Do ratmen dream of the sacred tree of spirits?

Chapter 48 Trial

"This adjournment of the meeting is now concluded. Thank you for your participation, colleagues. If you are here in person, you can attend a banquet in the auditorium later..."

Victor adjusted the silver badge in his robe pocket, opened his eyes, and the surrounding council hall gradually faded away, revealing the scene of the grammar school office.

The remote communication function of the Holy Kingdom Communicator allows users to participate in remote meetings as if they were physically present.

……

"Hey, Fafnir."

"Hello, Mr. Hans." Fafnir spotted the familiar round-faced middle-aged man on campus.

"Hello there, hey, you must know about the recent attacks at school, little one, were you scared? Be careful..."

Recent events have caused panic in Lorraine. I was on patrol in Ryan Harbor that day when there was a sudden, intense spiritual fluctuation and an explosion. It terrified me!

Chief Executive Kingsley mobilized personnel to protect security in key locations, and I specifically requested assistance from the grammar school.

With Bishops Andrei and Zaitsev at the school, even if something happens—no, hopefully nothing else! In any case, the grammar school is very safe.

Hans kept talking, and Fafnir nodded.

……

Friday afternoon, Lorraine City Hall, Auditorium.

Sister Fanning led the group, which included several senior teachers, with Fafnir bringing up the rear.

Fafnir spotted several familiar faces from the Port Ryan inspection team, including Mr. Hans and Mr. Gregory, who waved and greeted him warmly.

This is a temporary meeting of all church clergy, noble representatives, officials, and people's representatives in the territory of Lorraine.

If Fafner were only a second-class assistant clergyman, he should be seated in the last few rows of the main lecture hall.

However, as a representative of the grammar school, he came to the front row of the auditorium.

Mr. Victor "sat" in the middle of the stage in the lecture hall.

Of course, it was a faceless and blurry projection; he needed to stay at the grammar school to ensure the safety of all the students.

Fafana had heard Mr. Victor say that current spirit communication technology can only support the user's immersive experience.

However, it cannot support people around the viewer to see a lifelike live projection.

Two days ago, after receiving the meeting notification from Mr. Victor, Fafnir hesitated for a moment.

Mr. Victor told him that the meeting was about the recent spate of supernatural attacks by Nunns employees throughout the Eastern Region.

"Little Fafnir, I think you could also apply for leave. This meeting is for the public trial of the Nunns employees who attacked Lorraine and to discuss related issues."

Furthermore, Bishop Aldrich, the First-Class Bishop of the Eastern Region of the God of War, attended the meeting as the Vice Chief Justice of the Joint Inquisition of the Eastern Region of the Holy Kingdom.

He was a staunch believer in the supremacy of elven bloodlines; he was somewhat obsessed and extremely dissatisfied with all the Nunns employees.

At this meeting, some elven nobles and parents from grammar schools mentioned you, Fafnir. I've already seen their preliminary plans.

I apologize, but I have to show them all. Rest assured, this is the home ground of our Church of the God of Death.

Of course, my little Fafnir, you can also attend this meeting; facing the unknown difficulties head-on is the right thing to do...

Also, I think that Aldrich might make things difficult for you…”

Fafner recalled that after Mr. Victor finished speaking, he pointed to his head with his finger, indicating that the so-called Aldrich might have some mental problems.

After thinking about it for a while, Fafnir decided to participate anyway.

He hadn't done anything wrong, and it would be even worse if he were attacked from behind, especially since Lorraine was the home ground of the Church of the God of Death.

"Thump—thump—"

As the clock struck the hour, the noisy conversations in the auditorium gradually subsided.

"Please be quiet! This meeting is now in session and I will be the chair of it."

I am Viktor Zaitsev, Assistant Bishop of the Church of the God of Death in Lorraine, Third-Rank Bishop, Vice-President of the Council of Lorraine, and Chief Justice of the Joint Inquisition of Lorraine.

Mr. Victor, seeing that the conversation below had ceased, continued:

"The gentleman sitting next to me is the regional inspector for this meeting."

Let us welcome—the Assistant Bishop of the Eastern Region, First-Class Bishop, Vice-Chief Judge of the Eastern Region's Joint Inquisition, Mr. Gavin Aldrich.

After Mr. Victor finished speaking, intermittent applause rang out from the audience.

The applause was sporadic and stopped after a while.

Aldrich, whose face was blurred, sat next to Victor. His projected torso was much thicker than Victor's, and even as a projection, it gave people a sense of oppression.

"Thank you for the introduction, Bishop Zaitsev," Aldrich's rough voice came from the projector.

"I am here today on behalf of the Eastern Regional Joint Court to supervise the procedural legality of this trial."

Of course, as a representative of the Church of the God of War, I will also like to offer some thoughts on the recent attacks.

His blurry face swept across the lecture hall:

"Bishop Victor, you may begin."

Mr. Victor nodded and opened the document in front of him:

"The first item on the agenda is the public trial of the four Nunns employees who attacked the Lorraine Grammar School, and the public trial of the three Nunns employees who attacked Port Ryan in Lorraine."

The front door of the lecture hall opened, and four men in gray prison uniforms were escorted in by guards. Their hands and feet were shaved short.

The four men were led to the dock at the front of the auditorium, where guards pressed their shoulders and made them sit down.

Fafnir sat in the front row and could see their faces clearly. They were all very young; the oldest looked to be no more than thirty, and the youngest was probably not even twenty. Their eyes lacked sparkle.

"Eric Mattis," Victor's voice echoed in the auditorium:

"On April 14th, 849 AD, at 2:17 PM, you four broke into the Lorraine Grammar School and used the first-tier spell Wind Blade to attack passing students, causing minor injuries to two students. Do you acknowledge these facts?"

silence.

"Who instructed you? Where did the spiritual materials come from?"

Still, silence.

Victor stated, "According to the regulations of the Eastern Regional Joint Court, when there are doubts about the facts of a case, the presiding judge has the authority to use truth spells to assist in the trial."

He stepped down from the podium, walked to the defendant's dock, raised his right hand, and silvery-white spiritual threads spread from his fingertips, drifting towards Eric's brow.

Eric's body tensed up abruptly.

"Where did you get your spiritual materials?" Victor asked.

Eric's lips moved, and the sound squeezed out from his throat:

"Given to me by a stranger... I don't know him. A whole box, and also a book of spells."

Why attack a school?

"I...I don't know," Eric's face contorted, tears streaming down his cheeks. "He said...we'd get paid if we completed the task. And then we could leave the mine. My wife's still there...she's been sick for over a year, and the foreman won't take her to see a doctor..."

"You've been manipulated?" Victor pressed.

"I don't remember... and then... then I don't really know, I woke up already arrested."

There were whispers in the auditorium. Victor withdrew his spiritual threads, and Eric slumped in his chair.

Victor turned to the auditorium: "The results of the truth spell have legal force. There must be someone behind this attack. I will submit this record to the Joint Inquisition for filing."

He waved his hand, and the guards took the four prisoners away.

……

"The second item on the agenda," Victor turned to the next page of the document, "is a discussion of the response to the recent attacks on Nunns employees. You are welcome to speak freely."

The moment the words were spoken, someone in the back row stood up and said loudly, "Lord Zaitsev, I am a stevedore from Ryan Harbor."

"Those Nunns, we have hundreds of them on the docks! Nothing ever happened before, but now? They're using magic to blow people up! I demand that all the Nunns on the docks be arrested and interrogated one by one!"

"Yes! Arrest him!" Several people in the back row shouted in agreement.

"Arresting people requires evidence; we can't punish everyone because of one person's actions," Victor said.

"Evidence?" Another voice came from the back row, this time a woman's, high-pitched:

"My daughter attends grammar school, and she was almost injured that day! Lord Zaitsev, can you give us some evidence?"

"Lord Zaitsev," another voice rang out, this time from the front row, and Fafnir recognized the face.

"I am Armand de Lorraine, captain of the Lorraine family's knights." The man stood up; he had pointed ears and his silver-grey hair was meticulously combed.

"On behalf of the Lorraine family and the twelve knightly families of Ryan City, I would like to say a few words."

Victor gestured for him to proceed.

What are the root causes of the recent attacks?

A large influx of Nunns workers into the Holy Land are taking our jobs, squeezing out our resources, and now they're harming our children.

He paused:

"Even more outrageous is that some descendants of Nunns's employees are now wearing priestly robes and sitting in grammar school classrooms as teaching assistants. Lord Zaitsev, is this appropriate?"

Fafnir felt many people looking in his direction.

"Sir Armand, is the person you're talking about Fafnir Beckett?" Victor asked.

"Of course it's him," Armand glanced in Fafnir's direction.

"A ratman whose parents were servants of Nunns, he is now a second-level assistant priest of the Church of the God of Death and a gentleman usher at the grammar school."

Don't you think this is outrageous? Shouldn't teaching assistants at grammar schools be qualified elven priests?

"Fafner Beckett passed the ecclesiastical hierarchy examination. His certificate bears the signature of Bishop Zere Andre and the official seal of the Temple of the Immortals."

Victor's voice was steady: "If you think a nine-year-old ratman isn't qualified to be a teaching assistant, I can arrange a public assessment so your son can compete with Fafnir in magic."

Armand's lips moved a few times, but he didn't say anything. Someone in the lecture hall laughed.

"Bishop Zaitsev, you're protecting your own," another voice rang out from the front row. Fafnir looked over and saw a middle-aged man in a black robe with a silver longsword embroidered on his chest—a member of the Church of the God of War.

"I am not protecting anyone, Father Stein, I am simply stating the facts."

"The truth?" Stein sneered. "The truth is, a ratman became an assistant priest in the Church of the God of Death."

"Then how will you explain this to the people?" Stein stood up, turned to face the lecture hall, and raised his voice: "Ladies and gentlemen, think about it—a rat-man, a race that was once a slave, is now wearing priestly robes and standing on this platform. What is this? This is blasphemy against the Holy Kingdom!"

The lecture hall became noisy.

Just as Victor was about to speak, Aldrich spoke first.

"Bishop Zaitsev, may I interrupt for a moment?" All eyes turned to the podium. Aldrich's projection tilted forward, his blurry face facing the lecture hall.

"While Father Stein's words were somewhat extreme, he was right about one thing—I also feel that it is inappropriate for ratmen to hold clergy."

"Of course, I'm not saying that little guy isn't capable," Aldrich waved his hand.

"What I mean is, during this sensitive period, Lorraine needs a stable situation, the public's emotions need to be appeased, and the opinions of the knightly families need to be respected. Having a ratman as an assistant instructor will only exacerbate the conflict."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, we could let that little guy leave grammar school first; it would be better for everyone."

"Mr. Aldrich," Victor's voice remained steady, "you are the Ombudsman today, and your duty is to oversee whether the trial proceedings are legal. As for the personnel arrangements in Lorraine, that does not seem to be within your purview."

"I am the vice-presiding judge of the Eastern Regional Joint Court, and I have oversight authority over all judicial and administrative affairs in the entire region," Aldrich's voice turned cold.

"Besides, this isn't an order, it's a suggestion."

"I have received your suggestion," Victor said. "It will not be adopted."

Aldrich slowly leaned back in his chair: "Bishop Zaitsev, are you sure?"

"Sure."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, then Aldridge suddenly smiled:

"Okay, very good. Then I have another suggestion. With the recent spate of attacks, the security situation in Lorraine is under great pressure."

As far as I know, Bishop Kingsley Demery of your Church is extremely busy. The Church of the God of War has ample armed forces in the Eastern Region. If needed, we can send people to assist in maintaining order in Lorraine.

Of course, this requires some administrative adjustments—for example, temporarily transferring the authority over security in Lorraine to the Lorraine branch of the Church of the God of War, under my unified command.

The lecture hall erupted in chaos.

Fafnir understood; Aldrich wasn't targeting him personally, but using him as an excuse.

Once the authority to maintain order is transferred, the Church of the God of War will be able to infiltrate and control the armed forces of Lorraine.

Armand immediately stood up: "Lord Zaitsev, Lord Aldrich's suggestion is reasonable, and our knightly family also does not wish to see the security situation continue to deteriorate."

If the Church of Death is short-handed, it would be better for everyone to have the help of the God of War.

"Yes, Lord Zaitsev, you can't just occupy the position without being able to come up with a solution," another nobleman chimed in.

"Something happened at the grammar school, and as parents, we are all very worried. We must get an explanation for that rat-man teaching assistant today!" someone shouted.