Chapter 186: Lying Is Wrong, Okay?
The one being steadfast was his underling. While the others drew back like scaredy cats, hiding behind Primrose, he stepped forward.
“…It is true that we have proof. An eyewitness gave testimony.”
I folded my arms with a faint smile on my lips.
“…Hoh? Then you won’t mind letting me hear that testimony as well, right? And I’ll have them answer my questions. If they can’t answer fluently, I’ll determine it to be all lies.”
“…Got it. Witness, come forward.”
But, no one stepped forward.
“Looks like there’s no witness to begin with. So it was all nonsense after all, huh? …Lying to me like this sure is gutsy.”
Once I caused a window to burst with my magic, people all over the venue screamed hysterically.
“Wait! We…we have a witness! We really do! She just doesn’t come out because she’s scared of you. …Hey! Show yourself! ……You!”
The underling dragged a female student out by force, but on top of crying, that girl was mostly sitting…looking like a puppy who wants to crawl back into its dog kennel at this very moment.
“Come on, tell us the truth. You saw it, didn’t you? You just need to honestly recount the events you witnessed. …I’ll protect you.”
The girl finally seemed to calm down a bit due to his whisper, and started to speak with a trembling voice.
“Repeat it once more.”
I had her repeat her words.
“Repeat it once more.”
She repeated a third time while I checked that her statement remained the same.
“Then, let me ask you: what was your objective in being over there at that time?”
“……Eh?”
“I’m asking for the reason 『why you were there in person』. No one would go to such a deserted place without any cause to do so, right? So, why did you go there?”
“……Umm……… ……For some reason…………”
“For some reason? …Hoh? I see. Then let me ask you next, what time is it now?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking you what time it is now.”
Appearing panicked, she looked around herself.
“You don’t own a watch?”
“There are clocks installed all over the academy. It’s not strange for her to not have any on her, is it?” The underling butted in from the side, seemingly unable to bear it any longer.
“I see. So basically, she doesn’t have the habit of always checking the time, does she? …In that case, why could you precisely tell the time when the crime happened?”
The witness became ghastly pale.
“Come on, tell me so I understand. From your position, where you had been during the time, you couldn’t check on the time, and yet you precisely identified the time, repeating it thrice. Why?”
She started to tremble violently.
To be honest, it’s clearly a leading question. But, this reaction shows that she’s lying, doesn’t it?
The underling apparently realized that she was making it up, too.
“Hey! Be honest! If you tell us the truth, you’ll be forgiven, I’m sure. If you lie, you’ll be doubtlessly killed by the monster in front of you, however.”
Who’s a monster!? Who!
＊
She broke down crying, crying, “Sorry! I lied! I haven’t seen anything! I was told to say this! I was told by Lord Direck to say this!”
“What was that!?” The underling raised his voice while the prince lightly clicked his tongue.
……Hmm, so the prince knew, eh?
“He told me to act as witness since it was clear that Lady Scarlet was the one behind Lady Primrose’s plight, just that they were lacking the proof for it. He told me to become the witness because Lady Scarlet is the noble daughter of a ducal house and that Lord Genius might complain about there being no proof! My father enlisted in the Royal Knight Order, and I accepted this task because it was the request of the Knight Leader’s son, but if I had known…if I had known that it’d become so dangerous, I would have turned it down!!”
Dangerous, she says…lying is wrong to begin with, girl.
“For you to readily help out so that someone else can be attacked through your lies…you sure seem to be a dumb birdbrain. ――In that case, let’s have the same done to you. I’ll gladly test out whether you’ll be able to cheerfully say, 『Aww, we’re the same now♪』, when you see how the folks, who spread lies about you, frivolously laugh while you despair over being unable to get anyone to believe you that you’re being tricked and that it’s all untrue.”
“Sorry! Forgive me! Please, forgive me!”
“What, you don’t need to apologize. After all, you’ll experience the same from now on. I’ll use all my power to have you fall in the same dilemma, okay? Look forward to it,” I gently admonished her.
But, she only kept apologizing like a broken record.
“Look, if everything could be resolved with apologies, state authorities wouldn’t be necessary, right?”
She was repeating herself even while I made that remark. Maybe she’s actually repeating her apologies to prevent me from speaking.
“Shut up.”
In the end, I silenced her with a vacuum pack. After clawing at her own throat, she collapsed.
At last I got her to be quiet. It’s wonderful how silent it has become all of a sudden. …Ah, but, I might have ended up silencing her for eternity so it could get a tad difficult to have her experience the same, I guess. What a bummer.
