Chapter Text
“Shoot him, Mr.Jigoku!” Mael Stronghart hissed in the darkness of Lowgate Cemetery. He grabbed the gun from the man's holster and pressed it into his hands, “Shoot Asogi at once!” That graverobber had complicated everything. If news of this ever got out, the whole Empire of Great Britain would be shaken to its foundations! And if word got out he was involved in a jailbreak, he'd be ruined! He couldn't let this get out of hand, “He can't live now that this has happened! He has to go!” The Japanese man accompanying him looked at Stronghart in horror.
“What are you talking about!?” The man asked in angered disbelief, “You had an agreement!” His hands shook as he held the gun, “You promised him he could return to Japan!” He looked at Stronghart almost pleadingly, but the Lord Chief Justice spoke in a deadly calm manner.
“Everything has changed now,” He said, staring at the scene in front of him. The graverobber stood frozen in fear, and Asogi struggled to see what was happening through the metal mask on his head. No doubt he was wondering where his compatriot was, “If the truth got out because of this…” Here he gave a warning look at Jigoku, “...both of us would be finished. Forever!” If Stronghart went down, he was going to drag whoever he could down with him. He would ensure that much.
Jigoku's breath hitched at this, his eyes widening in fear that everything he'd worked so hard for could slip through his fingers. The man stared at Asogi from a distance away. He hesitantly started to raise the gun. Good, this was good, he just needed a nudge….
“Come on, Jigoku, do it!” Stronghart goaded him, “Pull the trigger!”
Jigoku had his gun lined up perfectly to Asogi's chest. He trembled and seemed to be fighting within himself on what to do. Well, they didn't have time for that! “SHOOOOOOT!” Stronghart yelled out, and Jigoku closed his eyes at the last second before pulling the trigger.
BANG!
The bullet's trajectory had drifted slightly off course as a result of Jigoku shutting his eyes. Still, it hit Asogi directly in the head, a loud crack sounding just after the gunshot. The graverobber screamed and from the dim light of his lantern, Stronghart saw a few flecks of blood spatter on the man as Asogi's body fell back. He couldn't see anything more however, as the man turned tail and ran out of the graveyard as fast as his legs could carry him.
The graverobber's screams faded away, and all was silent, save for the slight shaking of the gun in Jigoku's hands. The Japanese man stood there trembling, eyes wide open, staring at the weapon that had ended his friend's life. He roughly swallowed and his voice came out as a choked whisper.
“What…what did you make me do!?”
“You did,” Stronghart corrected, “What had to be done, Mr.Jigoku,” Stronghart put a hand on the man's shoulder in a show of comfort, though he stared determinedly ahead at Asogi's body, “But you've done enough for tonight,” He left the man standing there and looked back over his shoulder as he started to walk to the open grave, “You may leave,” He said in a tone that left no room for argument, “I will put Asogi back in his grave and this will all be cleaned up by morning. You needn't worry about this any longer.”
Jigoku looked utterly lost, and perhaps that was why it was so easy to get him to leave. He slowly stumbled out of the cemetery in a daze. Stronghart waited for a few minutes, watching to see if he was really gone, before turning back to search Asogi's body for the will.
Or he would have, had there not been someone else who showed up. His heart nearly stopped when he saw what looked to be a young girl messing about with the corpse. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen. Stronghart wasn't sure, but she had removed the mask and was doing…something with Asogi's face. Then Stronghart recognized her. A small waxwork museum had popped up recently in London that was all the rage at the moment. This girl was from the family that ran it, apparently. The Tusspells family, if he wasn't mistaken. They were well-known for their lifelike models of both the famous and infamous alike in history.
He began to approach her, but she happened to hear his footsteps and whirled around to face him. Before he could get a word out, she ran away from the grave, leaving Asogi's face uncovered and pulling a hood around her head as she disappeared into the fog. Blast it all, the girl must have seen at least some of the events that had transpired. That had to have been the reason she ran away so quickly. No matter, he had recognized her and he made a mental note to approach her later. Perhaps if he let her make her figure, she could be persuaded to keep this secret. If not…well, Stronghart hoped for her sake she was wise enough to make the right decision.
Having wasted enough time, Stronghart finally went to inspect Asogi's corpse. Surely the man would have had to have hidden Klint van Zieks’ will somewhere on him. The whole cell had already been searched, top to bottom, and anyone who came to visit Asogi while he was detained had been patted down each time they arrived and each time they left. There was no way it wouldn't have been discovered, so the will must be here. Once he had his hands on it, he would burn it, and Stronghart would be able to rest easy once more. As he knelt down, he reached towards the man.
A weak groan escaped Asogi's lips and Stronghart let out a cry of shock as he stumbled backwards, losing his balance and ending up in the dirt. He stared, terrified, at the…corpse? As it began to stir, the older man could hear more pained groans coming from Asogi. ‘No…he can't be alive! He was shot in the head! I saw it with my own eyes!’
But Asogi didn't appear to have a bullet hole in his head at all. Just a thin line of blood flowing down from his forehead. Stronghart glanced at the mask nearby, the one he had forced Asogi to wear, so as to hide his identity from the public. There was a sizable dent in it and fragments of the metal missing, but it hadn't been completely pierced through. And there, in the middle of it all, was the bullet from Jigoku's gun.
The Japanese man slowly sat up, clutching his head, hissing from the pain. Stronghart scrambled up from his position, backing up slightly. He didn't know what to do. He had counted on Asogi being dead! How was he supposed to fix this!? Shooting the man again might attract unwanted attention, and Jigoku had taken the gun with him anyway. If he was still unconscious, Stronghart might have been able to just place him back in the coffin and smother him, but the man was already awake!
‘What do I do?’ He asked himself, ‘What do I do!?’
His head was killing him.
He groaned in pain, wincing as he heard another voice cry out loudly. If he had the ability to he would have told them to shut up. Alas, he could only let out another groan in response. When he eventually opened his eyes, it was very dark, though a faint light was visible from the moon. So he was outside then.
As if his aching head wasn't enough, he was lying on something cold and hard. Gritting his teeth, he slowly sat up, gingerly putting his hand to his head. The movement made it pound briefly, but it thankfully slowed back to a dull ache once he was still. He pulled back his hand to find a thin trickle of blood had stained it. Glancing around beneath him, he saw he'd been lying on a patch of dirt, all loose and scattered around. He was sat next to a hole. He got a small bout of dizziness when he tried to look and leaned back, fortunately being caught by something sturdy. Looking back, he saw a stone slab, engraved with the figures “No. 139.”
‘Where am I?’ He thought, ‘What….what happened to me?’ He tried to think back but…he couldn't remember…
Anything.
Why couldn't he remember anything!? He focused as hard as he could, but everything was all muddled, thoughts and images slipping from his mind just before he could register them. The harder he tried to think about it, the more his head hurt. He grasped his head and tried to break through, but it was no use. He couldn't even remember who he was, let alone where he was! What was his name? What was his name!?
No matter how hard he tried, nothing came to him.
Some noise further away snapped his head up in surprise. Straight ahead, a figure stood in the darkness. A man, a tall one at that. The man looked as if he had seen a ghost.
He didn't recognize him at all.
A few seconds of silence stretched on, before he hesitantly spoke up, “Who are you?”
For a few long moments, the man in the darkness didn't answer, but his face had changed, going from a fearful shock to something more calculating. Then, a small smile appeared on the man's face. Though it looked more like a smirk if he were being honest. The man stepped forward, closer to him.
“Someone who can help,” The man said in a friendly tone, “You look injured, my good man, and in quite a strange situation,” The man held out his hand to him, “Come with me,” The man beckons, “I will help you.”
He hesitates, but his mind is too muddled and in pain to question anything…so he takes the man's hand.
Ten years later…
Ryunosuke Naruhodo had the distinct feeling of being watched.
Of course, it could have just been his nerves. After all, there was a lot of activity today. He had just arrived in Great Britain this morning, and they hardly had time to collect their luggage before catching a carriage to the Supreme Court. He was accompanied by Susato Mikotoba, a young judicial assistant. They had a meeting with the Lord Chief Justice, to let him know that they had arrived for the study tour, as a defense lawyer and a judicial assistant.
Though things weren't originally supposed to be this way. He wasn’t even supposed to be here; he'd been stowed away by the one who should be here in his place, his best friend, Kazuma Asogi. He was the one who had been a defense lawyer but…he had died on the journey here. It was an accident, but that didn't make it hurt any less. It was tragic; he had such high hopes in coming here, to never get a chance to see them through.
So, Ryunosuke resolved to fulfill his dream for him. He studied as much as possible for the remaining time on the ship, learning everything he could about British law under the strict tutelage of Susato-san. And while he was certain he was still very under qualified, he felt he should still get a fighting chance to prove himself. So that was another reason they were here, to meet with the Lord Chief Justice and plead for that chance.
He'd already been nervous, but as they passed just over an hour waiting for the man to arrive, Ryunosuke felt it increase tenfold within the last five minutes. Even Susato-san looked on edge. It felt as though there was someone watching them…but that was impossible, right? There was no one here but them! The Lord Chief Justice's office had such large doors he didn't think anyone could sneak in.
“Ah, good morning. Sorry for keeping you,” A voice spoke from behind them. Ryunosuke jumped a bit then quickly collected himself just as a very tall imposing man placed himself in front of them, “I trust you aren't too exhausted after your long voyage from Japan?” He pulled out a pocket watch, flipping it open and checking the time, “Hmph. It seems I'm one hour, twelve minutes and…forty seven seconds late. My apologies,” Though, honestly he didn't sound that apologetic.
Ryunosuke's nerves got the better of him and he found himself stumbling over his words in reply, “Oh! No no, don't mention it! We're never happier than when we're standing around with nothing much to do!” He mentally kicked himself; what was that!?
“...How fortunate,” The man said with a snap of his fingers, still looking at his watch, “So, introductions,” He finally looked at Ryunosuke once more, “I am Mael Stronghart, Lord Chief Justice of the British Empire.” And Ryunosuke felt like a little mouse under an elephant's foot. Susato-san caught his eye, making a small gesture of encouragement. Pulling himself together, he introduced himself as well.
“Um…it's, it's an honor to meet you, Lord Chief Justice Stronghart!” He said with a bow, “I'm Ryunosuke Naruhodo from the Empire of Japan!”
“Well, Mr. Naruhodo…” Lord Stronghart spread his arms out wide, his actions punctuated with a flock of birds fluttering in the distance, “Welcome to London! The capital of our glorious British Empire!”
They continued on with informing Lord Stronghart of the situation that had happened aboard the S.S.Burya, to which he expressed his deepest condolences. Oddly enough, even while Lord Stronghart was in front of them, Ryunosuke still had the feeling that they were being watched. But surely that shouldn't be possible. He nervously glanced around as Susato-san was speaking, then jumped in surprise.
In a shadowed part of the room, there stood a cloaked figure. From under the hood, they had a white mask that nearly covered their whole face. Ryunosuke could see the glint of their eyes peering out from behind the eye holes of the mask, their gaze seeming to pierce into Ryunosuke's soul. How long had they been standing there!? He was certain they hadn't been there before!
“L-Lord Stronghart,” He interrupted the conversation unintentionally, “Who is that, just over there?” He pointed at the hooded figure, who stood as still as a statue. Susato-san gasped as she now saw him as well. The Lord Chief Justice didn't seem fazed at all.
“Oh, I assume you're referring to my bodyguard? Don't mind him, Mr. Naruhodo, he's simply more cautious due to the sword at your hip,” He gestured at Karuma, Kazuma's katana that Ryunosuke carried on for him. Lord Stronghart lifted up his cane and tapped the bottom of it on the floor firmly two times.
Tap Tap
Immediately, the masked bodyguard stepped out from the shadows and came to stand at attention by Lord Stronghart's side. He was a bit shorter than the Lord Chief Justice, but that didn't make him any less intimidating. Especially now that Ryunosuke could see the bodyguard had his own sword at his hip, a western style one. The bodyguard stared at Ryunosuke and Susato with a calculating gaze, as if sizing them up.
“H-Hello!” Ryunosuke greeted him, trying to be polite, “It's n-nice to meet you,” The bodyguard said nothing, and Ryunosuke felt like he was about to break into a nervous sweat, “Umm…so…lovely weather we're having, aren't we!?” He all but shouted from his nerves. The man still stared, but for a brief moment, it looked as though his eyes flickered with amusement, though it was gone before Ryunosuke could properly see it.
“Don't expect a spoken answer from him,” Lord Stronghart said nonchalantly, checking his watch, “He is not permitted to speak while on duty unless it is privately to me,” Susato-san looked appalled, and it seemed like she was about to protest, but he continued, “It is purely for safety reasons, nothing more.” His tone left no room for argument, and she reluctantly stood down.
“So…you have a bodyguard?” Ryunosuke asked, “Why? And why have him wear something like that? Would that not just draw more attention to yourself?” Though, to be fair, he hadn't noticed the man until actually taking a look around the office, so perhaps it was a useful outfit, not even counting in the intimidation factor.
“A man in my position faces a number of threats and dangers,” Lord Stronghart answered as he looked at his watch once more, “Naturally, I know how to defend myself if need be, but it's helpful to have some assistance. There's no need for you to fret, he won't harm you unless you were actively trying to harm me,” He spoke casually, as if he were saying the most normal thing in the world.
‘Somehow that doesn't make me feel better,’ Ryunosuke thought to himself. The bodyguard continued to stare, though thankfully, he seemed to have decided that the visitors were not a threat. He hung back behind Lord Stronghart's shoulder, still on high alert.
“But you are not here to discuss my bodyguard, I'm sure,” Lord Stronghart said, moving the conversation along. The discussion turned to how Ryunosuke was determined to become a lawyer and fulfill Kazuma's mission, though he had no idea of what it involved exactly. But the Lord Chief Justice was willing to put him to the test, and urged him to take on a man's case at the Old Bailey. If no one advocated for him, the defendant would be put to death, no doubt.
Ryunosuke didn't like the idea of taking on this trial as a test. A man's life was at stake! But if he didn't step up as the defense, the man would die anyway. So really, what choice did he have?
They didn't have much time to think about it. Lord Stronghart was looking at his watch again. He tapped his cane on the ground, only once this time, and made a small gesture with his hand that Ryunosuke was unfamiliar with. The bodyguard calmly went back to the shadowy area he'd been standing in before, almost melting into the darkness, “Our time is up here. I have a meeting to attend. I must leave in two minutes and sixteen seconds,” He turned towards them, opening his arms in another grand gesture, “So! Venture into our great city and enjoy yourselves!” And before either of them could say anything, he was gone.
“Without his bodyguard?” Susato-san asked with a concerned tone.
“Perhaps it's…a nearby meeting? And he feels safe without him for the time being?” Ryunosuke ventured, though it was hard to say. He'd never encountered a man who had a bodyguard, or a bodyguard at all for that matter. It was a strange situation if he were to be completely honest. He wondered if they could learn more about it; his curiosity was getting the better of him. Perhaps he could ask this bodyguard a question or two? He glanced back where the masked man was standing…huh? He wasn't there anymore! ‘How did he disappear so fast!?’ He wondered, ‘I didn't even hear footsteps!’
“If we're going to do this, Mr.Naruhodo, we must leave at once!” Susato-san said determinedly. Ah right, back to the task at hand. They couldn't dawdle; they needed to get to the Old Bailey as soon as possible! They rushed out to hail a carriage, a hidden figure watching them leave from another vantage point in the shadows, dutifully standing guard over the Lord Chief Justice's office as he'd been instructed.