As the news rted to Kurosaki Yurie''s kidnapping became public, the whole country was shocked.


    But that onlysted for a little while.


    When the news spread that Fujimoto Ryoma had saved her, people calmed down immediately.


    The yer that you could say represented all Japanese yers had saved the Maiden of the Skies!


    All news was full of praise toward Fujimoto Ryoma, and it was even covered in foreign countries.


    Comparatively, there was almost no news that talked about KangWoo. No, he had barely been mentioned.


    Fujimoto had warned the news outlets ahead of time to stop the incident from getting bigger.


    Three days passed.


    Fujimoto, who had be a national hero, was walking toward the court.


    It was the day when the trial of Korean yer Oh KangWoo would take ce.


    "You made sure that the judge in charge of this trial is Wakabe, right?"


    "Yes!"


    "Good."


    Fujimoto smiled.


    Wakabe Nobuhito…


    He was a judge who had helped him a couple of times before.


    He was someone who was moderately greedy and quick-witted.


    The trial would probably go smoothly with that.


    "Prime Minister Yamada is going to be the witness."


    "Hahaha! Good."


    A testimony from the prime minister?


    Even if Wakabe weren''t on his side, he would have no choice but to sentence in his favor.


    Fujimoto felt that all of the rtionships he''d built throughout the years had formed one big castle.


    ''I''ll soon be the king of that castle.''


    He was a bit bothered by Oh KangWoo''s rxed attitude, but there wasn''t a way for him to escape from the case anymore.


    The reason why so many people had been victims of witch hunts was that there wasn''t a way for them to prove they weren''t witches in the first ce.


    —It was the same that time as well.


    There was no way KangWoo would be able to prove that he wasn''t a member of the Demon Cult.


    ''It would be great if I had a few demonic energy stones.''


    Demonic energy stones…


    They were ck jewels with demonic energy concentrated inside of them used by members of the Demon Cult.


    If he''d been able to get one of those in his hands, he would''ve been able to say that KangWoo was a member of the Demon Cult more easily, but he sadly had not been able to procure one.


    ''It would be troublesome if I got used of being a Demon Cult member while trying to get one.''


    Since Prime Minister Yamada was going to be a witness, there was no way KangWoo would be able to win anyways.


    Fujimoto entered the courtroom with light steps.


    He saw Chae YeonJoo and other Korean yers ring at him.


    ''It seems like they''re really angry.''


    It was understandable. After all, their partner had unfairly beenbeled as a Demon Cult member, so it wasn''t weird for them to react like this.


    ''Seeing that they haven''t done anything for thest three days. I guess they''ve given up.''


    It really didn''t matter if they got angry.


    Nothing was going to change if they did.


    "Mr. Fujimoto Ryoma! There isn''t any information regarding this trial. Could you tell us what''s going on?"


    "Why is a trial suddenly being held for a Korean yer?"


    The reporters that had been waiting outside gathered.


    He had restricted the news outlets for thest three days, but there wasn''t a need to do that anymore.


    It was the day when the truth about the Demon Cult spy named Oh KangWoo would be revealed.


    Fujimoto replied with a smile.


    "I can give you the details before the results are out."


    "Could you at least tell us what the trial is about..."


    "It''s a trial rted to the forces that kidnapped the Maiden of the Skies. I think it would be better if you got the detailed information by yourselves."


    "If it''s the forces that kidnapped the Maiden of the Skies..."


    "The Demon Cult? Is the Demon Cult somehow rted to a Korean yer?"


    The reporters were in an uproar.


    They hadn''t been told any information beforehand, so they began making many assumptions.


    Fujimoto smiled in satisfaction and sat in ce.


    <em>Tap, Tap-</em>


    As he sat, rxed, he saw KangWoo entering.


    Although he didn''t have a mana-restricting straitjacket anymore, he still had handcuffs.


    Fujimoto red at KangWoo as he entered.


    He had already begun acting.


    Judge Wakabe entered the room and took a seat after him.


    He didn''t look good. His face was pale, and he was trembling. It was as if he was scared.


    <em>Thud, Thud-</em>


    "Th-the trial is going to start."


    Judge Wakabe turned to Fujimoto.


    "Prosecutor, testify against defendant Oh KangWoo."


    "Yes."


    The prosecutor stood up.


    "The defendant, Oh KangWoo, is a yer who participated in the n to rescue Kurosaki Yurie. While going through the north entrance gate, he suddenly moved out of the formation; then he joined the summoning ceremony that was taking ce in the basement. As Mr. Fujimoto Ryoma defeated the Demon Cult members and stopped the ceremony, KangWoo grabbed Ms. Kurosaki Yurie and tried to kidnap her."


    "What are you bastards saying?"


    <em>m-!</em>


    Chae YeonJoo angrily stood up.


    Jang HyunJae and Baek HwaYeon tried to stop her.


    Chae YeonJoo was forced to sit down by the two of them while she frowned.


    Judge Wakabe looked at KangWoo after the short incident.


    Judge Wakabe then spoke to the defendant, KangWoo, as he sat with a rxed posture.


    "D-defendant..."


    <em>ck-!</em>


    * * *


    He dropped the judge''s mallet that he was holding.


    Judge Wakabe spoke with a pale face.


    "I… I''m sorry!"


    He said sorry to an unknown person.


    He quickly grabbed the mallet again and took a deep breath.


    He spoke in a trembling voice without being able to look properly at KangWoo.


    "Then we''re going to continue with the trial. D-defendant, yourwyer..."


    "I don''t have one."


    "Then do you have something to say in your defense?"


    "I''m not a Demon Cult member."


    "..."


    There was a heavy silence.


    "Is… is that it?"


    "Yes."


    KangWoo nodded with a smile on his face.


    "Pff!"


    Fujimoto Ryoma covered his mouth and tried to hold in hisughter.


    ''Is that what he calls a defense?''


    The only possible exnation at that point was that Oh KangWoo was stupid.


    The uneasiness Fujimoto hadpletely disappeared.


    He had won the trial. There was no way he''d lose.


    It was a game where the winner had been decided from the beginning. The trial was just a formality.


    "Prime Minister Yamada will now testify."


    "Witness, please enter."


    Prime Minister Yamada walked toward the witness''s seat.


    "Hmm?"


    Fujimoto tilted his head.


    Prime Minister Yamada was acting weird—his face was pale, and he was trembling.


    ''Did something happen yesterday with Judge Wakabe?''


    Both looked to be in somewhat simr states.


    ''Well, since they''re both old, I guess there''s nothing that can be done about it.''


    It wasn''t weird for their health to deteriorate since neither one of them was an Awakener.


    Fujimoto waited calmly for the prime minister’s testimony.


    The reporters also looked at Prime Minister Yamada with shining eyes.


    "T..."


    Prime Minister Yamada spoke with a trembling voice.


    "I want to reveal something I''ve been hiding."


    "Hmm...?"


    Fujimoto frowned.


    That was an unexpected development.


    "I''m... being threatened by Fujimoto Ryoma."


    "What?!"


    "Wh-What''s going on?"


    "What did he say?"


    There was a hugemotion in the courtroom.


    Prime Minister Yamada took a glimpse at KangWoo and kept talking.


    "Fujimoto Ryoma is using the Korean yer of being a Demon Cult member to hide his identity. Korean yer Oh KangWoo is just a victim of his evil n."


    "WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU SAYING?!"


    <em>m-!</em>


    Fujimoto stood up.


    People''s attention became focused on him. After noticing that the reporters were looking at him, he took a deep breath.


    "Oof... Prime Minister, what are you saying so suddenly? Hiding my identity? What are you talking about?"


    "Fujimoto Ryoma is..."


    Prime Minister Yamada gulped.


    His nervous voice spread through the courtroom.


    "He is a Demon Cult member. In reality, the one who kidnapped Kurosaki Yurie was Fujimoto."


    "Wh-what? You bastard, what are you saying..."


    "P-Prime Minister! What do you mean?!"


    "Tell us more details!"


    The reporters stood up.


    Fujimoto Ryoma was the one who kidnapped Kurosaki Yurie?


    Rather than a bomb, that was a saying closer to a natural disaster.


    "To be honest, I''ve known that for a very long time. But... Fujimoto Ryoma said that if I revealed this truth, he''d use all my family members as offerings for a demon."


    "What. Has this old man gone crazy...?"


    Fujimotoughed in disbelief.


    It was true that Prime Minister Yamada was his underling…


    But he had never taken his family hostage; he also wasn''t the one who had kidnapped Kurosaki Yurie.


    The ones who had kidnapped the Maiden of the Skies were the members of the Demon Cult.


    ''Just what''s going on?''


    He couldn''t understand it.


    Why was Prime Minister Yamada trying to convince the jury he was a member of the Demon Cult?


    He couldn''t think of a single reason.


    His mind started to be messy at the unexpected development of things.


    "Prime Minister! Is what you''ve just said true?"


    "How can you exin the way that Mr. Fujimoto rescued the hostage?"


    "I also have something to say regarding that. The one who saved the Maiden of the Skies wasn''t Fujimoto, but the Korean yer that is sitting there, Mr. Oh KangWoo. Fujimoto is a spy who spread false information. He said that the summoning ceremony was taking ce on the top floor when, in reality, it was happening underground."


    There was a huge uproar again. A few reporters even dropped their recorders.


    "DON''T SAY BULLSHIT! EVERYONE! THIS IS A SETUP! PRIME MINISTER YAMADA HAS LOST HIS MIND!"


    The uproar became bigger.


    KangWoo looked as if he found the uproar fun. He tried his best to hold hisughter.


    ''This was your second mistake.''


    He had an Authority that allowed him to make people his pawns.


    Fujimoto''s n of trying to use another person to make him the culprit would fail as long as he could control the other person.


    ''You shouldn''t have used Prime Minister Yamada as a witness.''


    Prime Minister Yamada was a normal person and not an Awakener.


    He had no way to resist being controlled by an Authority.


    If he needed a witness, it would''ve been better to use one of the yers that hade along with the Prime Minister the day before.


    "YOU CRAZY OLD MAN...! DO YOU HAVE ANY EVIDENCE? HUH?! DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING?!"


    Fujimoto screamed as if he were about to have a seizure. Prime Minister Yamada nodded.


    "I have evidence. Everyone, please, look at this. This is something I found at Fujimoto''s residence."


    "What...?"


    Fujimoto looked dumbfounded.


    KangWoo couldn''t hold it back anymore and let out a lightugh.


    The demonic energy stone was an item that only members of the Demon Cult could use and create.


    But…


    ''I can also make them.''


    That was his third mistake.


    —He didn''t know that KangWoo could also create demonic energy stones.