“Settle down, everyone. We only have a limited amount of time, so we must use it wisely. Now then, let’s commence today’s trial.”
“O-Of course, King Uther,” began a servant of the court. “Allow me to explain the details of today’s—”
“There’s no need for that,” Headmaster Uther interrupted him. “I’ve already perceived all I need to with my Clairvoyance. I’m well aware of what happened.”
“My apologies!” The functionary hurriedly set down the documents he had been about to read off.
The headmaster never changes. He’s always in a hurry, as if he’s rushing through life. I wonder why, though? No mage can ever hope to reach his level.
“In that case, King Uther, I’m sure the answer is obvious. That girl has committed a sacrilegious act, defiling a relic of the most high God. She ought to be subject to the most severe punishment, and the Holy Alliance will be more than happy to administer it.”
“No, no, please permit the Blue Sea Union to take custody of her. To have ignited such a blaze, she must have extraordinary mana capacity. If we play our cards right, she could be a valuable tool.”
The headmaster ignored the requests from both the Union and Coalition jurors. Instead, he said, “Settle down, everyone. We should hear the girl’s own testimony.” He rose from the judge’s chair, stepped down from the bench, and came to stand in front of me. “Eugene, place this bracelet around Sumire’s arm.”
“Sumire?” I’d never heard that name before, but I could tell by following the headmaster’s line of sight that he was referring to the girl.
“You haven’t even asked for her name yet? Well, I suppose it’s of little consequence. Hurry now, Eugene.”
“Y-Yessir.”
As he commanded, I looked at the girl to wordlessly ask if I could place the bracelet on her. I thought she would refuse, but she nodded without complaint. With a click, I fitted the bracelet around her wrist, and the headmaster asked her, “Sumire, do you understand what we’re saying?”
For a long moment, she didn’t say anything. But then... “Yes, I do.”
Oh! I can understand her! Murmurs erupted through the courthouse. Before Headmaster Uther’s arrival, the staff had used many magic items in an attempt to decipher her strange language, but to no avail. Naturally, we were all surprised at how easily Headmaster Uther had resolved the problem.
“Now then, could you introduce yourself to us?” the headmaster continued.
“My name is Sumire.”
The headmaster was right—her name really was Sumire. What a strange name. I don’t think anyone on the Southern Continent has a name like that.
“Do you know where you came from?” the headmaster asked.
Sumire thought for a moment before replying, “No, I don’t. When I woke up, I was in that field. My memories... They’re foggy.”
“Amnesia, eh?” At Sumire’s words, the headmaster stroked his beard, lost in thought.
“Amnesia? How convenient! I don’t believe it for a second!” someone in the gallery yelled.
Sumire jumped at the angry voice. They don’t have to take such an aggressive tone with her...
“Is there anything you do remember?” I asked, trying to sound as gentle as possible. “Like your birthplace, for instance.”
“My birthplace? I-It’s Tokyo, Japan. I was born and raised there.”
Japan? I’ve never heard of such a place. Judging by the sound of the name, though, I’m guessing it’s a country on the Eastern Continent.
“We should use Appraisal on her! That way, we’ll know whether she’s telling the truth!” the juror from the Holy Alliance yelled.
“Did you forget we tried that already? For whatever reason, we couldn’t discern anything,” someone replied.
“And that’s why I’m saying she’s suspicious! She must have something to hide if she’s deflecting our Appraisal!”
The juror from the Holy Alliance was resorting to any reason he could think of to paint the girl as a villain.
“Hmm, you couldn’t see anything with Appraisal, you say?” Headmaster Uther said. “I see. By the way, Eugene, can you tell me two reasons Appraisal might not work? You should’ve learned this at school.”
Hey, why are you dragging me into this?! “Um, either the target is using a spell to interfere with the Appraisal, or the Appraiser isn’t very good at their job.” That’s it, right?
“Preposterous,” someone complained. “The courthouse only hires experienced Appraisers. I doubt they lack the necessary skill.”
“Do you, now? But my Appraisal Eye is showing me both her species and her status.”
At the headmaster’s words, the grumbler fell silent.
What the heck, Headmaster Uther? So you knew her identity this whole time? “So, what is she?”
“Do you really want to know?” He grinned at me. The headmaster relished his theatrics, but he also made them cool. “Very well, I shall give you your answer! She is an Ifrit! A being from the Age of Legends, said to have gone extinct in ancient times!”
In response to the revelation, the courthouse fell silent. An Ifrit? That’s the kind of thing you only see in picture books.
“The Ifrits walked the Earth before the first humans. Now they have returned from extinction! Reincarnated into the modern age!” the headmaster continued, sounding excited as he explained.
He sure seems to be having fun. Makes sense, considering how much he loves rare magical beings.
“A-All right, I can accept that she’s an Ifrit. But where did she come from? That doesn’t explain how she popped into the dungeon! And besides, it’s the undeniable truth that she damaged Babel. Her crime mustn’t go un—”
But the juror from the Holy Alliance paused when Headmaster Uther raised his hand.
“Let’s go through your concerns one by one,” he said. “First, you wish to know where Sumire came from?” The courthouse fell silent again; everyone awaited his next words. “The hint to that question lies in the words Sumire spoke earlier.”
“My words?” Sumire murmured, confused.
“Earlier, she said she came from Tokyo, Japan. Unfortunately, there is no such country or city in this world!”
“Th-That can’t be true!” she exclaimed in a panic. She must have thought that Headmaster Uther was calling her a liar.
“Hold on, now,” Headmaster Uther said. “I said ‘in this world,’ didn’t I? That means both Japan and Tokyo exist in the world you came from, Sumire.”
Shocked muttering broke out among the gallery and the jurors.
“What’s he talking about?”
“Wait, could he mean...”
“No way!”