The Southern Continent was dominated by three major powers: the Grenflare Empire, into which I was born; the Blue Sea Union, a republic consisting of many small countries; and the Holy Alliance, a coalition of theocracies led by the Cardia Halidom. Currently, Karaf was an independent city-state and wasn’t dominated by any of the three. That meant it was a melting pot of citizens from all three powers. During trials, it was our custom to pick jurors from each of the three to prevent national chauvinism from affecting the final verdict.
“Foul Dungeon Destroyer... God himself created the Last Dungeon. How dare she defile it? She ought to be sentenced to death!”
The one calling for the most extreme punishment likely hailed from the Holy Alliance. Citizens of the Alliance venerated the Last Dungeon as a sacred site constructed directly by God. As a result of this fanaticism, they had little mercy for those they termed Dungeon Destroyers.
“Calm down for a moment. You were watching on the Satellite System, yes? The criminal is surely a rare magical being. Think of all the progress we can make if we use her as a lab rat.”
This next speaker hailed, I was pretty sure, from the Blue Sea Union. The small countries that made up the union were constantly vying with one another for greater power, and skirmishes broke out routinely. Therefore, many of them had a pragmatic cast of mind and were willing to use any tools at their disposal to get the upper hand. This person fit the stereotype.
“Everyone, we don’t even know if she’s guilty or not, so how can we label her a criminal? Our top priority should be figuring out the truth.”
The one who’d made the calmest statement hailed from the empire... Actually, I recognized him as a teacher at Lykeion Magic Academy. Whew. At least they’d chosen someone with sense for the jury.
I was on the witness stand next to the girl who had been accused of being a Dungeon Destroyer. We were waiting for all involved parties to assemble. The girl had woken up earlier, but she looked terrified, as if she didn’t recognize where she was. Meanwhile, the jury continued to squabble with each other.
“That girl ignited the fire! We all saw that. It’s definitive proof!”
“But she didn’t appear to be in control of the flames. It might’ve been an accident.”
“The only way to learn the truth is to ask her, but the language barrier means we can’t understand each other.”
“She could be acting. It’s just too suspicious.”
“She’s obviously speaking a language, even if it’s one we’ve never heard before.”
“It must be the tongue the demons from the Northern Continent converse in. The foul language those heretics use is unintelligible.”
“The academy has been studying the language of the Northern Continent, and her words don’t match any that we know of.”
“So? She could be a member of a lesser-known species that spends its wretched existence in some backwater province!”
I could see the gallery filling up with people who must’ve heard the rumors about the Dungeon Destroyer. Everyone was so nosy. But I could understand. The king only personally judged cases of extreme importance to the city-state, which naturally piqued everyone’s curiosity.
Next to me, the girl wore an expression of concern, her gaze cast downward. I wished I could do something for her, but I couldn’t even soothe her fears since I didn’t speak her language. But then, suddenly...
“His Majesty has arrived!” a loud voice echoed through the courthouse, and everyone looked over at the entrance.
A broad-shouldered middle-aged man walked in. A crimson cloak with gold embroidery flowed behind him. Though he appeared to be in his early thirties, no one knew his real age. He cast his keen gaze, so closely resembling that of a carnivorous beast, across the people sitting in the courthouse before letting it rest on me.
“Eugene, it’s been too long. How have you been?” he asked, smiling with his teeth.
“Long time no see, Headmaster Uther,” I replied with a courteous bow of my head. The rest of the people in the courthouse copied the motion.
King Uther Mercurius Pendragon was not only the ruler of the dungeon city Karaf but also served as the headmaster of the academy. If you asked him, though, he was “a magical scholar and an eternal explorer.” Apparently, he’d just happened to ascend to the positions of both king and headmaster.