Reincarnated as an Energy with a System

Chapter 1988: Verdict and Conference

Nearly a month passed after the court case began, and by then the proceedings had exhausted nearly everyone involved.

Witnesses had been called and questioned, evidence had been challenged from every possible angle, and the defense had spent days trying to separate each accusation from the next in hopes that the larger picture would fall apart if enough individual pieces were weakened.

Larissa had remained steadfast through all of it.

Some days had been worse than others, especially when the defense tried to portray her father’s investigation as unreliable or suggested that her own involvement had been driven more by grief than evidence, but she endured every argument without allowing herself to lose control.

By the time the final day arrived, she looked far more tired than Ning remembered seeing her in a long time.

The courtroom was full when the judge entered.

Ning had come once again in a simple disguise, taking a seat near the back where nobody paid much attention to him.

The jury had finished its deliberations, and the judge was prepared to announce the conclusion after nearly a month of hearings, testimony, arguments, and evidence.

Larissa sat beside her lawyer with both hands clasped together tightly, while across the room, Grace Wyndham’s husband remained surrounded by his legal team.

He looked considerably less confident than he had when the case first began.

The judge began speaking.

"In course of all we’ve learned, the defendant has been found guilty for the murder of Maurin Tesso."

That was the prostitute.

"The defendant has been found guilty for the murder of Romana Runn."

That was another prostitute whose death had happened before Maurin, which was uncovered while looking through this case.

"And finally, the defendant has been found guilty for the murder of Baelor Infernal."

Larissa stopped breathing for a moment. That was her father.

"For the above reasons, the court finds the appropriate punishment to be a sentence to life without any possibility of parole."

By the time the final verdict was given, there was no uncertainty left.

She had won.

For several seconds, she simply sat there as though her mind had not yet caught up with what she had heard. Her lawyer leaned toward her and said something quietly, but Larissa barely reacted until the reality finally settled in.

Then the tears came.

Ning waited until the proceedings had properly ended before making his way toward her.

Larissa was standing beside her lawyer, eyes still red and slightly wet, when she noticed him approaching.

"You came," she said, wiping at her face even though more tears had already replaced the ones she removed.

"Of course I came," Ning replied. "You spent years getting here. I wasn’t going to miss the part where you finally won."

Larissa laughed weakly through the tears. "It still doesn’t feel real. I kept expecting something to go wrong right until the judge finished speaking."

Ning stopped in front of her and smiled. "You did everything correctly and by the book. There was nothing they could have done."

Larissa looked down for a moment.

Ning’s expression softened.

"Your father would be proud of you."

That was enough to break what little control she had left.

Larissa stepped forward and hugged him tightly.

Ning froze for only a brief moment before allowing it.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "For helping me."

Ning smiled faintly. "Don’t thank me. You did it all by yourself."

Larissa stepped back, wiping her eyes. She looked toward him, something inside her that she had been holding back finally coming out.

"Would you... like to go to dinner with me?" she asked.

"To celebrate?" Ning asked. "Sure. You should call Mira and Jack as well."

"No, no. Umm... more like a date."

Ning blinked for a moment, slightly stunned. "Uhh..."

"Shit!" Larissa’s face fell. "Was I too forward? I was too forward, wasn’t I?"

"No, that’s not it," Ning said after a bit of hesitation. "Well, you see, I am a married man."

Larissa’s eyes narrowed. "You’re not Valen, though," she said in a whisper. "Even if you were, you aren’t married anymore."

"I am not him. That is precisely why I’m still married," Ning said.

"Oh..." The understanding finally settled in her.

"We can still celebrate," Ning said.

"No," she said quickly before backtracking. "I mean, I would love to, but more than anything else, I just want to go home and sleep. I’m..." She sighed. "I’m tired."

Ning nodded. "That is understandable. You should go. Once again, congratulations. I’ll see you on Monday."

"See you."

Ning did not stay much longer after that.

Once he left the courthouse, he pulled out his phone and called Blake.

"How fast can you set up the conference?" he asked once Blake picked up.

"Are you ready for it?" Blake asked.

"I am," Ning answered.

There was a short pause on the other side.

"Give me two minutes. I’ll get back to you with a time and day right away."

Blake ended the call and, two minutes later, called again to let Ning know that the press conference was happening that very night. Before that, he had to visit the agency for public relations training, but Ning chose not to.

By the time he arrived at the conference hall, hundreds of reporters had gathered inside the venue, representing outlets from Conjora and several foreign nations. Cameras covered nearly every angle of the stage, while voices filled the hall before Ning even entered.

The noise increased immediately when he appeared.

Ning wore his Blackfang outfit and mask at first, but once he reached the center of the stage, he removed the mask and placed it on the table beside him.

The cameras began flashing.

He waited for the room to settle before speaking.

"Most of you already know the name Valen Jassens. If you don’t, hello, it’s me. I’m not going to explain every part of my past today, but there is one thing I need to make clear after what happened during the summit."

The reporters quieted.

Ning continued.

"Years ago, I lost my wife and son. My wife was a High-Elf from Faedria, and for a long time, the person responsible for their deaths was unknown."

He paused.

"That changed recently."