Will of a Prince

Chapter 194: Your Sentence Is...

"Nice to see you too, sis."

Slimo’s sister looked at her brother with disdain.

"Call me General from now on."

Slimo sighed and rubbed his face.

"So, does that mean the old man hasn’t croaked yet?"

She furrowed her brow.

"Watch what you say about the king. You will respect him or I will send you to an early grave."

"Is that not what you are going to do already?"

"No. You will be put on trial for all the crimes you’ve committed, all the people you have slain. That includes our older brother."

Everyone looked at Slimo curiously, pondering what his response was going to be. Maria readied herself to dash toward an opponent given the right signal. However, Slimo put his hands up in the air.

"Very well. Do what you must. Just don’t hurt these people that came with me."

"They will stand by during your trial as witnesses or suspects. I cannot promise what their ruling will be."

"Avala, please."

"Don’t call me by that name. I am a general now and you are a criminal. Guards, take all these people to the cells to await their trial. Orvo, contact the king for me and round up the citizens. This will be one of the most monumental trials in the history of our kingdom."

"Yes, my lady."

Lidia stuck herself next to Slimo and glared at Avala with malice. Avala turned toward her sensing the piercing gaze.

"How cute. You got yourself a little girlfriend out in the wild. I never knew ugly was your type."

Just as Lidia was about to charge after her, Slimo was already marching in her direction with a clenched fist. A few guards threw their weapons in between them.

"Listen, I’ll be your prisoner, I’ll follow your stupid rules and trial, but if you ever talk about her like that again, you’re going to find out firsthand why every assassin you sent after me never made it back."

His cold words sent shivers down Avala’s spine. She lifted her chin and turned away.

"Fine. Continue to the main palace. Don’t let a single one escape."

Squabee and Enki were squashed next to each other; afraid they would get too close to a guard and anger them.

"Are you sure you don’t have a ’disintegrate those you stare at’ enchantment that will get us out of this?"

"Of course not! I left it back in Chrono Kingdom! Why isn’t your luck taking any effect yet anyway? Are you busted or something?"

Squabee stepped on his foot angrily.

"OW! What the hell was that for?!"

"Don’t call me busted when you have half your head missing, you busted busty face!"

"You’re a grown woman for crying out loud! Can you fix that vocabulary already?! As a matter of fact, I got a charm just for that!"

"Let me guess, it gives you cancer?"

"How did you guess that?"

"CAN YOU THINK OF A SINGLE UNIQUE DRAWBACK FOR ONCE?!"

"WHY ARE WE SCREAMING?!"

"I DON’T KNOW!! I’M SCARED AND DON’T WANT TO GO TO JAIL!!"

The two of them continued to bicker back and forth while Luna, Maria, and Sarah sighed deeply.

"I think the thing I’m dreading most about this trial is being stuck in a cell with those two. I think we’re cursed."

"You said it, not me."

"I can’t believe we met Slimo’s sister. They look so much alike, it’s a little creepy."

"It’s too bad she’s a raging bitch."

Maria put a hand over her mouth. She had never heard such foul language come from Luna before in her life. She almost considered the idea she was in a dream for a moment.

"...maybe we shouldn’t talk so mean about her when we just met. Let’s hope she didn’t hear us."

As the guards escorted all of them into a large room, the wall contained just enough cells to hold one of each person in it. They were all escorted into their own cell and given a ring to wear. Enki was the one who tried his best to refuse the ring, but the guard shoved it on his finger anyway. He slouched over and made a mean face at them while they turned away.

Once everyone was secure, a brief silence washed over them, immediately broken by Enki who stared at his ring.

"They used the same trick that we did to quarantine the Queen in that leviathan. These are soul bound. I wouldn’t try escaping if I were any of you."

"What do we do while we wait for the trial to start?"

Slimo spoke up.

"The trial will begin shortly. They’ve been trying to capture me for years at this point. There is no doubt my father will expedite the process and have an audience gathered for my execution."

Lidia looked at Slimo fearfully.

"...execution?"

Slimo refused to meet her gaze.

"It’s the only way. I’ve been on the run long enough. This is always where I knew my journey would end someday."

Lidia banged against her bars.

"And you really think I’m going to stand by and let that happen to you?! Sorry pal, but this whole relationship thing you signed up for is a lifetime deal! You can’t just throw yourself out like this!!"

"You’re right, which is why I won’t."

Lidia looked at him confused.

"What do you mean?"

Slimo stared at Squabee.

"Squabee, I need you to do something for me. Do you think you can do it?"

Squabee nervously moved her fingers together.

"I-I can try."

"Good. I think it’s time to unleash your Angel Incarnate."

Three hours had passed before some guards were sent down to retrieve everyone. They were all holding special handcuffs that they put over each person’s hands as they let them out. Enki worriedly stared at the cuffs and gestured over to Squabee. However, being the person that Squabee is, she completely misunderstood the meaning behind the signal, and she slammed her foot down on the guard’s shoe.

The guard reeled back in pain and held their weapon up to Squabee.

"You will pay for that transgression! Keep walking!"

Squabee angrily looked back at Enki who held his hands in his face.

Everyone was led into a massive court room with polished granite floors. On both the left and right side were large wooden bleachers for hundreds of spectators to watch. In the middle, there was already a large wooden structure with a noose tied at the top of it. At the very back was where the podium of the judge stood. The king himself was standing next to the podium, staring at Slimo with disgust.

Each of them was taken off towards one of the packed bleachers. It looked like everyone in the palace couldn’t miss this moment for the world. Slimo was escorted right up to the main podium and pushed on to his knees. The judge was an older woman with round glasses and round chin. Her face remained expressionless as she stared down at Slimo. She banged her gavel on the hard wood of her stand, silencing the room around her.

"This court hearing is to determine the fate of Slimo Kin, 2nd born of Emperor Pelo, known criminal and murderer."

Murmurs started spreading across the room. The judge grabbed a stack of papers resting in front of her and began reading through them.

"Slimo Kin, you are first being charged with the murder of your older brother, Leno Kin. This act has been escalated to the highest degree of treason for the timing of the attack. You will not be tried as a citizen of Paria, or as a son of the king, but as an enemy of the Empire. Do you object to any of these claims?"

Slimo looked up at the judge with a cold expression.

"I do not."

"Next, you are being charged with the murder of the informants sent after you for your retrieval. The states we found their bodies originally led us to believe you possess a Zalo of some sort. Did you or did you not kill these men with your newfound powers?"

"I killed them, but I do not have a Zalo."

More whispers echoed around the room. The judge rang her gavel to gain the peace once more.

"Lastly, you are being charged with the thousands of creatures that had to have been put down outside our walls, disturbing the peace, entering the walls of the kingdom without permission, and littering. Do you deny any of these charges?"

"What did I do to gain the littering charge?"

"There was a dragon tooth found on the streets of our kingdom. It was from the same dragon you managed to send away in your scuffle outside our walls."

Slimo looked over at Bo then back at the judge.

"Sure, I’ll take the littering charge too. What will that add to my capital punishment? A tax in the afterlife?"

"Silence."

The Judge took off her glasses and put the papers down.

"I’m sorry, Slimo Kin. There is only one sentence befitting of a criminal such as yourself. I sentence you, Slimo Kin, to be hung for your crimes against Paria Empire. May your soul rest in peace after your passing."

With one large swing, her hammer struck the wood against the podium, indicating the decision was final.

Suddenly, a wave of avarice rushed over Jacob. Beads of sweat started appearing on his forehead while he tried to hold himself back. He needed to eat something fast, or he was going to lose control. The stress from the fighting and the trial had all been building to the point where he couldn’t take it anymore. He needed something, anything to satiate himself.

Slimo yelled across the court room.

"Squabee, now!"

The court room went silent at the declaration. Everyone waited anxiously for something to happen, but that something never came. Slimo looked at Squabee worriedly.

"Squabee? Now would be a really good time!"

Squabee was straining herself as hard as she could, but nothing was working. The guards noticed she was trying something and tackled everyone to the ground, quickly strengthening their binds. Slimo watched the scene in horror.

"Shit..."

Three large men grabbed hold of Slimo and started carrying him towards the noose. Lidia roared and exploded the men holding her down. She strained under the cuffs with all her might, but they couldn’t break.

"LET HIM GO!!"

More guards jumped on top of her, gaining a better hold on her body.

"Lidia!"

Maria was the next attempt. She tried activating her power, but it was being suppressed by something. She looked down at the cuffs in horror.

"It’s the cuffs. They are sapping our energy!"

At this point, hundreds of guards were holding the entire group down. There was nothing they could do but watch as their guardian, their best friend Slimo was being helplessly dragged towards the noose. Jacob’s head was being held down by the knee of a guard as he watched.

"No..."

Bum Bum

"No..."

Jacob’s hunger was reaching a breaking point.

Bum Bum

"NO!!"

A flashback of Maria being attacked by Veal flashed in his mind. The same feeling of hopelessness took root in his gut. The guards managed to tie the noose around Slimo’s neck as he squirmed as hard as he could. The moment they tightened the knot, Jacob snapped.

"LET HIM GO YOU BASTARDS!!"

Jacob’s voice exploded through the room like a shockwave, causing everyone to stop in their tracks. Jacob broke from the grasp of the guards holding him down, took a stance, and looked right at the judge with indescribable wrath.

"TEAR YOUR OWN TONGUE OUT!! LET SLIMO GO!!"

More guards jumped on Jacob.

Bum Bum

Dangerous mistake.

Jacob’s teeth turned sharp and pointy, his strength exploded beyond anything he had ever felt, and he closed his jaw on one of the guards’ throats, ripping it clean from his body right before swallowing it whole. The cuffs holding him shattered like glass in moments.

But that wasn’t what anyone was paying attention to, for the Judge who had just sentenced Slimo to his death was in the middle of tearing her own tongue out her body. She screamed and pleaded for help. With one large snap, her tongue had completely separated from her mouth, allowing her to choke to death on the injury she seemingly caused herself.