"A witness informed us that you have been performing inhuman torture and mindless killings on people. This is unacceptable, especially from a noble."
The judge said seriously. He glanced at the headmaster, who had recovered, before turning to me. Every eye in the room looked towards me.
"The academy provides every sample that is needed for studying i don’t recall breaking the rules or killing. "
"That is not the main concern. The witness is someone who knows and has provided sufficient evidence of the inhumane things you have been doing."
I leaned forward making myself more comfortable.
"And that is? Everything I’ve done is in line with alchemy, I do not see any reason for this mindless conviction."
The judge took a deep breath and turned pages in the book in front of him.
"Well then, let the witness speak for himself it would make it easier."
I wondered who it was. Despite Blair’s timely warning this was something he had not revealed. The crown probably kept it under wraps.
"He threatened to have my whole clan destroyed if I didn’t offer him the school laboratory. "
The moment Professor Gilbert stepped forward, I knew I had been betrayed.
"Ha..ha.. This is the funniest thing .. professor you wound me."
The professor glanced at me and smiled, that usual smile that he put on every time he asked for Luna.
I should have killed him when I wanted to.
"He would open the slaves’ heads and ingrain an obedience spell inside their brains, just like how a slave collar would work, but more dangerous. It was only a matter of time before he turned on me and the nobles, that was why I agreed to help when the saintess approached me."
If I were part of the audience, I would have believed him.
"This is preposterous, my brother would never do such a thing!"
Seraph stood up and violently hit the table in front of her. She jumped over the desk and came to stand beside me before the court guards could react.
"Young lady, this is unbefitting of a noble’s etiquette. Please go back to your seat."
Seraph held my hand and stood her ground. The guards were starting to move towards us.
"Since you dare falsely accuse my brother i can stand this no more. This is an insult to the Bloodmoor family."
I wanted to smile or maybe burst out laughing. She just looked so good defending me.
"I have the evidence to prove my claim!"
The professor shouted and took out a small blue stone with a white spell circle on top. I recognised it immediately.
A recording stone.
"Did you really have to go this far?"
I said sarcastically.
"I recorded this after he had finished his session. I was in fear of being caught, but I managed to get something. "
I suppose i was too lax since i believed he atleast shared some of my ambitions but it came to bite me right back.
"Play it."
The recording started with screams, then it panned to one of the slaves whom I had locked up after inducing madness. He died a few days later.
"That was a perfectly sane man, but young master Lucian somehow induced madness."
There were gasps as the man’s bruised and bloodied face came into view.
"How horrifying."
"How can someone do this to a fellow human being?"
I rolled my eyes at the whispers and exaggerated gasps. A room full of hypocrites. They all knew the man was a slave.
The recording played showed my failed experiments, and it coincidentally seemed to pick the worst results. He should have at least picked a successful one.
My voice would sometimes be heard in the background, but it seems I had really let my guard down.
"I thought we were free to do whatever we want with our slaves, or has the law been changed overnight?"
Whispers stoped and they all turned to look at me in shock. I really did not see any reason to deny when what I had been doing was perfectly within the kingdom’ss rules.
"That...igs..." he stammered, "thats is too cruel. Alchemy does not advocate such cruelty, we are merely learning how to create potions and come up with cures for diseases in case of need."
"Yes, what the professor said was true. Even if slaves are their masters properly we should treat them with care. "
I covered my mouth, suppressing a chuckle that was about to escape due to the saintess’s stupidity.
"Shouldn’t all the nobles be beside me then. I can help you name a few who are quite famous for their mistreatment. There are even among us now."
The saintess paled. She wanted to act kindly, then she could show it with actions.
"The saintess is too compassion she can be a bit impulsive with her words."
The prince came to the rescue as always.
"Child from the narrative, although small, I fear you do not fully appreciate the gravity of the situation you are clearly in..."
Before the king could finish what he was about to say, the courtroom doors were kicked off their hinges.
Everyone scrambled to escape the splinters as the broken door shot through the air and embedded into the walls.
"And what has my dear son done to warrant this kind of trial without informing me?"
Whispers started as everyone looked towards mother.
"Young master Lucian, look, I did as you instructed me."
Abelion entered the courthouse excitedly while pulling Isis behind him. His shout made everyone turn to him. That was enough time for mother to reach where I was standing.
"Can anyone explain to me what is happening, the crimes my son is being accused of are nothing but trivial spats among children. "
Her angry gaze looked around the room. Everyone avoided it.
"Let’s go."
I nodded and followed after her. I glanced at my professor and head master before coming to a stop and turning to them.
"Professor Gilbert, it was nice being acquainted with you, but alas, greed can be a very beautiful thing, right?"
"Yes, young master, sometimes greed can create beautiful results."
I chuckled while he forced a smile. I turned to the head master who was looking at us in confusion.
"Head master."
"Yes?"
"I did like the academy but it seems my time there has to be forcefully cut short."
The headmaster opened his mouth to say something before closing it and nodding with a look of resignation on his face.
I followed my family out of the still-stunned court and met with Luna and the others, who seemed to have managed to enter the palace.
That was probably due to mother.
"Lucian."
Mother called the moment we stepped out of the courtroom. Most of the onlookers had moved away the moment we appeared.
"Let’s go home, sir Drakein is present in the palace. A fight will only waste our time, but never forget what I thought you.."
She looked at me pointedly, her eyes still held that familiar anger.
"The Bloodmoor never forgives."
She nodded and got into the carriage. I glance at the courts one last time before entering the carriage.
If mother had not come, things would have probably escalated. That was why I had sent for her.
I really wanted to wring the professor’s neck until it snapped right in the middle of the courtroom.
’How dare he betray me"
"Lucian your eyes are glowing brighter than normal. "
Seraph pointed out. Of course they were, I was fuming. I just wanted to kill anything, anyone to get rid of this unfamiliar level of anger I was feeling.
"It’s nothing, I’m just happy to see mother."
"Liar."
Seraph snapped back.
"While you were being detained word has already spread. "
Mother said after our spat.
"That was expected, didn’t they detain me just to make the narrative more believable. "
That had been why I had not been worried about the court session. My reputation would not help me with anything; my family was already on the black books of most commoners, except for those in the duchy.
"Right now you are known as the Butcher ."
"Ha..ha.. how did they coin that, it fits me perfectly. Imagine when they come to beg the butcher for help, I can’t wait. "
"This isn’t funny, Lucian, it’s a horrific name."
"But it just clicks, I love it."
I answered Seraph who shook her head and turned to look outside. People were pointing and whispering as our carriage passed.
"The Butcher is inside."
"Really, isn’t someone that vile supposed to be executed?"
"As if the royals would dare, don’t you know this would trigger a war with those blood-sucking leeches."
"There will only be two, what’s there to worry about?"
"Only a fool would wake a sleeping monster."
"But they already have."
"Yes, you are right."
Those were some of the whispers I caught as our carriage moved through the central part of the capital, heading for our home.
"They managed to destroy my reputation before i could even try."
"This is what you get when you get careless, being caught in such an obvious trap. How disappointing lucian. You made a promise not to destroy the family’s name but it seems you decided to drag it through the mud."
She was still definitely angry. Her words held some truth to it, but I wasn’t about to admit it.
"I apologize mother."
She nodded and leaned back resting her head on her seat.
The ride home was quiet afterwards.