Her argument sounded as logical as it did nonsensical.
The one thing Shin-u knew for sure was that she wasn’t the least bit scared of this beast. Perhaps because her serenity did little to provoke its wrath, or perhaps because it regarded her tranquil bearing with caution, the lion did nothing but sniff at her sleeves, making no move to attack. Upon seeing this, Shin-u bought the story in the legend for the first time; maybe a self-possessed sage would have escaped the beast unscathed.
The spectators broke into confused whispers at this unexpected turn of events.
“Why, I’ve never seen the lion leave someone alone!”
“Does this mean Shu Keigetsu is innocent?”
“I suppose it’s true that no one saw her do it.”
“But what else could have happened?”
Most rankled by the buzz of the crowd was Gyoumei, who seethed with righteous indignation. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. Captain, prod the beast with your sword.” He was commanding the guard to spur the lion into action.
“But, Your Highness, that would compromise the integrity of—”
“Captain. That was an order.” Gyoumei shot down Shin-u’s protest with finality. “That’s her punishment for mocking Reirin.”
As far as his half brother, Shin-u, was concerned, Gyoumei was no tyrant. On the contrary, he valued reason, cared for the weak, and was extolled as a great ruler-to-be. However, that was all the more reason he didn’t hesitate to punish those who would behave unreasonably or torment weak young girls without so much as an apology.
The crown prince’s orders were absolute. Shin-u glanced at the woman in the cage and saw that she remained as calm as ever. Then, without another word, he poked the beast in the side with the tip of his sword.
Never in his wildest dreams had he thought this trial would make him feel guilt for Shu Keigetsu.
Grr… Grrraaah!
The hitherto docile lion roared. Shrieks erupted from the crowd as it flung itself against the inside of the cage over and over, drool spilling from its open jaws.
It pounced at the girl. She had managed to keep still until that moment, but as the beast attempted to sink its teeth into her sleeves, she scrambled to pull her arm out of its reach.
“Y-you mustn’t!”
Had fear won out at last? Shin-u automatically averted his gaze.
Nooo! That’s where I’m keeping the remains of Mr. Rat!
The truth behind Reirin’s sudden panic, however, was that the sleeve of her robe was hiding the rat she’d met in the dungeon. She’d been playing with the rodent right before she was taken from her cell, and then it had accidentally swallowed the poison from Tousetsu. She had completely forgotten that she’d dropped the poison in shock when she saw Keigetsu’s flame magic. Blaming herself for its death, she’d tucked its corpse away in her sleeve, planning to bury it as soon as the opportunity arose.
“C-calm down! I get it, it’s instinct for you to want this!”
You’re a relative of the cat, after all!
Backing away, Reirin made a desperate attempt to reason with the lion. “I understand that’s the natural order of things, but I haven’t had the time to move on! I mean, I’d like to atone in my own way!”
The crowd went wild at the sight of “Shu Keigetsu’s” sudden, marked distress. Reirin, meanwhile, was in too much of a tizzy to notice.
“Um, I realize this might sound like an excuse, but it’s for your own good! Eating this won’t do you any favors!”
Stripped of her shoes, she felt the chill of the steel bars against her heels. There was nowhere left to run.
Grraaaah!
“Once you’ve gathered your wits, you’ll see that the freshness and quality of this snack leave something to… Eek!”
Her attempts at diplomacy had failed; the starved, agitated beast sprang upon her. The tear of cloth echoed through the arena, followed by an even louder roar.
But when the same onlookers who had shut their eyes or averted their gazes at last shifted their attention back to the cage, their jaws dropped. The lion had swallowed the scraps it snatched up with a ferocious speed, only to slump to the ground a few moments later.
“What…?”
“Huh? The lion was the one to fall?”
While the audience around her was stunned into silence, the girl gasped and fell to her knees. “I tried to warn you! No…the responsibility is mine. I’m sorry.”
She reached out to pet the beast. When she was sure that it had breathed its last, her shoulders slumped in grief.
“Uh… Is the lion…dead?”
Before long, the crowd broke out into confused whispers.
“Does this mean the trial is over?”
“Surely it must? One of the parties is dead.”
“Then does that mean Shu Keigetsu was innocent?”
There was no precedent for the accused outliving the beast in the Lion’s Judgment. No one was sure how to judge the outcome in this scenario.
Eventually, Shin-u twisted the key in the lock and came into the cage. “Hey, Shu Keigetsu. Can you stand? I need to check if the lion is dead. Out of the way.”
Keeping the tip of his sword pressed to the beast’s throat, he conducted a brief examination. “Poison, huh?” he muttered at last, then turned his blade on the girl instead. “Did you set this up?”
“No. It was a tragic accident.”
“An accident? How?”
“The problem was Mr. Rat, you see…”
Even with the blade of the dreaded executioner thrust before her, “Shu Keigetsu” did not flinch. When the crestfallen girl told him the truth of the situation, Shin-u was stunned.
“You hid one of the dungeon rats in your sleeve? To bury it?”
“Yes. It lost its life due to my own carelessness.”
She’d responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but had she always been the sort to demonstrate such responsibility and compassion?