The court stood in silence as Thomas sat upon the throne. Ministers and nobles kept their hands lowered, their eyes fixed ahead. At the centre of the hall, a giant-built soldier stood bound in heavy chains, waiting for a judgment that had already begun.
A minister stepped forward and knelt. "My Lord, let me summarise the whole story."
"Hmm."
He bowed lightly, then said, "A few days earlier, General Orn and I discussed with you the fate of the northernmost fort. While it was inevitably lost, we determined it could be used to buy time."
Thomas rested his chin on his hand and thought. If I remember correctly, that fort had a population of 50,000 and was bounded by a natural river, which significantly increased its defence. "Continue."
Then the general stepped forward and interrupted. "Let me continue, my Lord." The minister glared at him.
"Hmm."
"I stationed 200 soldiers with artillery at the fort. But they seemed cowardly, so I assigned him," he pointed at the detained soldier, "as gatekeeper and ordered him to kill any deserters who tried to escape. He performed his orders admirably."
"Ridiculous. He killed 192 beings—181 soldiers, 9 civilians, and 2 messengers. But he didn't just kill those 192; he doomed those 50,000 people." The minister interrupted, pointing his finger at the detained soldier. "He is a murderer."
"He is not! It was the enemies who poisoned the river. They are the murderers, not him," the general fought back.
"But if he hadn't killed the messengers or civilians, we might have known about the poison and could have saved them."
"He m—"
"Silence!" Before the general could argue further, Thomas slammed the armrest and silenced them. "Have you both forgotten where you are standing?"
Both of them knelt deeply. "Please forgive me, my Lord."
Thomas ignored them and allowed them to kneel for longer. His focus shifted to the detained soldier. "Do you have anything to say?"
He gulped and said, "After killing 100 deserters, they started to lie and even tried to escape in different roles—as civilians or messengers. If I had known… about the poison… I-I might… not have done that." He knelt down, his head on the floor. 'True.'
Dire peeked from behind the throne and whispered in his ear, "What will you do, Thomas? Will you execute him or free him?"
"If you execute him, the rest of the army will lose morale. They would fear making any decision in the heat of battle."
"If you free him, the victims' families will feel betrayed, and it will suggest that the life of a single soldier is far more valuable than the lives of thousands of citizens. It will lead to civil unrest."
"But if you choose a middle option, that's even worse. You will be despised by both."
Thomas's eyes half-closed as he was lost in deep thought. Losing him is the same as losing a valuable asset. If I don't punish him, riots may rise. But if I punish him, soldiers will be scared to follow orders. Ah! What should I do?
He massaged his temples. The enemy has already captured one fort, and another has fallen. They may arrive at any time. And now, this nightmare is splitting my head.
Then he looked at the bound soldier and declared his judgment. "Your negligence is a sin, whether you intended it or not. You are one of the core causes of this heartbreaking incident. But your foremost loyalty should be honoured, so you are exempted from execution."
He deliberately paused to let his words carry more weight. His eyes scanned the whole court. The soldier's shoulders slumped, and tension released from his face. The minister and general kept their eyes fixed on him, waiting for the final judgment.
"From now on, you will lose all the rights of a free man. You will live as a war slave—fighting when ordered, cleaning the camps when not. Your life will repay what your failure destroyed."
The soldier's face grew pale, and his knees sank to the ground. "A slave…"
The minister and general nodded, It was acceptance without comfort. Because of his loyalty, he was exempt from execution, yet punished as a slave, which was almost the same as a death sentence.
"COURT ADJOURNED!"
As he stood up and was about to leave, he suddenly felt an unusual heat on his finger. He looked at the golden ring. It radiated a dim light and slowly vanished into nothing.
"Hehehe… our journey ends here, Thomas… we will meet again in the afterlife…" Dire's voice faded with the golden ring.
He collapsed onto the throne.
"Your Majesty!"
All those present in the court rushed toward him.
Thomas lifted his hand and ordered them to stop. He stared at his empty finger. Words escaped his lips with a strange emptiness. "Lord… Dire."
---
The screen paused.
Hades and Hecate were leisurely enjoying their tea.
She said, "What an interesting candidate. He is becoming what he always feared."
Then she turned to Hades and asked, "What was the correct judgment for this trial?"
"Execution."
She squinted her eyes at this answer and thought for a moment, replaying the whole trial in her mind. Then she asked, "Was it because of the messengers?"
His lips lifted slightly. "Yes. Messengers are the mouth and ears of any country or realm. Killing them is the same as destroying the nervous system. But that's not the only reason."
"Other reasons? What are they?"
He waved his hand and rewound the trial to when Thomas declared the execution exemption due to the soldier's loyalty. But this time, the screen did not focus on Thomas, but on the bound soldier.
"He does not feel guilt for his crime. This is clearly visible through his emotions."
She stared at the screen and took a sip.
Suddenly, a black smoke swirled and took the form of Dire kneeling before them. "Greetings, Lord Hades and Lady Hecate."
Both shifted their focus to him. Hades asked, "How was it?"
Dire took a deep breath and announced, "He is not worthy, my Lord."
"Explain."
He bowed deeply and said, "His past is destroying him like a slow poison. Most of his decisions are driven by emotion. The core issue is that he is not loyal to his role, not even to himself."
"In his judgment of the gatekeeper, he thought as a king, calculating pros and cons. Not as a judge who should judge without fearing any consequences."
He slightly lifted his head but did not dare to meet their gaze. "If the judge himself is not loyal to his role, then the judgment itself will not respect him."
Hades glanced at Hecate and met her gaze. Both nodded.