I left the building and crossed the street. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Bila was still in meditation. I kneeled before her and touched her arm. "I'm back," I said gently. I was extremely impressed with her. Her level of concentration was far greater than mine; my mind tended to wander and I wouldn't be able to meditate for too long.

The cat girl opened her inhuman eyes and stared at me. "How long did I meditate?" she asked.

"Maybe around a half-hour?" I estimated. I winced inwardly at the answer because it was a reminder that I was supposed to buy a pocket watch so that I didn't need to rely on the Church bells to tell the time. Additionally, Bishop Canterbury had forced me to wait while he finished his oatmeal slowly. It was his implicit method of reminding me that he was my superior. I stood up and helped my bodyguard back to her feet. "We're going to the Watch Headquarters now," I said.

Bila took her spot to my right and remained alert for dangers such as pickpockets as we navigated through the crowded Public Square to reach the Watch HQ building. Located at the very center of Tregome, the courtyard was filled with pedestrians, street peddlers, and wagons. This was the sort of area where street lights were extremely useful and it was a miracle that there weren't any pedestrians run over by the wagons. Once we were free of the Public Square and reached the northern section of the headquarters, we continued walking south around the building and turned right in order to reach the front entrance.

The two Watchmen standing guard over the main entrance challenged me. Their halberds crossed to block the entrance. "Halt! Please state your name and the purpose of your visit," one of them demanded.

I pulled out my Truth Stone of Law and Order from under my tunic. "Good morning. I am Brother Lawrence Eugene Mulligan. Captain Maisen is waiting for me to give witness testimony on an incident which occurred this morning," I answered.

The Watchman nodded, withdrew his weapon, stepped to the side. "Yes, the Captain is expecting you," he confirmed in a more polite tone of voice as he eyed my amulet intensely. He didn't realize that I was a VIP member of the Church and he regretted speaking to me in such a rude tone of voice. "Please enter."

The other guard also stepped to the side, permitting us entry into the building.

"Should I wait outside?" Bila asked. She wasn't sure if the demi-humans were allowed to enter government buildings in Tregome. In her experience, regulations varied in human towns and it was more prudent for her to ask first.

I grabbed her hand and pulled. "No, you can come with me." Together, we entered the building and arrived in a spacious lobby. I walked over to the information desk on the right side of the room and said to the clerk, "My name is Lawrence Eugene Mulligan. I'm here to give my witness testimony in the case of Van the Paladin."

The gnome behind the desk adjusted his spectacles and looked at the caption above my head more closely to confirm my identity. "Ah, yes! Captain Maisen is expecting you." He looked up at the clock on the wall. It showed only a few ticks to eight on the dot. He waited for a few seconds and then the church bell tolled eight times. "You are fortunate to arrive by her deadline. The captain has ordered us to send a patrol to escort you to headquarters if you didn't show up by the eighth bell," he grinned.

I took a deep breath and avoided making a rude retort to the mischievous gnome. "I had to make a report to the bishop this morning," I explained the reason for my tardiness in arriving at the headquarters.

"I see, I see," the clerk nodded as he adjusted his thick glasses again. "Well, then your almost late arrival can't be helped. Anyway, please enter the interrogation office. It's two doors behind me to my left," he ordered and jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

I nodded politely to him and walked past his desk. I reached the aforementioned door and entered the office. It was just as I remembered. The first time I visited this place was to give testimony after Judge Wachtel, the previous owner of the truth stone currently in my possession, was assassinated by an arrow during a public trial of Ebenthal, the leader of a wererat pack. Memories of the horrors and hardships during the aftermath flew through my mind. It was a very emotional event for me personally and I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.

The office was a big room with many desks. Scribes took testimony from witnesses and put it to parchment, which would then be given to the judge presiding over the case. Of course, the main point was that the witness had to be truth sworn; if the witness broke the oath and lied, his heart would be magically disintegrated. Thus, telling the truth was a matter of life and death for the witness. It was an extremely crude but effective means of determining whether a witness was truthful. If he wasn't, he would simply drop dead. Of course, I was already compelled, by my own truth stone, to tell the truth anyway. Thus, the prospect of dying while giving witness testimony wasn't applicable to me personally.

Maisen saw that I had finally arrived. She stood up and waved her hand in the air. When we reached her location, she pointed a thumb at the chair next to her. "Have a seat," she grumbled.

I obeyed and sat down. I was aware that she was already in a foul mood because I had taken longer than expected to deliver my report to the bishop. This meant Maisen was waiting here for all this time and I knew she wasn't the patient type of person. But to her credit, the captain did not complain.

Sitting behind the desk was a middle-aged man wearing a white robe. I noticed there were parchments on the desk, along with a few quills and an inkwell. A truth stone was on the table in front of him. Seeing the stone, I took out my own Truth Stone of Order and Chaos and made the oath: "I, Lawerence Eugene Mulligan, solemnly swear, upon the Law and Order, to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth upon the penalty of death." A beam of light lashed out from the stone and struck my heart.

The clerk held the quill in his hand and said, "Proceed."

"It was some time after seven this morning when I arrived at The Noble Lady with my companion, Bila, to break my fast. After we finished our meals, we left the common room. I opened the front door to the inn and Van happened to stand in front of the door. When he saw me, he instantly became upset. Vern, the innkeeper, asked us not to block the door. Van grabbed my collar and pulled me out of the building. He slammed my body against the storefront and inadvertently broke a window. After I calmed him down by resolving the misunderstanding, he slammed his fist into the wall in anger. Captain Maisen arrived at this point and took Van into custody," I testified.

As the clerk finished writing down my testimony, Captain Maisen turned her head and looked at my companion. "I didn't realize you're also a witness to this incident. Please take my seat and provide your truth sworn testimony," she ordered. The large woman rose from her chair and took a few steps back.

Bila reluctantly took the chair. When the clerk held out the truth stone in his hand, the cat girl gave her truth oath. The cat girl proceeded to provide her version of events, which confirmed my testimony.

Once the clerk finished writing her testimony on parchment, he asked, "Please tell me where you are staying."

We glanced at each other. "The Butterfly School of Swordsmanship," I replied. I wasn't planning to stay in Tregome beyond attending the late Kalistro's funeral. Thus, I didn't rent a room in The Noble Lady.

Bila repeated my words.

The clerk carefully rolled up the used parchments and placed them into two separate tubes. He wrote down our respective name and address. "Please remain in Tregome until the judge has dismissed this case," he ordered.

We nodded and left the office while accompanied by Captain Maisen. "We need to talk," she said quietly. She took us to a small office in the back. There were a small round table and some chairs. "Have a seat." When we were seated, she said, "I am speaking to you now in your capacity as a Town Judge of Tregome."

I nodded.

The clerk we had just testified in front of quietly entered the room. He placed four scrolls on the table and then a wooden board with a form attached, a quill, and a bottle of ink.

"Thank you, Jacox," Maisen said.

The clerk left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Judge Mulligan, before you are testimonies from four witnesses against the defendant, Van. Aside from the two of you, the other testimonies are from Vern and me. Vern is only seeking reimbursement of damages in the amount of 45 silver pieces to fix the broken window. Now, as the victim of the assault this morning, is Lord Mulligan seeking any additional penalties against the perpetrator? As a nobleman, you may seek the death penalty for assault against your person," the captain said calmly.

I winced at the offer. Maisen was subtly reminding me of my position in this gaming world. I was considered a nobleman and as such, the assault against my person was considered a serious crime even if I had suffered little physical injury. The point was that a commoner had raised his hand against a noble and needed to be punished for it. Otherwise, the common folk may feel emboldened to act against perceived wrong by the nobility.

I took a moment to collect my thoughts. "No, I won't seek the death penalty against Van," I answered. "What happened this morning was a misunderstanding between friends. He has saved my life on occasion during our adventures and I owe him my life." This answer was truthful because Van DID misunderstand why he was left behind in Chilworth. More importantly, I was curious to know how he managed to arrive in Tregome so quickly. Furthermore, I needed to know if anyone else from my party made the trip, too. But this mystery won't be solved until I speak to Van privately.

"I see." Captain Maisen kept her poker face. "Then how should he be penalized?" she prodded me.

Aha! A faint smile appeared on my face as I began to understand what my former mentor from the dojo was seeking. She knew that I had no interest in demanding Van's death even though I had the legal right to pursue this penalty as a nobleman. Furthermore, since I was a Town Judge of Tregome, Maisen arranged for me to adjudicate this case however I saw fit. Of course, if this assault had taken place back on my version of Earth, then I would be ethically required to recuse myself as the judge from the case. Apparently, there were no such considerations in this world. How convenient for me.

I looked down at the form on the wooden board. It had the name of the defendant (Van), the victim (me), the alleged crime (assault and property damage), and the names of the witnesses (myself, Bila, Maisen, and Vern). Below that was "ADJUDICATION" with half the form left blank. At the very bottom was a line for the judge's signature. I looked at Maisen and asked, "What is the usual penalty for an assault case?"

The captain scrunched her brows together. "It varies, depending on the severity of the injury, along with the positions of the accuser and the defendant. It could be settled with money, imprisonment, or even death."

"Would it be considered outrageous if I sentence Van to serve as my personal bodyguard for a limited duration?" I asked. Since Kalistra had to rebuild the dojo, she couldn't leave town and continue serving as my bodyguard anymore. And by herself, Bila probably wouldn't be able to provide the protective services that I required.

Bila's tail lashed back and forth; it smacked lightly against my left arm. She was not happy to learn that I felt I needed an additional bodyguard.

My former comrade gave me her trademark half-smile. "As long as it's not servitude for life. Otherwise, the Church would protest."

"Fair enough," I nodded. "We could spin this as the 'paladin's penance.' Unfortunately, Van DOES have a temper. Perhaps a bit of humiliation is just what he needs."

"You know him better than I do," Maisen remarked casually. From his attire and equipment, she knew that Van was a paladin but she had never worked with him before.

I looked at her with a surprised expression.

"Van did explain to me that he's a paladin in the service of the Church," she explained. "However, I told him that Tregome has its own laws and even a paladin must follow them."

I chuckled while imagining Maisen telling the headstrong paladin this. "I wish I was there to see it."

The captain grinned. It was fun messing with paladins and knocking them down a notch or two. She cleared her throat and asked, "Judge, what is Van's penalty?"

"Servitude as my bodyguard for four weeks," I answered.

She nodded in agreement. It was an appropriate penalty. Additionally, since Van and I were both members of the Church, if Van was assigned to a church-related mission, then I could simply tag along. There was no need for secrecy between the two of us. It would be a different matter if I wasn't a member of the Church. "Please fill out the form," she prodded me.

I took the quill and opened the bottle of ink. I dipped the tip of the quill into the bottle and started writing on the form below the "ADJUDICATION" line: "Compensation of 45 silver pieces to Vern for damages. 4 weeks of servitude as bodyguard to Lawrence Eugene Mulligan, with appropriate wages." I signed my name at the bottom of the form.

When I was finished writing, Captain Maisen took the form from me and read it. She nodded her approval. "I will release Van into your custody. Please wait here." She stepped out of the room for a moment and then returned.

A few minutes later, the door was opened and a chastened-looking Van was brought into the room by two Watchmen. The guards released their holds on his arms and left the room.

Wordlessly, the captain handed the board to him.

Van read the form and his adjudication. He handed the wooden board back to her. The paladin turned to face me directly and got down on one knee. "I humbly ask for your forgiveness for my outrageous behavior this morning, Brother Mulligan. I will perform my penance to the best of my ability."

"Thank you, Van," I replied.

The paladin rose to his feet. His eyes were clear. He had a new duty and he understood why I needed a second bodyguard: Kalistra will be leaving my service. Perhaps, this incident was designed by the divinity. While Van was occasionally still prone to temper tantrums in adulthood, there was no reason to have an angry outburst against me this morning. In fact, it was out of character for him to do so. Thus, he may have been prodded somehow into doing so in order to render his services to me. Yes, that must be what happened. Thank the Gods of the Law and Order for giving the paladin a new mission!

I studied his expression silently. He was taking my judgment quite well. Phew!

"Brother Mulligan. Can we return to The Noble Lady? I would like to pay the damages to Vern and offer him my deepest apologies," Van said.

"That's fine," I replied. I turned toward Maisen.

"You are free to go," she said with a sharp nod. "What will you do after that?" she asked.

"I will return to the dojo and help out."