Free Web NovelChapter 433: Chapter 45: Iron-Clad Evidence (Part 2)
No self-respecting monarch could tolerate such humiliation. Enduring hardship to bide one’s time for a decisive strike—this could have even been remembered as a fine tale of harmony between a ruler and his subject.
Sighing inwardly, the crowd skimmed the document, and their expressions soon began to twitch.
Because when it came to the other charges, the document’s rigor dropped by more than a few levels.
Many "crimes"—based on hearsay or even fabricated just to find fault—were listed out with deadpan seriousness:
[The daily extravagances of Grand Law Officer Eilvette:
1. Food and Drink Expenses (including food waste): 9,207 Royal Court Coins
2. Water and Power Usage (calculated for a full day): 1,133.62 Royal Court Coins
3. High-Level Magic Potions (calculated for 500ml): 5,295.60 Royal Court Coins
4. Precious Metal Depreciation (calculated for 15 kg): 525 Royal Court Coins
5. Runes of Music (20 units): 5,841 Royal Court Coins
6. Commuting Expenses: 660 Royal Court Coins
7. Private Tips and Rewards: 1,000 Royal Court Coins
Total: 23,662.22 Royal Court Coins
Boundless extravagance! Sins too numerous to count! The evidence is ironclad!]
’This... is this really supposed to prove the Grand Law Officer’s crimes?’
’Isn’t this a bit of a stretch? Which ancient noble in the Royal Court couldn’t afford such expenses? Not to mention Eilvette’s status, which is considered quite high even among the Elf Royal Family.’
’What’s wrong with a little luxury? It’s not like he was spending the Royal Court’s treasury funds. Oh, wait, it seems they really did blame him for the treasury’s deficit just to pin a crime on him? Never mind, then.’
However, the crowd had no idea of the investigation team’s suffering. In just a few short days, the team had practically turned into a tunnel-boring machine.
But even after digging three feet deep, the only crimes of Eilvette’s they could really talk about were overstepping his authority and forming cliques for personal gain. In all other respects, he was clean; they couldn’t even find minor infractions like corruption or bribery.
This didn’t mean Eilvette was innocent and blameless, however. In his years managing the Royal Court’s government, he had offended far too many people. Even if his actions were all legally justified, so-called laws and regulations could not quell the resentment in people’s hearts.
In the filthiest of political struggles, winning is everything. It doesn’t matter what you did or didn’t do, whether you’re innocent or not.
If I say the evidence is ironclad, then it’s ironclad!
The court Judge, reading out the evidence, saw the tall Elf below him with a sullen and contemptuous expression. He slammed his hand on the desk and roared:
"Defendant Eilvette, you listen to me!"
Eilvette raised his head. "I’m listening!"
"The Central Royal Court accuses you of crimes against the Divine Ancestor. Do you have anything to state or a defense to make?"
Eilvette sneered. "Oh, I have plenty. The ’vast facts’ you speak of are nothing but nitpicking. You picked and you prodded, and only after you told me did I even know I had ’desecrated the Divine Ancestor.’ You do this by vilifying me, vilifying the Grand Law Officer, and vilifying the contributions made by thousands of Tuners in the past! I was the Prime Minister to the former King of Wind Law. I served him faithfully for over two hundred years! We went through thick and thin together! When the Demons emerged, I was the only high official of the Royal Court who remained on the front lines! Where were all of you?"
"This court has given you ample opportunity to state your case and defend yourself..."
"Ample?"
"The last time at the Wind Law Palace, we asked you repeatedly, and you said nothing. This court gave you sufficient time to make your case and present your defense, but you evaded the Royal Court’s charges and instead used your time for debate to issue a statement against the Divine Ancestor..."
Eilvette gritted his teeth. "You are the ones against the Divine Ancestor!"
Faced with the former Grand Law Officer’s roar, even the Judges—who were specifically chosen from an opposition faction deeply dissatisfied with him—were momentarily intimidated.
They looked toward the Wind Law Queen on the high platform. Ailorus gave a calm nod of approval and encouragement. The Judges bolstered their spirits and shouted at the prisoner:
"Insolence! Your accomplices have already confessed to all of your crimes! Their testimonies are consistent, and the evidence is ironclad! Do you still intend to twist the truth?"
With that, they brought out the confessions of the other Tuners. Good heavens, these were some heavy hitters, confessing to anything and everything. Going by these confessions alone, they had made Eilvette out to be the source of all evil.
In the face of such accusations, however, Eilvette merely rolled his eyes and said:
"How many false confessions did you extract through torture? Utterly ridiculous... I can accept any verdict and sentence. Consider it atonement for my past actions. But if you’re going to fight for power, then fight for power. The one thing I will never accept is a disgraceful, fabricated crime!"
"I am loyal to the Divine Ancestor! I am loyal to the Divine Ancestor! I AM LOYAL TO THE DIVINE ANCESTOR!!!"
Emphasizing his will, everyone Eilvette’s gaze fell upon recoiled. The vast courtroom was actually forced back by the glare of a single prisoner.
The lingering authority of the Grand Law Officer’s two-hundred-year reign remained.
"Loyal to the Divine Ancestor, yet you don’t even respect the Deputy who represents the Divine Ancestor’s will?"
Just then, Ailorus finally spoke. The Wind Law Queen stood up, looked down upon Eilvette, and said slowly:
"Rather than being loyal to the Divine Ancestor, you are loyal only to yourself. You wish that you and you alone were the sole emissary capable of representing the Divine Ancestor. Do you think such conduct is worthy of being called loyalty?"
"Your Majesty..."
Upon hearing her words, Eilvette’s world shook. His lips twitched slightly, but he didn’t know how to refute her.
’It seems... maybe... I really did think that way.’ Even though such a thought had never consciously crossed his mind, as he carefully recalled his own actions, the Grand Law Officer found he could not utter a single word to absolve himself.
He had wanted to risk death to warn Ailorus one last time to be wary of Duke Qinghui’s intentions. But gazing into the Elf Lolita’s incredibly resolute, fire-like eyes, all words of desperate counsel died in his throat.
As if his spine had been ripped out, Eilvette hung his head in utter devastation.
The rest of the trial thus proceeded much more smoothly. Fearing that delays might bring complications, the court quickly ran through all the procedures and reached the point of delivering the verdict.
And only the Wind Law Queen had the authority to deliver this verdict.
Ailorus exchanged a glance with Westheid. The latter nodded at the Elf Lolita.
"Go with what we agreed upon."
Should they execute Eilvette?
On this point, Westheid and Ailorus disagreed. It was Ailorus who wanted the Grand Law Officer dead, while Westheid preferred to spare his life.
Westheid was, after all, relatively merciful and benevolent. Though ruthless toward his enemies, he wasn’t one to kill indiscriminately. Once Eilvette was imprisoned and the matter was settled, he would become irrelevant. After breaking through to the Demigod Tier, Westheid had plenty of leeway to show some martial virtue.
But Ailorus hated Eilvette’s guts. This wasn’t because he had overstepped his authority or disrespected her majesty, but simply because Eilvette had obstructed her relationship with Westheid.
That was all it was. One should not underestimate how important this was to the Elf Lolita. Experiencing a cherished emotion for the first time in her life, the lovestruck Ailorus would resent anyone who tried to tear the two of them apart.
Eilvette had unfortunately become the first target of the Wind Law Queen’s hatred.
"Former Grand Law Officer Eilvette Jade, based on your crimes, this court sentences you to one hundred years of imprisonment!"
Eilvette still held the passwords to nearly all of the Royal Court’s nodes. They couldn’t execute him so easily before prying those encrypted Runes from his lips. Besides, he had served as the Grand Law Officer for over two hundred years. While his extremely low emotional intelligence meant few people liked him, no one in the Royal Court could deny his accomplishments.
Everyone could understand Ailorus’s actions to reclaim her power, but to hunt down and kill a meritorious official for it would be disheartening. Stripping him of his authority and imprisoning him was already a fairly heavy punishment.
’Hopefully, Eilvette has the sense to hand over his access rights willingly. Otherwise, he’s in for some pain.’
After the court was dismissed, Westheid couldn’t help but sigh and say:
"If I can help it, I really don’t want to use injections. What a mess."
After lamenting that he had to be the bad guy, Westheid immediately grew excited.
The fall of Eilvette meant that within the Thousand Laws Royal Court, there was no longer anyone who could restrain him. The [Thousand Laws Ceremony]... would now open all its secrets to him!
