A Drop of Justice 3 (Patreon)

A Drop of Justice 3 - Or ‘Playing Ace Attorney has never been so French!’ (Genshin Impact AU, Lawyer!SI)

It was early in the day, and yet I was not lingering in my office.

Maeve had been given the task to ‘hold the fort’ from any potential issues in case someone tried to commit burglary while I was out. The door was resilient, but the chances of the Gardes wanting to ‘prove a point’ about me trying to defend ‘undesiderable folks’.

It wouldn’t be the first time such an intimidation tactic was used, but it was a common secret among lawyers to not try to mention it up to the public to prevent a rather harsh case of ‘slander’ against the public law enforcers.

Since I couldn’t make it known something may happen to me, Maeve or and also the office, I could only work to hold the line and make sure no one tried to do anything funny. I already told this much to my clients, and they had taken precautions to prevent surprises.

Beyond that, I had a limited grace period before the trial to get all the proof I needed. And my only hope was a double-edged blade that was in charge of the ‘alternative law enforcers’. Navia of the Spina di Rosula was considered a wildcard.

Her family’s reputation was tarnished when her father, Callas, mysteriously died shortly after being accused of potential treason. The entire matter was kept from public archives, and the Iudex was the only one able to access this data… yet, the young woman always preserved a degree of distrust for the regular outlet of law enforcement.

I made her acquaintance a while ago, around the time I started to practice. The woman was an outcast, so was I, and we ended up having a conversation. She mentioned having a long-term mission to see the case of the disappearing women be successfully solved.

And while I never made an overture in that regard, I couldn’t help but spot a few oddly ‘similar’ details to the case I was dealing with. The victim was, after all, a relative of one of the missing girls.

Many had long suspected Fatui to be behind this, and it would make sense for Freminet to be the murderer but… I had good reasons to not accept this assumption. First, the Fatui were more crafty than this. And would not rely on small agents for something that may be caught on such a crime.

While it wasn’t uncommon for assassinations to be committed by ‘low-level agents’, there’s also to say that Freminet was not geared into that sort of pattern due to his use of swords rather than the item used- which was, truth be told also impossible to be harnessed as a weapon by humans due to it being an integral part to a local fiend of the sea.

It couldn’t be harvested. Which meant that 1) the victim died randomly, which wouldn’t explain the urgency raised by the Gardes or 2) the Gardes had access to this sort of creature, perhaps through connection with experimental teams.

With that being said, I still wanted some factual ground to base the defense from. And I needed someone that could get proof without being hindered at all. So, I was walking into the Spina di Rosula’s headquarters, and letting the guards check me as I came through with a bag with documents.

“If someone hadn’t told me beforehand that you were handling a highly-important case, I would have thought you were actually visiting after so long, John.”

One thing that really made me ‘like’ Navia was the fact she was… Well, ‘half-French’. The name of her organization was Corsican, and while I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Corsica is part of Italy, the extensive Italian presence was something that manifested here in this organization. Sass and all.

“My apologies but I had a rather busy month or two. However, I bring to you gifts that could soften your heart just a bit.”

The blonde leaned back, the beautiful lady hardly a damsel in distress as she knew how to fight on her own with her Geo Vision.

Her attention was stirred as her eyes perked at the box I offered to her. She raised a concerned look and then a glance to her butler before focusing on the files themselves.

“What is it?” She asked distractedly, trying to get to the point.

“The high-profile case I am now in charge of has a Fatui-aligned kid being accused of murdering a relative of a missing woman. One of those tied to the big case you are going for and… I can tell it wasn’t him.”

She raised a brow and then turned to look away from the paper and at me. “How can you tell?”

“The tool behind the victim’s death was a poisoned stinger that couldn’t be harvested. It happened ‘naturally’, and it should have been that simple to disprove the reason of murder.”

“But?”

“The Gardes wants this trial done faster than usual, Furina is taking the stand as prosecutor, my client and I have been denied the right amount of information on why this irregular timing, and Neuvillette is sweating a lot. Something is not alright.”

“It truly isn’t,” The woman admitted and then glanced at the other bag I soon had on the desk. “Fees?”

“I would never make this a matter of friendship to solve such an onerous business. Plus, the Gardes are acting weird, so I suggest caution.”

“We will see what we can find,” Navia confirmed kindly. “And… John?”

I blinked. “Yes?”

“Are you… well protected?”

I smiled at the concern, but I wasn’t planning to indebt myself to anyone. “Maeve and I have taken steps to protect the flat. No one is going to get in without permission alive.”

That was if they were trying to force their way in. And as I made it back to the flat and was given a rather ‘surprising’ news in the form that we had a ‘guest’, I could feel panic rise. And then dropped a fair bit when I recognized who it was.

Champion Duelist and personal bodyguard of the Hydro Archon, Clorinde was someone that was known as a ‘gray eminence’. While this title was many times for Neuvillette, it was true Clorinde was also known as the ‘hand of Furina’ or ‘the One that Acted upon Order’.

Effective, ruthless, but far from cruel and mindless. Considering she acted more as an executor of orders rather than her own independent ‘agent of violence’, she was deemed by many as a ‘blessing for those that had nothing to worry about legal troubles’.

“It has come to the attention of Lady Furina through some mutual acquaintances that you have been given potentially wrong paperwork, monsieur Bukharin.”

The flat tone was not helpful in seeing if this was an attempt to help or just mock over the illegality of the situation. Yet, the papers were indeed mostly the same as the ones I had. The difference was the charges’ denomination.

High Treason towards Fontaine through the perpetration of Kidnapping and Murder.

Such a complex charge was not one that I have seen before now, but deciphering it took a moment. High Treason was an explanation, but the way it was worded could highlight a ‘prolonged’ criminal circumstance.

That could lead to such a short notice for the trial. That explained a lot… but opened new questions on the topic. It was helpful and I hoped this delivery was meant for goodness rather than something malicious.

“I have a few copies of the ‘mistaken’ documentation. I suppose Lady Furina will be interested in it.”

Clorinde nodded, the ghost of a smile flashing as she took hold of the papers. “I don’t need to explain that the Hydro Archon is not truly a fool, Monsieur Bukharin.”

“...She can be quite a brat, if I have to be honest, so it’s a matter of perspective, mademoiselle.”

Instead of appearing upset, Clorinde nodded as she was aware of why my words were so packed. She left minutes later, leaving me to contemplate the fuck had just happened.

So, Furina was aware something was going on, but wasn’t dropping the case because she was investigating it? I didn’t expect this twist, but I was still not going to back down in defending my client.

Still, I really wonder what the fuck is going on with the Gardes and their outrageous behavior. I just knew I was going to get the news tomorrow, the day before the trial.

I just didn’t know how big of a shocker I was about to get.

—----d-d-d-d—----

AN

WHAAA??! Furina can get into big-brain plotting?!

Worry not, it wasn’t our beloved bratty Archon. Clorinde has, after all, a degree of attention. And Neuvillette hasn’t been sitting idle after that visit.

The trial is going to be one filled with twists and revelations!