As the sun reached its peak in the sky, everyone made their way to the courthouse in succession. Among the crowd was Olivia, Aizawa, and Oboro. Earlier, the group had made arrangements in advance, with Mr. Ryujin vying to watch Damien for the afternoon—taking the ten year old for a leisurely afternoon snack. He would also monitor Ayumi’s condition. Other figures in the crowd included nobles, investors, and other figures of prestige within the kingdom.

  Seeing this, Aizawa’s brows furrowed. “Did Catherine and Cather really stir up this much chaos?"

  Judging by the sheer number of people visiting the courthouse to oversee the first round of judicial proceedings, the amount of connections the couple had formulated through their actions made Aizawa’s gut twitch a little. Doubts began to circulate through his mind, mostly gravitating towards Shinso’s ability to handle this case.

  As they walked to the front doors of the hall, Aizawa and the others could truly grasp the majesty of the courthouse. It was made of cobblestone with a pointed roof. Prestigious floral arrangements lined either end of the house, accentuating the multi-colored glass windows. Even if it was bitterly cold outside, flowers could still be maintained to an extent.

  …

  “You’re braver than most; you also have quite the immune system.” Humphrey leaned against the wall, looking down at Shinso with a smile.

  “What does that have to do with me?” Shinso stood in front of a full-length mirror, adjusting his purple cravat and was slung around his neck.

  Due to the formality of the case, Shinso was forced to change into different, more regal attire.

  Humphrey let out a low chuckle. “When people make big decisions they’re uncertain of, they tend to vomit from stress.”

  “I’ve always been good at keeping myself in check.” Shinso put on his black vest, tugging at the lapels.

  When he finished changing, he caught sight of himself in the mirror. His outside, a long black coat with a matching vest, a white undershirt, and a purple cravat, it reminded him awfully of Isaac’s outfit. Shinso sniffled softly, but he managed to gather himself and turn to Humphrey.

  “You’re trusting me with criminals; that’s awfully rash for a primary organization."

  Humphrey replied, his face slowly becoming solemn and serious. “Your courage and bravery, the urge to do good regardless of the price, is admirable to say the least. You wanted to help your friends even if they were criminals.”

  He took a step forward, placing a hand on Shinso’s shoulders, squeezing it firmly. Due to your position as a Seeker, a Justice pathway user, we believe full-heartidly that you can provide perspectives and help you digest your potion quicker.”

  “But…” Shinso wanted to speak, but he suppressed his doubts and let out a shaky sigh.

  At this moment, the door in the corner of the room was knocked on, startling him. Shinso quickly adjusted himself, walking over and opening it. He expected to see the jury or a figure of importance, but his face flushed a little the moment he saw Aizawa standing in the doorway.

  His crimson eyes fixated on Shinso. “Are you feeling alright? This is… quite the task.”

  Shinso ran a hand through his neatly combed hair, which usually was messed into tufts. “I’m still… what if this fails?”

  “You won’t; I’m sure of it.” Aizawa remained still, leaning against the doorframe.

  “Are you really sure?” Shinso’s expression remained uncertain.

  Aizawa slowly took a deep breath, saying with a solemn expression. “You already have the power inside you, Shinso. Your intelligence and reasoning skills will surely carry us a long way.”

  Before he kept speaking, Aizawa froze, looking at Shinso’s outfit. His eyes widened. “Is this getup intentional?”

  Shinso’s face flushed as he looked down at his own outfit, recalling the similarities. “N-no!”

  The man sighed, gesturing down the hall. “We’re all here, kid. If anything dangerous happens, we’ll be there to help you.”

  Shinso’s lips twitched into a small smile as he nodded, making his way down the hallway. Exchanging a final glance with Aizawa, he opened the double doors and stepped into the courtroom. The blinding sunlight from the oriel windows made him wince, but he quickly gathered himself and approached his pedestal.

  Everyone in the room ceased their chatter, turning to look at him. Shinos’s gaze flickered elsewhere, looking to Catherine and Carter. The couple was sitting in protective pews, handcuffed to the metal armrests.

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  Suddenly, an elderly woman sitting atop a large bench slammed her gavel against a wooden block, signalling for silence. Her gaze, cold and analytical, darted to Shinso. Beside her were two more figures, one of them a man with rounded glasses, blonde hair, and a youthful face. The other a man with long silver hair, wrinkles, and a monocle.

  The judge was the first to speak. “Mr. Hitoshi Shinso, you’re in charge of securing the defendants?"

  Shinso nodded, breaking into a small sweat. He tugged at his cravat, responding with a solemn tone.

  “Yes, I am.”

  Hearing this, the judge’s brows furrowed. “I’ve never seen you before.”

  Shinso nodded again, stepping forward. “I may not possess knowledge of the law, but I’m surely smart enough to make a rational decision.”

  “You… have no knowledge of the law?” The female judge seemed taken aback, eyes widening.

  “Yes, that may be true…” Shinso suddenly dove into his pocket, taking out the bronze pocket watch.

  Its metallic surface lit up with a brilliant light, lifting into the air. With a swift burst of energy, it transformed into the sword inscribed with patterns. Shinso caught it, placing it on the ground facing himself.

  “But I am a Seeker, a Seeker of the Justice pathway. I am also a Pollinator, a protector of this kingdom against threats and dangers. I help this kingdom, we all do.”

  He looked up at the judge, extending a hand. “I am merely humble in this room, I don’t hold superiority over anyone, but I hold full accountability over events that transpire within these walls.”

  Shinso reached down, picking up the sword which turned back into a pocket watch. Instead of tucking it back into his pocket, he slung it around his neck using the chain.

  “I shall provide new perspectives, new insights, and a revolution with how we see the defendants.” Shinso pointed to Catherine and Carter.

  They both smiled, nodding their heads. The female judge slammed her gavel once more, and a hidden door underneath her bench suddenly opened. A figure walked out—cloaked in dark-colored robes. In their hands they held a small wooden box.

  “Approach the box and secure the item.” The judge commanded.

  Shinso swiftly obeyed, approaching the box and taking it. He knelt, opening the lid and gazing at the item inside. His eyes widened the moment he saw what looked like a collar. It was composed of a metal bar with a prong pointing to the sky. The judge’s sharp voice permeated the courthouse.

  “Put the collar on.”

  Shinso nodded, his stomach churning, sweat running down his face as he put the collar on, the prongs jutting upwards, mere millimeters from his throat and trachea. After a moment, he looked back at the judge, hands wrapping around the collar around his neck.

  “What’s this item for?” He tried to ask the question with as much solemnity as he could.

  “Every time we have a case involving murder, the attorney must wear the gouge around his neck. If one fails at their mission, the prongs you see penetrate the throat, removing one's ability to speak.”

  “So if I fail to defend my friends here, I can’t speak anymore? Isn't that the initial option, that they’d be sent away for punishment or execution?”

  The judge leaned in, her voice lowering. “It’s also a way to prove competence. I can feel your confidence in yourself to defend these people, so this collar you now don is a weight upon your ego, a way to see if what you see is true. Can you defend these criminals?”

  Shinso turned his head to his friends in the pews. Aizawa and Olivia are side by side, next to Oboro. Oboro gave with a shaky, encouraging thumbs-up, smiling. Aizawa nodded solemnly, while Olivia looked awfully pale, looking like she might faint.

  He took the myriad of reactions with hesitancy, but ultimately took a deep breath and looked back at the judge.

  “Your honor, shall we begin?"

  The female judge exchanged glances with her fellow companions and nodded, banging her gavel once more.

  “Catherine and Carter Stone, convicted with offenses of murder, concealment, and theft of protected items, do you accept Mr. Hitoshi Shinso here to defend you?”

  Within their guarded pews, Catherine and Carter nodded, not saying a word. On either end of their pew was a Pollinator carrying melee weapons if the situation escalated. Seeing this, Shinso gave the duo a small smile, gaze darting to the corner, where he observed Humphrey looking at him with a solemn yet calm expression.

  “January 28th, 1591. Ms. Gancie Polli, owner of a fruit stand, claimed to have seen two figures with your appearances leave the scene, darting away with baskets of fruit.”

  The judge looked at the duo, arching an eyebrow. “Is this true?”

  Catherine and Carter remained silent, nodding in unison. Something in their expressions told Shinso they could recall the day in brilliant detail.

  A sudden revelation crossed his mind. He was well aware of Isaiah Wall’s scheme using his abilities to copy his friends’ identities in an effort to file crimes against them. But a contradiction quickly arose. If Isaiah could only take the form of one person at a time, then the two of them being present at the same time was an easily subtractable option.

  Any case involving one person was fifty-fifty of being Isaiah Walls. Realizing this, Shinso felt a surge of confidence… and absurdity.

  A plump woman with round cheeks, clad in farmer's attire, cleared her throat. She looked well past her prime by now.

  “I remember the day as clearly as I remember my husband’s affair with our servant. They came to my fruit stand in a flash, snatching fruits and darting away like it was a leisurely stroll. I filed a claim to the authorities giving appearances from what I could remember, but in the end, the Pollinators could never track them.”

  “But…” Humphrey entered the scene, approaching a table positioned in the center of the room. He dug into his pocket, taking out two photos.

  “We have photos of two people with… similar appearances."

  They were grainy in quality, but they showcased two figures. The first was a woman with light-colored hair, a monocle on her eye, and clad in more gentlemanly attire. The other was a man with medium-length hair that almost obscured his eyes. His clothing emanated an aura of normalcy.

  Shinso recalled the photos vividly. From everything that had transpired in the past month, alongside the deduction of the photos being taken in separate locations at separate times, it was most-likely Isaiah Walls in the photos.

  “It sounds like you’re questioning my eyesight!” Ms. Gauncie barked, fists clenching.

  Humphrey shook his head. “These are the only lead photos we could gather, they were taken a while ago.”

  “How long ago?” The woman continued.

  “About a year ago,” Humphrey replied.