* * *

A heavy silence filled the courtroom. Archbishop Revulin, who had shot to his feet, shouted, veins bulging in his neck.

“That’s insane! You don’t seriously believe this Sacre woman’s nonsense, do you?”

I stared at Archbishop Revulin without a word. My cold gaze made him falter, and he let out a nervous laugh.

“How dare you corner me like this, you so-called Witch prophesied by the Sacred Dragon!”

The mention of the “Witch” caused a stir in the audience.

Archbishop Revulin’s defensive outburst only made Jerome smile with satisfaction, mumbling something indecipherable.

“Yes, that’s the reaction I was waiting for.”

Archbishop Revulin glared down at me.

Despite being old, his massive frame exuded an intimidating presence.

He smirked, amused by my flinch, and spoke mockingly.

“Luke, go ahead. You said you received a prophecy from the Sacred Dragon that day, didn’t you?”

The prophecy of the Sacred Dragon… it seemed to refer to the message of Bermut.

I turned to Luke, who was now rising from his seat.

Luke, who had been staring at me expressionlessly, spoke in a calm voice.

“Yes, Archbishop Revulin is correct.”

I clenched my fists, glaring at Luke.

To think my own creation would betray me like this.

Ignoring my piercing stare, Luke continued his false prophecy.

“That day, the Sacred Dragon told me that Jeanne was a Witch who would bring about a catastrophe that would destroy the Empire.”

Though I hadn’t fully paid attention at the time, I knew that Bermut, who had expectations for me, would never issue such a prophecy.

But with no one else present who could understand the language of dragons, I had no grounds to refute it.

My mind went blank as the situation escalated, and I realized I was being set up as a Witch.

Luke, who had lied, wore an uneasy expression, as if burdened by his deceit.

‘Of course, he would be. Lying about a prophecy is a serious crime. If discovered, Luke could lose his life. He’s risking everything too.’

Attacking the speaker when an argument lacks flaws is a common strategy in debate.

The moment the speaker’s credibility is questioned, the argument loses power, regardless of its truth.

Mia, who was seated beside Luke, stood up, wearing her usual arrogant expression.

“Yes, the guild members of Flare witnessed the Sacred Dragon that day. And only Luke, among those present, could speak the language of dragons.”

Several people besides Mia had seen Luke receive the prophecy from the Sacred Dragon.

Denying it would be futile.

In the Empire, the authority of a divine prophecy was absolute.

If things went wrong, the trial could shift into a religious one, and religious trials were notoriously brutal.

‘I thought my relationship with them had improved, but I guess not.’

I sighed. It seemed that things between Jeanne and Luke had deteriorated further, not improved.

I needed to decide whether to eliminate the threat that Luke posed or find a way to change his mind.

“If the prophecy is genuine…”

“Then Jeanne must be eliminated.”

Archbishop Revulin’s attack, undermining me by discrediting the source, was effective.

People seemed more afraid of a potential catastrophe than of the murder accusations against Archbishop Revulin.

Jerome despised humanity’s selfishness, and I now faced their wary, fearful gazes.

“I don’t think that’s true.”

As Archbishop Revulin gained ground, Jerome, who had been sitting in the front row, stood.

Jerome and Luke’s eyes met, clashing in midair.

What had begun as a battle between me and Madam Quaintrell had turned into a standoff between Jerome and Luke. Jerome smiled at Mia.

“The idea that only Luke could speak the language of dragons is a flawed premise. I was there too.”

“What?”

“Wait a minute. I saw it earlier when I entered the courtroom.”

Jerome raised a hand to pause the conversation, then began scanning the room.

He walked over to a young child clutching a book.

The child trembled, intimidated by Jerome’s blank stare, but Jerome knelt, his demeanor suddenly gentle.

“May I borrow that book for a moment? I’ll give it right back.”

The child, reassured by Jerome’s soft voice, handed over the book.

Jerome took it, gently ruffling the child’s hair before holding the book aloft with a leisurely smile.

“A Study on the Linguistics of Dragons. I wrote this textbook when I was still a minor. Although I published it under a pseudonym for personal reasons… when Luke was a cute little boy learning from this very book, I was already the one who authored it.”

“What the hell?!”

Without realizing it, I shouted, drawing the audience’s attention toward me.

I quickly assessed the situation, cleared my throat, and feigned ignorance.

The conversation I’d had with Ber in the carriage to Maron’s spring came to mind.

Back then, Jerome had pretended not to understand Ber’s words.

But now, it seemed he had been eavesdropping on our entire conversation the whole time.

Did he figure out I was a man even back then?

I clenched my fists tightly, swallowing my rising anger.

“Fine, what’s the point of dwelling on that now?”

Still, anger was anger.

I promised myself I’d deal with this pent-up frustration later.

Just then, Luke spoke in my stead, his voice tense.

“…Then why didn’t you mention earlier that you could speak the dragon tongue? If you could, there wouldn’t have been any need for me to handle all the translation alone during the ideological war with the dragon clan.”

“That’s… simpler than you think,” Jerome replied.

“…”

“I didn’t feel like working as hard as you.”

Luke’s face twisted in frustration as Jerome, with an affectionate expression, handed the book back to the child.

Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he approached me.

“The oracle I received was the exact opposite. Jeanne isn’t a catastrophe; she’s a miracle destined to save this dying star—a reincarnation of Maya, the divine.”

Passing both Luke and me, Jerome stepped in front of Archbishop Revulin.

Even compared to the towering Archbishop Revulin, Jerome stood a head taller.

Archbishop Revulin shouted in a flustered voice.

“A monster who was locked in an underground prison until recently has the gall to spout such lies!”

“Whether it’s a lie or not, isn’t that something we can test? Whether Jeanne is Maya’s reincarnation or not is the core of this debate. Prove it, and that settles it.”

“That’s absurd sophistry! Ah, I see now. This must be political retaliation for imprisoning you in the first place. How cowardly.”

It was the same tactic that had been used against me: attacking the speaker when they couldn’t attack the argument.

But unfortunately for Archbishop Revulin, his opponent was Jerome.

Jerome let out a dry laugh, shrugging his shoulders.

“What are you talking about? I don’t care that you threw me in that underground prison. Thanks to it, I’ve got plenty of good memories. Made a lot of crazy friends, too. Even developed a special skill for chatting with rats.”

What is he, Cinderella?

The courtroom erupted in murmurs over the conflicting interpretations of the oracle.

Was Jeanne a calamity that would bring the world to ruin, or a saint destined to save it?

Jerome, exuding confidence, spoke again.

“But you were the one who brought the Sacred Dragon’s oracle into this trial. And a man should take responsibility for his own words.”

“D-damn it…”

“Even if it costs him his life.”

With his hands still behind his back, Jerome gestured toward someone with his finger.

Following his gaze, I saw Luke.

It seemed Jerome’s ploy was to pin down Archbishop Revulin and give Luke the chance to act.

As chaos engulfed the courtroom, I stepped in front of Luke, blocking his attempt to storm out.

“Jerome’s right. If I seal away another divine beast after Parak, your oracle will be proven false. So, what’s it going to be? Are you really ready to stake your life on this?”

I deliberately taunted him and watched Luke’s reaction.

I expected him to glare at me with the same murderous intensity as before, but surprisingly, he only stared at me with a calm, expressionless gaze.

It was his unusual response that threw me off balance this time.

Then, with a detached tone, Luke asked,

“What do you want?”

“It’s simple. Postpone the trial for a bit.”

“That’s impossible. That woman has already confessed to being the murderer behind these serial killings.”

“All the cases except for Commander Osman’s lack definitive evidence. Postponing the trial for a single murder case by a month falls well within the temple’s authority.”

Luke, who had been silently listening, chuckled.

“What hypocrisy. Even if Archbishop Revulin’s crimes are true, it doesn’t change the fact that the woman is a murderer who used poison to kill. Are you trying to defend a killer?”

“Madam Quaintrell’s sins are grave, no doubt. But to properly condemn her, we must also expose Archbishop Revulin’s crimes. Letting her take the fall alone isn’t justice.”

“No. Being weak and foolish is a crime in itself. There’s even one such sinner standing right in front of me—weak, foolish, and all talk.”

Luke stepped forward, casting a shadow over my face.

He toyed with the rope binding my wrists, his mocking demeanor infuriating.

Swallowing my anger, I countered calmly.

“Isn’t it better to live as a sinner than to live your entire life as a slave?”

The mocking smile vanished from Luke’s lips.

Hesitation flickered in his striking green eyes, a unique feature of the Aileen people.

Sensing my chance, I pressed on.

“You and I may be enemies, but we have one thing in common—we’re both outsiders in this empire, islanders treated as foreigners by the Kaiser Empire.”

“…”

“Right now, it’s the Sacree children. Next time, it could be the Aileen children. That’s why I think we should unite, at least when it comes to minority issues.”

I understood Luke’s perspective.

He had always fought alone to survive in an empire hostile to outsiders.

Trying to convince him of concepts like ‘cooperation’ or ‘solidarity’ felt futile, and I knew it.

Yet, I couldn’t stop hoping.

Hoping that Luke and Jeanne could forge something more constructive than a petty rivalry in a melodramatic love triangle.

As I took another step forward, Luke instinctively stepped back. I exhaled and softly proposed,

“So how about forming a temporary alliance? Just for this case. In return, I won’t hold you accountable for your fake oracle.”

What began as a trivial guild commission now burned like a wildfire capable of toppling Archbishop Revulin.

Luke’s eyes wavered violently.

After a long silence, he finally opened his mouth to speak.

* * *