Chương 151: Chapter 143 - The Murder Trial

Movement beyond the transparent oval doorway caught Chelsea's attention. Sir Guile was returning with another group from the dungeons. Freya approached Chelsea while they waited. She grabbed onto both of her hands in her massive ones.

"You okay? This seems to be hitting you pretty hard." Chelsea sniffed and wiped her eyes one more time.

"I'm okay. I'm okay." She nodded, though the words didn't feel completely true. Chelsea had expected releasing the prisoners to be joyful. She had imagined people rushing into lives they thought they had lost. She hadn't expected them to remain terrified even after being freed. Chelsea nodded, "It'll get easier. I just have to find my stride," The oval door opened, and Sir Guile led the prisoners into the throne room. Chelsea counted nine people in the new group.

Most were nonhumans, just as she had instructed, but the woman at the back immediately caught her attention. She was human. The woman stood with her shoulders drawn inward and her head lowered. Her clothing hung from her emaciated body, and she seemed determined to take up as little space as possible. Why had Guile brought her? Chelsea's instructions had been clear. He was supposed to send up prisoners whose charges were obviously unjust, beginning with nonhumans.

Bringing a human woman despite those orders had to mean something. Was she connected to the inside joke among the knights? Chelsea forced the thought aside. She could ask questions later. For now, these people deserved her full attention.

"Hello," Chelsea said to the group. Sir Guile moved toward Liam as she began speaking.

"I am the new Holy Empress of the empire, and one of the first tasks I want to accomplish is retrying every prisoner in the dungeon." Guile and Liam stepped away from the group. They stopped roughly a dozen yards from Chelsea and began speaking quietly. Chelsea turned toward Freya and leaned closer.

"Hey, rabbit ears, can you listen in on that?" Freya grinned and nodded. Chelsea returned her attention to the prisoners.

"I would like each of you to step forward one by one and explain your crime as it was presented during sentencing. Does everyone understand?" None of them looked directly at her. Chelsea's light appeared painful after so long in the darkness, and several held their hands near their faces to block it. They all nodded.

"Perfect. Now, please explain what you were sent to the dungeons for, starting with you in front." A fur-covered man stepped forward. He kept his head bowed, and his voice carried the same roughness Chelsea had heard from the prisoners released earlier.

"Laughing at a noble," he said. Chelsea sighed.

"Innocent. You're free. I am curious, though. What did the noble do that was funny?" The man hesitated. He slowly lifted his head and tried to look at Chelsea, but the brightness forced him to turn away again.

"I-I'm sorry, Your Grace. Did you say I'm free?" Liam finished speaking with Guile and returned to his usual position a few feet from Chelsea.

"I did. But what did he do? Did he split his pants or something?" Small, wheezing bursts of laughter escaped him. The sound was weak, but Chelsea was relieved that the dungeon hadn't taken his humor from him entirely.

"No, Your Grace. He slipped on ice and fell, then got back up and fell again."

"And that deserves laughter," Chelsea agreed.

"Even I could find humor in myself falling in that manner. Please go join the others. I'm going to compensate everyone found innocent for the time they spent in the dungeons." The man bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Your Grace. You are… most generous." He walked toward the six former prisoners waiting against the wall. Freya moved closer and whispered into Chelsea's ear.

"Guile wants Liam to convince you of something. Liam said you're too stubborn to be convinced of anything and that he should let justice be served." Chelsea nodded slightly. That explained Guile's nervousness, but it didn't tell her what he expected her to do. The remaining prisoners stepped forward one at a time. Each charge further damaged Chelsea's opinion of the cardinals. Minor disputes had become criminal offenses. Ordinary mistakes had been treated as deliberate attacks against the Church.

The sentences had been wildly harsher whenever the accused wasn't human. Chelsea declared each prisoner innocent and sent them to join the others. Finally, only the human woman remained. She stepped forward with her head lowered and her hands held tightly together. Sir Guile hadn't returned to his earlier position. He stood to one side of the chamber, and even from a distance, Chelsea could see the tension in his posture.

"Hello, and what were you sentenced to the dungeons for?" Chelsea asked. The woman swallowed before answering.

"The murder of a nobleman, Your Grace." Well, shit. Amber"So, should we get dressed in fancy clothes?" Amber's mom asked the elf. Amber stared up from where she rested, taking in the visitor more carefully. This elf was really Chelsea's ex? Ivy was so pretty. Amber desperately wanted to know what had happened between them. She needed to devise some way to ask about it once she could speak again.

"I don't think so? It's Fifth Day, so unless you have something white and gold, you're going to stand out no matter what."

"Oh, it is the holy day. Um, no. I don't believe we do." Amber's mother looked toward Dewey. He just shrugged. That seemed to be his answer to a large number of questions. Amber had already learned that a shrug from her father could mean he didn't know or trusted Fiona to decide for both of them.

"Will Chelsea be mad if we don't wear white and gold on Holy Day?" Ivy laughed.

"It's Chels. You could walk in naked, and she'd be fine with it. But don't go in naked," she added with a laugh.

"Any idea what sort of S-rank job Adriane and Gerard went on?"

"You know how it works, we never know until after." Fiona replied. Amber's excitement continued building. She was already going to see Chelsea again. Amber had expected it to be weeks before someone arranged another visit. Instead, Ivy had arrived at the manor that morning, and Fiona had immediately asked whether Amber wanted to go. Of course she did. She wanted to see this royal version of Chelsea for herself. Amber still couldn't understand how her nerdy little friend had become the ruler of an empire.

The thought was genuinely funny, and she wished she could at least giggle instead of lying there with an infant's limited control over her own face.

"We can bring our weapons?" Fiona called down the hall after the departing elf.

"Fia, the Holy Empress is getting married to the Goddess of Battle. What do you think?" Ivy's voice called back. Fiona returned to the room and looked toward Dewey.

"That's a yes, right?" she asked. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Littlest Niece would always want us armed to protect Amber," Dewey replied. Amber blinked up at him. That was strangely good logic from her father. He usually preferred the simplest answer available, but he seemed to understand Chelsea well enough already.

"Oh, Freya, I'm so excited. I've never been to another kingdom," Fiona cooed. Amber had thought Valhalla counted as another kingdom, or at least another entire plane of existence. Unfortunately, however, she wasn't currently in a position to argue the distinction. Dewey stepped onto the teleporter first. Fiona tucked a card that looked like thick cardstock beneath Amber's arm before following him onto the platform. The world shifted around them.

When Amber's vision settled, several guards were already speaking with her father on the other side of the teleporter.

"Yes. We are the family of the new Holy Empress," Fiona said immediately. She had practiced those exact words at least thirty times during the walk to the Merchant's Guild. The guards looked between Fiona and Dewey before noticing Amber in her mother's arms. One exchanged a glance with the other and gave a slight nod.

"Please wait here," one of them said before leaving the room. Less than ten seconds later, a man entered wearing armor similar to Chelsea's. The scales covering it carried the same color and shine.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wixx?" he asked.

"Yes?" Fiona replied, suddenly uncertain.

"There's no need to worry," he said.

"My name is Sir Rosco of the Third Battalion of the Holy Knights. Her Grace instructed us that as soon as a baby came through the teleporter, we were to escort all of you to the Crystal Cathedral as though you were royalty." Crystal Cathedral? That sounded like something Amber needed to see. Chelsea had Holy Knights now. She gave them orders, and they apparently treated those orders seriously enough to arrange an armed escort for a baby.

Amber couldn't wait until she had control of her body and could properly explore this world. Chelsea seemed to have changed the genre from an RPG into a real-time strategy game while Amber was still figuring out how to hold up her own head. They left the teleportation building and found a carriage waiting outside. Eight knights sat on horseback around it, watching the surrounding streets while Sir Rosco opened the door. Fiona climbed inside with Amber, and Dewey joined them.

The carriage carried them through the city toward a structure made from a single massive crystal. Amber stared through the window as it rose above the surrounding buildings. There was no way something that large had been moved there. The city must have been constructed around it. Sir Rosco opened the carriage door once they arrived and escorted them inside. Nearly everyone they passed wore white and gold.

Fiona and Dewey stood out immediately in their normal clothing, making Amber wish her mother had found something closer to the local colors. An older woman noticed the baby and quickly approached. Amber recognized the look in her eyes before she came anywhere near them. She wanted to coo over the baby. Seriously, it was already getting old. Sir Rosco stepped between them and politely informed the woman that they had a meeting with the Holy Empress. Fear crossed her face.

She stopped immediately, bowed slightly to the knight, and backed away without another word. Was Chelsea a tyrant? The knights ushered them into a strangely modern elevator. The only difference was it was made entirely of crystal. There was one other very noticeable detail. The elevator ride smelled horrible. Amber's sense of smell was still developing, and even she could tell something was wrong. Fiona shifted Amber higher against her chest and tried to breathe through her mouth.

"Our apologies for the odor," Sir Rosco said.

"Her Grace is restructuring the Church and correcting some wrongs. This smell is one of them." That was stupidly vague. The elevator finally stopped, and Sir Rosco led them through the cathedral toward a strange oval-shaped door. It opened as they approached. Amber heard Chelsea's voice before she could see her. It was the demon voice, but it was unmistakably Chelsea. They entered the chamber and stopped behind several knights.

Amber couldn't see what was happening from Fiona's arms, but she could hear the entire conversation.

"That's a much more serious accusation than those of the previous people. You're the last one in this group, so let's get the whole story. Please explain yourself," Chelsea said. She sounded so official.

"Yes, Ya' Grace. A few years ago, I was livin' on the streets. I was invited into a noble's house. He said he'd gimme some food." The woman's voice was so small and weak, but she continued.

"I ate the food and fell asleep. I woke up naked and chained to a bed. I was chained to that bed for a year, Ya' Grace. One day, my wrist was small enough to fit through the manacle. I freed m'self." The room remained completely silent.

"When the noble came to use me again, I stabbed him with a broken wine bottle 'til he died." The woman drew in an unsteady breath.

"Ya' Grace, I'm sorry for wastin' your time. I should be in the dungeons. I ain't sorry for doin' it." Chelsea remained silent. The entire throne room waited with her. Even the knights seemed unwilling to move while the woman stood before the steps with her head bowed. Finally, Chelsea spoke.

"So you were kidnapped, forced to become a sex slave for over a year, and then killed the man who was responsible?"

"Yes," the woman replied, making herself sound very small.

"A nobleman… Ya' Grace," she added. Come on, Chelsea. Don't be a bitch. The right answer was obvious.

"Miss, let me add some intrigue to your case," Chelsea said.

"Sir Guile was instructed by me to find nonhumans with simple, obvious, open-and-shut cases that I could easily send on their way. You are both human and not a simple, stupid case like 'looking at a member of the Church with suggestive eyes.'" Chelsea glanced toward Sir Guile. The knight's posture had become rigid, though he didn't look away from her.

"So do tell, miss, why would a member of the Holy Knights circumvent my directions and bring you up here? What exactly is your relationship with Sir Guile?"

"He's my brother, Ya' Grace," she replied. Chelsea looked between the two siblings.

"Okay, perfect. Thanks. I mean, obviously, you're innocent. That asshole deserved what he got. The Sir Guile thing was for me. I've been wondering why everyone kept talking about him and the dungeons. It makes sense now."

"Ya' Grace?" the woman asked.

"Inno…"

"Yes, innocent. It's insane to think otherwise. Being a noble shouldn't excuse you from inhumanity. Or, well, whatever-you-are-anity. Dwarfanity, elfanity… fairanity" Amber could hear the smile in her voice. Chelsea paused when she realized how far she had wandered from her point.

"I'm getting off track. I mean, being a noble doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want without repercussions. You do something shitty, and something shitty is sure to happen to you. It's karma." Leave it to Chelsea to overcomplicate a simple point.

"Your Grace," Sir Guile said.

"You mean it? She's free?" His earlier formality remained, but the relief in his voice was unmistakable.

"Yes. And before you ask, no, you're not in trouble. I would've made it to her eventually. If I were in your place, I would've brought my sister up too."

"You truly are most generous, Your Grace," he said. He sounded shocked. How bad was this world if they had expected Chelsea to side with the dead rapist?

"No," Chelsea disagreed.

"This empire just has a strange outlook on justice." She looked toward the gathered Holy Knights.

"Holy Knights, please assist these newly freed citizens to somewhere they can comfortably get clean and fed, and bring them some new clothes. I'm going to need to speak with them again about compensation for their time here, so please, everyone, don't stray too far. But if you want to leave immediately, you're free to do so." The knights saluted in unison. The sudden movement startled Amber. Her body jerked in Fiona's arms before she could stop it. She couldn't believe how commanding Chelsea sounded.

This wasn't the same Chelsea Amber had known only a week before she ended up inside Fiona. Her friend stood before an entire room of armed knights and issued orders without hesitation. More surprising, every person there listened. The knights moved to assist the former prisoners. Some helped those who struggled to stand, while others guided them toward the oval doors. The glowing woman in the most gorgeous dress Amber had ever seen began climbing the steps beside… Amber's eyes widened.

Her sister was here, and she was glowing too. Why were they both glowing?

"Do we approach?" Fiona asked quietly, looking toward Dewey. Amber saw the exact moment Chelsea noticed them.

"Amber!" Chelsea launched herself across the throne room. Her incredible white wings carried her through the air with enough speed that Amber's eyes struggled to follow the bright light. Amber had assumed the wings were decorative until that moment. Then Chelsea was suddenly directly in front of her. The little demon hovered near Fiona, her glow filling Amber's vision as she stared at her with open excitement.

"Oh, gods, Amber, I can't believe you're here." Chelsea caught herself and looked up at Amber's parents.

"Not that I'm not excited to see you, Aunt Fiona and Uncle Dewey, but come on, it's Amber." She giggled.

"Oh, we get it," Fiona replied, playfully rolling her eyes. Chelsea's attention moved over Fiona and Dewey before settling on the weapons they carried.

"Whoa, they let you in with weapons? How'd you pull that off?"

"Ivy said it would be fine!" Fiona exclaimed. Ivy. That was the elf's name.

"Well, obviously it was," Chelsea said with a laugh.

"I'm still new to this role, so I'm not sure what exactly is and isn't allowed. I guess since you were considered my guests, they didn't want to offend you. Or maybe they didn't want to offend me? Everyone is so scared of me for some reason." Amber thought the reason was obvious. Chelsea had just declared a woman innocent of murdering a nobleman while an entire room of Holy Knights stood ready to carry out her orders. She glowed, flew, and apparently ruled the most powerful country… or kingdom…

or whatever on the continent. People had plenty of reasons to be nervous around her. The orange light approached at a far more casual pace than Chelsea's dramatic flight across the throne room.

"Fiona, Dewey, it's been too long," the woman Amber knew as Freya said with a light chuckle. She stopped beside Fiona and held out her enormous arms.

"Do you mind?"

"Of course not," Fiona replied. Freya leaned closer to Amber.

"And do you mind?" the giant face of her sister asked. Amber closed her eyes as quickly as she could. Fiona passed her over, and Amber braced herself for the awkward shift. To her surprise, Freya handled her even more gently than her mother did. One massive arm supported Amber's entire body while the other protected her head.

"So, welcome to my new job," Chelsea said.

"Wasn't planning on having a full-time job at nineteen, but here we are." Freya looked down at Amber in her arms.

"Hey! I just realized Chels has this neat new trick where she can lactate. Let us know if you get hungry." Amber closed her eyes faster than she had ever closed them before.

"No!" Chelsea said at the same time.

"That's for orphans and only in dire need." Amber wanted to disappear. She had been excited to see Chelsea again, but not enough to be nursed by her former best friend while her dead older sister held her.

"Littlest Niece, why are you glowing?" Dewey asked, thankfully ending that conversation. He really still called Chelsea that. Amber found it strangely sweet. Her father called nearly everyone by their actual name. Apparently, becoming the Holy Empress hadn't been enough to change Chelsea's place in his mind.

"Something about being a battery for the cathedral," Chelsea replied. Amber's frustration grew. Chelsea was skipping over far too much. What was the cathedral? Why did it need a living battery? What happened if Chelsea left? Did the light give her powers There was clearly an entire mountain of lore behind that answer, and Chelsea had reduced it to one sentence. Amber decided to try reaching out with her mana manipulation to see if it was mana related and she was beyond surprised to find it was.

It was a different type of mana than what was everywhere else. It was pouring out of Chelsea in gallons and seeping into the floor and walls just as fast as she produced it. Something even stranger was Chelsea didn't have any mana in her body. It made no sense. Where was the mana coming from?

"Who is the other glowing girl?" Fiona asked. Chelsea froze. Her eyes widened, and her smile became noticeably less confident.

"Okay, you three are going to judge the hell out of me. So, you know how I'm the Holy Empress of Forgotten Children? She's one of those Forgotten Children." Chelsea turned toward the girl still waiting near the steps.

"Kira." Kira had been watching the reunion from a distance. She clearly wanted to approach, but uncertainty kept her standing off to the side. At Chelsea's call, she hurried across the room. She stopped several feet away from the family, unsure where she belonged within the gathering. Chelsea reached out, caught her by the arm, and pulled her closer with a laugh.

"Dewey, Fiona, Amber…" Chelsea drew in a deep breath. Amber watched her expression. Out with it! Who was she? A new friend? A personal knight? Some kind of royal assistant?

"Let me introduce you to Kira. Kira Wixx. My daughter." Fiona and Dewey froze. Amber let out an involuntary cry. Kira stood beside Chelsea with a small, nervous smile, watching their reactions as though she expected one of them to object.

"Did Adriane approve this?" Dewey asked.

"She doesn't need to approve anything," Chelsea replied.

"My class is literally about having children. That, and I'm the Holy Empress."

"I don't think she's going to like it," Fiona muttered. Amber felt Freya begin laughing beneath her.

"Won't like Kira?" she asked.

"What about Lindsey? Or Erin? She may as well get used to extra Wixxes. Chelsea has twenty-two children so far and counting." The group was flabbergasted. Well, her parents were, Amber just noted that Kira looked familiar for some reason. Maybe it was the auburn hair. Auntie A had similar auburn hair too.