Kraven gritted his teeth in rage as his aquamarine-blue locks fell over his eyes. His gavel still lay inches away from the stone podium.
"MISS BRAMBLE!"
"I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE ONE OF THE ARCANE MAGES OF THE NEW ERA, YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT TO INTERFERE IN A TRIBUNAL TRIAL!"
"And for the record—it's Magistrate to you."
What the...? Mrs. Bramble's an Arcane Stage Mage? Wow, I never would've guessed, Sai thought to himself with a faint grin as his eyes closed momentarily, slightly impressed by Miss Bramble's unknown status.
"Oh, I'm not the one interfering today, 'Magistrate'," Miss Bramble said in a triumphant yet sarcastic tone as a different aura of presence calmly approached the grand hall.
"Huh?! What the hell are you doing here?" Sai muttered in surprise.
A gray-haired woman entered.
She walked with an elegance akin to that of a nun. Her robe whispered gracefully against the crimson carpet as she approached Sai's side.
Sai gave her a blank yet familiar look, and she returned it with a bright smile.
The dozens of eyes that had been fixed on Sai now felt evenly divided between him and the two mages.
"Please forgive my adversary, Magistrate Kraven. My niece... gets ahead of herself at times," the aged beauty said.
She shot a stern glance at the guilty-faced Miss Bramble, who groaned childishly while puckering her lips, folding her arms, and squinting slightly like a cute teenage girl. Contrary to her usual persona, she looked vulnerable for once.
"Well, since the apology is coming from a mage of your caliber, I'd be more than skeptical to refuse."
"Huh?" Sai muttered lightly as his eyes drifted from the aged beauty to Magistrate Kraven and back again. He couldn't help but sense a strange familiarity between the two parties.
"Headmistress Aurora, you grace us with your presence," Kraven obliged.
"Please forgive my intrusion, Mr. Magistrate, but there is a very important matter I wish to address in this case."
Kraven's brows narrowed slightly.
"Don't tell me you're here to plead on this outcast's behalf, because if that is the case, it simply won't work."
"I am not here to plead. Rather, I am here to uphold the law."
"...Go on," Kraven urged.
"I hope you're aware that you cannot put any of my students on trial without a formal decree, correct?"
Murmurs erupted throughout the courtroom once more as Kraven raised his palm to restore order.
"Your point being?" Kraven asked in a calm yet slightly annoyed tone.
"Well, do you have one?"
"As a matter of fact, we do."
Kraven gestured lightly toward one of his subordinates.
The man stepped forward and unfurled a scroll bearing an official decree from the Tribunal.
A triumphant smirk appeared on Kraven's face.
"Anything else?"
Headmistress Aurora didn't even flinch at the authenticity of the decree. She remained determined to free Sai at all costs.
"As authentic as your decree may be, I must object to one thing."
"And that would be...?" Kraven asked.
"It is stated within the Constitution of Zorel Academia that any student summoned for trial or disciplinary action outside Zorel's premises must have the authorization and signature of the Headmistress."
She smiled calmly.
"And according to my current knowledge..."
"...I have no memory of signing such a decree."
Tension filled the room as though both Kraven and the Bureau had suddenly caught the scent of defeat.
Kraven chuckled lightly.
"I completely agree with you on that matter, Mrs. Aurora. However, I'm afraid that particular rule is entirely null and void at this point."
He leaned forward confidently.
"The Constitution also grants the Magistrate authority to override that rule no less than twenty-five minutes into the trial."
"We are already twenty-six minutes in."
Miss Bramble quietly scoffed through gritted teeth.
Damn... we were too late.
Kraven radiated victory as his gaze settled upon Aurora.
"Give it up, Aurora. You've lost. Your student is done for."
Aurora's expression fell for a brief moment.
Then, almost instantly, a faint smirk appeared on her face.
"Are you so sure about that?"
She asked rhetorically, a reckless grin dancing along the corner of her lips.
"Hmm?!" Kraven snarled.
Is she joking? Aurora isn't one to give up so easily. She's plotting something, he thought suspiciously.
"If you truly wish to kill Sai Takka, then be my guest. I won't stop you," Aurora said, her smug smile remaining firmly in place.
The Tribunal Hall fell into puzzled silence.
Even Miss Bramble looked utterly confused by her mentor's stance.
"Just be prepared for the consequences."
"Consequences?" Kraven asked.
"What consequences?"
Aurora stared directly into Kraven's eyes, challenging him.
"Tell me. Why are all of you so determined to execute Sai Takka?"
"It is simple. By doing so, we can prevent the Death Stalkers' scheme from succeeding—"
"How reckless."
Aurora cut him off immediately.
The interruption sent a slight twitch through the Exorcist's face.
Never in his life had he been interrupted so bluntly.
Anger simmered within him, begging to be released.
"Killing Sai Takka would indeed hinder the Death Stalkers' plans, no doubt about that," Aurora continued.
"But only momentarily."
"You would merely delay the inevitable."
Her words washed over the Tribunal and its audience alike.
"Listen carefully."
Aurora slowly paced before the Tribunal table, her footsteps echoing softly against the floor.
"Killing Sai will not stop them from finding other methods to fulfill their plot."
She stopped.
"So instead..."
A confident smile spread across her face.
"We use him."
"And how exactly do you intend to do that?" another member of the Five Tribunal Mages spoke.
A white hooded cloak concealed most of her face, leaving only her soft pink lips visible.
"That is a good question."
Aurora nodded.
"As much as Sai is the key to the villains' scheme, he is also the key to ending it."
"Think about it."
"If we slaughter Sai, our salvation will only be temporary."
"...However..."
Her smile widened.
"If we use him as bait to lead us to the rest of the Death Stalkers—or devise an even better method to stop them once and for all—"
"Then we can end this threat permanently."
"My point is simple."
"Killing Sai Takka will only solve our problem temporarily."
"If we wish to stop the Death Stalkers for good..."
"Sai Takka is the key."
Kraven snarled once more.
As much as he desperately wanted to rid Zorel of yet another outcast, he couldn't deny the logic behind Aurora's argument.
"HANG HIM!"
"NO! WE NEED HIM!"
The hall erupted once again as opposing opinions clashed throughout the chamber.
The final decision now rested solely with Kraven.
Yet instead of raising his hand to silence the crowd, he allowed the chaos to continue.
The shouting grew louder.
And louder.
With every passing second, Kraven looked increasingly frustrated.
The tension within him continued to build.
And just in the nick of time—
Kraven snapped.