Free Web Novel“Vieya, did you know? Among this group of captives, men and women are handled differently.”
“Differently?”
“Mm, differently. Aside from the death row criminals who will be sent for Purification, the men are sent north to dig in the frozen mines, while the women are filtered layer by layer—their fates aren’t much better.”
Under Rania’s guidance, Vieya entered the Tribunal with ease. The great “All-Seeing Eye” hanging above the main gate did not even open.
“This is a replica of the All-Seeing Eye. Under Its gaze, not even a fly can get in without permission.”
The purple-haired girl walked and explained at the same time, like a top-tier tour guide leading a Tribunal sightseeing program.
Vieya nodded and hummed in response, playing along. She already knew all this, but she acted interested.
As a teacher, she could occasionally humor her disciple’s mood.
“But today, It is in Its once-every-four-months rotation state. Mm, meaning It’s on holiday today and won’t function for the whole day.”
Rania spoke while returning greetings to passing Tribunal staff.
“Hi～”
“Hero, are you here today to watch the executions? That incident in the neighboring district yesterday exposed quite a few human traitors. Even some infiltrating demons got dragged out, hahaha...”
“Is that so? Today is an important day. Don’t slack off on duty like before.”
After saying that, Rania added a quick explanation to Vieya: “Later, the judge will ask you about your relationship with that demon. And during the... questioning process, they’ll use a power that shakes the soul. You need to be mentally prepared.”
“Mm...”
“But don’t worry too much. Just tell the truth. With me here, they won’t dare to casually do that ‘better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one go free’ kind of thing.”
“Mm... thank you for your trust.” frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
“Mm↓hm↑, no need to thank me. My teacher used to do this kind of work too～”
“Your teacher... that’s the very important person to you, right?”
“You’re so smart. I’ll introduce you sometime. My teacher is such an amazing, amazing person! You’ll definitely get along...”
Not necessarily.
Vieya chose silence, not picking up the topic.
Rania didn’t mind. She clapped her hands and came up with another idea: “After we’re done here, I’ll take you around to play. Don’t worry, I’ll cover all the expenses!”
“Don’t you have work?”
“Oh come on, why are you just like my teacher, always bringing up such buzz-killing things!” Rania gritted her teeth in a smile. “What’s wrong with me hanging out with a friend and having some fun? It won’t delay anything!”
“...”
“This is your first time in Deerhorn City, right? The entertainment here is way better than that in Wind Township. Actually—wait, Wind Township doesn’t even have entertainment venues, right? The streets are full of people, sure, but they’re either killing demons or on their way to kill demons...”
“Well, of course. Who would go to a border town that’s on battle-ready alert twenty-four-seven for leisure? Don’t you agree?”
“...” freeweɓnøvel.com
“Don’t stay quiet. Deerhorn City isn’t as fun as the capital, but compared to next door, it’s a thousand times better.”
“...”
“Alright, alright, enough of that. Past this door is the courtroom. The trial starts at two-thirty in the afternoon. I’ll take you to the lounge to rest. This stage is your esc—...?”
Rania turned her head, looking behind her.
An empty corridor stretched out before her, only occasional staff passing by.
“Vie...ya?”
Rania froze where she stood. In that instant, countless possibilities flashed through her mind.
Bathroom break?
Impossible. With Vieya’s maturity, there’s no way she would just vanish without a word.
Got lost?
Impossible. This was a wide, straight corridor, with workrooms for Tribunal staff on both sides. Two people in casual clothes would definitely stand out among all the uniformed staff.
Besides, many senior operatives already knew she was bringing the sole surviving witness of yesterday’s incident for confirmation.
If Vieya got lost, anyone could ask and she’d be returned immediately, one hundred percent guaranteed.
Then abducted by some unknown party?
Even less possible. Because today was the All-Seeing Eye’s rotation day, the entire Tribunal was on high alert, the defenses tighter than ever.
And besides—Rania refused to believe anyone could take Vieya away without her even noticing.
Not even her teacher’s teacher could do that!
Eliminate all impossibilities, and what remains, however unlikely, must be the truth.
“Vieya... she slipped away on her own?”
Anxiety spread through Rania’s chest, and she felt a long-lost heart palpitation. Her heartbeat quickened.
“B-but why?”
No... no...
Clutching her aching chest, Rania slowly crouched down. Cold sweat beaded her pale forehead, soaking her purple hair. She suddenly recalled the last time she had felt this severe palpitation—
Three years ago, in the capital! That evening, after the attack, she had received the news of her teacher’s accident!
Forcing herself through the pain in her chest, Rania didn’t ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) bother asking the staff. She knew she would only get blank stares and ignorance from them.
Ignoring the puzzled glances of the workers, Rania sped past them.
“Notify the Tribunal Chief first. Then the monitoring room... This time, I must do something...”
