Novel Bin Chapter 13: Only the corpse can know (3)
Chapter 13: Only the corpse can know (3)
It was truly something.
Thanks to that angry shout from someone, not just the cadets in the jury box but even the professors seemed to be convinced that I murdered someone.
Just the atmosphere of the courthouse seemed to envision my future.
A future where the magic resides in the restraint, which tightens the wrist, and one ends up on the knees, unable to withstand the weight of the restraints to exert their power.
-Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Quiet."
There was nothing in Machina's hands, but just by clapping her hand three times, the chapel went silent.
Now I know without words which cadets and faculty are friendly and who are not.
"Normally, a person lying in a daze at a murder scene with large amounts of blood isn't considered innocent."
"I was in no condition to commit murder. Cadet Theodore White can testify to it."
Although I called his name, Theodore didn't seem surprised.
Rather, I spoke so clearly among the noisy cadets, surprising the cadets gathered in the chapel.
Theodore stood in front of the music stand, which was being used for the witness stand.
"I swear not to perjure myself."
It was a sweet voice, like singing.
"Today's oath is all informal."
I thought that my actions would provoke Machina, the student council president, and the Black Lily Class majors in theology. However, she just had the most serene smile which didn't waver at all.
Theodore answered with his eyes lowered.
"Is there a problem?"
"Not at all."
"Yes."
The answer is a bit out of focus, and Theodore tried to continue speaking. But I quickly intervened.Foll𝑜ow current novÊls on nov3lb((in).(com)
"Cadet Theodore White, to add to the impatience, I would like you to tell me without adding or taking out anything you saw that day. Everything from the time, place, and situation."
Will this determine my intentions?
Theodore just stared at me, as he didn't react much.
"A little after midnight, Arma Cruz, whom I met in the chapel, was in a state of inability to control his body."
"How did his condition look?"
"It seemed like he was leaning against the altar in front."
Theodore pointed his finger to the altar and went silent.
"It seemed like?"
"I couldn't get a clear look at the face, so I got closer. Again, Arma Cruz wasn't capable of standing up on his own."
Machina nodded and looked at me intently.
The sunlight, which had begun to turn scarlet, passed through the stained glass and created a halo of five colors shining around her.
"So, you are saying he was incapable of moving on his own? I need to get the full details of this."
Perhaps this was the part she had been waiting for. Theodore continued speaking slowly in a voice that barely held any pitch.
"This is called insanity in some terms. Arma Cruz's consciousness was clear."
"Hmm...."
Machina rolled her eyes for a moment, as she wasn't getting the answer she wanted, and looked at the stained glass beyond the altar.
And as I looked at her expression and actions, I was clear about one thing.
'The purpose of this trial isn't to determine whether I am guilty or not.'
Machina's purpose is to frame me as a criminal and arrest me. If not, she wouldn't be so focused on what I was doing at the time rather than finding Kale Ace's body.
"Actually, we received a report last night and today."
"Report?"
"Right. There is a rumor spreading that something is trending within the academy that cadets shouldn't touch."
"Is that related to this incident?"
Machina didn't seem to have any intention of responding to me. Instead, she took something the size of a finger wrapped in a piece of paper from her pocket.
"It is a drug called Angel's Mischief. They say that just this amount can work on the bodies of 20 elephants."
"Machina!"
-Tak!
As expected, she planned to accuse me of being a drug addict.
I intentionally yelled out her name; this was the pattern of our conversation till now, and she paid no attention to my words.
"It is actually used as a muscle relaxant but extreme violent change with hallucinations is known to be a main side effect."
As Machina placed emphasis on the word 'violent' the cadets in the chapel began to mumble like they were sure I was guilty.
The mumble of excitement and shock has now turned into a mess and chaos.
If Judith wasn't there to stop them, some of those with weak strength or those who were really riled up would have run to me.
"I find it hard to believe that Cadet Arma Cruz was in that social circle. The Cruz family's tradition is also one thing, and even though the main building is far away, I didn't expect something like this to happen at Wooden Cross Pavilion, which faces the Black Lily Pavilion."
The story was flowing smoothly in the way she wanted. She was accusing me of committing a murder under the influence of drugs.
"But when it comes to drugs, it is a different story. We are currently investigating through which means it is being distributed, but we might be able to use this chance to crack down all the purchases."
"I don't know about it."
"I didn't expect you to say it from the start. This is especially known because by now the remaining drug components in your body must have gone away."
"...."
As she said, half a day is a considerable amount of time, and the time since midnight too. When it is assumed that I took the drugs around that time, no matter what test they conduct now, nothing will come out.
'And with this, I will no longer be cleared of charges.'
The charge of me being a drug addict would have to be confirmed at some other time.
At this point, the jurors are psychologically inclined to think of me as an addict or at least have suspicions about me since no drug test has been done.
Whatever the outcome, considering the situation at the time and how serious the incident was, it only serves as evidence of Arma Cruz being a drug addict and causing terror for cadets.
'Enough.'
It didn't really matter what Machina Christie thought of me.
I waited for this moment.
"You said it was a muscle relaxant?"
"Ah...!"
Shirley in the jury box reacted to my words and she whispered something to Judith.
And Judith, who had been silent since the beginning of the trial, opened her mouth.
"It seems certain that Arma was under the influence of a drug called Angel's Mischief."
"Right. What is this?"
The jury, which was too agitated calmed at their talks.
That is because if one were to line up the most special cadets, then those two would be competing for first and second place.
I quickly jumped on board with them.
"I also think that the president's guess is right. Hallucinations and violence... Now that I think about it, I definitely saw something similar to hallucinations."
"Hm?"
"Right, that is right. It was definitely a reaction to the angel's mischief."
The hall turned noisy again.
This is probably because it isn't something I would say; I should be struggling to escape all the charges put on me.
"But what if I took this drug called Angel's Mischief?"
"..."
"How was I able to get to the chapel on my own?"
Finally, Machina, who looked too calm, closed her mouth.
It was a very short time, but her silence meant that I finally managed to push her.
"I believe that the real culprit who tried to implicate me as the culprit in this incident clearly exists within the academy. Theodore."
"Yes."
"Could you please explain again what it was like when you first found me?"
Theodore nodded and repeated the same things he told Judith last night.
"So, as the student council head said, we suspected the presence of drugs, but the circumstances were too vague to support it."
"Why so?"
"Arma Cruz has been in a situation where he was unable to control his body for a very long time due to the circumstances, and the weapon wasn't a gun."
"I would like to request the confirmation of goods and bullets that were recovered by the student council."
Machina Christie snapped her fingers.
The smile that had vanished from her face had returned, and she crossed her arms as if something very interesting was happening and was even trying to match what I said.
"This is the weapon recovered from the suspect, Cadet Arma Cruz. In addition to this, there are 2 unloaded bullets collected from him and 8 others found in the dorm, making a total of 10 bullets, all of which were not fired."
"The gun and the bullets were personally authorized to be possessed by the president, so they have separate engravings on them."
"Is that so, President?"
The president nodded after confirming the gun and bullets were wrapped in velvet cloth inside a storage bag.
"All items are permitted to be imported."
"Thank you for the confirmation."
Machina looked at the student from the local student body who was coming towards her with the evidence bag.
Now, just me, Machina, and Theodore, who appeared as witnesses, were left on stage.
"There is one last thing I want to make clear now."
"Please go ahead."
"I think it would have been brought as evidence, but I would like to recreate the crime scene using the clothes and holster I wore yesterday."
-Snap!
Instead of answering, Machina snapped her fingers and called out two student council members.
Two cadets, with identical clothes and bags like twins, quietly opened the bag and showed the contents. The clothes I wore when I was taken away from Arthur's room.
Of course, what came out of the bag wasn't just the clothes borrowed from Arthur but even the bloody clothes from the crime scene.
When the bag was opened and the blood stained-uniform was revealed, the hall, which was calm until then, turned noisy again.
I opened my mouth before any more speculation came.
"First, the pants."
A cadet wearing white cotton gloves unfolded the pants and put them on the altar as I pointed at them.
"Please adjust the position little by little so that the blood-stained part comes to the top."
As I said, the cadets adjusted the clothes. In order for the bloody part to come up, the pants had to be opened wide from the crotch side.
The shirt was tucked inside the jacket and folded so that both sleeves came together at the center button, as if one's hands were placed on the stomach.
And on top was the belt and holster; this was the rough idea I had for how I was at the crime scene.
"At the time of the incident, I must have been lying down with both hands on my stomach."
At that moment, the color outside the window was changing to scarlet red, now, the color of sunset, and hint of black for the night.
"As everyone here knows, my magic aptitude is 0. The only weapon I have is that pistol, which holds two rounds at most."
I slowly approached the altar, which was stained with bloody clothes now.
"The only weapon I can use is the gun, but they say the gun isn't the murder weapon."
And then I carefully put the blood-soaked uniform down, which still smelled of blood. The eerie high ceiling I saw yesterday and the iron smell from the clothes all took me back to the nightmare.
Now is my turn to ask Machina.
"What should I do if, lying down in this position, I want to hack a person to death? Is this a problem whose response only the corpse knows? Or is this the real angel's mischief?"