The greatest crisis

 
 
 ☆
 
 
 We’ve gotten over the first peak in the trial.
 
 Though that may be, the prosecution has only proved that this time’s assault was aimed at the king and the first prince and that it was planned in advance by [someone].
 
 If we don’t clarify which power those dragons came from and [who] it was that guided the assault here, we’ll lose this case.
 
 The things to prove were looking to be a mountain.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 While I went back to watching from the visitor’s gallery, Graham-nii-sama was successively presenting evidence and testimonies.
 
 ”The riders shot down were four. I shall now present the result of the examinations on those corpses.”
 
 ”As for the dragons, compared to the ones found living in the wilds north of the country, we’ve come to understand that they’re somewhat smaller. Worthy of mention is that there is barely any individual difference between their sizes, which says that they were most likely reared by human hands.”
 
 ”And as for the riders, the corpses were too badly damaged and so couldn’t be identified. However, though the kind of equipment they donned wasn’t uniform, there were traces of having been specially designed for riding. Among other things, the performance of the magic protector exceeds that which is generally circulating in neighbouring countries, and according to the Royal Magic Armament’s analysis, it was [specially designed for anti-magic warfare].”
 
 ”There isn’t much information regarding the dragons’ flight path. The few eyewitness reports that there are were concentrated on those that saw them just before the invasion, and the single rider escaping.”
 
 ”Regarding information on the day of the attack, there were several eyewitness reports from the mountain region in the eastern parts. Furthermore, at dawn two days prior, several reports mentioned seeing what looked like flying creatures flying in formation in the northern mountain ranges.”
 
 ”As for the rider that escaped, he was headed directly west. A large number of citizens in the western region saw them flee in the direction of the Principality.”
 
 
 During this time, the defence had no objections, and the evidence was presented smoothly.
 
 To conclude, Graham-nii-sama summarised the prosecution’s claim as such:
 
 ”Based on the above-mentioned information, the prosecution claims that the dragon unit which carried out the attack flew in from the Principality and hid within the eastern mountain region via the territory of the internal collaborator. As the unit was annihilated, we can conclude that, after the assault, the single rider prioritised returning to their [homeland].”
 
 
 This was clearly a bomb.
 
 Of course, my brother had calculated this as well, and chose his words and the timing to drop this bomb.
 
 And the reaction of those around, was dramatic.
 ——— no, it was far too extreme.
 
 The moment my brother mentioned [the Principality] by name^[1], the atmosphere in the assembly hall completely changed.
 
 At the first mention of [The Principality], there was surprise and confusion.
 The second time that [The Principality] was mentioned, it changed to one containing intense anger.
 
 
 
 ”This is an attack by The Principality on the very heart of the country, isn’t it!!”
 
 Triggered by someone’s shout, that atmosphere changed into a shaking roar.
 
 ”We must counterattack at once!”
 
 ”Bring down the hammer of justice on those cowards who scorn our country!!”
 
 ”Send the whole army to the enemy capital, and have those fools pay the price!!!!”
 
 Bang, bang, bang, bang.
 
 ”Silence! Silence!!”
 
 The judge slammed the gavel, trying to calm the assembly hall.
 
 However, once the fire had been lit, it would never go out.
 
 
 
 It was as we expected.
 
 But the reaction was far beyond our expectations.
 
 My brothers, the court officials, they all called out trying to calm everyone down.
 But, to no avail.
 
 ”Don’t pardon the traitor who dragged in the enemy!!”
 
 ”Execute the Royalists!!”
 
 ”It’s a false accusation!”
 
 ”This must be a trap set up by the Senate Faction!!”
 
 THe cursing escalated.
 
 My, and just as scuffles seemed like they were about to break out, His Majesty stood up on the platform.
 
 And then———
 
 
 ”Quieeeeet!!!!”
 
 
 The rebuke echoed across the assembly hall.
 
 In that instant, the mayhem came to a stop.
 
 
 
 His Majesty looked around the assembly hall, and asked a question.
 
 ”Members of honourable Families, what are you getting restless for? It should have been clear from the beginning that this incident was the deed of a foreign country. There’s no need to make a fuss about it now. Of course, our country will appropriately punish those who have wronged our country. But now is the time to reveal the truth and to judge those who should be judged. Ladies and gentlemen, I once more expect your calm judgement.”
 
 
 My body trembled.
 
 It wasn’t a long speech.
 
 However, the king showed that he was worthy as a king, and myself and everyone else bowed our heads on the spot.
 
 
 
 The judge then banged his gavel down.
 
 ”All be seated. The discussion will continue under law and justice.”
 

TL Notes:

[1]thus, we can conclude that “The Principality” is indeed the so-called name of the place, and it’s not just another principality. I’ll assume there is only one principality in this entire story. ↩