Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  “I don’t know. It is difficult to guess the Sacred City’s thoughts.” Mr. Hu chuckled bitterly. “After all, didn’t the Pope say that they’ll judge with justice?”

  “That is what’s hard to understand.” The Asgardian ambassador played with his beard and looked up at the empty seat of the judge. There was no problem of dealing with justice but who was responsible? The pope had been appearing less and less. More and more power was given to the other departments. Other than Knights Templar, there were no other directly controlled troops.

  Many said that if the previous popes who worked hard in ruling knew about this, they would be turning in their graves. After years of political wars, all the power was finally in the hands of one man but the current King of Red tossed it back out without hesitation.

  It was as if he truly was a devout monk who did not care about the outside world. This had caused the Ecclesiastical Order to strengthen. This originally small ascetic group now influenced the majority of departments in the background. Its influence was still growing. Sometimes, they even affected the Cardinals.

  These old guys should have been waiting for death. But now, they received some mysterious power and even their relatives benefited. They paced through the city like wraiths.

  They had not done anything major yet, but the farsighted ones had realized that the Ecclesiastical Order were preparing to edit the Third Amendment…they wished to recover the Sacred City’s supreme glory from centuries ago.

  No country wished to see the Sacred City ruling above them, no matter how holy it was. This was why the relationships between the City and countries had become more complicated. Ye Qingxuan’s trial became critical.

  Without a doubt, Anglo would not let it go if it was not dealt with well or if it could not placate the public. In everyone’s eyes, it was as if an invisible hand was rubbing the fuse now. No one wanted to see that.

  Thus, everyone on either side gazed in silence. Today was the first trial for Ye Qingxuan’s case. How would it end?

  -

  At this moment, heavy footsteps sounded. Everyone’s expressions became serious. According to customs, the judge would arrive five to ten minutes late to express his high status and power. Borja did not break this custom today. He was perfectly five minutes late, not a second more or less.

  When the second hand pointed to twelve, he sat into his seat and pounded the gavel, announcing the start of the trial.

  Borja was a middle-aged man who took care of his health. About thirty-years-old, he was at the height of his life. To all the other departments, his first impression was being strict. He was inflexible like a machine and did not understand the rules outside the world of law. Four years ago, he exiled his own brother here.

  He used to be the most popular choice for the Borja family’s inheritor. The Borjas’ reputation in the Sacred City was comparable to the Sforzas. Three popes in history had this surname. However, after he exiled his brother, the family passed the title of family leader to his uncle.

  To most people, he was a crazy man who cared more for law than his family. He was like the bastard child that the Sacred City laws accidentally left behind.

  With him as the judge, no one would suspect he would be biased. As everyone gazed solemnly, he pounded the gavel.

  “The court shall begin now.”

  -

  As everyone expected, the Sacred City was the Sacred City. They would not start with uncontrolled yelling and violent fighting.

  After a bureaucratic process and tests, the Sacred City’s prosecutor finally read Ye Qingxuan’s indictment and accused him of the crimes. There were more than thirty crimes! At least sixteen were enough to give him the death sentence.

  Under the prosecutor’s strong and furious voice, everyone involuntarily straightened their backs and looked at the lawyer of the accused.

  The show was coming!

  “Many musicians were killed in the Romulusian disaster of October. During this event, not only did Ye Qingxuan show signs of fear and encouraged others to escape with him, he even created an imaginary refuge and lied that he had found important evidence of the King of Yellow.

  “Afterward, because of his own desires, he ignored the military commands and the Sacred City’s laws. He forced his way into the mutated region. Because of his brash actions, the situation became unsalvageable.

  “He then resisted being arrested by the sanctors. After killing one and wounding seventeen, he was still unsatisfied and moved his hatred toward the Sacred City.

  “Not only did he crazily pursue a member of the Church, he finally killed mercilessly before the Sacred City gates on November 19th. During this attack, Ye Qingxuan killed Colt, the much respected hero of the Romulusian War, before the public’s eyes. He manipulated the public, attacked the Sacred City, and created a horribly negative influence. His sin is unforgivable!

  “His evil intentions and cruel actions have never been seen in the past hundred years. Here, I earnestly request the Sacred Court to make a ruling. Otherwise, the fairness of law and the prestige of the Sacred City will be destroyed!”

  420 Questioning

  Ye Qingxuan’s defense attorney was a lawyer from Avalon named Aldrich, an old man who seemed to be losing all his hair. The old man spoke in a very low pace. Ten minutes was still not enough for one hundred words. It was quite annoying.

  Most of the time, the old man seemed to be in a daze. When it was his turn to speak, he would ask the speaker repeat because of his deaf ears. Sometimes, he even forgot some legal provisions so that he had to open the ever-so-thick legal encyclopedia to check. The book seemed to be as old as he was, plastered with notes, and the notes were so dense that people needed a magnifying glass to read it.

  There were two young men beside him responsible for serving the tea and other logistic works. Sometimes, they would pat on his back to help him breathe…

  People would definitely question about whether the old man’s lawyer license was still valid since he was so old. But in fact, the old man’s professionalism was beyond doubt. When he showed up, one could tell how tough he was from the face of the prosecutor. In addition to having acquired six of the lawyer’s licenses which could be used in various countries, Aldrich also served as the vice principal of Avalon National Second College. He was definitely the leading authority in the field of law. Almost all the high judges of Anglo could be counted as his students!

  Sixty years ago, when the old man was thirty, he had taken part in the refurbishment and assessment of the law of the Sacred City. The older, the trickier. Now, the old guy was thick-skinned and as annoying as gum under one’s shoe. He kept spacing out with closed eyes during the whole process. He would say a few words from time to time but every word he said just happened to meet the other’s omissions. Taking advantage of his seniority, the old man recalled his years. He spoke so slowly and incoherently that listeners had to control their impulse of turning him upside down to dump out his words.

  It had been three hours since the trial began but the two sides were still quarrelling about what Ye Qingxuan had done at Auschwitz one month ago. The range of their topic got larger and larger. Almost all the musicians and schools involved in the trial of Auschwitz were dragged in.

  If the judge met the old man’s wish, merely the investigation of evidence would need three more months of preparation. Then the trial would be expected to take up to one year! He was trying to buy time!

  “Don’t drag things on with him.” Next to the prosecutor, the one who dressed as a clerk glanced at the old man who was still closing his eyes and whispered, “What Aldrich, that older turtle, is best at is buying time. The longest property case he participated in was a decade-long… Anglo is not sure about this case, so they dragged him out. You should not be carried away by his words. Just pass through those details. There are thirty charges. Confirm any of those charges and we will win.”

  The prosecutor was silent for a moment and then put down his manuscript. He pulled out
another thick stack of documents from the suitcase next to him. He was going to change his strategy.

  Aldrich opened his eyes a crack, glanced at them, and closed again as if he was contemplating. But the mouth under the thick and white beard opened slightly. He spoke hoarsely, “Get my glasses and medicine.”

  “Professor…” The student next to Aldrich hesitated but seemed to see something surging in that pair of old eyes.

  “No more delay. If the other party does not follow my rhythm, I can’t importune anymore. Otherwise, it would give the judge an excuse to expel me.” Aldrich opened his mouth, swallowed two green capsules, and drank half cup of hot water. He vaguely muttered, “This time, I’ll pull no punches. Let’s speed up. We can’t step back now. If we take a step back, the client will be pushed down the cliff. We have to stand before him.”

  It was obvious that his old, dispirited look vanished. He looked up with his cloudy eyes open wide like a furious boa spitting out a decadent breath that had been stored in his lungs.

  “Don’t worry about me. When I was young, I killed so many people with my moves. This can’t beat me down.” He put down the glass and said, “Your Honor, we question the so-called ‘hero’ the prosecutor mentioned before! As far as I know, the Sacred City has never once admitted that there is any so-called war hero. The halo around Colt was nothing more than a folktale.

  “The Romulusian incident has not yet been formally finished. Regardless of the connection between the latest ‘Winged Folk’ in the Dark World, I would just like to correct a point based on the evidence we have now that Colt is by no means a bright and upright hero like what the prosecutor said. On the contrary, much evidence proves his dark nature.

  “Isn’t it too rash for the prosecutor to ignore the reality and characterize the incident as such? Moreover, the contribution made by my client in Romulus is obvious to all musicians and cannot be denied by anyone!

  “If the title of hero does exist, it should not belong to someone who chases fame and seeks glory like Colt!”

  The prosecutor froze. He did not expect Aldrich would take the initiative to stop the meaningless entanglement, but at the same time…he felt annoyed. The old man was getting serious.

  It was really troublesome.

  “The investigation of the Silent Authority shall prevail,” the prosecutor retorted. “No one is qualified to question Colt until the results of the investigation come out.”

  “Really?” Aldrich threw out a document and sneered. “Even if Colt has confessed his sins to so many people at the gate of the Sacred City?”

  “What is said in the situation where one’s personal freedom couldn’t be guaranteed cannot be used as evidence!” The prosecutor glared at Aldrich. “Moreover, as far as I know, Ye Qingxuan is an outstanding musician of the School of Mind. How can you conclude that he did not use his ability to force Colt to utter some words that he didn’t mean to say?”

  Aldrich reached out and the student handed him another document. “According to the autopsy results, there is neither aether residue in Colt’s brain nor did signs show that he was forcibly controlled by Mind movements.”

  “No matter how you try to argue, you cannot change the fact that this was a deliberate murder! Even many clergymen died because of this.” The prosecutor asked in return, “If Colt truly is guilty, then why did Ye Qingxuan not tell the Sacred City to let him be investigated and tried but chose to disregard the law and use public lynching? Is it acceptable to kill people as long as there is a righteous excuse?”

  Aldrich laughed when he heard that. For some reason, the prosecutor became instinctively uneasy.

  “I want to correct one point.” Aldrich raised a finger and said, “It has nothing to do with the law. It is a duel between musicians.”

  The prosecutor was stunned.

  “If I remember correctly, because of the complexity and specificity of the musicians themselves, there is a rule in the Sacred City, which is that a duel can be waged with the consent of both musicians. To die or live depends on their destiny. In such a confrontation, there is no need to take legal responsibility.”

  Aldrich slowly opened the law encyclopedia and read aloud the relevant provisions word by word. He looked up to the judge. “Your Honor, is there any fallacy from what I said?”

  “Nonsense!” The prosecutor was furious. “The duel has its inherent etiquette. How can it be confused with this despicable murder?”

  Judge Borja’s face was still indifferent. He just nodded. “Defender, pay attention to your words. Do not confuse the definitions.”

  “Did I?” Aldrich nodded. “Then look at the evidence. I think it’s enough to justify the duel. This is a recording that a Revelations musician read from the aether. As for the restoration of the scene, I think the prosecutor also has a copy at hand. It is enough to prove the authenticity of the evidence.”

  The small aether ball was given to the court musicians. After being activated, the image was projected into the air. A vague and panicked voice was heard.

  “I…you…no…Ye-Ye Qingxuan…it can still be salvaged! Yes, it can still be salvaged! Don’t be brash. I can—”

  A melted sword was stabbed to the ground.

  “Come, Colt. Haven’t you always been waiting for this moment?” It was Ye Qingxuan’s voice. “I’ll give you the chance for a fair fight. If you’re a man, pick up the sword. You can do anything. Just stop talking.”

  After a long silence, the figure that represented Colt pulled the sword out.

  “You will regret, Ye Qingxuan. You’ll definitely regret…”

  The scene stopped here abruptly. It was a long silence.

  The prosecutor turned livid.

  In the past, this was just a common dialogue, but from the perspective of the Duel Law, this fully complied with the rules. The only missing part was a notary. Moreover, since Anglo had proposed this bill, they would certainly not omit this premise. Maybe they had dug a trap, waiting him jump in. In this case, he had to use another strategy…

  Thinking of this, he hesitated. He looked at Aldrich’s calm face but began to hesitate. Was this a trap that the old fox had set for him?

  Ye Qingxuan had offended so many seemingly guaranteed and irrefutable charges, but for lawyers like Aldrich, who had played with the disciplines for most of his life, there must be many loopholes for him to take advantage of.

  Getting rid of the negative strategy before, the old man became so radical. Was there something he was very sure about?

  The prosecutor’s neck was drenched with sweat. Soon, a note was pushed over by the recorder next to him without a trace. When the prosecutor glanced at the note, his eyes brightened. He raised his voice. “I request to question the suspect Ye Qingxuan!”

  Aldrich frowned. “I object!”

  “The objection is invalid.” The judge pounded the gavel and nodded to show his permission.

  Aldrich’s expression didn’t change but a hint of gloominess flashed in his eyes. If they could not find a breakthrough from him then they would just turn to the suspect… At the beginning of the game, no one knew what cards were in the other’s hands or what kind of traps the prosecutors were setting.

  If Ye Qingxuan said one wrong sentence… no, a wrong word, it would cause big trouble!

  Seeing the prosecutor coming forward, Aldrich deliberately raised his voice. He almost offended the court, saying to Ye Qingxuan. “Mr. Ye, you do not have to speak nor answer any of his questions. They cannot force the suspect to testify. You have the right to remain silent. If his question is offensive, I will interrupt him at any time.”

  The judge pounded the gavel to warn him once. “Mr. Aldrich, I hope you will not interfere with the normal order of the court.” Borja said coldly, “The prosecutor can start questioning now.”

  The prosecutor smiled and looked at Ye Qingxuan. The young man was looking at him too. At that moment, the prosecutor was dazed as if his mind was blurred. Only that pair of eyes remained in his vision, alm
ost making him lose his mind. The next moment, he woke up and broke free from the illusion. But that pair of eyes was still looking at him. Somehow, he was flustered.

  “Your eyes are nice.” Before the prosecutor asked, Ye Qingxuan uttered, “I’ve seen that in many people’s eyes…” He paused, frowning. “You want to kill me?”

  The prosecutor froze. His face subconsciously twitched a bit. He curbed the impulse to look back. But Ye Qingxuan seemed to have an insight into what he wanted to do. He turned his eyes to the prosecutor’s original seat and to the recorder next to his seat. His expression grew puzzled.

  “You want to look at him?” Ye Qingxuan asked. “Why?”

  The prosecutor was stunned with pale look. “Ye Qingxuan, now I am questioning you…”

  “He saw through you.” There was a sigh behind him. The recorder got up, took off the awkward round frame glasses on his face, revealing a thin and ordinary face with grey hair, and shook his head. “Let me do this.”

  The prosecutor froze. His complexion turned quickly. Aldrich’s face also turned pale.

  “Bastian…” Aldrich said with a sneer, “I didn’t expect that the famous judge of the Sacred City would even be willing to be a recorder. Don’t you feel ashamed to let such a young man take the lead?”

  “The young need experience, Aldrich. The old need to give the young chances.”

  Before Aldrich could reply, Bastian submitted his identity card and qualifications in accordance with the procedure.

  Soon, Judge Borja nodded. “Qualified.”

  So Bastian came forward. He gazed at Ye Qingxuan’s eyes politely. He looked solemn but not offensive. He just took a stack of papers from the original prosecutor and said lightly. “Mr. Ye Qingxuan, I’ll show you a few things. I hope you will tell me your true feelings truthfully after reading.”

  A moment later, Ye Qingxuan nodded.

  But as Bastian pulled out a picture, Lancelot, sitting quietly in the corner, suddenly looked up. Coldness flashed past his eyes.