“Watch your words! This wasn’t an ordinary thief. He ran from the beginning as a thief, not even assigned a handler. What do you know that lets you say such things?”
Claire sniffed loudly, and other nobles cleared their throats, pretending not to hear.
“Even if we got all the support, look at her injuries everywhere…!”
A wall seemed to rise in front of Claire, heated up by her words.
This was Arshien’s warning using the Judgment Gem.
“Mind yourself, Claire Bargrand.”
“But this one-sided accusation…”
“That’s not something you need to refute. It’s Carstein’s job.”
“…”
Facing Arshien’s warning, Claire had to clamp her mouth shut. But it did have some effect.
“And I think it’s best if all of you show some restraint here. This is a courtroom.”
Not only Claire, but those who incited the situation also received warnings.
The parties involved couldn’t make a sound and closed their mouths.
“…Cough!”
Theo, realizing his plan was faltering from the start, couldn’t manage his expression.
Also,
▶Achievement Level increases!◀
[Current Achievement Level: 12%]
Thanks to this advantage, the achievement level increased more than before.
It doesn’t matter what choice I make now; Claire took care of it for me.
“So, Carstein. Do you have anything to rebut?”
I answered that I would listen until the end.
“Go on.”
“Oh! Yes!”
Theo, trying hard to hide his expression, continued.
“There were plenty of reasons to suspect him. The crackdown for fairness could be justified. Everyone suspected him! Moreover—”
Just like in the game, Theo Lamstair brought up Carstein’s reputation, as expected. Despite the single difference—the engagement handkerchief—it was a consistent claim of wrongdoing and disbelief within the unit.
“Unbelievable…”
“What a world.”
“If we consider it a reasonable search and crackdown to prevent illegal entry, then it can be seen as a legitimate action.”
“I heard the rumors, but none of us knew his fiancée was real.”
The audience murmured again.
Clearly, this was an unfavorable situation. Choices appeared, and they started urging me to resolve them.
But it’s fine.
Everything went as I knew it would.
“Carstein. Will you raise an objection?”
“Yes.”
Arshien readily allowed it.
The time for choices has come.
[1. I’m not a trainee, but a member of the House of Bargrand.]
“Theo Lamstair, you seem to see me as a trainee, but the fact that you stole my fiancée’s handkerchief from my pouch remains unchanged. So, from that moment, I am not a trainee but Carstein Bargrand.”
“…”
“Surely, you know well, Theo Lamstair. As a nobleman and the son of Baron Lamstair, stealing a fiancée’s handkerchief cannot be excused with such justifications.”
-Beep!
▶The first argument of Theo Lamstair is debunked!◀
▶Achievement Level increases by 7%!◀
Then, Emma stepped forward to defend Theo.
“It’s understandable why he seems guilty given everything he’s done. Even if he’s upset about the handkerchief, this is the karma he’s built up.”
“That’s right. We were all suspicious of Lord Theo, as I mentioned earlier.”
“Even if it’s about the handkerchief, there’s a lot of karma built up before this.”
Following Harnei’s advice to specify his nobility before mentioning being a trainee, Theo realized continuing to insist he was a trainee would be unreasonable. So, he decided to bring up his previous reputation.
Sorry, but I anticipated this.
“Then, Princess Arshien, if someone touched my belongings despite knowing I was such a person, would it be reasonable to consider it a mitigating circumstance?”
“No. Without permission, touching a noble’s belongings means they can be held accountable.”
“In that case, I will hold accountable the one who touched my belongings right now. And that person is her.”
Pointing at someone, all eyes turned to her.
Standing there was Emma, whose face quickly turned pale.
“The head maid touched your belongings?”
“Not just any item, but one from the House of Bargrand. Though similar to Theo Lamstair’s case, the head maid explained her recognition herself.”
“Huh. If so, it wouldn’t be strange to hold her accountable right here.”
Emma stood up, flustered.
“False accusations! When did I ever touch Lord Theo’s belongings?”
“You definitely did. There’s clear evidence.”
“What did you say?”
“I’ll submit evidence.”
▶Using Emma’s payment document as evidence!◀
As I retrieved the prepared documents, Arshien immediately gestured to a servant with her chin, instructing them to read the documents. Arshien tilted her head after reading them.
“Is this a payment document from the House of Bargrand?”
“Yes. Only two people manage it in the House of Bargrand, but in terms of the document alone, the head maid also has authority.”
“Alright, I get that. However… hmm.”
Arshien tilted her head.
At first glance, the document seemed to have no issues.
But is it really that simple?
There’s a flaw.
[3. Call Claire Bargrand as a witness.]
“I call a witness. To verify the problems in these records, I’ll call Claire Bargrand as a witness.”
“Huh? Me…?”
“Hmm…”
Arshien was lost in thought.
That’s right, she would be. Claire just received a warning.
“If you need a witness from the House of Bargrand, someone else could do it. Your mother, Duchess Isabella Bargrand, or your elder sister, Arina Bargrand, could take her place.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Only Claire could spot the flaws in this document.”
Isabella and Arina sighed heavily, but there was reason behind this insistence.
In the end, Arshien warned Claire once more and seated her as a witness, sending over the documents.
“How does it look?”
“It’s impossible to confirm with just that. Here, I’ll present another piece of evidence.”
Soon, a box was carried over by the knights.
“Open it.”
On receiving the order, the knights nodded and opened the box.
-Kraak. Clang!
“Cash, gloves, arm guards, watches, mirrors, precious metals, and jewelry… quite a variety.”
“This came from the storage room of the First Knight Order. It was hidden in a suspicious place.”
Inside the box were items found in the First Knight Order’s old storage room.
Meanwhile,
Claire, watching closely, quickly covered her mouth and rolled her eyes.
Claire runs her own boutique. She has sharp eyes for market value and a good sense for evaluating goods. Her boutique is currently one of the most popular in the empire.
With her running it, she must have noticed the discrepancy in the documents.
Claire began examining each item in the box against the document, calculating their values.
After a short while,
“…Damn.”
She let out a curse under her breath.
Fortunately, only I heard it.
A muttered curse like that is pretty restrained for Claire.
▶Claire identified the flaw in the document!◀
▶Achievement Level increases!◀
[Current Achievement Level: 38%]
After carefully comparing the document and the contents of the box, Claire took a deep breath, trying to suppress her rising anger. Clenching her fists, she looked ready to pounce on Emma.
“The value of the items in this box matches exactly with the record in this document.”
“What does that mean?”
“They’re Carstein’s pocket money.”
“What?!”
The crowd was instantly thrown into chaos.
Isn’t it obvious?
If true, it means Emma had been embezzling Carstein’s pocket money from the ducal mansion, and these items were found with the knights.
Given the amount is nearly identical to what was recorded, it’s impossible not to suspect.
Emma looked ashen, while Arshien couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
“What’s the big deal?! It could be a coincidence!”
Frustrated, Emma stepped forward, even dropping to a casual tone, clearly losing her cool.
Thanks to that, I didn’t have to lift a finger.
“Has Lord Carstein ever been extravagant?”
“No. Not extravagant at all… rather, he wore clothes that didn’t fit properly.”
“He wore clothes that didn’t fit or were outdated wherever he went.”
“I saw it too. Miss Claire told him off for wearing ill-fitting clothes.”
“Could it be that the reason for the internal embezzlement was…”
The audience are nobles.
They always paid close attention to Carstein’s attire.
Even if they were just spectators, they all became witnesses in this situation.
“It’s all irrelevant! If he had distributed it among the servants, it would make sense!”
Bingo.
A choice becomes available here.
“Emma, if the money you managed ended up there, wouldn’t it be reasonable to assume there was some connection? For example, paying someone to keep quiet or bribing them.”
“What?!”
“I’ll call Lieutenant Radiel and Sergeant Mark of the First Knight Order, as well as Knight Carlton, to testify.”
A few moments later, three people arrived.
As prearranged, they testified that the entire group of probationary knights had united during the incident at the water source.
Upon raiding the probationary knights’ quarters and starting an investigation, they discovered items worth more than their usual salaries, providing additional evidence.
“Hey! Can we say something too?!”
“I want to testify as a servant of the House of Bargrand!”
Some servants also stepped forward.
These were the ones I had already built affinity with.
Despite Emma’s wide-eyed reaction, they didn’t back down, and when Arshien allowed them to speak, a hidden ledger from the ducal mansion emerged.
▶Additional events triggered due to the House of Bargrand’s reputation!◀
[Servants’ Testimony, Evidence Acquired]
‘Is this also because of affinity?’
I couldn’t find it no matter how much I searched, yet it appeared through their hands.
Anyway, adding this to the documents made Emma completely cornered.
The Ducal Mansion, Training Hall, Embezzlement.
All three pieces fit perfectly.
“Indeed, rumors of the head maid of the House of Bargrand distributing funds to the servants reached the royal family. It turns out they were all created by embezzling the master’s money.”
“Your Highness, this isn’t true! I… I…”
Struggling to avoid the desperate situation, she tried to explain.
The person who could help now was Flore.
However, Flore was not present in the courtroom.
‘Why, why aren’t you here when it matters the most…! Now that it’s come to this…!’
Looking at Theo hopefully, hoping he would help since he owed her, he said,
“Oh, by the way, this has nothing to do with me.”
“What did you say?”
“I understand that both of your arguments were somewhat similar.”
“There’s a huge difference between ‘similar’ and ‘identical’.”
Theo had firmly cut off his connection with Emma.
“I never imagined something like this… I’ll donate everything I’ve received. Truly regrettable. For a head maid of the House of Bargrand to commit such acts and give me money… I thought it was a noble deed.”
“Theo Lamstair! How could you…! How dare you betray me?!”
“Hmm. Regardless, Emma Urnen swore on the Judgment Gem to speak only the truth. However, it’s now clear that it was a lie.”
“No, Your Highness! I… Ahhh!”
-Scratch.
Due to the power of the Judgment Gem, a mark was imprinted on Emma’s face for lying.
“Take that criminal out.”
Arshien ordered that Emma Urnen, now proven guilty, be taken away.
▶Emma Urnen’s guilt is confirmed!◀
▶Successfully removed the character from the House of Bargrand!◀
▶Achievement Level significantly increases!◀
[Achievement Level 50%]
“No, it’s all a conniving scheme! Your Highness! Your Highness!”
Emma’s voice was cut off as she was dragged out of the courtroom.
Left alone, he cleared his throat.
“Hmm. I didn’t expect someone so close by to engage in such unsavory behavior. I thought our opinions were somewhat aligned…”
He clearly cut the tail.
Now that the connection with Emma is severed, the evidence is gone, so the request to drive Carstein away naturally fades away, allowing him to quickly withdraw his hand.
But…
You’re not withdrawing your hand.
“Next, I will provide evidence that Theo Lamstair is the culprit in the Radial assault case.”
Instead, you’ve led yourself into a dead end.
***
Watching Carstein skillfully exploit his opponent’s weaknesses, Harnei smiled.
‘If you’re unsure, I was thinking of stepping in, but looks like you’re handling it well.’
In reality, Carstein was in a very disadvantageous position.
Relying on past events was hindered by fabricated evidence, and he needed to overcome the ambiguous status of being both a trainee and a noble.
He had to gather evidence, and there was no one to help him.
The situation looked like the powerful were oppressing the weak with their authority, making it easy for the majority of the audience, who were nobles, to criticize.
Even if his fiancée could help, it wouldn’t solve the core issue.
But Carstein didn’t miss a single important point pointed out by Harnei.
No, he even surpassed expectations.
He responded optimally to any reaction, meticulously analyzing and finding contradictions in the opponent’s arguments. When faced with difficult situations, he easily debunked them and turned them into opportunities.
Facing two opponents, he trapped one in a net and escaped without being caught.
‘Truly, he planned everything down to the last detail.’
His performance was impressive enough to elicit spontaneous admiration.
“Lord Carstein says I’m the culprit, then the sword with magical energy…!”
“That’s unrelated. Both of you clearly showed a significant disparity in strength compared to Radial. It would only make sense if it happened in an emergency or when you were distracted. Given he was stabbed in the back, it must have been an emergency situation where someone was protecting him.”
Seeing Arshien already guessing the sequence of events, it was clear that Carstein’s victory was imminent.
Smiling, I watched Carstein, and the Marquis called Harnei softly.
“Hmph. While it doesn’t seem to harm our family, dissolve the engagement yourself, Harnei.”
“…Marquis.”
“Even if it’s a bastard child, you’re still a noble. Your bloodline may be half, but you’re still part of the nobility.”
“It’s my engagement.”
“Tsk. Instead of spouting nonsense, think about what benefits the house. You haven’t achieved anything since that day, have you?”
The Marquis scolded Harnei with a full face of resentment.
“Hide the fact that you’re a bastard and live as a noblewoman. Only then can you and our house lead a high and prosperous life.”
“…”
She had many things to say.
But, she didn’t.
‘Despicable human being.’
The House of Teresia had already stopped treating her as family.
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
