Chapter 54: Chapter 52- The Healing Temple (2)

“Someone used a Right to be Judged? How long has it been since one appeared? Are the humans so impatient to get into trouble?” Bixi, the gnome said mockingly.

Copperbane chuckled while keeping an eye on me to see my reaction. “Do you want to bet on the cause this time? I’ll bet ten points that they are complaining about being stopped at the entrance gate.”

“Only ten points? You are so poor, old dwarf. I’ll bet that they were swindled when trading with someone.”

“This is just the first judgement of many. Betting everything on the first one would be stupid. Let’s go have a look at the foolish human.” Copperbane smiled and closed his eyes. Bixi replicated his actions and soon, the room became completely silent. Not a single sound could be heard in the entire Healing Temple.

Everyone was curious about the first judgement. It was a form of entertainment and at the same time, the first opportunity many would have to observe a living human. I let go of the hand of the elf who also closed her eyes after getting my permission.

I soon mimicked everyone’s actions. My vision blurred just like when it transitioned to allow me to observe the skill tree. The scene around me changed and I found myself sitting in a large courtroom. Several blurred figure stood around me with completely undistinguishable features, watching the trial taking place.

A man and a dwarf stood in front of the jury. The man was tall and muscular. He had short blond hair, a well defined jawline and deep blue eyes. He wore a simple set of armour, looking clean and elegant. On the other hand, the dwarf did not seemed concerned about being dragged into the Divine Tribunal. He was holding a bottle of wine, leaning disinterestedly against the desk in front of him. He wore a dirty and greasy leather suit, mockingly sneering at the human. Only these two individuals would be allowed to speak to the jury; people needed to fight for themselves in the Divine Tribunal, there were no lawyers or attorneys.

The jury consisted of three Principalities, angelic creatures created by deities to act as proxies. The sight of these creatures whose faces were hidden by bronze masks brought back some memories. I observed many Rights to be Judged in the past and each one was a valuable lesson. They were public such that everyone was invited to witness the judgement and learn about the way of life in the tower. Humanity learned very quickly to lower their heads after facing countless losses but they also managed to win a few cases here and there.

“You may begin. Human who used the Right to be Judged. Explain your case.” The Principality at the centre commanded with a calm but firm voice.

“Y-Yes… I decided to use the Right to be Judged after this dwarf refused to give me the items I paid for. He is a travelling merchant I met on my way to a city. He approached me, selling very attractive pieces of equipment at a great price. I chose the ones I was interested in and transferred about 250 points to him but then, this dwarf refused to give the equipment and instead packed up and tried to run away.” The man explained. He was hesitant at first but soon regained confidence as he started speaking.

Listening to the man’s explanation, I could not help but sigh. I already knew where this was going. ‘He is just the first of many to be swindled. Entitlement to fair trade… All humans are used to fair exchanges and transactions. The tower is not very different from Earth but that man made two crucial mistakes. First, it will just be a matter of what the man says against what the dwarf says. Without any proof, the judgement will be voided and both parties would come out without any gains or losses. But the second mistake is to assume that he was being treated as a customer. One only trades fairly with someone they consider an equal. And right now, the status of human is not exactly equal to that of a dwarf.’

The Principality nodded and turned his attention toward the dwarf. “Do you have anything to say for your defence, dwarf?”

The dwarf chuckled and put down his bottle of wine. “Nothing much. I admit to accepting his points and running away. However, I did not bring any rules in doing so and therefore, I am not guilty of any crime.”

“What? What nonsense are you saying? How can you take away a customer’s points without giving them the items they paid for? Are you saying that there are no rules in the tower about trading?” The man exclaimed without concealing his anger. He glared at the dwarf who calmly dismissed him.

“When did I say so? There are indeed trading rules in the tower and on this floor but they only involve the races of the Union. Trading with inferior races like the humans are up to the merchants and are unregulated.”

“What?” The man was flushed red. However, before he could speak, the dwarf raised his voice. “Your highnesses, I think that you already have all the information to close this case. Our time is precious and should no be waste on pointless debates.”

The Principality on the right lightly tapped on the bench, silencing both the dwarf and the human who was about to retort.

“We have already made up our mind. According to the human’s testimony, no rules were broken. And therefore, the dwarf is declared to be innocent. The human voluntarily transferred his points to the dwarf and although a trade was expected in exchange, there are no rules that require the dwarf to fairly trade with a race outside of the Union.”

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“This. You already acknowledged that he should have traded these items with me. Are you letting this thief go just like that? Nothing will stop him from swindling everyone else.” The blond man complained weakly.

“Human. He has a moral obligation to trade with you, not a legal one. My advice would be to learn about the rules of the Union before engaging in trades with them. The Union has no obligations to allow the human race to join them. If you are not satisfied with the treatment you are receiving, nothing is stopping you from climbing the tower and finding a suitable place for you to live.” The Principality waved his hand to dismiss the human who was about to speak.

“This case is dismissed and no punishment shall be given. The human may appeal this case if he obtains a second Right to be Judged. You may all return to the tower.”

The scene in front of my eyes disappeared, replaced by the dull Healing Hall I was previously at. I felt disoriented and heard a few grunts around me. The judgement came to an end as abruptly as it started. I expected it to be short and as unfair as it looked, it was the procedure of a judgement. Both the man and the dwarf were given a chance to explain themselves without anyone interefering. They could only blame themselves if they were unable to explain the situation properly or did not have enough evidence. At the end of the day, the dwarf broke no rules. Right now, humans were considered to be an inferior race, no different from the animals on Earth. No, even worse than animals. There were at least animal protection laws on Earth but here in the tower, the only protection one had were the rights they obtained from reaching the first floor. In the eyes of the races of the Union, humans were just naïve newcomers waiting to be reaped.

“D*mn. I guess you won, gnome.” Copperbane grunted and reluctantly transferred ten points to Bixi.

“Haha. I told you. If they were stopped at the gates, they would have used another type of right. The judgement was a bit disappointing though… What a waste of time. Your fellow dwarf just could not stop himself from swindling the poor human that early. You know it will affect the economy if all the humans choose to run away to higher floors.” Bixi said.

“It is just the first few humans. There are still millions to come. Furthermore, that human should be grateful to have just gotten away with paying 250 points. Much worst would have happened if he caused a ruckus at the city gate.” Copperbane answered. He took a sip from the bottle of wine he kept at his waist and turned his attention toward me. I remained silent during that time and returned to healing the elves as if nothing happened.

“And what do you think about what just happened, Alex? Your name was Alex, right?” The dwarf said, eyeing me curiously.

I stopped for a moment and glanced at the dwarf. The other healers were also looking at me with interest.

“Nothing much.” I said casually. “He should not have traded with the first merchant he came across. The whole thing was more like a joke. He wasted his Right to be Judged.” I knew he we was probing me. Everyone in this room was already aware that I was a human but I doubted they would make a move against me. The Healing Temple would gain a lot more if I joined them.

“Haha. Don’t worry though. If you join the Healing Temple, we’ll come with you and introduce you to good sellers.”

“Thanks.” I nodded quietly and shifted my attention to the elves. My test was still ongoing and I did not want the topic of the conversation to stay on the judgement of the human. The healers would respect the decision of the elder orc to test me fairly but there was still a risk of building up animosity.

The incident of the Right to be Judged was quickly forgotten as a few patients started coming in. Most of the patients were gnomes, dwarves and everyoungs but there were naturally a few patients who came for emergency treatment. In that case, I was the one who ended up healing them. When a difficult patient turned up, another healer would take the lead and heal him.

Things went relatively smoothly. I felt tired after using Heal over three hundred times but suppressed this feeling. Using so many spells in a row was rare but not unusual during intense training sessions. The shift of the healers was about to come to an end. I just needed to push myself a little more.

 

 

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