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Chapter 587: Loren, the Master of Resilience
Chapter 587: Loren, the Master of Resilience
I think...
You may have forgotten about someone.
While Lanchi was in the Shadow World, there was someone else enduring a living hell in the real world.
Lanchi had ended his three-week live broadcast from the Shadow World and hadn't gone back since.
Dean Loren now had to hold a press conference every other day and bow an average of five times a day. In most of the newspaper photos, he looked utterly dispirited with sweat on his forehead.
Today marked the 28th day since Ranchi Wilfort and Shubelian Alancer, students of the Sage Court of the Ikeli Academy, along with a seventh-rank bread, had entered the seventh-rank Shadow World.
Herton Kingdom, Ikeli, Old Bri Court.
In the majestic and ancient courtroom, the light filtering through the tall windows from the high ceiling took on a solemn hue.
The Old Bri Court was first established a hundred years ago as a criminal court near the walls of Ikeli.
Its name came from the street it was located on, Old Bri Street, which stretched for a full two kilometers along the line of the ancient walls of Ikeli.
The history of the court could be traced back to at least Solar Calendar 1605, but the current building was reconstructed in 1702. Initially, it mainly handled cases involving minor criminals, but it gradually became a center for handling major criminal cases.
At the end of the hall stood a statue of the Goddess of Light and Law, her gaze seemingly fixed on the hearing that was about to unfold.
In the center of the hall stood Loren, dressed in a black suit, white shirt, and gold tie, with a rhombus-shaped holy light cross pattern on his buttons and collar.
He stood alone, an isolated figure.
As the center of criminal justice in the Herton Kingdom, the Old Bri Court was one of the most important criminal trial centers. It handled cases ranging from murder, fraud, terrorism, and other major crimes.
Many famous cases throughout history had been tried here, involving terrorists, serial killers, and significant political incidents.
The facade of the modern Old Bri Court building was adorned with sculptures of several chief justices, symbolizing justice, courage, and wisdom. The interior of the courtroom featured traditional wooden paneling and heavy red curtains, and the high judge's bench exuded authority.
Ordinarily, Loren would be invited to sit on the judge's bench.
Now, he was facing it.
On the citizen spectator stand, Student Council Secretary Lu Weixier closed her pen and notebook, no longer bearing to continue writing.
As a reporter for the Herton Times and a senior to both Ranchi and Shubelian, she had been closely following the developments related to the Shadow World at Ikeli Academy in recent days.
The hearings at this court were usually open to the public, reflecting the transparency and fairness of the Herton Kingdom's legal system.
Due to the high-profile nature of many of the cases handled here, the Old Bri Court often attracted close media scrutiny and even became the focus of numerous reports and analyses from overseas.
Lu Weixier also sensed the presence of journalists from other countries of the United Parliament of the Southern Continent seated beside her.
She glanced at the notebook of the journalist beside her.
On it was written— "Judgment Day Revealed: Loren, the Truth Behind the Disaster and the Mystery of His Fate."
Lu Weixier: "..."
Lu Weixier quietly took out her notebook and crossed out the title she had originally written, replacing it with: "The Mystery of Judgment Day: The Man Behind the Disaster - Loren, Hero or Villain? His Secret Will Shock the Entire Kingdom!"
The Old Bri Court and the cases it heard often appeared in various literary works and dramas on the Southern Continent, such as novels and detective dramas.
Thus, it had become a popular source of inspiration, not just a significant landmark in the judicial history of the Herton Kingdom.
Finally, the bell began to ring.
The thin light and heavy atmosphere converged into an almost tangible entity.
The walls, once a shelter of pale color, now seemed to transform into the faces of judges, silently bearing down on Loren in the center of the courtroom with immense pressure.
In the semi-circular hearing booth across from the hearing platform, the judges from various high-level departments had taken their seats. They included officials from the United Parliament of the Southern Continent, the Shadow World Management Association, the Southern Continent Disaster Prevention Agency, the Herton Kingdom Security Bureau, and more. The seats were filled with Herton's elite.
"Now, the student from Ikeli Academy is walking on thin ice. As an outsider, he has to take control of the ancient behemoth that is the Peltland Empire. Public opinion and the parliament are like two ferocious beasts. No matter how carefully he tries to balance these two forces, he can only succeed in one while failing in the other, or even lose both. There seems to be little hope for him to quickly strengthen the military or finances in a short period."
The discussion in the jury box echoed in the dimly lit room like whispers of ghosts.
"The seventh-rank Shadow World is never simple. The solidified structure of the parliament is like an impregnable fortress. The entire Peltland Empire is a cage, and that northern continent looks like a stalemate."
"I believe... Loren has probably collapsed and doesn't dare to open the Shadow World recording program anymore."
The experts' conclusions were like heavy bombs of revelation, exploding in the courtroom and shocking everyone present.
As the judge hammered the gavel to commence the trial, these voices abruptly ceased, and a stifling silence enveloped the entire space.
Loren took a deep breath, attempting to calm the turmoil within him.
He had learned to endure skepticism.
Although there were quite a few people in the jury and spectator stands who were close to him and concerned about his well-being, they were but a small fraction, unable to shield him from the storm of public opinion.
"Loren, do you know why you are standing here today? Three weeks have passed, and we still cannot predict the progress and failure rate of this seventh-rank Shadow World. As the person with primary responsibility for an accident that may cause a major catastrophe, how will you account for your actions?"
On the bench, one of the judges, the Duke of Akarres, the Minister of Justice of the Herton Kingdom, spoke solemnly.
As the head of the Herton Kingdom Security Bureau, he felt it necessary to suspect that Loren might have colluded with foreign Resurrection Church organizations.
This was because more and more evidence had recently emerged, pointing to a close connection between Duke Migaya and the Black Night Bishop, and before the former's disappearance, he had also been on intimate terms with Loren.
If Duke Migaya was indeed the Black Night Bishop of the Resurrection Church, it would be hard to believe that Loren was truly unaware.
Loren's throat felt constricted, as if something were blocking it.
"Your Honors, I... I am aware of my responsibilities, but please allow me to explain... I am well aware of Ranchi Wilfort's personal abilities. He possesses unique Shadow World skills and defeated the Destruction Saintess nearly a year ago..."
He maintained his composure, presenting his thoughts calmly,
"But I assure you, if Ranchi does cause any mishaps, as his teacher and due to my negligence in failing to restrain him, all the consequences are my responsibility."
As Loren responded, one side of the courtroom lit up, and a crystal ball-shaped magical device began to rotate, projecting the last recorded images from the Shadow World three weeks prior.
The magical engineering record projection allowed everyone to clearly see the latest developments in the Shadow World, as far as they knew.
"The biggest problem now is that if the Shadow World fails midway, we don't have to wait until the end of the expected forty-five days without meeting the success conditions to trigger a calamity. Every day during these three weeks, a calamity may suddenly occur due to the failure of this seventh-rank Shadow World. Loren, can you truly bear that responsibility?"
The Duke of Akarres pressed further.
Now, not only Loren but also those in his camp, or even many high-ranking members of the Herton Kingdom, were facing immense pressure from the outside world.
In the spectator gallery, the citizens held their breath, occasionally exchanging glances. Their expressions shifted from skepticism to contemplation and then to confusion.
"I am always prepared to do my best to make amends for any wrongdoing, and I will not shirk any responsibility."
Loren's voice echoed through the hall, each word seeming to defy fate.
In this hearing, which was both a trial and a defense, words like truth, responsibility, and redemption carried an extraordinary weight.
As the sun rose fully, the hearing, which had begun in the early morning, finally drew to a close.
When the hearing was adjourned for the first time, everything fell silent once more.
Loren slowly descended from the witness stand. At this moment, he looked even more exhausted than after his battle with the Cardinal Bishop, as if he had reached his limit.
Even the Ice and Snow Witch, disguised as a citizen in the gallery, felt a pang of sympathy for Loren.
In recent days, she had been staying at the Temple of the Goddess of Fate in Ikeli, crossing paths with Loren frequently.
She didn't want to add to his burden anymore.
Even though she had been worried about Shuberian every day, thinking about her whereabouts unknown in the seventh-rank Shadow World kept her tossing and turning at night.
But at this moment, she only felt that he looked pitifully honest.
No matter how the aristocrats grilled him, he was trying his best to shoulder all the blame and sincerely move the world.
He was a real good guy.
No, that wasn't right.
The Ice and Snow Witch furrowed her brows.
The manipulation of public opinion in the Northern Continent and the frenzied last words of the Destruction Saint had exposed the flaws in Loren's plans.
Upon reflection, if Loren were indeed the mastermind behind the scenes, his forbearance under pressure and flawless acting perfectly fit his strategic vision.
Assuming... all of this was within Loren's expectations, and he knew that everything would eventually turn around... then...
The Ice and Snow Witch felt a chill run down her spine, and she hugged herself.
(End of Chapter)
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