Chapter 426: Chapter 351 Another Trial

A month later.

Lancelot and his companions stood in the Throne Hall of Melanthan Castle, surrounded by friends they had made since arriving in this realm.

These people were indeed there to see him off, but at the moment, everyone’s attention was elsewhere because a trial was taking place in the castle, very much like the situation when the Succubus Paladin first arrived in Melanthan, except that now the accused was someone else.

At the far end of the hall, on a raised platform, King Consort Finier sat on the throne that had previously stood empty. As the companion of the Star Queen Movir, he represented the will of the Queen herself and was the undisputed highest arbiter of Androlina.

Standing on the steps before him were the old Elf Quirion, the Radiant Cloud Angel Iltash, the bald human Commander Poping Jay, and Lancelot’s old acquaintance Acheron, who also was Prince Thelion, the general of the Androlina Elf warriors, in name.

The cause of the matter was simple: many of the rescued prisoners claimed that the Demon prison guards had boasted to them during their torture that someone from the Protectors had leaked their operation plans to Cang Ye, leading to their capture.

Out of trust for their comrades, almost no one took this seriously, thinking it was just a trick played by the Demons to break their spirit. However, among the prisoners Lancelot rescued was one special being–Great Elder Quirion. Because of some warped hobby, Cang Ye would occasionally ‘thaw’ him, allowing this ancient Protector leader to watch the torment of his successors.

As time passed, the old Elf realized that the Demons’ interrogations might not be lies. The captured warriors had proven repeatedly that those words were ineffective against them. Yet the torturers kept repeating the same story to new prisoners, which seemed unnecessary.

Moreover, the Mother of Demons clearly had no intention of releasing any prisoner, unlike the spread of rumors to sow dissent among the Protectors. After eliminating all impossible options, Quirion had to admit that there could indeed be a traitor within Melanthan.

There were many suspects, such as the Zoel Elf Kamoen, who infiltrated the Demon Capital alone, but plenty of evidence proved his innocence, like Talasher and Dalarna. Their experience was very similar to Lancelot’s group; they successfully infiltrated the Demon Commander’s office, only to be faced with the Spirit Mirror behind a cupboard and the Mother of Demons on the other side of the mirror.

The difference was, due to the Elves’ inherent distrust of their dark-skinned kin, they had not let Kamoen be privy to the plan of their operation, so someone else must have leaked their movements.

Under normal circumstances, identifying the betrayer would be difficult, but Lancelot brought back so many witnesses that by comparing those informed of each respective action, Quirion had little difficulty in locking onto a target.

“We have heard the accusations made against you by Great Elder Quirion Landale and the reasons why he has made these accusations,” said Finier, his tone lacking much authority, but the atmosphere in the hall was as heavy as if at a funeral, “Thorn Swallow, do you plead guilty?”

As the King Consort’s question was posed, all eyes turned to the beautiful figure standing below. The one on trial was the Fairy of Summer, Thorn Swallow, one of the four Generals of the Protectors.

“…………….”

After a prolonged silence, the great Fairy did not speak, and murmurs started to rise louder and louder among the crowd. As the leader of the Fairy Warriors, Thorn Swallow had already proven herself in countless epic battles and won everyone’s heartfelt support.

It was for this reason that her betrayal was so hard to accept.

Lancelot felt indifferent to this; he had only seen the Fairy twice before and had no relationship with her whatsoever. His only impression was that this female, who looked much like an Elf, was entirely clad in red, like a leaping Flame.

The one who had been insisting on locking up the Succubus Paladin was the bald human General Poping Jay. This man was brave enough to admit his mistakes. Just a few days ago, he had made a special trip to apologize to Elothysia, who naturally forgave him with great magnanimity.

Looking back, it was this Fairy General who had proposed the so-called ‘trial’, suggesting Elothysia steal the Demon’s battle plans. But now, it seemed that this had been a trap all along, designed to deliver the Succubus Paladin into Cang Ye’s hands.

If it weren’t for Lancelot, an unexpected factor, Ulgog would have offered the Succubus as a sacrifice during Cang Ye’s battle with Finier, thus giving the Mother of Demons additional power to defeat and perhaps even slay the King Consort. Then, the situation in Androlina would likely have been beyond salvage.

“Wait a minute!”

As the onlookers’ murmurs grew louder and the silence from the accused persisted, a Fairy clothed in fiery red burst forth from the crowd. She was so anxious that she didn’t bother with formalities and blurted:

“Your Highness, the King Consort, we have fought side by side for so long, I know Thun Thorn the best! She couldn’t possibly be a betrayer! Other than what the Demon said during the execution, is there any other evidence?”

“My shock is no less than yours, Miss Guoshi.” Quirion Landale spoke up, his voice laden with weariness, “But we do have a witness…”

“Who? Who can testify that Thun Thorn has indeed betrayed us?”

The old Elf turned around and nodded at Lancelot who stood below the dais.

“The witness isn’t me, it’s an enemy I’ve captured.” Lancelot stepped up to the platform, bowed to the King Consort on the throne, and then presented a deep purple crystal Amulet, “Ulgog, if that is indeed its name.”

Finier nodded and took the Amulet, flicking the crystal lightly, and the image of the Domineering Demon with massive bat wings materialized in the hall.

Immediately, the crowd erupted into commotion; some drew their weapons on the spot, but everyone quickly realized that something was off: the Demon seemed completely unaware of its surroundings, still sitting there dejectedly. On closer observation, the onlookers realized that it was merely a projection and not the true form of the Demon.

Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only

“It remains imprisoned within the crystal, unaware of the outside world.”

Finier explained to the audience, then King Consort Aira began to cast another Spell. This one took much longer, and the incantations and gestures appeared very complex. When he finally finished, the entire hall was filled with a milky Spiritual Light.

“Thun Thorn, I hope the accusations against you are not true.”

King Consort Aira said softly, and due to some mysterious effect, Lancelot immediately knew that Finier was not lying–clearly, this was the result of the Spell just cast.

Vote