Chapter 18: Chapter 17

Alice stared at the walls of the cell they had put her in – her memory of being dragged through the town was hazy and disjointed, save that the cell she was put into was much smaller than what she might have expected back on earth. Furthermore, the cell door had some kind of mechanism that allowed for a prisoner’s arms to be forced outside of the cell, where two guards were continuously touching her wrist, keeping her body and physical stats weak.

She waited in the uneasy silence brought by fear, trying to avoid thinking about what might happen. She didn’t even know what she had done, and the idea of something horrible happening to her because of it was terrifying. Had she violated some law she had no knowledge of? She hadn’t done anything that she hadn’t seen other people doing, though – unless the people here could somehow sense her thoughts towards the System and thought them blasphemous? Was there some taboo or social custom she had violated without knowing?

She waited for an unknown length of time, falling into a fitful and uncomfortable sleep once before awakening, until finally, some complicated mechanism was unlocked and the door swung open. Two new guards relieved the old ones, and grabbed her wrists before dragging her forward. In short order she was moved to a much larger, much more ornate square hall, where she could see several people sitting in chairs of varying heights.

One one side of the room were five tall chairs, four of which were occupied by a variety of people. In the center of the room there was a raised stone platform, with a single wooden chair in the center. To each side of the room were benches, all constructed out of wood but clearly of a much higher quality than the wooden constructions Alice had seen in the rest of the town. There was also one medium-height wooden box off to the side. Finally, in front of the wooden benches and behind the dais in the center were five boxes, all occupied by guards holding up wooden sticks for some reason.

On one of the taller chairs sat a woman wearing a rich blue dress with silver trim, as well as a prominently displayed badge with an insignia of a pile of coins sitting underneath a silver sword and a silver eye. She also wore a silver bracelet with a single metal disc on it, bearing a much larger insignia of the same eye, as well as a golden ring on her finger. She had deep blue eyes and black hair, and Alice felt her eyes continuously drawn towards her – something she was already coming to recognize as the effects of a high [Charisma] stat. She was probably in her mid twenties, and moved with an easy confidence and grace as she looked down upon the court room.

The other woman sitting in one of the higher chairs also wore a silver bracelet with an eye on it, but her dress was much more… expensive-looking, without actually looking all that much nicer. The impression Alice got from the dress was someone flaunting their wealth over their fashion sense. Her dress was a deep red, and didn’t go well with her blonde hair and green eyes at all, even though this woman had a noticeably higher [Charisma] stat than the first woman. She also moved with confidence, but it felt less… natural to Alice. The woman, absurdly enough, looked as though she was close to a teenager in age, albeit her later teens.

Apart from that, the priest she had met yesterday sat in another of the chairs, although this chair was lower than the other five ‘high’ chairs. He had several scrolls of parchment in front of him, as well as an ornate bottle of ink and a quill.

The third high chair was filled by an impatient looking old man, his white hair looked almost like it had been electrified recently, and part of it stood up. He also wore the eye insignia bracelet, although this one was made of copper instead of silver. He wore a simple set of white pants and a shirt, creating a strange comparison color with his hair.

The fourth high chair was empty.

The fifth high chair was filled with a man who was on the thinner side, and wore a single gold ring on his fingers, and then a golden necklace with a pair of scales on it. He wore rich burgundy clothes, and looked to be in his early forties.

Apart from that, there were other people on some benches on one side of the room. With some surprise, Alice noticed the merchant she had sold a book to yesterday, as well as … were those the guards who she had spoken with on her way into the town? Apart from that, there was a harassed-looking teenage girl with dark circles under her eyes, as well as a few other people Alice couldn’t identify.

The woman in the blue and silver dress cleared her throat, before she began speaking.

“We are here to formally discuss the potential crimes of one ‘Alice,’ specifically investigating the potential murder of {Enchanter} Eric Lehmann. Is this acknowledged by the court?”

“Acknowledged,” chorused the other three people sitting in the higher chairs.

Murder? What? What the hell is going on? I haven’t killed anyone!

The priest began rapidly scribbling down notes on a sheet of parchment, the warmth in his eyes that had been present yesterday replaced with a chilly stare.

“I am Illa Weissarus, representing the first estate. By Royal Charter, and virtue of my acknowledged merits, I represent the First Estate of the Crown in this judgement.” The woman in silver and blue spoke, her voice clearly chiming through the room as the [Priest] copied her words.

“I am Ellen Vallis. As there are no landed nobles in Cyra, I represent the Second Estate of landed nobles by proxy, due to my heritage and current standing in the Vallis house.” The woman in the red dress spoke next.

“As there are no Immortals nor representatives thereof present in Cyra, and as this is a court proceeding, the Third Estate, being the Estate of [Immortals], are considered to have forfeited their vote in this judgement.” The Priest spoke up, even as he rapidly recorded his own words.

“I am Marc Heizel. Due to my standing and authority among the merchants, by popular vote, in Cyra I am the current representative of the Fourth Estate, the people.” The pudgy man spoke next.

“I am Eric Heis. By popular vote among my peers present in Cyra and being the highest level Mage not representing another estate, I represent the Fifth Estate, the Mages.” The final man who was wearing a copper eye on a bracelet spoke.

“The five estates have either acknowledged their right to pass judgement on this matter or abstained in their right to vote, the court is now considered to be in session.” The priest spoke calmly. Immediately, the guards holding wooden sticks turned to stare at her, and she recognized the sensation of a lie-detecting Perk.

“Would the accused please accept the contract.”

[Priest of the Church of the System] Friedham has offered to officiate a contract between Alice and Illa Weissarus. Do you accept?

You are obligated to: You may not lie for the next six hours. Any knowing falsehood, omission of truth, or failure to report information after a query from a member of the court will be considered immediate violation of the contract. Attempting to flee from the Court of Five Estates will also be considered a violation of the contract. The other party is obligated to: You will be given a fair and just trial at the Court of Five Estates. Failure to properly maintain a fair and legal ruling will be considered a violation of the contract. If you are injured before conclusion of the trial, it will be considered a failure to uphold the contract. Your rights as a citizen of both Cyra and Illvaria will be maintained, and failure to ensure this will be considered a violation of the contract.

Penalties for breaking the contract: -62 [Charisma], -30 [Dexterity], and -19 [Strength] for 29 days and 3 hours

 

Yes

No

 

Out of nowhere, a System message she had never seen before appeared right in front of her. Alice stared at the notification, and Illa impatiently drummed her fingers.

“Well?”

Alice swallowed, and quickly accepted the contract with a nod.

“Very well. We shall begin with the accusations, as well as obtaining a record of the events that transpired for submission to the Crown’s records. You stand accused of the murder of Eric Lehmannn, father of one living daughter, [Enchanter], and [Smith]. The reason you stand accused of this is due to the number of crime-related Perks that have been used to scan you and shown you to be both evidence of a crime, and that you are involved in a crime in some way, as well as the fact that you sold a book which has been identified as having once belonged to Eric Lehmann two day ago.” Said Illa, as she stared at Alice with a cold expression.

“I call the first witness to the stand. Merchant Anton, you may begin your testimony.”

The merchant walked up to a raised platform in the center of the room, then looked at Alice. Today, there was no warmth in his gaze. Instead, there was… uncertainty? And irritation. Some of the guards shifted to looking at him, and all of them raised their wooden sticks into the air.

“I am Anton Frein, a level 47 [Travelling Merchant]. Two days ago, I bought a book titled ‘A Discussion of the Origin of Lesser Magic Seeds and the Possible Reasons for their Inferiority’ from this young lady. She seemed like she was struggling, and {Analyze} and {Detect Illegal Goods} found no problems with the book – it is neither stolen nor a fake book on magic trying to deceive the unaware. She seemed to be struggling, so I thought it wouldn’t be a problem to offer a better price for the book than I normally would – I was about to head back to northern Illvaria anyway, and since neither Cyra nor the Allaren duchy has a tariff on paper goods I thought that it wouldn’t be hard to get rid of the book. Since {Analyze} stated the book should be worth around 1 golden sun and two to three silver crowns, I gave her a golden sun for the book. I am not against a little charity here and there, after all, and I-“

“Please cut the chatter and focus on the question regarding your interaction with the suspect.”

“Yes, Lady Illa.”

“You said she seemed to be struggling. Why?”

“She was wearing a semi-clean toga and no shoes, and had no backpack or coin purse of any sort, and instead used a very poorly made basket to transport things. While she could have had some sort of Perk that allowed for item storage, I thought it was unlikely given her age.”

“After that, what happened?”

“I gave her a gold sun. A few hours later, I met up with my contact in Cyra, got the enchanting materials I wanted to buy, and started preparing to head back North. After attempting to leave town yesterday morning, I was stopped by the guard and brought here for questioning.”

“Very well, that answers my questions regarding your participation in the events thus far. Do any of the other estates have questions they wish to ask the merchant?”

“Did you use any other Perks to analyze the goods in question?” Asked Lady Vallis, the noble representative.

“I did not – most of my pre-twenty five Perks are devoted to making travel easier and safer, as are most other Perks from my main class. My other classes are only at 30, since I had to switch one of my classes a few years ago due to getting married and not having a slot open for [Caring Husband]. As a [Travelling Merchant], I don’t see combat much, but need to stay ready for monster attacks, so my combat-related classes don’t usually get much experience.”

“Understood. I have no further questions.”

The other two estate representatives shook their heads.

“No further questions. You may step down. [Guard Captain] Luka, please take the stand.”

Another man made his way up to the raised dais. “I am Luka Freis, a level 42 [Guard Captain].”

“Hmm.” Illa simply nodded, and drummed her fingers against the arm of her chair in thought for a moment.

“May I ask how the book entered the town without questioning and how it dodged so many Perks checking it?” Illa asked the man on the dais.

“Lady Illa, the book does not trip any Perks besides {Detect Suspicious Object} and {Clue Analysis}. Most other Perks come up blank when looking for the book. However, Alice herself sets off several more Perks. Perks such as {Detect Crime}, {Detect Suspicious Object}, and {Criminal Analysis} all report that she is part of a major crime.” The [Guard Captain] smoothly replied. "While the fact is that most perks claim she is evidence of a crime, there is a chance that she has somehow taken part in the murder and found a way to fool some of the more overt perks, or that she is planning a crime and that is why she trips the Perks in question without tripping others yet."

“And yet the book doesn’t count as stolen? If she had killed the owner or participated in his death in any way, it should be showing up for almost every Perk, not just the Perks in question.”

“Lady Illa, it does not seem to count as a stolen book.”

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“How did it enter the town in the first place?”

“It seems to have entered town along with the suspect two days ago, in the mid-morning. One of my lower level [Guards] were keeping watch to grind some experience points during lunch break. He says that she got in line behind a travelling merchant caravan bearing some construction supplies and a few luxury foods, was assessed to have no items which are subject to tariffs in the town, and was let into the town shortly after. He also stated that he directed her towards the guardhouse, since she asked for some information from the surrounding area, and further claims that {Detect Illegal Goods} was used to check the objects she was carrying, and she passed the Entry Requirement test while under {Detect Falsehoods} and {Detect Lies}.”

“I am done with my questions. Do the other estates wish to make an inquiry?”

Lady Vallis piped up after a moment. “Did she have a Mage Core or any other suspicious materials with her when she entered? Furthermore, were there any indications of the {Humanslayer} achievement or a [Murderer] or [Assassin] class, or another [Criminal] variant class?” Illa frowned a bit at that, directing a cold stare towards the other woman, for reasons Alice couldn't understand.

“No to all of the above, Lady Vallis. If there had been any indications of such, she would have immediately been pulled into the guard house for further questioning.”

“Any further questions?” The other three representatives looked at each other for a moment, before shaking their heads.

After a few more moments of silence, Illa spoke up again.

“I call the guard who let her into the city up to the stand.”

“Yes, Lady Illa.” The [Guard Captain] stepped down, and was shortly replaced by the young guard who had been responsible for Alice entering the town in the first place.

“Young man, state your name and what you remember of the encounter yesterday.”

“I am Rick Starker, level 31 [Guardsman]. Yesterday…” Rick quickly recounted a story that matched both Alice’s memory and the [Guard Captain]’s report.

“So she passed the stone tablet with {Detect Falsehoods} and {Detect Lies} going at the same time?”

“Yes, Lady Illa.”

“Why do you have both Perks?”

“They’re supposed to combine into a pretty good Perk at level 55, according to the Church of the System priest at home. I decided it was worth frontloading my lie-detecting ability a bit, so I grabbed both Perks.”

“Very well. Would you be willing to read the entry requirement stone to us again?”

“Certainly, Lady Illa. It reads: I am entering this city while bearing no hostile intentions towards the city, nor do I anticipate my intentions changing before I exit. I do not intend to physically harm any person within the walls, nor do I anticipate my intentions changing before my exit. I am not a spy of the Sigmusi Empire, or from any other nations. I have no outstanding arrest warrants, and do not intend to take any illegal actions while within the city walls.”

“Hmm… We should add in a sentence about any currently unresolved crimes to our city‘s version of the entry stone. See to it later, [Guard Captain.] Does any of the other estates have any further questions?”

Lady Vallis spoke up yet again. “Did she seem at all suspicious to you?”

“No, Lady Vallis.” Vallis frowned a bit at that, but after a moment, nodded and sat back down.

“I call the suspect up to the stand. Young Alice, would you care to explain how this book came to be in your possession?”

Alice swallowed, the cold knot of fear in her stomach surging as the guards finally released her, allowing her to walk to the raised dais in the center of the room. She looked up at the five raised chairs.

“Ever since a few months ago, -“

“Please start by stating your full name and highest level class, for the purposes of record-keeping.”

“I am Alice Verianna, level 37 [Survivor]. I have been living out in the wilderness somewhat away from Cyra. One day, near the beginning of winter, while I was fishing, a book floated downstream. I wasn’t sure what it was, but after I picked it up, I saw a corpse float downstream right afterwards. It looked really battered, and its heart was missing. After seeing it, I panicked, so I ran back to the cave I was living in at the time and hid.”

Illa frowned, and gave the girl on the benches a small, sad glance. “It isn’t confirmed to be him, but…”

“It’s fine. I… I already expected it. He didn’t come back for the entire winter, after all. Papa always said that he would do his best for me, but-” The girl sniffled a bit, made a few incoherent noises, and retreated to the edges of the court room. The old, wizened man who was previously sitting in his seat moved over to the girl for a moment, and she gave him a hug before she started sobbing. He gently patted her back for a bit, as an awkward silence descended upon the room. At the same time, Alice felt a great deal of the hostility in the room decrease significantly.

“Did you ever see the person in question alive? Did you participate in injuring, killing, or plotting to kill them?”

“No – I never harmed the owner of the book. I had no knowledge of their existence before I found their corpse – in fact, I didn’t even know where the town was before I found the corpse.”

“Hmm. In that case, you shouldn’t have triggered most of the Perks activated – they indicate that you are part of a massive crime. Do you know why these parks are activating?”

“I honestly have no idea at all.” Alice let some of her fear and desperation bleed into her voice. She hadn’t the foggiest idea what was going on, and she was terrified.

“Are you involved in any crimes which are currently ongoing?”

“Not to the best of my knowledge.” She didn’t know the local laws, after all.

“Are you planning to commit any crimes in the future?”

“No.”

“Odd.” Illa absently tapped her pinky against her cheek in what was probably some sort of tic. Alice felt a great deal more of the hostility in the room begin to dissipate.

“Very well. Read your status screen out loud to the court, child. If you have some sort of [Criminal] class it may shed more light on your future intentions.” Illa’s gaze suddenly turned very sharp. "Rest assured that if you have already atoned for your crimes and been punished, the court will not treat you unfairly. However, if you are planning something..." For a brief moment, her gaze became cold and threatening.

“All of it?” Alice started to panic. If they learned she was a mage, it might not be long before criminals or bandits learned as well. She didn’t want to get killed as part of a war she had no part in.

“Yes, all of it, child.”

Alice couldn’t find a way out. She could still feel several different lie-detecting skills targeted at her, and the contract was still in effect. She could feel the weight of the need to tell the truth settled in her core, somehow able to detect what she thought of as a lie or a lie by omission.

Slowly, hoping that a miracle would somehow save her, Alice began reading out her status screen. She started with the attributes, none of which elicited any particular response… until she tried to skip the [Magic] stat and felt the contract begin to tighten. Immediately, Alice went back and read back her [Magic] stat.

“Magic?” One of the guards actually looked concerned for a moment, and Illa and the other members of the court spent a few moments looking confused. Then, Illa shook her head. “No one is above the law, even a Mage. Lady Alice, continue.”

Shaking, Alice read out her [Survivor] class next. There were no responses to the class at all, nor any of its Perks. Alice read [Scholar] next, which seemed to actually get a slight nod from the wizened man representing the Mages. Then, she read out [Explorer of Magic], which finally got a frown from the [Priest] recording the court proceedings. Illa seemed to pick up on it, and turned towards the man.

“Is there a problem, priest Friedhem?”

“I have never heard of that class before.”

Illa turned towards Alice. “What are the requirements and Perks for [Explorer of Magic?]”

Alice read out all of the Perks she had for the class, before finally coming to the requirements. She didn’t have a backlog of System notifications, or any way to check older notifications, but fortunately or unfortunately, she still remembered the requirements clearly, due to {Enhanced Memory} boosting her memory.

“The Requirements for [Explorer of Magic] are to survive mana poisoning… and to have the {Outworlder} achievement.”

“{Outworlder}? Illa seemed stumped for a moment, turning back towards the [Priest.] “What is {Outworlder}?”

“I haven’t the foggiest idea – the church records have excellent records for most classes, achievements, and skills, so not having any of them recorded is very odd.”

Illa turned back towards Alice immediately. “Child, read out your {Achievements}.”

“I have {Monstrous Encounter}, {Monster Slayer I}, {Baptized by Broken Mana}, {Survivor of Winter} and {Outworlder}.”

“So few? What are Outworlder’s requirements and effects? And why did you use broken mana instead of regular mana for your baptism? The effects of the achievement for broken mana are barely better than the effects for the regular {Baptized by Mana} achievement, so there shouldn’t be any need to take the extra risk, is there?” Illa’s gaze was turning more and more odd.

“Regarding broken mana, I didn’t have a choice in the matter – I stumbled across the area and was under the effects of mana poisoning before I could leave. As for {Outworlder}…” Alice read out the effects of the Achievement, and then read out the description and requirements for the Perk.

Suddenly, hostility exploded from the entire room. “She has violated the Dimensional Taboo! She must be of the Society of Starry Eyes! Kill her immediately!” Lady Vallis hissed, her face twisting with anger and fear. In an instant, several wooden planks in the few meters around Lady Vallis tore out of the floor, before the tips sharpened into spearheads and fired themselves at Alice.

"CALM DOWN!" Snapped Illa.