In the Lavish Chamber - The Secret Meeting
In the opulent chamber, during the covert meeting of these three enigmatic figures, a pink seashell the size of a palm lay on the table before Lucaroji. It began to glow and emit a faint sound. Lucaroji excused himself, took the shell, opened it, and a voice spoke from within. He began conversing: "Yes, yes, indeed... Now? Didn't they say the trial session is tomorrow?"
"Very well. Until then."
When Bangel heard "trial," he knew it was something urgent. "What? Are you leaving now?"
Lucaroji stood, gathering a few items from the table. "Yes, I have a case to conclude. Adom will accompany me. Therefore, you may go to Togashi and look after him. Let's go, Adom."
Adom rises quietly from his chair, closes the book in his hands gently, and places it on the table. His gaze passes over Bangel with a calm mockery.
"A case and a trial... How tediously routine. I would have preferred to finish my second cup of tea, but it seems I am compelled to accompany my lord to the grand theater."
He extends his arm lightly; a vortex of black smoke forms around his wrist like a summoning sigil. He turns to Bangel with that subtly crooked smile—impossible to discern whether it's scorn or mere playfulness.
"Take good care of the boy Togashi, Bangel. And don't worry... I won't stray from him any further than his own will permits. Just don't drown him in the pity humans possess. He needs fire, not warmth."
Then he turns to Lucaroji, slipping his hands into his cloak, speaking with light sarcasm: "So, to the trial? I hope the crime this time is worth watching... because the last session was so dull it made me consider incinerating the judge."
He tilts his head slightly toward Lucaroji, his tone lowering as if striking a note between seriousness and mockery: "Ready, Lucaroji. Just lead the way, and I'll ensure our smoke leaves no trace in this place."
Lucaroji replied to Adom: "Heh heh heh, yes, yes. But don't worry, I am the judge assigned to this case. You won't be bored."
Adom bows slightly, a cunning smile etching his features. "Indeed. If you are the judge, the arbitrator, and the preconceived verdict, then I shall be the masked one who unsettles the audience and keeps the scene thrilling."
"I won't doze off during the performance, and I won't miss a shot worth a gasp—and I'll ensure the scene is never dull (unless you shout 'sentence execution,' then I shall play my role to perfection). So I shall be the one who... strikes at the heart of the matter."
Lucaroji walked towards the door and opened it, saying: "We shall see. But for now, let us go. Perhaps you will be disguised as a human and be among the jury."
Adom walks slowly behind Lucaroji, his tail swaying lightly as he laughs softly. "Heh, a disguised juror... a delicious idea. A human face with a demon's mind—this role was made for the likes of me."
He runs a hand over his head covering and says sarcastically:
"But don't blame me if I leak a bit of 'chaos' into the proceedings. Humans appear more honest when they're a little afraid, don't you think?"
He casts a sly, sidelong glance at Lucaroji: "Just tell me, who will be the victim this time, Lucaroji?"
Lucaroji replies as he exits the room: "You will know everything when we arrive. Let's go now."
Adom bends lightly, gathers his cloak with a cold hand, and tucks the book inside his garments like one concealing an ancient toy.
"Very well. I won't be late for the scene."
"If you need me to be a disguised juror—you shall get a juror who smiles in the face of truth and then bites it."
"Let's see what theater you present now, Lucaroji… Do not deprive me of an entertaining act."
---
After this sarcastic exchange, Bangel decided to ignore them and disregard the meeting. He rose from his seat, summoned an aura from his hand, grasped his sword, placed it in the bag—which transformed into another scabbard—and the sword began to gleam brightly.
Bangel then left the room after Lucaroji and Adom's departure, exited the house leaving everything as it was, without taking a single sip of tea. Outside, it was still noon; the capital's atmosphere was humid with a light breeze. He headed towards the village, declaring his time here concluded.
---
Jolt. Jolt. Then, a return. Togashi found himself suddenly falling from the sky, the world spinning around him. He could see nothing clearly, only hearing his own bloody scream clinging to the edges of his throat, shrieking in terror until—!
He awoke abruptly in the night. Looking around, he found his mother sleeping on the floor, her arms resting on the bed so her head lay upon Togashi's mattress. His panic woke his mother with a start. She looked directly at him, stood, rushed to him, and said: "My son, what troubles you?"
She took his hand warmly, sensing it, embracing it, and said: "I pray you are well now."
Togashi finally regained his senses after the recent dizziness and said: "Yes, better than before. What about you? Why are you here?"
His question seemed strange to his mother. She sat on his bed and said calmly: "Do you not remember anything that happened to you yesterday?"
Her question was no less strange. Nothing had been right from the beginning. He said, bewildered: "How could I not remember? The temple, and when I woke here... I remember everything."
But his words were true—only partially. Gradually, the story began to change. Togashi started recording in his memoirs incorrectly. Yes—Togashi was living lies—as his memory began to falter slightly... "What? Memory?" Yes, had he not forgotten the name of one of his ancestors before?
His mother continued, responding to Togashi: "Yesterday, your uncle Bangel found you in the forest when he tracked your trail and your friend Takuma's. He found Takuma barely breathing, and you bleeding madly, until you woke in the hospital. You were very aggressive and refused to speak, only wanting to eat. You seemed a different person. You wanted no one in the room except Bangel, who stayed with you and then left silently without telling us where he was going."
For a moment, Togashi felt he would vomit what he had eaten. His mother rushed to him, assisting him and giving him water until he recovered. He wiped his mouth and told his mother exactly what had happened to him—that he felt he hadn't been himself and that it wasn't normal for them to leave the room just because he asked them to... (Seriously, is it logical for them to leave so easily just because he told them to?)
And also: He had only been absent for one day, but due to his disturbed memory, he believed it was five months. This kind of memory manipulation is what would hinder Togashi if left unaddressed.
Togashi looked at the room's window, with its repetitive design found in all village homes, even the local clinics. The full moon was clear through it, and their conversation continued that night.
The night passed peacefully until its end.
---
But amidst these affairs, for the youth accustomed to mystery, in a realm far removed from Togashi's tranquil life:
In the courtroom, specifically, the major case began:
[The Trial of the Eastern Shores Inn]
After Lucaroji and Adom disembarked from the carriage, they proceeded towards the judge's entrance, known to him there. But Adom went to the gate used by the jury and witnesses.
Inside the Hall:
It resembled a temple of justice more than an administrative building.
Marble pillars rose to the ceiling as if challenging the heavens, and the walls were embroidered with golden threads bearing emblems of ancient law.
In the hall's center stood a raised platform where Judge Lucaroji sat, in dark robes that shimmered faintly under the lights. Beside him sat a long row of jurors, one of whom was "Adom," embodied as a slender man with calm yet strange features... as if his face didn't belong to the place.
Voices echoed in the hall: – "Case number 4291... Smuggling, fraud, and cross-city financial embezzlement."
Lucaroji struck his gavel three times. Silence fell.
He said in a low yet sharp voice: "Let the session begin."
The prosecutor stood—a middle-aged man named Karnel, wearing a gray cloak, his face grim as if carrying the world on his shoulders.
Beside him sat the accused, Sero1, a merchant known in the coastal markets, behind him a young lawyer trembling whenever he looked at Judge Lucaroji.
After they stood before the assembly, Lucaroji said steadily, looking at the two, then returning his gaze to Karnel: "Karnel, you filed the suit. Summarize your case."
Karnel, with studied agitation: "Your Honor, two weeks ago, an abandoned ship was discovered in the western port, laden with prohibited goods, including the rare metal 'Azurine,' banned from international trade. Shipping records were found under the name 'Sero1 Trading Company.' This is not the first time smuggling has been uncovered under his commercial cover!"
The lawyer, clearly flustered by something—perhaps Lucaroji—interrupted quickly: "Objection! These records are forged! There is no tangible evidence linking my client to those goods!"
Lucaroji looked at him steadily, then raised a finger: "Composure. You will be given your chance to respond later."
He then turned to the accused Sero1, whose face showed rising anger: "Sero1, what is your explanation?"
Sero1 took a deep breath, his tone confident but with a slight tremor: "Your Honor, I have been a lawful merchant for over ten years. Yes, the shipment was in my name, but it was sold before leaving the port to an intermediary company in the north, which handled the transportation. I have financial documents proving I handed it over officially, absolving me of any connection to the smuggling."
From the back, stamped documents were displayed to the attendees.
A witness intervened, an old man with a white beard: "I was at the port that night. I heard an argument between men speaking different accents. I didn't see their faces clearly, but one mentioned the name 'The Blue Contract' before the ship departed."
A murmur spread through the hall, questions arising among the attendees and witnesses.
"The Blue Contract" was the name of a notorious network engaged in smuggling banned materials between cities.
Lucaroji noted quietly, then said in a serious tone: "The name mentioned here... is not trivial, but the testimony is insufficient. Are there other witnesses?"
Another witness came forward, a slender woman, her voice faint but sincere:
"I saw a man leaving Mr. Sero1's office the day before the incident. He carried a small box and walked with hurried steps. I don't know who he was, but I heard a metallic sound when he closed the box."
Adom, among the jurors, slowly opened his eyes.
He focused his gaze on her, then spoke for the first time, his voice cold with a mocking tone:
"A metallic sound? Interesting. Do you mean he was carrying something valuable, or was the sound the echo of his fear?"
The hall fell silent.
All turned to him, some with tension.
The judge did not stop him but looked on with curiosity.
And here, the game of deception between the parties begins, and the complex truth slowly unravels.
The woman stammered: "I... I don't know. I wasn't close enough."
Adom tilted his head: "But you heard it, didn't you? At that hour, was there no one else in the street but you?"
She replied quickly: "No, there was no one else."
A faint smile touched his lips: "Strange... because a report states that patrols passed through that area every hour. How did no one see you?"
The lawyer slammed the table: "Your Honor, who is this?! This is not a legal interrogation!"
Lucaroji replied with a challenging smile:
"He is a member of the jury, entitled to ask questions that reveal contradictions."
Adom smiled further, continuing in a calm voice:
"I am merely listening to the sound of iron in the box..." "Sometimes, sounds tell us more than words do."
The attendees exchanged glances.
Then he turned to the accused Sero1:
"Tell me, do you know a man named 'Orfin'?"
Sero1 froze. No one had mentioned this name during the session.
"Who... where did you hear that name?!"
Adom placed his hand lightly on the table:
"He is the man who was in your office on the day of the incident, is he not? The name is listed in the transport log you tried to shred, but one of the guards collected its remnants. Don't you remember?"
A sharp murmur filled the hall, voices rising, some beginning to voice opinions until...
Lucaroji struck with the gavel to restore order, then said coolly: "Continue. It seems you possess a thread we haven't yet heard."
Adom, looking at Lucaroji with gleaming eyes: "Orfin is not a merchant, but a former accountant in the tax authority, dismissed a year ago for charges of document tampering. The shipment wasn't just smuggled goods, but a means to transport forged financial ledgers between cities, to mislead the government and launder money."
Karnel slammed the table angrily:
"This is nonsense! There's no proof of that!"
Adom laughed softly:
"Do you mean the three ledgers found beneath your company's storage?"
Karnel's face paled instantly.
All turned to him, and for the first time, he showed clear signs of distress.
Lucaroji whispered to himself:
"The prosecutor... was the one covering up the chaos. It's good that Adom examined all the records and evidence before the case."
Then aloud: "Enough. Based on the new evidence, the prosecutor will be detained for investigation, and the lawsuit is temporarily suspended until the main involved party is identified."
He struck the gavel, but Adom smiled and said:
"Indeed, the true criminal is often the first to shout that he is the victim."
Lucaroji smiled faintly at him, with a hidden appreciation in his gaze: "As always, Adom... you ignite the session at the right moment."
Then he turned to the attendees: "The session is temporarily adjourned. Justice does not close its doors, but it despises noise."
His final statement merely a passing remark, nothing more.
Everyone withdrew quietly, while Adom walked with slow steps, passing by the prosecutor Karnel and whispering to him coldly: "Tell Orfin that ledgers do not burn easily... even if thrown into the sea."
Lucaroji then left the hall, and Case 4291 was paused until its next scheduled continuation.
---
"We are still at the beginning. Wait, it is not over yet. Just observe what I read earlier. Not only this page, but all the pages, because what comes next will be swift."
And then, the book was closed.