Chapter 27: Public Trial

“…Based on the facts presented and the valuable testimonies of each witness, as well as the collective will of the esteemed citizens, this court hereby delivers its verdict.”

Despite the presence of hundreds of spectators, the courtroom was as silent as a mouse.

In the heavy stillness, the presiding judge finally spoke.

“All operations of the Alzred Caravan shall be terminated immediately, and all assets belonging to the caravan will be confiscated and returned to society. Furthermore, the establishment of any future caravans under the same name is strictly prohibited, and all blood relatives of the principal offender, Benya Alzred, shall be permanently exiled from Wecos. This is the judgment.”

The moment the verdict was pronounced, the courtroom erupted in chaos as if a storm had swept through.

Yet the judge maintained a solemn expression, only letting out a small sigh.

The public trial with citizen participation had been one of Benya’s proposed reforms.

The fact that this historic first trial was held precisely to judge Benya’s guilt was an ironic tragedy.

“Thankfully, the punishment isn’t too harsh.”

Amidst the chaos, Zion Aleph was present.

Frey Alkoth, who had been watching the trial with him, frowned upon hearing that remark.

[Not too harsh? He’s being banished from the country penniless.]

“If this were Illium Kingdom, not only Yuria but also the innocent caravan executives would have been executed.”

[That’s because that country’s just strange, man.]

“Is that so?”

Come to think of it, that was probably true.

In fact, there were several reasons why the sentence was relatively mild.

One was that Benya’s crimes had been downplayed.

The truth—that he had summoned monsters with dangerous magic, controlled them, and even, by accident, summoned a Demon and fallen into Demonization—was a secret known only to Zion and Yuria.

Thanks to the swift evacuation, only Zion and Yuria witnessed Benya’s transformation into a Demon firsthand.

Benya had merely dug tunnels outside the city to summon the monsters; it was never known that he controlled them directly with magic.

Another reason was that the scale of damage was minor compared to the severity of the incident.

Though the casualties numbered in the hundreds, considering that a large-scale monster outbreak had occurred in the heart of the city, the damage was relatively small.

The property damage could be fully repaired with the assets confiscated from the Alzred Caravan.

The people who contributed most to minimizing the damage were Yuria and the caravan staff.

Thanks to Yuria’s preemptive orders through Must, citizens were evacuated quickly, decisively reducing casualties.

Yuria herself was neither an accomplice nor a culprit—she was closer to being a victim.

Still, she had to be put on trial because the public outrage stirred by the sudden disaster could not be ignored.

Some even viewed the incident as an act of treason, demanding thorough punishment of all relatives.

Though Wecos law forbade collective punishment, exceptions existed for cases like treason.

“This settles the old score, Benya.”

The judge had made every effort to minimize Yuria’s sentence.

It was his duty as someone who knew the truth and also a way to repay a great favor Benya had done him in his youth.

The result was confiscation of the caravan’s property and Yuria’s exile abroad—measures meant to protect her from the raging public sentiment.

[So, what… if such a judgment is really passed? What will you do?]

“I’ll save them.”

[Even though it’s a fair verdict under the law? Wouldn’t acting like that shake the foundations of society?]

“Benya has no guilt toward Yuria or the other executives. Punishing the innocent only proves the law itself is flawed. A society that follows a wrongful law will eventually collapse. Isn’t exposing and correcting the flawed law in the best interest of society?” Zion’s voice was unwavering.

Arcs admired him, and Frey nodded with approval.

The uproar that seemed endless gradually died down, and the exhausted citizens slowly left.

Zion stepped outside the building and waited for Yuria.

The soldiers approaching to escort him away recognized Zion’s face and silently withdrew.

Though some doubted his identity, the fact that Zion and Yuria played a crucial role in resolving this crisis was well known.

“…Zion?” Yuria appeared as dusk settled.

Her exhausted face brightened weakly when she saw him.

Zion smiled back and said, “You look very tired.”

“Ah, it’s nothing… just a little tired.”

Unable to find words of comfort, Zion stepped closer and gently held her hand.

Yuria widened her eyes, looked at her hand, then back up at Zion.

She smiled playfully.

“Are you worried about me?”

“How could I not be?”

“Ah, haha… you sound so serious it’s embarrassing. Let’s go back inside. What are we doing standing here in the middle of the street?”

Hiding her embarrassment, Yuria quickened her pace.

Zion, puzzled, followed reluctantly.

Though the exile sentence had been handed down, Yuria wasn’t required to leave the country immediately.

Practically, it wasn’t feasible.

She had been granted a month’s grace period.

With only a small amount of personal assets remaining, even a month was not much time for Yuria.

But her future wasn’t filled with hopeless despair.

The next morning, Must—who had assisted Yuria at the caravan—appeared before them as they prepared to leave.

“Have you decided on a destination?”

Surprised by the question, Zion and Yuria exchanged glances.

Their plan was to head to the Jewel Tower, the land of mages.

They had learned that Benya had studied the dangerous magic used to summon monsters and Demons there.

Coincidentally, Zion’s final destination—the High Elf domain known as the World Tree Forest—bordered the Jewel Tower to the south.

Wecos lay in the continent’s southwest, and the Jewel Tower to the northeast, meaning they had to cross nearly the entire continent.

The fastest route would be by ship from Wecos to the Empire in the east, then northwards.

But with Yuria’s assets confiscated and Zion penniless from the start, they couldn’t afford the fare.

Crossing the continent by land through several countries was their only option.

“By land… that will be a long journey.”

Must smiled knowingly.

“Are you here to play? I don’t have time to entertain you, so hurry up.”

“Oh my, Miss. What are you saying?”

“…I’m not a miss anymore.”

“Only you think so, Miss. I believe I can assist your journey somewhat. What do you say?”

Yuria didn’t answer immediately but looked to Zion.

Having personally killed Benya after his Demonization and suffering through the trials, Yuria was struggling with mild distrust of people.

Though she didn’t want to doubt Must, a sliver of anxiety lingered.

Noticing her gaze, Zion silently held Yuria’s hand.

Her stiff expression visibly softened.

“Where should we go?”

***

“Wooooaaah…!”

Zion looked up at the creature before him with sparkling eyes.

The wyvern, a beast several times the size of a human with massive wings instead of front limbs, let out a small cry as if used to such reactions.

[This world really is different. That’s not a monster but just an animal.]

Frey, who had initially mistaken the wyvern for a monster and remained wary, felt a complicated mix of emotions.

Even now, he was a bit uneasy, worried the creature might attack Zion.

But seeing Zion’s delight made those fears seem pointless.

“C-Can I touch it?!” Zion, twitching as if about to lunge forward, suddenly looked back.

When their eyes met, Yuria gave a wry smile and turned her gaze away.

Must, a close friend of Zion’s and founder of the Wyvern Aviation Company, scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

“Getting too excited so close might cause the creature to act out unexpectedly. Ah, touching it is fine—just calm down a little first.”

“Me? Excited?!”

“Yeah, you’re acting really childish… well, you are a child.”

Easy to forget, but Zion was only sixteen.

“Ugh, fine! I’ll calm down. Hoo, haa, hoo. Okay! Now?”

“…Not at all.”

Yuria eventually dragged Zion away by force.

He looked disappointed but showed enough restraint not to disturb the staff installing devices on the wyvern.

“Most first-timers are scared of wyverns, but seeing you like this makes me happy.”

“Scared? It’s so cool!” Zion’s answer made the man smile warmly.

“But… isn’t this illegal? Are you sure it’s alright?”

Despite Yuria’s worried question, the man laughed.

He glanced at Must before answering softly.

“Illegal? So what if it is?”

“W-What? But then, you might be in danger.”

“There’s no way it’ll be ruled illegal. No law says you can’t sell things without charging money. Even if it were illegal, a fine would cover it. This is more like… repaying a small favor.”

Over ten years ago, he had been one of the Alzred Caravan’s employees.

Since then, he had nurtured concrete plans for wyvern flights, and with Benya’s enthusiastic support, he turned that once-ridiculed dream into reality.

Benya solved many obstacles—cost, efficiency, safety—and thanks to commercializing wyvern flights, Wecos’s distribution network was revolutionized.

Even after gaining independence from the caravan and building his own territory, he never forgot Benya’s support.

“I didn’t mind if wyvern flights remained under the Alzred Caravan, but the chairman firmly opposed it. He believed no single caravan should monopolize such a critical industry. Though he opposed it, he quietly helped me even after I became independent. As you know, he’s not the type to lie.”

“I don’t think I’ve fully repaid the favor he gave me. But at least I can live a little more honorably now.”

“But… Dad was a monster… many people…”

“The chairman surely committed great sins. Those harmed will never forgive him. That’s a perfectly reasonable feeling, and I won’t defend him on that point. But it’s sad if all the good he’s done until now is dismissed because of that.”

“sob, sniff”

“I’m not blind or deaf. Thanks to you two, I know the casualties were surprisingly low given the scale of the incident. I also know the Divine Trading Company’s head was tragically killed during the chaos, and what happened to you just before returning from business. I understand most of it.”

When Zion gently took the hand of the tearful Yuria, she suddenly hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest.

His shirt quickly became damp.

Lately, Zion thought his shirts never stood a chance.

“Preparations for the flight are complete!”

The staff working efficiently stepped away from the wyvern and shouted.

Yuria, now much calmer, separated from Zion at that moment.

Must grinned at the warm scene and said, “You won’t be lonely on this journey, Miss.”

“sniffle, Must, maybe you should reflect on being over thirty and still unmarried before saying that?”

A sharp counterpunch shattered Must’s mental state.

The two sat inside the carriage beneath the wyvern’s belly as final safety checks were performed.

At last, the massive creature spread its enormous wings and began to flap.

Its five-meter-tall bulky body rose into the air like magic.

“There are far more allies for you in this country than you think! So, Miss…!”

The last words were almost drowned out by the flapping wings and the roar of the wind.

But the tone made the meaning clear.

Peeking from the carriage, Yuria gave Must and his friend a bright smile.

The wyvern ascended to a proper altitude and gradually accelerated.

In an instant, it disappeared beyond the horizon, vanishing from sight.