Drawn Mochi Volume 5 Chapter 12.1: A Stormy Competition*6

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　And so, the trial began.

　…It started with Lila’s confession. There, Lila revealed the actions of the nobles to the court. And the accusations, which might have been dismissed if they were true, happened to be “according to the dragon’s wishes’”, so there was no way they could be dismissed… And it spread all at once.

　　The nobles involved in the painting were all upset, but because of the Ryuu’s mischief, the idea that “God’s messenger told them not to lie about the artists of the paintings” spreading… So the nobles who were brought forward by Lila’s confession couldn’t do much about it.

“I’m so glad. If it hadn’t been for the Ryuu, all the nobles, including the royal family, would have erased Lila.” (Croix)

　Ms. Croix says something a little scary. Yep. That could have happened…

“All’s well that ends well. The royal family wouldn’t want to upset a dragon, so they wouldn’t let Lila get a harsh sentence.” (Fay)

　It seems a little unfair, but it is, you know, okay. Yep, that’s alright. A dragon waddling around in a museum for a moment is all it takes to make this happen, so really, dragons in this country are really well liked…

　Riding the wave of the Ryuu’s appearance and Lila’s accusations, we decided to sue Lila and the Brompas as well. Originally, this is what Lila wanted, so that’s what we did.

　So, of course, we went to the courthouse on the day of the trial.

　The courthouses in this country are located on the grounds of the Royal Castle. The king has absolute power in this country, or so it seems, and there is no separation of powers. I’m not sure what to expect. I’m sure it all depends on the king’s leadership. Amazing.

　The courthouse was a rather stern-looking building made of black and white marble. The large windows made of transparent glass were a distinctive feature of the building.

“That window is a window through which the gods can see.” (Fay)

　While I was looking at the building, Fay gave me an explanation.

“During the trial, that window will be open. It means that a god is watching us from there.” (Fay)

“Oh…” (Tougo)

　What can I say, it’s amazing. …It feels a little like something like a torii gate in Japan.

“Well… I don’t think there are any idiots who would get violent in the court. Just in case, please be careful, okay? There are many nobles who don’t think well of us, right?” (Fay)

　Fay then whispered something like that.

　…I looked around a little and sure enough, I saw some of the nobles staring at us. Could they, perhaps, be the people Lila ghost-painted for? Maybe that’s why they’ve been ordered to appear in court.

“So, Laocles. Do me a favor, will you? Especially Tougo.” (Fay)

“I’m fine. If the need arises, the Pipe Fox and Houou will come out. But take care of Ms. Croix.” (Tougo)

“Oh, my. I’m not so weak that a little fluffy boy like you has to worry about me. …so Laocles will take care of Tougo, alright.” (Croix)

　I see. Fluffy boy… Fluffy boy!?

　Waa, I feel like someone called me a really bad name. Fluffy boy… Fluffy boy…

　…I’ll try to be a little stronger. Yep.

　Perhaps because Laocles was standing next to me with a more stern look on his face than in the court, we were never attacked. There were some nobles who approached us to say something, but once Laocles glanced at them, they all went home. As expected, plaster statues are the best!

　We safely entered the courthouse, sat in our designated seats, and waited.

　After a while, the trial between us, Lila, and the Brompa family finally began.

　Even though it’s called a trial, it’s very different from the trials I know. What can I say, it’s rough. Yep.

　The king makes his opening statement, then the judge read out the charges, and then our side gave our argument.

　I didn’t have to do anything. I was just there as a proof of “Tougo Uezora,” and Fay made the rest of the allegations, and even the allegations were just a formality in a sense, as Fay was reading out what his father had entrusted to him. …Well, it was important is what is next.

　The Brompa family denied the charges that were read out, but Lila readily admitted to them. The Brompas began to get angry… and then Lila and Mr. Brompa started bickering.

“You ungrateful trash! I hired you because you said you were Tougo Uezora! Not only were you a fake, but you tried to bring disgrace on us!” (Brompa)

“Oh! I wonder who was the one who said to me, ‘Name yourself Tougo Uezora and paint me a picture. After that, I’ll prove that you were the one who drew that picture.’ Then you said, ‘Let’s just pretend it was all a wash.’ but I hate to hear it! Who would be stupid enough to buy into that?” (Lila)

“Oh, that’s bollocks! Such lies you spew!” (Brompa)

“Do you really think it’s nonsense? The other nobles have already admitted their sins.” (Lila)

　…They were fighting like this.

　However, somehow… Mr. Brompa is at a disadvantage. Because Lila has strength. Also, there is the complaint from Fay. Besides, as the king, he seems to be trying to follow the “dragon’s will”…

　… Despite the bickering, Lila testified properly and in detail.

　How many paintings she painted under a false name and where each of them went. Who asked her to paint them? She also said that her paintings were signed on the back in an inconspicuous place, so that if she took them off the frames and checked them, she would be able to tell which ones were fakes.

　…I think she was really prepared for it. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have put a signature on the “fake” she painted that would let people know it was a “fake.”

“And here’s the contract.”

　Lila also produced contracts with the Brompas and other noble houses.

　Most of the contracts were designed in such a way that it was safe to show them to others, but at the very least, it means that everyone who signed these contracts had some sort of connection to Lila. That in and of itself cannot be deflected… The rest is something that will become clear once they check the signature that Lila has put in her paintings.

　After that it was a matter of proving that I was “Tougo Uezora”.

　…It was Mr. Argent who came out here.

　I was very surprised to see him. It was very unexpected, but it turned out that Mr. Argent came to support me.

　Apparently, Faye brought up the matter of the Spirit Vein the other day and asked Mr. Argent to take the witness stand. …Wow, Mr. Argent looks very complicated and grim… I’m sorry to have you help us.

　I was a little nervous, but Mr. Argent had a difficult look, but he testified that “is Tougo Uezora,” and Lila testified that “I am not Tougo Uezora.” So the only thing left to say is that the Brompas have not admitted their guilt.

　…And in the end, thanks to the king’s decision that he determined that the Brompa family was lying, we won the case… Yep.

　Mr. Brompa was glaring at us with a dangerous look on his face, and he was also saying something to Lila, but the king said, “Are you planning to go against the wishes of the dragon?” and Mr. Brompa backed off.

　What can I say… it’s Lord Ryuu. Also, it feels like we cheated a bit, which makes me feel a bit awkward. [T/N: It’s like you told your kid to fight for you.]

　After that, the nobles that Lila named in her testimony were also questioned. So, there were a lot of nobles around the court earlier. Lila had testified to the court before the trial, and I guess she had called the nobles in advance for that testimony.

　…The questioning went off without a hitch, for the most part. In short, they gave testimony that Lila had a ghost-painter and hung a painting in a museum under their own name, something like that.

　Along with that, it seems that those nobles will be given a punishment with just a strict warning. Well… Actually, I ended up getting angry, anyway. This can’t be helped. If you ask me if someone suffered loss or damage, it’s not what happened.

　If Lila and the nobles had agreed to be ghostwriters, I can’t complain about that. So, just a stern warning and that’s it.

　…Still, Lila looked somewhat cheerful.

　The fact that what they were doing was brought to light must have lightened Lila’s spirits. …I think Lila might be punished for that, though. But she seemed satisfied, so I couldn’t say anything.

　And so, in one way or another, the mess was settled and what Lila had done so far came to light… and the punishment for Lila and the Brompa family was decided.