dmims Chapter 23 The Trial and Vito's Wrath
Chapter 23 The Trial and Vito's Wrath
At that moment, Lisanzhuo decisively launched an attack on Gasto.
After all, the questioning just now made him very uncomfortable, and now the tables have turned!
He then almost shouted, "Lord Ferrero, can a duel where one side proposes a trial by combat, the other accepts, and it takes place in the presence of dozens of witnesses from both sides be called 'murder'?"
"When an experienced deputy commander, fully armed, launches a life-or-death challenge against a twelve-year-old boy, but ultimately loses due to lack of skill and exhaustion, can that be called 'torture'?"
"When those twenty-odd men had just rescued my child, only to be forced to face over fifty menacing mercenaries from the Second Sons' Guild, why didn't you criticize the Second Sons' Guild, but instead attacked a twelve-year-old child, a guest of honor of the Rogal family?"
He paused, his tone carrying a perfectly measured sarcasm: "Or does Your Excellency Ferrero believe that the sanctity of a trial by combat only exists when victory benefits them, or helps them express their 'mercy'? When defeat comes, the sacred judgment becomes 'cruel murder'?"
"Does the will of the gods also need to be reinterpreted according to Lord Ferrero's preferences?" Rissandra finally used the gods to intimidate Gasto.
Behind Lisandro, Rega Hein continued to applaud.
Gasto broke out in a cold sweat and quickly said that he didn't mean it that way. Lisanzhuo pressed him relentlessly, repeatedly questioning him, and finally vented his anger.
Governor Bambaro watched this dramatic scene, his mind racing as he weighed the options.
As the first regent, he naturally disliked the Rogar-Hein alliance, but he was happy to see Lisandro and Gasto check each other, as this was to his advantage.
However, the premise is that one must not shake one's own foundation, nor go too far.
Right now, he certainly doesn't need to challenge the authority of the trial by combat for the sake of a dead mercenary vice-captain, while also offending the rising power of the Roger-Hein Alliance.
Moreover, he looked at Gasto.
[Could he really not have colluded with the Second Sons?] Bambaro wondered to himself.
However, we can't let Lisandro continue his attacks on Gasto, especially since he's currently riding high. Having made up his mind, Bambaro immediately raised his mallet and struck hard.
"Thump!" As the gavel fell, the council chamber quieted down considerably.
"Enough," Governor Bambaro finally spoke, his voice carrying an undeniable authority. "What kind of decorum is this, making such a ruckus in Parliament? Trials by combat are an ancient tradition, and since they have taken place and are guaranteed by the honor of the 'Good Samaritan,' their outcome should be respected."
He then softened his tone and gave his decision regarding Jon.
"The matter of Jon Starr is now closed. Since he volunteered for the trial by combat, he must accept the outcome. The gods have witnessed who is truly righteous! Now, let us return to the main topic: the final judgment of these ogres..."
He paused, somewhat reluctantly, but finally delivered his verdict.
"I will proceed exactly as Governor Lisandro Rogal has instructed. I will consult with the priests of the Lord of Light regarding the trial."
A few days later, a public trial was held in the square in front of the largest temple of the Lord of Light in Ries.
The captured cannibalistic family members were chained and dragged to the altar. Their distorted appearances and horrifying human bone decorations caused a stir of fear and disgust among the onlookers.
"Damn, is this the culprit behind all the disappearances at Bloodwave Cape? They're so ugly!"
"Yes, I heard they eat people! They beat those people to death and dragged them into caves to be cured meat!"
"By Rahlo, may the flames purify their sins!"
Subsequently, under the priest's interrogation, Thorne Bean intermittently confessed to his crimes—including kidnapping, murder, studying black magic, and most heinously, cannibalism and incest.
When Thorne began to recount how he treated his victims as "two-legged sheep," how he committed incest, and how he turned people into cured meat, a deafening roar erupted in the square.
"Kill them! Kill these vermin!" The crowd's fury was palpable, nearly extinguishing the flames before the altar. "These bastards don't deserve to be human!"
Lisangzhuo Rogal, dressed in a solemn black robe with gold lace sewn along the edges, solemnly announced his verdict: the priests would sever their heads with greatswords and then throw them into the flames to purify their sins! He declared that this was a defense of the bottom line of civilization and a manifestation of the divine power of the Lord of Light.
After the priest finished reciting the prayer, the bald priest, dressed in a red robe, gently stroked the blade of the greatsword, and then a drop of blood fell onto the tip of the sword.
Suddenly, flames rose from the sword, while other monks in red robes pinned the incestuous cannibalistic family members to the wooden planks. A flash of light, and heads rolled off, splattering filthy blood onto the cold altar stone. One head after another was severed, and the crowd below erupted in cheers the moment a head fell.
They have suffered for so long over the disappearances on Bloodwave Cape Road! Everyone knows that many people go missing on Bloodwave Cape Road every year, but today, the souls of those who died unjustly can finally close their eyes.
After beheading all the cannibals except Thorne Bean, the monks bound their bodies to stakes, beneath which lay oil and dry firewood. As flames rose, the monks sat cross-legged on the ground and began to mutter to themselves, chanting the name and scriptures of the Lord of Light.
After the flames reached their climax, the severed heads of the cannibals, along with the black magic artifacts and bone jewelry, were thrown into the fire, marking the highest point of the ritual.
Thorne Bean, the progenitor of this cannibalistic family, was brought to trial.
However, the high priest presiding over the ceremony showed obvious disgust towards Thorne Binn, the instigator of the initial fall. His gaze swept over Thorne like lightning, and then he whispered to Lisandro, "My lord, this man's soul has been tainted by the Darkness, and his blood is filthy. He is unworthy to be sacrificed to Rahlo! His sins need to be cleansed in a longer and more painful way."
A flicker of surprise crossed Lisangzhuo's face, quickly replaced by understanding and a haughty indifference. He nodded. "As you wish, Your Excellency."
So Thorne wasn't dragged aside to be beheaded. The red-robed monks poured seawater into a wooden tub that barely reached Thorne's neck, bound him, and threw him into the tub, waiting for him to drown.
Despite Thorne's struggles, driven by the will to survive, the lazy man's efforts were futile, bound by several thumb-sized ropes. He could only watch helplessly as he was thrown into the tub of seawater.
He was over sixty years old, and his long underground life had made his bones and body weak. How could he possibly resist?
Predictably, after Thorne dies, his head will be severed, impaled on a spear, and hung at the entrance to Bloodwave Cape as a warning to others.
The next day, at a small seaside villa on the outskirts of Ries.
Vito, holding a parchment in one hand and a quill in the other, recorded the gold coins and the items bestowed upon him by Lisandro.
"Boss, we've really hit the jackpot this time!" Vito grinned, put down his quill, and stretched his wrists. He picked up a piece of parchment and began to report the situation to Le.
"First, there's the bounty from the Rogar family: the twelve thousand gold coins that Lisandra gave us; besides that, there are three manor properties in the disputed colonies of Rhys, which together are close to the land area a Westeros baron should have. According to the information Lisandra provided, the land isn't barren, but it's only of medium quality; and a considerable portion of it is hilly and sloping. Oh, and the slaves, oil presses, bakeries, spinning machines, mills, and houses on the land also belong to us. However…" He shrugged.
"For the first three years, one-fifteenth of the goods were to be paid in kind each year as 'compensation,' and another one-fifteenth was to be paid as 'slave transfer tax,' which continued for the same period for three years."
"That's alright," Jules continued wiping his sword. "Having land is enough. At least some of our wounded brothers won't be left without a way to survive after being crippled. Besides, these manors and estates can give us a larger training area, so we don't have to rent other people's estates or train in the wild."
"That's true, sir," Vito agreed. "Renting estates to train soldiers is a huge expense! Every time I see that pile of silver going to those bloated slave owners, I get furious!"
"Besides, the estates we own can also be used as an attraction. These are real estate properties! Stable income! In the future, more people will definitely choose the White Legion!" Vito waved his arm and said excitedly.
"And," Jules added, "this will also reduce the frequency of our food purchases, which is very important. Sometimes when there are no orders, the brothers inevitably have to go out and find work themselves, and they also have to spend money on food. Now, at least the brothers will buy food less often and can save some money."
"Boss, then you should save up more. You know me, I definitely can't save any money. I'll have to rely on you when I'm old," Vito said with a grin. "After all, all the little hussies in the Erotic Garden are waiting for my 'giant crossbow'! No choice, all my gold coins are going to end up in those women's bellies!"
"roll!"
Then, Vito put down three land deeds and picked up several more parchment deeds. "Two deeds to the shops in Ries. One is a pawnshop, and the other is an olive oil shop, but I took a look, and, well, sure enough, it's in the suburbs." Vito snorted coldly at this point. "And the accountant and apprentice were taken away by Lisandro; we'll have to manage it ourselves after we take over. Next, I might have to go to the slave market to buy a few slaves who can do bookkeeping, and I'll also need to recruit a few apprentices who can manage things."
"It's impossible for Lisanzhuo to give us the shop deeds in the city." Jules accepted the fact that the shop location was too remote. "That's too valuable! However, having a pawn shop is not bad either, after all, it will give our spoils a place to be sold, which is very beneficial to the legion's cash flow. As for that olive oil sales station... let's see if we can manage it, if not, we'll sell it."
"The most important thing is that pawnshop's franchise certificate. It wasn't taken, was it?" Jules asked.
"No, that's not the case, but the transfer of ownership isn't currently in our hands."
"Okay," Jules nodded. "As long as the franchise license is there, otherwise we'll have to sell it."
"In terms of estimation... if the shop is sold directly, that'll be a thousand gold coins in my account," Vito shrugged. "It's really too small, and the location is quite remote. But if you add the franchise certificate, the value will double, and it's hard to say!"
"And then there's, well, our current property." Vito looked at the marble columns of the villa with a hint of envy, their intricate reliefs and gilded edges. "This villa estate is located on the outskirts of the city, nestled against the mountains and beside the water. The main villa occupies an acre, with two courtyards, inner and outer. It has everything a noble residence could need: an inner garden, a central hall, a front yard, a stable, an underground wine cellar, a mill, and a bakery. There's also a deep pool over the back mountain path, next to which is a bathhouse; further ahead, there's a dock, big enough to moor several small sailboats..." Vito paused here.
"Inside the dock, there are two single-masted galleys that are over five years old, as well as a 'party boat' and several flat-bottomed boats. Boss, you can go fishing every day if you like."
"What is a 'party ship'?" Tippi asked with some curiosity.
“Uh, Tiberius, you can think of it as a private meeting place at sea. A single-masted sailing speedboat, designed to be as independent of slave oarsmen as possible. But the one Lisandro gave us was only so-so. And, these ‘party boats’ can sometimes be used as ‘love gardens.’ If you want to use them…” Vito blinked. “…For example, if you and Miss Zera want to find a more ‘private’ but romantic place, this kind of boat would be perfect. It just depends on whether your uncle is willing to lend it to you.”
"...Vito, can't you focus your energy on something worthwhile instead of women's bellies?" Jules, unable to bear Vito's frivolous talk any longer, rolled his eyes at him. "Don't corrupt my nephew!"
"No, boss. Besides, how could Tiberius have corrupted him?" Vito shrugged, asking with some confusion.
"A scam? The moment he opened his mouth, Lisangzhuo started laughing and began frantically transferring money to him!"
"Chasing girls? Boss, you don't know! Zera is practically glued to this kid's bed right now! And this kid even said he's too young and refused?"
"Murder? Boss, tell me, when was the first time you killed someone? And who was it? This brat, the first was an Ironborn, the second was Jon Starr, the second lieutenant commander of the Second Sons… I'd like to teach him some bad habits!"
Jules snorted and said nothing more.
Well, because Vito was absolutely right... Jules was just instinctively trying to prevent Tiberius from being too influenced by Vito, especially regarding his flirtatious remarks.
"As for the Hein family, they are quite generous." Vito turned to another page of parchment.
"A small dye workshop, basically in a 'semi-retired' state. Its annual output was only ten bolts of dyed silk, plus seven vats of dye; the workshop, including the three master craftsmen and their accompanying apprentices and laborers, a total of twelve people, were all packed up and sent to us. There was also a bounty of three thousand five hundred gold coins, plus three thousand silver rings of average quality and three thousand bolts of cotton cloth as a prize… The Hein family really gave a lot, but to be fair…" Vito picked up a silver ring, weighed it in his hand, and let out a cold laugh.
"The quality and weight of this ring are so cheap! Look at all the impurities!" Vito tossed the ring into Tiberius's hands. "Honestly... I remember the Hein family owns silver mines, so why are they giving us this? This ring is only worth four silver coins! And I guarantee the silver coins we'll get in return will be mostly cheap, trimmed pieces. Are they treating us like beggars?"
"However, the quality of this cotton fabric is quite good. Several brothers have come to ask me when I'll have new clothes these past few days. If you want this, boss, it'll save you some money." Vito stroked the cotton fabric beside him. "This cotton fabric is truly excellent! Look at the pattern, look at the texture, look at the resilience! The Hein family truly lives up to its reputation as the textile tycoon of Ries City; this is a top-tier product!"
"I'll get some clothes tailored for the brothers in a few days," Jules continued. "Since the commission is high this time, let's give the brothers some extra perks. And the silver rings—since they're not worth much, let's give one to everyone in the legion..."
Vito picked up another shop deed, looked at the box full of gold coins, and muttered resentfully.
"However, (ˉ▽￣～) Tch~~, that old fox Lisangzhuo made it sound like he personally led the raid on the monster's lair in the square, taking all the limelight."
Then he asked, "Tiberius, you brat, why did you give away the credit? Think about it: killing Jon Starr already made you famous in the mercenary world, and if you add this crime-solving achievement to that..."
Vito said very seriously, "Listen, Tiberius brat, I thought my legendary tales were outrageous enough... but compared to your true story, mine are utter garbage! Honestly, if these stories got out, you'd probably become the youngest mercenary legend in history!"
Vito then muttered something else: "If I'd known, I shouldn't have focused on 'trustworthiness' as Jules's selling point. It should have been 'wise' Jules... wait a minute. 'wise' Jules? Tsk, that sounds like a cunning, scheming guy..."
"And those little stories... now it seems we could totally design a few bumbling minor villains based on Jon Snow's template, so readers don't give up halfway through. Also, these idiots shouldn't appear for more than two chapters, otherwise it'll be too long..."
Tiberius simply smiled at this.
He was well aware that, given his current situation, an excessively large reputation would clearly do him more harm than good.
Jules was carefully wiping his pair of precious swords, speaking without looking up.
"That's alright. We've gained the most tangible things: gold, property, ships, and the friendship between Roger and the Hein family. These are the things that are truly priceless."
Jules continued, "Besides, at the end of the day, we're a mercenary group, doing work that's dangerous and risky. What use is a reputation for solving cases to us? Are we supposed to switch careers and become detectives?"
"Ha, that's impossible!" Vito replied gruffly. "To be a detective investigating adultery, elopements, missing cats and dogs, and dealing with illegitimate children and mistresses? God above, that's worse than killing me!"
"Therefore, Tiberius's choice was wise: give the credit to Lisandro and let him enjoy the cheers and adoration of the people. We get the benefits, and that's the most important thing." Jules raised his head and earnestly instructed Vito.
Then Jules looked at the glittering gold coins and the parchment scrolls with land deeds and shop names written on them.
"Compared to a useless reputation, with this money and property, my brothers can live a better life, the legion can acquire better equipment, and we can recruit more skilled warriors... That's what's truly important! After all..." He looked at Vito. "The war between the Kingdom of the Three Daughters and Valantis, I think, is imminent!"
Vito shrugged, picked up a glass of fine Risse wine, took a sip, and tacitly agreed with the leader's statement.
After all, mercenaries risk their lives for money, and reputation is important, but the truth is that reputation must be able to be monetized!