"Does it seem to be casting a spell?"

"No. It's just standing there, looking at me."

Desu had to sit and think for a while.

"The shadow clone usually lasts for a limited period, but this seems to be constant. When the senior judge Wenta performs the release technique on you two, the simple constant technique will collapse, but this one does not. What explanation do you give?"

"How can I explain?" cried Hillis, her hands waving in the air.

"You obviously aren't listening to what I just said. I don't have any memory of what happened yesterday, including casting the spell to create shadow clones."

Desude sat motionlessly on his silver chair.

He would never let his judgment be shaken by the defendant's expression or tone.

"The court will hear the defense of defendant No. 2," he announced.

He pointed to the cape on Hilice's shoulder. "Take off the real cape."

As soon as she finished, Desude fixed her in place, letting the cloak float towards the second woman, removing the magic that prevented her from moving.

He asked the same question—he received almost unanimous answers.

The second Hillis also vowed that she had no memory of creating shadow clones, saying that her first memory after that gap was that she and Shadow clone stood in her lab, looking at each other in confusion.

From beginning to end, the cape responded to her words in perfect harmony.

A look of trouble appeared in Desude's eyes behind the ivory mask.

“According to the law, the arcane is responsible for the actions of any creature he or she made magically.” He began, “but this case…”

"In this case, it's obviously not an ordinary shadow clone," Hillys interrupted, shook her long red hair.

"It is free, with a sense of autonomy. It may commit the entire crime entirely on its own, stealing notes using my spells and my knowledge of Putek's study. If that is true - if you convict us all and execute us both - you kill an innocent woman. You have no other choice but to convict us all and let us go."

He sat quietly pondered as the murmurs of the audience came down.

Since the two defendants had heard the defenses, all their attention was focused on the judge.

Especially Desud.

The audience, the two defendants, the plaintiff Putek stared at his face, looking for the slightest sadness or smile, hoping to interpret his expression.

As usual, he let them down.

“This court is adjourned temporarily,” Desou announced, “I need to discuss the case in the inner court.”

After saying that, he recited the teleportation spell.

After a moment.

Desud stood in a strangely distributed corner, with the walls and ceilings being made of transparent glassy substances.

This inner courtyard is located on the tallest tower in the territory. The surrounding area is only the sky, which can be used to draw light from all angles.

The sunlight through the walls and ceiling was distorted and turned into thousands of blue and red spots of light, showing that the inner courtyard turned out to be a huge hollow diamond.

The magic barrier is engraved on every surface of the gem to prevent the outside from peeking into the interior.

Far below the tower supporting the crystal inner courtyard, the roof and the top of the tower are everywhere, like barnacles that are attached to the mountain that has been reversed for the construction of the collar.

There are two buildings that have special eyes: cage-like fences surround the two Miser energy nuclei of the collar - huge spheres that conduct primitive magic energy from the Shadow Magic Net.

Each Mither energy core leaps energy, maintaining the magic that makes the deity float, and powers all quasi-magic devices within a radius of two kilometers of energy fields.

Energy can be observed by the naked eye, which is a light that is colder than ice and brighter than the hottest flames - like fire, it attracts moths.

Those who want to commit suicide can die immediately by touching a sphere that emits bright light, and there is no possibility of resurrection.

Seeing this, Desude already knew what to do next.

When the court was restored, the Spiral Court was more crowded than ever before.

The news that the verdict of the case was about to be announced was revealed, and the walls were filled with listeners, making the testimony rolling along the ivory spiral invisible.

On the ground below, everything is ready.

The ghost prince Desude sat on a silver chair.

He raised his hand to signal people to be quiet, and then said, "I discovered the magic source that maintains this shadow clone: ​​Mither Energy Nuclear."

The excited voice echoed in the spiral court, and Desude watched the faces of the two defendants while waiting for the voice to calm down.

They seemed alert but confused, as if they knew the Mither of Desutti's, but did not understand its importance.

This is logical.

All memories that have used the Mither Energy Nuclear to create and maintain shadow clones have been eliminated, and of course there are other memories.

"One of the women is a quasi-magical spell effect, and according to the law, there is no responsibility for their actions. Therefore, Hillis will be convicted of the crimes she was charged and committed."

Desude raised one hand to signal quiet. "As for the shadow clone..."

He continued, "Because it is just a spell effect, it can be abandoned."

Just a spell effect...

"Next, I will hold a divine slaughter." The ghost prince announced coldly:

"I will teleport the two defendants to a place more than two kilometers away from my aide, where my assistant, Senior Judge Winta, is waiting. The shadow clone will be dissolved by the maintenance magic that is far away from the Mither's energy core."

"And the real Hillis will survive this journey, and my assistant will immediately teleport her back to accept the verdict."

He turned to the two women, "Do you have something to say before accepting God's ruling?"

The two women straightened their shoulders, shook their heads one after another with one heartbeat.

From their terrible eyes, Desu understood that both women knew what would happen.

If you leave the range of Miser's energy nucleus, one of them will disappear and the other will face the death penalty.

Their earlier arrogance had disappeared, and the woman in her dress suddenly disintegrated and disappeared.

The adventurer dressed suddenly opened his mouth like a huge mouth in the abyss, covered with fangs, and hissed and roared:

"Yes, all this is in disguise...just to steal your color-resistant scrolls and research materials...ss...listen! You cowards who once hid in the shadow plane...ss...the true master of the desert, Ferin Demon Aoi has returned, and everyone...ssits...all dies!"

Immediately afterwards, the graceful woman changed into a huge object like a trumpet at a speed visible to the naked eye. It kept swaying its stinging tail, hissing:

"The Enoak Desert is ours...hiss...we are back! You cowards, wait for death!...hiss..."

Felin Demonic Aoi!

Seeing this terrifying monster appearing in the court, the onlookers screamed and fled in panic.

Desude suppressed his inner shock, calmly recited a mantra, and reached out to finger.

——"Death finger!"

A dark red negative energy suddenly completely killed the roaring Ferin Demon Kui.

Looking at the dead monster, Desu breathed a sigh of relief for no reason.

He knew that this was the last time he had been in this floating city that had lived for more than a thousand years.

Although his sudden departure made him feel lost, he did not regret it.

Because his next goal is Halua, a magical kingdom known as "Shining the South".

"It's all for the rise of the Arcane Empire."
Chapter completed!