A Cruel Beast's Leash

“If immense ‘mokjung’ is extracted from bucktree, it is usually used for rotting corpses. What do you think needs to happen for a body to rot?”

“A life must end. That’s how it decays,” the prosecutor instantly answered as he felt the questions were leading.

“Yes. Death means it will decay.” Emma slowly turned her gaze to Monte. The latter nervously shifted under her gaze. “The Dr. Monte of Van Wert castlemade mokjung by burning an immense amount of bucktree. What do you think the reason for that was?”

“…..”

As the prosecutors seriously looked at Emma, Roham fanned the flames and shouted, “Then are you saying someone is dead?!”

“Yes,” Emma nodded. “That’s what I assumed. Mr. Monte made antiseptic to prevent someone from decaying after his death. He amassed rare bucktree in bulk and made mokjung with precision and much time. It can only mean that person must be very important.”

Everyone went dead silent.

“Your honour!” Roham’s voice boomed across the room. “Please call another doctor other than Mr. Monte. The more, the better!”

“What’s the reason?’

The judge had a solemn look on his face. If it was true, this was a serious matter and they needed to be cautious. But Roham answered as if he was certain of the situation.

“It’s to check the status of Count Limon. Also, please allow Bishop Albert to accompany us,” he said.

“No!”

All of the sudden, Countess Karina, who had been acting all confident until then, exclaimed. Shortly, she fainted. Monte was only trembling in fear. He didn’t even rush to the Countess and was stuck staring at the floor.

“We’ll have a recess to check the facts and investigate.”

As the judge hit his gavel, the court became uproarious again.

***

When the trial resumed the next day, Countess Karina looked like a wilted person. She limply sat at her seat like a pale, broken doll, with dull eyes.

“The Count passed away a while back, but because they used strong antiseptic, it’s hard to tell exactly when he died. They also used makeup and dressed him to keep up the appearance that he was bedridden.”

As the three doctors that were brought in from Wert City testified, everyone was in disbelief and rage, criticizing and cursing Countess Karina. Not only did she hide the death of the Count, she also used chemicals on the corpse for a nefarious purpose. It was beyond sickening.

“There are drugs to stimulate a pulse on the wrist for a short amount of time, aren’t there?”

Layna, who attended as a witness to Emma’s claim, was flustered when everything was slowly revealed and proven.

“Ye-yes, you can… You can use drugs to make the muscles move, even if it’s a dead person.”

“Is there a possibility that Mr. Monte could have made that in the lab?”

Layna admitted with a crestfallen look on her face. “Yes. To tell you the truth, I received a request for ingredients to make such a drug.”

“What was it?”

Layna explained the ingredients that Monte had requested and as to what kind of drug it could make when they were mixed together. She also presented the date of request as evidence to her claim.

“Mokjung smells harsh and pungent. Especially when the decaying is happening. He probably needed all kinds of herbs with a strong scent. Did you also receive a request from Mr. Monte about those as well?”

Everything Emma had used today to prove COunt Limon’s death, she had gotten from Irvan. Upon his visit to the count, he had commented, “… there was a harsh smell of a drug… black and dry skin, wet and cold hands, and a very faint pulse ….”

As the thoughts came one after another, she remembered the bucktrees piled up in the alchemical lab, and everything that seemed odd started falling into place like a puzzle. The truth that she figured out herself was too morbid.

She thought there must be some sort of plan behind it and as it led to a huge plot, she was able to figure out a way to cut Karina off instantly. Emma told everything to Irvan and planned it with Roham. Just like that, they were able to build a base for counterattack.

The only mistake Karina made in her flawless plan was to step into the trial that she had requested herself. She had placed Bishop Albert in the trial so that Irvan won’t be able to get out easily, however, this was her misfortune.

“Yes. Mr. Monte requested a large amount of herbs that had quite a strong scent.”

Layna also became involved. She personally volunteered. Although she was just providing the requested herbs as an employee, everything that Layna showed in the trial was critical and clear-cut evidence.