Chapter 498: Public Trial

In Lu'an City, the square in front of the church district is crowded with people.

Two days have passed since the unprecedented battle, but the whole city is still shrouded in a strange fiery atmosphere. For the citizens of Lu'an City, this is the first time they have used their own hands to fight for the next day's life for themselves. The power to go down, for the people and brave people from all over the southern border, this is the first time that they will not be separated from their backgrounds, regardless of their status, and will not gather together because of the lord's whip and sword, and go to a great goal. Action - and today is the day when all their actions bear fruit.

People gathered in the square, everyone had a high and eager look on their faces, and their eyes fell on the front of the square, because a high platform had been erected there, and on the high platform were tied the high and mighty people in the past. priests.

The judge becomes the judge--aside from all justice and morality, this event alone is enough to stimulate the excitement of many people.

This is a trial, but it is different from the countless heresy trials that have been conducted in Luan City. Its process and form may be very novel and incomprehensible to the local people - the person responsible for convicting crimes is not a high-level priest. , but a three-person trial court consisting of a white knight, a judge Cecil, and an arbitration consultant, and outside the three-person trial court, there are many jurors sitting next to the high platform:

Some of those people wore the robes of priests. Some people recognized them as priests in the small church of Luan City. These priests were punished together with the commoners in the square of the heresy trial, and they also served as allies when they stormed the cathedral. Therefore, although they are priests, they still receive a lot of friendly eyes; the other part is ordinary civilians who put on clean and decent clothes. They are selected from the city of Luan, and they are highly respected, and many people know them. faces; the last part is the clerks from Cecil.

These people are called "the jury", they are the witnesses and supervisors of the trial, and they are also representatives of the witnesses from all walks of life in this event.

This marvelous and complex form of trial is something the Luanians have never seen before, but it unquestionably exudes an air of impartiality and reliability—judges cannot be arbitrary, all decrees are interpreted in court, and people of all classes are born As a witness, to supervise the whole process of the trial, for the Luan people who only knew about the "trial heresy" all their lives, this new "rule" from Cecil even made them feel a little shocked.

And for those priests who were tied to the high platform and awaiting trial, it probably wouldn't feel so good.

These priests, who survived by chance, almost looked at the square below in fear, and looked at the untouchables who could only crawl in the mud in the past. They felt that the eyes of the people even carried substantial heat, and they wanted to put Burned alive on this high platform.

They weren't stoned to death by a furious crowd two days ago, and they weren't killed on the spot by the white knights and mercenaries.

Now they finally realize - they didn't survive because they were lucky, but because they "had another purpose".

The Cecil let them live to this day only to let them die today.

"Silence - the trial begins now."

The "judge" next to the high platform spoke up. This is a middle-aged administrative officer from the Cecil area. He was a well-known scholar in the Kant area, but now he wants to go to trial in the name of Grand Duke Gawain and the people of the southern border. The fact that the Holy Light Church was the spokesperson of the Southern Territory made his face tense, trying to hide all his nervousness and emotional fluctuations under his solemn face.

After introducing the two sides of the trial, the members of the trial court, and the jurors according to Cecil's law, the judge looked at the leader of the White Knight sitting next to him-because this was a trial involving the church, Wright decided to As a representative of Protestantism, he personally came to the trial court, and noticing the judge's signal, the tall "Patriarch" in white knight armor slowly stood up.

Immediately, there was a slight commotion in the square - many people had seen this white knight in the "Battle of Dawn" two days ago, nearly two meters tall, the mighty and majestic white knight armor, He was filled with holy light, these distinctive features impressed Wright in the hearts of the citizens of Luan.

Wright waved to the square, and then looked at the priests in the center of the high platform. He noticed the fear and tension in the latter's eyes, but his expression did not change.

He put his hand on his chest and solemnly swore: "I am Wright, Patriarch of the Protestant Church of the Holy Light, and I hereby swear in the name of the Holy Light that this trial will be just and true, that it is in line with the sacredness of Cecil. the law, and the people will oversee everything I say and do here."

This "public trial", which is bound to go down in history, has begun.

At first, many people thought that this trial would be a "punishment show" of an eye for a tooth and an eye for an eye, thinking that the Luan priests would soon be tied to the stake and then burnt clean, just like they did. It was done to many innocent people, but in fact, this trial strictly followed Cecil's laws.

Cecil's judges and other members of the trial court clearly and clearly pointed out the crimes of those Luan priests - embezzling people's property, killing innocent lives, deceiving people, blaspheming the Holy Light..., and then one after another familiar or Unfamiliar civilians were brought to the stage by the Cecil soldiers. They went to testify against the priests in person and confirmed the charges. The Inquisition presented the accounts, files and letters from the clergy found in the cathedral on the spot, especially It is the "Heritage Collection Order" from the Northern Church to confirm the authenticity of all crimes...

People watched the trial with a strange emotion, and they could not wait to see those Luan priests burned to death at once - a simple and straightforward revenge mentality, but as the trial entered "when the time is right" In the "Testimony in Court" session, they felt a more vivid and powerful emotion than pure revenge.

They wanted to see those Luan priests convicted, convicted of all their crimes, nailed to the pillar of shame forever.

They wanted to hear the innocence of those who had been burned at will by the judge, and the innocence of those who had been whipped, beheaded, and branded as innocent.

They don't just want vent, they don't just want revenge, they want justice.

This is the hardest thing in this world for commoners to get.

A woman with sloping feet was helped to the high platform by the soldiers. This woman's leg was broken by the Holy See knights. She made people look at her deformed legs and accused the murderous Holy See knights just because she accidentally stepped on the priest. The robe of the robe, and this kind of poisonous hand.

An old woman brought her son to the stage, and her son could not speak - because the priest ordered the young man's tongue to be cut off, on the charge of "talking about the sacred words of the Holy Light"...

The trial was destined to last all day.

At the edge of the square, on the high city walls of the church district, Gawain and Amber watched the trial progress together.

"What sentence will those priests be sentenced to in the end?" Amber looked down curiously, "I feel that the charges and evidence are extremely complicated..."

Gawain replied casually: "All are hanged, there will be no pardon."

"...It's all hanging?" Amber looked at Gawain in surprise, "So it was decided from the beginning?"

"According to Cecil's law, the least guilty of their crimes should be hanged twice, and for the promotion of Protestantism and the complete elimination of the influence of the old church, these diehards cannot stay."

Amber looked thoughtful: "...You let them live to this day for this trial, right?"

"That's right, it's for this trial," Gawain nodded slightly, "and not only must there be this trial, but the process must also be strict and fair-even if every count of those priests is enough for them to die once, they must also to die after the trial is over."

Amber quickly understood Gawain's intention: "Is it to establish 'order'?"

"Indeed," Gawain sighed slightly, "Let those priests be beaten to death by the people and the white knights, or give them a fire during the trial may be the easiest and most venting way to deal with it, but if If that were done, it would be no different from the 'Trial of Heresies', and this great battle would turn into a muddled atrocity. In any case, we must put some of Cecil's The idea is passed on to everyone, let them know that we are different from the Church of the Holy Light - that the heresy must be completely discarded."

A voice came from behind Gawain and Amber: "So those priests and priests are dead, and they must die after a fair trial—this is the rule you made, isn't it?"

Amber turned his head and glanced at the person who came, raised his hand to say hello: "Yo, priest."

Gawain looked at the tall and thin middle-aged cleric in a white robe, and nodded slightly: "Seven? Priest Terry, right? Thank you very much for your help in this operation."

The one who appeared in front of Gawain and Amber was the leader of the small church district, Seven Terry.

He did not appear by the high platform of the public trial, but came here, as if to meet Gawain.

"The Holy Light guides us," the tall and thin priest drew the symbol of the Holy Seal on his chest, and he looked at Gawain curiously, "You are different from what I imagined... "

Gawain smiled and looked at the cleric who was praised by Wright: "What's different?"

Seven Terry replied calmly: "After listening to Miss Amber's description, I thought you should be a more gloomy, ruthless, and more assertive ruler, and for the best interests, you will not speak at all' The word "justice", but now it seems... although you are tough, you still have your own moral code."

Gawain thought for a while, then turned to look at Amber: "...What did you tell them?"

Amber was looking for a chance to slip away when Seven Terry was halfway through speaking, but considering that it was very likely that Gawain would be thrown from the city wall by the collar at the moment of slipping away, she still insisted. The scalp didn't run away, and at this time she immediately shouted: "I'm not talking nonsense - it's what you usually taught me! I think it's the priest's comprehension and imagination..."

"Just learn from Rebecca, your intelligence hasn't improved much, but your head is getting tougher every day," Gawain commented unceremoniously, then looked at Seven Terry, "It doesn't matter what you understand from Amber's words. I hope you can understand one thing: I am working hard for this land and the people on this land to have a better tomorrow, and on this basis, I have no malice towards the Holy Light."

"Wright told me the same, I believe in his judgment, and I believe in my own vision at the moment," Seven Terry bowed his head in front of Gawain, "Thank you for arranging this trial - you let me see When it comes to your 'righteousness', it does not contradict the Holy Light."

Gawain accepted the clergyman's evaluation calmly, then turned around and looked at the spires and towers in the church district: "We will leave soon, this city...will still be the city of the Holy Light. Me and Wright has already negotiated that the city should be used as a training and research facility for the Protestant Light, because it has the most Holy Light classics and the best magic environment, and it is a ready-made holy city. Since Wright spends most of his time in Cecil City, so he wants you to manage the church here for him. Of course, the way the city is managed will change a lot, the church will no longer be the highest authority in the city, I will send someone to build a place here The Government Affairs Office is responsible for the operation and construction of the city, and your responsibility will be limited to church affairs and corresponding facilities.”

Seven Terry nodded: "As long as we can continue to spread the Holy Light, I have no opinion."

"Very good," Gao Wen breathed a sigh of relief, "I will gradually transfer the training facilities of the White Knights here, I hope you and your colleagues can actively cooperate. As for the cathedral..."

Gawain paused when he said this, he looked at the gleaming spire of the cathedral in the distance, and said slowly after a while: "Let's give a new name... It's called Holy Light Academy, to popularize it to the whole people. New doctrine, popularizing knowledge about the Holy Light. In the future, all institutions that study and impart knowledge of the Holy Light should be called the Holy Light Academy, separate from the churches that spread doctrine and provide community and neighborhood services.”

Seven Terry's eyes changed slightly, subconsciously repeating the words Gawain used: "...Academy..."

Gawain smiled and looked at the priest in front of him quietly: "Yes, since it is a place to spread knowledge, of course it should be called an academy."

Seven Terry met Gawain's eyes, and in those eyes, he seemed to see the deep meaning behind all this——

Desanctify.

The light is a kind of knowledge, the belief in the light is a culture, the church will become a mere service facility, and as for the belief in the god of the light...

Will it become a history class at the academy?

A few seconds later, Seven Terry's expression became calm. He seemed to finally let go of some burden, and as if he had made a major decision in life, he lowered his head again: "According to your arrangement."

The tall and thin priest left, and only Gawain and Amber were left on the city wall for a while, and under the city wall, the public trial of the priest Luan was still going on.

Gawain did not pursue the question of Amber's "defamation" of himself behind his back, but the half-elf lady was obviously a little overwhelmed, and after she stopped talking several times, Amber finally couldn't help but speak: "Speaking of... that priest. Say you have your own moral code!"

Hearing Miss Half-elf's apparently useless remarks, Gawain couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth. He glanced at the other party: "This is nonsense—who doesn't have this thing about morality?"

Amber scratched her head—it's a pity she's not Rebecca, and no matter how much she scratches her head, she won't be able to scratch the spark of wisdom, so she can only express her thoughts frankly: "You once told me that the so-called 'aristocratic spirit' They are all hypocritical and outdated things, the chivalry code has not kept up with the times, and the 'doctrinal virtues' promoted by every church are also full of the stench of money and power... These things have been abandoned by you, then what do you think Justice... what does it look like?"

Gawain looked at Amber, and saw that the pair of amber eyes glowed with an inexplicable brilliance in the sun. He found that this guy who was still annoying, noisy and cowardly had actually changed a little after this trip to Luan. Yes, although I can't tell exactly what this change is, it seems that this wild and untamable half-elf has finally begun to take her work seriously, and also seriously start to think about his career.

This is a good thing.

"Look over there, those people in the square, see?"

Amber nodded: "I see."

"Everyone is fed and clothed, which is the greatest justice."

...

This is an endlessly vast city, standing in a far and unreachable place, present, past, and future will always exist.

The majestic holy light is the bricks and cornerstones of this city, the sky above it and the ground where it takes root, every brick, every wall, every tower and door of it, is condensed with brilliance, full of endless sacredness. .

As Saint Dumont said:

I saw a huge city, endlessly wide, with light emitting from between the bricks and stones of the city, and the whole city seemed to be cast in light.

In the center of this city of light casting, in a magnificent square that is difficult to judge with the naked eye, countless streams of light rushed from the distant sky and gathered above a huge crystal that was constantly changing its shape.

This dazzling and sacred crystal works quietly, ruling the city of light for thousands of years as a single day, and keeps the truths contained in itself - serenity, light, peace, shelter - constantly It spreads out, and the light streams that converge from everywhere are both the source of his gathering strength and the channel through which he releases his influence.

However, today, the eternal order in this light-forged city has changed slightly. Some of the light streams gathered from all directions have quietly changed their colors and directions. They have become clearer and seem to be immune to Controlled over the crystal in the center of the square, flowing freely in the sky to the distance...

The crystal is still running like a day for thousands of years, and a melodious sound like a wind chime surrounds it. This sound is ethereal and holy, but it is like the most chaotic noise without any melody and regularity. In this chaotic and holy bell. , the crystal just changed its form once again, as if it didn't care about the flow of light in the sky that changed its direction, and didn't care about these tiny "losses"...