“Count Bindewald, are you of the same perspective?” Sylvester asked, moving his eyes to Bindewald and frowning with annoyance after the High Bishop started repeating himself. The burned-up toad was pretty much on the same page as the High Bishop, blaming me, the commoner, for everything.
Isn’t it kind of unreasonable to blame those burns on me? I mean, come on.
“Now then, Ferdinand. Please present your evidence and testimony.”
“As you wish.”
The High Priest began to dryly list off everything that had happened after Bindewald entered the city using a forged permit. He included a report on me being attacked in the lower city, seeking my father’s perspective as a guard at the east gate where the problem had first occurred, which strengthened his testimony further. Judging by how much the High Priest knew, he must have been magically contacted in his room somehow, which was possibly why he had left his hidden room in the first place.
“As I am not from this duchy, I had no way of knowing that the rules had changed, or that my permit was forged. I was invited and came, nothing more. Is that a crime?” Bindewald insisted the incident in the lower city had nothing to do with him, and that he was just another victim here. “Aub Ehrenfest, I had no idea that this document was forged. I thought for certain that you had signed it yourself,” he said with a forced smile while taking out a document from his coat pocket.
Karstedt retrieved it and handed the document to Sylvester, who looked over it before giving a slight grin. I could see him going “Hell yeah, evidence get!” on the inside, which made me realize something—there were some other documents I wanted him to get from Bindewald.
“Count Bindewald tricked Dirk into a submission contract by claiming it was an adoption form. Would that document count as forged as well?”
“This child is lying to you. I presented it as a submission contract from the very start. A noble such as myself would never adopt a commoner orphan,” Bindewald replied on the spot, glaring at me and calling me a liar.
Delia glared back at him with a fierce look in her eyes, Dirk still in her arms. “The High Bishop and the count said it was an adoption form, and there were two layers of parchment at the top to hide the actual title.”
“Silence!”
“...Show us the document.”
With the second layer of parchment already removed, there was nothing suspicious about the submission contract at all. There was consequently nothing to hide, so Bindewald took it out and presented it to Karstedt without a moment of hesitation.
“So, Ferdinand?”
“I was shown an adoption contract.” The High Priest glared at Bindewald, as if frustrated that he would tell such an obvious lie. My testimony as a commoner and Delia’s testimony as an apprentice gray shrine maiden meant nothing due to our lower status, but the High Priest was a noble, which meant that his testimony had weight. The fact that Sylvester had asked for his opinion showed how much trust he had in him.
Bindewald paled, having disrespected the High Priest after thinking he was just another blue priest. “Surely you just misread. Plus, we are talking about an orphan with the Devouring here—in this case, there is not much difference between an adoption form and a submission contract. Am I wrong?”
He was wrong, but apparently he wanted to pretend he wasn’t. Bindewald’s eyes flitted across the room; he had sensed things weren’t in his favor and was looking for a way out which, in his mind, he found when he saw me. His eyes widened in realization and he pointed at me, changing the topic out of nowhere.
“More importantly, I ask you to punish that commoner!”
“Commoner?” Sylvester replied, an eyebrow raised. The fact he had replied at all must have made Bindewald think he had a chance as he began ranting about me, spit shooting out of his mouth.
“I have heard this Myne girl is a commoner who was only given blue robes due to your magnanimity, Aub. And yet, she arrogantly behaves as if she is at the top of the world. She fired her mana at me, a noble, and killed my personal guards who only fought to protect me. She is a dangerous and violent commoner. I can hardly imagine what vile corruption rots her mind.”
His speech was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but blink in surprise. What the heck is this toad saying? Does he have actual brain damage or something?
“You’re the one who ordered your soldiers to kidnap me. Do you not even remember what you did just a moment ago?”
“Do not argue with a noble, commoner!” Bindewald barked, glaring at me furiously. But Sylvester just grinned.
“Count Bindewald, let me clear up a misunderstanding real fast. That girl you keep calling a commoner is my adopted daughter.”
“Sh-She’s... What?! A commoner, adopted by an archduke?!”
Sylvester, ignoring Bindewald’s stunned expression, gestured me over. “We’ve already finished the adoption contract. Myne, c’mere.” I walked over to him, and Sylvester pulled at the chain around my neck, exposing the necklace with the black stone. “And here’s proof of that.”
“This girl... is your adopted daughter...?”
“Yup. If she were a commoner, you’d be in the right here. The law would work in your favor. But Myne’s already my adopted daughter. Know what that means? Your crime isn’t just illegally entering the capital city of another duchy, it’s attacking a member of the archduke’s family. Her guards are seriously injured, and she’s saying that you attacked her with mana.” Sylvester gave a dismissive snort, then looked my way. “Tell me what the count did to you.”
“He didn’t just attack me with mana; I was ambushed in the lower city, and he tried to force a submission contract on me. That’s when he cut me with a knife,” I explained as I spread my palm,
