Chapter 165: A Trial
Chapter 165: A Trial
The red paper containing Aldrich's first sin written in golden letters copied itself in two parts.
Aldrich reached out his hand and grabbed one, while the other went to Anjana, who had yet to move her stern gaze away from his face. Aldrich looked at the content and found it was filled with all the minute details related to the incident with Boomie and his parents. A notification appeared in front of his eyes, followed by the fairy's proclamation of him being guilty.
[
Trial of First Sin:
The Crawler Anjana may present her argument
]
"What is there to argue over? Humph! His every action is evidence of his crime."
Aldrich ignored the Crawler's words, full of mockery, and kept reading the entire paper. He was flabbergasted by the way it mentioned his every step from point to point as if it was a video recording and not text.
But despite the dire circumstances, Aldrich had a smile on his face.
The smile was faded, and all the hints of it were small enough for the Crawler to not notice it. The Lady of Righteousness was busy with her prideful smile, brimming with success. Aldrich let go of the paper and looked at the fairy, who was about to say her statement.
"It's an honor to be in your service, Your Honor 'RECORD'."
Aldrich laughed quite hard in his mind, as the fairy bowed and mentioned the RECORD as Your Honor. But it wasn't his time to speak, and the fairy had more to say on the topic.
"Dreamer, Aldrich, not only purposely prevented a criminal from facing Justice but also did it for sheer selfishness. Your Honor, let me present argument No. 1: Aldrich was aware of the abuses his friend Boomie was going through at home. And yet he never once mentioned it to Mr. and Mrs. Guo, or reported it to the police. Because of selfish reasons, he feigned ignorance about the said case of abuse."
Aldrich's mind raced to the time when he had first noticed the sign of nervousness and depression in Boomie's eyes. With the knowledge he had, he could easily tell what type of bruises could result from a mere scuffle and a beating from an adult. But Aldrich never approached his parents or police. Aldrich never wanted to involve his parents again since the encounter with that teacher from his childhood. And Boomie's father had many friends in the police for him to just ignore this and go to them.
It wasn't wrong to say that Aldrich had indeed not talked to anyone because of his selfishness. But Aldrich knew, given the image he had in locals, without concrete proof the outcome couldn't have turned out in his favor.
The fairy looked at Aldrich in disgust and spoke again.
"Argument No. 2: After finding the bodies of the Delmar couple, Aldrich didn't call the police. He instead disposed of the bodies and made up a story in such a manner that none had once questioned the veracity of his words."
The fairy pointed at Aldrich and harrumphed.
" Humph! Not only he had hidden a crime but also a patient who needed the help of a trained psychologist."
Aldrich narrowed his eyes as he heard the condescending tone of the Crawler.
Even though Aldrich hadn't practiced the subject of Denialism at that time, he considered himself qualified to judge right from wrong in Boomie's case. Aldrich had never denied that Boomie had indeed killed his father. But to let Boomie fall into the hands of people, who he didn't feel could ever understand Boomie's circumstances and thoughts, was impossible for him.
Aldrich saw the fairy taking a deep breath, and he knew she was about to put the nail in the coffin. Her brows pressed together as she made a fist and jerked her hand.
"You must have gone in shock, right? Never thought that the ghosts of the past would come to haunt you like this? I feel disgusted even before mentioning the thirst argument."
"Daddy Thisss Bitch!"
Aldrich heard Sha's grating words through her clenched teeth in his head. But before he could pacify Sha, rows of notification surfaced between him and the Crawler.
[
The Crawler Anjana is being warned
She is advised to stay on point
]
"Yes Yes, your Honor."
Crrr!
The fairy stuttered and passed a loathsome glance at him. The sound of her gritting her teeth reverberated in the Plaza's silence. Aldrich knocked the mask on his face with his knuckles and waited for the Crawler to speak once again.
"Argument No. 3: Aldrich is not just guilty of obstruction of the Justice but also of being an incredibly selfish person. And I can prove this right now. Your Honor, I want the accused to answer two of my questions."
Aldrich raised his eyebrows, hearing such a request. But the RECORD had already seemed to grant Anjana's wishes.
[
Request Granted
]
The fairy gave Aldrich a smirk and asked.
"If there was some other person in Boomie's place, facing the same circumstances, would you have done the same, Aldrich, the Blessed One?"
Aldrich didn't even need to think about it as he shook his head and replied.
"No."
"Huh! And may I ask, Why?"
Aldrich felt compelled to tell the truth. But he had already decided to do so regardless of the compulsion from the Law of Justice. His white eyes were calm and his voice was like the ripples in a clear lake.
"A patient who I couldn't have access to all the time, and whom I couldn't save with a 100% surety, was of no use to me."
HAHAHA!
The fairy's transparent wings fluttered, along with her resounding burst of laughter.
"Use Use. That's everything to you, isn't it? Your Honor, this man is selfish and rotten to the core. If left unpunished, he would bring disaster to the innocent beings of the Galaxy. And with this, I rest my case."
[
Trial of First Sin:
The Dreamer Aldrich may present his argument
]
Aldrich looked at the fairy's face, reflecting the shine of success and confidence. An evil smile came upon his face, making the devilish mask on his face even more eerie as he replied.
"I"