As Neuvillette gave the order, several security officers standing at the Opera House entrance immediately sprang into action.
Before long, a bewildered and astonished Marcel was brought to the 'accused' position.
Looking at Marcel standing opposite him, Yuto tightened his grip on his cane slightly, seemingly to express the emotions in his heart.
Cares' personal charisma wasn't fully showcased in the game, but when Yuto truly became friends with this Mr. who had refused the 'Count' title bestowed by Palais Mermonia...
He truly realized where the Spina di Rosula's success and Beryl Region's previous prosperity came from.
To be honest, if this wasn't Fontaine, if he didn't need to care about those so-called 'rules' and the potential 'correction' logic of this world, he would have truly wanted to rush up and beat this guy black and blue.
But... this was merely an emotional outburst.
His position didn't allow him to do so, and even if he did, it wouldn't solve any problems; instead, he would be bitten back by the other party.
At that point... neither Cares nor he would be able to clear their names, even if they jumped into the Doreen River.
"Whew..."
Yuto took a deep breath, calmly composed himself, and then waited for Neuvillette to announce the opening of the court.
Neuvillette, meanwhile, looked at the still somewhat bewildered Marcel and asked loudly:
"Mr. Marcel, you don't need a Licensed Agent, do you?"
"Ah... I apologize, as the incident happened too suddenly, I haven't quite figured out what's going on."
After saying that, he stroked his chin, glancing thoughtfully at the serious-faced Navia and Yuto, then continued to respond:
"I don't think I need one. Navia... and Chief Justice must have misunderstood something."
After receiving Marcel's definitive reply, Neuvillette nodded and announced:
"Very well, since all members participating in the Judgment are present, I ask the prosecution to present their case."
Hearing this, Navia lowered her head in thought for a moment, then spoke loudly:
"This matter needs to be traced back three years, to the case of 'The Unjust Cares.'"
"Only by uncovering the truth of that matter can the entire 'Serial Disappearance of Young Girls' be connected."
It seemed that Navia's words and Yuto's unique aura made Marcel somewhat uncomfortable; he immediately frowned and retorted:
"You don't think I did Mr. Cares's deed, do you?"
"I have no reason at all. Mr. Cares is my benefactor, and besides, at that time, both you and I rushed out only after hearing gunshots."
"If I'm a suspect, then everyone present at the time should be a suspect, shouldn't they?"
Hearing this, Furina frowned at this moment, because even her memory of that case only included the 'Duel' and its outcome, let alone the audience who watched the entertainment every day.
Thinking of this, she nodded slightly, then said:
"I don't think we need to rush to discuss this yet, do we? The audience might not even know about that case... even I can barely remember the details of the case at the time."
Hearing Furina say this, Yuto looked up at Neuvillette and said softly:
"That's right, Judge, we need to let everyone present recall the entire story of that incident before we provide our explanation."
Seemingly sensing the somewhat confused and bewildered gazes from the audience, Neuvillette agreed to the suggestion without much thought.
"Very well, given this situation, I shall fully recount the investigation conducted by the Law Enforcement Office back then."
With that, Neuvillette picked up a rather thick notebook from his side, and after roughly flipping through a few pages, he began to speak:
"On the day of the incident, the Spina di Rosula and its guests were holding a banquet in the wilderness, at a manor belonging to the Kabrie Commercial Guild."
"During the banquet, all guests heard two gunshots from outside."
"When everyone rushed over, the suspect Cares was holding a firearm, and Jacques, with whom he was meeting, had been shot dead."
"After investigating the scene, members of the security team found no other firearms, so they believed the suspect's first shot missed, and the second shot killed Jacques."
"These deductions were not denied by the suspect, nor did he argue; he directly chose to prove his reputation through a Duel."
"And in the Duel, the suspect lost to the Duel Proxy Clorinde and later died of his injuries."
Clang—
With a rather heavy closing sound, Neuvillette ended his statement.
"That is the overall situation of the case."
After a brief review, Navia felt that the audience's gazes had become serious before she said:
"Thank you for the Judge's statement. In our eyes back then, this deduction was clearly the most plausible one."
"But after learning that primordial sea water can dissolve Fontaine residents, the situation changed dramatically."
With that, Navia turned her gaze to Yuto, signaling for him to speak.
After all... he was her Licensed Agent, and coupled with Yuto's four hundred years of experience, his words represented public credibility.
No matter when, the audience's reaction was crucial, as it concerned the Oratrice Mecanique D'analyse Cardinale's Judgment, so Yuto was the most suitable spokesperson for such a reasoning segment.
Seemingly understanding Navia's meaning, Yuto gently tapped the ground with his cane, then began to speak:
"During the investigation, Jacques's family was willing to testify in court. They believed that... Jacques received orders to kill Cares that day."
"Although he himself was somewhat hesitant, this confirms that Jacques indeed might have made a move to kill Cares that day."
"Perhaps his inner reason and morality outweighed such an unprincipled order, and he ultimately did not do so, choosing instead to confess everything to Cares and seek the Spina di Rosula's protection."
"However, Jacques's hesitation had long been seen clearly by the mastermind, who then sent another person to prevent Jacques from 'defecting.'"
"According to Florent, a strategist from the Spina di Rosula, Cares did not carry a firearm when he went out that day. He is willing to testify in court and bear the corresponding consequences."
"In the security team's search archives from three years ago, a set of clothing of unknown origin caught everyone's attention. At the time, the security team believed it was clothing Jacques used to disguise his identity, but now it seems that is not the case."
"The first gunshot of the incident should have come from the 'third person' prepared by the mastermind. He first shot and killed Jacques, who would reveal secrets, but when the gun was turned on Cares... he was disarmed and killed in retaliation."
"To protect himself, Cares had to fire, and that... was the second gunshot."
"On the day of the incident, Fontaine was experiencing heavy rain, which meant that... if the mastermind used primordial sea water to dissolve the 'third person,' all truth would be washed away by the downpour."
"From the current perspective... those suspicious clothes of unknown origin have become irrefutable evidence of the 'third person' being dissolved."
"In summary, the mastermind used primordial sea water and the heavy rain to hide his modus operandi, and then... framed Cares for it."
------------------------
I've already uploaded over 40 chapters of this story on Patreon.
If you're enjoying it, you can check out the latest chapters early over there.
patreon.com/Greyhounds
Thank you so much for your support.
And if you're enjoying the story, don't forget to leave a Power Stone for me.