NOVEL NEXT Chapter 268: Trial (2)
Upon hearing this, Nolan's expression behind the mask remained unchanged. On the contrary, if Louis insisted on being stubborn, he would be surprised and start to wonder whether the man was truly stupid or just pretending.
Even so, Nolan kept his polite demeanor and bowed his head.
"Thank you, Your Honor," he said respectfully.
Louis simply nodded and waved his hand. Nolan then stepped back and stopped at his proper place.
Damn... Rick cursed inwardly. That man is really lucky!
He hadn't expected Louis to be cornered like that by the young man. This trial was shaping up to be difficult and exhausting.
Meanwhile, Aston and Alvaron, upon hearing Louis' decision, could only breathe a sigh of relief. The two exchanged glances with faint smiles on their lips.
"All right," Louis' cold voice echoed through the courtroom. "Now, let's begin the trial!"
In an instant, everyone put on serious expressions. They knew the real battle was about to begin.
Louis glanced at Aston and asked, "Aston Valmire, as the accuser in this trial, you claim that the Castellan family has committed a serious crime. The evidence is already here. Is there anything else you'd like to add?"
Aston nodded slightly and took two steps forward. "Thank you for the opportunity, Your Honor. I have no special words to add. All I ask is that you punish them according to the law. The Castellan family committed a crime by killing my factory workers. They also destroyed my factory, causing me huge losses."
"I understand," Louis replied briefly, glancing at Nolan. "Attorney for the Castellan family, do you have a defense?"
When the defendant is charged by the accuser, the attorney usually presents a defense to counter the argument. But Nolan's response left everyone in silence.
"What Marquis Aston has accused is completely true, Your Honor. We, the Castellan family, are ready to compensate for all the losses they have caused," he replied firmly.
Louis narrowed his eyes with suspicion. "Castellan family attorney, do you not wish to defend against these accusations?"
Nolan smiled and shook his head. "No, Your Honor. There's no need. The destruction of one of the Valmire family's factories was indeed carried out by our side, and the evidence is undeniable. To deny it again would only be humiliating ourselves in front of the witnesses."
Louis fell silent, staring intently at Nolan.
Is he stupid, or is he doing this on purpose? he wondered.
Previously, Rick from the Red Obsidian Trading House had claimed that this trial was nothing more than a playground for the Austin, Valmire, and Castellan families. Its true purpose was still unclear.
But Rick had also mentioned the status of the Marquis of the Castellan family—and it seemed his claim was indeed true.
After all, the defendant should have filed a rebuttal or at least requested leniency. Instead, the opposite happened—their attorney accepted Aston's accusations without a fight.
Snapping out of his reverie, Louis did not prolong the matter and declared, "In that case, I will decide the punishment for the Castellan family. They must pay five times the compensation for what they have done to the Marquis Valmire family. In addition, the Castellan family will be fined two hundred million Sharn, which will be given to the ruler of the eastern region, Alvaron Austin."
He picked up the gavel on his right and struck it. The moment the sound rang out, the sentence was officially passed.
Yet neither Aston, Alvaron, nor Nolan looked pleased, as if they had expected this outcome from the very beginning.
The witnesses, Rick and Erland, noticed this immediately. Many others seemed puzzled, though a few had already guessed the reason behind it.
They really are playing behind the scenes, Rick muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Earlier, Belfor had warned him to be cautious of the Austin, Valmire, and Castellan families. The concern was that they might be in a coalition to protect the Castellan family's status as Marquis.
And Belfor's fears turned out to be true—the three of them were indeed conspiring in secret.
Fortunately, the Red Obsidian Trading House had prepared in advance by inviting Louis to serve as judge.
So, whether they joined forces or not, the outcome would remain the same—victory would still fall into their hands.
"In that case, let's move on to the second case," Louis said indifferently. "According to the report I received, the head of the Castellan family, Rovert Castellan, has committed very serious crimes. These include kidnapping, murder, and fraud. His crimes are so severe that..."
Louis then began listing all of Rovert's offenses before everyone in the courtroom. Most of them already knew about the case—after all, the witnesses present came from the Austin family, the Red Obsidian Trading House, and the Tovtar family.
Still, hearing them spoken aloud filled the room with disgust.
"What a heartless monster! How can such a person exist? It's revolting," a woman seated on the left row said coldly.
"Yeah, utterly disgusting! No wonder so many men have gone missing in the eastern region over the past decades. The culprit was Rovert Castellan all along! The Castellan family is truly vile!" Others chimed in, their expressions equally repulsed.
Many began whispering their thoughts, careful not to disrupt the trial.
"...And finally," Louis continued, "Rovert Castellan also defrauded the Red Obsidian Trading House. The investment that should have benefited both sides ended up causing heavy losses for them. Am I correct, Mr. Rick?"
Louis gave Rick a meaningful look. Rick immediately understood and stepped forward.
"What you said is completely true, Your Honor," Rick stated firmly. He then turned coldly to Nolan on his left and continued, "The Castellan family defrauded the Red Obsidian Trading House in the investment we entrusted to them. The amount was no small matter—billions of Sharn! And what did we get in return? Betrayal. All that money vanished just like that. So…"
Rick cupped his hands toward Louis. "I demand justice, Your Honor. Please revoke the Castellan family's Marquis status and set compensation at ten times our investment!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the courtroom erupted. Ten times compensation meant tens of billions of Sharn.
Such a staggering sum was extraordinary—even for a Duke family, let alone a Marquis.
To make matters worse, the Castellan family's assets had already been temporarily seized by the Austin family, leaving them practically destitute.
Naturally, all eyes shifted to Nolan, waiting to see how he would respond to the demand.