Chapter 36
The trial for Do Josoon and his followers was held 15 days later.
For this day, the courtroom, solemnly prepared, was naturally filled with numerous members of the Balhut Cult.
The selected jurors included citizens of Southern Gyeongju, Northern Gyeongju, and some from the suppression forces, while the prosecutor for Do Josoon was Jung Dong-gun.
“Damn it.”
It was expected that Do Josoon wouldn’t be assigned a defense attorney since the trial was meant to judge him, but unexpectedly, Do Josoon did have a proper lawyer.
However, the lawyer Shim Jung-hoon displayed a grim expression, revealing his resentment toward Do Josoon, who had yet to arrive.
The Balhut Cult had appointed Shim Jung-hoon, a lawyer who had previously worked in Northern Gyeongju before the apocalypse, as Do Josoon’s defense attorney, intending to create a fair trial. However, the appointed lawyer had no intention of truly defending Do Josoon.
It was a position he hadn’t desired, and knowing the horrors of Northern Gyeongju, Shim Jung-hoon wanted Do Josoon’s downfall, not his acquittal or return.
‘It’s something I can’t avoid. Well, I’ll just take the criticism.’
After Northern Gyeongju was absorbed into Southern Gyeongju, Shim Jung-hoon resumed his work as a lawyer, considering this as a process of reviving lost justice, trying to console himself.
The unfortunate fact was that the first trial and defense he would undertake would be of the greatest criminal in Northern Gyeongju, who had committed countless atrocities, and that he had to defend this criminal.
His participation as the defense attorney could be seen as a reluctant acceptance of the Balhut Cult’s earnest request.
“Please, we ask this of you, Attorney.”
“Y-You don’t need to bow, Miss Yuna!”
“But it’s certain that you’ll face criticism. Even with the Cult’s support, life will be tough for a while.”
The request came directly from Choi Yuna, the leader of the Balhut Cult.
Even though he could have outright refused to defend Do Josoon, and it wouldn’t have been strange, the reason he attended the trial was due to Yuna’s personal plea.
Had it not been for Yuna’s request, Shim Jung-hoon would have simply acknowledged the Cult’s appeal but refused to attend the formal trial, disregarding the defense of basic human rights.
“But Miss Yuna is our savior.”
When the great Priestess who saved Northern Gyeongju, Yuna, made the request herself, he couldn’t refuse.
He owed his life to Yuna, and even Shim Jung-hoon himself had been treated directly by Yuna at the Cult’s headquarters, allowing him to stand here with a healthy body.
Thus, he accepted Yuna’s request, resolving that even if it brought significant harm to his career, he would do his utmost to defend his enemy in order to honor the dignity of Yuna, who had bowed her head for him.
“Well, are you my lawyer, pal?”
‘I want to go home.’
Even that resolve quickly withered in the face of Do Josoon’s insolence.
Do Josoon, who entered the solemn courtroom with a nonchalant attitude as if he were out for a leisurely stroll, made Shim Jung-hoon wish he could quit everything and leave right away.
No matter how he looked, he did not seem like a criminal facing judgment but more like a neighborhood thug on a casual outing.
It seemed as though he was fully convinced that he wouldn’t be punished.
“Watch your words. This is the place where you will be judged as a war criminal.”
“Hey, don’t talk so harshly. So, you’re saying I’m going to be judged? Ridiculous. Does a mere Cult think it can punish the King of Gyeongju?”
“A king without a single follower.”
When Shim Jung-hoon labeled Do Josoon as a war criminal, the latter, seemingly annoyed by Shim’s audacity, retorted as if questioning who could possibly judge him.
Do Josoon, who still claimed to be the King of Gyeongju, made Shim Jung-hoon sigh in frustration and sarcastically countered that he was a king without any followers.
“So what? Is there anyone stronger than me in Gyeongju? Not even that Jung Dong-gun can stand up to me head-on. Only that damn whore could stop me.”
“Do you believe that being a powerful Awakened will get you an acquittal?”
“Of course. In this era, it’s common knowledge that Awakened individuals are more important than ordinary people, right? The stronger the Awakened, the more sins they can get away with. Isn’t it a great world?”
However, Do Josoon smirked and asked who in Gyeongju could be stronger than him.
It was true that, realistically, even Jung Dong-gun, a military officer of the Balhut Cult, was weaker than Do Josoon.
In the end, it was Choi Yuna, the leader of the Cult, who subdued Do Josoon, and apart from her, the average strength of the Cult’s members was lower than that of Do Josoon’s gang.
Thus, considering the circumstances of the era and the reality, Do Josoon was confident that he would not face severe punishment due to his strength as an Awakened.
“…You’re not entirely wrong.”
As a lawyer who knew that outside of Gyeongju, Awakened individuals often got away with murder or were treated as innocent, Shim Jung-hoon found it hard to argue against him.
In peaceful times, Do Josoon would be a villain deserving of a life sentence, but in this Zombie Apocalypse disaster, punishing Do Josoon was a murky matter.
In fact, holding a trial to judge him during such a disaster might seem like a luxury or even a way to officially declare Do Josoon’s innocence.
Especially with a defense attorney like himself assigned to an extreme criminal like Do Josoon.
‘I hope my assumption is wrong.’
Feeling uneasy, Shim Jung-hoon entered the courtroom, where he saw numerous jurors, prosecutor Jung Dong-gun, and many spectators.
Among them were not just ordinary spectators but journalists reporting news to the world for a subscription fee, YouTube content creators live-streaming as a hobby, and people attending to post updates on the Balhut Cult’s community.
The largest group present, however, was…
“……”
The victims who had suffered at the hands of Do Josoon.
Many of them had been summoned as witnesses, but those who couldn’t attend due to insufficient evidence made up more than half of the audience.
Considering those who were still bedridden and awaiting treatment, the number of people hoping for the trial’s outcome would be even greater.
“What’s with those unpleasant stares? Keep your eyes down, slaves.”
‘Sigh.’
Do Josoon swaggered into the defendant’s seat, and Shim Jung-hoon, feeling the many resentful glares directed at him, swallowed nervously as he followed behind Do Josoon.
The defendant’s seat was already occupied by Do Josoon’s gang, who had been brought in earlier, bound in handcuffs and seated.
“What is this? Is that bitch Yuna the judge?”
Finally, Yuna took her place in the judge’s seat.
While many in the audience and jury found it surprising yet expected that Yuna would be the judge of this trial…
“Today’s trial will not be presided over by me. It will be conducted by God Bahamut.”
Suddenly, a transparent mirror appeared before her, and within it, the image of a gentle dragon was reflected.
Seeing the dragon’s face, Jung Dong-gun bowed deeply and respectfully on the spot, while the Balhut Cult’s officials and the residents of Southern Gyeongju who had seen the dragon before showed their reverence and awe without hesitation.
“What is this? Are you telling me that the dragon is also here to judge me? Ha, what a grand trial!”
‘He’s putting on a front.’
Do Josoon responded with amusement at the sight of the dragon, but the lawyer beside him recognized that he was putting on an act.
Although he maintained a nonchalant attitude, his face was twisted as if he were troubled, and his hands and feet were trembling.
Perhaps he thought he could somehow persuade Yuna or the Balhut Cult’s officials, but he seemed to realize that there was no way to convince the dragon presiding over the trial.
“Silence. We will now begin the trial.”
With just a word, “Silence,” Bahamut’s presence overwhelmed the courtroom, and in the now-quiet trial chamber, only the sound of Bahamut declaring the start of the trial could be heard.
“Let us list the charges. Murder. Forced relocation. Enforced disappearances. Enslavement. Child abduction. Cannibalism. Torture. Killing of prisoners. Forced pregnancy. Destruction of towns and villages, both military and non-military, that cannot be justified by necessity.”
Even just hearing the list of charges was enough to give one a headache.
Each one of these crimes, even if committed alone, would make someone a notorious villain or be recorded in history as a massive crime.
It was unbelievable that a single person could be responsible for all of this. The countless crimes committed by Do Josoon were so severe that those in the audience who bore grudges against him began to grit their teeth so hard they might crack.
They earnestly wished for Do Josoon to receive the severe judgment of the dragon.
“There are several other charges. Does the defendant acknowledge them?”
“I cannot acknowledge them! This is judicial murder by the Cult! It is a disregard for the presumption of innocence and is judicial murder!”
Before his lawyer could intervene, Do Josoon shouted that he could not admit to the charges Bahamut was listing.
Seeing Do Josoon making excuses on his own, the lawyer sighed and allowed him to continue his reckless speech.
After all, even attending this trial was an act of fulfilling a reluctant duty.
“Silence. Compose yourself and speak through your lawyer.”
“This trial is invalid! I refuse to accept it! I am the King of Gyeongju! Who dares to punish a king?”
Though Bahamut advised silence, Do Josoon ignored it and shouted whatever he wished to say.
He declared that he did not recognize the Cult’s laws and that he could not be punished.
“Silence.”
“Yeah, this is all a false accusation! I only fulfilled the duties of an Awakened! Right now, in this world, only Awakened individuals can survive the disaster! It’s only natural that ordinary weaklings should serve as footstools for the Awakened to survive!”
He claimed that it was all false accusations and that he was simply fulfilling his duties as an Awakened individual, implying that he was not to be blamed.
Bahamut, with a brief “Silence,” attempted to quell him, but Do Josoon’s mouth didn’t stop.
“What’s so wrong about that? You’re all the same!”
As he accused the Balhut Cult of being no different from himself, a member of the audience could no longer hold back and began to shout.
“Quiet. Or rather, Silence.”
“…! …!”
Bahamut, having had enough, cast a Silence spell on Do Josoon.
Under the spell of silence, Do Josoon found himself unable to voice his arguments to the audience.
Forcibly muted, he glared murderously at Bahamut, who sat on the judge’s seat, as if asking what he thought he was doing.
“They say even the Buddha shows mercy three times. I shall maintain the Silence spell on the defendant until he calms down. And…”
“…! …! …! ……!”
He boldly declared that it was Do Josoon who had first shown disrespect to the court and that he would keep the Silence spell on him until he composed himself.
Yet, even as Do Josoon pointed at Bahamut with a finger, seemingly protesting, he couldn’t speak due to the Silence spell, creating an unintentionally comical scene.
Seeing him rendered powerless, the audience couldn’t help but laugh and found satisfaction in the sight.
However, the trial had only just begun.
“Do the rest of you acknowledge the charges mentioned?”
With Do Josoon silenced, Bahamut turned to the other defendants, asking if they admitted to the charges.
“W-We were only following Do Josoon’s orders!”
“Yes, that’s right! It’s all Do Josoon’s fault! We were merely following his commands!”
“We weren’t inherently bad! The situation was dire, and the world is what it is, so we just followed the strong one’s orders!”
“How could weaklings like us dare to defy Do Josoon?”
Their answer was predictable: denial.
Knowing that admitting to the charges would result in severe consequences, they hurriedly began shifting all the blame onto Do Josoon.
They insisted that they had only followed orders and submitted to Do Josoon’s oppression.
But for the victims in the audience, their actions were infuriating.
“I know for a fact! Even without Do Josoon’s orders, those bastards delighted in exploiting us!”
“Even after receiving intensive care from the Cult, my body still bears the marks of their abuse! I can show you these horrible scars right now!”
“That one isn’t innocent! No way! He’s the rapist who violated my child!”
The audience, their faces filled with indignation, refuted the claims of the gang members.
Some began taking off their clothes to show the evidence of abuse, while others displayed the crimes of the defendants through recordings on their smartphones.
“Shut up! How dare you, a mere un-Awakened weakling, interrupt when an Awakened is speaking!?”
As the audience began to offer testimony that would put the defendants at a disadvantage, some of the accused, looking panicked, shouted for the audience to shut up, attempting to silence them.
Fortunately, the presence of the Cult’s security personnel and the intimidating gaze of Bahamut kept the situation from escalating further, but everyone in the courtroom could sense that this trial was far from being resolved smoothly.
—
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