The night must've passed in an instant, because before I know it, I'm already awake. Laying on the sorry excuse of a bed on the cold hard floor, of the cell where space was greatly limited. If that wasn't enough, Yuri, Romanov, and Tinel were all cramped up in the same cell that I was in, positioned in strange angles that could not have been natural. An exasperated sigh escaped my mouth. Today was the day our future would be decided. I didn't know much about magic law but our chances were looking grim. After all, possession of an unauthorized magic item was punishable by death. How would we ever pull ourselves out of this? In any case, all we could do was sit and wait for our captors to come retrieve us.
It may have been a little bold of me, but I was already thinking of what Yuri and I would be doing in the case we were acquitted of all charges. Would I go back to Polam and rip Zantio a new one? He's screwed me over more times than I can count, but this was just a whole different level. Nah, that would've just gotten me in trouble. Maybe I'd throw away my past life, drop all this adventure nonsense, go be washed clean of my sins, and live out the rest of my life as a humble priest of Lady Cristell. Surely she'd forgive me for my sins, and allow me to become a holy servant, right?
I was waiting for Mishka to come banging on the cell bars to drag us out once again for our judgement and eventually, sentencing.
My stomach lets out a loud growl. I realize that I haven't eaten anything since breakfast yesterday, at the restaurant where Lloire helped out. I probably didn't notice it until now because I was way too caught up in the trouble our group has got caught up in. When I looked to see what everyone else was up to, Yuri was fiddling with his necklace, Romanov was touching the place where her sword once rested, probably reminiscing of what she once had. Her sword and armor were stripped from her, and now she was wearing simple civilian clothing that was provided to her. Tinel was flipping through a small tome that she had apparently been carrying on her person. Only out of boredom though, since she didn't look very invested in it. Plus she was flying through the pages too quick to fully read everything on the pages- only stopping every now and then to look at small details that might've actually interested her.
Eventually, she stopped and tossed the leather bound book down to the ground, it hitting Yuri on the head on the way. He jolts and turns around, scratching his head where the book hit. "Ow, what the hell?"
"Sorry.. I was a little bored."
"Excuse me."
A voice interrupted the commotion going on in the cell. It was a human woman, with raven black hair, sharp light grey eyes with thin wire glasses, She wore a black suit, and dress pants, with a dark blue and gold capulet, with white gloves and a leather belt with an iron buckle. She was holding a red book under her right arm. She was a little intimidating to say the least. "Hello, I assume you would be Mr. Olenev, Mr. Borysenko and Ms. Romanov, Ms. Eriksen?"
"Yeah, that's us."
"Yep."
"Aye, you are correct."
"Yes ma'am. That's right."
"Wonderful to hear. My name is Anastasia Cherynov. I have been appointed to you as your legal counsel by the Royal Court of Justice. There is still plenty of time before the trial, so it is absolutely imperative if you wish to avoid life imprisonment…"
"Or death."
"...."
"What are you scared of? If we get all our facts straight, and play our cards right, you can get off scott free! And with me on the case, you can rest assured that victory is guaranteed yours."
"Anyhow, come with me. We need a better place to discuss these details. Not here, it's too risky- someone might overhear."
"You have a key, Cherynov?"
"Why of course. In Dalis, a lawyer is granted access to their client's cell. Naturally however, they would be held accountable should they aid in the escape of said client."
"Who knows though? Maybe I might just use my authority to let you go~"
"Of course, I merely jest. If you were to run away, well.. gander upon this here 'pistol' I snagged from an Imperial soldier back in the day."
"It's a very creative weapon you see.. all you need to do is aim it like so, pull back the trigger and.."
KRACKLE! WHAZAM!
When Cherynov pulled the trigger, a large burst of purple lightning magic energy shot out of the barrel. Luckily, the shot missed and went right above my head, but just barely. The shot created a massive hole in the brick walls.
"Ahem, perhaps I'll just stick to my shortsword for the time being."
"You trying to kill us, woman??"
"U-uh a-at ease Sir Olenev!"
Her face was red with embarrassment. She was clearly overwhelmed after the idiotic mess she made. Yep we were so going to get executed. Actually, Getting hung seemed like a much more preferable alternative than this. Just when I thought we were teamed up with a fool for a lawyer, the child-like shyness disappeared from her face, replaced with a cold, cool, calm, and collected expression.
"Alas, I believe it is now time to drop the fooling around."
She flipped through the thick book, each and every single page was filled with notes and annotations so perfectly written you'd think they were the result of printing magic.
"According to my notes here, the four of you are charged for different crimes. Ms. Eriksen and Romanov however, have it worse. Not only did you two transport a highly illegal item, you also took bribes!"
"You gave me no shortage of work, let me tell you that."
"Uh, we're sorry, Ms. Cherynov…"
"Forget it for now, Sir Borysenko. Grievances can be settled via coin. But that comes later."
She was focused on reading through her writings, eyes scanning the pages when she put her hands down on the table- slamming them down dramatically. "Alright, I've got the gist of your situation."
"You four took a sealed container from Polam, all the way to here, Heligsgrad. BY FOOT! Walking for days, and days without end. I'm told you even fought a dragon on the way. And then of course, you made a pit-stop here."
"Romanov and Eriksen, on top of this, you two took a bribe from a local corporation. Even off duty, these are some pretty serious crimes. Especially since you represent the Royal Capital."
All four of us sat in silence. If I was the judge, I would've found us guilty based on demeanor alone. Well, whatever the case- we couldn't give up just yet!
"Now, it's not an entirely lost cause. I have some ideas how to get you folks out of this predicament."
"Really!?"
"Yes, Mr. Borysenko. After this you will be able to return to your daily lives. Of course, you will be able to continue traveling. Without the corrosion core of course."
"As for you, Eriksen and Romanov.. I highly doubt that you'd be able to return to your 'average' lives."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"Even if these charges are cleared, you will no doubt be stripped of your positions in the Capital Guard."
Romanov lowers her head a bit. I couldn't quite tell what she was thinking, but if I had to guess she was down in the dumps about losing her position? Or maybe it was something more. There's no way someone like her was so shallow.
"How will I ever face my family like this…"
So said Romanov, as she was being comforted by Tinel.
"I do not mean to ruin the moment, everybody… however, we really, really need to move on."
'
"When the day of the trial comes tomorrow, you will let me do most of the talking. Only speak when I give you the thumbs up, understand?" We all agree in unison.
"Very good. That's all I'll need your presence for, the rest I must handle on my own. Off you go now."
----------------------
THE DAY OF THE TRIAL
As fate would have it, Mishka is at our door yet again. Only this time, he's not wearing his armor, rather a white and gold uniform, with black gloves. A silver sword with a leather wrapped handle rested at his side. It was probably ceremonial. However, his helmet still remained. If anything, I felt as if the helmet on top of the uniform looked a little goofy.
"Hey Mishka..? How come you're always wearing that helmet?"
"That's Plavoneb to you! We're not on a first name basis yet kid. Also I wear it because there's a really nasty looking scar on my face I'd rather hide. Makes me wish I had the one Romanov there did."
"Now then, you done with the questions? I need to mentally prepare myself for this. Now get out of your cell!"
As soon as we emerged to the surface from the underground prison, the light assaulted my eyes. I had to shield them from it since they didn't readjust yet. We were loaded onto a cart, and we were just about to set off when a guard came on up to us, more specifically to Mishka, er- Plavoneb. "Hey, Plav!"
"What seems to be the matter sir?"
"Captain Vladimir had asked me to send out these instructions to you. It's about the guard detail and security for today's trial."
Plavoneb groans in frustration.
"Oh come on.. are you kidding me? This is so last minute.. give it here!"
He impatiently snatches the papers out of the guard's hands and scans through it.
"Just assign four squads per entrance/exit. 20 per squad should be more than enough."
"That's all, Plav? You know Captain Vladimir's going to get on your ass about this. Maybe think this through a bit?"
"Oh please, it's his fault for not informing me of this earlier."
"Hahaha… you've got some spunk in you to be certain, Plav… nobody's that cocky when it comes to talkin' about Captain Vladimir, I'll tell you that much."
"Tsk.. whatever. Just don't rat me out, you hear?"
"Sheesh, you're a bit more annoyed than usual. What's gotten under your skin?"
"Have you forgotten already? I'm on escort duty as well as security today for the trial." After that sentence, not a single further word came out of Plavoneb who waved off the other guard. He turned his attention to us, looked us up and down, scoffed, and then snaps the reign, causing the horse to set off and pull the wagon along. It went fast. Almost a little too fast.
I wanted to speak up and ask him to slow down, but I felt like I would just piss him off even more. If he decided to drive the wagon into a building and kill us all, it would be my fault. I was already accused of a serious crime. I didn't want to have a second crime on my record. At least not today.
Luckily, none of that happens. We quietly pass through the streets, with Romanov, Tinel, Yuri and I in chains for everyone to see. Some gave us looks of disgust, anger, others were disappointed, or just right out confused. This was embarrassing.
Usually there was chatter amongst our party, as we were walking to somewhere, doing some menial or mundane task/activity. But not this time. Occasionally however, Yuri shot me some "We're done for, aren't we?" Looks.
We suddenly stop in front of a dome-shaped building. It's made out of light limestone, with many arched windows. A set of two giant doors is at the foot of the building to which the left of, a plaque that read "Heligsgrad Judiciary Department".
"Off." Plavoneb commanded, with a stern voice. He put his hand on his sword, as if he was ready to draw his blade. Noticing this, Yuri speaks up.
"H-hey man, what gives?"
"What do you mean, 'what gives'?"
"You're ready to slash us with that sword of yours! Could you take your hand off the sword…please?"
"No way. It's part of my training. As a precaution if a criminal in custody runs away, we cut them down. I'm just getting ready for the possibility. Especially at a time like this. I'd never hear the end of it if I let you go now."
"Jeez, all ya care about is savin' your own ass, isn't it?"
"What was that?"
"N-nothing!"
When we enter the building, we're greeted by a small lobby room. The floor is of white stone tiles, the walls painted a light red. There were white cornices made out of marble under an engraved wooden ceiling from which a bronze and silver chandelier hung. It was only half-lit. On all four sides of the room, vases stood before sets of two doors. We headed for the northern doorway. Beyond the doorway was a spiral stairwell which went upwards.
And so we climbed…
And climbed…
And climbed…
Until we finally reached the top. Yuri's knees were quivering and shaking. I would've liked to play the 'Mr. Nothing affects me!" Archetype, however I couldn't help but give in. I stopped to rest and catch my breath. I thought with all the physical labour i did back in my days of working for Slavhar Industrial Guild, I'd be fit as a fiddle!
However the exact opposite was true. Ahead was a circular room comprised of 9 floors- and it looked like we were on the 7th. Along the walls were multiple doors, labeled with names. These were probably offices. The whole building was kind of structured like an opera house you might see in the Northwestern Kingdom of Violetta.
"If you would permit interruption.."
"What's up, Romanov?"
"Now probably is not the time… but, there's an interesting history to this building. Back in the early days of the Dalician Kingdom, Heligsgrad was actually the nation's capital! And this building here served as the palace of the first royal bloodline- the Alkarevs."
"You sure know a lot about Dalis' history huh?"
"In my family, the prestigious Romanovs of the Royal Capital- you are more or less taught to love your nation more than your life. Including its culture of course. Because of that, the kingdom's proud history is one of the first things we learn as soon as we have a good enough grasp on the Dalician language."
A door opens, and I spot a familiar face. It's Cherynov. Our dubious lawyer, cherynov. Except, something is a bit different.. That's right. It's her hair, her hair was.. orange now..? She doesn't seem the slightest bit concerned about that though as she waves us into her office, and so we follow her inside. It's a nice, cozy room with red wallpaper that bore floral designs and wooden frames. Her desk, well, I couldn't see it as it was pretty much covered with papers and books. There was a shelf on the eastern wall, and a window on the northern one. The baseboards were also wooden.
"So, what's up with your hair?"
"The short story is that I accidentally got my hair dye washed off. But that's not important right now, the trial starts in 25 minutes, so we need to go over some last minute details."
"Hold on a moment. I thought you had everything?"
"There's always, always more new details in this line of work, Miss Eriksen."
"And besides, it's really only just review."
"I thought you said there's always new details?"
"Shut up mage."
SEVERAL MINUTES LATER, THE TRIAL IS MERE MOMENTS AWAY FROM STARTING…
=================================================================================
As the party is steeped in conversation, a loud voice interrupts. It emits from a small iron bird figurine on Cherynov's desk. "ALL TRIAL ATTENDEES, BE PRESENT TO YOUR POSITIONS, NOW!"
"What is that thing?"
"It's called a Sonic Parakeet. It's connected to a magic device in the building's command chambers which allows one to transmit their voices to anywhere."
"Isn't that just an intercom?"
"It doesn't actually matter what it is. Come on, lets go."
We exit the room and go further down the hall until we reach a set of stairs.
Come on, seriously? MORE stairs? Jeez, Heligsgradians were built different for sure. Whatever, they weren't super long this time.
It led directly to the ground floor- where the trial would take place. At the far north side of the room was the judge's stand. A tall, mighty imposing wooden desk which was adorned with the Royal Court of Justice's crest: A shield with two swords overlaying it, surrounded by a leaf torse. At the top was an unfurled scroll which said: "JUSTICE PREVAILS." The one on the bottom said: "EVIL AND SIN PERISHES."
The judge's seat, which was empty, kind of looked like a throne with a red satin cushion. To the left was the defendant and legal counsel (in this case, us and Cherynov.) to the right, would be the prosecutor. At the southern end of the room were the seating isles for for anyone who wanted to attend to sit in and watch the trial.
There was only one set of two doors, Both guarded by armored bailiffs. Soon enough more, and more people fill into the room. Several moments later, the whole room is filled with people. And then, at the judge's stand..
"Ahem. I would like to formally announce that this court is officially in session for the trial of the Olenev Affiliates."
Olenev affiliates? Is that seriously the name they chose for us?
I shifted my gaze at Cherynov, my glance being reciprocated with a look that said:
'Hey now, this sort of thing is completely out of my control!'
It wasn't so much that the name sounded stupid as much as it was the fact that this trial would become national news in just a matter of weeks, and then everybody would know the trouble I've gotten myself into. Mikhail Olenev is a criminal! Stone him to death! I was also dying to know just what Zantio was doing right now. I mean, he was the entire reason I got into this mess. Shouldn't he be here to testify? He was the one who gave me the corrosion core in the first place.
"And now, I, Royal Justice Evalin D. Peteros will now begin the proceedings. The prosecution is asked to begin with the opening statement."
A bearded man wearing a red satin suit, A white undershirt and white gloves stepped forward. His hair was short and slicked back, and his eyes were small and piercing like daggers. His body was big and muscular. He wore a brown leather belt, the buckle was made out of gold, and the leather was clearly a foreign import.
He readied several sheets of paper.
"The defendants, namely: Mr. Mikhail Olenev, Mr. Yuri Borysenko, Ms, Agniezska Romanov, and Ms. Tinel Eriksen, have been charged with the crime of transportation of an illegal magic item, a corrosion core."
He flips to the next page and puts on a pair of eyeglasses.
"Furthermore, later into investigation, it has been discovered that this object was to be presented as a gift to our god Lady Cristell on the upcoming Descension Rites as she makes her way to be with the people of each city over the course of 12 days."
"For the record, corrosion cores possess obscene shadow magic so powerful that they are capable of slaying even a god…"
Countless gasps and shouts of anger suddenly arise from the crowd.
"YOU BASTARD! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
"HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT? YOU SCUM!"
"YOU EVIL DEMONS!"
"Order in the court at once!"
Everyone fell silent, one after the other. Some were still cursing under their breaths, but you could barely hear them.
"Uh, to close off with one last detail.. the magic item in question has also been traced back to a Polamnian guildmaster by the name of Zantio Slavhar, who has been taken into custody by the city guard for questioning. Needless to say, all of Zantio Industrial Guild's operations have been ceased for the time being."
"That closes my report."
"Thank you, prosecution."
"Well then, to start off- Mr.Olenev, your intentions. When you first set off on your journey from Polam, what did you hope to accomplish by delivering this object?"
I take a deep breath and then glance at Cherynov who stood to my left side. She nods.
Just remember what we talked about.. Only say what you have to. Nothing more, nothing less.
"To answer your question, Mr… prosecutor.. my only goal was to bring this box to Aurora. I had no clue about anything else surrounding it. Not the corrosion core, not the plan to present it to Lady Cristell either."
…
"And of this you are certain?"
"Yes sir, on my life."
"However, I find it hard to believe that you did not even once question the nature of this quest.. if anything, it's rather culti-"
"Prosecution! Is that how you conduct yourself in this court? I expect you to have a sense of decorum!"
"Ahem. My apologies, your honor.. I got a bit carried away there."
The prosecutor nervously brushes through his hair, all while pretending to re-organize and study his notes. After the atmosphere goes back to normal, the trial resumes.
"Anyhow, back to the main topic at hand. Have you not once questioned the nature of this job? After all, you have been instructed to deliver a parcel you know absolutely nothing about to the other side of the nation. And I'm informed you and your party have been on foot the entire time, surely this was no simple trek."
"That's becau-"
Cherynov puts a hand up, practically right in front of my face to shut me up.
"It's alright, I'll handle this one."
Maybe I should just leave it to her. If I kept talking, I could risk digging myself into a deeper hole.
"To answer the prosecution's line of questioning, Mr.Slavhar, the source of this dubious object has been a parental figure to my client ever since he was very young. He has taken care of him as a child, and given him opportunities to make a living for himself as a young adult. It is for this reason my client would never even once think of questioning the man's authority."
"Not even an ounce of curiosity, hm? Well how about the Zalief fellow there? Yuri Borysenko, was it? What about him? I hear he too was under the 'tutelage' of this suspicious man?"
"Uh…"
"Well.."
"So, what'll it be, defense? The prosecution DOES bring up a pretty good point."
"We actually don't have too much information on Mr.Borysenko. In fact, during investigation of the crime, anything resembling a citizen profile wasn't found in the Royal Registry.."
"Not in the Royal Registry!? So he's a foreign stowaway!"
A wide grin spreads across the face of the prosecutor who stretches his arms upwards to the ceiling, looking upwards. He had us now!
"You see, your honor? Not only is one of them complicit in one of the worst crimes possible, he's passed into our gracious kingdom unlawfully!"
Justice Evalin quietly nods along as she jots down several notes into a notebook which was already open on her stand.
"I am beginning to see the prosecution's side more, and more.."
"However."
"There is still, the other two individuals to discuss- Ms. Agniezska Romanov and, Ms. Tinel Romanov."
"I will be calling a recess for now. I'd advise to use this time wisely- and go over the case as best as you possibly can, prosecution and defense."
The prosecution and Cherynov both offer a formal bow, and then get up from their seats, and walk away. Yuri, Tinel, Romanov, and I do the same. Eventually however, we drift apart.
While I'm aimlessly wandering down the halls of the courthouse, I run into a certain someone. The prosecutor.
"O-oh, it's you.."
"Well now, look who it is."
I felt something in my chest. It wasn't anger, it wasn't fear, but it felt like all of those things at the same time. It must've shown on my face because his next response went something like:
"Come on kid! There's no need to get mad at me you know, I'm only doing my job."
…
"Hey, we're doing what we both gotta do! I think you're an innocent guy, alright?"
"Why'd you volunteer to prosecute me then?"
"Volunteer? Hahaha, I didn't. This whooooole case was put together on pretty short notice. Any other prosecutor was already too busy with other cases and trials."
"Anyways, I think it'd be awkward to not know my name but I know yours…"
The prosecutor takes up a dramatic pose. And then he announces in a singsong voice:
"I, am…."
"ALEXEI TSAROVICH!!"
I was not expecting this personality. At all. Quite different from the persona he donned in the courtroom.
"Hold on a moment, did you say Tsarovich?"
"Why yes I did indeed!"
"That's a name inherited by only those who serve directly under the royal family!"
"But then what are you doing as a prosecutor, yo-"
A loud shrill tone sounds once more.
"COURT HAS RESUMED SESSION! ALL NECESSARY PARTIES ARE EXPECTED TO BE PRESENT, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!"
"It seems we'll have to continue this conversation later, Mr. Mikhail Olenev."
We go back to the courtroom.
"Mikhail Olenev! Where WERE you? We were discussing the case…"
"Sorry Cherynov.. I got a bit lost, and next thing I know, I end up wandering the halls.."
"Don't say sorry to me, say sorry to yourself. This trial is about you, you know."
She gives me a light knock on the head with her knuckles, but it doesn't hurt. I could've sworn I heard a "What am I going to do with you..?"
Are you supposed to be my mother or something?
With everyone seated in their respective positions in the courtroom, the trial resumes once more.
"If no one has any further objections, comments, or concerns, the second phase of the trial will now commence."
"If I may, your honor?"
"Defense? Yes, permission to speak granted."
"What will be of Mr. Yuri Borysenko and Mikhail Olenev's case..?"
"The court has heard everything it needs to make a decision. It is being discussed at the moment right now, a verdict will be delivered tomorrow."
It was also stated that while the most responsible individuals regarding the corrosion core were Yuri and I, Romanov and Tinel would also be held responsible for it,
"Ms.Romanov."
"Y-yes, your honor?"
"I'm sure you are more than well aware of this fact but.. You are of the Romanov family. And in the kingdom of Dalis, especially in your home city- the Royal Capital Mittendius- it carries a lot of weight. No matter how this trial turns out, you will have brought a great shame upon your family."
"I am… more than aware of this, Madam Evalen.."
"And also, you will no doubt be relieved of your position in the capital royal guard. Anyhow, let us continue."
The judge turns her gaze towards Tsarovich who is still digging through the bag which was rested nearby on his seat. At the last moment he pulls out a few papers.
"Prosecution,"
"Yes, your honor- I am ready to present my findings."
"If you will.."
"Without further ado…"
"It has been found after heavy investigation that the accused- Ms. Agniezska Romanov of the Royal Capital Mittendius, and Ms.Tinel Eriksen of Urozhay have departed from Mittendius about a month ago."
"Ms. Agniezska Romanov and Ms. Tinel Eriksen were on leave due to time off granted by their division during which they visited the western city of Polam- in their last few days in the city, they were approached by Mr.Zantio Slavhar, a guildmaster of an industrial guild by the same name."
"He asked them to do a job, and this job was simply to act as an escort for Mr. Mikhail Olenev and Mr. Yuri Borysenko to deliver a secret packet, which we now know to have contained a corrosion core to Aurora City, The City of Enchantment. As compensation, he offered a generous payment of 21 Gold Pieces to both individuals. Of course, they obliged."
"This closes my report, your honor."
The judge nods.
"Yes, thank you prosecution."
"I suppose I will be the first to ask questions this time, honored guardswomen."
"Why did you accept this transaction? Was the money really that tempting?"
"After all, now that we know everything about this mysterious box that was to be delivered- I do have the grounds to add the serious charge of blasphemy!"
At the mention of blasphemy, I can see Romanov tense up, and several faces of the gallery twisting to faces of disgust, fear, disappointment, concern. I can't see her face though.
"Your honor! She herself wasn't responsible for delivering this item! Ms. Romanov and Ms. Eriksen were mere accomplices you see.."
"Oh? So are you saying that Mr. Olenev and Borysenko are the ones who are indeed guilty? And besides, they are still accessories to the crime. You should know that that is plenty to incriminate them."
"Why yes, madam.."
"Good."
"At this rate, I would like to think that the direction this trial is headed is obvious. Alas, I cannot end it right here and now. There is still more to be looked over."
"Your honor, if I may ask the defendant a question?"
"Yes, do go on."
"Ms.. Eriksen, yes? Correct me if I am wrong but you specialize in the magic arts- you serve as a mage directly under our glorious Royal Capital's City Guard- one of our nation's pride and joys."
"Y-yeah, that would be correct.."
"Were you not able to detect the magic of the corrosion core through the container? After all, our records show you have been trained in magia discernation- the art of being able to sense magia in various objects and tell normal from unusual magic apart.. How were you not able to sense anything?"
"I, the defense would like to speak up."
"Yes, I'm waiting to hear it."
So said Tsarovich matter-of factly, looking bothered, inconvenienced, crossing his arms, stroking his beard. He was clearly confident.
"Thanks to the Investigative Department's efforts, we found out that Ms. Agniezska Romanov and Ms. Tinel Eriksen were told to sign an NDA. Essentially, part of it was to not look inside the container under any circumstances.."
"Really.."
"Then allow me to ask you this, Defense."
"If Ms. Romanov and Ms. Eriksen were asked to not look within the container, shouldn't that have been all the more reason to look anyways? For if there was nothing to hide, then Mr. Slavhar had no reason to be as secretive as he was of its contents."
"Your honor, under the 4th Article of Business Privacy Decree of 190Y- the employer has the right to determine what is confidential and what is not."
"Yes and by the Royal Codex, a higher and more superior form of law in our nation, the only one to whom a guardsman may be in service to is the kingdom and his GOD Lady Cristell. Ms. Romanov and Ms. Eriksen's actions are a clear violation of that statute."
"Why I-!"
"Not to mention, they also took a bribe. Quite the handsome sum as well, 21 Gold Pieces if I recall. This alone is a serious crime which can be punished by 45 years of imprisonment in the local prison under the 'Officials of the Law and Peace' Decree of 32Y of the Dalician Calendar.."
"This is not leaning in your favour, Defense."
The atmosphere had grown quite heavy by now. Everyone in the gallery is heavily invested, some whispering to one another, I think I might've seen some people passing over handfulls of silver pieces to the person next to them, looking dejected and defeated while doing so. Were they betting on the trial? I didn't really know how to feel about having the moment which decides the rest of my life being treated like some game. I sigh in resignation.
When I look over to my aisle, Romanov is sitting dead motionless. Not a single move from her, her face stone cold. Tinel looks completely removed from the situation as if this was no longer her business. So far this type of behavior was pretty normal with her.
Yuri was focused as well, surprisingly enough. I half expected him to be frantically looking all over the place because of how nervous he was. Though I could see several drops of sweat trickling down his cheeks and neck, glistening in the magelight that lit the courtroom.
Cherynov was flipping through notes, and scribbling things down in a notebook. She looked cool and composed, as always- though I could detect a tinge of worry from her. Tsarovich on the opposite side, on the prosecution was doing the same except he looked far more confident. A slight smirk on his face.
….
Then Chief Justice Evalin breaks the silence.
"It seems that there is not much more to discuss."
"And if that is the case, for anyone else who has last minute remarks to put in, speak now or forever hold your silence."
No one said a word. Chief Justice Evalin looks around several times- back and forth to make sure no one wished to speak but was too courteous to say so. Several minutes of absolute silence pass. She nods.
"Okay. Then, I Chief Justice Evalin D. Peteros- with the power vested in me, I deem this trial complete. The Council will render its verdict, which you shall be called in to hear in two days' time. That is all, adjourned!"
A weird feeling comes over me. A heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders, but at the same time it feels as though I've just been put into another chokehold. As soon as the courtroom clears out, Romanov, Yuri, Tinel and I would be carted back to our prison, and thrown into our cells, awaiting the day our fate would be decided.
Cherynov slumps her head and shoulders, then looks at us, she seems ashamed and downtrodden.
"You guys.. I'm sorry.."
"What for?"
"Mr. Mikhail Olenev! Are you kidding me? I probably just got you the death sentence instead of freedom!"
Tinel leans in and whispers to Cherynov- still loud enough for the rest of us to hear.
"Well, the verdict hath yet still to be passed down, yes? There's still a bit of hope!" She offers that reassuring remark with the same small smile she always gave. It was kind of cute.
"Y, You shouldn't treat me like a child.. I'm 25 years old you know!"
Her face is beet red now. For the first time in a while, Mishka shows his helmet covered face face again, hiding behind a pillar. He motions towards Tinel and Romanov.
"Hey, you two ladies, come 'ere."
"Ah yes, I'd nearly forgotten. Our service to the Royal Capital's Guard is now over, involuntarily so. "
She looks down at her sword which still rested at her hip.
"Farewell, Ildogon.."
Huh. Didn't know she named her sword. Romanov family tradition maybe?
"Come now, Tinel, let us go." Tinel obeys and follows along into the hallway from which Mishka was peaking out of. After that, all three of them disappeared. After about ten minutes, they reappear, only this time Romanov is not wearing her armour anymore, and Tinel no longer is with her sophisticated mage's garb. Instead they're just wearing some basic faded crimson tunics and old worker's trousers which were perhaps too big for them. Reminded me of the type of clothes I would wear back when I was working at Polam.
Romanov's sword "Ildogon" was no longer with her like it always was either.
"Hey Romanov..! What happened? Your armour is gone.."
"Same for you, Tinel."
"Due to the offenses we've been charged with, we are to be stricken of our status. It has begun by losing our equipment. They'd confiscated Tinel's staff long ago."
"But you may not be guilty! The verdict has yet to be announced.."
"Bro, haven't you been payin' attention to what Ms. Evalin the judge has been sayin'? Even if they ain't guilty, they're no longer allowed to be members of the guard, because of the dishonorable reputation and situation they've gotten themselves into.."
"That's… quite astute for you, Mr. Borysenko!"
"Aw shut it Eriksen! This isn't a time for jokes, ya' know?"
"No, you're right. Sorry about that insensitive remark."
Yuri being the guy he was just shrugs it off. For most offenses against him, he was always forgive and forget. To a degree, at least.
"Hey folks, don't mean to rain on your parade but, we gotta get going, you need to be put into your cell again until the day of the verdict."
"Gah… more mind numbing waiting… let's get going, Romanov.."
"No, no, Mr. Olenev. You need not use my surname any longer. Feel free to call me Agniezska."
"Wait, what? Why? That seems like such a sudden shift.."
"Well, I am a disgraced woman- I no longer hold my honorable title or position serving under the Crown City. Besides, we are no longer strangers anymore."
"Not strangers? We haven't been traveling all that long.. I mean I know barely anything about you as a person."
"Seriously, it's fine."
"Okay then, Agniezska.."
Despite her invitation to calling her by her first name, it just felt, weird.. Even now that her identity as a guard captain of the Royal Capital Mittendius' Guard Corps was no more, I still felt like I owed her a grand degree of respect.
Instead no, it wasn't really that- It felt wrong to start casually calling someone by their first names simply because they lost some sense of "honor".
"Oh yeah I forgot Miss Romanov!"
"You erhmm, got a letter from a certain individual… from the Capital…"
The moment Mishka mentioned the letter came from Mittendius, I saw a small droplet of sweat drip down the side of her head.
"The Capital, you say..?"
She squeezes her eyes shut tightly, takes several deep breathes, and then slowly picks off the seal which she slid in her pocket. As she read the letter more and more, her face became more and more dramatic, plastered by worry.
When she finishes reading the letter, she crumples it while averting her eyes. Tinel decides to break the awkward silence.
"Master Romanov? What are the contents of the letter?"
"How might I say this… father back at home has heard of my misdeeds and he's not very pleased with me. In any case, he is currently on his way to personally scold me.."
"Good lord.. Ruskod will go to any lengths to discipline his children, eh?"
"You sound like you speak from experience, Tinel."
"Ah yes, well I've spent a fair deal of time over at the Romanov household as a child, as I am friends with Master Romanov. I've seen her and her brother be disciplined for various things, many, many times over. There are no lengths he would not go to."
"Ain't that mean he's just a good dad?"
"Sure does, Yuri. That and he probably needs to save face especially in such a prestigious role as his.. Oh wait! No I didn't mean it like tha-"
"No, no it's fine.."
"If you say so, Roma- I mean, Agniezska.."
The impatient Mishka cuts in, grabs Yuri, Tinel and I by the collars and starts dragging us off. I couldn't see his face through the helm he always wears but I could tell he was frustrated.
"Good god guys! How much longer do you plan to stand around and chat?! We're going back whether you like it or not.. I can't stand being here anymore!"
Wow how… pathetic. This guy was supposed to be an adult but acted like a kid. Throwing a temper tantrum at his age.. I guess not everyone was raised correctly.
We exit the courthouse and go to its backlot, where various carts and carriages were tied to poles, awaiting their owners' eventual returns. We arrive at ours where a certain someone was sitting. The interrogator from the jail…
Natas!
"Oh nya~? Look who's back~"
"How'd it go in there eh? From the drained looks on your faces, you must've gotten the death penalty! Nyahahahahahaha~!"
How could she laugh at something like this? We haven't been sentenced to death YET, but the prospect of it was certainly terrifying. If anything, her reaction to our dispositions was rather infuriating and annoying. Can I file a complaint??
Of course, the answer to that question is most emphatically "No." After all, I, amongst my allies were pretty much convicted criminals, the worst sort mind you. The enemy of Cristell, might as well be the enemy of every Dalician. So why bother fighting against it? It's pointless. It was a concept that you dreaded mulling over because no matter how much you thought about it, you'd end up feeling like a helpless weakling in the situation for not being able to think your way out of it. Truly unfortunate.`
"Anyways for real this time, how did it go this time, for real nya~?"
Mishka readjusts his helmet and clears his throat before speaking up.
"Well luckily, nothing bad happened at all. At least for me. The trial went pretty smoothly- you know, I was actually feeling quite tuckered out when I awoke this morning. If I had to take to the sword in the case something arose during the trial and join my subordinates well… let's just say I would be the one on trial later to get court martialed.. In the Royal Capital! Hahaha, oh not to mentio-"
"Oh shut up nya~ I asked you what happened during the trial, not to give me a report on your physiological condition nya~"
"Oh you.. Well there's not much to say, is there? The verdict is to be announced in two days, you know how the whole procedure works right? Though I will say.."
"The way I saw things, it wasn't looking good for them.. However I could've been half asleep and not saw everything the right way."
Natas scoffs, and moves over to the driver's seat of the cart.
"Get in! I'm takin' ya back this time."
And so began the trip back to the Monkhood Temple, to our oh-so-cozy 5 star prison cells, where we would graciously spend the next two days. It was the dead of the night by the time we returned back to the keep. And so, time passed. The night and two days were quite uneventful, mostly filled with meaningless chatter and small talk amongst each other.