Following the jury's shocking decision, Attorney Lisson withdrew with Queen Laura and Prince Pionel to the private deliberation room, under heavy guard by elite soldiers loyal to the Queen. The atmosphere inside the room was a mix of the euphoria of a legal victory and anticipation for what was to come.
Lisson closed the door slowly, placed his leather briefcase on the large wooden table, and opened it to pull out a massive volume bound in dragon skin, bearing the emblem of the "Atherian Legal Constitution."
Pionel (With an arrogant smile, wiping sweat from his brow):
"Lisson... you saved my mother's neck from the gallows in a way no one expected. Count Silver was about to explode with rage! But what about me? I am still in the cage, and the charges of 'creature torture' and 'sabotage of the biological fabric' are still haunting me."
Lisson (Adjusting his glasses coldly):
"Your Highness, surviving the gallows is just the beginning. I am not only seeking to get you out of the cage; I am seeking to restore you to your throne as a misunderstood national hero. I have studied the Royal Code line by line while Ragus was studying the failed arts of peace."
Laura (Approaching Lisson, her eyes gleaming with the fire of ambition):
"Speak, Lisson. Ragus thinks he owns the judge and the jury, but he forgot that the laws in Atheria were written to protect the royal lineage above all else. How will you nullify Pionel's charges? The physical evidence against him is very strong."
Lisson (Opening the volume to a worn page and pointing his finger at an ancient text):
"Look here... Article 44, Paragraph 'C' of the 'Biological Sovereignty' law. The law states: (Any act committed by the legitimate heir to the throne for the purpose of strengthening the kingdom's defensive power in the event of a documented existential threat shall be considered a 'Sovereign Act of Necessity' and may not be prosecuted as a criminal offense; rather, it shall be presented to the Council of Sages for military evaluation only)."
Pionel (Astonished): "A sovereign act of necessity? But Ragus claims I killed the bird and tortured the creatures for my personal obsession!"
Lisson (Chuckling softly):
"And here is where my brilliance comes in, Your Highness. We will prove to the court that the 'documented existential threat' is the Liberation Army led by Kayan. We will present reports—which we will draft now—proving that you knew the timing of their attack, and that your experiments on the Blue Bird's feathers and the Heart Stone were the only attempt to create a shield to protect the nobles from annihilation. You didn't kill the bird to play... you killed it to save 'Atheria'!"
Laura (Striking the table in admiration):
"Genius! That is how we turn a crime into a sacrifice. We will say that Pionel bore the 'burden of sin' to protect the nobles who were just standing by. We will turn the tables on Ragus; he was the one negotiating with the enemy, while his son was sacrificing his reputation in the laboratories to find a weapon to protect us."
Lisson: "Exactly, my Lady. The law is clear: sovereign acts in wartime are not subject to Judge Nichiren's authority, but to the Council of Nobles. And since we won over half the nobles today, the vote will be in our favor. We will demand an immediate stay of the trial and refer the case to a military council."
Pionel (Standing up and pacing the room with excitement):
"Finally! A lawyer who thinks like I do! Old Ragus thinks justice and logic will win, but he doesn't know that we will win with your intelligence and manipulation of the texts. Laura, this man is our secret weapon."
Laura (Looking at Lisson with appreciation):
"Lisson, you are with us in this battle until the end. We will prove to Ragus that ruling doesn't belong to the one with a kind heart, but to the one with the fastest mind and the ability to tame the laws. Tomorrow, when the session resumes, I want you to throw this article in Nichiren's face and make him swallow his gavel."
Lisson (Closing his book with solemnity):
"Consider it done, my Lady. Tomorrow, Pionel will not only walk free, but he will emerge as the savior of Atheria whom his unjust father tried to execute."