Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 473 The Path to Redemption Lies Within

"Attention jurors, witnesses, members of the public, and the defendant:"

"The Provisional Special Court of the Church of Life will begin in five minutes."

"Please proceed to your seats as soon as possible. Please sit in an orderly manner and do not push or trample on others."

"Please actively help the seriously injured or deceased in need to find their seats. Spreading love is everyone's responsibility."

To maintain order during the trial, please note the following:

"Keep quiet: No talking, no taking pictures, please do not use your mobile phone, and do not throw any objects, including rotten eggs, at the defendant."

"Mr. Defendant Carlo, please watch your behavior. Do not remove your seatbelt without permission, and do not assault the court personnel."

"Witnesses, please be prepared: Special reminder: If you are unable to attend due to health reasons, please ensure that your appointed witness brings your body with him/her."

Thank you for your cooperation. Have a wonderful day!

The familiar announcements, bizarre and baffling, were nonetheless followed by the faction leaders finding their places in the circular seating area of ​​the courtroom. These red chairs resembled red sofas in a theater, except that instead of their names, the backs of the chairs were adorned with simple black-and-white line drawings of them.

It's easy to see that the artist is a master of abstract art, able to depict their faces so drastically that they are unrecognizable, yet still make them instantly recognizable as the subjects of the painting.

Regardless, the atmosphere in the church hall eased somewhat.

The three-headed spider monster was driven away, and the berserk Pope Carlo was firmly pinned to the dock by the vines summoned by Mary. The stakes formed a cage, trapping him like a parrot. The vines drained Carlo's magic power, and as the ominous red mist disappeared, the oppressive feeling Carlo brought to them lessened considerably.

However, Carlo did not give up.

His eyes were bloodshot as he slammed his fist against the "birdcage," making it creak and groan, futilely releasing his magic outwards.

No wonder the mysterious announcer warned Carlo against assaulting court personnel.

A trial, an unconventional birdwatching event—with this thought, the sect leaders finally relaxed their tense nerves—since even Saint Mary had shown up, they could finally rest easy, right?
On the bright side, the fact that the Church of Life has set up a tribunal, with Saint Mary personally judging the heinous Carlo, shows that the Vatican is not completely rotten yet. The tyrannical rule of the past few years, as well as the betrayal of faith and the persecution of other sects, are all considered to be Carlo's personal actions.

Unfortunately, the announcer seemed to have a premonition and cut off their path to throwing rotten eggs at Carlo.

This is the only part they consider unscientific—regardless of whether it's the laws of the empire or the far west, what villain could be spared the punishment of rotten eggs when paraded through the streets?
Rotten eggs represent people's opinions of him and are the best way for them to release their emotions.

Some people in the front row had already expressed their opinions to Judge Veronica, and even suggested that a rotten egg sales point could be set up outside the courtroom in future trials, the rottener the better. In cases like Carlo's, they were even willing to pay the exorbitant price of 20 gold lions per rotten egg.

Of course, some people have also raised questions about other points to note:
"What do you mean by 'health reasons'? Does that mean a corpse can testify in court?"

His question was quickly answered by the person next to him. The person didn't say anything, but simply pointed to the bag that Veronica had placed on the empty seat next to her, which contained two round heads.

The questioner was immediately speechless.

It is clear that these two witnesses have very serious health problems, to the point that they are only left with their heads and are able to appear in court to make identifications.

Ethan sat in the last row. Under the influence of the illusion magic, no one paid much attention to the situation in the last row. Every one of the behind-the-scenes workers had contributed a lot to ensure the smooth conduct of this trial. These simple line drawings with abstract art style were completed by Miss Chloe. Her claws were not very good at holding a pen, but she had done her best.

Xiao An and Lao Ba participated in the setup of the courtroom.

The theater, surrounded by red hues, makes it look like a trial at the end of the century.

Ethan unexpectedly discovered another talent of Xiao An – she had an innate talent for interior design. The black hole's ability was very useful in rearranging the sanctuary hall. She could examine the dilapidated building from a god's-eye view, just like she was in builder mode in a game, ensuring that every piece of furniture and decoration was placed in the right place.

Before the sect leaders even realized it, the sanctuary had been transformed into a chapel in the blink of an eye.

After this trial concludes, the Vatican may even be able to use this auditorium for commercial performances.

The broken statue of the goddess and the dark-style details perfectly match the Vatican's propaganda about "Doomsday." If managed properly, the Church of Praise, which has been abandoned for hundreds of years, may be able to be revitalized and become one of the most famous performance venues in the far west.

The trial had already begun, and Mary sat upright in the judge's dock, her left hand supporting her chin.

As expected of a former Holy Maiden of the Holy See, her slightly languid demeanor reflects her strong self-confidence. Even a casual glance from her can convey this powerful belief to everyone present, giving them a sense of security that "it doesn't matter who the enemy is, because the Holy Maiden has arrived."

“Mary has grown up too.”

Ethan was filled with emotion.

His first encounter with Mary was in an unusually polluted area. At that time, Mary was still a little girl who would freeze in fear and stare blankly at a bench that suddenly turned into an insect.

"Anyone who fights an evil god their whole life will grow stronger."

Winter, who was sitting next to him, spoke up, but her attention was not on Carlo in the "birdcage" and she did not look at Mary much. "What's with your clothes?"

Upon hearing this, Ethan straightened his clothes and tie.

He rarely dressed so formally. This outfit was easy to get dirty for adventurers traveling, inconvenient to move around in, and offered almost no protection. In the game, it would be like the kind of high-priced item in major cities that costs tens of gold lions, but no player would buy it.

But today is different.

"I will also be attending as a witness in a while, and it's not appropriate for me to be dressed haphazardly."

"Turn your head around so I can see you."

"Ok?"

Winter raised her hand and brushed Ethan's bangs to one side, giving Ethan's new clothes an instruction like that of a "superior leader": "Looks good, I like it, wear it more often in the future."

He's such a handsome young man, but he always neglected to dress himself up before.

This is the typical attire of high-level elemental sculptors and magicians in the minds of the people of the Empire. They attend various noble banquets in exquisite formal wear. In order to leave a deep impression on the nobles of the court, they often spend half a gold lion to have the best tailors in the capital make custom-made suits.

Ethan's attire was mostly so casual that he looked like a newbie who had just registered at the Adventurers' Guild.

Winter pulled up Ethan's collar again, adjusting his tie to the perfect position.

"What's so interesting about this?"

Of course, not everyone was satisfied with Ethan's attire. Xiao An, with a sullen face, commented on his clothes and conversation with Winter, "If you ask me, heavy metal armor would be better."

The jet-black metal armor and the helmet that covered his entire face, leaving only his eyes exposed, made him look like a demon king—this was the symbol of a strongman.

In the game she had seen in her "dream" some time ago, the actual final bosses were almost always wearing armor.

"The strength is not enough. Your current outfit makes you look like a small fry who would be instantly killed by environmental magic during a disaster."

Xiao An's statement clearly demonstrates her identity as a player who prioritizes strength.

She pointed out sharply that Winter's evaluation of Ethan's XP was not objective, because in Winter's eyes, Ethan looks good no matter what he wears, and even when he's naked.

The commotion below interrupted Winter and Dark's disagreement about clothing tastes.

The sect leaders gasped in unison. Although they were prepared for the possibility of corpses appearing at the trial, they couldn't help but cry out when they saw a huge three-headed serpent burst through the hall floor and appear before them with overwhelming force.

I never expected the first witness to be so important.

They simply couldn't imagine how monstrous Carlo must have been in the past to warrant a three-headed serpent coming specifically to accuse him of his crimes. The sect leaders discussed amongst themselves, wondering if Carlo had offended monsters in his youth.

Their suspicions were understandable. Although the Church of Life had extremely strict precepts, very few people followed them. The clergy had a terrible reputation in other sects, and those people were so bizarre that they would be interested in little boys or even goats.

In some ways, such people are even more terrifying than believers in evil gods.

When the three-headed serpent reached the witness stand, it suddenly opened its blood-red maw, and in an instant, a storm of blood swept through the witness stand, killing all doubts about Carlo.

Then, something even more bizarre happened in their eyes.

They clearly saw someone emerge from the mouth of the three-headed serpent.

More than one.

Despite being soaked in the slime secreted from the mouth of the three-headed serpent, dressed in miners' uniforms, they resolutely stepped onto the witness stand.

"We are... former miners from the pit containing the remains of saints!"

The head miner wiped his face. They never dreamed they would one day be involved in accusing Pope Carlo. That's why they had to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "I, Edward, hereby accuse Pope Carlo of colluding with the Border Management Bureau for years, abusing his power for personal gain, protecting them from embezzling holy relics, and framing innocent miners."

The captain's forceful accusations left the sect leaders looking at each other in bewilderment.

Compared to the visual impact of being accused by the three-headed python, the force of a group of miners was indeed much smaller.

On the witness stand, they recounted all the misdeeds of the Vatican and the Border Management Authority that they had witnessed over the years. This included how officials from the Vatican and the Mines Authority orchestrated a cave-in, murdered righteous individuals who wanted to expose them, beat his elderly mother to death with clubs, and arrested and publicly executed the only heir of the family.

Instead, they were wantonly branded with the infamous names of traitors and followers of evil gods.

The miners' accusations lasted fifteen minutes. They recounted what they had seen and heard in the border city, detailing how, since Carlo came to power, he had used "salvation contribution points" and many other methods to gradually transform a peaceful and prosperous city into a desolate place where everyone lived in fear and misery.

That's very well said, and very inspiring.

but……

This is nothing new to the sect leaders.

They could even explain the miners' experiences from perspectives unknown to them.

This is because Carlo had long ago transformed the border cities of the far west facing the empire into military strongholds. These miners were just cogs in those military factories, so naturally no one cared whether a cog lived or died.

Next up is Solaris.

This ascetic, who should have died in the border city but was instead widely reported on, illustrates the situation at the time.

He corroborated the miners' testimonies, explaining the whole story from another perspective. He was confronting border officials when he was stabbed in the heart by an assassin sent by Carlo. Had it not been for the blessing of the goddess of life, he would have died there long ago.

There was also Yayuma, the spirit mother of the psychic sect. Mary cleared the spell Carlo had cast on her mind, freeing her from her puppet status and allowing her to tell everyone present what had happened in the secret chamber of the Dawn Crown Cathedral that day.

The two heads Veronica brought are the best evidence.

This proves that Carlo not only wantonly provoked wars, but also ruthlessly killed his allies and used extreme violence to eliminate all opponents.

The testimony of all the witnesses and the presentation of all the evidence made Carlos's guilt an undeniable fact.

The jurors were silent, for they knew that Carlo's crimes went far beyond what they had witnessed; they also included his colleagues who had been brutally murdered by Carlo at the Temple of Praise and transformed into three-headed spider monsters.

However, Carlo, trapped in the "birdcage," remained indifferent throughout, never uttering a single rebuttal, merely coldly scrutinizing everyone's accusations against him.

"Carlo, do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Mary noticed Carlo's sneer and asked him a question.

“Foolish, so incredibly foolish.”

Carlo sneered, his compassionate gaze sweeping over everyone present, including the persecuted miners. His haughty attitude remained undiminished. "Your shortsightedness deserves the suffering you endure! The end times are here, yet you are accomplices of the evil god without realizing it. Don't you understand? Everything you are experiencing right now is orchestrated by the evil god!"

Unlike these ignorant people, Carlo gradually understood everything. He then looked at Mary, the saint who had appeared unexpectedly and was once hailed as the "reincarnation of the goddess of life".

“And you, Mary, you’re nothing special either, you couldn’t even see that this was a conspiracy by an evil god.”

He completely ignored the witnesses' accusations and asked Mary, "How do you think the evil god will destroy this world? By sending a meteorite down from the sky to destroy the city? Or by unleashing another plague that infects everyone? No, it doesn't need to be that complicated. He only needs to put power in the hands of these short-sighted and ignorant people, just as they did to the truly noble ones! Clearly, they have achieved their goal, and you are still so ignorant as to enjoy this revelry with the evil god's followers!"

"That's why you're so eager to start a war."

The unexpected response startled Carlo. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young man dressed in a suit.

The young man had somehow taken his place as a witness. Unlike the angry and hateful accusations, the young man was calm, as if he were talking about something completely unrelated to him.

“Ivy told me that you are not a fool who is swayed by emotions and fights against overwhelming odds, so she believes that you must have some trump cards that she does not know about when you choose to start a war at this time.”

Ethan said, "So I've been thinking, Carlo, what is your trump card? It wasn't until I came to the Cathedral of the Dawn and witnessed everything you did that I realized Ivy was wrong."

Upon hearing this, Carlo paused for a moment.

In his view, those who had just accused him were nothing but a group of short-sighted and ignorant people, but in front of this young man, he felt as if his heart had been seen through.

"You never thought about winning this war, and the outcome of this war is not important to you."

"Mori...witness, please stop keeping me in suspense!"

Mary tapped the table with her mace to remind Ethan.

"Yes, Your Honor. Once the Empire goes to war with the far west, hundreds of thousands of people will die, regardless of the course and outcome of the war. Where there is war and death, hatred will breed. That is the soil on which the evil god once lived. The Empire is like that. Out of hatred for Julius’s tyranny, the number of followers of Bazartos in the Empire has increased dozens of times in the past few years."

"You mean, he wants to increase the number of followers of the evil god?"

"He wanted to do something that even Julius had never thought of, and for that, he needed a great deal of hatred, as well as hundreds of thousands of corpses and souls."

Every word Ethan said struck a chord with Carlo, shattering his arrogance and causing his expression to grow increasingly grim.

Someone had actually reached the same level as him and seen through his true purpose.

"Let the catastrophe of the Crimson Age repeat itself, as a gateway to the Seventh Age."

Mary's expression also became more serious.

She asked, "What does he need so many corpses and souls for?"

She suddenly didn't quite understand. Ethan's series of statements had transformed Carlo from an ambitious tyrant into a madman with antisocial personality disorder.

Does this person simply find pleasure in the suffering this world brings?
"In this way, he can become a new god."

Ethan said, “To draw nourishment from the goddess of life, to become her, to replace her—that’s the ‘return’ you promised everyone, am I right, Mr. Carlo?”

(End of this chapter)