I scanned the array of faces before me.
Among them were a few instructors – Liz Snyder, Raven von Matterhorn, and others – dressed in formal instructor uniforms – navy-furred coats with black shirts beneath, their collars adorned with several stars – that we rarely see them in.
Then there were figures from the academy city council, the actual owners of this entire city.
Finally, my anxiety spiked as my gaze landed on two government officials. Direct emissaries from the esteemed Central Government, their formal suits embellished with a cross badge on their chests.
If I hadn't been nervous before, I certainly was now.
"Do you know why you're standing in this trial, Cadet?" queried an instructor whose face I had only seen in passing.
I shrugged, hands behind my back, standing at attention. "I suppose for concealing possession of a mythical mana beast, Sir!"
"Well, your supposition is accurate," affirmed a stern, bald man – who I guessed was one of the city's officials.
Raven von Matterhorn, our combat art instructor, chimed in. "I'm sure you're well aware that possessing a mythical beast is an egregious transgression."
One of the two Central Government members took out a dimensional ring with vampiric runes engraved all over it, emitting a dull red glow.
The government member looked at me and spoke, "And this is a vampiric dimensional ring, which we retrieved from inside the Hydra after it… well, swallowed you. We believe that this belonged to you."
"Do you want to deny these acquisitions, Cadet?" Liz was the one who asked that question.
I looked away, staring at the far end of the room, behind the semi-circular table and the people sitting behind it.
There, in the shadows, stood a slender silhouette. It was a woman. The darkness veiled her face, only leaving her brightly glowing silver eyes visible.
That must be a member of the Justice Society. Usually, in these types of court-martial, the Central Government deploys a person with a Gift akin to the truth serum.
Basically, in their presence, you can't lie. This meant that as long as I was standing in this assembly hall, I had to answer all the questions with utmost honesty.
Thus, I calmly shook my head. "No, ma'am. Everything said until now is true. I hid possession of a mythical-ranked mana beast, and that vampiric ring belonged to me."
A wave of shock washed over the individuals sitting before me. Some raised their eyebrows, some frowned, and some were merely disappointed.
However, before any of them could jump to any conclusion and issue a death sentence or something like that, I spoke up again.
"But I'm not, in any way, affiliated with the vampires. In fact, I'm the farthest thing from a spy or a traitor. I take every step that I take with one and only one purpose in mind – win the war. My loyalty lies with the world, the Central Government, and the United Military."
A hush silence descended upon the assembly hall. Everyone looked perplexed, not knowing how to react to my statement, which was more of a declaration than anything.
One of the two government members massaged eyebrows and sighed. She then looked up and stared straight into my eyes.
"No one is suspecting your loyalty, Cadet. Well, at least most of us aren't. We heard about your contribution in stopping the massacre of Silveserine and then thwarting the Bloodpolis here in this very academy."
She lingered for a while as if hesitant to proceed further. She then pointed at the ring sitting on the table in front of her and said:
"But then, we also want answers. So, let's start with the most pressing question: how did you get your hands on this ring here?"
I couldn't help but exhale a soft sigh. I knew this question was coming. But what choice did I have but to answer, and truthfully at that?
Of course, being honest was not going to stop me from lying.
"In Silveserine, I stumbled upon a kid named Rowan. He told me about a strange lady recently moving into their slum. Her behaviour was concerning. I believed she was a vampire. And just as I had thought, upon further investigation, I found she was indeed a bloodsucker."
I took a deep breath before continuing in a low, wistful voice:
"I had reasons to believe she was holding little kids hostage, so I had to act fast. I did not have time to alert the others even if I wanted to. Who knew what was happening to those kids? So, I acted. I confronted the vampire and killed her. But… I was too late."
The government officer – the same woman who had spoken earlier – frowned slightly as if concerned.
"What happened next?" She asked.
I met her gaze, staggering, "T-The kids had already turned… I had to neutralise them."
Everyone winced or flinched as soon as those last words left my lips. I acted as if recalling all this was really hurting me as I continued:
"I didn't report this incident since the threat was already negated. The vampires… all of them… were dead. Also, I didn't want to talk about it. So… I told no one. I acted as if everything was fine and returned to the hotel."
"That still didn't explain why you had this ring on you," the other government member spoke up.
I shrugged. "I took it in case there was something in it that was… well, concerning or dangerous."
"And you decided by yourself that there wasn't?"
I nodded. The government member sighed. He rubbed his face with both his palms before sighing again.
"You didn't have the right to come to such a conclusion yourself! You should've gone to the higher-ups, upperclassmen, instructors or anyone sensible!"
"Calm down, Reynard!" The woman sitting beside him, the other government official, snapped at him. "He's just a kid. That was such a nightmarish ordeal. No surprise he didn't want to talk to anyone about it."
"Yes, but Cassy-" before he could speak up again, the woman shook her head.
"No, you can't expect a kid to act any more maturely than he did already. He came across a threat, assessed the situation, and neutralised it. That's a trained soldier-level decision-making right there. Not only that, but he even vanquished a vampire with just a few months into his first year."
The man kept staring at the woman for a while and rolled his eyes in exasperation. He slowly shook his head before saying:
"Fine, but what about the mythical mana beast?"
Scratching the back of my head, I prepared an answer. "Sir, I also found a beast egg in the vampire's possession. I took it with me, not knowing what kind of beast's egg it was. Even I was surprised when a Phoenix hatched from it."
"...I see," the man named Reynard nodded. "And you didn't report this to the academy because?"
"I… felt a connection with the Phoenix as soon as she hatched."
The man raised his eyebrows, stunned. "I am so sorry. I must've misheard you. Did you say that you felt a… connection to the Phoenix?" n((.-)((-((//1-)n
"Yes, Sir!" I nodded. "It's hard to explain, but I knew at that moment that she would follow me. So, I hid her."
"Okay, firstly, stop referring to an animal as she or her. It's weird. Secondly, that's just bullshit! You felt… a connection?! Do you think this is some kind of a joke?! Do you think you won't be punished just because your name has Morningstar to it?! Let me clear up one thing here: you may hail from the family of heroes, but even you are not above us – the government. So, if you think your family will save you–"
Before the man could continue speaking, I cut him off. "I do not think so, Sir. In fact, I acknowledge the severity of my offence and the charges put on me. I am ready to face any punishment you may decree on me."
The man stopped speaking and started looking at me with a calm, unchanging expression.
"You're quite the picture of pride, Cadet. You're incredibly condescending. I take it you're confident that your contributions and merit will protect you from any harsh punishments. Reluctant as I am to admit it, you are right. Despite the fact that I don't like you very much, even I have to begrudgingly acknowledge your potential value in future wars. One day, you'll be a great help to us. However, even that won't exempt you from the law now. You are not allowed to keep your mythical beast. Your phoenix is scheduled for execution tonight, just before sunrise. Wouldn't that be poetic?"
Haaa. Just as I expected. This could've only gone down in two ways – they could either have sentenced me to imprisonment or issued a decree for the immediate execution of Sera.
So, I thought of two possible solutions to escape this predicament: ensnare them all in an intricate illusion using Enigma Sightstone, or...
A smile played on my lips as, in the next moment, the assembly hall's gates swung wide open, revealing a tall man with cascading shoulder-length crimson-red hair barging in as if he owned the world.
