Chương 46: Trial of Suspicion

The Herzog called for me in audience. Galer shook his head as we walked with an escort toward the palace. He spoke to me telepathically, his voice heavy with concern.

"Be careful this time, Erumes. I cannot help you in there. Stay calm and respectful." I shuddered at what might happen. Once we reached the throne hall, the massive bronze doors opened with a deep groan. I walked in alone. Soldiers stood in formation around the king, who sat on his throne without his wife or daughter. His demeanor was cold and far from happy. One of the royal guards stepped forward and barked, "Kneel! Bow all the way to the ground before the Herzog Isopetalom!" I had no choice.

I dropped to my knees and bowed deeply, pressing my forehead against the cold marble floor. Galer could only listen from outside the hall, powerless to intervene. I stared at the marble floor as soldiers unsheathed their scimitars in perfect unison. The sharp ring of steel echoed ominously throughout the grand hall. The Herzog looked down at me with deep suspicion and spoke..." So you came yesterday to us as a guest… and then did unwarranted cleanup for us. In one hand, I am thankful.

On the other, this makes no sense." His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You see, I think you work for the murderer. It fits too perfectly. You conveniently deal with some random thieves on your very first day, get close to my jewel of a daughter, and hope to distract us from the real killer!" The Herzog's voice rose with authority as he pointed at me.

"I hereby announce your trial to commence in accordance with our law. Death for being suspicious!" I stood up slowly. A soldier's scimitar was already pressed firmly against my neck, the cold steel biting into my skin.

"I am not the smartest around here," I spoke firmly, lifting my head slightly despite the blade at my neck, "but your accusation of me sneaking in here as a distraction is wrong. What would I accomplish? A murderer? I did not even know this place existed. I was a miner before becoming a mercenary. I do not know this city, this region... this is my first time here. And to be frank, I also want to continue eastward with Galer. Our goal was never to stay here.

It just happened when I was training this morning and saw those bandits shaking down a baker and his daughter and i acted upon that." The soldiers shouted in unison, "That is enough with your witty remarks!" The Herzog raised his hand, signaling them to be silent. A long, tense pause filled the hall. The pressure in the room was suffocating. Finally, he spoke again, his voice calm but deadly serious.

"Then okay. You claim you were a miner and now a mercenary. Prove it." He gestured toward his soldiers.

"Fight my weakest soldier from this very hall. We will see how you fight and whether it correlates with you being in cahoots with the murderer or not." The soldiers surrounding me stepped back. Galer was held captive at the back of the hall, his face tight with worry. A young man stepped forward from the group. His Animo was clearly far higher than mine. I could feel his overwhelming pressure pressing down on me, mixed with the heavy, crushing aura radiating from the Herzog behind me.

I was still just the accused boy in their eyes, a suspicious outsider who might be working with a murderer. That thought burned in my chest. Anger and defiance surged through me. I released my Heart Flame. Fiery energy exploded through my veins, lighting up the glowing patterns across my arms and chest. Even though I was still not in my best condition from the earlier fight with Hewäl, I stood tall ready to face the upcoming challenge eagerly. I was a capable warrior, and I would prove it.

I fought the soldier with everything I had. I overloaded specific moments for bursts of power, pushing my body to its limits. My sword-axe blurred as I attacked with raw ferocity. Each strike carried my frustration, my pride, and my desire to prove I wasn't in the cahoots with whom they thought I was. Yet it was in vain. This man was superior in all aspects. He did not even go full out. After just seven moves, he beat me down completely. Every swing I made was met with perfect, effortless defense.

Every time I tried to overload a part of my body for more power, he countered with precise, almost lazy timing that left me no opening. My Heart Flame burned bright and fierce, roaring like an inferno, but his skill, experience, and raw talent completely overwhelmed me. Each time I was knocked down, I forced myself back up, breathing heavily, blood dripping from my mouth. My body screamed in pain, but my will refused to break. Still, the result was the same. The fight ended as quickly as it began.

I dropped to one knee, exhausted and defeated. The flames around my body slowly faded as the reality sank in. The Herzog ordered my capture as suspicion still lingered heavily in his mind." Strip them both," he commanded coldly.

"I want to see everything." Soldiers roughly grabbed us. Before the entire royalty and court, Galer and I were stripped completely naked. The humiliation burned in my chest. One of the soldiers suddenly froze as he examined my left shoulder.

"Sire! It is a branding of enslavement. He works for the murderer as a slave!" I immediately spoke up, voice steady despite the situation.

"This is not from around here." I turned my shoulder to clearly show the branding to the Herzog.

"This 'H' stands for Heinrich Himmel. I am from the Bener Region. We lost the war and fell under their clutches. I was let go because Galer, who comes from a noble bloodline, wanted a partner he could trust. So he bought me for 27 osmium." The Herzog turned his sharp gaze to Galer.

"Is this true?" Galer answered calmly, "Yes, Your Majesty. I needed someone I could trust completely. A slave from a fresh warzone was the best option. I am from the Monaser Region. I am Galerius de Firius, son of Vortigern de Firius." The Herzog thought for a long moment, stroking his beard.

"That explains your refined etiquette while eating and the noble aura you present." His eyes hardened again.

"Still… this could be a clever ruse. Put them both in the cells for now. I will decide what to do with you later. You have caused quite the stir in my territory, as if you owned it and that alone is treason worthy undermining my AUTHORITY." Once we were thrown into the underground jail, still naked the reality hit hard. The cell was damp and filthy, wet stone walls covered in mold, with a nasty stench of urine masking everything else. A small barred window let in only faint rays of light.

The iron bars vibrated slightly, as if they were old and unstable. Ten guards stood watch outside. Galer sighed heavily and spoke telepathically at first, then quietly out loud:"See? This is exactly why I told you we were in danger. Sometimes you have to let bad things happen, even if they suck. You or I have zero jurisdiction to play hero here. Now I'm fucked beyond reason… and so are you. He will contact my father, and they'll send a family member to collect me. You… you will die in the process.

They are much stronger than me. We need to dash once it is dark, or we will both die a dog's death." I lowered my head, ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Galer… I didn't think it would go this far." He gave a tired smile.

"It's done now. Let's focus on getting out."

"Okay," I whispered firmly.

"Let us do it then, Galer. We will get out of here and run eastward without looking back." After some time, the guards shoved stale bread and a small portion of watery stew through the bars with clear disdain. We didn't hesitate. Galer and I devoured everything like starving wolves. The bread was hard and dry, almost painful to chew, but we soaked it in the thin, watery stew to soften it.

The stew itself tasted like boiled dirt and old vegetables, with barely any meat, yet at that moment it felt like this meal will help us escape. We scraped the wooden bowl clean with our fingers, not leaving a single drop. Every bite brought a little strength back into my exhausted body. My shoulder wound throbbed with each swallow, but I ignored the pain, as i was already starting to heal. My only thought was we needed energy for the escape that was coming tonight.

When we finished, we leaned back against the damp wall, breathing heavily. The small amount of food had done its job. Our bodies felt slightly recharged, our minds sharper. As Galer meditated in his usual calm and focused way, I practiced swings with the wooden spoon they had given us, treating it like my sword-axe. Slowly, my body healed. The pain in my shoulder and ribs finally began to fade. Luckily, the trial battle against the soldier hadn't left me with any new serious injuries.

Once evening fell, we heard sounds of movement above us, footsteps and vibrations echoing through the underground jail. Before we could even attempt to break out, a royal escort arrived. The princess's personal guards took us out of the cell and brought us back before the Herzog. He sat on his throne, crown resting heavily on his head, his expression tired.

"I see you two have nothing to do with the murderer," he said.

"My daughter spoke strongly in your defense. She told me how you even tried to run from her in the beginning, but she forced you to help her. That explains that I wrongfully distrusting you and went against my own daughter's judgment... yet you still went against my Authority playing HERO!" He gestured, and a servant brought forward our cleaned clothes.

"Here are your clothes back. Put them on, replace the clothes we gave you and get out. The murderer has struck again. If you help us with this matter, I will reward you with treasure from my personal collection." We quickly dressed and followed a group of soldiers to the latest crime scene, where we met the princess once more. The carcass was horrifying... completely drained of blood, leaving behind only pale meat and open wounds. At first glance, nothing seemed particularly unusual.

Just cuts and brutal slashes, as if the victim tried to free from someone or something. But the head… the head was the strangest part. It had been opened from the inside. Galer knelt down and investigated further. He carefully examined the back of the skull and muttered, "It was opened from the inside… for sure. No blood left inside. Not even in the brain region." He looked up at the princess.

"Do all the victims have this?

"She nodded grimly.

"Yes. Every single one. No blood is ever left behind on any victim. That's why it's been so hard to find the perpetrator of this vile activity." A new sound pierced the night, a horrifying, gut-wrenching scream. We ran toward it without hesitation. We sprinted into a narrow alley beside a balcony and found a soldier writhing on the ground in agony. An short eel-like creature, thick and glistening, crawled across his back.

Its grotesque, segmented body had already begun drilling mercilessly into the back of his neck, heading straight for his brain. My stomach twisted at the sight. The man's eyes were wide with terror and pain as he gasped desperately for help. Luckily, a woman on the balcony had witnessed the nightmare and her scream had alerted us and the nearby soldiers in time. We managed to grab the creature just before it could burrow deeper. I seized its slippery body with both hands, feeling it thrash violently in my grip.

We held it up, staring at the monstrosity. The insect was big bloated, as if it had recently fed. Red and green blood dripped sickeningly from its mouth and segmented body. The sight triggered a flash of memory in my mind.

"It is a Blood Worm, is it not?" I said, voice tight with disgust.

"Like the one we saw in Plew…" Galer nodded grimly, his single eye filled with dark recognition.

"Yes. The Michaelanius Order Paladin took it with him with urgency. Maybe they can help us." The princess crossed her arms, her usual confidence cracking into visible worry.

"We do not like third parties interfering in our nation, even if they are neutral like the Michaelanius Order… But at least this would finally explain the situation. We could never find the culprit because it wasn't a person." We took the still-twitching Blood Worm and brought it straight to the Herzog. The Herzog examined the creature with a heavy frown. The slimy, bloated body continued to leak strange-colored blood onto the pristine floor of the throne hall. His face darkened with every word of our report.

The princess stood beside him, her expression now a mixture of concern and barely contained anger.

"So this… is what has been draining my people," the Herzog said slowly, his voice heavy with grief and fury.

"Killing and tormenting them for years. Not a murderer with a blade… but these foul things. Blood Worms… feeding in the shadows of my capital like parasites." He looked at Galer and me with renewed interest, his eyes no longer filled with suspicion, but something closer to respect.

"You two have brought me more than I expected. First my daughter's hunt, now this," the Herzog said, his voice carrying a mix of exhaustion and reluctant respect.

"Perhaps your arrival was not a bad sign as I first thought even, if you overstepped on my Authority, that is now excused with this ugly beast." Galer bowed slightly.

"We only wish to help and continue our journey eastward, Your Highness." The Herzog waved a hand.

"Eastward can wait a little longer. These worms are a threat to my entire city... no, my full nation. If the Michaelanius Order has dealt with them before, then we may need their knowledge. But for now, I want you two to assist my soldiers in hunting more of these creatures. Bring me proof of every kill and I will reward you handsomely. Fail… and you stay in my cells until this nightmare ends." I glanced at Galer. He gave me a small, resigned nod. We had no real choice.

That night we patrolled the darker districts of Aegus with a group of elite guards. The city that had looked so grand and majestic from the sky now felt oppressive and menacing under the moonlight. Every shadow in the alleys and sewers seemed alive with danger. We found two more Blood Worms that same night, crawling out of the city for reasons we didn't yet understand. One was bloated, having already eaten its fill. The other was smaller and hungrier.

Each time we burned them with my Heart Flame or cut them down with Galer's precise strikes. The guards watching us had mixed opinions, but at least we discovered new pathways the creatures were using. By morning we returned to the palace with the corpses. The Herzog looked exhausted but satisfied.

"Three in one night. You work well together. Continue this and I will also personally finance your journey toward the East." As we left the throne hall, the princess waited for us in the corridor. She smiled, but there was something calculating in her eyes.

"You two are more useful than I thought," she said quietly.

"Keep helping my father and I might give you a personal treasure of mine as well." Galer remained silent. I felt the weight of her words settle heavily on my shoulders. We were no longer captives caught in the wrong place. We had become pieces in the Herzog's game against an enemy we barely understood. The Blood Worms were only the beginning.