Chapter 1348: Indirect Salvation (Happy New Year!!!)

PS: Wishing all book friends a prosperous Year of the Dragon!

Main Text:

【Crown Prince Raymond attempted to force the Emperor to abdicate but failed, and in a fit of rage, he killed him. Prince Edward led the army to suppress the rebellion and killed the traitor, subsequently ascending the throne amidst the chaos.】

Just these few sparse sentences summarized the struggles that had occurred over these seven years.

That is the nature of grand narratives; it seems as though only one event took place, yet it was composed of thousands upon thousands of tragedies.

One can only say that the game's plot can ultimately only reveal a corner of this world, and every person's life and death is a legend. Even for Miss Luo Quan, the amount of fate she could control was only a tiny fraction.

The good news is that this tiny bit of authority was enough for her to save Vivian.

Soon, Miss Luo Quan and Vivian's good friend Kafuna found Vivian, who had already been locked away in a prison cell.

Money makes the mare go; Kafuna used a full bag of gold coins to bribe the jailer guarding the prison and successfully met with Vivian.

Although she had been locked up for three days, Vivian's condition looked quite good, and she didn't seem to have suffered any other persecution, though her mood appeared extremely low.

This was normal; after all, being involved in a royal power struggle, who knew what would happen next.

"Vivian, how on earth did you end up in here?" Kafuna asked, leaning against the bars.

She only knew that her friend had offended Crown Prince Raymond, but she didn't know what she had actually done.

"After I entered the Turandot Academy, I studied law."

Vivian looked at Miss Luo Quan and her friend, saying calmly, "This major requires us to serve as intern officers, experiencing various cases in society in advance to accumulate experience for future investigations."

"Recently, a serial killer appeared in the Imperial Capital. In just seven days, more than ten innocent people have died at their hands."

"But every time they were caught, they were released due to insufficient evidence."

"What's even more infuriating is that every time this criminal was released, a murder would occur that very night, as if in retaliation or provocation."

Hearing this, Miss Luo Quan roughly understood: "So you decided you were no longer willing to watch this criminal escape punishment using so-called insufficient evidence, and you resorted to vigilante justice?"

"Yes." Vivian nodded. "I cannot forget the faces of those innocent victims, nor can I forget the looks in the eyes of the victims' families when they looked at me."

"Even knowing that doing this would land me in prison, I still did it."

"That murderer always liked to keep a toy pistol tucked in their waistband to tease the officers searching them."

"I knew this, so when I pointed my gun at them, I made them take the gun out of their waistband. The moment I saw the gun, I emptied my magazine in self-defense."

"Then what about Prince Raymond?" Kafuna continued to ask.

Vivian sighed: "The true identity of that killer was actually a subordinate of Crown Prince Raymond. The indiscriminate killing was just a cover; their real target was the subordinates of Prince Edward."

"By the time I shot them dead, this killer had already eliminated three of Prince Edward's subordinates. Later, a list was even found in their residence, which contained the names of several victims."

"Because I was the first commoner to dare to openly oppose the Crown Prince, he decided to make an example of me so everyone could see what happens to those who cross him. My teacher told me that this case will likely be treated as a closed-and-shut matter, and there won't even be a trial."

"What is the charge?" Kafuna asked indignantly.

"Murder. The victim is that killer named Laina."

"What a joke." Kafuna was so angry her nose was almost crooked. "You shot a serial killer, and yet you've become the murderer? Is there no justice, no law?!"

Vivian's expression was bitter: "There is no evidence to prove they killed those victims. Even the target list found in their residence can only be treated as a clue; after all, several people on that list are still alive and well."

"So when does your trial begin?" Miss Luo Quan asked.

In her view, these were all minor problems. Once the trial happened, no matter what the verdict for Vivian was, she would just save her directly, and by the way, announce her identity as the Succubus Queen.

She just didn't know if the players would also appear at the scene when this trial took place, and if it would cause any variables.

"Three hours from now, the trial will begin." After saying this, Vivian sat directly on the ground and stopped speaking.

Not long after, Kafuna also left the cell, though not because she wanted to, but because her father had sent someone to pass a message telling her that if she didn't return, he would sever their father-daughter relationship.

Kafuna was a stubborn one; she stiffened her neck and shouted at the servant: "Then go back and tell my old man that we'll be father and daughter in the next life!"

At such a sensitive time, it was completely understandable that Kafuna's father didn't want his daughter to get involved in this mess.

But Kafuna was also very loyal and decided to stand with her friend.

In the end, it was only after Vivian's repeated dissuasion that she left the cell.

Three hours later, the people from the tribunal arrived.

Four fully armed strongmen ordered the jailer to open the cell, and then they put a brand-new set of shackles on Vivian.

Ordinary criminals used handcuffs or leg irons; only serious offenders were fitted with shackles.

Miss Luo Quan, as a semi-relative, followed along to observe.

It seemed that just as Vivian had said, this Crown Prince really intended to turn this trumped-up murder charge into a closed-and-shut case.

"Let's go."

The tribunal guard reminded her softly, then gave Vivian a push from behind.

All the way from the cell to the surface, the fresh air made Vivian lift her head and greedily breathe in deeply.

Because they were at the headquarters of the law enforcement, the place where she did her off-campus internship, Vivian saw many familiar faces.

Their expressions were all complex, a sense of helplessness at wanting to help but being unable to do so.

Under the gaze of her colleagues, Vivian was loaded onto a special carriage forged from steel, heading toward the tribunal three streets away.

The carriage traveled for about ten minutes, and Vivian arrived at her destination—the Turinhan General Tribunal.

Only those who had committed serious crimes would be tried at the tribunal. Vivian was the first prisoner of the day, so she was greeted not only by the judges of the tribunal but also by three loud bell tolls.

In the deepest part of the Tribunal stands a tall and majestic statue.

This is Justice, the God of Justice; he is a loyal follower and close friend of the Lord of Dawn, governing the laws, judgments, and fairness of the world.

Building the statue here implies that every trial in the Tribunal is under the gaze of the God of Justice, ensuring it is fair and convincing to all.

However, Vivian is deeply skeptical of this, as Laina has escaped from this very Tribunal time and time again.

"We shall defend the fairness of this trial with our lives and honor..."

Led by the Chief Justice, all members of the court team participating in this trial stood beneath the statue of Gaius, reciting the oath with solemn expressions.

As the "protagonist" of the day, Vivian became the focus of everyone's attention the moment she entered.

While passing the jury box, Vivian saw Miss Luo Quan.

Although they haven't known each other for long, Vivian has received a great deal of care from her during this time, and she has always felt grateful in her heart.

Of course, the one who actually took care of Vivian was just an AI set up by Miss Luo Quan, but Vivian is unaware of this.

And now, she is controlling this body herself.

After locking eyes with Vivian, Miss Luo Quan gave her a reassuring look, as if to say: Don't worry, I've got everything covered.

Soon, Crown Prince Raymond and Prince Edward arrived as well.

Each side brought dozens of subordinates, and the moment they met, they looked like they were at daggers drawn, as if they might break into a fight at any moment.

"I didn't expect a common murder case would bring you here in person. Shouldn't you be busy researching inspection matters with Father King right now?" Crown Prince Raymond chuckled at his younger brother.

"Aren't you here as well, my dear brother?" Prince Edward said indifferently.

"Your Highness Edward." A middle-aged man beside Raymond spoke up to remind him: "Please address His Highness Raymond as Crown Prince; this is the most basic court etiquette."

"Bastard." Raymond glanced coldly at his subordinate, "My relationship with Edward is so good, what does it matter if he is a little presumptuous?"

"Apologies, I was too unrestrained." Edward accepted Raymond's sarcasm, decisively lowered his head to admit his mistake, and then raised his hand in a gesture of invitation: "The trial is about to begin, so please, Your Highness Crown Prince..."

Before Edward could finish, Raymond strode inside, leaving Edward and the others directly to the side.

Seeing his older brother show such a lack of respect, Edward did not show any dissatisfaction, still wearing an elegant smile on his face.

Raymond sat down boldly in the top-left corner of the jury box, and one of his subordinates stepped out from behind him to the plaintiff's position.

Edward sat down beside Holmsolun, and the two nodded in greeting, whispering to each other.

Taking advantage of the time while the Chief Justices were still taking their oaths, Vivian turned her head to size up the two princes.

Compared to the prime-of-life Edward, Raymond is nearing forty, and the two nasolabial folds by his nose, which look like knife scars, make him appear much older.

But that is only in appearance.

Raymond stands a full two meters tall, and even wearing loose silk robes, he cannot hide his knotted muscles.

This is a towering man comparable to an orc; his fluffy and thick hair makes him look as majestic and as crude as a lion.

Compared to his tall and strong brother, Prince Edward appears very "delicate"; although his features are quite handsome, he is less than 1.8 meters tall, and his temperament gives off a frail impression.

Standing together, it is clear at a glance who is the aggressor and who is the defender.

However, this combination is quite to the taste of certain nobles who possess special operating systems.

If they appeared side-by-side on the stage of a freak show, it would surely trigger waves of screams.

This was Vivian's first impression of the two princes. Fortunately, there are no psionicists in the courtroom to read her inner thoughts, otherwise, this trial might have ended prematurely.

"Boom!"

The Chief Justice struck the wooden gavel, the crisp sound making everyone's heart tighten.

In the Turinhan Empire, the law is above all else; even if nobles engage in all sorts of illegal activities in secret, in public, no one dares to openly challenge the majesty of the law.

Not even the Emperor!

"The trial now begins. I now ask the plaintiff's lawyer to make the case statement."

Presiding over this trial is an old man nearing eighty with white hair and beard; although he looks decrepit, his hand striking the gavel is not soft at all.

Come to think of it, this old man is also a professor in the Law Department of Turandot Academy, named Cowells, currently serving as one of the three Chief Justices of the Turinhan Empire.

In normal times, Vivian would have to respectfully call him Professor Cowells upon seeing him.

However, there is no teacher-student relationship in a courtroom, and furthermore, he is a die-hard supporter of Crown Prince Raymond; it can be said that the situation was quite unfavorable from the very start of the trial.

"Gentlemen, ladies." The subordinate of Crown Prince Raymond at the plaintiff's table stood up, greeting everyone with a sorrowful expression.

Before he had even spoken two sentences, he reached out to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes: "I am Rory Blake, the older brother of Laina Blake. Just a few hours ago, my younger brother died at the hands of this cruel law enforcer.

She used the excuse of checking the water meter to trick my brother into opening the door, and upon seeing the self-defense pistol tucked into my brother's waistband, she ordered him to take it out.

My brother was cooperative the entire time, not daring to show the slightest resistance, but even so, he was still cruelly murdered by this law enforcer, and the reason given was actually that he attempted to attack law enforcement personnel."

Speaking to this point, Rory was already in tears: "Everyone can put yourselves in his shoes and think about it. A civilian who was so cooperative was still harmed; I don't know what else he could have done to avoid this tragedy."

Being able to burst into tears without needing to pinch one's thigh is definitely a skill; in any case, Vivian cannot do it.

And such a genuine performance was indeed highly inflammatory; nearly half of the public jury members were also wiping away tears.

Chief Justice Cowells looked at Vivian with a blank expression: "Defendant, is everything the plaintiff said true?"

"Of course it's false." Vivian denied it without hesitation, "His brother was a killer who had harmed over a dozen innocent people and had previously faced multiple felony charges.

A person so dangerous reached out to draw a weapon in front of me; if I hadn't acted first, the one who died might have been me."

"Nonsense!" Rory retorted loudly, "My brother was a gentle and friendly person; he only kept a gun on him for self-defense.

But to avoid actually hurting anyone, he didn't even dare to use a real gun. The weapon Vivian speaks of is nothing more than a harmless toy gun!"

After speaking, two court guards brought up Laina's sidearm as one of the pieces of evidence.

The plaintiff's lawyer was a decisive middle-aged man. After putting on gloves, he held up the pistol and walked in front of the public jury: "Everyone, there is no doubt that this is just an ordinary toy gun, and it poses absolutely no danger.

It is evident that the defendant has been lying from the very beginning, attempting to stigmatize Mr. Laina in order to achieve the goal of escaping punishment!"