How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 229 Trial and Hanging

At the royal court of Susas, a place where the most powerful people in the entire kingdom gathered, a fierce argument was taking place.

After receiving the message from their spies, the nobles argued and quarreled among themselves.

The speaker and deputy speaker at the front were trying their best to maintain order, but to no avail.

"How dare that acting dean of the magic academy! This is overstepping his bounds! The local council's authority to handle this matter must go through us—"

"Damn it! What will he do next? Does he dare to conduct a trial without our involvement?! That's a nobleman! Not someone a Nord can handle!"

"Contact the Mage Academy and immediately recall that acting dean to his post and dismiss him. Also, send someone to Twin Harbor—"

"That's right! Since many nobles in Twin Harbors are colluding with that cult called the Church of Death, then the nobles' authority should be redefined—I recommend the Stroud family!"

The crowd was in an uproar. Since learning of Kane and the Mage Academy's actions, this noble council had been going on for more than three days.

Some demanded that Parliament severely punish Kane's overstepping of his authority, while others approved of the purge of the Church of the Dead but refused to approve of his unauthorized trial of nobles.

Many others are also scheming to secure a place for their families in the Twin Harbors, a market with no clear interests.

Looking down at the chaotic meeting hall, Grayson frowned in a separate room directly above the right side of the council hall.

The current first in line to the throne looked at the two hooded mages beside him and asked in a deep voice, "These guys have been arguing about the same issue for three whole days without reaching a conclusion. They're all thinking about their own interests, and they don't even dare to mention mobilizing troops to arrest people directly."

Meanwhile, the Nord named Kane had already completely taken control of the Twin Harbor council, arresting all those who colluded with the Church of the Dead.

Thinking of the other person, a hint of resentment flashed in Grayson's eyes, but it was mixed with a few undisguised admirations.

After all, although the other party had thwarted his plans time and time again, they acted decisively.

In contrast, the nobles below him, who only knew how to fight for power in the parliament, filled him with a deep-seated disgust.

The two hooded monks exchanged a glance and remained silent.

Grayson looked at the two men, his tone softening slightly: "I apologize, Master Silas and Master Andrew. I previously suggested that you two take up positions as branch deans at the Mage Academy as soon as possible, but I didn't expect that a simple test by the Noble Council would be rejected so easily."

However, this time, the academy has already revealed its weaknesses. Rest assured, I have ample grounds to hold them accountable.

The two hooded mages shook their heads upon hearing this. The hooded man on the left spoke up, "It's alright, we have enough patience. But Your Highness, although you can raise the issue of accountability, if the Mage Academy continues to protect you, you, relying solely on the Council, will ultimately be unable to shake the Academy's foundation. Moreover, Your Majesty's current situation is inconvenient—"

His Majesty.

A dangerous glint flashed in Grayson's eyes, but he quickly composed himself and slowly said, "In any case, spread the rumors first. Say that this acting branch dean from the Nord is massacring the citizens and nobles of Sussas under the pretext of fighting heretical churches, and that he is very likely a spy planted by the Nord."

"But the news we've received so far suggests that he hasn't actually taken action against the nobles yet—won't this provoke a full-scale counterattack from the mage academy?"

"Ignore it. I have obtained a key witness who can not only confirm that the previous prophecy accusing my father of being cursed by a demonic cult was a fabrication."

This also proves that the current situation requires the intervention of the royal court in the affairs of the mage academy to quell the chaos.

Witnesses?

The two hooded monks looked puzzled. Just then, the door was pushed open, and led by royal guards, an old man with a hunched back and weak breathing slowly walked in.

Flint!

Upon recognizing the newcomer as the former headmaster of the Prophecy Division, the two royal mages were instantly visibly shocked and deeply shaken.

Flint looked at everyone in the room with a faint smile on his face, but there was a resolute look in his eyes, and his hands clenched tightly in the shadows.

Meanwhile, on the water in the Twin Harbor residential area, a makeshift courtroom has been set up.

Despite the sheriffs' best efforts to maintain order on the main road, boats from all directions still blocked the waterway, and even the surrounding tributaries were packed with people.

The land next to the residential area was densely packed with people.

Countless residents of Twin Harbors watched with mixed feelings as rows of nobles were escorted up to the courtroom by the sheriff.

Among them were lords, barons, and even earls, and their titles included guild presidents, members of parliament, noble ladies, and so on.

Without exception, except for the elderly, women and children, everyone was dressed in rough linen prison clothes, covered in dust, with their hands tied behind their backs, and was led like livestock to the front of the wooden courtroom, next to which stood a tall gallows.

The nobles reacted in various ways to the strange looks cast upon them by their former subjects and servants, whom they had once regarded as lowly.

"Kane, you lowly Nord who stole power—the court of Sussas will not let you get away with this! Prince Grayson will avenge me!"

"No, Dean Kane, please spare me! I'll give you everything I have! My lover, my land, and my guild! Just let me go!"

"Damn it! My death must be honorable! You damned civilians! Get out of here—"

Roars, insults, pleas for mercy—all sorts of voices came from the mouths of these nobles.

Hearing these voices, the onlookers had various expressions. Seeing these usually high-ranking figures stripped of their halos and exposed for their ugly side, many people began to whisper among themselves, suspecting that this was nothing more than a power struggle.

These nobles were merely scapegoats pushed out to the rescue.

Just then, several sheriffs suddenly shouted, "Boats over here, make way! We've got the evidence!"

"Evidence?"

Not only the common people, but even the nobles who were bound hand and foot and awaiting trial looked up in astonishment.

Just then, a fleet of dozens of ships slowly approached on the main waterway.

Even with dark clouds obscuring the sun, the faint light could still clearly illuminate the piles of white bones on the ship, resembling small mountains.

The bones were layered upon layered, making it impossible to distinguish their parts, and they covered the entire boat in a dense mass.

The overwhelming expanse of white bones instantly captivated the attention of everyone present.

Just then, on the ship at the very front of the fleet, a man with black hair and black eyes, dressed in a gray-white robe, slowly appeared, escorted by a group of red-robed mages.

It was Kane.

He swept his gaze across everyone present, taking in their expressions:

The nobles on trial were filled with hatred and fear towards him, the common people were filled with doubt, incomprehension and awe, while the sheriffs looked at him with only fanaticism and respect.

Having taken in all of this, his voice, amplified by magic, resonated clearly across the entire water: "These remains belong to residents of Twin Harbor who have perished in the last hundred years. They should have been cremated and buried in the floating cemetery, their souls guided to the divine realm, but now..."

He pointed to the nobles in the court with their various expressions and said in a firm voice: "It was these nobles who colluded with the Church of the Dead in secret, handing over all the remains of these deceased who should have been at peace to the Church of the Dead in order to summon an army of the dead!"

Their actions have utterly desecrated the peace of the deceased!

They betrayed Susas! They betrayed the gods! And they betrayed all of you!

As soon as he finished speaking, all the onlookers stared in disbelief at the bound noble prisoner. Any remaining sympathy and doubt vanished instantly, replaced by overwhelming anger.

In the tradition of Twin Harbor, after the remains of elders and relatives are cremated and buried, their souls are allowed to go to the divine realm.

But now they realize that it was all a scam!

Their deceased relatives and friends were turned into undead creatures!

In the tradition of Sussus, becoming a ghost means that the soul will never be freed!

"Judge them!" "Kill them!" "Judge them!"

At first, there were only a few shouts, but they quickly coalesced into a deafening roar that echoed for a long time in the makeshift courtroom.

Moreover, as the shouts grew louder, some commoners and children picked up stones and hurled them at the nobles in the court.

A piece of gravel struck the face of a baron who had just been shouting insults at everyone, instantly drawing blood.

But he dared not utter any more insults, for he saw the hatred and anger surging in countless eyes around him.

He had seen such eyes in the eyes of a servant he had ordered executed, but he never imagined that one day, countless such eyes would be staring at him.

Extreme fear instantly seized his mind.

"Let the trial begin."

Kane glanced at the sheriff who had approached him and nodded slightly. The sheriff bowed slightly and immediately turned to give the order.

Soon, the formal trial began.

One by one, the evidence of their crimes was clearly read aloud, and the nobles, whose guilt was undeniable, were put on nooses and pushed onto the gallows in turn.

As the wooden planks beneath their feet were pulled away, their bodies were instantly suspended in mid-air. At first, they would desperately struggle, gripping the noose tightly with both hands, but they quickly ran out of strength and stopped breathing, their faces turning blue as they hung in mid-air.

This scene repeats itself again and again.

As their companions fell to the law one after another, when it was their turn to face final judgment, the nobles who had been blustering one moment and were now trembling with fear the next, instantly broke down in tears, some even losing control of their bladders on the spot.

Kane remained expressionless, coldly watching as one criminal after another was sent to the gallows.

Every time a sinner was hanged, the civilians of Twin Harbor below would erupt in a deafening cheer.

As the last criminal was brought to justice, Kane slowly walked to the front of the trial platform, taking over the position of the sheriff who had just read out the incriminating evidence. He proclaimed loudly, "The sinners have been executed! I will personally take the remains of all the desecrated dead to the Susas Royal Court, requesting the royal family to summon their exclusive priests to purify them, and then incinerate them with flames, so that their souls may be completely freed from desecration and regain peace!"

Upon hearing this decision, the crowd erupted in an even more fervent roar, with countless expressions of gratitude and shouts mingling together.

"Long live Susas!" "Long live Susas!" "Long live Susas!"

Amidst the deafening cheers of the crowd, Kane stepped down from the judgment platform and boarded the waiting ship.

Logan Susas was looking at him with a very complicated expression on his face from the side of the ship.

As the ship slowly sailed away, Logan Susas spoke first: "Dean Kane, the priests of the royal court are mostly just there to demonstrate the legitimacy of the royal family; they don't have any extraordinary power to purify these corpses."

Kane said calmly, "But that's enough, isn't it? Only in this way can the residents of Twin Harbors sleep peacefully."

No one can accept that their ancestors will be desecrated after death, especially since the current ether concentration in the material plane is simply insufficient to support these souls traveling to other planes such as the divine realm or the abyss.

Logan Susas looked at Kane, who spoke in a nonchalant tone, and asked in a low voice, "Kane, what exactly do you want to do? Now you have control of the entire council of Twin Harbors, command of the legions and the sheriffs, and even the people here, after this trial, only trust you."

"You—do you want this country?"

"No."

Kane looked at Logan Susas and said slowly.

"Power can indeed be addictive, but I have absolutely no interest in politics."

My only goal is to gather as much strength as possible before the real crisis arrives.

"Crisis? You mean that duke?" Logan Susas frowned.

"No, it's not just him." Kane shook his head.

Have you ever seen an overwhelming army of demons? If one day a rift were torn open between the material plane and the abyss, what would we use to seal it?

His gaze was firm as he said, word by word, "We need more power, and not a single bit can be wasted."

Saving the material plane has never been just my responsibility, or even just the responsibility of our mage academy.

"I understand. I'll be watching you, and I hope you won't break your promise." Logan Susas stared intently at Kane.

The latter simply smiled indifferently.

Compared to true supernatural power, all worldly authority is far too uninteresting.

The group returned to the parliament hall.

The place, which had just undergone a major trial, became the mages' new temporary stronghold after the bloodstains were cleaned up by specialists, while Sophia temporarily took on the responsibilities of the administrative head.

Upon Kane's return, she immediately stepped forward to report: "After clearing out the families with proven crimes, we have seized a total of 12 gold coins in cash, as well as land deeds, ships, and other properties, the exact value of which is currently unknown."

After deducting 3 gold coins for compensation and bounties paid to the legion and mercenaries, we currently have a cash surplus of 9 gold coins—a truly enormous sum.

Sofia's eyes flickered slightly, and she spoke in a low voice.

Kane frowned slightly.

He had long heard of the wealth of Twin Ports as a commercial port, but the fact that such a huge amount of wealth could be seized by only clearing out some of the noble families involved was still beyond his expectations.

Money is important, but the most crucial thing is how to transform that money into real combat power.

He looked at Sophia and said, "Sophia, from now on, you will be in full charge of the administration of Twin Ports."

"Dean, I can't do it—I just—"

"Alright, no need to be modest. This job is no different from what you did at the Dark Brotherhood stronghold."

Moreover, you've handled numerous shady matters for the nobles of Twin Harbors; no one has more experience dealing with nobles and merchant guilds than you. I'll leave two second-tier mages to assist you—if you encounter any problems you can't solve, go to the Lamplighter's stronghold; the Lamplight Knight will help you.”

Sophia immediately understood Kane's implication and hurriedly asked, "Dean, are you leaving?"

"Yes. The matter of Twin Harbors has come to an end, but the Royal Court will never let it go. Rather than waiting passively here, I'd better take the initiative."

Kane frowned slightly at the thought of the still unconscious Zeno mage.

"Won't that be dangerous?!" Sophia frowned instantly, her face full of worry.

Kane said slowly, "There is definitely danger, so—this time when I go back, I will bring extra preparations."

"Ready?"

"The complete evidence of the Church of Death's crimes, and the elite of our legion that has survived a great war."