Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 483 Trial
The city of Oasis felt particularly oppressive today.

This was the first public trial of city officials since Pope Carlo took office. The officials and clergy of Oasis City were busy all afternoon, sending letters to the Holy City one after another, hoping that Carlo could find a way to quell Mary's anger and prevent the trial from taking place.

They didn't know if Heriot's death was directly related to Mary, because according to the audience present at the time, sitting next to Heriot was a suspicious woman wearing a veil. They initially suspected that she was a young lady from a noble family, but subsequent screening revealed that no such person could be found in Oasis City.

The detectives had considered this mysterious woman of unknown origin as their prime suspect, until the fire at Hawke's Manor and the resurrection of Saint Mary.

However, no reply came from the capital before sunset.

What truly terrified the officials of Oasis City was not the loss of Heriot and Hawke, but their inability to set a precedent for public trials. If Mary were to conduct a thorough investigation, few of them would be found to be clean.

Today Hawke is sent to the guillotine, but tomorrow it could be any one of them.

but……

Mary intimidated them not only with her title as a saint, but also with her reputation as the strongest person of an era. With their current private armies, they were simply no match for a saint. They could only hope that Carlo would get rid of this troublesome person.

The officials believed that Carlo would help them, because Carlo had played a major role in the decline of Oasis City and even the far west.

Their power and money transactions with the Papacy were all conducted with Carlo's tacit approval, which made them even more unscrupulous—even the spokesperson of the goddess of life permitted such behavior, so the goddess's wrath would naturally not fall upon them.

As night fell, civilians from the lower city lined up and passed through the checkpoints set up by the sheriff's office a few days earlier. Before setting off, they made arrangements for their relatives and children who were still at home, knowing that this trip might be their last. If the sheriffs from the upper city launched a citywide search, they would have to hide in the sewers.

The craftsmen in the lower city dug a secret passage to escape to the outside of the oasis city, just in case.

Everyone was prepared to fight, even to die in battle.

However, when they arrived at the central square of the upper city, the scene they saw was far beyond their expectations. They actually saw Hawke tied up, gagged, and placed under the guillotine. The drug dealer who used to not even give them a second glance was now red-faced.

The person overseeing all of this was no longer the familiar officials, but a woman who was somewhat unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar.

"It's Ivy Margaret!"

Some recognized the imposing woman on the stage; they had seen the young empire's prime minister frequently in the newspapers recently.

"No, it's Saint Mary."

Before long, another piece of news spread rapidly among the crowd. The first person to bring it up was a young man with dark circles under his eyes who looked listless. He drifted along with the crowd, and although he was young, his mental state looked like a candle in the wind.

What a terrible young man! He's been ruined like this!

Those around were filled with regret upon seeing this and blamed the officials of Oasis City.

It's obvious that it was done by the officials of Oasis City—they often kidnap young and strong men to do hard labor for them.

Mary's appearance was like a lighthouse in the darkness, prompting the common people to decide to stand still and listen.

Most commoners had heard of Mary's fame, but very few had actually seen her or knew what she looked like. They also knew that Mary and the Crimson Era were thousands of years ago, before the Empire was even established. A saint resurrected thousands of years later and personally presided over a trial; this was simply a manifestation of a goddess.

Or maybe...

The Vatican is not completely rotten yet.

They also saw the Oasis City officials with ashen faces, a rather rare sight indeed.

They thought they could hear what Mary had to say before making a decision.

This was a formal trial. Once everyone had arrived, Mary opened the dossier on Hawke. When she spoke, the central square of Oasis City fell silent, with only the echoes of Hawke's crimes lingering among the crowd.

Manipulating drug prices and bribing Vatican officials are things that ordinary people are familiar with.

However, there were many more crimes they were unaware of and had no access to in their capacity. These crimes made the faces of many officials present grow increasingly grim. They almost revealed how the Oasis City Hall and the Vatican had operated over the years, the unjust trials, and how they dealt with those troublemakers who reported them and liked to raise questions.

Even Ethan, who was mingling in the crowd, was deeply impressed by it. He had once thought that "too numerous to count" was an exaggeration, but it was perfectly fitting for Hawke.

Ethan sincerely felt that Hawke's ability to commit a crime every day was also a skill. You know, even a healthy habit like "an apple a day" is not something everyone can stick to. But since Hawke became the director of the Oasis City Drug Administration, he has remained true to his original aspiration for years.

Ethan believed that such a persistent man would surely make a name for himself even after his head was chopped off and he went to hell.

The reading lasted for several tens of minutes. When Mary closed the file, people were still immersed in the lingering effects of Hawke's crimes. The common people stared intently at Hawke, who was on the guillotine, as if they were getting to know this man all over again.

“Mr. Greif, please come up to the stage.”

Mary's voice startled the commoners, who all looked at the tall, thin old man in the crowd, dressed in an old-fashioned black double-breasted suit. He would wear this suit whenever he attended an important event.

It is said that he bought it when he went to study at the Truth Society in Beijing when he was young, and he has kept it until today.

After returning to Oasis City, Grave turned down a job from the Upper Town Sheriff's Office and opened a detective agency in the Lower Town. He didn't take on many big cases, so he dedicated himself to resolving neighborhood disputes for the residents of the Lower Town. He gained a reputation among the common people, who were happy to seek his help to resolve their disputes because Grave could always find a solution that satisfied both sides. Over time, he became the standard of fairness in the eyes of the residents of the Lower Town.

Even Graves didn't expect that Saint Mary would know him and call out his name in front of everyone.

He leaned on his cane and walked step by step toward the execution platform, already having a vague premonition of what was about to happen.

Grave took a deep breath, trying his best to maintain his composure.

"Mr. Graves, what do you think we should do with Hawke based on the charges against him?"

He met Hawke's pleading eyes, Hawke's eyes conveying a message: if this sinner's mouth hadn't been gagged, he would have promised Greif many benefits, which could have been an unimaginable fortune for the common people of the lower city.

“Whether according to the laws of the far west, the precepts of the Papacy, or the laws of the Empire, he should be put to death.”

"Then, shall you carry it out?"

This time, the common people gathered in the square no longer held up torches and loudly urged Grave to be executed. They simply watched Grave on the platform and Hawke struggling incessantly, waiting for the outcome of the trial.

In fact, Grave was also present at last night's rally. He mingled in the crowd without expressing any opinion. After the celebration ended, he sat alone in a corner, ordered a plate of fried dough sticks and a pitcher of malt beer.

As someone who had studied at the Society of Truth, he should have stayed away from such fanatical gatherings that overwhelmed reason. He was also well aware of the consequences of things continuing to develop. However, he also witnessed the changes in Oasis City and what Hawke and his men did when Stone Lung Cough struck.

This is why he cannot appear as a "rational" person in front of ordinary people, coldly pointing out their crazy actions.

This may not be the best solution, but it may be their only option.

But now, however, they seemed to have another option. Graves stopped thinking about it and went to the guillotine, under the eager gazes of the crowd…

The guillotine blade fell with a thud, blood splattered, and the head rolled away into the distance. Time seemed to stand still at that moment. No one cheered. Grave, like everyone else, stood there stunned. This visually striking scene gave them a strong sense of unreality.

Grave glanced briefly at the headless corpse lying beside the execution platform, his clenched fist trembling slightly. He looked away, and the head rolling on the ground flashed before his eyes, causing him to close them.

them……

They actually executed an official from Oasis City?
Hawke's crimes were read aloud in public in accordance with existing laws.
While people were still in a daze, several more people were escorted to the execution platform at Mary's behest. They were also bound hand and foot, their mouths stuffed with cloth, and watching what had just happened made them cry so hard they almost passed out.

These are Hawke's family members.

Mary began the second reading of the crimes.

Compared to Hawke, their crimes were insignificant, typical of the privileged class. Many were still reeling from the shock of Hawke's decapitation when Mary finished reading the names of the second batch of executioners.

"Mr. Graves, what do you think we should do with them given their crimes?"

Mary's question brought Grave back to reality.

During yesterday's "trial" in the underground tavern, these people were just as despicable as Hawke and should have been burned alive in the manor together. Suddenly, someone in the crowd raised his right arm and shouted, "Grave, don't be fooled by them! They are all Hawke's accomplices! Cut off their heads!"

The one who shouted was the presiding judge during yesterday's trial, who held up a torch, igniting the hatred in everyone's hearts.

This time, however, his incitement received no response.

The man looked around incredulously, then questioned everyone present, "Have you all forgotten what that drug dealer did to us?"

Hawke has been executed.

Although Grave's voice was not loud, it lingered in the square for a long time.

His headless body lay beside the guillotine, Hawke's face still bearing the traces of terror and despair from his execution.

Greif said in a deep voice, “According to the laws of the far west, their property should be confiscated and they should be imprisoned according to their crimes.”

"But……"

“Mr. Larry, if you have any objections, please come up to the stage.”

Upon hearing this, the man's face flushed red. He was filled with anger, but under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he refused to take a single step forward. "If you believe they also deserve to die, then you can carry it out yourself, how about that?"

Time ticked by, but the man took a few steps back and retreated into the crowd, making the people his shield.

"...I have no further objections."

After a long silence, the man said, somewhat reluctantly.

"Take them away."

Mary gave the order.

Then, the third group of people on trial were taken to the guillotine.

Upon seeing these people's appearances, the crowd immediately began to murmur among themselves—these were servants of the Hawke household, many of whom were familiar faces, and several of the young maids were even children they had watched grow up.

"Next are their crimes."

Mary opened the files belonging to these people, and everyone listened intently, only to be met with silence.

After about a minute of silence, Mary asked again, "Mr. Graves, what should we do with them based on the charges against them?"

This time, even Larry lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with the servants on the stage.

These people should have been burned at the stake during yesterday's "trial".

Who told them to betray the Lower City and work in those magnificent, golden houses every day?
But right now, Larry can't bring himself to say what he really thinks, because even he knows that it has nothing to do with justice anymore.

"They should be released."

……

Before it got completely dark, the civilians in the lower city returned to their homes. The anticipated riots did not occur, but instead of surprise and questions, they were greeted with warm embraces from their families.

This put them at ease.

It wasn't until the steaming soup and hard bread were served that the family members asked about the trial, and they said, "Perhaps... we should write a letter of complaint to Lady Mary."

"A whistleblower letter? But the people who wrote whistleblower letters before have all been arrested..."

"It wouldn't hurt to try again; it might work."

However, for the nobles of Oasis City who witnessed the trial, it was destined to be a difficult night.

After finishing her work, Mary waited until everyone had left before coming to Ethan. Only then did she drop her stern expression. She let out a long sigh of relief and rushed to Ethan's side. "Phew! Ethan, I was really afraid that Larry would run up on stage and chop off everyone else's heads too."

She naturally wouldn't allow such a thing to happen, but openly stopping Larry would make her lose face.

Fortunately, until the very end, Larry did not take a single step closer to the execution platform.

"Ivy was right."

Mary couldn't help but become interested in the young girl who looked just like her in the imperial capital. During their conversation today, Ivy had told her with absolute certainty that Larry would never go to the execution platform.

Because when people put down their torches and truly judge someone's life and death, reason will regain its rightful place.

Ivy has always believed this.

(End of this chapter)