When Liselotte gave a small nod, Hedmilton briskly unfolded and held up the rebuttal brief sent by House Gloria.
She read aloud, clearly and deliberately, the exact portion that had been underlined.
“‘This contract is not an agreement for the provision of monster byproducts by the defendant, but merely a contract concerning the plaintiff’s supply of magic tools. The provision of high-grade byproducts is nothing more than a courtesy extended to a trading partner and is not a contractual obligation.'”
“Plaintiff’s side. That does not answer the question.”
The presiding official twitched the corner of his mouth, showing his discomfort.
In response, Liselotte shook her head.
“No. Could you read what is written below that?”
With an unwilling air, the presiding official shuffled through the complaint.
Unable to find the exact location where the relevant passage was written and hastily scanning the text, he was interrupted by Miro, who subtly offered a hint.
“Presiding Official. Page six.”
“Ah, I see.”
Only then did he find the passage Liselotte had read. Clearing his throat, he scanned the contents with narrowed eyes.
“‘In contracts that are commonly in use, the defendant lacks any major illegal act to the extent that it would affect the existence of the contract…’ What meaning does this have, plaintiff’s side?”
“That part is important. ‘To the extent that it would affect the existence of the contract.'”
Liselotte tapped the relevant phrase lightly with her finger.
The presiding official’s eyelids crumpled slightly.
“Plaintiff’s side. Do not make a mockery of this and please approach the trial with seriousness.”
‘I am being very serious right now. This is a trial, after all. Who would take it lightly?’
Even when one had no guilt, standing before a court inevitably made one feel self-conscious for no reason.
Of course, since the presiding official and Miro were working in such perfect sync, she had ended up watching it a bit like a play.
There was neither entertainment nor inspiration, though.
When Liselotte raised her eyebrows with a stern expression, as if asking what that little farce just now had been, the presiding official pressed his lips together, perhaps feeling a twinge of guilt.
Liselotte lifted the complaint and asked,
“Esteemed Presiding Official. Prior to the main lawsuit, the application for a provisional injunction that we submitted has been granted.”
“I know. I voted on it at the Senate as well.”
“In other words, this contract constitutes a problem of such gravity to the plaintiff that it affects the existence of the contract.”
Miro objected in a gentle voice.
“Objection. A provisional injunction also serves the purpose of maintaining the current state at the outset of a dispute.”
“I acknowledge that. Plaintiff’s side, please present your counterargument regarding the main case, not the provisional injunction.”
As Miro claimed, the granting of a provisional injunction didn’t necessarily guarantee victory.
Even so, although it couldn’t be entirely separated, the presiding official seemed intent on not addressing it.
She had felt the same when he questioned them about the contract; he appeared to look only at matters according to principle.
‘Well, the contents of the provisional injunction are not important right now.’
Smiling brightly, Liselotte raised both hands.
“Esteemed Presiding Official. The defendant clearly distinguished between a ‘monster byproduct provision contract’ and a ‘magic tool supply contract’ within the complaint.”
What could this possibly mean?
“In other words, it means that they were already aware of the consequences that would arise from entering into only a magic tool supply contract, and deliberately distinguished between the two when concluding the contract. And that consequence!”
Bang. Liselotte lightly planted both hands on the desk and quietly met the presiding official’s gaze.
“The provisional injunction was granted.”
“Objecti—”
Miro rose from his seat, attempting to cut her off, but Liselotte pressed her point with an even louder voice.
“This means the contract was concluded with an unfair intent to deliberately saddle the plaintiff with responsibility arising from byproducts.”
“I deny that. We were aware that high-grade magic tools could be produced even with lower-grade byproducts.”
Miro, who had been approaching the trial with a relaxed smile, rose to his feet.
Perhaps flustered, the slackness at the corners of his mouth stiffened subtly.
Liselotte looked toward the defendant’s bench and asked in an exceedingly gentle tone,
“Did you truly think that?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I see…”
As she responded meekly, letting her eyebrows droop, Miro’s expression finally eased.
Just before his shoulders could straighten once more,
Liselotte abruptly turned and looked up at the presiding official.
Then, in a bright, lively voice, she declared cheerfully,
“Then we will have to file a criminal complaint for fraud by dolus eventualis!”
When she extended her hand, Hedmilton promptly handed over the complaint he had prepared in advance.
Liselotte wrote swiftly with her fountain pen right there.
“If the trial had not been expedited, I was planning to file the suit simply as fraud, but since you are making this claim, I will revise the contents of the accusation slightly.”
[Criminal Complaint
Plaintiff: Virki Baskerville (Representative: Liselotte Keilos)
Defendant: Eastern Region, Ducal House, Duke Anix Gloria
Purpose of Complaint
The defendant deceived the plaintiff through intentional intent, thereby concluding a magic tool supply contract. We respectfully request that this matter be thoroughly investigated and that punishment be imposed in accordance with the law.]
Liselotte erased the words “intentional intent” and added the phrase “dolus eventualis”. (when an accused person can objectively foresee that his conduct is likely to cause damage, but proceeds to act regardless of the consequences of his conduct, sort of indirect intent, or recklessness with awareness)
There could be no more accommodating attitude than this! She demonstrated it personally, and very actively, at that.
After finishing the revision of the complaint, Liselotte handed the document back to Hedmilton.
He hurried over and presented the complaint to the clerk.
“Here you go. We are submitting the consolidated documents.”
After checking the contents, the clerk passed them directly to the presiding official.
Watching him review the complaint with visible reluctance, Liselotte exclaimed brightly,
“Since a choice of intent induced by fraud becomes invalid, we will be asserting the invalidity of the contract.”
This was a complaint the Court couldn’t refuse.
“This is not something for a presiding official to investigate.”
It fell under the jurisdiction of another department, and since the outcome would affect the main lawsuit, consolidation was unavoidable.
The presiding official smacked his dry lips unnecessarily and murmured in a noticeably softened voice,
“This complaint does not fall under the jurisdiction of the court handling the main action. Therefore, it would be advisable for the plaintiff’s counsel to consolidate the fraud complaint and set a new hearing date.”
“Yes, we accept.”
Unlike Liselotte, who responded readily, Miro bit down hard on his lip.
It was hard to tell since his eyes weren’t visible, but he looked extremely irritated.
To him, the presiding official replied with a deliberately stern tone.
“And also, well… the defendant’s side will need evidence that lower-grade magic tools can produce higher-grade magic tools.”
“The plaintiff is the Tower Master. How are we supposed to obtain documentary proof from mages?”
Miro let out a plaintive complaint, putting on a pitiful act.
At that moment, the gaze of the presiding official, who until now had been nothing but favorable toward Miro, turned cold.
“Without magic, can the defendant do nothing at all?”
The very person who had been openly friendly to the Gloria side up to now was suddenly displaying clear displeasure, for reasons unknown.
Caught off guard by this shift in attitude, Miro fumbled with his glasses in surprise and hurriedly made excuses.
“Ah, no. I will look for other methods of proof.”
“Then the next hearing date will be notified individually. This concludes the trial.”
Bang, bang, bang. The crisp sound of the gavel echoed through the quiet courtroom.
Liselotte gazed silently at the presiding official.
‘…Does he dislike mages?’
But he was a scholar of magical theory.
He wasn’t a mage, but it wasn’t as though he had no connection to magic at all.
Watching the presiding official leave briskly, Liselotte gave instructions to Hedmilton, who was preparing to head back.
“Hedmilton, I will be returning with His Highness the Grand Duke. You will have to come separately.”
“Huh?”
Liselotte picked up the complaint that had been scattered across the desk and handed it to him.
“As usual, hold it tight against your chest and wander around the Capital for a bit, then submit it at the end.”
“Oh? Like this?”
Having immediately understood, Hedmilton blankly hugged the complaint to his chest.
At the top, the words “Criminal Complaint” were written in very large letters, making it extremely eye-catching.
“Very good.”
There was no noble who didn’t know that Hedmilton had left the Eastern Region and transferred to the North.
There was likewise no noble who didn’t know that Liselotte and Eren had openly made contact with mages in the Capital.
In that situation, if Hedmilton were to roam all over the Capital carrying a criminal complaint?
“Do everything you want to do in the Capital and come back. Got it?”
It was about time for the spectator seats to start filling up.
