A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 224 Trial and Impeachment

With the "True Arcane Senate Meeting" concluded, the outcome of the afternoon's interpellation session would become clear. Kano lingered a few more moments in the illusion, exchanging views with representatives from the Tower of Thunderstorms and the Tower of Primordial Earth in preparation for the High Council meeting.

Exiting the illusion, Kano once again saw his heavily guarded office. He picked up the documents submitted by the investigation team, and these scraps of paper spontaneously combusted and burned to ashes in no time.

Strangely, the interrogation was still held in the top-floor lobby of the guild building, the same place where Rorschach received his medal. Now, he and Pascal were subjected to aggressive questioning like prisoners.

How fickle are honor and disgrace! Rorschach specially wore the ceremonial robes he wore when he was awarded the medal, and put on the "Moon-Holding Pendant" metal plate that symbolized a worthless check.

Unlike the previous time when the venue was brightly lit and glittering, this time the hall was decorated in an unusually dark and gloomy manner, with very little lighting. Moreover, the audience seating had been raised, and Rorschach and Pascal were being tried in the valley below.

There were dozens of monks present, about half of whom used owls as synesthetic substitutes to attend the meeting.

Whether by coincidence or by design, the mage who was present sat on the left side of the hall, and Rorschach saw Ina among them, who nodded to him. The others whose expressions were visible showed curiosity and smiles towards Rorschach.

On the right was a large flock of owls, constantly turning their heads, their big eyes staring back and forth at the three people entering, seemingly not very friendly.

"This is the kind of environment that's perfect for owls," Rorschach joked.

Today, the guild's chairman, Morrel, certainly wouldn't be there to greet Rorschach at the door early in the morning. He was even indifferent to Archmage Cano, instead focusing all his service on the head seat of the inquiry council, where Count Granor, a newly promoted member of the Arcane Elders' Council, president of the Stonemasons' Brotherhood, and from the plane of Saliana, sat!

"I didn't know there would be so many guests today," Cano said casually, not going to any of the higher seats, but standing with his students.

Granor replied, "The expansion of the inquiry from the Senate to all intermediate and higher-ranking mages in northern Valois was precisely due to your public principles. I apologize, Master Cano, for not informing you sooner; after all, you are always only awake in the afternoon."

"It's alright," Cano corrected the other person's mistake, "but I stay alert at all times."

"Is that so?" Granor opened the file like a dossier, and he played the role of judge or adjudicator on the stage: "Let Mage Rorschach step forward first. I will ask you questions, and you only need to answer 'yes' or 'no'."

Chairman Morrel summoned a mage: "Mr. Rorschach, to ensure the effectiveness of the interrogation, this sir will cast a [True Word] spell on you to ensure that your reactions are genuine. Please do not resist with your will."

"Can I remain silent in certain situations?"

"Of course, but silence itself will also be a factor in the jury's decision."

A spell enveloped Rorschach, and the person responsible for casting the spell nodded to Granor to indicate that the spell had been successfully cast.

"Master Rorschach, you come from the Empire?"

"Yes."

"One year ago, you graduated from the Imperial Royal Magic Academy."

"No." Kano was also taken aback, but thankfully the [True Word] spell didn't force Rorschach to answer only yes or no. He added, "Strictly speaking, it hasn't even been a year yet."

Granor paused for a moment, then uttered the most crucial question: "Mage Rorschach, have you accepted the Empire's assignment to come to the Holy Kingdom with any other mission besides study and research?"

Granor is accusing this mid-level mage of being a spy sent by the Empire! If Rorschach answers yes, it would be a huge scandal for the chief of the Tower of Stars to harbor a spy.

Upon hearing this, not only the jury but also Cano stared at Rorschach's retreating figure.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Rorschach, who possessed the [True Word] spell, remained calm and composed, answering clearly and without hesitation: "No."

Granor turned to look at the person in charge of the spell, who shook his head, indicating that the [True Word] spell was still effective.

In Rorschach's inner pocket, a small bead glowed silently. It represented the will of Chulimo, the protector of merchants and travelers, and the god of change and deception!

It is speculated that Rorschach, who possesses a similar "truth serum" technique, "recharged" the Pearl of Balan before entering the venue.

This guy has helped me a lot twice, so Rorschach decided that he wouldn't reward it openly, but would secretly reward it in some way.

"Not at all?" Granor rephrased the question: "Have you ever received any funding from the Empire?"

"Yes," Rorschach added, "I come from the countryside, and without funding, I wouldn't even have enough money for the trip to Valuwana."

This surprised everyone, except for Cano, who already knew about it from Caroline. Rorschach didn't care; these people simply couldn't understand the significance of the title "I am the son of a farmer."

The room fell into a brief, noisy murmur. Granor quelled the disturbance and reiterated, "Please answer 'yes' or 'no', Venerable Rorschach."

However, the core question he had prepared for Rorschach did not have the desired effect. Granol asked it several more times and felt that this kid was not someone to be trifled with. Instead of rushing to accuse Rorschach, he changed his approach and asked Pascal to step forward.

"Is it my turn?" Pascal was a little worried. He hadn't expected to encounter [True Word] before entering the arena.

At this moment, Kano, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "Wait!"

All eyes turned to the chief judge below the stage. Granor sensed something was amiss, but Cano gave him no time to react: "Since this is an open and fair trial, I don't think we should keep everyone hiding behind the scenes. Everyone should be honest with each other; only then will the subsequent vote have credibility!"

To everyone's surprise, Kano began casting a spell. The full power of an archmage made the ether in the venue seem to boil. Snow, far away in the Starlight Torch Tower, seemed to receive some signal. He commanded the second "reactor" to output surging ether, activating the antenna that pierced through the Starlight Torch Tower, and a pre-set spell was "broadcast".

Inside the venue, everyone could only watch Cano's movements with trepidation. Soon after, the owls on the right began to hoot and flap their wings, their feathers flying everywhere.

"What are you doing!" Granor roared, but the spell was already complete. All the owls began to distort, and spatial rifts appeared in each corresponding position. An invisible force pulled out the mages who were originally "unable to be present".

Some were dressed in aristocratic formal attire, others in nightgowns, and some even had to cover their private parts with their limbs. But without exception, they were all panicked and terrified to find themselves completely unable to resist Cano's summons.

Yes, Kano "invited" all the monks who had used owl synesthesia to attend the meeting to the venue. He looked around, his tone still relaxed: "I didn't expect so many people to attend such a serious meeting without being properly dressed."

Luo Xia thought about it: if online classes were held during the pandemic, could the teacher physically bring him to the classroom? He shuddered.

"Arrogance! Arrogance!" Granor slammed his fist on the table, screaming, "The root of your student's behavior lies with you! I impeach you! I will never allow Lionel Cano to serve as the chief mage of the Tower of Stars, representing our Holy Kingdom!"

Cano remained unmoved by the hysteria; though he was in the audience, his figure appeared towering in the dimly lit hall; despite the screams around him, his voice clearly reached everyone's ears:

"Now that everyone has arrived, the real trial shall begin."

(End of this chapter)