ebookland Chapter 214 Trial
Chapter 214 Trial
Even as Iya helped Sylvia back inside the tower, she still didn't fully grasp what had happened. But she knew her mother was no longer trying to transform into a monster. A mage apprentice waited behind the door; she whispered a few words to Maggie, then led the group of four to the reception room of the Raven Witch Camilla.
“Sister Sylvia, I think you’ve given up on forcibly initiating the transformation ritual, which is for the best. You know that process is extremely dangerous, and with your current abilities, it’s simply too much to do.”
Camilla gestured for us to sit down in the empty chair. Besides the raven hag sitting in the main seat, there were two other witches in the room, both appearing to be in their thirties or forties. Sylvia, absorbed in the joy of hearing news of her daughter, didn't notice the somber, serious expressions on the faces of the three women.
“Yes, Camilla and her sister. The teacher wrote to say that my little Amy has been found, and I’m going to see her first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Agreed, then let’s move on to the next topic. Iya, someone has accused you of murdering your sister. Do you have any defense to offer?”
Sylvia was horrified; she was completely absorbed in the preparations for the ceremony and had no idea that her daughter had committed such a crime.
"Is this true, Iya?"
My sister-in-law nodded.
"I had no choice; she attacked me first."
"reason!"
"I don't want to go..."
Iya suddenly realized that if she continued, she would be admitting that she intended to defect, so she quickly lowered her head and shut her mouth. But how could that crow witch allow her to do so?
"You neither deny your crime nor explain your reasons for doing so. Can I assume that you are willing to plead guilty and accept punishment?"
"That's not how it is, Camilla sisters, there must be some misunderstanding."
Seeing that Iya remained silent, Sylvia was frantic. She pleaded desperately, but the three law enforcement officers remained indifferent. As for Maggie, who sat opposite me, she had a smile on her lips and her eyes slightly closed, seemingly lost in thought, completely unconcerned about what was happening inside the room.
“Dear Ms. Camilla, I…”
The crow witch raised her claws, interrupting my speech.
“Baron Locke, you are a messenger sent by my teacher, and I am willing to treat you as a distinguished guest. But you are ultimately an outsider. Don’t you think it is presumptuous of you to interfere in the internal affairs of our witches?”
My smile remained unchanged, but inwardly I cursed their shamelessness. Did they really think I couldn't sense the conspiracy behind this? As Camilla said, I was an outsider. But why was an outsider invited to this meeting? Using the trial of Iya as a pretext, their real aim must be me. But I couldn't yet determine whether this was at Esmoridas's behest or Camilla's own initiative.
They were certain I would speak, probably thanks to Maggie. In that cunning woman's eyes, Irina and I are a loving couple. Since her sister-in-law has gotten into trouble, I, as her brother-in-law, will inevitably step in. Therefore, she deliberately sent Iya and me away to conspire with that cunning old hag. Preventing me from speaking is merely a negotiation tactic; if they really didn't want to hear me, I shouldn't be sitting here in the first place.
"Ladies, I am not speaking as a guest. As you may already know, Iya's sister is my wife, and I am speaking on her behalf as a family member."
The witch didn't speak, and the others remained silent; Maggie still appeared to be asleep. Sylvia, realizing I was there to help her, showed gratitude. In that instant, I felt so sorry for her. She had just received news of her eldest daughter and hadn't even had a chance to see her, yet her younger daughter was facing murder charges. These witches had lived with her for nearly twenty years; how could they bear to use her daughter as a bargaining chip?
Whoever is plotting against me, at least this excuse was hastily chosen. No one expected Iya to kill her companion; even Maggie was taken aback. So, for me, the first step is to characterize this murder.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I imagine you, like me, did not witness Iya commit the murder; you only heard about it. However, unlike me, I was among the first to arrive at the crime scene and thus observed some details that could help in analyzing the case. At the time, Iya was holding a bloodstained fork. Iya, please answer me: was this fork the murder weapon? Did the blood on it belong to the deceased?"
My sister-in-law gave an affirmative answer.
“I wasn’t the only one who saw this; Ms. Maggie also witnessed it. Ms. Maggie, is what I’m saying true?”
Maggie suddenly lifted her eyelids, her face full of confusion.
"What did you say? I wasn't listening."
Camilla gave a helpless, bitter smile.
“That’s just how she is; you don’t need to ask her for confirmation. I also believe that someone of your status wouldn’t fabricate a lie.”
I bowed slightly to express my gratitude for the Crow Witch's trust.
“I think you all watched Iya grow up and should know her better than I do. Her specialty is magic, not fighting. Tell me, if you were plotting to kill someone, would you choose the method you are most familiar with or the method you are least familiar with? Iya has just confessed that she was suddenly attacked and was forced to defend herself, which led to the tragedy.”
"Then what's the reason? Why won't Iya explain why the other party attacked her?"
"Obviously, she didn't know. She and the deceased were entrusted with the important task of finding offerings for the ritual. Ms. Camilla also said that Ms. Sylvia wasn't entirely confident about the ritual. It's clear that Iya was worried about her mother's condition and was under a lot of stress. Perhaps it was because the two of them had conflicts, or perhaps Iya said something offensive under pressure. In any case, the other party took action."
There is a significant difference between intentional homicide and excessive self-defense.
"So, ladies, I believe that although Iya made a mistake, the main responsibility does not lie with her. Even so, I am still willing to offer five hundred Septin as a token of my condolences and apology to the victim's family. Of course, I don't have that much money on me. Once I return to Granite Village, I will definitely arrange for someone to deliver the compensation as soon as possible."
"That was a poor child; she had no family left."
“You can’t say that. She lives in the Blacklight Tower, this is her home, and you are all her family. Ms. Camilla is her mother, and Iya is her sister. Alas… because of a small misunderstanding, she had an argument with her sister and accidentally hurt her. Iya feels very guilty. Look at her, she’s so upset she can’t even speak. Don’t worry, everyone, I will take her away and hand her over to her sister for strict discipline.”
You can't keep bothering my sister-in-law after you've taken my money.
The three law enforcement officers exchanged a few words in hushed tones, and in the end, it was the Crow Witch who spoke on their behalf.
"We accept your defense of Iya, but we disagree on the punishment. According to the rules of the witch coven, reparations are unnecessary; sins of blood must be atoned with blood. Although Iya did not act intentionally, she still caused death, and therefore will be imprisoned for life until she atones with blood. However, I have heard that Baron Locke is very influential in the territory of Falkriss. If you would be willing to resolve a small matter for us..."
I knew this guy was up to no good!
"Lady Camilla should understand that I will not betray my lord."
The crow witch let out a piercing cawing laugh.
"Your Excellency is overthinking it. I have no interest in politics. As I said before, blood debts must be repaid in blood. If you kill an enemy for me, that will be enough to atone for Iya's crime, how about it?"
"Who?"
"That's great!"
Oh, it's a Sichuan crow? That's awesome!
Do you have any more specific information?
"He is a necromancer, an orc male, age unknown, probably around forty. I'm certain he's hiding somewhere in the territory of Falkriss."
I waited for half a minute, but Camilla showed no sign of continuing her explanation.
“Focke’s territory is very large.”
"really."
Am I asking for your opinion? You don't even have a general direction, how am I supposed to find someone? However, the words "orc" and "mage" are rarely combined.
"I've heard that you have connections with a certain orc tribe. Perhaps they can provide some clues?"
"I hope so. By the way, you seem to know quite a lot about me."
"Our teacher taught us to choose our allies carefully, and especially to stay away from those whose abilities do not match their ambitions."
This statement essentially made it clear that the mission to hunt down Bashna was Esmoridas's way of testing me.
"So, may I ask about this Master Bash? How strong is he? Compared to Ms. Maggie, who is stronger?"
Maggie opened her eyes again.
"Huh? Did you ask me something again?"
"No, go to sleep. I don't know his current level, but ten years ago, he was on par with my teacher. Of course, back then, my teacher hadn't yet received the blessing of the Raven God, but he was definitely stronger than Iya, and probably not much weaker than Maggie. Oh, and one more thing, like you, Bashuna is also a dual practitioner of magic and martial arts. I don't know anything about martial arts, so I dare not comment."
I felt a chill run down my spine. This was a tough opponent. Orcs are naturally gifted in melee combat, and even if his technique was slightly lacking, his muscular physique wasn't for nothing, especially considering he was a powerful mage. But the chilling part was yet to come, Camilla added quietly.
“Bashuna brutally murdered one of my sisters. My teacher went to seek revenge but failed to kill him. This madman once threatened to form a wizarding order loyal to him and wipe out my master and me.”
"You mean, he's not a lone wolf?"
The Crow Witch nodded.
"Things are a bit complicated. I'm willing to take on the challenge, but it will likely take quite a while. I ask that you all be patient and, out of consideration for our time together, refrain from mistreating Iya."
"Your Excellency need not worry. I treat Iya as my own daughter, but unfortunately, the girl doesn't appreciate it. Alas, it's disheartening."
I don't believe your nonsense.
The meeting ended. Iya was taken to her cell, with Sylvia following behind, wiping away tears. Maggie and the other two also left. I deliberately stayed until the very end, gaining the opportunity to be alone with that jerk.
"Does Baron Locke have anything else to ask me?"
"If Ms. Esmeralda wants to test my strength, she might as well tell me directly. There is no need to use Iya as a bargaining chip."
"Bargaining chips? Is that really what you think?"
"Is not it?"
Camilla frowned, stared at me for a few seconds, and then suddenly laughed.
“I think Maggie overestimates Your Excellency. Lord Locke, if someone were to commit murder on Your Excellency’s territory, how would that be dealt with?”
Upon hearing this question, I was speechless.
The Bear Tribe came to Granite Village to rob and kill, but I eradicated them all with swift and decisive action—captured some, killed others, and even the children were sentenced to hard labor. I don't consider myself a cruel person, but to protect this region in chaotic times, I had to be ruthless. Otherwise, externally, others would see me as vulnerable and rush to trample on me. Internally, my people would see me as weak, inevitably leading to their disloyalty and alienation.
The same principle applies to this matter. Iya killed someone and must pay the price. Even if I use clever words to characterize the incident as excessive self-defense, Maggie has at least told the three leaders the truth. If I were to dismiss this matter with a few casual words, Camilla would be out of a job as the leader. How can one gain the respect of the people if one is unfair? If I were in her position, I certainly wouldn't let Iya leave so easily.
When the problem lies with me, I know what to do. But when it happens to someone else, I expect them to make an exception. Isn't that double standard? They didn't directly call me a hypocrite, but hinted at it with a question, which was somewhat dignified of me.
I bowed respectfully to Camilla.
"I've learned my lesson, young man. I understand what you mean, so please don't take it to heart."
The crow witch paused for a moment, then smiled and waved her claws.
“No, you don’t quite understand. Please sit down, Baron Locke. Since you’ve agreed to stay alone, I suppose you wouldn’t mind chatting with this old hag a bit more. Let’s clear things up and avoid any misunderstandings or future misunderstandings.”
I sat down again, and Camilla left the main seat and sat opposite me.
"Perhaps in your eyes, people like my teacher and I are demons who have sold our souls to evil gods, and are not worthy of trust. I will not try to change your opinion, after all, I have always been a detestable woman. And my teacher..."
She paused for a moment, as if considering her words.
"She is a riddle teller. She always tells half the story and leaves the listener to guess. I think you have already experienced this in the matter of delivering the letter to the Sylvia sisters. But she has no ill intentions, she just enjoys it. You are not familiar with her, and I think that since we are in a cooperative relationship, it is better to be frank with each other."
So this wasn't my secret technique after all. I've met someone in the same boat this time, and the old witch seems to be even more skilled.
Seeing that I didn't intend to interrupt, Camilla continued speaking.
"My punishment of Iya was deliberate. As for the reason, you've only guessed one part. As for the second part, I'd like to ask if you know about the ordeal of the Sylvia sisters?"
"I've heard that Lady Sylvia was once Baron Sengard's maid, and after being defiled by the Baron, she gave birth to my wife. When she became pregnant again, the Baroness was furious and had her drowned in Lake Irinata. My wife was too young at the time and was forced to witness her mother's murder. Now it seems that Lady Esmorida saved them both."
“Exactly. Baron Locke, look at what Iya has done today. She’s ready to kill someone at the slightest disagreement. How is she any different from the person who drowned her mother in the lake back then?”