Alien world

Chapter 1713, Section 346: With both legs off the ground, intelligence takes over.
“Literally. I didn’t hide my whereabouts; the whole Montreal hills knew I was here. I’ve been wandering around for three days, and no one has come looking for me except you.”

“The big shots are all watching. Do you think it’s your turn to step forward? To put it bluntly, the first thing I did after you said you were Peller Hernandez was to ask who Ole Hernandez was.”

Peller Hernandez's face flushed red and then paled: "Have you finished cursing?"

"No, even harsher things are yet to come."

Annan took a deep breath: "Even the big shots are observing quietly, and you're jumping around like a feather duster. Are you trying to make another effort?"

Peller Hernandez looked grim but couldn't utter a word.

"So there must be someone else behind you. I don't know who he is, but he rushed to push you out, probably to test my intentions."

Annan leaned forward, pressing him, and said, "Tell me, who is that person?"

At this point, Peller Hernandez calmed down.

Annan didn't disturb him, letting him quietly consider the pros and cons, and wasn't worried about any unexpected events.

Normally, at this point, the mastermind would step in to kill and silence the witnesses, but this is the courtroom... who would dare to assassinate someone in the courtroom?

To put it bluntly, if Peller Hernandez had actually been silenced, it would have been easier to handle, as it would have immediately narrowed down the suspect to a small area.
“Annan Reeves, I always thought you were the kind of charismatic but brainless sorcerer who relied solely on his charm,” Puller Hernandez said slowly.

Annan swung his feet under the table.

"Actually, you are very smart, but unfortunately not smart enough, so... I won't tell you."

The legs that had been swinging under the table stopped.

"why?"

Peller Hernandez leaned back in his chair, a hint of relief in his voice: "If I don't tell you, only I will die. If I do tell you, my entire family will be buried with me."

Annan stared at him: "What if I protect you?"

"you?"

"If I can't do it, how about Blackwatch? How about our ancestors? How about the emperor?"

With each mention of an existence, Plutner Hernandez's pupils contracted slightly.

"I do not believe."

"I don't believe it either."

Annan's agreement surprised Püller-Hernandez.

"But after I arrived, I started to feel uncertain. The Montreal Hills' attitude towards me was too ambiguous."

Annan listed names one by one: "The royal family knows what I do, yet they let me live in the old manor. The Ministry of Rites knows what I do, yet they give my life the green light. The old man knows what I do, yet he doesn't stop me at all. The court knows what I do, yet they don't arrest me, they even try to kick me out."

"Don't you think it's strange?"

Pluhr Hernandez suddenly looked at the priest, who remained expressionless, like an emotionless puppet.

They were all wrong. Annan Reeves was not the kind of mindless sorcerer who slept wherever he went, as people might have imagined!
“Tell me who made you step forward, and I swear on the honor of the Montreal Golden Family that you and your family will be safe.”

Annan was not very patient. The Peller Hernandez line was not the main one, and he had no interest in slowly unraveling the mystery: "If you don't tell me, I will reveal the illusion that you have told me everything after we get out."

"You can gamble, gamble on whether the entity behind you will let your family go."

Peller Hernandez's pupils trembled. "You can't do this... We're not enemies."

"That's why I've come to talk to you face to face."

"Aren't you supposed to be very kind, unable to even harm ordinary people!"

“I am indeed merciful, but that is towards those who do not stand in my way. Those who do stand in my way…” Those dark eyes fixed on Puller Hernandez, “Do you want to be the Kingdom of Rikaner, or the Shattered Mountains?”

“…Polgant, it was Governor Polgant who sent me to warn you.” Peller Hernandez lowered his head. Was the Orr Empire involved in this? No, Polgant meant no harm; if the Empire were involved, they would be plotting against him.

Annan pondered for a moment, then asked aloud, "What does this have to do with him? You're an imperial nobleman, why would you listen to the governor of the Orr Empire?"

“Governor Polgant asked me to remind you to be careful. I feel you’ve been drawing too much attention lately, so I took it upon myself to warn you.”

"that is it?"

"It's just like this..."

Plutt Hernandez acted on his own initiative, which is a bit harsh, but who would have thought that Annan would be so ruthless, slapping a label of collusion with Chaos on him without even a chance to explain.

"You mean Governor Polgant kindly reminded me, but if I find out he'll kill you?"

“Your relationship with the Orr Empire is not good, and Governor Polgant does not want to be implicated…”

"Why would he help me?"

"do not know."

The truth is so outrageous that it actually has a certain degree of credibility.

But then it wouldn't be a conspiracy, but a misunderstanding.

Annan looked at the priests: "You already know?"

The priest nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Aren't you going to investigate? What if he's lying?"

“There is no need to investigate this line,” the priest replied.

Even the court of law deemed it unnecessary, so it seems it really has nothing to do with Blackwatch.

Annan looked helplessly at the "kind" Peller Hernandez, got up and went to the door: "Well, it seems you are really innocent. Since there is no problem, you will be released in a few days."

"My family..."

"Don't worry, they'll be fine."

Because it was a different lead and turned out to be a misunderstanding, Annan stopped paying attention to Plutner Hernandez and returned to the main storyline.

“May I have a look at the courtroom?” he asked the priest.

"No."

"Can I talk to you?"

"Don't talk about things that aren't important."

"No means yes," Annan said with emotion. "I'm just a little emotional. The court has to bear so much silently, and also endure criticism from its own people."

"Not only do they not understand you, but they also come up with insulting names for you. It's really going too far!"

Before the priest could say anything, Annan spoke first: "I plan to have Evelyn write an article praising the Inquisition when I get back. You are like cows, eating grass but producing milk."

Even if you say that, I still...

"I want to tell the people of the Empire that the peaceful life you think you enjoy is only because someone is bearing the burden for you."

The priest fell silent; those words had touched the softest spot in his heart.

"The Inquisition is cold-blooded? To me, that's bullshit! Truly cold-blooded people don't have a passionate love for the Empire."

As Annan murmured, the priest couldn't help but recall how grim his father's face looked and how terrified his mother was when he graduated from the military academy and received his admission notice not from the Ministry of the Military or the Eighth Army Corps, but from the court.

(End of this chapter)