The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet

Chapter 240 False accusation

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

"Hey, could you not say such ridiculous things?"

"Rain would never do something like that!"

Tania and Kanade were the first to confront Arios.

Both of them were visibly angry, having me been accused of something I

 didn't do.

They seemed ready to throw a punch at any moment.

However, Arios didn't back down.

He maintained a confident attitude, as if justice were on his side.

"Through a thorough investigation, we have concluded that Rain is the only culprit," Arios stated.

Following Arios's words, the examiners surrounded us.

We were already being treated as criminals.

Cell and Axe did not join the encirclement; they were observing the situation.

"Why does Rain have to kill other adventurers? There's no reason or motive for something like that," Sora argued, sounding like a lawyer.

But Arios seemed to have anticipated this question and responded without hesitation.

"The victims were adventurers who had conflicts with Rain. He killed them to settle old scores, or they encountered each other in the ruins, leading to further trouble. Then, in a fit of anger... That's the general idea. There's a motive."

"Isn't that just an assumption?"

"It might be. However, none of the other individuals had any connection with the victims. Rain is the only one with a connection."

"Hmph, accusing Rain based on such flimsy evidence is laughable!"

"Of course, we didn't decide Rain was the culprit based solely on this. Hey, bring it out."

Upon Arios's signal, one of the examiners brought out some documents.

They were distributed to everyone present, including me.

"These documents contain information about the victims' injuries, among other things. It's based on autopsy results," Arios explained.

"What's the significance of that?"

"Look closely. It mentions the cause of death: wounds caused by a blade, not a sword, but a dagger. It's written that the cause of death was stabbing with a dagger, right?"

"Hmm..."

"Only Rain possesses a dagger. While Rain primarily uses a dagger as a weapon, the others use swords, spears, axes, and such."

"That's just an accusation!"

"I'm just stating the facts. Maybe we should perform a body search right here? I can confidently say that no one other than Rain has a dagger. "

"One can easily dispose  a dagger, Bury it in the ground or throw it in the river? It won't serve as evidence!"

Pointing at Arios, Luna firmly stated that the evidence was insufficient.

She had a point.

Arresting me based solely on this conversation would be overbearing.

It was an absurd story, one that couldn't be readily accepted.

However, Arios didn't waver.

He seemed absolutely convinced of my guilt.

"At what point in time did Rain supposedly commit such an act?" Tina questioned this time.

"You guys fell into a trap in the ruins and got separated, right? At that time, Rain ended up acting alone. What Rain did during that time isn't confirmed by anyone. So, it's possible that the crime occurred during that time."

"That's..."

What had I been doing when I got separated from everyone?

Could I have committed the crime at that time?

It was reasonable to have such suspicions, but...

Bringing that up would lead to endless speculation.

Proving my innocence at that time would be like proving the existence of demons.

"Uh... Can I say something?" Axe interjected as if he couldn't stand by any longer.

"If it's about Rain, I was with him."

"Hmm. Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. If Rain is going to be put on trial, I'm willing to testify."

Telling lies during a trial was a serious crime.

It would result in a sentence of forced labor.

At this point, with such a strong statement, it was unlikely that anyone would doubt Axe's words.

However, Arios remained unyielding.

"I'm sorry, but I can't trust your statement."

"What did you say?"

"You were once in a party with Rain, even if it was temporarily, right? You're basically old acquaintances. Are you making favorable statements for Rain out of past friendship?"

"Hey, quit it with these baseless accusations. I wouldn't do something like that."

"From an objective perspective, what do you think people would say? Witnesses who used to be in the same party... There could be suspicions of hidden connections, couldn't there? Am I wrong in saying this?"

"Ugh..."

Axe looked furious.

I was worried he might physically lash out, but he managed to restrain himself at the last moment.

Arios's words might be baseless accusations...

But they weren't entirely implausible.

There was no hidden connection between me and Axe...

But to someone who knew nothing, it wouldn't be unreasonable to have suspicions.

"Arios, listen here."

When I requested an opportunity to speak, Arios nodded slightly.

"Motive, method of killing, alibi during the crime... I understand objectively why I'm a suspect."

"So, can we consider this a confession?"

"No way. I haven't done anything. First of all, none of the evidence is conclusive. It's all vague, isn't it? Yet, Arios believes me to be the culprit without any doubt. Is there definitive evidence that I'm the culprit?"

"Hehehe..."

Arios laughed with evident enjoyment.

It was as though he had been eagerly waiting for this moment, genuinely relishing it.

"I have it," Arios said confidently.

His demeanor suggested he had considerable confidence in what he was about to reveal.

What kind of evidence could he possibly have?

"Bring it out," Arios signaled, and one of the examiners brought a crystal ball.

"This is a magical tool that records the scene at the location. As a precaution against cheating, these magical tools are placed all over the ruins."

"What's the significance of that?"

"This thing records the decisive moment of the crime. Even after you see this, do you think Rain can still deny it?"

Arios operated the magical tool with a malicious grin, almost as if he was reveling in it.

The crystal ball began to glow faintly, and soon the light subsided, revealing the scene within the ruins.

It showed a small room within the ruins.

No one was there.

"Where's the evidence?"

"Don't be so impatient. It's coming... Look, here they come."

Soon, the victims entered the room.

They seemed cautious, as if checking for traps, moving slowly.

Then, from behind them... I appeared.

"What...!?"

I held a dagger in my hand...

I slowly approached one of the victims from behind, raising the dagger.

The blade went in deep, and blood gushed out.

The victim was stabbed on the side of their neck.

They fell to their knees like a puppet with its strings cut, not moving at all.

In the face of this sudden violence, the victims were thrown into a half-panic but quickly started to fight back.

Given that they were taking the A-rank promotion exam, their skills were undoubtedly strong.

Despite being one person short, they exhibited brilliant coordination and attempted to counterattack.

However... I was more skilled.

I used the corpse as a shield to block their attacks.

Furthermore, I threw the corpse aside.

Uncertain about how to handle their fallen comrade, the victims hesitated, and their movements slowed.

Seizing the opportunity, I closed the distance and my dagger...

"Rain. This is your so-called evidence. Even after seeing this, do you still intend to deny it?"

"What is this...? I didn't do anything like this!"

"But the person in the video is undoubtedly you. Unless you have an identical twin you haven't mentioned, I don't know anything about it."

"But... I didn't kill anyone! There must be some mistake!"

"You can prove your innocence in the court of law. Well, I doubt it'll be easy with this decisive evidence against you. Hahaha!"

"Ugh..."

"Seize him."

Upon Arios's command, the examiners moved in unison.

Axe and Cell were bewildered and didn't move...

But the other examiners, as well as the adventurers, joined in.

What should I do!? What can I do!?

TL Note- Rain is caught in the trap.....

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