The Magic Thief Chapter 15:

In the spacious and magnificent auditorium of the City Hall, an unusually tense atmosphere filled it. At this moment, it was like a pot that had been burning on the fire for a long time, and the air was full of Dry and fiery taste.

There are two long rows of tables in the center, and the long and narrow rows of chairs are also neatly surrounded, leaving only one passage for people to come and go.

These long rows of chairs can easily accommodate thousands of people, and at the moment it still looks quite crowded, and many people even have to stand on both sides.

Most of these people appear to be emotional, and angry expressions are revealed on their faces. It is the big people who are sitting behind the long table in the center that are in great contrast to them. They seemed so laid-back, and seemed to ignore everything around them.

The other person who appears to be extremely leisurely is Grand Duke Shamm sitting in the lonely seat in the center. At this moment, he is the defendant under trial, but his expression looks like a victor. .

A dozen long swords were thrown on the open space next to them. Several well-dressed old craftsmen were carefully playing with these long swords. Some of them smashed the long swords with hammers and then used magnifying glass pieces. Close to the broken part and observe carefully, some of them are dripping colored liquid onto the sword body, and then carefully observe the speed and texture of the liquid and penetrate into the steel.

After fiddling for nearly half an hour, the elderly craftsmen finished all their work. They whispered to each other for a while, and then signed their names on a document.

This document immediately passed the hand of the guard officer next to it, and was carefully handed over to the Lord Earl who presided over the hearing.

"Everyone, please be quiet. Now the appraisal results of the appraisers are in my hands. I believe this document has at least mitigated the defendant’s one crime. Our weapons are not inferior goods, they are all standard equipment."

"Some of these appraisers were personally brought by me, some were from the Southern Corps Staff, and some were elected by everyone present. I think their impartiality is beyond doubt."

"If this document can be confirmed as correct, then at least in my opinion, this hearing is just a sad misunderstanding. It is obvious that a private dispute has caused the Southern Army Corps and their commanders. The unpleasant gap, but in my opinion, it’s not too late to close this gap. Let us mourn those soldiers who unfortunately lost their lives in this dispute that should have been avoided. Perhaps this can make them. The spirit of the sky is safe." The Lord Earl said leisurely.

The hearing host's words obviously aroused the anger of everyone in the audience, and there was a loud noise in the hall in an instant.

"Earl Komilan, with all due respect, this hearing is no longer just a hearing around the original bar murders. What we really intend to pursue is the whereabouts of nearly half a million taxes, your Excellency. Repeatedly entangled in places where we all have reached a consensus. As soon as we came up, we claimed that the evidence here was not sufficient, as if the military supplies department’s account clearly showed that the white-listed accounts were just some meaningless figures."

"Then your Excellency dragged the hearing to the quality of the weapons provided by Grand Duke Foss. Your harsh tone just now is still fresh in all of us here, as if the protagonist of this hearing was not Duke Shamm. It’s Archduke Fors."

"This even made us doubt. Who do you represent to come to this solemn and sacred place to preside over this hearing? Is it the General Staff? Or is it Grand Duke Kane, whom you love so much? If it is the latter , We can fully understand your purpose for doing this." Grand Duke Locke suddenly stood up and said loudly.

"Duke Locke, please pay attention to your words. You are obviously questioning the fairness and authority of the General Staff. Perhaps I should report what you just said in detail to the adults of the General Staff and let them come. Make a ruling." Grand Duke Milan looked extremely angry, and he said aggressively.

"I don’t know what you can complain about. What the Grand Duke suspects does not seem to be nonsense. Isn’t your relationship with the Kane family well known, and the long-standing grievances between the Kane family and the Firth family It has lasted for several centuries. What's more, does the General Staff mean justice? Huh! I don’t think so.” The middle-aged magician in long robes who had been standing next to Archduke Locke suddenly sneered. The tone said coldly.

According to the usual practice, the person standing by does not have the identity to speak at such a hearing, and those who break the rules will even be severely punished, but at this moment, it is clear that no one wants to attack the unruly speaker. Punishment, after all, everyone is afraid of the mysterious power represented by the magician.

And the Count Komilan also felt a dilemma. He then remembered that Archduke Locke was one of the few southern lords he could not provoke.

The power that the Grand Duke has is not bad. The most terrifying thing is that this guy has the help of magicians. Although the Kane family also employs some magicians, there is no such powerful figure around him. Act as a bodyguard.

What's more, even the earl himself doubted if he was killed by the magician because he angered Archduke Locke, whether the Kane family would send a magician to avenge him.

This possibility is extremely slim. Everyone knows that magicians are the least willing to be enemies with opponents who are also magicians. Even if the Kane family cares about their own life and death, I am afraid those magicians will do nothing.

As long as he thinks that he might be "sick and die" on the way, Earl Kermilan feels scared and worried. But what the magician said put him in a dilemma. The other party had already openly targeted the General Staff Headquarters. If he didn't say anything about it, I'm afraid the situation would be difficult to control.

At this moment, the Count Komilan deeply regrets why he had to solicit such a troublesome messenger.

Just as he was feeling dilemma, there was a commotion from outside, which just gave the hearing host a good opportunity to divert his attention.

"What happened, why is it so noisy outside?" the Lord Earl exclaimed angrily.

Several guards rushed out aggressively, and after a while, one of them ran back in a panic and said: "Report your lord, there was a riot in the square suddenly, and a group of people were standing in the square. The center is there to incite the people."

Hearing that Count Komilan was immediately furious, obviously he had never thought that his men could not even control this kind of thing.

"Are all the guards sleeping? Is the sword in your hands already rusted in the scabbard? In my opinion, there are many ways to deal with this ill-conceived chaotic party, whether it is in the torture room of the law enforcement team. The soldering iron and needle bed, the gallows and the guillotine are all specially set up for this kind of guy." The Lord Earl said furiously.

"Why didn't you arrest them? Maybe you can add some interesting sideshow to this hearing." Earl Milan began to question his hand.

"This--" The guard hesitated and said, "I'm afraid no one of us dared to rush to arrest those few people. No guard on the square dared to approach them, because among them, Have at least two magicians."

The guard officer had just finished speaking, and there was another bang in the city hall. Obviously, this news was far beyond everyone's expectations.

Even the Lord Earl didn't expect such a change to happen, and suddenly he felt that the situation had become very bad.

In fact, the General Staff is backed by the General Staff, and the commander-in-chief of the Southern Army is being tried. Because of this, no one thought that there would be strong figures in the southern states to stand up for doubt. The authority of the General Staff, as long as the hearings are controlled to a suitable level that is not too intense, can make the hearings end in failure, and at that time there will be no strong figures in the South. .

Almost all the plans were drawn up around the power of the lords of the southern states, counties and provinces, and it took a lot of time for the general staff of the plan.

But this plan did not take into account those who are not restricted by power at all-those magicians with special powers.

In their original view, magicians were all special people who never asked about politics. They would at best make suggestions for someone, but now the situation is obviously completely different from what they originally expected.

Arch Duke Locke’s troubles were already difficult for him to deal with because of the magicians around him, and at this moment two magicians suddenly appeared on the square. From their standpoint, these people are definitely not theirs. ally.

Earl Milan only felt that he had fallen into a huge quagmire. He began to think about how to get out of him. After all, he didn't want his return to be a road to hell.

After thinking for a moment, he had already made up his mind. The earl from the capital immediately turned around and said loudly to the lords: "Presumably you are already guessing where the sacred descended here. In this city, their trip is undoubtedly for this hearing. Instead of shutting them out, it is better to invite them into this sacred and solemn hearing venue. Perhaps they will bring us unexpected wisdom and determination."

Speaking, Count Kemilan ordered the guard officer: "You represent me to welcome the arrival of those uninvited guests. Since there are two magicians among them, I believe there is enough reason for us to show respect to them. ."

The guard accepted the order and went out.

"Open the doors! Open all the doors and let us welcome the arrival of the mysterious guests." Earl Ke Milan slapped his hands vigorously and said, he seemed quite excited, he could not see the anger just now. Look.

At this moment, the Grand Duke Shamm already feels something wrong. He no longer has the arrogance he had just now. He stared at the reopened gates, as if hiding behind these gates was enough to decide. The judge of his fate is average.

Others are also looking at the door, most people are full of expectation, they feel more and more that today this incident is a bit confusing, and the sudden appearance of the two magicians has caused this sensation in the south. The hearing was cast with a strange mystery

The rumble of war drums coming into this enclosed city hall looked extremely low and powerful, like the dull thunder before the storm. And the loud bugle sound looked unusually harsh, as if it was a bright electric light bursting out of the dark clouds suddenly.

Under the gaze of everyone, several tall figures appeared at the end of the gate. From the posture of their walking and the momentum they showed, everyone present felt an invisible pressure.

These people are getting closer and closer, and everyone can finally see the civilian costumes they are wearing, but no one will treat them as ordinary people at the moment. There is absolutely no way for ordinary civilians to have two magicians beside them. Accompany.

Suddenly, a burst of exclamation broke through the silence in the town hall: "His Royal Highness, Prince Henry, my goodness, it was Prince Henry who came here."

With this exclamation, others also recognized the mysterious visitor walking in the forefront.

As soon as he recognized Prince Henry, the officers of the Southern Corps stood up first. The lords were taken aback for a while, and quickly stood up afterwards.

Seeing this situation, Earl Milan was obviously a little shocked, but he calmed down immediately, because he had already thought of what to do next just now.

Anyway, the General Staff only wanted to create a disagreement between the Southern Army and Grand Duke Sham, anyway, it was originally only intended to make it difficult for the South to have a strong person who can influence the overall situation.

This matter has nothing to do with his own vital interests from the beginning to the end. Whether the South is safe or not, Grand Duke Shame can save his life, which originally has nothing to do with him, as long as you want to understand all this, things have become very clear.

From what it looks like now, Grand Duke Xia may be very difficult to preserve. Instead of tying himself and the sinking ship tightly together, it’s better to ride the ship and climb on the ship before it sinks completely. Get on another ship that is stronger and more secure.

At this moment, the Lord Earl has already abandoned his allies. He has even begun to think about how to make himself climb onto another big ship. Obviously, his series of performances just now made him tight. The ground is tied to the broken ship of Grand Duke Xia. At this moment, if you want to completely free yourself from these shackles, I am afraid that you have to sacrifice this gentleman who is already hopeless.

Make up his mind, the Lord Earl immediately assumed a humble and respectful look, showing the respect he could express with a trot and a bow with his head almost touching his knees.

Earl Kamilan’s actions were obviously beyond everyone’s expectations, but what was even more surprising was that the prince didn’t seem to care about any respect from the presiding officer of the hearing. He seemed He didn't even see the person in front of him bowing and saluting, and he didn't even pause for a while and walked straight to the long table in the center.

However, at this moment, no one would think that His Royal Highness's performance at this moment is too arrogant and unreasonable, because almost everyone feels a strong sense of oppression, which is like the unusually dull feeling before the storm. The feeling of suffocation and depression, those southern lords sitting underneath can all feel the powerful energy hidden behind this aura.

This is definitely not something that I can face and resist. Almost everyone has such a thought. At this moment, they feel shocked and fearful. Awe is spontaneously growing from the bottom of their hearts.

And the Count Komilan was already glad that he had just made the right bet, because just as the prince passed by his side, he felt a burst of murderous aura that made him creepy.

Carefully lifted his body slightly, the Count-sir secretly glanced at the prince's palace, the stalwart figure like a mountain, it also bears the astonishing momentum and incomparable majesty.

The Lord Earl suddenly seemed to be blank in his mind. This kind of coercive feeling was something he had never seen in the second person, even if the "bloodthirsty" leader who was known for his might and madness , Never made him feel so powerful and invincible.

Such characters are born to be monarchs and kings. This thought involuntarily popped up in the head of the Lord Earl.

Suddenly, he glanced occasionally and saw the indifferent and equally murderous look of the head of the "Garwind" who was acting as the guard.

The indifferent gaze, which was like a hard ice and a sharp blade, almost instantly made the Count Lord fall into an ice cave.

Count Ke Milan sighed heavily and stretched his fingers, as if his body was really frozen. This behavior made him feel a little better, and he suddenly realized that if he doesn’t express himself quickly Loyalty, I am afraid that the disaster of extinction will not only fall on the head of Duke Shamm.

Thinking of this, the Lord Earl suddenly straightened his waist and re-arranged an aspirational look and said loudly: "Everyone, this is probably a gift from the merciful Father God to us. The prince returned safely to Dalizhi. He can appear here at this moment. It must be the arrangement and guidance of God the Father. If it is the will of the gods, we mortals must not violate it. Here I suggest that from now on His Royal Highness presided over this hearing."

Earl Kamilan’s proposal was obviously beyond everyone’s expectations, and even Prince Henry had never expected it, but he did not show any surprise or surprise.

Looking at the prince’s composure, Ribo did admire a bit. He could also do this himself, but that was the result of Eckert’s painstaking training. At this moment, he already believes that if he can be called If the above is a qualified actor, then the prince also has a very good performance qualifications.

"No, I protest, he has no right to try me at all." The only objection was the defendant, whose shouts seemed to have taken all his energy.

Haven’t waited until the Count Komilan could behave, the prince had already walked up to the defendant in a few strides with incomparable momentum, as if a gust of wind swept across the hall, that was extremely strong. The aura even made the lords sitting on the rows of chairs around them involuntarily leaned back, and the Grand Duke Xia, who was the client, sat down on the dock prepared for him with a pale face.

Prince Henry glared majesticly at the pale defendant, and slowly raised his right hand to his cousin.

"You said I have no right to judge you." Prince Henry said in an unusually low and slow voice. Suddenly his voice exploded like thunder: "Look at the pattern on my finger. Chapter, tell me what I just said again."

The deafening roar almost completely destroyed the pale grand prince’s will in an instant. He curled up, wrapped his arms around his head, his face showed an expression as if he was about to cry. At this moment, he looked like a child facing an angry father holding a cane, and his miserable appearance even made everyone feel sympathetic.

But at this moment, no one is in the mood to sympathize with this greedy man. In fact, the thunderous roar also made them tremble. These lords are like a group of students facing the majestic teacher at this moment. He even seemed to have seen the heavy pointer.

"This is the coat of arms that my father gave me when I left Dalizhi." His Royal Highness once again said slowly in a low tone: "The coat of arms that symbolizes kingship!" His roar was shocked again. The whole city hall shocked everyone here: "You just said that I was not qualified to put you on trial?" The prince lowered his tone again: "In my opinion, every triumphant person is qualified to You are sentenced to death." The deafening voice caused the poor defendant to cry in public, as if he was a sad child.

"This is really a shame." Prince Henry turned slowly, and glanced around, all the lords that his eyes scanned involuntarily bowed their heads.

The deep and powerful voice echoed throughout the city hall, and the invisible coercion even shrank the neck of the faint-hearted.

"This is the shame of the Kingdom of Terry, a shame that has never been seen before. Putting a greedy hand on the soldiers' heads. Do you know what this means?" Prince Henry scanned the crowd again angrily : "But what is even more shameful is that such behavior has not been punished."

"Neither Francis nor Ilei, or even in a cowardly country like Xibai, has never happened to this kind of thing. The only thing to do this blatantly without worrying about being punished is Austria, which has already been annexed by us. Tire."

"What is this?"

His Royal Highness asked in an unusually low voice, and suddenly thunder fell on this magnificent city hall again: "This is a shortcut to the destruction of the country."

After all this, the prince slowly walked back to Count Kemiran, gave him a cold look and said: "The reason why I am here today is not to do anything to anyone. At the trial, I also don’t plan to change the hearing procedure at this moment. I just want to stand aside. I just want to see whether justice and majesty will come to this solemn and sacred place."

After that, His Royal Highness Prince Henry walked to the back of the long table and sat down slowly.

I don’t know who it is, the first one stood up, and then the lords who participated in the hearing stood up one after another, and everyone bowed neatly to express their respect for the prince. , Two completely different expressions of solemnity and joy appeared on their faces at the same time.

Seeing this situation and this scene, Ribo standing by was deeply impressed. This is obviously not his original script, but the effect at this moment is obviously far beyond the script he made.

He was absolutely sure that the earl from the capital would no longer dared to turn to Grand Duke Shamm. The fate of the greedy and miserly man was clearly determined.

He even suspected that after this unexpectedly successful performance, perhaps the Southern Corps would sincerely obey the new commander

The hearing was finally able to proceed, but this time there were no twists and turns. In fact, the results of the hearing were already within everyone’s expectations. The only thing that was not expected was the earl who presided over the hearing. My lord has become so severe.

In the end, it was like a representative of the Southern Army Corps interceding for the defendant. This unexpected contrast made all the lords who participated in the hearing feel ridiculous.

In fact, when the hearing was halfway through, the lords did not put their minds on the hearing, and the noisy noise below completely interrupted the hearing several times.

However, the hearing was not disturbed by those whispering and private discussions at all, and it proceeded in an orderly manner in accordance with the fixed steps.

Anyway, whether it is the people on the stage who are busy with the fixed procedures of the hearing, or the lords who are in the audience, they already know the ending clearly. At this moment, they have already focused on another matter that concerns their vital interests. superior.

A few weeks ago, when Grand Duke Shamm proposed that the southern states form an alliance, most of the lords were obviously unwilling, because Grand Duke Shamm was definitely not the right choice for the leader in their minds. The reason for this The alliance was formed, on the one hand, because of fear of the strength that Grand Duke Shams possessed, and on the other hand, because once the turmoil happened, if there is no strong backing, it is indeed very likely to become a victim of the turmoil.

The subsequent series of events clearly confirmed the anxiety in the hearts of the lords. For most lords, the anger is probably second. What really worries them is that they worry that the alliance may be destroyed.

But at this moment, a most suitable candidate suddenly appeared in front of them. These lords could not wait to discuss after the hearing, and the private conversations quickly evolved into discussions in small circles, which can be seen everywhere. The lords squeezed between the seemingly narrow seats. These people who were qualified to be the lords were not small, which made them look quite funny, but no one cared about them at the moment.

The Grand Duke Shamm, who was supposed to be the protagonist of the hearing, is even harder to attract everyone's attention. His cowardly and weak appearance even makes everyone feel unappetizing, and he himself obviously already knows his destiny will be What is it like? With his head drooping, his back leaning on a chair, and his legs spread out weakly, if the two guards hadn't held his body tightly, I'm afraid he would have slipped on the ground.

Finally, the sound of a heavy wooden hammer awakened everyone, and the lords who were whispering immediately turned their heads.

I saw that the five or six clerks who were sitting on both sides had stood up and sorted out the records, while the hearing host was slowly standing up from his seat.

"Everyone, I am very happy that this hearing can be successfully concluded. I believe that you have no doubts about the crime committed by the defendant Antredam Wiesen Felipe Sham."

"The defendant Antrédam Wiesen Felbank Sham was confirmed to have committed negligence of duty because of the appointment of Earl Grider as the quartermaster, because he collected seventy dollars from the southern states. Thirty-six thousand seven hundred and fifty-one gold dollars, and it was confirmed that he was guilty of abuse of power, because only seventeen thousand three hundred and twenty-two gold dollars of this sum were handed over to the Southern Army Corps. And was confirmed to be guilty of the crime of withholding military pay, because the 400,226 gold of the money was collected into his own property, and he was confirmed to have committed the crime of stealing state property because of the Fifty thousand gold dollars of this sum were given to Earl Gried, who was confirmed to have committed the crime of privately dividing state property. At the same time, he was also confirmed to have committed the crime of bribery. Thirteen gold yuan was returned to the Trost Finance Department, and it was confirmed that he was guilty of embezzlement of military expenditure."

The Lord Earl suddenly raised his voice and said: "Because the defendant committed several major crimes of withholding military pay, stealing state property, privately dividing state property, and embezzling military expenditures, he was convicted of treason. This is the case. The confirmation letter will be submitted to the General Staff, the Cabinet and the court. If you have no doubts about this confirmation letter, please sign your name on the confirmation letter."

Speaking of the Lord Earl instructed the guard to pass down the document in his hand, the document went from left to right, passing through the hands of every lord, these lords who participated in the hearing were all in the blank paper behind Signed his name on it.

When the document finally returned to the hands of the Lord Earl, the Earl stood up again and said, "Everyone, according to the defendant Antredam Vissen Felibbank Sham There is no room for forgiveness and tolerance for the crimes that have been confirmed. He can only use his life to redeem his crimes."

"For everyone, there is only one life, so for a prisoner who is about to lose his life, it doesn’t make much sense in what way he is punished. It’s just that some methods, although cruel, can make Prisoners use the human suffering to alleviate the hardships they are about to suffer in the abyss of hell, and other methods are to make the prisoners rest in peace as soon as possible."

"The death penalty is a warning to the living in a greater sense. Because of this, the sage has created so many methods of death penalty for us. Now I give you the power of choice."

Before the Lord Earl finished speaking, there was already an angry voice from the seat underneath.

"Fire torture, only torture can make the souls of those dead soldiers rest in peace, and only torture can make Delizhi's spirit expand."

"Fire", "Fire", "Fire".

A uniform roar came from the mouths of the lords. It was obvious that the squeeze that Grand Duke Shame had given them made them determined to use the cruel punishment to inflict the most cruel punishment on this guy that they hated.

"Fire", "Fire", "Fire".

The roar echoed in the city hall, and suddenly everyone seemed to hear the same resounding sound from outside the heavy door.

The lords gradually calmed down, but the angry roar never stopped.

"The whole square is boiling. No, it should be said that the whole Trosts is boiling. Almost everyone is shouting to give Grand Duke Shame the punishment he deserves." A person ran from outside the door. A guard reported.

"It seems that this is already an irresistible will. If I try to give mercy to this poor man, I am afraid that even the benevolent Father God will not forgive me." Count Ke Milan said pretendingly.

Suddenly he lifted his face, and his turning speed was even faster than thunder and lightning.

"As the host of this hearing, I announced that the defendant will be burned at Platinum Plaza in three days. At the same time, I announced that the defendant’s property will be completely confiscated, but this does not include the defendant. The property owned by the family cannot be spread to the innocent because of anger."

A deafening boom rang along with the verdict. Only the defendant with the bowed head slowly raised his head. His eyes were filled with despair. The godless eyes kept looking at the majestic man. Suddenly, the prince, a wisp of blood came out from the corner of his mouth, and bright red blood flowed out of his mouth like a burst.

"Quickly, call the pastor, quickly, the defendant bit his tongue and committed suicide." There was chaos at the hearing, and noisy shouts were everywhere.

The figure walks around, sometimes blocking the defendant’s increasingly dazed vision, but at this moment he seems to be able to penetrate everything, always staring straight ahead and watching him. Where the majestic cousin sits.

It seemed that there was no soul, as if it were just a pair of empty eyes, but the prince felt endless resentment and sadness.

The resentful eyes made his heart tremble, and the sad expression made him feel sad. Just as he was about to react, suddenly he felt a pair of dry but powerful palms gently pressing Hold his shoulders.

"This is the end of the loser." A very low and slow voice came from the prince's ear.

For Master Ogg's words, His Royal Highness is obviously unable to answer at this moment, but he straightened his body again, staring straight ahead, as if he was about to burn out the hollow eyes with the flames in his eyes The resentment possessed.

In the trance of the figure, those resentful eyes finally slowly closed, and the once-popular figure finally gradually lowered his head.

At this time, the pastor has arrived, but when the pastors glanced at the appearance of Duke Shamm, they all shook their heads involuntarily. One of the priests carefully put his hand on Duke Shamm’s neck. After a while, he slowly turned his head and said to the crowd: "My distinguished sirs, the defendant escaped the fate of being punished on the torture stage. He used death to free himself from another death. "

"Unexpectedly, he was such a cowardly guy. It wasted my expectations of him. I originally thought he would perform a Bangcha dance for us on the red stage with a smile." Suddenly, it was passed from the crowd. There was a sneer.

"I'm afraid I can only leave it to Earl Grey to perform this dance for us. Anyway, I would still recommend burning torture to punish every criminal involved in this matter." Another lord said with a smile.

"The most urgent thing is to buy a halter and a bit as soon as possible. I am even a little worried. The jailers' hands and feet are not as fast as the teeth of those guys. Duke Shamm has set a very bad example this time. Other criminals will follow suit one after another.” Another person interrupted, his words seemed to prove that being bitter is not the patent of women.

At this moment, a low bell sounded from afar, and the bell echoed in this city hall, as if it were a death knell to mourn the person who had just died.

Everything calmed down, only the low bell continued to ring.