Bell: The head of the Mercury race from Village Four (Sun Castle). She wears a shrine maiden-like outfit and is stationed in Village Four.
Gou: A member of the Mercury race from Village Four (Sun Castle). He wears a middle-aged butler-style outfit and works in Village Four.
Miyo: A member of the Mercury race from Village Four (Sun Castle). A little girl maid who works in Shashato City.
Nana: A member of the Mercury race from Village Four (Sun Castle). She wears a village girl-like outfit and works in Village Five.
Ire: A member of the Mercury race from Village Four (Sun Castle). She wears mage-like attire. To her, filming is life.
In the courtyard of the Village Head's Mansion, Miyo sat in formal seiza atop a thin sheet spread over a patch of gravel that had been hastily laid out for the occasion.
Standing directly before her was Bell, who began the interrogation.
"Do you still maintain that this entire affair was a mere accident?"
Miyo did not answer.
Instead, Gou, standing beside her, spoke up.
"Yes. It was all a coincidence. A tragic chain of events resulting from one coincidence piling upon another. She maintains her innocence."
Gou was clearly acting as Miyo's defense counsel.
"Very well. Witness, you may proceed."
At Bell’s command, Nana, who worked in Village Five, raised her hand.
"Upon confirming the explosion at Shatto City, I headed for Shashato City to take Miyo into custody, but she had already fled. This swift disappearance is proof that her actions were intentional."
Gou immediately countered.
"No, the defendant did not flee. She was merely moving to verify the situation."
Bell acknowledged the point but pressed further.
"Reports state that Nana apprehended Miyo in the royal capital of the Demon Kingdom. Were you truly verifying the situation in the royal capital?"
Gou was momentarily silenced. Nana pressed the advantage.
"While in the royal capital, Miyo pleaded for intercession from Urza-sama, Alfred-sama, and Tiselle-sama. If it had truly been an accident, there would have been no need for such maneuvers."
She had a point. A very good one.
"That settles it, then," Bell said with a firm nod, looking back at Gou.
"Wait, wait! Please! Her request for intercession from Urza-sama and the others was regarding the trouble she had caused. It was a simple act of self-preservation. To conclude it was intentional based solely on that is surely premature."
"Premature, is it? But if it were for self-preservation, shouldn't she have come here to the Village of the Great Tree? Why did she not do so?"
"Urgh..."
"Miyo saw the explosion, realized her failure, and fled toward the royal capital in a panic. Once she sensed Nana pursuing her, she threw herself at the mercy of Urza-sama and the others. Is that merely my imagination?"
Bell’s voice was gentle, but her eyes were sharp as they remained fixed on Miyo.
"Further excuses would be unsightly," Gou finally admitted. "I, too, acknowledge the defendant’s guilt."
Gou had given up. Miyo looked at him with a face of pure despair.
Then, she let out a laugh and turned her glare back toward Bell.
"I am innocent! This is a trap! Someone is framing me! If you would only investigate, you would see the truth!"
Her voice boomed, making up for her previous silence. But Bell didn't flinch.
"I see. We shall investigate after your execution. Executioner, take her away."
"Wait! Stop! Please! I’m innocent—"
Just as Miyo was being hauled away, restrained by the executioners wearing masks that completely covered their heads, Ire stormed onto the set.
She marched over to Miyo and grabbed her by the head.
"What kind of acting was that?! You’re being framed for a crime you didn't commit and sent to your death! Do you think such a feeble resistance is enough to convince anyone? And Gou, when you abandon her defense, glare at her with more murderous intent! Look at her like she’s an enemy! Everyone around you is an enemy! Don't you forget it!"
Ire shook her head and continued.
"And we’re revising the script! Cut the final lines. The part about being innocent—toss it. Do it with your expression alone."
"Asking an amateur for such high-level acting is a bit much..." Miyo muttered.
"Do you want to step down from the role?"
"Urgh... I’ll do it."
"Good. That’s what I want to hear. Give me something that exceeds my expectations!"
Ire let go of Miyo and turned to Bell.
"Bell, that was fantastic. Truly wonderful. I’d like to keep going, but do you mind if I tweak the script a bit? It’s entirely my own whim; your performance was flawless. Anyway, in the final scene, I’m having Miyo go silent, so your dialogue needs to change slightly to match. Is that all right? Thank you! Now, let’s try it like this..."
While Ire’s attitude flipped depending on who she was talking to, Miyo sat there with a look that said, Wait, I'm the leading actress here, though Ire didn't pay her any mind.
So, why was this filming taking place?
The circumstances weren't all that complex.
The root of the issue was the explosion at Shatto City, which was mentioned in the film. While the advance party was safe and Gucci had explained the cause, I thought the matter was settled.
Others, however, did not.
The members of the Mercury race, led by Bell from Village Four, suspected that Miyo—who had brought the investigation request to me—was actually attempting an assassination.
Of course, I knew Miyo would never do such a thing. Even if she were crazy enough to try, she wouldn't use such an unreliable method. I tried to persuade Bell of this and sent Nana to Shashato City to bring Miyo back so she could explain herself.
But Miyo wasn't there.
She had used a short-distance teleportation gate to flee to the royal capital. When it came out that she had begged Urza and the others to save her, it only fueled Bell’s fury.
"That girl has always been that way!" Bell had fumed.
A few days later, Miyo was brought before me, tied up tightly with straw rope. She was still putting up a fight, but Bell and Gou were ready to accept whatever judgment I handed down.
The thing was, the explosion really was an accident. What was I supposed to judge her for? It was awkward being told to do as my heart desired. I wasn't even sure how trials worked in this world.
For what it was worth, I did receive letters from Urza, Alfred, and Tiselle asking for leniency for Miyo. However, the letters were mostly along the lines of "Miyo said she didn't do it," which didn't exactly scream unwavering support. I felt like they could have been a little nicer to her.
Regardless, the atmosphere demanded some form of punishment. I wasn't just being swept along by the mood, but...
"The Mercury race wants to wash away any lingering suspicion," Lu advised me. "Why not just give Miyo a light penalty?"
Taking her advice, I weighed my options.
I thought I had picked something easy, but for some reason, Miyo’s face had gone pale with terror. I didn't think spending a day playing with Kuro's puppies born this year was much of a punishment at all, but apparently, she disagreed.
In the end, it was decided that Miyo would star in a movie.
I wanted to see how a typical trial looked, so the film became a courtroom drama. I was aware that Ire’s influence had been heavy, since she’d shown up right as I was finalizing the punishment.
The gravel Miyo was currently sitting on was likely Bell’s personal touch of punishment. The sheet she was sitting on was Gou’s little act of kindness.
The movie was only a short, eight-minute script. It was mostly a test shoot for future projects and was only intended to be shown within the Village of the Great Tree.
"Wait, you aren't showing it to the public?" Lu asked, surprised.
"No, I won't," I replied. Miyo was playing the villain, after all. I didn't want the punishment to follow her outside the village.
"Well, Ire certainly seems to be giving it her all..."
Prompted by Lu, I looked back at the set.
It was certainly... intense.
Ire, I don't think a director needs to be that aggressive.
Miyo, for her part, had developed a sudden, unnecessary actress spirit. Her intensity was so great that it was pulling amazing performances out of Bell and Gou as well.
It was impressive. But, well... yeah, definitely not for public release.
I’d just have to tell everyone it was a phantom work that could only be seen here in the village.