I Raised A Black Dragon

Even after Muell had disappeared from the observation hall, the trial continued without much going on. Occasionally, Kyle was caught looking up at the observation hall. He seemed to notice that Noah was missing.

Perhaps he felt unhappy by the fact, he was grumpier towards Adrian and exhibited a much colder attitude than usual. In a cold, dry voice he read the defendant’s crime:

“The case of the dragon egg’s disappearance, the crime of aiding and abetting Baroness Asil’s smuggling in Yulem, appointing a fake lawyer at the time of Baroness Asil’s trial, the crash of Laurent’s national railway network, the terrorist incident on the Angelic, embezzlement of the Mane ore, illegal biological research on the bond between the soul and body, the disappearance and mysterious deaths of a large number of workers in Harrell, the kidnapping and confinement of innocent witnesses…”

Every detail was revealed, from the big crimes to the relatively minor ones. The more the pitch-less voice continued, the more sunken the mood in the observation hall became.

Reading the overview of the long list of crimes, Kyle announced after a short sigh, “Therefore, I seek the death penalty for the defendant.”

Death penalty. The audience made a commotion at those two words. The nobles in the observation hall all nervously clutched their hairs, but it was still too early to be relieved. Kyle had sought the death penalty, but the chances of the Minster of Justice deciding that were extremely low.

Adrian's influence was wider than expected, and a large number of lawyers had already been appointed to defend him, and if he was admitted to be on death row, half of the high-ranking imperial officials would have to be arrested and re-examined.

No one could shake it off.

In fact, the Minister of Justice, who served as the judge of today's trial, was also not innocent. Because Adrian's defense had resulted in more than ten light punishments for Eleonora.

At this point, if the lawyer started defending, the Minister of Justice would probably adjust the sentence appropriately and make a ruling. The key point of today's trial was which line was ‘appropriate’ enough. In addition, several variables would control the outcome of the trial, one of which was the emperor's attitude.

“From my small point of view… the death penalty seems too harsh.”

The Minister of Justice was so shocked he looked up at the observation hall.

“Y-Your Majesty?”

The voice that’d butted in out of nowhere belonged to the emperor. Despite him being the emperor, it was rare for him to ever give his personal opinion during a trial.

“Considering the contribution made by former Minister Rossinell to the Ministry of Magic, 1,000 hours of social restoration and volunteer work; the same as the first request to Baroness Eleonora Asil, I think that will be enough.”

The emperor on the screen glanced continuously at the empty seat next to him, that is, Noah’s seat.

“Since he's the best wizard in Laurent… As part of the service, how about taking charge of the education of the newly emerged dragon master? To balance the power…”

“Excuse me?” Kyle asked back as if flabbergasted. Duke Leonard too, who was seated next to the emperor, had an appalled look on his face.

It was evident that they were trying to use Adrian to have the dragon and its master under their grasp as soon as possible. The choice was consistent with the interests of most of the nobles in the audience. A few of them were noticeably relieved as they were seen on the screen leaning back in their chairs.

The emperor’s personal opinion was not compulsory. Laurent, however, was a monarchy state with no separation of powers. The emperor, the head of the former imperial ministry, had expressed his opinion, but no matter how fair a judge could be, how could he let it spill?

The Minister of Justice’s voice trembled. “I sh-shall examine it, for the time being, Your Majesty. Thank you. Then, lawyer. Start your defense.”

“Yes, your Honor! As the first witness, I call Miss Tracy Irene, who works for the Ministry of Magic… Huh?” The lawyer stuttered as he flipped through his documents. He raised his eyebrows in confusion and read the content of the document again. “The witness… witness… uh…”

On the screen, Kyle’s face could be seen stiffening. Soon, however, as if he had predicted something, a beam of enlightenment shone in his purple eyes.

Noah walked past the screen and stood in front of the door leading to the courtroom. The doors which gave off a solemn and heavy atmosphere opened wide on both sides like a folded piece of paper. The stares of the hundreds of people gathered inside the court focused on her. The voice of the lawyer, whom she couldn’t pinpoint because his back was turned towards her, continued.

“The first witness—”

“Hello.”

The man who was struggling with the revised documents, unbeknownst to him, was interrupted. There wasn’t really a reason for her to say her name. Those who saw her would recognize her anyway. The faces of the nobles in the observation hall, which had been brightened with the evidence, were already ashen.

As soon as Noah stepped foot into the courtroom the door closed behind her with a heavy click.

“I am the first witness. Can I have a word?” Noah said, plastering a big smile. She was about to create change in a trial that showed signs of collapse.

Faint mumbling was heard from the audience.

“Who is that woman?”

It still wasn’t widely known to the public that Park Noah was the new dragon master. Most of the citizens of Laurent only knew that the dragon master that’d appeared for the first time in 500 years was Eleonora. For the general audience, most of them were either commoners or middle-class.

The people who knew Noah’s identity, however, were greatly shaken by her and Muell’s sudden appearance. The emperor, who had been caught trying to cheat, was frightened and leaned his back onto the golden chair. Duke Leonard, who was sitting next to him, seemed to have thought that the turn of events was quite humorous, as he was desperately trying to hold back his laugh.