In the early hours of the morning, at the queen's residence, the Serpent Queen awoke from her sleep with a special report regarding a certain incident that happened in the prison facility.
One of the magus who was present at the scene when the incident occurred was the one who came and informed the report. A frown appeared on the queen's face after the magus finished recounting the story.
She then dismissed the magus while also calling for Duke Syre to come to her residence. It didn't take long for the man to appear, but just as she was about to discuss the matter, Vizla suddenly burst through the door and came barging in.
Apparently, Vizla had come to plead mercy on Emery's behalf, saying how sorry Emery felt about the mess he had created and how he was willing to join the faction. Hence the grounds and justification for asking a lesser sentence.
The duke, however, voiced his disagreement almost immediately.
"The victim is Elder Alabaster's snake son." Duke Syre turned to the queen. "My Queen, this cannot go unpunished."
When he heard that, Vizla quickly opened his mouth and interjected.
"What?! That old geezer had a hundred sons! With how stupid they all are, I bet the old man gets similar news every day!"
Vizla was about to say more, but when he noticed that his mother threw a piercing glare in his direction, he quickly stopped and closed his mouth. The duke, on the other hand, ignored Vizla's rebuke and spoke calmly.
"My Queen, I suggest that we go and prepare for the trial. That is what we have to do, this is our law"
Vizla glared at the duke, and realizing that he was being ignored, he waited for the queen to speak.
However, the first sentence the queen spoke caught them both off guard as it was something that they didn't expect at all.
"Let's get this clear first, Elder Alabaster's son - a magus - was beaten to the brink of death by a rank 8 acolyte?"
The queen chuckled "This is hilarious, hahaha, I like this kid more and more, hahaha"
The duke was dumbfounded seeing her reaction. On the other hand, Vizla was seen smiling. He was clearly happy by his mother's reaction. Alas, the words the queen spoke next immediately brought down the smile that was on his face.
"Even so, …he still needs to receive a punishment." Noticing the look Vizla gave her, the queen said, "Son, you know the law, Even you can't escape it if you break one of them."
This of course made Vizla annoyed.
Meanwhile, the queen turned to Duke Syre and said, "Still, I don't think a trial will be necessary. Putting a privileged class acolyte on trial would bring too much problem and complications that we would rather not have. So, with what he has done, what kind of punishment should he receive, Syre?"
A look of contemplation appeared on Duke Syre's face for a brief moment before he opened his mouth to respond.
"The injuries that the victim suffered were severe, to the point that the spirit soul was damaged. However, no lives were lost from this incident. Under normal circumstances in a similar case, the preparator could be given ten to twenty years in prison, or one year if he is willing to accept a similar injury."
Hearing those outrageous punishments, Vizla became even more irritated. In the meantime, the queen was silent and said nothing, probably pondering her decision.
Before she made her decision, Vizla forced himself to speak. He wanted to persuade his mother as he feared that Emery would receive the harshest punishment.
"Mother, you know how talented he is. No matter which one it was, the punishment would greatly affect his future progress and perhaps even destroy him completely! It's simply absurd!"
Everyone in the room knew that such punishment was usually applied to magus where 10-20 years of imprisonment was nothing. However, for Emery who was not even 20 years old yet and a privileged student of the Magus Academy at that, even a one year prison sentence was a bit too heavy.
The queen heaved a deep sigh filled with tiredness. She then looked at her son and said, "I also don't like this situation as much as you do. But, everyone must abide by the law, even someone with great talent."
"But mother.. This is not any other talent… this is Silva's…"
Hearing that, the queen was stunned for a few seconds before speaking again.
"Perhaps.. we can maybe lower the sentence, or... he can even carry out the punishment after his academy years... But, has he really decided to join?"
"Of course mother.."
"Has he signed the contract?"
"Erm, about that… Actually…"
The queen knew her son's antics better than anyone. Therefore, she immediately dismissed him and told him to only come again when Emery had decided to join. Otherwise, the boy was not worth their time.
It was at this moment that Vizla said something that managed to make the queen raise her eyebrows. "Mother, can we at least let Silva talk to him?"
A dubious expression appeared on the queen's face because she really wasn't sure about Vizla's suggestion. She wonders if she let her go, Silva would play a trick on her again.
Vizla noticed his mother's hesitation. "Please, mother if you could just talk to her and let her explain, I am sure she has a way to convinced him"
—----
Those events then led to where in the last hour before the deadline, Silva came to Emery's cell. She came alone and her expression said that she seemed to have a lot of concern and worry.
"I came to ask if you've made up your mind."
Emery calmly stood up, and then stared at the girl's eyes while saying, "I have."
Silva could feel her heart skip a beat when she heard his words and saw how he looked at her. This quickly tells what decision he had made.
She quickly interrupt and said
"Before you say anything, I must first tell you what the queen's decision is on the incident you have committed."
She told him that the queen decided that he must serve a five-year prison sentence after he finished his academic term at the Magus Academy, or receive a similar injury as the victim he injured.
"However, the queen said that as long as you join the faction, you dont need to do these things."
Silva spoke those words with such a desperate tone, as all the words she just spoke, she saw that Emery's expression did not change in the slightest. This could only mean that he had made up his mind and nothing could change it.
After she finished delivering the message the queen had given her, Silva's heart was beating fast because it was now Emery's turn to say his decision. And, as she expected, his answer was.
"No… Silva, I can't accept the contract."
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Author Note
The discord has been lively with discussion the last few days, come join us. link
PS: the book has a sudden 200 boost of a golden ticket, thank you! but... now I am worried. I mean I actually say next month... but well I guess I have to send extra today, thanks again