but also all of the land which their predecessor owned, including any domains that may have been sold in the past 20 years, previously theirs."
"And considering the circumstances, simply regaining all of their properties wouldn't be enough to make up for 20 years of silent exile either. Which is why, to ensure their safety and comfort, the soon to be built new Ashford main estate, will be located right next to Maia's own villa."
"That way, not only will you be at the heart of the capital closest to the Sentinels, but also right next to your dear daughter, that will keep you safer than anyone else besides myself."
"And to top off the rewarding, lastly, you're to receive back all of your material estate, with its current updated and inflated worth. To put it in simpler terms, you'll get all of your money which the Late Great Duke possessed before his death back, and make it match today's value after 20 years of inflation. Last time I checked that was around a… 75x increase or so."
Inflation sure doesn't joke around…
After slamming her hammer thingy once again, she then gave us the grand finale.
"Welcome back, Ashford Family. Your golden age… is about to begin. That's all. Courtroom, Dismissed."
And in the blink of an eye, as if she was never even there to begin with, Mio was already gone.
How do I even say this? After almost 8 years since I've been reincarnated, I always felt something off about our family circumstances, but only found out the full truth last year. From then to now, I never really thought about what would've actually happened if we were never exiled nobles, and if I was reborn into full glory and wealth, honestly.
But it makes sense, no? In my previous life, I was already someone that had more than enough wealth, although not ethical… which is probably why deep down, it never brought me any real satisfaction, or happiness.
But now, things are different. I thought I didn't really care whether we stayed as banished nobles or not until now. After all, it didn't have much to do with my goal of becoming an adventurer, and that still hasn't changed.
However, as we got up from our benches, the twins running towards our parents as we all grouped around their desks, I felt something different. For the first time since being reborn, right now I was…
Proud of being an Ashford, and happy that we reclaimed our nobility.
And at the same time, I felt a subtle desire which I was probably never going to intentionally act on, realistically speaking.
But even then, I felt as if I kinda also wanted to show everyone.
Show them what?
Of course, the answer is simple.
Show them… just how fucking Amazing, my family truly is.