Headmaster Urixi led us in silence through several hallways, until we came to a large conference room. There was a massive square table in the middle, and the side nearest the door was reserved for us. Opposite us were the three humans who had assaulted Elendria, along with two older humans dressed nicely enough that they had to be lawyers.

To our right, were several members of the faculty. Three men and three women, all gnomes. The only one I really recognized was Master Urushon. He was an incredibly powerful aeromancer, and he absolutely loathed me. When I had first been introduced to the masters as someone who might be auditing their lectures, especially the advanced ones, he immediately objected. It didn’t matter that I was almost finished with the penta-elementalist class at that point, or that I had a fair grasp on air magic. The others I know I had met at the same meeting, but I couldn’t remember their names. Still, I knew something had gone on when the headmaster was absent, as all of them were glaring at us.

“I’m declaring this inquiry in session.” Urixi said, sitting down to our left. To my surprise, Lodrano sat immediately to her right. “Sean O’Carrol and Elendria, please be seated.” She waited until we were comfortable, before beginning. “Right. We are here because Sean and Elendria are accused of willfully and maliciously maiming a noble of the Schrike Empire. The accuser is the heir apparent of Baron Corinth, Hannibal Corinth. How do you plead?”

“Not guilty.” I said, taking and squeezing Elendria’s hand. “As I am unfamiliar with this process, would someone explain what will happen before we begin?”

“How can you-“ Urushon started, only to be interrupted by the Headmaster.

“A valid question. As the accuser, we shall hear Hannibal’s story first, along with any witnesses and evidence he may provide. This will then be countered by your own claims, and Hannibal will be given one last chance to counter your claims. The panel across from me will then decide guilt or innocence, and render judgement. In the event of a tie, I will be the deciding vote.”

While it sounded like a fair bit, there were plenty of holes I could see. Sure, I wasn’t a lawyer, but I had watched plenty of courtroom dramas back home and they were seriously lacking. “May I ask for a slight deviation from normal?”

“Depends on the deviation.” Urixi said, despite the growing frustration from Urushon.

“Lodrano, are you familiar enough with humans that you may determine lies from them?”

He flinched, then gave my question some consideration. “I have improved a bit, but I wouldn’t mind a bit of practice. Perhaps you could ask several simple questions so that I may establish a baseline?” I kept the smile off my face. Lodrano and I had plenty of conversations about discovering truth and types of truth, and the importance of baselines. He was an incredibly fast study, especially for some of the more difficult concepts. Like the fact that someone could be utterly convinced of the truth of a statement, and yet the statement be untrue.

“Alright. So, what’s your name?”

“Hannibal Corinth.”

“Is that your full name? If not, please give it.”

“Hannibal Corinth the Seventh.”

“Title?”

“Heir apparent Baron Corinth.”

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

“And who are your friends there? No need for full titles.”

“Douglass Skeer and Nicholas Chester.”

“I’ve got enough, thank you.” Lodrano interrupted.

“Excellent.” Urixi gave a clap. “Now, Hannibal. As the accuser, please give us your accounting of the event, along with any evidence thereof.”

“Sure.” He nodded. “It’s fairly simple. We were headed towards the dungeon, when Elendria offered her services to us. We agreed and paid her. While we were in the alley Sean attacked us. He gave no warning, taking my hand first. He used an unknown fire spell to cook the end of my hand, preventing reattachment, then let us go. He also threatened to kill us if we told anyone.”

“Any questions for them Sean?”

“Yes. You two in the back. Do you both agree with Hannibal’s story?” They nodded. “I want to hear you say it. If you are backing him, say it out loud so there can be no confusion.”

“Yes.” They both replied.

“I see. Hannibal, you say she led you to the alley. What was she wearing?”

“I don’t really remember. Scantily clad in blue.”

“And when you left the alley, was she still wearing her clothes?”

“Yes.”

“Did she injure you at all?”

“No.”

“Did you strike her at all?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Did you attempt to attach a slave collar to her neck?”

“That’s preposterous!” He snarled, instantly paling as he slammed his right wrist against the table.

“Careful now. Don’t let your temper get out of hand.” I said with a smirk, getting a glare in return.

“Do you have any evidence?” Urixi asked.

“Captain, has anyone examined the alley where the assault happened?” I asked.

“No. There wasn’t time.” He replied.

“Hannibal. Did you intentionally pursh for a speedy trial so that the alley couldn’t be examined for evidence?”

“Absolutely not.” He snarled, on the verge of tears still.

“Well, it’s a good thing I came prepared. Headmaster Urixi, you asked for evidence. Here’s Hannibal’s hand, still clutching the slave collar he was going to place on Elendria.” I said, pulling the item from my inventory and letting it leave a bloody streak to the middle of the table. Everyone recoiled from the gruesome sight.

“Where did you bite him?” I whispered to Elendria, as everyone was staring at the hand.

“B-b-base of his thumb.” She stammered, and I could see her shoulders shaking. Shit. I was going to have her accuse him of rape, but she was in no position to do so. I just knew he would immediately attack her, and she would crumple from the stress.

“Sean?” The headmaster asked.

“One moment please.” I answered, turning back to Elendria. “I know you are scared, and I’ll do my absolute best to prevent him from asking you questions. But I will need you to show the people here your shirt. If I make a screen of smoke for you to take my shirt off behind, and pull it back up as soon as they see everything, do you think you could do that?”

“I. I can try, my Lord. You promise you won’t let him?”

“I will do my absolute best.” I said. “If nothing else, I will hide you in the smoke screen after ten seconds so you can get dressed again. Whenever you are comfortable enough, reach through it and grab my arm. Ok?”

“Ok.” She said after a few moments, sighing heavily.

“Before I go through with the real version of events, I must put up a smokescreen for Elendria to change. You’ll see why in a minute.” I warned everyone. No need to make them think that we were up to something nefarious.

“Very well.” Urixi said, pre-empting Urushon.

“Thank you headmaster.” I said, calling up a rectangle of smoke around Elendria. “I had just finished my first solo run of the dungeon, and my adrenaline was still incredibly high. Usually Elendria is there waiting for me, but today she wasn’t. I wasn’t worried at first, I simply activated an enchantment that let us know of each other’s general status and location. I immediately went on guard when I saw she was in a nearby alley.”

“What’s the big deal about finishing the dungeon? Thousands have done that.” Urushon interrupted. “It should be a simple thing.”

“Have you ever been in the dungeon?” I asked. When he shook his head no, I went on, “Well. The dungeon isn’t simple. It’s a tool of the gods used to train us. The dungeon keeps track of who has entered, and their skill levels. The opponents you face are there to challenge you without being overwhelming. It also adapts to your fighting style. I specialize in detection and magic attacks. Goblins don’t do much against magic, but they are fantastic at ambushes. In the time I have spent here, I have several spells that I can cast almost immediately upon detection of a threat. I also work without a torch and without dark vision of any sort. Can you see why I would be ready to react at a moment’s notice with overwhelming force?”

The people to the side nodded, several of them paling. “Where was I? Oh yes, I headed toward the alley. I was still primed for a fight, which was why I heard it. Some male screamed in pain, yelled that ‘the bitch bit me,’ and I heard a slap. Elendria told me she bit on the base of Hannibal’s right thumb. If you examine it, you should be able to see the bite marks.” Using telekinesis, I slid the hand a bit closer to the jury.

“I rounded the corner to see Elendria with her hands being held by Douglass and Nicholas there, while the front of her shirt had been ripped open. Elendria, are you ready?”

“I am.” She nearly whispered.

I let the smokescreen drop. “This is her shirt as I found her.” Several things happened at once.

“BULLSHIT! THEY RIPPED IT ON THE WAY HERE TO FRAME ME!” Hannibal screamed, standing up and slamming his good hand against the table. Elendria immediately shrunk in on herself and plastered herself against my side. The guard captain went to draw his weapon, while I immediately formed a mana blade with a lead core and had it pointed right at Hannibal’s forehead.

“Enough!” The headmaster said, and did, something. There was a blast of power from her, and my spell was immediately dismissed. We were all bound to our seats, and judging from Hannibal’s mouth unable to speak as well. “Hannibal, you will not interrupt again. Sean, you will refrain from any spell. I will control the smokescreen around Elendria.” She said, immediately erecting said barrier. “This will remain civil, am I understood?”

“Yes ma’am.” I said, and Hannibal nodded.

“Very good. Now, Sean. Proceed.”

“Right. I entered the alley, and saw Elendria bound. Hannibal said something about slave collars that I can’t remember the exact wording, but I saw him reach into his robe and pull out a collar. At that point I snapped, and attacked. One mana tendril to stop his arm, one around each of their mouths, and one holding a mana axe with a lead core that severed his arm. I then heated the metal to cauterize the flesh and prevent Hannibal from bleeding out, and had his friends drag him off as he had passed out from the pain.”

“This is all hard to believe.” Urushon said, holding up a hand to prevent Hannibal from speaking. “However. There is indeed a deep bite mark at the base of the thumb which supports Sean’s version of events. I did notice that miss Elendria has a swollen lip, much as if she were slapped with force. Though the hand was grasping a slave collar, that could have been added after the fact. Lodrano. What do you have to say about the two stories?”

“Though not an expert, it wasn’t hard to detect the multitude of lies Hannibal spoke. I am far more familiar with Sean and his habits, and can say I detected no lies in his version of events.”

“And just how are you far more familiar with Sean?” Hannibal asked.

“He is a mender at the temple of Bruin most nights. When working he is focused on producing the best product possible. When relaxing, he is very open.”

“So you could just be covering for your friend.” Hannibal said.

“You dare?” Lodrano said, immediately flushing in anger.

“Not all of us would sink to the lows of you and your two friends there Hannibal.” I said. “Hey Lodrano, is there a way to appeal to the gods to verify something?” I asked as a thought struck me.

“Sure. You can simply appeal to them directly, though the punishment for lying is harsh.”

“Excellent. I’m getting sick of wasting my time here. I swear by Bruin, Shalora, Ariana and Lokir that I cut off Hannibal’s hand when I saw him attempting to place a slave collar around Elendria’s neck.”

Everyone gasped in unison at the strength of the pledge, and the entire room darkened as we felt several presences. “Truth.” A deep voice intoned, and the presences were gone.

“NEVER DO SOMETHING SO FOOLISH AGAIN!” Elendria shouted, slapping my arm before slamming me into a hug. “If even a portion of that had been wrong-.”

“Shhhh. That’s why I did it. I was absolutely convinced and had never seen this kid before.” I said, trying to comfort her.

“Well.” Urushon said nervously. “I guess that makes us rather superfluous, no?” He started to get up before I got irate.

“That’s it?” I asked. “And what of Hannibal and his friends?”

“What about them?” He asked.

“Do you? You don’t see it. Alright, fine. Despite our differences, you have always given straight answers Urushon. What would my possible punishment have been had I been found guilty?”

“Of maiming a noble? Ten years hard labor or execution.” He said with a shrug.

“And the chance of someone surviving ten years of hard labor?” I prodded.

“Unlikely. Most die around 7 years in.”

“So, what is Hannibal’s punishment going to be for attempted murder?”

“Hey now!” He shouted, but Urixi cast a binding magic on him.

“This is an intriguing argument, and I want to hear him out.” She said. “Without interruptions.”

“Thank you headmaster.” I said with a nod. “Master Urushon has pointed out that finding me guilty would have likely ended up with my death. I assume I need to prove that it would need to be intentional?” I got nods from everyone, so I continued. “I’ll assume this isn’t your first time as the jury. Show of hands, has Hannibal been in here before? Excellent. Multiple times?” All hands stayed up. “I see. And how many times has he had those same two witnesses? Compared to whoever he is accusing, has he ever had fewer witnesses?”

“Not that I can recall.” Urushon said.

“You don’t find that a bit odd? And one last thing. Has he always pushed for immediate trial?”

“Well, yes.” Everyone reluctantly agreed.

“So. You don’t see the issue? Your system focuses on witnesses most of all. Which is honestly ridiculous, as we have just seen. All three of them will lie to make the other person look guilty. He pushes the trial forward immediately so that nobody can find counter witnesses or actual evidence. He’s obviously banking on using lies from multiple people and the fact that most people wouldn’t take the extreme step of swearing to the gods.”

“You do have a compelling argument there.” Urushon said. “Well? What do you have to say for yourself Hannibal?”

“I would never do that.” He said.

“Lie.” Lodrano said.

“I don’t have to sit here and take this.” He snarled, standing only to be immediately seated again from a spell from the headmaster.

“I’ve heard enough.” She said. “I’ve long suspected that was what you were doing Hannibal. The only thing saving you was that most of them were for minor punishments. You’ve gone too far this time. I wasn’t expecting Sean to go with such a forceful appeal to the gods, nor did I actually need the abilities of Lodrano. I had a minor scrying spell on you ever since your last incident and I saw the entire thing. You and your friends blatantly lied. I simply wanted this to go on so that I could make the rest of the faculty fully aware of the possibilities of exploitation in our current system.”

“So, is it to be expulsion and exile then?” The lawyer type asked.

“Originally yes. But Sean does have a point. The blatant lies and exploitation of the system really could have ended in death, and I find all three of you guilty of attempted murder. Thankfully we didn’t have to put her through it, but I find you guilty of the attempted rape and unlawful enslavement of Elendria as well. This is far beyond exile and expulsion. You may make an argument for leniency.”

“My father will-“ Hannibal started.

“Enough from you.” The headmaster waved her hand. “What of you two?”

“I’m sorry.” One of them said. “He threatened us! Swore that he would see our families destroyed if we didn’t do as he said!”

“We couldn’t go against him.” The other agreed. “He told us of other stuff he had done in the past. Scary stuff. We. Would you go against someone like that? He has the fingers of village girls he’s murdered! The guy’s psycho!”

Hannibal was struggling in his restraints, and the other two had backed away. Even the lawyer was giving him a wide berth.

“We’ll be giving his room a thorough search. Do you know where he keeps these fingers?”

“In one of his chests. It’s enchanted to incinerate what’s inside if someone tries to force it open.”

“Thank you for the warning. So. Here’s what we’re going to do.” Urixi said, though she looked a bit sad. “Hannibal. You will be executed. Your family and the king will be informed of your deeds, and we will go back through your travels and find all these villages missing girls. Reparations will have to be made.”

“Go fuck yourself-“ He started to snarl, only to stop and stare at the now gaping hole in his chest.

“Sentence to be carried out immediately.” The headmaster said. I hadn’t even seen what type of mana she used, let alone the spell. It had to have some heat to it, as there was no blood. “You two. I have decided leniency is in order. For the next five years, you will work for the academy and your education will be delayed. Should you be the instigators in any further incidents, you will be expelled and exiled. Am I understood?”

“Yes ma’am.” They both said, bowing to her. “Thank you, headmaster.”

“I understand your extreme reaction to seeing the slave collar, but you aren’t blameless in this incident either Sean.” She said. “While I understand how the dungeon can keep you on edge, your reaction was out of line. I’m banning you from entering the dungeon for a week. There are other ways to increase your reaction speed without resorting to conditioning your body to immediate violence. I suggest you look into some of them.”

“Yes ma’am.” I said.

“Elendria. You were a victim in all of this. I recommend meeting with the school counselors. They can give you some much needed therapy. I suggest starting as soon as possible. That’s all. Captain. Dispose of the corpse and seal his rooms.” With that she stood and left. I put my arm around Elendria and walked out with her and Lodrano. She just looked so frail.

“Excuse me.” We all turned to see Urishon there. “Sean, I know I’ve been rather abrasive. I heard about your origins, and. Well I assumed things. I’m old enough to remember stories of the previous heroes. Stories about how arrogant and self-centered they could be. Then you come along, claiming knowledge beyond what we have about so many different topics.”

“Master Urishon?” I asked, confused.

“Look, I’m sorry. We got off on the wrong foot, and it was no fault of your own. I saw how at every moment in there you looked to the protection of your traumatized friend. I think. Would you show me some of your knowledge sometime? I’m having a devil of a time wrapping my head around gravity magic.”

“I would be happy to. How does tomorrow after lunch sound?”

“Sounds perfect. Mind if I bring a few promising students?”

“The more the merrier.” I said. “Until tomorrow.” I said with a nod, and headed away.

“Not a bad outcome.” Lodrano chuckled. “Some bridges mended, lessons learned, and weeds pulled. See you at the temple for training?”

“Sure.” I nodded.

“Do you mind if I come along?” Elendria asked. “I. I don’t want to be alone right now.”

“All are welcome.” Lodrano said. “Even if you don’t have the spirit attribute, I’m sure we could find something.”