Syld's voice rang out, his words dripping with disdain as he laid accusations against Kojo. "You entered the convent at the temple while it was off-limits for men, and you were gazing lustfully at the women as they undertook their morning purification." Syld's gaze pierced Kojo, awaiting his response.
(Wow. He's surprisingly spot on.)
"Do you deny this accusation?" Syld asked.
Kojo's eyes narrowed, his glare fixed on Syld.
(It's best to play along for now, Kojo. Let's see how things turn out before doing anything rash.)
Kojo sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly as he replied, "Yes, I was at the convent. Although the 'peeping at the women' part was an accident."
The crowd erupted into murmurs, their faces twisted in disgust as they looked at Kojo with disdain. Syld continued, unfazed by the commotion.
"And what about attacking the guards a day prior? I warn you, champion, do not even think about denying it, for we have witnesses."
Kojo's gaze locked onto Syld, his voice firm. "Before I answer that, I want to know if it's custom in the so-called 'Holy Land' to attack an innocent child?"
The guards on either side of Kojo raised blades to his chin.
The Clergy scolded him.
"Unlearned one!" one of them exclaimed. "You don't know our customs!" another added.
"That's no excuse," a third Clergy member chimed in.
"He should be punished for his insolence."
A female Clergy member, the 7th Radiant, rose above the din. "Those undergoing trial are not permitted to speak unless spoken to, Archadian. Refrain from doing so again."
Kojo's response was immediate. "That's a stupid rule. How am I supposed to argue my case if I can't talk? How am I supposed to defend myself?"
The 7th Radiant's tone was firm but not unkind.
"I'm warning you, Kojo. Don't make the same mistake again."
Some of the other Clergy members disagreed. "You're going soft on him, 7th," one of them said.
"There's no point in talking to the accused," another Clergy member sneered.
"It's good that he knows his place." The contempt in their voices was palpable, and Kojo sighed, but he remained silent, his gaze turning to the cardinal, Syld, who watched the exchange with an unreadable expression.
Syld's gaze swept over Kojo, his expression skeptical.
"Even though you're supposedly the best Archadia has to offer, you don't look as intimidating as I expected. We've heard of the Carnage Queen Sasha and her exploits, but you... you look insignificant in comparison."
Syld's words dripped with disdain, and he turned to Yukio.
"Archsaint Yukio Hayashi, please step forward."
Yukio did so, touching her palms together in the sign of the church with a bow. Syld nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"From what I've gathered, you seem to have a friendly relationship with the Champion of Archadia. While it's good to build friendly relationships, because those are what facilitate growth, regardless, you shouldn't let that cloud your judgment. You still answer to the Pope, and since he isn't here, you answer to me as acting judge, being the third highest authority in Ezkanur. You're known to be quite compassionate, but that shouldn't keep you from your duty. Besides, your oath prevents you from lying."
Kojo rolled his eyes.
(This guy rolls by throwing his weight around.)
(I don't like him.)
"Me neither."
Yukio nodded, her voice clear.
"The Champion of Archadia came to Ezkanur to see His Holiness the Pope, but they were separated due to a blizzard, and he arrived a few weeks later."
The 68th Radiant spoke up, their voice hesitant.
"Now that you mention it, there was mention of a strange mage in the town of Brindlemark using dangerous magic to alter the weather at close proximity to the settlement. The accused may fit the description, although they also described the culprit as having wings and the demi-human features of wolf ears and a tail."
Syld waved his hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter. We'll assume he was the culprit and move forward with this sitting."
"Huh?" Kojo said in surprise.
(I don't know what customs they have, but that surely isn't how laws are supposed to work.)
Kojo thought for a moment.
"Go through the Babel Archives and get me information on the laws of Ezkanur."
(The archives were written during the time of Estelle. Even if the nation of Ezkanur may have existed in some form during that period, too much time has passed for the laws of that time period to be relevant today.)
"Tch."
Yukio stepped forward again, her voice firm. "If I may, Cardinal Syld, the accused doesn't know our customs, just like the 45th Radiant said. Perhaps we should take that into consideration when..."
Syld's expression turned cold. "I already told you, Archsaint, not to try to defend him." He cut her off.
"But since you're the one saying it, we will note it duly when passing our judgment." His gaze flicked to Kojo, his eyes glinting with disdain. "It's clear that the Champion of Archadia is not as innocent as he seems."
A figure in a dark fur cloak observed from the topmost balcony, her presence hidden amidst the crowd, her expression hidden by the shadows cast by her hood. She gripped her katana, her eyes emanating an indigo glow as she watched Kojo with interest. Kojo, on the other hand, had an expression of one who's unimpressed. He drowned out all the noise and detached himself from the room, causing his perception of the world to be blurry and the sounds to be nothing but static.
As the proceedings continued, Kojo's enhanced hearing picked up the murmurs from the crowd as rumors began to spread about him.
Him being violent.
Him being a lech.
All sorts of things.
He glanced at Lin and saw the discomfort she felt as she also heard all this.
(The part about you being a lecherous pervert is correct though.)
"What do you think the purpose of this spectacle is?"
Kojo looked around. "The crowd seems to not even think about how all this doesn't fit and is just going with the flow."
(Given the structure of the church's parliament, as well as how most religious states operate back on Earth, the Clergy must be the ones responsible for making decisions with the consent of the Holy See, and the people take it most likely with the notion that since the Pope approved it, it must come from the Goddess.)
Kojo's gaze swept the room. "If that's the case, then it's stupid on the Pope's part because that means that he's leaving all the power in the hands of all these old people, and given unrestrained authority, there's bound to be corruption. Like what they're doing right now."
(While true, he may not be at fault. The Pope isn't present right now due to health issues according to the Cardinal, so he's the one acting as the boss in his place.)
Kojo looked up at the empty seat of the Holy See.
"Oh, so that's how it is," Kojo said with a grin.
Syld's eyes narrowed. "What are you grinning about, Archadian? You feel no remorse for your actions?"
Kojo's laughter filled the room.
"No, it's just the absurdity of the entire situation that's funny."
Syld's expression turned cold. "I see. 7th Radiant, it seems the accused didn't pay heed to your advice."
With a signal from Syld, one of the guards tried to gut punch Kojo, but rather yelped in pain as Kojo reinforced his abs using 'Crystallization'.
Just then, Cassandra stepped into the hall, her presence commanding attention. The room fell silent as all eyes turned to her.
Syld's eyes narrowed as Cassandra stepped forward. "What are you doing here, Amavit Dea?" he asked, his tone cold as he called her True Name.
Cassandra's voice was firm. "I will not allow a blatant breach of protocol. You're going about this all wrong."
Syld however shot her down. "Your inexperience is showing. Even though you're higher ranked than me, this is not the place for little girls."
(Syld said he was the third most influential person in the country. Guess we know who number two is.)
"Still doesn't seem like it'll be easy for her," Kojo responded.
Cassandra's voice rang out, her words tumbling forth in a passionate defense of Kojo. "According to Article 7, Section 3 of the Ezkanurian Code, a foreign dignitary is entitled to diplomatic immunity in matters of personal conduct. Furthermore, the Holy Book of the Undying Light states in Chapter 12, Verse 5, 'Let not the stranger be judged harshly, for all are children of the Light.' And in Chapter 5, Verse 2, it is written, 'The law shall be applied equally to all, regardless of station or origin.'" However, her arguments were met with swift dismissal from the Radiants. The 28th Radiant scoffed, "You quote the law, but ignore the gravity of his transgressions." The 17th Radiant chimed in, "The Code you cite does not apply in cases of egregious misconduct, and the Champion's actions clearly fall under that category." The 45th Radiant added, "Your interpretation of scripture is... creative, but misguided. The Undying Light demands justice, not leniency for the guilty." Syld's voice cut through the din, his tone icy, "Enough, Cassandra. Your advocacy is... admirable, but misplaced. The accused will face the full weight of our laws."
Kojo noticed that Cassandra was powerless to do anything, her hands squeezing her skirt in frustration as they continued to hound her, and she fruitlessly tried to respond. The Unseen gripped her katana, ready to intervene.
Before she could act, Kojo released his aura, declaring, "All this is going nowhere." He looked up at Syld, his eyes locked onto the Cardinal. "You seem determined to punish me, even though you know the circumstances as well as who I am."
Kojo's voice rose, "I've had enough, and I'm..." As he spoke, the Glory Knights reached for their weapons, Yukio doing so with a hint of reluctance. Kojo's aura suddenly flew backward into him, disappearing as if it was never there.
With a calm tone, Kojo continued, "I'm going to defend myself with the laws of this very land."
"Hoh?" Syld scoffed. The Radiants murmured.
"And let's get one thing straight – stop calling me Champion of Archadia, Archadian, or Accused. That would mean I'm here on behalf of the nation of Archadia, but I'm not. I'm here as Kojo Atari, attending to personal business. Anything I do in Ezkanur has nothing to do with my country. Proceed with that in mind and do well to drop the whole 'accused' crap."
The room fell silent, Kojo's words hanging in the air like a challenge. Syld's expression turned calculating, his eyes narrowing as he considered Kojo's words.