“We’ll begin.”
Despite the confident atmosphere at the start, Rilke’s face, sitting alone on the opposite side, was stiff.
The judges entered again, and the presiding judge came in last.
‘Wait!’ Rilke stopped the counsel who was about to ascend to the podium. The judge nodded and granted a brief delay. Rilke and the counsel conversed with serious faces. From the atmosphere, I got the feeling they were trying to change the order they had prepared.
“Thank you for waiting.”
The Yorick House counsel stepped forward.
“I will speak.”
His thin lips were more rigid than ever, seeming to herald the climax of this case. Facing the courtroom’s concentrated atmosphere, the counsel opened his mouth.
“I accuse Joachim Meyer of poison manufacturing and murder charges.”
My two clenched fists went rigid.
I was barely able to move because I had to quickly cover Mikhail’s mouth and hold him down as he tried to jump up saying, “That’s ridicu-!”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Count Leroy jumped up instead.
The judge asked him to follow proper order.
“House Yorick. Speak.”
“Prince Rilke Yorick, upon becoming a member of House Yorick, wished to contribute to the family and help the Empire’s citizens. Then he coincidentally learned that a certain disease was spreading like an epidemic among some commoners. Lord Rilke, would you testify?”
While Rilke came out with confident steps again, Count Leroy reluctantly caught his breath and sat down.
“First, I want to say that all truth will be revealed properly.”
Rilke said.
“Then I’ll speak. Unlike House Meyer where I previously resided… House Yorick’s support for me was sufficient.”
I hastily blocked Mikhail’s mouth once more as he said, ‘Is that bastard crazy?!’
“I’ve also prepared sufficient testimony regarding the treatment I received at House Meyer.”
Having said that, Rilke laid out a lengthy claim.
To summarize, he received sufficient funds from House Yorick, and thought to use that money not for himself but for the Empire’s citizens. Preferably for sick people, and in doing so learned that dozens of people were suffering from the same disease like an epidemic—that was the gist.
“Gray spots begin appearing on the body and eventually turn black, leading to death.”
At Rilke’s words, sighs poured from the gallery.
“Father is the Regent, so he couldn’t ignore this phenomenon and sent physicians out of concern.”
After even mobilizing mages, they learned the disease wasn’t an epidemic, and the explanation continued that testimony from dozens of people commonly taking some health medicine became a major clue.
“Fortunately, we were able to obtain a remaining medicine bottle. Father was concerned about the poison causing the disease, so he permitted independent research and commissioned the academy. This is the source material of the specimen medicine.”
Rilke held out a small glass medicine bottle.
Viscous liquid mixed with various things was flowing down the transparent surface.
“Blood infused with omega pheromones was one of the main ingredients. And those pheromones were.”
After lengthy testimony, Rilke pointed at me like a clock hand reaching the right moment.
“Joachim’s. Anyone who smells this will know.”
“I object!”
Count Leroy raised his hand high. He waved his hand strongly a few times as if expressing his frustration.
“We cannot know for certain that’s Prince Meyer’s pheromones!”
“House Meyer, follow proper order. House Yorick, continue testifying.”
Rilke bowed his head.
“Thank you, Your Honor. I request a witness. This is the dean of the Foinne School of Pharmaceutical Sciences who helped with specimen extraction.”
It was the school famous for being the most authoritative in pharmaceutical research.
The elderly dean wearing a large robe submitted thick documents as evidence. He also swore on his name that there were no issues in the specimen extraction process.
Other witnesses also came out.
“That sensation is definitely Prince Meyer’s pheromones.”
It was testimony from a marquis house’s son whom I’d exchanged a few greetings with in social circles. Besides him, several others testified that it matched my pheromones. Count Leroy anxiously tapped his knee with his fingers throughout the Yorick side’s testimony.
“House Meyer.”
After an agonizing time, the judge turned to us. My throat was parched.
“Now speak.”
“Even if Prince Meyer’s blood and pheromones were really used as ingredients, that cannot be testimony that Prince Meyer made the medicine, Your Honor.”
Count Leroy, who jumped up and fired off like rapid arrows, turned to look at me.
“Lord Joachim.”
I opened my mouth, trying to stay calm.
“First, regarding the possibility that the poison’s ingredients really came from me…”
It was truly horrifying.
“I cannot help but feel devastated and sad.”
The judge pursed his lips.
“Are you acknowledging the possibility that the Prince’s pheromones and blood were used as raw materials?”
“Yes. But I absolutely did not make it.”
Count Leroy asked.
“Then what is the reason for acknowledging the possibility?”
My insides were bone dry. I tried to stay composed.
“Because the attending physician who died early this year periodically drew my blood.”
The murmuring sound was heard once again from the gallery.
“As everyone knows, at the beginning of this year, I could neither control nor sense pheromones. The attending physician said he needed my blood for diagnostic purposes.”
These were things I’d hastily discussed with Count Leroy while listening to Rilke’s testimony. Count Leroy had asked about the number of blood draws, the amount drawn, and such.
The Count asked something else.
“I heard the attending physician died.”
“Yes.”
“You find that timing suspicious?”
“I had barely become able to control pheromones when, after taking medicine the physician gave me, my pheromones suddenly went wild.”
Following this, Mikhail testified about confining the attending physician in the mansion’s prison and the physician dying right before interrogation. Additionally, Mikhail stated that since the situation had come to this point, he wanted to immediately return to the mansion and thoroughly reinvestigate the physician’s death.
“Therefore, Your Honor.”
Count Leroy caught his breath.
“Even if Prince Meyer’s blood was partially used in manufacturing that horrific medicine, I assert he cannot be the medicine’s manufacturer. And Dean.”
The Count turned to the pharmaceutical authority.
“Were you also able to estimate when that medicine was made?”
“It’s not recently made medicine. It was made at least half a year ago.”
The Yorick House counsel interjected.
“However, if one wanted to make medicine, you cannot deny that Prince Meyer had the easiest access.”
“I wonder.”
Count Leroy countered their persistent attempts to implicate.
“If I were the culprit, I wouldn’t use my blood as an ingredient. It’s an obviously traceable method.”
“He might have been arrogant thinking his secret wouldn’t be revealed. I request the next witness, Your Honor.”
The person who entered had a familiar face.
The Yorick House counsel gestured toward me to the middle-aged woman wearing the distinctive clothing of a pharmacist. The moment she saw me, I could see her nodding as if confirming.
“This is Madame Marguerite, who has been working as a pharmacist on Wells Street for over ten years.”
The witness spoke.
“It was two months ago, anyway it was late summer when he asked me to introduce some pharmacist and mage.”
I also remembered the woman.
Two months ago, she was one of the many pharmacists I’d visited to find clues for treating Mikhail, who had contracted the black spots. She began explaining the day she met me in her distinctive manner of speech.
“He came to sell some strange medicine too. Some medicine that causes skin disease or something.”
But the last part wasn’t true.
“Your Honor. I request the opportunity to interrogate Joachim Meyer.”
The Yorick House counsel requested. I quietly asked Count Leroy, who said it couldn’t be accepted, a few things.
“I agree. But there’s a condition.”
Count Leroy whipped around to face the Yorick House counsel.
“I also wish to interrogate Prince Rilke Yorick.”
“On what grounds?”
The Yorick House counsel’s face contorted.
Just as the opponent had done earlier, Count Leroy also caught his breath and spoke.
“I accuse Rilke Yorick of the exact same charges. He tried to seriously harm Count Mikhail Meyer with poison and used it for blackmail purposes for his own selfish greed. And now hearing and seeing this, it seems he’s caused casualties of dozens of people.”
An intense tremor spread through the courtroom.
“At the same time, he’s trying to frame Prince Joachim Meyer. Therefore, I accuse him of attempted parricide, special intimidation, serial murder, and false accusation.”
“What are you talking about! I accuse House Meyer of false accusation and defamation!”
“I’m adding defamation charges as well!”
“Both counsels, sit down!”
Count Leroy returned to his seat, staring firmly at the Yorick House counsel.
“Will you really be all right?”
The Count asked me, swallowing his excited tone.
“I was shocked, but I’m fine now.”
I really was shocked. If I hadn’t been preparing to accuse Rilke as a ‘witch’… one side of my chest went cold. Of course, since I really didn’t do it, I could have gotten out somehow, but I would have been extremely flustered. It was that unexpected an attack.
Likewise, Rilke also seemed greatly shocked by our side’s accusation. I could see those blue eyes dilated as if they might split.
That kid looks back at the gallery again. I followed that gaze, but since it was only a moment this time too, I couldn’t tell where he was looking.
