Chapter 44

It was the day of the trial, three days later in the morning.

Before dawn, in the dim early morning, Akari was awakened by a knock on the door of the room where she was staying, which was the association's duty room.

"Akari, are you awake?"

Akari heard Ophelia's voice from the other side of the door.

"Ah, yes, I just woke up!"

Akari jumped out of bed and hurriedly replied.

"I'm sorry for waking you so early. Please get dressed quickly and come to the branch manager's office."

While replying, "Yes, I will," Akari rolled out of bed and hurriedly put on her clothes.

Akari's belongings had been returned to her by the internal affairs investigator.

Therefore, she was not wearing the ill-fitting leather outfit that Zou had bought for her.

Although it had only been two days since she came down from the mountain, Akari looked at the leather outfit packed in her trunk with a nostalgic expression.

She couldn't bring herself to throw it away.

---

"Hey, good morning. I'm glad you're safe."

When Akari entered the branch manager's office, a woman who had been sitting on a leather sofa with a wooden frame stood up and greeted her in a friendly manner.

"Aoi-senpai!"

It was none other than Saotome Aoi, the wielder of the "Scythe of Truth."

She wore a black-framed glasses, her hair was tied back, and her face had a sharp contour rather than an oval shape. Though her physique was not much different from Akari's, she wore a white priestess uniform, and unlike Akari, she had a well-developed bust. Akari was two years younger, having been summoned as a high school senior, and she was now twenty years old.

"Thank you for coming all the way here for me."

Akari bowed deeply to Aoi.

"You haven't changed, have you? I heard you left the magic academy and became a hunter, but it seems you've gotten involved in quite a bit of trouble. Well, it's a request from a junior, so I can handle a bit of inconvenience. Besides, since this is the first special trial, it's not a bad thing for the church. Don't worry about it."

"Sure, sit down," Aoi said, gesturing to the sofa opposite Akari.

Lifting her head, Akari looked around, and Aoi explained:

"Lord Ophelia was considerate enough to clear the room for us."

"Thank you," Akari said, sitting opposite Aoi.

"You must have had a tough time."

"No, it wasn't that bad."

"There's a lot to talk about, but let's leave that for another time. I'm sorry to bring this up so early in the morning, but let's talk about the trial. We don't have much time, and this is a trial without precedent. The procedure might be a bit rough, but I hope you can bear with it."

"Of course, I understand."

Akari nodded solemnly.

Seeing this, Aoi smiled slightly.

"You don't have to be so tense. The rules haven't changed much from the original, but let me explain them to you."

Aoi began to explain one by one.

Akari listened intently, summarizing the points in her mind.

[Article 1: The trial of truth is valid only in countries that have ratified the International Trial Treaty, but it does not exclude the people of non-ratifying countries.]

[Article 2: The trial of truth shall not be interfered with or coerced by any authority or power. At the same time, it shall not interfere with or coerce in any way other than the result of the trial.]

[Article 3: The trial of truth shall only be accepted upon the declaration of the parties involved, and no one can be tried without their consent, regardless of who they are.]

[Article 4: The questions for the trial of truth shall be prepared based on prior consultation with the person being tried.]

[Article 5: The trial of truth shall only prove the facts of the questions prepared in consultation with the person being tried. It shall not prove anything else.]

[Article 6: The trial of truth consists of ordinary and special trials. An ordinary trial involves questioning the person being tried and proving the facts within the scope of life using the "Scythe of Truth." A special trial involves questioning the person being tried and proving the facts with their life using the "Scythe of Truth." The results of the special trial are reported to all ratifying countries.]

[Article 7: The proceedings of the trial of truth shall begin with the confirmation of the person's willingness to accept the trial using the "Scythe of Truth." However, if the willingness to accept the trial cannot be confirmed, the trial shall be canceled.]

"That's about it."

"I understand."

Akari listened seriously, as if she were studying.

"You haven't changed, have you? I wanted to move on to the content of the trial, but could you indulge me a little this time?"

"Yes, what is it?"

Aoi smiled wryly.

"This is something that is irrelevant to those who are about to be tried, but I hope you won't be angry when you hear it.

Suppose, for example, that you lie. You will die."

And Aoi continued:

"At the same time, I will become the person who killed you. Not to judge your sin, but just to kill you for lying."

Akari gasped. She hadn't realized such a simple fact.

Since Akari wasn't lying, she didn't have to worry, but she should have realized it for Aoi's sake.

"Sorry, I—"

"Don't apologize. That's not what I meant. What I want to say is, I don't want you to make me kill you. I don't want the first person I kill in this world to be Akari, a fellow summoner. I don't want that, no matter what the person who created this trial says."

"No, in this world. I believe in your decision, senpai. So, I won't let you kill me."

Akari looked straight at Aoi.

"Let me retract my previous statement. You... have changed a bit. It's hard to say exactly what, but—"

"Hehe, really?"

"…You really have changed. You weren't the type to laugh so carelessly, were you?"

Saying this, Aoi laughed heartily.

"Hey, are you making that face?" Akari said, touching her face.

"I want to hear more about that, but we need to decide the content of the trial."

It had been two hours just discussing the explanation and the content of the trial.

Before she knew it, the sun was shining brightly through the window of the branch manager's office.

"Well, that's about it."

"Yes, I'm sorry for taking your time."

"This is the job I chose."

"Is that so? I finally decided what I want to do."

"Really? You found it, rather than decided it. I see. If we have time, I'd like to talk about it more."

Akari laughed.

"Then, I'll take my leave. I'll see you at the trial."

Aoi stood up and left the room with a steady gait.

---

And then, the moment arrived.

Akari was wearing her summoning uniform, which was considered formal attire.

The uniform consisted of a vermilion ribbon at the neck, a charcoal gray blazer, a white blouse, and a checked skirt.

Akari realized that the uniform, which she hadn't worn in a long time, still fit her perfectly.

After almost two years, she was shocked by her lack of growth, especially in the chest area.

"……"

"Akari Fujishiro, please come this way…?"

The guide looked worried at Akari's dejected appearance.

"Ah, sorry!"

Akari passed through the door of an old room and headed towards the chapel.

The church in this village was a Sandra church, but it was old and dilapidated, and the priests were not permanent residents but sent there. It was a small stone church located in a corner of the village.

There were not many rooms in the small church, and Akari soon arrived at the chapel.

"Please enter when your name is called."

The guide who had led her disappeared somewhere.

Akari stood alone in front of the large wooden door, feeling her heart beat loudly and strongly.

Until a moment ago, she hadn't felt the reality of the situation amidst the rapid flow of events, but standing alone in front of the large door of the chapel, she was suddenly brought back to reality.

There was a murmur from the other side of the door.

Aoi was probably re-explaining the rules of the trial of truth and demonstrating the power of the "Scythe of Truth."

Then, a voice called out:

"Akari Fujishiro, come in."

Before Akari could push the door, it creaked open.

She wasn't calm at all.

Through the gap in the door, she could see the other side.

The room was dim, and only the area around the candlesticks was faintly illuminated.

A straight path led from the door, with candlesticks lined up on either side.

At the end of the path was a large white statue of Mid, the Sun's Child, and at its feet stood Aoi, wearing only a white robe.

The robe was slightly see-through, and everything except for the parts that should not be seen was faintly visible.

Was she not embarrassed? Akari wondered.

The door continued to open.

On the fan-shaped benches on either side, envoys from various countries, dressed in formal attire, stood up and stared at Akari.

Their gaze increased Akari's tension, making her legs tremble.

But, suppressing the urge to vomit, Akari took a step forward.

Once she started moving, she could walk naturally.

Akari walked straight down the path to Aoi, looking only ahead.

The gazes that fell upon her included those of Ophelia, Maxim, and Hayato. Although not all members of Hayato's party were present, there were no other summoners like Erika or Kaede.

But Akari had no time to think about that.

Her heart felt like it was about to jump out of her mouth, and she felt sick.

She was glad the church was small, as she quickly reached Aoi.

Aoi gave a slight smile that only Akari could see.

Then, she raised her head and looked around.

It was a face Akari had never seen before.

A flawless, strict priestess.

"We will now conduct the special trial."

Akari thought it looked like a stage without any decoration.

On a raised platform from the fan-shaped benches, there was a wooden base.

Aoi stood there.

"First, we will confirm your willingness to accept the trial. Akari Fujishiro, please extend your arm forward."

Akari extended her arm in front of Aoi, visible to the envoys.

Aoi raised her arm silently above her head.

White light gathered there.

After a while, a pure white scythe was held in Aoi's hand.

Aoi looked at Akari and spoke.

"Does Akari Fujishiro accept this trial of truth of her own free will, without being forced or coerced by anyone?"

Akari took a breath and answered.

"---No, I do not."

Then, the scythe was swung.

Akari closed her eyes involuntarily.

Silence enveloped the room.

"The truth has been confirmed."

At this voice, Akari opened her eyes and looked at her arm.

There were no wounds anywhere.

She glanced sideways at the pure white scythe that had passed through her arm.

It was slightly, slightly trembling.

Aoi, showing no sign of such a reaction, continued.

"Then, the questions of truth—"

A shock and the sound of breaking.

The windows, sealed with curtains, along with the wooden shutters attached to them, were shattered from the outside.

It was an attack.

Silent men in black stormed in, all of them targeting Akari.

"Who would come in broad daylight?"

Maxim's massive body leaped to block the path to Akari and delivered a punch to the head of a nearby attacker.

The attacker fell to the ground, sinking into it.

"Foolish."

As Ophelia muttered, several attackers were knocked unconscious by stones protruding from the ground.

The attackers, who were scattered throughout the room, showed a slight sign of confusion.

One by one, the scattered attackers were silently taken down.

"Who would dare to harm my comrades in front of me?"

Hayato, taking advantage of his speed, ran around the chapel, subduing the attackers one after another.

Each time Hayato's black holy sword was swung, the number of attackers decreased.

The attackers were easily repelled.

"---Who hired you?"

Maxim