[Lifespan Remaining: 3 days, 1 hour, 13 minutes.]
"Are you physically capable of providing testimony?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
"If at any point you require medical assistance, state so immediately. These proceedings will not benefit from their primary witness collapsing halfway through his account."
’How considerate.’
"Raise your hand."
Noct didn’t know which one he meant, so raised his left hand, the one that hurt the least.
"Do you swear before the Rexford legacy and House Arcadia that your testimony shall contain the truth to the fullest extent of your knowledge?"
"I swear."
"You may lower your hand."
Noct did so gratefully.
"Please begin with the account of everything you’ve witnessed," the judge said, deciding to begin there. "Do not leave out a single detail.
Noct gathered his thoughts. "Well, when I first arrived in Altaire to track down a mysterious murder case that happened in Arcadia, I found out that Faust was going to have a special banquet."
"Well, a lot of other things happened in between, but I managed to enter the banquet unattended," he recounted the events. "And needless to say, all the attendees had been brainwashed by a weird mana."
"Even I was affected."
The judge scowled. "Could you please tell me more about this mana? How did it work? What were the consequences?"
"Ah, that you can ask Lady Lenia."
"Very well," he nodded. "Proceed."
"As soon as Faust caught onto the fact that I managed to figure out his scheme, it was like he decided to accelerate his plans, using said mana to cause mass hysteria in the guests. I suspect it was mostly done to by time for him to commence the ritual."
"And the knights that helped him—"
"They were all killed," the High Judge said grimly. "We found their bodies in the tunnels of the crystal mines. The knight captain, Don Maverick, himself seems to be missing, and we assume he is complicit."
’He silenced all the knights as well? Damn...this guy was even more barbaric than I ever thought he was.’
"What about the crystal mines?" the old man continued. "What happened that lead to the attack?"
"The tunnel being used by Amelia’s miners led into an underground cavern containing a lake and a large concentration of mana crystals. Nymphs inhabited the cavern, and they are what allowed new mana crystals to be formed."
He wanted to hide the information, but at this point, there were too many inconsistencies. It would be better to save his own skin rather than be quiet and then be dragged away for further questioning.
"Eventually I found where the prisoners were being held. But that was where Faust had been waiting for me as well."
"What was Lord Faust’s condition when he arrived?"
"Maniacal," Noct thought back on it before commenting. "His left eye had already changed, completely consumed by Leviathan’s power. There was no pupil or sclera, only looking like a surface of dark water."
"He could also cast Water and Ice Magic without an incantation despite possessing an another affinity."
Lenia spoke from beside Amon. "That description is consistent with the early stages of a Possession Contract."
The High Judge looked toward her. "You will have an opportunity to provide expert testimony later, Lady Eis."
"What occurred next?"
"He attacked me."
Noelle’s hand tightened around the edge of their table. Noct continued before she could react rashly.
"Faust overpowered me and attempted to prevent me from escaping. During the confrontation, he admitted that he had been searching for a way to surpass the magical limitations of his body."
"Did he specifically identify Leviathan?"
"Not at first. He referred to claiming the power of the ocean."
"And afterward?"
"I escaped through the lake and entered the Ley Line beneath it. There, I discovered another cavern containing Undyne."
Noct paused.
"She had been sealed inside a mana crystal several stories tall. Machinery had been constructed around it to extract her mana."
Lenia’s expression became cold enough that frost formed along the armrest of her chair.
"The extracted mana was being used to stabilize a rift connecting our world to the Spirit World," Noct continued. "Faust brought the prisoners there and sacrificed them one after another."
"And Lord Faust entered the contract willingly?"
"Faust was already being influenced when I first encountered him. Leviathan used his resentment and fear to control his decisions. The more power he accepted, the farther the possession spread."
"So yes..."
"Yes, Your Honor," Noct nodded. "Leviathan may have taken control of his body at the end, but Faust willingly opened the door."
"Alright, it seems the verdict is clear," the High Judge nodded his head, already going to grab his gavel.
Yet, just as he was about to bring it down, a voice erupted from Faust’s side of the benches. One of the minor noble had risen from his seat.
The man was visibly sweating, but he nevertheless forced himself to continue. "How can Lord Noct possibly be considered a reliable witness?"
The High Judge’s expression darkened at the man. "You will wait until this court recognizes you before speaking."
"My apologies, Your Honor, but surely I am not the only person questioning this!"
The noble gestured toward Noct. "Everyone in this chamber knows that Lord Noct de Arcadia has suffered from a deadly illness since birth. Until recently, he could scarcely leave his bed without assistance."
"And even if the rumors of his recovery are true, his class was stated to only be a 1-Star Mage!"
Several gazes moved toward Noct, and the way he was just barely standing with the assistance of Noelle propping him up from beside the table.
"We are expected to believe that a terminally ill, 1-Star Mage, entered the crystal mine alone, survived a confrontation with Lord Faust, witnessed the summoning of Leviathan, and then escaped the destruction that followed?"
"It’s just too illogical!" The noble pointed toward him. "For all we know, Lord Noct discovered the prisoners and hid somewhere inside the mine until the battle ended!"
A few members of Faust’s faction murmured in agreement.
"He is Lord Faust’s younger brother and now stands to benefit from his death," the man continued. "His testimony cannot be accepted without proof that he actually witnessed these events!"
Aurora’s expression hardened, while Noelle’s hand drifted toward the dagger concealed under her replacement uniform.
Noct quietly placed his hand over hers before she could do anything unfortunate inside a royal proceeding.
The High Judge struck his gavel.
BANG—!
"Your objection concerns the credibility of this court’s primary witness," the High Judge said. "Therefore, I shall permit the question."
The High Judge studied him carefully. "The objection is not without merit. According to the records supplied by House Arcadia, you have not advanced your class when you entered Altaire."
"So how exactly did you manage to survive and defeat Leviathan?"