"No! I am a knight of Ironblood Fortress!"
"According to noble law, Ironblood Fortress has the right to ransom me!"
"You can't kill me! You can't!"
Realizing what was happening, Morton began to scream hysterically.
"This is a sacred agreement between nobles! Even as a Earl, you must honor it!"
…
Hearing Morton's outburst, Sutter hesitated and turned to Aven.
Indeed, nobles were allowed to ransom back their knights, even in hostile situations.
It was part of the unwritten code of aristocracy.
…
"So noisy."
Aven muttered.
Aven's eyes suddenly snapped open, a chilling gleam flashing within them.
The next moment, fresh green grass sprang up from the ground, swiftly coiling around the still-roaring Morton, even sealing his mouth shut.
The scene fell silent.
Aven glanced around and said coldly,
"If there's an issue, Marquis Hormay will speak with me himself. Since when was it your turn to bark nonsense here?"
Hearing this, Knight Sutter was momentarily stunned, then the corners of his mouth twitched.
Their lord was usually kind and gentle, but when it came to enemies, he always showed a fearsome dominance.
…
"Let the trial continue," Aven said calmly.
As time passed quickly, the remaining four magical beast hunters who had attacked alongside Morton were soon judged as well—all sentenced to hanging.
Despair filled their eyes.
If even Morton—a member of the Ironblood Knight Order—hadn't been pardoned, how could they possibly hope for leniency?
They all understood that any resistance now was meaningless, and regret flooded their hearts.
They regretted becoming magical beast hunters.
They regretted stepping into this territory to capture magical beasts.
But regret was useless.
There was no medicine for it.
Three days from now, their lives would end.
…
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Ralts quietly sensed the overwhelming despair in the air, falling into silence.
"Meow~ Meow~ Meow~"
Sensing Ralts' change in mood, Luxio suddenly stepped forward and called out to it.
Ever since its evolution, Luxio's view of humans had changed greatly.
Though it still kept its eyes closed and didn't look directly at the people, it no longer felt the fear it once did.
It had etched Aven's words deep into its heart:
'As long as you become strong, there's nothing to fear!'
"Nya, nya~" "Lil, lil~"
Froslass and Petilil also voiced their thoughts in agreement.
Ralts was momentarily stunned, but memories of its companions in the Pokémon care area surfaced in its mind—and its gaze became firm once again.
'These beast hunters had harmed its friends.
Only by making them disappear could it protect those it loved.'
…
"Ralts, are you okay?"
Aven cast a worried glance at it.
He knew this wasn't a good experience for a kind-hearted Pokémon like Ralts.
"Ralts~ Ralts~!"
Ralts nodded vigorously at him.
Her trainer was fighting to create a world where Pokémon and humans could live in harmony—she had to do her part, too!
…
After those five, the trials continued.
Perhaps affected by the change in atmosphere, the other hunters grew noticeably quieter.
"Is he really going to kill us all?"
Matthew couldn't help but feel nervous.
The first five trials had reasonable verdicts.
But the next few?
Even though those hunters hadn't attacked the lord, they still received harsh punishments.
There wasn't solid evidence they had killed anyone, and they hadn't confessed either.
Then, it was the turn of a beast hunter named Gunnar—the one who had claimed he wandered into the territory by accident.
Gunnar was extremely anxious.
He suspected the lord simply wanted an excuse to wipe them all out.
After all, the lord controlled the territory.
If he wanted to kill a few commoners, he didn't need a good reason.
It wasn't hard for nobles.
…
"Let the trial begin."
Faced with the questions, Gunnar answered everything truthfully.
When he said he had entered by accident, Aven—eyes still closed—slightly opened them.
Ralts had confirmed it.
Gunnar wasn't lying.
He wasn't a member of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild either.
He had become a hunter solely to survive, in order to support his sister.
"Your name is Gunnar, right?"
"If it's just for survival… don't be a magical beast hunter anymore."
"And your sister—bring her to Fruitvale Village. I might be able to cure her."
Gunnar had closed his eyes, resigned to his fate.
But Aven's words stunned him.
"Lord Aven… do you mean it?"
Gunnar asked nervously.
Aven nodded and said coolly,
"Pay one hundred gold coins, then leave my territory."
Not only Gunnar—everyone present was stunned.
'The lord actually believed him?!'
…
"I know what you're all thinking," Aven said.
"But in front of me, no one can lie."
His gaze swept the crowd.
And when they looked into his eyes, they all felt a strange sensation, as if their souls were being seen through.
Even Matthew, former vice captain of the Ironblood Knight Order, felt it—and his heart skipped a beat.
He suddenly recalled old rumors:
That some humans were born with extraordinary gifts.
The Lady of Aspiration City, for example, was said to have the ability to discern good from evil.
'Could this Lord Aven have a similar power?!'
…
Around the grove, the patrolmen all stood up straighter.
If their lord had such abilities, then their loyalty had already been recognized—this thought filled them with pride.
Gunnar was also shaken.
He muttered Aven's words under his breath, eyes tearing up without knowing why.
He truly had only become a hunter to survive—and to save his sister.
Now, Lord Aven believed in him—and was even willing to help.
…
"Gunnar, do you accept my judgment?"
Ignoring the mixed reactions of the other beast hunters, Aven turned back to Gunnar.
Gunnar looked at him, then fell to his knees, voice choking with emotion:
"Lord Aven, I accept your judgment!"
"Also… you said I shouldn't be a hunter anymore..."
"Can I stay in your territory? I… I don't want to be a hunter anymore. I just want to live peacefully with my sister."
Aven looked at Gunnar and let out a soft sigh.
Being a magical beast hunter wasn't inherently wrong.
There were many reasons people chose that path.
Some, like Gunnar, had become magical beast hunters just to protect their loved ones.
That was the reality of this era.
Magical beasts were not friendly toward humans—they weren't Pokémon.
…
After Gunnar, a few more magical beast hunters were judged.
Some of them weren't evil at heart, but unlike Gunnar, they had willfully violated territorial laws by entering despite the prohibition.
For them, Aven sentenced 10 to 20 years of imprisonment.
They were stunned at the ruling.
But they also realized—at least their lives had been spared.
They would spend the next decade or more in this land.
…
"So 'fixed-term imprisonment'… it's basically like being locked up," Matthew assessed.
Once he was convinced Aven really did possess an ability to detect lies, he became more composed.
"Count Aven! I reject this trial!"
While Matthew was still deep in thought, an angry roar came from the scar-faced hunter nearby.
"You said we'd get a fair trial!"
He had just been sentenced to death by hanging in three days—and could no longer stay silent.
His angry yell carried a tinge of despair.
"Hmph, your crimes are worse than Morton's!"
"You killed your own companion just to monopolize the prey. You're not even worthy of being called human!"
Aven snorted coldly.
One of the questions in the interrogation was:
"Have you ever killed a teammate to keep all the prey for yourself?"
Most had answered no—even Morton hadn't done such a thing.
But the scar-faced hunter had.
When Aven revealed this truth, the man's face instantly changed.
He hadn't expected Aven to see straight through his darkest secret!
…
"You're a devil! You're the devil!"
The scar-faced man howled in rage, pointing and screaming at Aven.
Everyone around him was stunned.
His reaction was as good as a confession—he really had murdered a companion for profit.
…
"Kill him! Kill him!"
Suddenly, a patrolman shouted angrily.
And soon, all the patrolmen began to shout the same.
…
"Enough. Take them away."
Aven waved his hand in disgust.
'Someone who would betray his own comrades was worse than a beast.'
Soon, the beast hunters were all taken away.
Only Matthew remained in the grove.
"Matthew. Former vice-captain of the Ironblood Knight Order."
Aven repeated the information he had gathered.
Matthew was also observing Aven, already having a guess as to why he'd been left behind.
Taking a deep breath, Matthew suddenly knelt on one knee and lowered his head.
"Respected Lord, before the trial begins, I wish to pledge my loyalty to you."
Hearing this, Simon narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had already told Aven everything he knew about Matthew.
"Stand up first. I have a few questions," Aven nodded.
Matthew's heart leapt—Aven had not rejected his loyalty.
That meant he still had a chance.
"First… did your Crobat evolve before or after you caught it?"
The question clearly surprised Matthew.
He hadn't expected something so specific.
"When I caught it, it was still a Golbat."
Aven's eyes lit up.
That meant Matthew and his Crobat had a very great bond!
"Very good. Next question—if you caught a Ralts, what would you do?"
He didn't ask why he'd try to catch one—after all, magical beast hunting wasn't inherently wrong.
"Ralts…"
Matthew glanced at the Pokémon looking at him and realized its name.
"I'd sell it to a qualified buyer."
"Someone who, at the very least, wouldn't harm it."
He shrugged.
He had left the Ironblood Knights because he couldn't stand how they mistreated magical beast.
He didn't believe magical beasts were all kind, but he also didn't believe they were all evil.
His Crobat, often called a "vampire," was one of the kindest creatures he'd ever met.
During the expedition into the Aspiration Mountains, it had saved his life.
…
"Hmm… a passable answer."
Aven nodded, gently patting Ralts.
'I still don't like him, but… he didn't lie.'
Ralts' telepathic voice echoed in Aven's mind.
"I know," Aven replied.
"Don't worry. No one will hurt you again."
Ralts nodded happily, its earlier complicated feelings melting away.
Aven asked Matthew a few more questions, and he answered them all truthfully and without hesitation.
"Lord Aven, will you accept my loyalty?"
Matthew asked once more.
Aven was silent for a moment, then suddenly grinned.
"Rather than a knight…"
"I think you're better suited to being a ranger!"
(End of Chapter)