Chapter 541: Judgment

The grand council commenced with the trial of Prince Garrett for the gravest sin of patricide, beginning with the defendant's own account of the tragedy.

To this end, the knights who had survived that night's assassination attempt stood alongside the assembled nobility, stepping forward one by one to bear witness.

It grew swiftly apparent that Ronin was entirely above suspicion, particularly after Broll, the first to arrive at the scene, laid bare the depths of Garrett’s conspiracy.

Over an hour slipped by before the testimonies concluded, leaving the nobles to debate the precise nature of the punishment the crown prince deserved.

The banquet hall erupted into a cacophony of voices, as heated arguments flared and clashed across the floor.

Opinions fractured wildly; some demanded ruthless justice, arguing that only the ultimate penalty could appease the spirit of the fallen king.

Others pleaded for clemency, reminding the court that Garrett remained the late sovereign’s sole male heir, a lineage not easily cast aside.

A third faction offered a strange compromise: let a woman bear Garrett an heir, execute him thereafter, and place the child upon the throne to satisfy all parties.

Yet, as some noted, it was peculiar that Garrett had possessed many women but remained childless into his thirties.

Ronin could not help but wonder silently if the man was simply barren.

"My lords!"

Rulance rose to his feet, his booming voice commanding immediate silence across the sprawling hall.

The Marquis of Thunder was a legend of long standing, known even to the barons of the realm's most remote borders.

"Never in the long history of Audouin has any man committed so unforgivable a crime as this prince, who has abandoned his father, his homeland, and his very humanity."

"Furthermore, such a creature wields formidable strength, standing second only to the legends. If we let him slip our grasp and he evades our watchful eyes, who among us will be the next to fall blindly beneath his blade, as Philemon did?"

Rulance delivered his verdict with cold certainty: "Therefore, I propose he be sentenced to death!"

A brief, heavy silence blanketed the room, but it was quickly broken as supporters of the execution rallied to echo the Marquis’s decree.

Even those who had wavered felt the weight of the old noble's words—the grandfather of Ronin himself—and allowed their resolve to solidify.

"Death!"

"Death!"

"Death!"

The voices in the hall gradually fused into a singular, chanting roar.

Next, the high nobility of the kingdom offered their judgments in turn.

Fasray spoke clearly: "I second the motion!"

Arseno followed suit: "Seconded!"

"I abstain," Gushan murmured with a heavy sigh. Having served alongside Garrett for years, a lingering sentiment stayed his hand; he could not bring himself to vote for the man's execution.

Yet, knowing the crime was too monstrous for leniency, silence was his only refuge.

Earl Eben raised his hand, intending to offer his assent, but a single glance at Sharon altered his course. "I... oppose!"

The declaration sparked a wave of murmurs, though a look at the married couple suggested to most that Eben spoke merely to preserve the peace of his own hearth.

After all, monster or not, the prisoner was still Sharon’s brother.

Now, only the two dukes, Valgis and Ronin, remained.

Valgis raised his hand. "My daughter Dana and my grandson perished at the hands of the outlanders in Moonlight Valley. I harbor a profound hatred for their kind, so I vote in favor!"

Every eye in the hall shifted toward Ronin.

If the young duke assented, Garrett’s date with the headsman was assured.

Yet many wondered if Ronin would oppose the sentence for Blanche’s sake, just as Eben had done for his wife.

Blanche watched Ronin quietly, knowing he had sought her counsel on the matter.

The ordeal had left her with a deep loathing for Garrett, yet Sharon’s desperate pleadings had shaken her resolve.

In the end, she had left the choice entirely to Ronin, vowing to support him whatever his decree might be.

Ronin raised his hand. "Like Gushan, Eben, and several others here, I too oppose the sentence of death."

A sudden storm of hushed whispers broke out across the banquet hall.

The assembly was caught off guard; to most, Rulance’s stance should have mirrored Ronin's own, leaving them baffled by the rift between grandfather and grandson.

Those nobles who had previously conferred with Rulance looked on with open bewilderment.

"Your Grace, if I may be so bold as to inquire, what drives your opposition?"

A nobleman stood to challenge him. "Garrett’s schemes were born not just to seize the realm, but to destroy you. He very nearly claimed the life of the Duchess while she carried your child. Such a monster does not deserve your mercy!"

"Indeed, Your Grace!"

A chorus of voices rose to defend Ronin's honor against his own leniency.

Eben watched the display with a swelling heart, realizing how deeply Ronin's influence had woven itself into the fabric of the court.

This was no longer a world governed by mere titles; transcendent power now dictated the flow of politics.

This council, which should have been a fierce struggle for dominance among rival factions, had silently aligned behind a single man.

Ronin stood up, his voice cutting through the din. "I have no intention of pardoning Garrett's crimes. I merely wish for him to kneel before the late King's grave in genuine repentance. Regrettably, he is mad now, incapable of understanding human speech..."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "My proposal is life imprisonment. Strip him of all political rights, his noble title, and his cultivated power. Let his atrocities be proclaimed throughout the land, so every citizen may know his guilt."

"Furthermore, we shall seek out the finest physicians to restore his fractured mind. Once he is whole and has repented before his father's resting place, we shall try him again in the full light of his sanity!"

Ronin swept his gaze across the room. "Executing a madman holds no virtue. Only when he repents can the dead truly rest, and the living find solace."

The nobles exchanged glances as the murmuring died away into thoughtful silence.

Ronin’s decree offered a severe condemnation of the prince's treason, yet it held a distinct glimmer of human wisdom.

He was not sparing Garrett from punishment; he was merely deferring the final stroke until the prisoner could feel its full weight.

Should Garrett remain forever mad, he would languish in chains, harmless to the world.

Should he recover, the council could simply reconvene to decide his fate anew.

Gushan rose to his feet, clapping his hands in open admiration. "I lack the eloquence to frame it so beautifully, but Your Grace has spoken the very thoughts of my heart. I support your proposal!"

"The Duke's proposal upholds the scales of justice while respecting the sanctity of life. I too cast my vote with him!"

Valgis nodded in agreement. "True enough. Inflicting death upon a man who has lost his wits does little to soothe our grief or anger. Forcing him to confront his sins with a clear mind is by far the harsher sentence."

Eben joined the applause, recognizing that Ronin's reasoned approach carried far more weight than his own simple defiance.

He silently conceded that he was outmatched by the young duke.

Rulance smiled and stood up to applaud as well. His initial, aggressive stance had been nothing more than a stage set for Ronin to act upon.

Whether his grandson chose the executioner's axe or a different path, the foundation had been perfectly laid.

Ronin accepted the accolades of the room with a polite smile, seeing clearly that his judgment had unified the fractured court.

This was the true meaning of authority.

With this victory secured, his voice would dictate the future of every decree yet to come.

He wore no crown, yet his words carried the absolute weight of the kingdom.

And so, to the sound of thunderous applause from the assembled lords, the fate of Prince Garrett was sealed.

Yet, the noble assembly did not end here—rather, what followed was the main event.

"Now, let us discuss who shall lead the Kingdom of Alduin!" (End of Chapter)