Chapter 348: Public Trial
Stravsburg had fallen.
The Ember Kingdom's forces poured into the city, marching in orderly steps as they swiftly took control of critical locations such as the armory and the ducal residence, efficiently seizing control of the entire city.
Stravsburg, the largest city in the Northlands, still housed nearly seventy thousand residents even during wartime lockdown.
"Tempus above..."
"Has it truly fallen?"
"I hope these monsters won't cause a massacre..."
"Th-Those are the dragon's followers! Haven't you read "The Book of Ember"?"
"Gods, who can save us now?"
The city's residents remained behind locked doors and windows, filled with unease, envying those who had managed to flee while speculating about the dragon's intentions.
The city seemed shrouded in gloom, with murmurs of fear echoing through the streets.
Some curious players began "exploring" the city, rummaging through streets and even diving headfirst into sewers, only to be arrested by patrolling overseers.
However, the disciplined tieflings soon began knocking on doors according to orders.
"P-Please, don't kill us!"
"Don't hurt them, I surrender!"
"By order of the kingdom, everyone is to proceed to the assembly square."
This process caused little bloodshed, though many residents fainted from fear.
People were forced out of their homes, hearts heavy with anxiety as they prayed for survival under the dragon's rule.
"W-What are they planning to do?"
"Are these devils going to eat us?"
"N-No way! Are they going to feed us to the red dragon as a feast?"
Before anyone could respond, a deafening crash resounded throughout the city, causing terrified citizens to look toward the same place.
"Boom!"
A massive red dragon descended from the sky, crushing the tall city walls beneath its weight, sending countless chunks of stone tumbling down.
The majestic walls that once awed frost giants crumbled like paper under the red dragon's presence, on the verge of complete collapse.
Cassius climbed carefully onto the tallest tower, releasing a long roar that silenced every noise in the city.
Countless fearful eyes turned upward, fixed on the colossal being.
"Humans, the Northlands have fallen."
"In the name of the King of Ember, I declare an end to the centuries-long oppression of the Northland nobility over you."
"Understand this: the allied army of one hundred thousand has been annihilated, and the kingdom will bring you a new order. You shall enter an era free from the decadence and corruption of the Northland nobility's rule."
"Finally... the public trial is about to begin. Enjoy it."
With a gust of wind, Cassius flapped his massive wings and soared into the sky, disappearing amidst the distortions of space.
The tower beneath him, unable to bear the weight, collapsed with a resounding crash, leaving behind a cloud of dust and rubble.
"Public trial?"
"What is that?"
"By the heavens, what kind of dragon is this?"
Exclamations echoed among the people.
Still reeling from the earlier shock, the citizens clutched their chests, gasping for air, their minds filled with confusion.
This dragon didn't seem like a brutal conqueror.
After all, this was an era where "armies passed like combs," and even the Bosk family's troops often left a trail of plunder and coercion. Such actions had long been expected.
Yet the tiefling forces entering the city as conquerors behaved with impeccable order.
So, what were they planning?
A sacrifice?
The people of Stravsburg had never heard of a "public trial."
The dragon's words left the citizens, long steeped in Bosk family propaganda portraying the Ember Kingdom as a den of monsters, utterly bewildered.
But they would soon understand.
Under the tieflings' supervision, the people were herded to various large squares, their murmurs and unease growing.
"What are they planning?"
"I hope we survive..."
"Quiet! That ogre is watching you!"
Amidst the tiefling guards, Medrolash ascended a high platform draped with a large cloth, speaking in a deep voice:
"The public trial is about to begin. Please remain silent for now. It is not yet your time to speak."
Though his voice was soft, it carried through the entire square via several black boxes.
"Bang!"
The tiefling guards fired shots into the air, their deafening blasts silencing the crowd.
The square, packed with thousands, fell into a deathly quiet.
"Good."
Medrolash nodded slightly and gave a signal.
The tiefling guards flanking the platform immediately understood and pulled away the massive drapes covering it.
The crowd erupted in noise again, eyes widening in shock, exclamations bursting uncontrollably.
"Impossible!"
"I-I must be seeing things..."
"That... that's—"
"By Tempus—it's Marquis Horace Bosk!"
On the platform stood several tall wooden frames, one of which held a blond, blue-eyed middle-aged man bound tightly.
His upper body was bare, his head hung low, and his bloodied appearance was wretched.
This was none other than Horace Bosk, eldest son of Grand Duke Leo and a former marquis of the Bosk Duchy.
Small wonder the crowd was so stunned.
The once-untouchable nobleman now appeared as a common prisoner, his noble lion's bloodline reduced to a mockery.
Medrolash surveyed the crowd's reactions, smiling with satisfaction as he pulled out a prepared document.
"Good. I trust you all recognize him—this is Horace Bosk, eldest son of Leo Bosk and a former marquis of the Bosk Duchy."
"He is a heinous war criminal, one of the primary instigators of this war, and the mastermind behind the 'Great Conscription.' He is responsible for countless atrocities."
"Today, it is up to you to judge his crimes."
The crowd erupted once more, their faces filled with disbelief and a sense of surrealism, as if trapped in a dream.
Judge?
Decide the fate of Horace Bosk?
Allowing a group of commoners to pass judgment on a former marquis was unthinkable in the past, a notion that could shatter their worldview.
"That's Marquis Horace!"
"Who dares to judge him?"
"Yes..."
"What if he's released later? Wouldn't that doom anyone who speaks out?"
Whispers spread through the crowd, but no one dared to step forward.
The people had grown accustomed to the untouchable status of Northland nobility. Even with the opportunity before them, they hesitated to challenge it.
Among the captives below, Viscount Ludon gazed at the marquis on the platform, then scanned the murmuring crowd. He saw the sinister intent behind the Ember Kingdom's seemingly absurd action.
They intended to utterly destroy the Northland nobility.
Not just physically, but spiritually and culturally, eradicating the bloodlines that had ruled the Northlands for a millennium.
Viscount Ludon turned pale, his purple lips trembling as his body grew weak.
"They..."
"They dare to do this... They're uprooting us entirely."