"Satou Kazuma, you are accused of illegally entering the dungeon, selling rare item in the back alley, suspected of taking others drop item, faking your identity, refusing to cooperate with guild, and responsible for beating many adventurers, also destroying buildings—"
"OBJECTION!!!"
Kazuma shot up from his seat like a man possessed, one hand dramatically pointed in the air, the other slamming on the bench.
"What the hell is that list?! I admit that I secretly entering dungeon, and faking my identity, but I never stea— took anyone's drop item. As for the rest like refusing to cooperate and beating adventurers is just my way of self-defense."
Shakti raised an unimpressed brow.
"You don't really expect me to be a good boy when you sent adventurers to capture me, are you? Bell Cranell is one thing— that white-haired guy is kind enough to offered me a proper conversation but Loki Familia? They charged at me the moment our eyes meet like some wild beast, when all I do is working proper job as a chef!"
"And now," Kazuma continued, glaring at Shakti, "I'm being blamed for winning a 1 vs 8 fight? Are you people serious?!"
Hearing that Shakti remained unfazed, calmly asking.
"So, you are admitting your crime?"
Kazuma snorted, looking at the annoying woman acting as the judge.
"Just the part of secretly entering dungeon, and faking identity."
"And your motive?" Shakti pressed.
Kazuma sighed heavily and lowered his head.
"…I heard you needed to be affiliated with a Familia to enter the Dungeon. I didn't have one, so I snuck in. That's all. Faking my name was just… a way to sell items without being tracked back. Not the brightest move, I admit."
He muttered the last part through clenched teeth.
"If I knew it would come to this…" he mumbled, "…I would've just become a potato farmer. Totally not suspicious."
Once again, Kazuma regretted his choice.
Shakti leaned back in her chair and flipped through a stack of reports. "You claim to never tooked anyone's drop item," she said. "But according to these records, the items you sold include materials and very rare drops that nearly impossible to gather it by yourself. For comparison, you obtained about 40% of the total drop items on that floor, while all the other adventurers combined shared the remaining 60%. You also secured 8 out of 10 rare materials and items."
"So what? How could it comes to me being accused of stealing? I'm just lucky, okay? You may not believed it but my luck stat is second only to goddess of Luck." Kazuma crossed his arms. Totally against that false accusation.
"Goddess of Luck, huh..."
She never heard about Goddess of Luck before.
She turned her gaze to deity bench.
None of them reacted. Just a few exchanged confused glances.
Looks like the deity also don't know about her but somehow the man in front of her is not lying? Deity has an ability to see human lie, but none of them say a thing.
Honestly, Shakti didn't know what to do anymore. If this were just a normal trial, she could've wrapped it up quickly. But the man in front of her wasn't just any suspect, he had reportedly taken down several first-class adventurers. And not just any group, but core members of the Loki Familia— The very spearhead of Orario itself. In a one versus eight battle, no less.
Did that really happen? If the reports were true... just how dangerous was this man?
Yes, he broke the rules. Entering the Dungeon without being affiliated with a Familia was illegal. But that rule existed just to stop reckless idiots from getting themselves killed, totally not talking about someone who could withstand the core members of Loki Familia!
Another charge? Faking an identity. Technically a crime, sure... but even Shakti had almost forgotten that rule existed since many adventurers do the same for various reasons.
Shakti inhaled deeply, her fingers massaging her temple.
"Let me confirm one last thing," she said, her voice strained. "Apart from what's written in the report… have you committed any other crimes?"
Kazuma sat straighter in his seat and answered with confidence. "No."
He exhaled with relief, like a man who had finished his long day work.
The worst was over. The trial could finally move on.
Or so he thought.
SLAM!!
A thunderous sound exploded from the deity bench, making Kazuma jump in his seat.
"He lied!" shouted one god.
"How dare he lied in front of deity!" Added other.
"A mere human lied in this sacred place?"
Kazuma's eyes went wide with terror. What? What did I—?
Then, it hit him like a bucket of freezing water.
The spear! And Ais' thing! I forgot!
Then an even worse realization come to his mind.
Why had they reacted so fast?
Why is the deity are so sure that he lied, even when he himself forgot about the thing?
There is only one reason for it.
The reason he don't want to face.
"You must be kidding..." Kazuma muttered in low voice. "All the deity are a walking lie detection bell?!"
Kazuma turned his head sharply and locked eyes with Loki.
She sat there smirking. No, giggling. Her whole body quivered with amusement.
They live together for a week, they talked, exchanged stories, and various conversations. But Loki never told him that she could know when mortal is lying. She didn't even react when Kazuma lying, acting like he fooled her when she is the one fooling him all this time.
"Damn you, Loki! You did it on purpose, aren't you?! You knew this would happen and still didn't say a thing!"
Loki is not bothered by Kazuma's fury and continue her giggle.
A cold voice came from the judge side. "So, you do have other crimes, huh? To be able to hide it from guild report, just what kind of crimes have you committed?" Shakti said, her eyes are full of anger.
"Wait! I'm just forgot it, okay! There is one time when I fought Loki Familia inside a tavern I ended up took, uh.. some spoil of war."
"And what is that 'spoil of war' you talked about?"
"It's that chihua— I mean Finn's spear! I took it and sell it for 10 million valis."
"Is that all?" Shakti narrowed her eyes.
"There is other spoil of war that I took... and I sniffed it accidentall—"
A heavy slam came from deity bench.
"...Intentionally. I sniffed it intentionally." Kazuma quickly corrected his confession in low voice.
He really want to cry.
"And, what is that?" Shakti raised her brow. Her curiousity is not faded yet.
Kazuma gulped.
"I.. I use my right to remain silent."
"You don't have any rights. Now, speak!"
Looked at the moment, Riveria decided to step in.
"Umm, Shakti. Actually we are fine with it, so you can forget it and move to the next—"
"Please, step out from this, {Nine Hells}. I won't back off until I heard the whole thing."
Unfortunately, Shakti is a very strict person when it cames to justice. The matter will be different if Riveria could secretly told Shakti what's happen, but looking at the scene now is not likely gonna happen.
"Now, speak! Satou Kazuma!"
"... It was Ais' underwear."
The silence followed felt like the time has frozen.
"Have you returned it?"
"I lost it, okay! That's the reason I kidnap Loki cause I lost that thing! And I only sniffed it one time. So could you please move on from this topic? Hiks."
Kazuma can't hold the situation anymore. He cried while closing his face with his arm.
Shakti leaned back to her chair, pinched her nose and closed her eyes.
"Let's move on to sentencing... But, I need a drink first."
No one said anything, but the silence is louder.
Everyone looked at Kazuma like they just witnessing a scum in human shape.
Even Bell, his eyes exchange between Kazuma and Ais. His face turned red like tomato.
"I will remember this." Kazuma said as he started cursing every deity in the room.