The Extra System: Summoner of Shadows

At first, no one understood what Cedric said to the Hand of the King. It came as a shock when the well-mannered gentleman began to spew profanities at one of the judges of his trial. For a solid minute, everyone just blinked at Cedric and at each other. 

"What did he… just say?" asked a noble while pinching himself. "Did he just call the Hand of the King rotten scum? Filth? Am I dreaming right now?" 

That sentiment was shared by everyone else inside the Iron Court, including the king himself, who took a few moments to realize the change in Cedric's character. But of course, this was just the calm before the storm. 

"You… what did you just call me?" asked the Hand, his fingers trembling as he pointed at Cedric. "Who do you think you're talking to? Have you lost your goddamn mind?!" 

"My goddamn mind is just adequate enough to see through your schemes to help your brother-in-law," said Cedric with his hands in his pockets. "You didn't hesitate to accuse me of using the skill Oathbreaker, so why would I hesitate to call you rotten scum?" 

"Enough!" shouted the furious king as he slammed his fist against his table, letting cracks spread across the floor. "Control yourself in my court, Prince Cedric Everhart! You are on trial!" 

"How about you control your own court first?" Cedric's smile disappeared. "One of your judges is the damn uncle of the plaintiff, and you turned a blind eye to that? You even listened to him when he accused me of using the skill?" 

As soon as his words ended, several figures jumped from the sides and surrounded Cedric. Their gleaming silver armor flashed in the courtroom as their spears pointed toward Cedric, threatening to end his life. 

"Ember!" shouted Cedric, and another figure flashed, appearing right beside him. With a single swing of her sword, the four spears were deflected, and their wielders staggered backward. 

"What is the meaning of this, Prince Cedric? Are you insulting me in my own court?" King Thalric demanded an explanation, raising a hand and gesturing for his knights to stop. "Explain yourself!" 

Cedric stood in the middle of the courtroom, his hands in his pockets, his expression defiant. Duke Ravenswood was gleeful over Cedric losing his mind, while the nobles called for the guards to execute him on the spot. 

"I came to this nation as a guest, invited by your own nobility," said Cedric as he raised his head, staring the king in the eyes. "But I have been treated like a rat, tossed around and accused. My name is Cedric Everhart, the Ninth Prince of the Aeloria Kingdom. Show me some damn respect!" 

"Is that what this is about? You want to use your status to escape the court's verdict?" asked the king with a frosty expression, his voice low. "Justice knows no status!" 

"Tell your Hand that exact phrase, Your Majesty," Cedric frowned. "Relic House, which he owns, sold the Oathbreaker skill to Roland Vrisky, a knight serving under Duke Ravenswood. You can connect the dots from there." 

"Impudent liar!" shouted the Hand of the King as he rose from his seat, pointing as if he couldn't believe someone could be this shameless. "My auction house has never dealt with such items! It's been prohibited by the court!" 

"If that's the case, how about we summon Roland Vrisky as a witness?" Cedric smirked. "He should be placed under oath as well, and he can admit whether he purchased the skill or not." 

Cedric knew he could just call for Duke Ravenswood himself, but he didn't think the oath would work on him. Even though he wasn't a major character in the novel, his level should still be higher than Aria's, given the twenty-year age difference between them. 

"Where is Roland Vrisky?" asked the king, glaring at the duke. "Summon him this instant, Duke Ravenswood." 

"Your Majesty!" cried the duke as he rose. "I've never heard that name in my life! These are groundless lies!" 

"There are records of the duke's entourage, and a Roland Vrisky hasn't visited Ironheart with the duke," said the Hand of the King, looking directly at the king. "Please don't let this man deceive you, Your Majesty. His reputation for being deceitful is known throughout the six kingdoms!" 

Cedric knew the duke wouldn't send someone who could be easily found. Roland Vrisky wasn't even registered in the Iron Tablet as a knight, making him more of a fictional character than a reality. 

"This is a mess," said King Thalric, gritting his teeth. Then, he turned toward his trusted mage, Aria Valefire, to sort this out. "Can you find this Roland Vrisky?" 

All eyes turned toward Aria, who had sat through the trial without a word. As the king relied on her, Aria rose and nodded toward him. 

"There's no need for that, Your Majesty," said the mage with a bow as she waved her hand, letting mana condense before them. "I've already arrested him on your behalf." 

The entire courtroom erupted with discussion, confusion, and shouting. A wall of mana formed before the king, showing a muffled figure resisting his ethereal cuffs on the ground. Once the images appeared, the duke and the Hand paled. 

"You arrested him already?" asked the king, confused. "How do you know this man?" 

"I visited Relic House yesterday using a disguise," explained Aria as she glanced at the Hand. "There was an underground auction that my academy wanted me to attend. During that auction, I encountered the skill Oathbreaker. I knew it might interfere with today's trial, so I placed a tracking spell on the one who purchased it and arrested him." 

"Is he Roland Vrisky?" asked the king with a frown. 

"That was the name he gave me, but he wouldn't explain what he did with the skill. Although under oath, he simply refused to speak." 

"I've never seen that man in my life!" cried the duke, pointing at the man in chains. "Please believe me, Your Majesty!" 

"Silence!" roared the king as he slammed his fist on the table, glaring at the duke. "Do you take me for a fool, Duke Everhart? I've always known of your close relationship with the Hand. The court mage found the skill in his auction house!" 

Silence descended on the crowd; no one dared to say a thing. Then, the Hand of the King raised a hand to speak. "If the skill was in my possession, and I allied with the duke, why would I need to sell it to him through a knight? Wouldn't it make more sense for me to just hand over the skill to the duke?" 

Cedric still stood with his hands in his pockets, a thin smile playing on his lips. Although the Hand had posed a question that stumped the king and the rest, Cedric had the answer ready since yesterday. 

"Roland Vrisky was your lifeline," answered Cedric with a grin. "Given that this trial would reach this stage, it's only natural that you'd need witnesses against me," said Cedric as he turned toward Aria. "Can you please enlighten us about what kind of skills Roland Vrisky has?" 

"Before I arrested him, Roland looked like that woman," said Aria, pointing to Ember, who stood next to Cedric. "But once his mana was exhausted, his shape returned to this." 

"Thank you, Mage Aria," said Cedric with a grin. "And this answers your question, dear Rotten Scum. You wanted the staff of your auction house to see that the person who purchased the skill looked like my retainer. That's why you needed a proxy. The court would realize that Oathbreaker had been used, so… you needed someone to take the fall."