"Isn't it more appropriate to address one of the reasons this event ended in such losses?"
The councilman's words were phrased as a request, but it was hardly that. During normal times, no one would dare voice any 'requests' in such a way before the mighty Sin Lords. But this was an Assembly, the only place where everyone was permitted to object and state their minds as long as it was reasonable.
Even the all-powerful First Step pathwalkers had to respect this rule; otherwise, their image would be tarnished, turning them from benevolent protectors into unjust tyrants.
And that would make ruling their race even more tiresome.
"Councilman." The Queen of Ecstasy's voice carried a touch more weariness, though it maintained its absolute melodiousness. "I thought we had closed that topic already. Do you perhaps have something to add?"
"Your holiness, my accusations could hardly be summarized in a sentence or two. I demand that the concerned man enter the circle."
For one to step into the central circle and be subjected to the gaze of all of Seravelle's rulers simultaneously was a trial in itself, before the real trial even began.
"So it has come to this in the end." The Desire Mistress let out a soft sigh and eventually spoke. "Very well. Who are you accusing?"
"Soldier Ashen Hart from the Ashbastion, your Holiness." The councilman readily answered.
The Sin Lord nodded once behind her mist. "Let the named individual come forward. He may bring a spokesperson alongside him if he so wishes."
Upon hearing the second part of her sentence, the councilman cast an involuntary glance at the seats above, where the grand nobles sat.
A Noble of the Greed Domain answered with a small nod, indicating there was no problem.
Bringing a spokesperson was the right of every accused, but usually, no one would take that burdensome task. Even family members would shy away from standing before so many powerhouses.
In short, no sane person would willingly come forward, so they let it pass.
What they didn't know was that Ashen seemed to have a thing for women who were not quite sane.
"Let's go, partner." He didn't even glance at Lucia as he stood from his seat and slowly made his way to the circular platform in the center. The latter just nodded and followed as a matter of course.
"Your Holiness..." That sight made the noble who'd exchanged nods earlier finally speak up.
"Yes, Sir Winstor? Is something the matter?" The Mistress's now cheerful voice answered back.
"Is a spokesperson really necessary in this case? We are simply asking a couple of questions. There is no need to complicate matters." He knew Ashen's identity was Esperrian, so he might not be able to navigate their power plays and politics well as an outsider. But allowing someone to speak on his behalf would eliminate that weakness, hence his attempt to speak against this.
Alas, it seemed that it was a long shot.
"Oh, my?" The Lust Mistress's tone dripped with false concern. "I'm just following the rules here, Sir Winstor. Moreover, you are putting this man on trial and won't even allow him his basic rights? How cruel..."
Then, she cast her gaze on the third seat from the right, the one beside her. "Isn't that right, Greed?"
"That is so. Sir Winstor, that is quite neglectful of you." Being prompted by his fellow Lord, Greed could only break his silence with an unctuous voice at last. "I do hope you will be more fair in your judgment going forward."
Though he didn't seem the least phased at being called out, and he even still had the nerve to scold his subordinate while he was at it.
Winstor's face reddened, but he couldn't talk back to his own Domain Lord now, could he?
"Yes, your Lordship. I will make sure to be impartial going forward." He could only meekly nod his head in assent.
"Good. To test how genuine those words are, you will act as today's judge. Show us what true fairness looks like." Greed nodded in apparent satisfaction. "You may proceed."
Ashen, who was quietly listening, felt his lips twitching violently. 'So the accuser and the judge are apparently on the same side. How wonderful.'
Thankfully, the charade was put to a halt by Cornelia. "Greed." Her voice was unmistakably sarcastic, each word clipped with precision. "How generous of you to provide us with a judge. But I have a better candidate here. And he won't need to test his 'fairness' before proceeding. Teacher, if you will?"
Edward gave her a slight nod before taking a single step and appearing immediately in front of the couple at the center, his back turned to them. Ashen didn't feel any mana moving with his Mana Authority during the motion. 'That step is from pure physical skill…'
"My lords." He greeted them with a bow, but not an ounce of servility could be felt from it. "And my lady," he faced Lust's throne lastly.
"I may not have an official seat in this Assembly, but since I was invited personally by the Wrath Sin Lord, I have come nevertheless."
"Kingmaker, you are always welcome. All of our Domains are greatly indebted to you. You are the reason for the emergence of many great warriors, so there is no need to be humble. You have long earned your right to be among us with or without invitation."
Edward's face never changed despite Lust's lavish praise. With the same tone and still face, he answered, "Thank you, my lady. On that note, may I state a request of mine?"
"Shoot." She spoke mischievously, not minding his stoic demeanor.
He started slowly, "If there is anything I pride myself on aside from the success of my students, it would be my fairness."
Then paused for a beat. "So, as the sole transcendent who doesn't belong to any faction or Domain in this Assembly, I would like to shamelessly ask to be delegated the role of judge in this hearing."
"Your assessment is absolutely right, and there is nothing shameless about it. I approve." Lust spoke in cheerful candor.
"Naturally, so do I," Cornelia added from the side.
"I approve." A poisonously polite voice rang from the fifth seat at the same time. It was Envy.
The first seat followed shortly after with a rapacious tone. "I agree."
It wasn't that those lords had any grievance with Greed… it was just that Edward's reputation demanded that much weight.
During his three hundred years of life, he'd nurtured countless apprentices, with many being the sons of nobles who took seats today among them, not to mention the countless soldiers under them.
And each one of them undoubtedly carried immense respect toward him, so denying him this simple request, even if he didn't speak against it, would just breed unnecessary resentment in their ranks.
So why would they make such a move for virtually nothing to gain?
Even Greed, who had his word denied, remained silent.
The Kingmaker's reputation was truly terrifying. If he one day decided to quit neutrality and establish his own force, no one would be surprised if a sixth faction grew overnight.
"Very well, since all of us agree, Kingmaker, you may proceed instead." Greed finally uttered at last. "Winstor, you may stand down, but do not be upset. This is an opportunity to learn from an expert in fairness, after all." He finished almost sarcastically.
"Thank you, your lordships, for granting my request." Edward didn't react to the subtle jab and turned around, casting his gaze on the councilman who started this whole debacle.
Winstor finally found a suitable target to vent his unjust treatment by doing the same to his own man in turn. "Antonio! What are you doing just standing here? Get down there and finish what you started!"
"Yes, sir." The man hurriedly nodded and moved in quick steps to stand face to face with Lucia and Ashen, making Edward stand between them like an arbiter.
"Let us reassess the facts before proceeding." The Kingmaker's tone took an absolutely impartial cast.
"Sir Antonio, you have called for this hearing, so you are the accuser."
"Yes, your excellency."
The judge nodded and continued, "If your accusations are proved sound, the accused will face punishment befitting it. If found otherwise, you will face the same punishment meant for the accused for your attempt to incriminate an innocent man."
He looked back at Ashen. "Do you agree?"
"Yes, your honor." Ashen nodded while complaining inwardly. 'Can I even disagree here?'
Edward looked in turn toward Antonio. "Do you wish to proceed despite this? If you pull back now, no punishment would ensue."
"I agree, your excellency." But the councilman nodded resolutely, disregarding the warning.
"Very well." Edward's last bit of emotion died with that final warning. "You may start your charge."
"Thank you, Your Excellency." Antonio took a deep breath, and when he exhaled, his countenance changed to a deeply sad one.
"Everyone." He turned toward the seats with that same look. "My lords and ladies... During this assembly, I heard the tales of how countless men fell to those despicable monsters."
"I heard of valiant sacrifices, of courageous stands! But I also heard the name of someone who should not belong in this list of honor."
He turned back and pointed a finger right at Ashen, his expression twisting from deep sadness to seething hate. "It is precisely this man, Ashen Hart!"
"They claim that he was the one who saved the day. They say that he singlehandedly beat a foe that an esteemed Sin Lord struggled with."
He slowly dragged his gaze across the circle. "Is that even reasonable, your lordships? Is that even conceivable?"
He let the question hang for a moment in the silence, then he slowly shook his head. "I will not address this impossibility yet, for there is an even more heinous crime at play here."
Now hatred turned into bitter rage. "If we assume that this man truly possesses such might, then why..." his bitterness intensified with the end of his sentence, "why did he wait so long before taking action?!"
"When her Lordship Cornelia was holding back endless calamities, where was he if he was supposed to be superior to even her?"
"When our soldiers bled red rivers on the Ashbastion walls, where was he if he could end it all with a single strike?!"
Now, the baleful hatred came back in full force as his voice echoed across the grand room. "I will tell you the truth. This man was chasing fame! He played house with his band of criminals, pretending to defend while acting weak!"
"He allowed us to face those losses, so his rescue would look all the more glorious!"
He raised both hands, his voice taking a mocking tone. "What a hero, indeed! A heroic man built on the blood of his fellow humans!"
"Does this man truly deserve the recognition he gets? War hero? I'd say war criminal sounds much more fitting," he ended sarcastically.
"Your Excellency. I have said my piece and await a fair punishment for this scoundrel that pretends virtue when he is soaked in sin."
Finally, Antonio's spirit seemed to have drained as he hollowly addressed the judge, his head dipping low.
But even that seemed to be overkill. After that performance, the majority of the assembly was already staring daggers at the couple below.
"..."
"..."
'Hahaha...' Ashen couldn't help chuckling inwardly at the ridiculousness of it all. 'What an outstanding performance! What a way to turn white into black! If I weren't the one being accused, I'd have started clapping by now.'
But he wasn't afraid, even under so many glaring gazes. He had his own performer, after all. 'Right, part…ne..r…?'
His voice suddenly lagged when he glanced sideways. Lucia stood there composedly, but under his observant gaze, he could see the slight tremors running through her body.
'Oh, c'mon love... now is not the time to feel nervous! I'm in serious trouble if you haven't noticed...'
"Very well." Edward nodded with the same flat tone, then turned toward Ashen. "You may defend yourself."
'Ah fuck it.'
Ashen's hand suddenly snaked to Lucia's hand that hung loosely beside her. He deftly interlocked their pinkies, jolting her out of her daze and sending him a glare. She didn't pull back, though.
Ashen wasn't deterred by the look and spoke, "Your honor, I will delegate this task to my spokesperson, Lucia Evernight."
"You may do so." Edward assented.
With that, he leaned slightly to her ear and whispered, "Partner, it's your time to shine. C'mon, snap out of it, or a spanking is in order."
His voice was very low, but most of those present were supernatural, making what he said clear to their ears. Some gazes turned strange, with the Lust Lord even letting out a stifled giggle.
But the majority's looks turned mocking. They'd long noticed Lucia's frozen state and didn't think such a 'punishment' would snap her out of it.
After all, the weight of so much resentment was no joking matter.
However, Lucia's reason for freezing was unrelated to that. She just hadn't accounted for such an aggressive move against Ashen, making the situation spiral out of her control.
The thought that her sole irreplaceable possession would be lost due to her own incompetence, no less, made her know depths of fear she'd never experienced before.
'Tsk. I should've just stuck to loving money. What a hassle.' Lucia inwardly clicked her tongue. Thankfully, Ashen's whisper seemed to have nudged the curse enough for her to think clearly.
She had to obey the order and snap out of it, after all, otherwise she would be 'punished.'
She took a single step forward, her posture perfect, chin lifted just slightly. The picture of professional composure.
"Your honor." Her cool voice finally rang after a prolonged silence.
Then she turned toward Antonio with a smile so polite it could cut glass.
"With all due respect..." She paused, letting the words hang just long enough to strip them of any actual respect. "What this gentleman is recounting is undoubtedly… full of sophistry."
'Don't panic. Don't get swept up in his performance. Strip it bare of all its facets and only look at the truth amid the lies.' While she spoke to buy time, her mind absorbed every clue and fact from the start of the Assembly until now.
"I speak in my capacity as Ashen Hart's initial recruiter as well as his spokesperson." She continued with full certainty, one hand gesturing gracefully as if discussing the weather. "This man is not guilty of any of the stated accusations."
"Preposterous—!!"
"Accuser." Edward's heavy presence suddenly descended in full force on Antonio, rendering him mute. "Now it is the accused's turn to defend themselves. Wait for your turn."
"...Yes, your excellency, I apologize for speaking out of turn." Antonio just wanted to break her rising momentum, but Lucia only used his interruption to keep thinking.
'When he spoke earlier, he was addressing the crowd instead of the judge. That would usually mean one thing.'
She tilted her head slightly.
"Nothing is preposterous about my words, Sir Antonio." The 'Sir' dripped with such exaggerated courtesy that it practically evolved into an insult. "You say that this man is a performer who allowed others to die when he had the chance not to..."
She paused, tapping one finger against her chin thoughtfully.
"But aren't you the true performer here?"
'Hmm... yes. Since he is avoiding the judge, that means he isn't confident that his accusations would withstand fair judgment.'
"You speak so emotionally..." She waved her hand dismissively, "But I haven't heard a single shred of evidence. You even completely ignored the basic fact that powerful abilities sometimes require conditions to activate. Especially if they are capable of causing such widespread destruction."
'Now that I think about it... His earlier speech was clearly meant to sway the spectators' emotions. Relying on sentiment over logic only proves he truly has no incriminating evidence.'
Lucia felt her brain overheating from jumping from one thought to another under such circumstances. Sweat started dampening her temple. But the pinky finger that stayed interlocked with Ashen's had somehow given her the will to keep going.
"The fact that this man is of the fifth step is also conveniently forgotten by you..." She spoke with exaggerated patience, as if explaining something to a particularly slow child. "...Not to mention the simple fact that if anyone truly had the freedom to wield that power freely, they would gain fame either way down the line."
She turned slightly, gesturing toward the seven thrones above with a graceful sweep of her arm. Her smile never wavered.
"And unlike you, I have proof… That is my proof."
"Aren't the esteemed lords the most famous people in Seravelle? If Ashen Hart wanted fame, then following their example would be enough."
Finally, she shook her head with a small sigh, wearing a confused expression.
"So how dare you try to smear our Wrath Domain's hero with such falsities when he has done more than your entire domain combined?"
She didn't linger on the man before her after throwing that last jab and addressed the judge instead, her tone immediately shifting back to perfect professional courtesy.
"Your honor. Thank you for allowing me to defend my charge against these utterly ridiculous words."
Edward merely nodded. "It is my duty to allow all parties equal chances." Then he turned to Antonio's direction again. "Accuser, you have one more chance to speak. But you must present evidence if you want your words to hold any weight."
"Yes, your excellency, I shall heed your words." Antonio's wavy brown hair was soaked in his own sweat by now. He swiped the strands covering his eyes and cast a cold look at Ashen.
Meanwhile, Lucia did not think for a second that she'd won this argument. Information kept flowing in as she asked herself questions and answered them in turn.
'Since he is appealing to emotions, that means he sees a way to win this trial through that. What is it?'
But Antonio didn't give her any leeway to catch her breath.
"You demand evidence, but isn't the presence of his illogical power the best evidence of all?"
'It doesn't matter if I don't see what he sees. All I have to do is oppose him at every turn and dismantle every weapon he tries to use until he is finally bare and toothless.'
"Our Sin pathway system has a clear path to power, but this man wields powers of a first step when his actual step, as you said..." his voice dripped in mockery, "is the fifth."
"How is that possible?" His voice lowered. "I'll tell you how... He sought power from another outside source, obviously. That is the only other option."
As Antonio spun another tale, Lucia had a nagging feeling that had been bothering her since the start of all this. 'Why is this happening? Why target him so relentlessly? For what?'
"...And outside sources are few. We have the demi-human empire for one. The Narkal forces are another. And finally... the cultists."
'Antonio... where are you going with this?'
Lucia knew of this man. He was a fellow recruiter and could even be considered a colleague if she stretched it. But she also knew that he gained nothing by doing this.
'If he gains nothing, then he is not doing this for himself. Yes, this man was a puppet from the start.' Her gaze followed the seats on the right until it landed on the highest row, right where Winstor sat calmly, looking down on them like a spectator watching a very interesting drama.
"Now let me tell you a very interesting thing about this Ashen person." Antonio finally forsook his low tone, ending the reveal in an exclamation several notes higher. "This man was rotting in the Pit's third layer before this happened!"
'Damn it... I know virtually nothing about this man aside from the public fact that he's the Greed Sin Lord's favorite lackey.' She bit her lower lip hard. Below, all five fingers were interlinked by now.
"And that's not all! No, this is merely the start. This criminal was convicted of kidnapping Alice Sinclair, our Seravelle's rising genius herself!"
"Do you know who else was constantly attempting to kidnap the lady?" His voice echoed in affirmation to his own question as he addressed the crowd that leaned in with interest once more.
"Yes, as your lordships may have guessed... It's cultists once again!"
"This is not me talking without evidence or fabricating events! This is an established fact!" Antonio was going wild.
"Everyone here has their own information channels and can verify it themselves!"
"My sources even found that this man had been a cruel killer from his tutorial days! Burning innocent companions and daring to even laugh like a devil while doing so!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a cultist sitting amongst us. I don't know about you, but I feel utterly repulsed to breathe the same air as this monster."
The disgust that he uttered the words with, along with the expression of pure repulsion, made it seem as if he was a moment away from ending himself just to stop occupying the same space as Ashen.
Even some of the spectators above wore uncomfortable expressions upon seeing such a twisted face.
Then, slowly, whispers started spreading, eventually turning into loud noise and then shouts.
"Dirty cultist!"
"Die!"
"Burn in hell, you scum!!!"
"Bring him out!!!"
"Kill him now!!"
"Judge! Please enact a fair judgment! There's no need to keep this cultist living any longer!" Winstor was the one who shouted at last, turning the crowd even more feverish.
"Die!!"
"Die!!"
"Die!!"
But even as the chants kept going, Ashen's face stayed stone cold, while Lucia didn't even acknowledge them. Or rather, she just registered it as another variable inside her brain while keeping her multiple streams of thought going.
'The Lust Lord pulled Greed into the conversation the moment Winstor spoke. That can't be a coincidence. There are four other Lords, why did she single him out of all the others?'
"Die!!"
"Die!!"
"Die!!"
'Why did she even do such a thing? The Lust Lord doesn't need anyone's opinion for such a simple matter. Then, she must have done it to leave a clue. Of what? For whom?'
"Die!!"
"Die!!"
"Die!!"
"SILENCE."
'...It's for me.'
⛧ ⛧ ⛧