Chapter 64: Opening Ceremony of the Reversal (19)
Receive it!
Anais muttered to herself as she reached into the list of individuals she had prepared and pulled out one person.
[Ghost (??): A supernatural being that can pass through walls. Resides in the underground cabaret and exploits young girls.]
The audience raised their eyebrows in response to the evidence she presented.
What does she mean by Ghost?
Lord Dosvilles face displayed a belated realization.
Anais raised her hand to her hip and nodded.
Lord Dosville mentioned it when explaining the case. The Ghost can pass through walls and is a presence that preys on the cabaret from behind. But if we consider his abilities, regulating the entry and exit of outsiders in the first place becomes meaningless because he can emerge from anywhere.
The murmurs among the people grew louder.
Come to think of it, her words made sense.
The Ghost could indeed pass through walls.
Lord Dosvilles argument was that since he was the only suspect, he must be the Ghost. However, considering the Ghosts abilities, it was illogical for him to be the only suspect.
His argument contradicted the contents of the case.
Lord Dosville quickly presented a counterargument.
In any case, the defendant disappeared during the performance, is that not a fact? If the defendant used his abilities to fly up to the ceiling, it explains
Anais slammed her hand on the table.
Objection! The prosecutor is making conjectures and not presenting any evidence or testimony.
Accepted. The prosecutors claim is rejected.
Grr.
Lord Dosville shook his head in frustration.
Anais let out a relieved sigh.
This didnt completely clear Wonderstein of suspicion.
After all, he wasnt present at the time.
But the only suspect logic had been dispelled.
Circuss reputation has risen by 2.
From that point on, the trial was completely in Anaiss favour.
Lord Dosville called a member of the Alchemy Guild as a witness to connect the dots between Anaiss bodyguard, Ivonne, buying the yellow substance on the day of the incident, and the attack being the result of the yellow substance.
When Porsche took the witness stand and testified, I bought the yellow substance at the request of Wonderstein, the reputation of the circus plummeted significantly.
The audience in the gallery even started murmuring about lynching.
However, as Anais asked a few questions, the prosecutions argument quickly revealed its flaws.
Porsche purchased the yellow substance in the afternoon on the day of the incident. Ivonne was attacked in the morning of that same day. Isnt the sequence of events reversed?
Well, you see, since he used the yellow substance, maybe he bought it to replenish it
Objection! The prosecutor is making conjectures again.
Accepted. Please refrain from making baseless claims.
Lord Dosville had to hold his tongue.
Anaiss questions skilfully dismantled the prosecutions argument.
His argument was once again shattered.
Here, Viscount Dosville glanced briefly in the direction of the police.
The detective, who had been in charge of the investigation, avoided his gaze with a disapproving expression.
The time of purchase of the yellow rose was not properly investigated, and the person who enthusiastically submitted the relevant information as evidence, exclaiming, I found it! I found it! was the one who did so.
If this were a normal courtroom, it would not have been like this.
The prosecutor would have thoroughly examined the details of the case and the evidence, and would have advised against going to trial with such weak evidence.
But todays trial was not originally intended to win.
He showed various careless aspects, but he was still the person in charge of the investigation.
Even the tiniest suspicions he had uncovered could be gathered to create some small news.
His testimony began.
He indeed met the expectations of the plaintiffs side.
His testimony would occupy a whole page in tomorrows newspaper with the title The Much-Awaited Revelation of Sergeant Sabo of the Luz Mounted Police.
Theres a one-year gap between the last victim! And coincidentally, the defendants circus troupe started their activities nine months ago! Isnt that quite fitting? The monster that lurked underground has now emerged into the light of day!
His claims were filled with baseless speculations to the point that not even Lord Dosville, who was on the same side, knew what to say in his defence.
He was even looking for a new victim! I heard this circus troupe has not one, but two 16-year-old girls!
The expressions of the circus troupe members soured.
What did it matter if the circus troupe had some kids?
I also have a theory about the motive of the culprit. To elevate his circus troupes name, he brought Ivonne down from the stage and made his second-in-command perform on stage. Why do you think he went into the underground? I believe its related to the reason he came back into the world. Its because he is the Black Magician who attacked the Circus Grand Prix seventeen years ago! He has come out from the theatres underground to try what he did in the past again!
Sabo shouted, scolding Wonderstein.
Sighs and moans echoed throughout the hall.
The judge barely restrained himself from throwing his gavel to smash Sabos head.
Anais lowered her head as if in disdain.
Lord Dosville glared at her while tapping his fingers.
17 years ago Did the defendant commit such an act when he was 10 years old?
Well, if we consider using magic to manipulate the body
She didnt even want to respond at this point.
Viscount Dosville let out a deep sigh and turned around.
The audience in the courtroom had significantly dwindled.
Those who had taken sides based on friendship or political logic had all left, leaving only the core members who had conspired. Their expressions didnt look good either. They had plotted to tarnish the opponents reputation, but it seemed to backfire as they now found themselves entangled in public opinion. The dilemma had became worse by the eccentric police officer over there.
Your Honor, can we now deliver the verdict? Anais asked, her tone filled with impatience.
With a sombre expression, Lord Dosville nodded in agreement.
Continuing further from this point would only prolong the inevitable.
As the judge prepared to give the verdict and raised the gavel, the door of Courtroom 1 suddenly opened with a loud bang, and a police officer rushed in.
All eyes were on him.
He was flustered by the attention he received but approached the highest-ranking officer here in terms of the organizational hierarchy, the head of the Luz Police Department.
The head had been pulled up into the air multiple times over the past few weeks and thrown down, his body wrapped in bandages.
He had maintained neutrality throughout the incident.
As the head listened to his subordinates report, he nodded with a serious expression.
Oh, its come to this.
The head skimmed through the report his subordinate handed to him and then submitted it to the judge.
The judge carefully read its contents.
All eyes in the hall were now fixed on him.
What was in that report?
Lord Dosville watched with a glimmer of hope, while Anais anxiously observed the judges lips.
As the person with the least patience let out the first sigh, the judge finally spoke.
Just now, an inspection report from the Luz Police Department has arrived. It pertains to an unidentified corpse found at the end of the sewer two weeks ago. The corpse was missing one arm, and the inspection confirmed that the arm found in the Cabarets basement matches the cut mark. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that this corpse is the owner of several years worth of vital traces left in the Cabarets basement.
It took some time for everyone to fully grasp the meaning of what the judge was saying. However, by looking at Viscount Dosville tightly closed eyes and Baroness Vergsongs broad smile, it was clear that everyone soon understood the implications.
I declare the defendant innocent.
The joyful sound of the wooden gavel hitting the desk was followed by thunderous cheers.
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