Supreme Judgment! My Heart and Deeds Are Clear as a Mirror

Roger's case was unusual, so the specific details were not made public. But among the upper echelons of wizarding society, it was no secret.

The core members of many resource-rich Pure-blood families, powerful wizards, discussed it over tea and after meals.

Lawyer Wick was not really part of that circle, but he had a friend who was... Without connections, how could anyone make it big as a lawyer? As the saying went, the key to a court ruling lay outside the courtroom.

And the rumors he had heard were not good.

"At the age of ten, he assembled a decent force amid the chaotic and terrifying Muggle war of modern weaponry. He led them to kill so many people and emerged unscathed from that brutal war. His temperament, leadership, decision-making, and ability to execute were all astonishing."

"And someone who has brushed past death understands even more deeply how precious life is."

"So what if, one day, he wants greater power in order to gain the ability to protect himself—or for some other reason—and turns to Dark Magic?"

"His will is very strong. Magic has a great deal to do with the mind, and he is also... a Seer!"

"This world does not need a second Grindelwald, nor does it need a second Dark Lord!"

—Those were the words Lawyer Wick had heard from his friend. How many years had it been since the Dark Lord's shadow had left the British wizarding world? Those who had lived through that terrifying era were still alive.

That little time was not enough to heal the wounds or restore the courage Voldemort had frightened out of everyone.

Could Roger Virgil grow into a second Dark Lord who slaughtered wizards?

No one knew.

But even a ten percent chance was something many people found impossible to accept.

In their eyes, Roger was indeed talented, but wizarding society did not lack talent.

In fact, they even disliked such talents.

Voldemort, Grindelwald, Dumbledore, Nicolas Flamel, Merlin, Slytherin and the other four founders of Hogwarts... New powerful figures came to the table, new powerful figures wanted the era to obey their will, and new alchemical techniques and magic sought to transform the world.

The changes they brought could be good or bad, but without question, every appearance of such a person brought upheaval to wizarding society.

Many people hated upheaval. They wanted everything to remain unchanged for all eternity.

Would Dumbledore risk provoking the resentment of so many wizards and Pure-blood families by using his "power" to "pardon" Roger?

Lawyer Wick thought it was unlikely.

Knock, knock, knock! Heavy, careless knocking sounded at the door.

Then came a guard's voice. "Mr. Roger Virgil, Lawyer Wick, the hearing begins in five minutes. Have you finished talking? If you have, let's go to court."

As the words fell, Lawyer Wick looked at Roger.

Roger said nothing more. He simply rose calmly and walked toward the door.

"Roger!" Lawyer Wick called after him.

"Hmm?"

"You must have heard how terrifying Azkaban is while you were in detention. Aren't you afraid?" After hesitating for a moment, Lawyer Wick asked the question that had been troubling him.

The small figure of that eleven-year-old boy was reflected in his pupils. He could not understand why Roger seemed so calm.

Did he have some hidden trump card?

Or had he, as a Seer, foreseen something? Well, one of Roger's charges was posing as a religious prophet. But he truly did possess the abilities of a Seer; that had also been mentioned in the records.

Roger Virgil had survived the war with those who believed in him only because he had continuously foreseen the future.

Smiling, Roger gave an answer Lawyer Wick had not expected. "I'm very afraid. My heart is racing, and my muscles are trembling."

"I have never encountered a Dementor. I do not know how much harm a Dementor can inflict on me. But there are still people alive in Azkaban, aren't there?"

"From the moment I returned from hell for the second time, I resolved that no matter when it was, I would never give up hope of living."

"I will fight forever, until the very moment I die."

"Before that, nothing will break my will." There was no impassioned speech. Roger merely stated it in a calm, natural tone.

At that moment, Lawyer Wick understood.

The young Seer had no trump card.

He simply had the courage to face it, even if hell lay ahead of him, even if his heart was filled with terror.

And at the same time, Lawyer Wick felt... fear! He also understood why some among the upper ranks of wizarding society, despite knowing the odds of Roger becoming the next Dark Lord were low, still did not want Roger to be acquitted.

If someone this resolute came to regard wizards or Muggles as enemies...

Creak—

The door was pulled open, and Roger walked out. The four wizard guards waiting outside once again formed the encircling escort formation from before.

They left the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which was originally located on the second floor of Level Seven in the British Ministry of Magic headquarters.

Ordinary minor cases were sentenced there, but Roger's case would not be judged there. He had to go somewhere else.

They went down from the second floor of Level Seven all the way to Level Eight, located on the Ministry of Magic's first floor.

The Ministry of Magic's floor numbering was strange. The top floor was Level One, the first floor was Level Eight, and the basement level was Level Nine, where the Department of Mysteries was located. Roger's destination lay even farther below the Department of Mysteries.

There stood one of the pinnacles of the British wizarding world, the body that held legislative power and the highest judicial authority: the Wizengamot!

One document after another was presented before everyone.

Question after question from the interrogator allowed every Wizengamot member to gain a deeper understanding of Roger, including details of the case not contained in the files.

As Roger answered, he also observed everyone around him.

A Wizengamot trial was vastly different from an ordinary court trial.

The process was that the interrogator asked questions, the person being questioned answered, and then fifty Wizengamot members raised their hands to vote on whether they believed the person was guilty, according to their own judgment.

The minority obeyed the majority. If there was a special twenty-five-to-twenty-five tie, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot made the decision. This Chief Warlock was roughly equivalent to the speaker of the assembly.

Naturally, Lawyer Wick had no role in any of this.

Normally, if the person being questioned was not particularly skilled at expressing themselves, they could appoint a lawyer or another more specialized person to speak and defend them.

But after speaking with Lawyer Wick for a while, Roger felt it might be better to face these interrogations himself.

It was not that Roger had any issue with Lawyer Wick's professional ability. There were other reasons.

First, through their previous conversation, Roger had keenly noticed that Lawyer Wick did not show absolute support for his case... That was normal. Defense work was only a job; it did not mean Lawyer Wick approved of Roger's actions.

Just as employees still had to work overtime and raise toasts even when they cursed their bosses in their hearts.

For an ordinary case, that would not matter. But this was the Wizengamot. Its voting method meant that the respondent's attitude would have a significant impact on the outcome. If Lawyer Wick showed even the slightest hesitation on a critical question, it would be a fatal blow to Roger.

Second, Roger did not want to place his fate in someone else's hands.

Since the possibility of reaching a happy ending was minuscule no matter who argued the case, he might as well do it himself.

"Yes. After my ability awakened—that is, after the prophetic magic you call a magical outburst appeared—I believed that borrowing the name of a locally influential religion was the most likely way for me to survive."

After hearing Roger's answer, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Albus Dumbledore, asked the next question with a solemn expression. "According to our investigation, by the end of 1990, the intensity of the war had already declined. With the forces and resources you possessed at the time, you had every opportunity to escape the mire of war and return to the United Kingdom. Why did you not return? Why did you remain in Kuwait as a religious prophet until the spring of 1991, when the Gulf War had completely ended?"

At that moment, Dumbledore did not wear the kind and gentle expression he had as Hogwarts' headmaster. Instead, he carried the deep solemnity and authority of the Wizengamot's Chief Warlock.

And the question he had asked was extremely crucial.

Many of Roger's charges stood not only because certain magical forces in the Middle East were trying to stir up trouble, but also because Roger had not returned when he was capable of escaping the war. That had already exceeded what was permitted under "necessity."

So-called necessity meant that when a person's life was under grave threat, they would not be held criminally liable for certain unlawful acts—for example, killing a thief in self-defense, or eating a protected animal when on the verge of starvation.

As Dumbledore's words fell, the wizards of the Wizengamot focused their gazes upon the little wizard standing in the defendant's dock. He had smooth golden hair, handsome features, and a thin frame. He was only about waist-high on most wizards, looking weak, helpless, and pitiful.

Yet Roger's answer to that question held none of that softness or weakness. "At that time in Kuwait, many people followed me because I had borrowed the name of a religious prophet. They firmly believed I was a prophet, believed I could lead them to survive. And the fact that they survived was indeed inseparable from my precognitive ability."

"Land mines, bombs, bullets, missile strikes—I could sense the approach of things that threatened me. I was always one step ahead of death, evading its pursuit."

"By the middle of the war, I had already accumulated enough resources to escape it. But what would have happened if I had left? Without the spiritual pillar of the 'prophet,' many people would have gone mad. Those whose ambitions had been kept in check by my presence would have seized the opportunity to emerge and tear the groups apart for power, profit, and greater chances of survival. People might even have killed each other."

"Not to mention that, in order to protect them, we had clashed with several armies. Without my 'prophecies,' how would they have avoided missile strikes and the pursuit of other armies afterward?"

"Many people would have died."

Roger paused there.

"I hate lies. I hate death."

"When I was weak, I had no choice but to borrow lies to obtain power and protect myself by bringing death to others."

"But at that time, tens of thousands of people believed in me. I had weapons and manpower. I became powerful."

"When I was weak, I had to do things I hated. After becoming powerful, would I still have to do things I hated? Would I have to watch those who believed in me die... Then what was the point of becoming strong? What was the point of fighting with all my strength to survive? Was it just to keep doing one thing after another that I despised, without end?!"

"No one should live merely to disgust themselves again and again. That is not the life I want."

"I do not like partings in life and death, so I refuse to let them happen. I will not allow them to appear before my eyes or descend upon those around me."

"I do not like lies. I promised them I would lead them through this calamity of war, so I would not leave before the war ended."

That was Roger's answer, and it was also the truth in his heart.

A true man could bend and stretch. Bowing his head when weak was not surrender, but gathering strength for a counterattack. Once strong, he naturally had to make the world operate according to his will instead of continuing to be a deserter, a coward, a pathetic wretch! "Mm." Dumbledore responded noncommittally and continued to the next question.

"During the Gulf War, you personally killed ninety-eight people. What do you think about that?"

The moment this question was asked, Roger immediately felt as though the air in the entire room had grown heavier.

Clearly, the wizards cared more about this question than why Roger had posed as a religious prophet.

Roger's case had many controversial points. But matters concerning legal provisions could always be sorted out eventually. The reason this case had been brought before the Wizengamot, the "highest court," was not only because it involved international disputes, but because they wanted to truly understand face-to-face what kind of person Roger was.

Many wizards who knew about this case believed Roger was talented.

Among them were people who, because of the Dark Lord, had become wary of the emergence of powerful wizards.

Naturally, there were also people who hoped more powerful wizards would emerge and were willing to cultivate talent.

If Roger's nature was not "evil," some people did not want him to be sent to Azkaban just like that.

For the Wizengamot, which possessed legislative power, their judgment was no longer merely a question of whether he had broken the law. They were judging "right and wrong," and the matters they had to consider were far more complicated.

For magic and wizards to progress from the savage, bloody ancient era of curses to the more refined and widespread age of today required the contributions of one powerful wizard after another.

Controversy had always existed. Though one faction held the upper hand, the voices of the other could not be ignored. That was why this hearing had such a strange atmosphere.

Under that heavy atmosphere, Roger answered, "Madmen driven insane after their entire families died in the war, scum who wanted to commit evil amid the chaos, invaders from Iraq, American soldiers who would stop at nothing for their strategic objectives—fifty-four of the people I killed were trying to kill me."

"The other forty-four were trying to kill people around me."

"Do you believe that attacking someone wielding a butcher's blade in order to save someone about to be killed is a crime?" After answering, Roger calmly posed a question in return.

"If you believe that is a crime, then I do not think there is anything more for me to say." Roger knew that after asking about the people he had personally killed, they would likely ask about those who had died because of him.

So Roger answered their coming question in advance with a question of his own.

After Roger finished speaking, soft rustling arose from the wizards seated in the Wizengamot chamber. They began discussing in low voices, but Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore's next question came immediately, leaving them no more time to discuss.

"Roger Virgil, you killed so many people. Do you feel guilty for ending the lives of others?"

Roger had anticipated this question as well. He gave the answer he had already considered on the battlefield. "No."

Roger's tone was as firm as steel, without the slightest hesitation.

"Those who kill will themselves be killed. From the moment they raised their butcher's blades, they should have been prepared to face all of this. I know they may have been someone's sons, husbands, fathers, perhaps even sisters or brothers. There would be people who mourned them. They might not have believed their actions were evil. They fought to protect their national interests and the lights of countless homes behind them, but that is not a reason for them to slaughter others as though it were only natural, without bearing the consequences."

"I will not feel even the slightest guilt for killing them."

"Life is priceless. One life should not be more noble than another, nor should one hundred lives be more precious than ten, and the reverse is true as well. Life is not something that can be placed on a scale."

"If someone hates me for killing them and comes to kill me, then let them come. The same principle applies to me. I do not use double standards. From the moment I began fighting, I had already prepared myself to face death."

"However, no matter how deep their hatred is or how justified their reasons may be, I will not show mercy to anyone who raises a weapon against me."

When Roger finished speaking, he noticed that the expressions of some wizards in the courtroom had changed.

Clearly, some wizards found Roger's words difficult to accept.

But he did not care.

Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore had clearly noticed their reactions as well. Behind his serious and solemn expression, a trace of something unusual flashed through his eyes.

Then he asked a question that seemed unrelated to the case. "Mr. Roger, you should have spoken with your lawyer before coming to court. If you are found guilty, it will certainly be a serious crime, and the British Ministry of Magic generally imprisons serious offenders in Azkaban."

The question seemed inexplicable, but Roger understood Dumbledore's implication.

The calmness in Roger's eyes rippled slightly, but he suppressed it.

"I know I am a child, far weaker than any wizard present. You would not even need magic. With your strong bodies, any one of you could pin me to the ground with one hand. If I said softer things, perhaps shed a few tears and cried bitterly, it might even help my situation."

After hearing Dumbledore's question, Roger understood that this elderly, white-haired wizard was not the rotten-to-the-core villain from certain conspiracy theories in Roger's previous life. He was subtly telling Roger that his stance might harm the verdict.

He... actually wanted to help him avoid conviction?

Roger felt Dumbledore's goodwill, but he still intended to walk his own path.

"But I do not want to do that."

"This is the Wizengamot. Everyone here, you are powerful wizards who hold the legislative authority and highest judicial power of the entire British wizarding world. I know that to sit in these positions, each of you must possess something extraordinary."

"Vast knowledge, ancient bloodlines, exceptional wisdom, formidable strength, extensive influence and connections... I do not think people who possess such things are easily deceived, and I hate lies as well."

"You have asked me many questions, but from beginning to end, my answer has only been one: every action I took during the Gulf War, every consequence that resulted, was because I wanted to save myself, save those who believed in me, and fulfill my promise to lead everyone to survive. I have no regrets. Even if you find me guilty and give me a chance to turn back time and return to that battlefield, I would still choose to fight."

"Every answer I have given comes from my heart, without a single lie. If you have methods to read minds or detect lies, then as long as they will not harm me, you may verify them to your heart's content." Roger spoke with absolute frankness.

As his words fell—

The Wizengamot courtroom fell silent.

Every wizard watched the child whose eyes remained tranquil as he calmly met their gazes.

Though he was so weak, every wizard could feel it at that moment.

Beneath that small body was an indestructible soul, tempered by war and forged through the heaps of dead in hell before fighting its way back into the human world! With such willpower, even if he were thrown into Azkaban, the Dementors would likely find it difficult to destroy him.

According to procedure, Chief Warlock Dumbledore should have had more questions to ask.

But at that moment, Dumbledore felt that whether he asked them or not, the result would be no different.

Just as Roger had said, he had already given the answer to every question.

"Then..."

Dumbledore, seated in the central chair of the Chief Warlock, hesitated for a moment before saying, "Members who agree that the charges are established, please raise your hands."

Some raised their hands. Others did not move.

And if someone had known these Wizengamot members beforehand, they would have discovered something very interesting.

Many of those who had held strong objections to Roger before the hearing and had decided to make the charges stick did not raise their hands.

Meanwhile, a considerable number of those who had believed Roger was an innocent child and wanted to clear his name raised their hands in agreement that Roger's charges were established.

Of course, more people did not immediately express their opinions. Instead, they turned their eyes toward the center of the courtroom, toward Albus Dumbledore.

And Dumbledore...

Remained utterly still!