Thirty minutes after adjourning the court…
I sat alone in my chambers, reading through the case file once again.
Rain had begun to fall outside the window.
I had maintained my composure in the courtroom.
Or at least, I believed I had.
But my mind refused to settle.
The evidence had seemed overwhelming.
I had believed that.
Yet the discovery of a flaw in the security camera footage—
the very foundation of the prosecution’s case—
had shaken the entire trial.
That was how the law worked.
I had studied that principle.
I had written it into countless judgments.
Even so…
understanding something intellectually was not the same as accepting it.
Case files were stacked high across my desk.
Crime scene reports.
Forensic analyses.
Photographs.
Witness statements.
The storage device containing the surveillance footage.
I reviewed every document again.
Yet nowhere could I find the “major defect” Themis had identified.
A knock sounded at the door.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Excuse me.”
The court clerk entered.
“The prosecution has submitted additional materials.”
“Additional materials?”
“They’re from the company that manages the security cameras.”
“They conducted their own investigation into the possibility of timestamp manipulation.”
I accepted the report and began reading.
The company concluded that the video itself had not been altered in any way.
However…
it stopped short of reaching a conclusion about the timestamp.
A portion of the server maintenance logs is missing. It is therefore impossible to determine whether the timestamp was altered.
My eyes lingered on that sentence.
Impossible to determine.
Which also meant…
it was impossible to prove that it had not been altered.
“The prosecutor?”
“He’ll be here shortly.”
A few minutes later,
the prosecutor and the defense attorney entered almost simultaneously.
Both looked exhausted.
Only their eyes remained sharp.
“My apologies for troubling the court.”
The prosecutor spoke first.
“I would like Themis to perform another analysis using these newly submitted materials.”
I nodded.
“Counsel for the defense?”
“No objection.”
The clerk loaded the new documents into Themis’s terminal in the corner of the room.
The screen displayed:
Analysis in Progress
No one spoke.
Only the sound of rain filled the quiet room.
At last…
a soft electronic chime.
Analysis Complete
I straightened in my chair.
“Display the result.”
Words appeared across the monitor.
No Change to Previous Determination
The prosecutor exhaled quietly.
Though he had likely expected this outcome,
the disappointment on his face was unmistakable.
“The reason?”
I prompted.
The additional materials do not restore the reliability of the timestamp.
The prosecutor immediately responded.
“But neither do they prove it was altered.”
Nor do they prove it was not altered.
“Even so…”
“isn’t it excessive to undermine the entire case over that uncertainty?”
Themis remained silent for several seconds.
Then—
Answer follows.
The screen changed.
A criminal trial is not a procedure for presuming guilt.
A conviction requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
The room grew tense.
Every judge knew those words.
They were among the most fundamental principles of criminal law.
Yet somehow…
I realized I had begun to forget them.
The prosecutor pressed on.
“The defendant was at the scene.”
Confirmed.
“He had a financial dispute with the victim.”
Confirmed.
“His fingerprints were found on the gasoline container.”
Confirmed.
“And despite all of that…”
“…you still cannot conclude he is guilty?”
Themis answered without the slightest hesitation.
No.
Each individual piece of evidence strengthens suspicion toward the defendant.
However, once substantial doubt arises regarding the reliability of the primary evidence, the remaining evidence cannot establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
I closed my eyes.
The evidence had increased.
The suspicion had deepened.
And yet…
the case had not moved even a single step closer to a conviction.
That…
was criminal justice.
And Themis…
continued to uphold that principle with unwavering consistency.