Cold water droplets splashed against her face…
Sera slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding with a sharp ache as if a boulder had been slammed against her skull. Her blurred vision gradually cleared.
She found herself bound—her hands chained with glowing restraints, and her knees pressed against cold, dark marble.
Lifting her head with effort, she saw something she could barely comprehend:
The Throne.
And on it sat a man whose presence was suffocating—an aura not entirely human… The Emperor.
To her right, she saw him—
Nereus, lying on the ground, his head wrapped in bandages, his face pale, breath ragged.
And nearby stood Peter, Lucas, and Marcus, —all three of them restrained in glowing chains, their faces painted with anger and fear.
Then a familiar voice rang out:
"Ah… I didn't expect there to be five."
Ilarious, standing calmly beside Commander Darius, his expression amused, as if gazing at caged animals.
"There may be more… How did you find her?"
Darius asked, voice flat,
"I have my own ways~,"
Ilarious replied with his usual calm smile, tilting his head.
"What about you? How did you catch the rest?"
Before Darius could respond, the Emperor's deep voice suddenly thundered, beginning the trial.
"You are here for your crimes against the Empire,"
he began.
"Theft… Unauthorized use of magic… Trespassing on noble grounds… Assaulting knights…"
A pause.
Then in a colder, heavier voice:
"And murder."
Peter flinched, stepping forward against his restraints:
"That's a lie! We've never killed anyone!"
Marcus shouted, his voice strained:
"We stole, yes! Broke the law, yes! But we never killed!"
Lucas trembled, his voice barely audible:
"We never even got close to that kind of violence… I swear…"
Sera remained silent, barely able to breathe. Nereus, still unconscious, had yet to say a word.
Aqua stepped forward, composed as ever, and addressed the Emperor:
"Allow me to clarify the gravity of their actions."
He turned to the group and began listing names:
"Last week, the nobleman Galman was found completely burned in his estate.
A day later, Lady Linda—slain in her manor, her face mutilated.
Then came Sir Arkos, poisoned until death.
Are you sure none of this sounds familiar?"
Peter cried out:
"We weren't even near those places! We steal—yes! But kill? Never!"
Aqua narrowed his eyes, approaching them slowly:
"You are five. So tell me… who among you is the killer?"
Silence.
No one spoke.
Until Peter said in a strained voice:
"Please… believe us… We didn't kill anyone…"
Aqua sighed, then addressed the Emperor again:
"Your Majesty, may I be granted permission to read their thoughts?"
The Emperor nodded silently.
Aqua closed his eyes… and extended his hand toward them.
Seconds passed.
Then, slowly, he opened his eyes again, frowning slightly.
"They haven't killed anyone."
A few of the royal knights exchanged uneasy glances—but quickly masked them with stoic expressions.
"Some of them… thought about it, in anger.
But none of them ever acted on those thoughts."
The Emperor's gaze dropped in thought, clearly unsettled.
A heavy silence followed.
It was broken by Peter's desperate voice, turning toward Nereus:
"He's bleeding! He could die! Please—treat him!"
Aqua responded coldly:
"And why should we care? He's a thief like the rest."
The Emperor turned his head calmly toward a silent knight—a woman with short blond hair and piercing blue eyes.
Without a word, she stepped forward, knelt beside Nereus, and placed her hand gently over his head.
A soft light radiated from her palm.
She studied his face closely for a moment, then softly asked:
"Is he… blind?"
Then, without waiting for an answer, she began healing him, her magic pulsing in quiet waves, easing his wounds.
In that moment, even the royal knights—even the Emperor himself—seemed to feel it:
These weren't the murderers.
But then—
Who was?
The Emperor closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again with a colder gleam.
"Very well… Then let me decide your fate."