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"Technicality? There are no technicalities when I am judge," Hustavan boasts.
(Kastarr must be used to Andoren justice, where the law rules and getting off due to specific circumstances, even if the judge wants to see you dead, is a thing that happens sometimes. In Taldor, the only way a judge who wants you hanged is letting you walk out of their court is if you have lots of money or powerful friends.)
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The proceeding is mercifully short. Each of you confirms that the man proclaimed his responsibility for this massacre; that the name he identified himself with, Fel Bustrani, was on a note held by one of the other murderers, and spoken by another; that he attacked you with intent to kill; that he was seen in direct control of a zombie; and that the holy symbol he was seen using is a symbol of the evil god Zyphus. Hustavan asks the assembled survivors (surprisingly, over half of the operagoers manages to rally a defense against the zombies and cultists) if anyone is willing to speak on the defense of the accused. Unsurprisingly, no one steps forward.
"Very well then. You are therefore found guilty of the crimes of murder, conspiracy to murder, animating the dead, unlawful imprisonment, and littering. As the sentence for these crimes is death by beheading, you will be given the chance to speak and plead for mercy from the court, as is required by law and custom."
Bustrani is ungagged, and instead of pleading, uses his brief opportunity to gloat about how the cult of Zyphus will survive him and take revenge on the fools in the Pathfinder Society for ruining their plans for a zombie apocalypse in Taldor.
Tim has been given the opportunity to be the executioner, in the absence of an official executioner of the crown, as he was the one who struck down and captured Bustrani below the opera house. If he declines, one of the other aristocrats does it instead.
Regardless of who kills Bustrani, as his head is cleaved from his neck, the magical barrier holding the doors and windows closed fades, and the stone with the Zyphus symbol stops glowing.
Hustavan thanks the PCs and allows them to take the valuable armor and weapons used by the cultists as recompense for their heroism, as well as making no objection to the acquisition of the Zyphus stone by the Pathfinder Society archives. They return to the Oppara lodge with a fascinating tale to tell, and the socialites and nobility of Oppara now have several dinner parties' worth of sordid zombie stories with which to frighten and awe their friends.
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Tim accepts the offer of the role of executioner. It seems appropriate given his role in the tunnels and nearly killing the man when he knocked him out. He merely shakes his head as Bustrani uses his opportunity to speak to preach about Zyphus instead and feels little remorse when he brings down the axe to end the man's life. "I do hope we stopped the cult and that they haven't infested more of the city. I think we'll need to get this artifact back to the society for safekeeping and investigation."
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The Oppara lodge makes arrangements for the transport of the artifact to the Grand Lodge, and a few days later you all sail back to Absalom as its guardians.
In those days before leaving, you are treated to the amusing spectacle of Consul Hustavan being stripped of his title and position by the crown. It seems that Sebastus, a high-level patron of the Opera House with a great deal of influence over its operations, accepted bribes to place certain people among the staff, who turned out to be operatives of the Zyphus cult who arranged the setup of the massacre. While accepting bribes is hardly unusual, the sheer number of victims, many of whom were scions of influential families, demanded that a scapegoat be found, and it seems your erstwhile aristocratic 'friend' was it.
Returning to the Grand Lodge allows you to leave the decadence and corruption of Taldor behind, and welcomes you home to the entirely different decadence and corruption of Absalom.