The Chief Justice looked towards where Ilya was pointing at. His forehead creased as he landed his eyes on the woman.
"What do you mean by that, Lady?" The old man queried, immediately returning his attention to Ilya, "Are you well aware that false acts of antagonism are punishable under the Empire's laws?"
"Most definitely, Your Honour. That's the very reason why I have the courage to stand afore all these witnesses."
Ilya's voice that was brimming with conviction only served to increase the suspicions that the nobles had on her. In the end, the nobles' determination to preserve their self-interest was greater than uncovering the truth behind a decade-old case.
Since the union between Brahm Gertrude and Sorsiana Hamlin, the Hamlin Family swiftly went up the hierarchy within the aristocratic society. Although they didn't hold much political power, their influence had reached the interest of the Royals. Countess Orelia Hamlin was even a regular at the tea party personally held by the 10th Princess every month.
With all that being said, the nobles wanted to get on the good side of the Hamlin Family. Supporting Ilya, whose claims were merely ludicrous and accusatory so far, would mean that they wanted to make an enemy out of the Hamlins.
However, that sort of thinking was exclusive to the nobles who had a low standing. There were far more families who could dominate Hamlin County if they wished to.
Be that as it may, that didn't necessarily mean they would support Ilya. If anything, they were more apprehensive of every single word that came out of her mouth.
Being a noble meant that one would be granted with a title and a land. Hence, it's not all that surprising that some commoners would devise schemes in order to earn said peerage. And Ilya might just be one of them.
Her claims were even more ridiculous for the nobles since she was targeting the title of a Duke, the second to the highest peerage among nobles.
The nobles simply waited with baited breaths for Ilya's next declaration. They had the duty of seeing the unexpected turn of events through.
"Your Honour, may I acquire permission to wield Manna in the presence of court?"
"State your reason." The Chief Justice said as he gave his fellow judges a look.
"A memory sphere, Your Honour. I'll conjure one."
Absent a pause, the Chief Justice nodded his head and replied, "Please step inside the array."
At the centre of the hall, there was a circular painting, approximately five metres in diameter. Ilya promptly entered the array and awaited the signal. The Chief Justice reached for the glass cube on his bench and tapped it.
In that instant, a transparent glass barrier emerged from the circumference of the painting. Ilya observed as the barrier took its final cylindrical form.
"You may go ahead."
Upon hearing the Chief Justice, Ilya raised her hands up to her chest, her palms facing upwards.
Once her eyes were closed, she cast the spell.
"Sferra di memoria"
An orb of light -- as small as her fingernails -- came into view above her hands. It shortly assumed a bluish hue similar to the colour of the sky during the spring season. The orb then grew and grew all the while Ilya was concentrating on feeding it with the right memories.
Although 'Sferra di memoria' was considered a normal spell, only skillful sorcerers could utilize it effectively. To begin with, the amount of Manna required to initiate the spell was enormous.
On average, an ordinary sorcerer could absorb one hundred particles of Manna per second. However, to activate 'Sferra di memoria', thirty thousand particles of Manna was required. While feeding the orb with memories, the sorcerer should also continue supplying the spell with Manna. That would be an additional five thousand Manna particles per second.
For an ordinary sorcerer to create a memory sphere with five minutes worth of coverage, it would take them approximately four hours to finish.
Because of that, sorcerers tasked with documenting crime scenes and gathering memories from witnesses could use up an entire week for those tasks alone.
Withal, the most arduous aspect of the process was not the length of time but distinguishing the memories to be recorded. A meagre slight in the sorcerer's concentration could taint the contents after all.
The nobles who were sentient of the reality of the spell sighed in exasperation. Their collective assumption was that they had to stay in the hall longer than they could endure.
"Your… Your Honour," Ilya said, her voice quivering, "I've completed the sphere."
Nobody, not even Halkias, could stop themselves from expressing their astoundment. Mumblings were heard around the hall. Daggered gazes were thrown towards Ilya.
"Ridiculous! It's only been a minute!"
"I doubt that it's a real memory sphere! I'm sure that it's another spell."
"I agree! She's lying through her teeth out of this."
"Who does she think she is?! This is the Court of Justice for heaven's sake!"
"The Chief Justice will definitely ask the Court Sorcerers to verify that sphere. Let's wait for their announcement."
While the confusion was soaring, Ilya began to heave heavily. Her whole face was laced with sweat, yet her lips were dried up. She couldn't focus her gaze. She couldn't move her limbs.
Halkias immediately noticed her condition, but he didn't do anything. He just watched her struggle out of her worsening state.
"Sir Vatar Halkias,"
The man swivelled his head towards the Chief Justice, answering with, "Yes, Your Honour."
"As of the moment, you're the most exemplary sorcerer inside this hall. Your abilities far surpass the Court Sorcerers'."
As he was listening to the old man, a small frown crept up Halkias' countenance.
"With that in mind, would you be willing to verify the authenticity and purity of the memory sphere that Ilya Gertrude had conjured?"
Halkias didn't respond forthwith. His gaze simply remained on the Chief Justice, trying to read his intentions behind the request. Momentarily, he gave Ilya a glance.
The man promptly returned his gaze to the Chief Justice and stated his decision.
"I refuse, Your Honour."