Mr. Toxic Umbrella must be a unique Light Bat, a perspective evident from every angle of his being.

Being so unique, he surely is an oddity within the Light Bat community, likely unable to find many normal friends. Thinking this, Lyle could somewhat accept the fact that he had an interest in their wheels.

Lyle himself had a certain fondness for the polite and petite Light Bat community, and he could guess the reason why Shiny and the others had accused him was probably because he had disrupted their work.

After all, it was just a Light Bat, so the punishment could be as light as possible.

In his heart, Lyle had already started acting as if he were the defense attorney.

The judge tapped his gavel, a human-like arm in the shape of a clenched fist, which created a gong-like reverberation when bone struck the surface of the desk.

It was said to be a body part dropped by a lawbreaker during punishment, but that guy obviously didn’t take it seriously, and following the principle of making use of everything, the judge had picked it up to serve as a gavel. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Plaintiff, state your complaint," he said.

The scales on Shiny’s face moved like two small eyes, and he patted Toxic Umbrella’s head.

"I would like to hear the defendant’s statement, to be honest, I’m quite interested."

"This..." The judge looked at his fellow operators and interpreters, who also nodded in agreement.

Lyle fully understood now, these three people didn’t bring Toxic Umbrella here to seek a just decision from the committee; after all, they couldn’t possibly be at a disadvantage against a Light Bat.

They had come to the courtroom for entertainment.

Upon hearing Shiny’s words, Toxic Umbrella blinked, clearly also unaware of this development. He bowed politely to Shiny with his tiny body, like a gentleman.

"Sir, I am very grateful that you have given me this opportunity. What I want to say is..."

"Your Honor! I wish to make an accusation!"

The tiny mouth belted out the loudest of voices, as if Toxic Umbrella was spewing his rage.

The judge struck his bone gavel again, "Since the plaintiff has no objections, you can certainly say what you wish, Defendant Toxic Umbrella, but don’t expect to escape the trial."

Toxic Umbrella nodded and began his statement.

"It was a week ago that I started taking over the lighting job for the Necromancer Figure Club. I was very excited to take on this work from my peers at that time."

"The rumor among the Light Bat group was that the Necromancer Figure Club was the light of Spirit Summoning Studies, the future, and I was naturally eager to shine in such a society."

"At that time I had no idea I was about to witness such suffering."

"The Spine Wheel, a beautiful creation."

"Isabella was also one of them; I watched her come into being before my eyes..."

Wait, last time you mentioned Elizabeth, didn’t you?

"At first, Iris, in my eyes, was no different from the other Spine Wheels; I lay on my lamp bracket and watched the Liches working busily below."

"I truly hate myself for realizing so late. Ignis had already endured so much torture in front of me!"

"It was that day, in the empty room with only me and Evelyn alive. I was a bit sleepy, and under the dim light, I finally saw, witnessed her struggle."

"That being whom I had always regarded merely as a tool, Elares, reached out to me for help. The Spine Wheels, like us Light Bats, are conscious modified creatures, but they don’t have lips like Light Bats do, unable to voice their own sounds."

"The clouds blinding my eyes dispersed, and I finally looked upon the ugly truth."

"This group of Liches, tormenting their own creations!"

"My poor Ilia, naked and treated like a doll, being played with by these vile bones on the cold experiment table. They wantonly manipulated her body, destroyed, defiled, played house by tearing and stitching, completely oblivious to her cries and blood. All this I saw!"

Toxic Umbrella covered his tiny eyes with his wings and wept.

"My poor Isa, every night she reached out her limbs to me, pleading with me to save her, but I couldn’t do it, I was too weak, I had no right to take her away, I only gave her some food, offered her comfort."

"She was a good girl; she accepted my consolation and expressed her gratitude..."

"Her optimism and the guilt in my heart tormented me day by day, until finally, I fell in love with her, loved her broad back, loved her tender body, loved her dependence on me, her endless requests every night."

"We, a pair of star-crossed lovers, found pleasure amidst our suffering, watching Elares tortured day after day, my heart bled."

"But there was an even more despicable and perverted Lich tormenting her."

"He actually! He actually!"

"Desecrated my goddess with those tentacles day and night!"

"Tentacles?" "Tentacles?" "Tentacles?" "Tentacles?"

The four members of the Necromancer Figure Club let out the same exclamation, all their gazes converging on one spot.

Nia popped out from behind Lyle’s shadow, scratching her little head with her tentacle, her large eyes filled with confusion.

"Tentacles?"

Lyle’s heart skipped a beat, staring right back into the hate-filled, bloodshot eyes of the Toxic Umbrella.

"Exactly, Your Honor! The one I’m accusing is the president of the Necromancer Figure Club! That’s Mr. Plague Doctor, he... he’s rotten to the core! He... he’s toying with my lover!"

Dum dum dum!

Dammit, the defendant just accused his own lawyer, what kind of human suffering is this!

Lyle was stupefied.

Shiny went ’pah’, pulling an Oliou coin from his pocket and dropping it on the ground, pretending to be surprised as if his money had fallen out.

"Boss! You... you... you... I really didn’t expect this, you’re such a shameless Lich! You’re the disgrace of Andrey!"

Mr. Variable held his rib with one hand, his face twisted in agony, shakily kneeling on the ground.

"I was wrong about you, Mr. Plague Doctor, you actually toy with another’s woman. My heart hurts so much it’s about to come back to life! You’re truly the worst Lich of Andrey, wuwuwu, how could I follow a monstrous and perverted Lich like you!"

Toxic Umbrella immediately chimed in, "Exactly, Plague Doctor is the most wicked man in Andrey, compared to the kindest Giant Lich Dragon, it’s like the difference between angels and demons!"

To be fair, even in Light Bat’s eyes, calling the Dragon sir an angel wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Puppeteer patted the Light Bat, and with both hands, gestured towards Lyle.

"Mr. Plague Doctor is a student of the Giant Dragon tutor, his most beloved one."

Toxic Umbrella looked shocked.

"This... why would such an outstanding Giant Dragon tutor... teach a student like you! You’re simply a stain on Giant Dragon sir!"

Lyle wanted to throttle the three who were having a blast.

How did I get dragged into this? Is this what they call everyone turning against me? I am innocent!

No, that’s not right, I still have Nia.

Before Lyle could say a word, Nia had already slipped away from his back and slithered over to Shiny’s group, using her tentacles to cover her face.

"It’s not Nia’s fault, it was all Plague Doctor’s doing, against my will, Nia is a good child."

"Plague Doctor is a baddie, a big baddie!"

"..." Under Lyle’s mask, his face turned from green to red.

When I clear my name, I will kill you all, every last one of you, leaving not even your ashes behind.