As far as farces go, this one was definitely near the top.Levi almost couldn't believe what he was watching. A sudden murder trial sprang upon what was supposed to be a simple disbarment trial with no notice, no counsel, no opportunity to prepare of any kind... By this point, this couldn't even be called a kangaroo court anymore; it was straight up a fucking menagerie. The entire trial should’ve been classified as procedurally defective and thereby rendered void. But then again, he supposed that this wasn't an official court trial but rather an unofficial trial held by the Guild, which meant that the typical legal requirements didn’t apply here.It was a bad thing because it meant the Council was allowed to use underhanded morally defunct tactics, but at the same time it wasn’t entirely the worst, because it meant Levi could get away with this.“What did you just say?” The head judge, Councilor Henry Arlington, demanded, turning on Levi with a stern glare. “Counsel for the defense? You're just a bronze-tier adventurer – and we’re all aware of just how loosely I’m using the term ‘adventurer’ here.” Several of the other Council members nodded at the allusion to how Levi had, to the greater public, only passed the Ascension Trials and become an adventurer because of the deal made with House Volkov. “Just who do you think you are, interrupting our proceedings like this?”Levi eyed Councilor Arlington for several moments with an inscrutable gaze. Dmitri had briefed him beforehand on the identities of all the notable figures attending the trial. Councilor Henry Arlington was an adamantine-tier adventurer who had retired from active duty to serve as a member of the Adventurer's Guild Council. He was, incidentally, also highly susceptible to bribes. Dmitri had known this because Councilor Arlington was the main person Montague had bribed into convicting Liliya Volkov. Apparently now that Montague was dead, Councilor Arlington had sold out once (...)