Chương 80: was not a verdict I liked, so I rejected it outright.

Elijah took a deep breath, looked at Ignas and then at the other high priest, Puzo, and slowly said:

"It was me, driven by personal greed, who invested in a business related to stomach worms..."

"It was I who deceived the Phoenix family, gradually binding them to my cause..."

"It was I who abused the power of the church, forcing my disciples and colleagues to murder the innocent Mr. Camus and to hunt down adventurous people who had acted righteously..."

"I... have realized my mistake, and am willing to repent and pay the corresponding price."

After saying this, Elijah knelt on the ground, bowed his head, interlaced his fingers in prayer, and said nothing more.

Beside him, Bill, who had been feigning unconsciousness, raised his head and murmured, "Teacher..."

High Priest Puzo exclaimed, "By the goddess above," and turned to Ignas, saying:

"Your Excellency Bethan, as you have heard, my colleague is indeed unforgivable."

"But he has served the goddess for many years and has developed some rare skills. In my opinion, rather than making him pay with his life, it would be better to send him to the Molten Fortress, put on chains, and make him a gatekeeper for life."

"As for the others, such as the murderer who killed Mr. Camus, they should naturally be hanged."

"As for young people like Reverend Bill, although they are guilty, they were ultimately acting under orders and were fortunate enough not to have committed an irreparable mistake. In my opinion, exile is enough."

"Finally, to the victim, Mr. Amy, and to all the righteous adventurers, our church is willing to offer generous compensation and swears in the name of God to ensure their safety..."

After Puzo finished speaking, Ignas narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

Bill let out a long sigh.

Richard turned to Isabella, who was sitting to his left, and asked, "What is Molten Fortress?"

Isabella explained in a low voice:

"There is an active volcano in the southern border of the continent. Due to an ancient war, it was accidentally connected to the abyss. Therefore, every once in a while, demons emerge from it."

"Therefore, the church, which included seven gods including the Lord of Radiance and the Goddess of Wealth, joined forces to build a fortress on the edge of the volcano to destroy the demon."

"This fortress is the Molten Fortress, and the people who guard it are called gatekeepers. They are usually ascetics from various churches, but sometimes they also accept sinners from within the church..."

Richard squinted:

"So, going there is just considered military service, not a death sentence?"

Then there are people like Bill, who are said to be sentenced to exile... but they are not being exiled by the Empire, but only by small city-states in the Gulf region. Wouldn't they be able to move around and continue living normally?

In the end, after chasing them relentlessly for most of the day, all they managed to do was bring down a few unlucky guys who had initially killed Camus.

Isabella sensed Richard's displeasure and said:

"Within the eyes of the major churches, being sentenced to Molten Fortress is considered a very severe punishment. Of course, if you feel it's not enough, then it's not enough."

"But that's pretty much the limit Master Ignas could achieve. Elijah is ultimately not his subject, and the Church of the Goddess of Wealth is not a vassal of the Church of Radiance..."

Richard looked at the solemn face of the half-legendary paladin and nodded slightly.

That makes sense.

As the saying goes, minor cases are about the law, while major cases are about politics. When powerful forces have conflicts, they can't just casually call for war and killing.

Ignas didn't know anyone, yet he was willing to uphold justice to this extent, which is enough to prove his integrity.

Moreover, the Church's proposed solution was quite comprehensive, especially in this feudal era with its supernatural powers and the tradition of not punishing nobles. It is likely that the Church was willing to compromise in this way because it was too ugly to obstruct the development of the plague cure and it would be impossible to explain the situation afterward.

Richard then looked at Levin and Amy, and found that they all seemed to have accepted the outcome.

But...

Why do I, as a poet, feel so uncomfortable?

"Little poet~" Grace, sitting to the right, suddenly leaned over and said with a mischievous grin, "Would you like to hear some advice from little Zoya, something we haven't done in a long time?"

After saying that, without waiting for Richard's reply, he used the Mind Link.

Then Richard heard the red dragon's furious voice: "A bunch of insects, big and small, dawdling around here, so annoying! Let me out, and I'll breathe fire and kill you all!"

"Since both sides are thieves trying to steal my treasure anyway, it would be best if they were all dead!"

Haha, that tone, that momentum, it brings back a strange sense of nostalgia.

Letting you out to bite people is definitely not an option.

but……

Perhaps I can try a little harder to make this justice a little fairer.

Even if it's just a little bit.

Richard raised an eyebrow and stood up from his chair.

Isabella noticed his movement, smiled slightly, and did not stop him, but quietly placed her hand on the waist of her sword.

Richard went straight to Elijah and Bill, who were kneeling down.

Upon seeing this, Ignas gave a half-smile.

High Priest Puzo was forced to stop speaking, somewhat displeased at being interrupted, but considering Richard's dual identity as both a victim and a hero who exposed the conspiracy, he couldn't simply dismiss him like a servant. He could only ask:

"Adventurer, is there a problem?"

Charlie ignored Puzo.

He simply stared at Bill and said in a deep voice, "Elijah is your teacher, isn't he? He just said he was willing to repent. What about you? Are you willing to repent?"

What else do you want to do, you damned poet?

Isn't it enough now?

Bill cursed inwardly, but still lowered his head and slowly said:

"I do."

"Then come now."

"I... I repent. I made a terrible mistake. I shouldn't have forgotten the goddess's teachings and blindly obeyed my superiors' orders..."

"not enough."

"I... I shouldn't have led the team to intercept you, I shouldn't have..."

"It's still not enough."

"I……"

"Not enough, not enough, not enough!"

"What exactly is lacking!"

After being interrupted several times, Bill finally couldn't take it anymore.

Seeing this, Richard took two more steps forward.

Here, the bright moonlight outside illuminated one side of his face, while the fire pits on the surrounding stone pillars crackled and popped, making the other side of his face glow red.

Bill lay prostrate on the ground, as if kneeling before him.

He looked down at the back of Bill's head and said in a deep voice, "You haven't confessed to all your crimes yet."

"I have committed no other crimes!"

No, you do.

Richard said to Ignas, "Lord Bethan, would you please use the Domain of Honesty again?"

Then he said to Grace, "Help me remove the disguise."

Once everything was ready, he, in his true form as Richard Targaryen, knelt down, looked directly into Bill's eyes, and said: Do you remember me?

Bill's eyes widened.

"Richard? It's you! No, no, how could it be you! You should be dead!"

"Perhaps, but I've come back from hell, and it's truly a happy thing to see you again..."

Richard remembered what Bill had said before, so he sent it back to him exactly as it was.