-"Lord Eno."-She greeted me with the respect built while we worked together.
-"Lin Qingyan, strange not to see you in your Censor robe."-I joked.
-"I also feel the same."-She looked down on herself.
-"But I think this suits you quite well. While I'm not one to lecture others about hiding their faces, I think it's a pity that you wear that robe all day long."
-"You..!"-She tried to look angry to hide her shyness, and the electricity around her almost sold it.
-"Let's go, there is a nice place where we can eat in peace."-I started walking slowly, waiting for Lin Qingyan to catch up.
She stomped in place before trotting to my side.
-"Had someone told you that you're annoying?"-She asked, looking at me with blame.
-"I heard it a few times."-I shrugged.-"But I never took it to heart."
-"Then maybe you should consider how your words look to others."
-"Truth doesn't care about feelings. But believe me, when it comes to knowing what others feel and think, I'm something of an expert."
-"Is that so?"-She looked skeptical.
-"You can ask there."-I pointed to the still-busy field hospital for the infected.
-"Infected?"-She raised her eyebrow.-"Is it safe to have the out in the open? Especially a hospital for them?"
-"Oh? It would seem you have a strong opinion about Infected. But you are partially right, such a situation is dangerous if not handled correctly. That hospital is handled by Rhodes Island, they are experts in handling infections. I had my people also assist them in case something happened."
-"Even then, I think that there should be more safety measures present. Even one poorly handled incident can endanger hundreds of people."-She shook her head.-" The leader shouldn't put a few above the majority."
-"I agree, but a good leader should also accommodate the minority. The threat of Infected can be managed if the correct facilities are built and procedures prepared and followed."
-"The costs are too great for such accommodations to be implemented."
-"Lungmen proves your stance wrong."
-"Lungmen is a mistake, a fluke."-She denied quickly.
-"Maybe, but I still believe that Infected should be treated with dignity, not as a danger to be managed or a resource to be exploited."
-"Why do you support Infected so much? Isn't Laterano also harsh to them?"
-"Because I know their suffering."
-"Are you Infected?"-She looked shocked, even subconsciously taking a step back.
-"Was. By the blood standard, I'm no longer one of them. What did you think my arm was?"-I looked at my left arm covered with my cape.
-"Some kind of Art."-She spoke slowly, as if still analyzing what I said.-"Wait! Was? You cured your Oripathy?"
I nodded, but instead of explaining, I used a technique I created together with Promulgator to show her snippets of my memories of that. She stopped and closed her eyes, quickly going through them in her mind. Not even a minute later, she looked at me with complicated eyes, clutching her left arm as if confirming it's still there.
-"I'm sorry."
-"Don't be. I also understand that Infected can pose a danger to others, so I see your perspective."
After that, we walked in silence for a while, Lin Qingyan needing a few moments to collect her thoughts."
-"Lord Eno, would you mind telling me more about your life?"
-"I don't mind, but some things can't be repeated to your Emperor, can you do so?"
-"You have my word."-She nodded seriously.
I smiled and started to narrate my journey. Even while avoiding the unnecessary parts, it still was a long story, so we sat in the quiet café I found and talked with hot drinks in our hands. Lin Qingyan quickly immersed herself in my story, asking some clarifying questions from time to time. And so, we spend the rest of the evening talking about my, and later hers, pasts.
With the preparations for the trials settled, it was time to open the proceedings. The first day will be the opening statements and the presentation of the charges. After that, the whole week will be given to the prosecution to present all the evidence, trying their best to establish guilt and convince both judges and the public.
When the prosecution finishes, the defense will also be given a week to refute them, bringing up all the mitigating circumstances and evidence of the innocence of their clients. Of course, under Geas, their words and excuses need to be careful; they can try to appeal to emotions, but the facts are what matter. The ending of the trial will start with closing statements of both sides, after which the judges will be given time to decide the sentence.
The plan was simple but solid, needing my presence only on the first day and during the reading of the judgments. And so, I found myself standing in the carefully arranged courtroom, preparing for the start of everything. When the judges walked into the room everyone stood up.
Lin Qingyan was the leading judge, so she was leading everything. Her serious personality made her well-suited for such a task, so nobody objected. I watched from the side as she controlled the room and established order. She briefly described the rules of the court, demanding respect and truth from all present. After she was done, I stood up and walked into the center of the room.
As I walked, a special pen in my hand, a gift from Aefanyl, writing runes in the air. I also started to explain things about Geas, what it was, and how it worked. When I ended writing the runic contract, I looked at Cellinia and Lemuen, who stood at the prosecution stand. They instantly knelt, waiting for my words.
-"My Priestesses, my Knight, I command you to speak only truth, to show only facts. May no innocent suffer, may no guilty escape."-As my words continued, the halo over my head turned into a crown.-"I command you in my name."
-"We heed Holy Son's command."x2
-"Good."-I nodded and made the Geas take effect.
Soon, runes appeared on each lectern prepared for witnesses, defense, and prosecution, signaling that the spell was at work. Those were, of course, purely visual effects, added by me to make others know that the Geas is working and to make speakers remember that the words spoken mattered. I then turned to the judges, matching their gaze.
-"The prosecution will do their duties; shall they fail or overstep, the Law will punish them."
My words caused a audible murmur to appear, the punishment of the Law, the Fall, was what Sankta feared more than death.
-"Thank you for your guarantee, Holy Son. This court shall uphold the truth and justice; this is what we promise to all."
I nodded and left the courtroom. With my exit, the trial started, Lemuen taking the stand to begin with a recounting of the incident. I didn't bother with anything that happened there; my presence would only make it more troublesome by undermining judges' authority, not to mention that I already had plans for the next two weeks.
While focusing on the trial, Lemuen didn't forget to cooperate with Mostima to prepare the materials I asked for. Now there were enough of them to start working on a Mage Tower in Azure Dream. The projects for my Tower were long in the making; the best architects from Leithanien and Laterano cooperated on it, trying to create a building that best fit my needs and identity.
But they couldn't agree on the final form of the building. Some wished for Spire in Leithanian style, others pushed for more Lateran style cathedral. Every attempt to reach some consensus failed, so I finally had to step in. After admonishing everyone for their lack of professionalism, I suggested a plan that could utilize both of their styles.
Taking inspiration from his majesty, Miquella the Kind, stronghold, the Elphael Brace of the Haligtree, I explained my idea to build around the giant tree, using it as the core of my Magic Tower. My idea quickly caught their attention, imagining a construction closer to a castle or fortress than a tower, but it was precisely what I wanted.
A Mage Tower, like a Spire, isn't just the central tower, but also surrounding mansions and gardens, combining into a complex, all connected to serve the mage in whatever needs they may have. So I planned to scale that up as my needs are quite high. By the time the architectural drawings were completed, there were twelve towers with walls and building between them, serving all purposes from a bakery to a library, a true castle with the size of a small mobile city.
The whole complex was arranged into the shape of a Metatron cube, with the central circle being the tree, while the others were the towers. That way, the whole fortress can be turned into one powerful magical formation; something I'm still working on, a magnum opus no less than Scáthach's Gáe Bolg or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon I saw during the Holy Grail War.
Lateran style of white solemn buildings would be the main style, while the Leithanian grand and artistic designs were reserved for the inner grounds, for buildings such as mansions and gardens. This combination would make the fortress look imposing from the outside, but not cold inside.
With the blueprints ready and the materials gathered, the building process could start. Hundreds of people were involved in the construction, from carpenters and masons, to Casters and a few remaining Liches; all with their roles and tasks. What surprised me the most was the involvement of the Infected community; they signed up in droves, to the point that more than half of the workers were Infected by the time the construction started.
This caused some issues at first, as other workers were afraid of them, but this quickly ended when the two sides started interacting. The separation still remained in some way, the danger of Oripathy still existing, but they at least could cooperate without problems.
It would seem that the Infected community wanted to use this opportunity to show their thanks for the care I showed them after the incident, as many of them were patients from the field hospital. Their actions proved once and for all that what goes around comes around.
Another surprise that occurred during the construction was the arrival of a group of people, the Banshees. In one of my letters to Laqeramaline, I mentioned that the construction was about to start, so she decided to send a few idle Banshees to help out, their Arts surprisingly well suited to reinforce buildings. The only thing more surprising than their arrival was their enthusiasm.
They instantly asked me to call them 'sisters' due to my friendship with Aefanyl and my closeness to Laqeramaline. In their eyes, as I could wear Banshee's Crown, I was one of them. To be honest, their friendliness didn't trouble me that much; the only issue I had with them was their constant tries to set me up with Laqeramaline. In their words: 'Our Queen worked for many years to help us, now Aefanyl can help her with work while you can take care of her.'.
I quickly learned how to filter those parts out and had pleasant cooperation with them. Their support accelerated the construction noticeably, but even with their assistance, it'll take at least two months before everything is finished. For such a big project, it was still fast, but time waited for no one, especially for me, as the deadline of my contract with Gaia was approaching.
So while the construction and the trial were going on, I was rushing around to deal with any matters needing my involvement. Meetings with diplomats, arranging some matters in Laterano, signing papers. Countless things needed the Holy Son to do, especially as I let them pile up during my disappearance. Now that I needed to leave for who knows how long, I had to get ahead of this.
Because of this, my life got quite busy. If not for Mostima's and Shining's continuous assistance, I would be unable to manage everything. Mostima seriously took the job of my assistant and spokesperson, subtly suggesting what kind of rewards she would like, while Shining remained by my side most of the time, be it in shadows or in public. Due to that, I would often try to give her some free time, even suggesting visiting Liz, but she rejected it. At some point, I even sat down with her, asking her directly about her wishes.
-"Shining."-I looked at the woman who sat in front of me.-"Tell me what I should do with you."
-"What do you mean, Eno?"
-"I mean your working nonstop. What's the matter? While I traveled with you, Liz, and Margaret, while you had a habit to overwork yourself, it wasn't that bad. Now, aside from sleeping, you are always by my side."
She dodged my gaze, scratching her cheek awkwardly.
-"Just be direct."
-"It's an atonement."-She decided to admit everything.-"You know that since the day I left Confessarii, I've been on a path to atone for my past actions. I wanted to use my Arts to help those in need, forming our small group in the process."
-"I know that. I don't think your actions warrant any attention, nor do I see how all this connects with your current actions."
-"Being by your side, I see how much you do for not only Infected, but also other vulnerable groups, Sarkaz being one of them. Seeing you extend a helping hand to Sarkaz as Sankta makes me feel ashamed of raising my sword against you back then, causing all that..."-She looked at my left hand.
-"I never thought what happened was your fault, nor would I blame you for your actions. Our positions back then were what they were, and had I not left Terra, I wouldn't be who I am now."
-"I understand that, but it's..."-She couldn't find the correct words.
-"How about that..."-I decided to speak after a few moments of silence.-"Let's both take a step back. I won't comment on your overworking as long as you take care of yourself, and in exchange, you'll have to choose some kind of reward for your work. Mind you, this reward must be an actual reward, not just something random."
Shining nodded, accepting my demand.
-"But I want one more thing from you. Every week from now on, we'll spend one hour together to understand each other. Be it a breakfast or an afternoon tea, we'll sit down and talk openly and honestly. As my Knight, I understand that you treat me with respect and slight distance, but I won't allow you to turn me into some symbol for your atonement."
-"I understand. I also want to truly understand you, not just you now, but also the you back then."
-"Then we have a deal."-I smiled.
Shining also showed a slight smile. It wasn't the first step in our relationship, but it was definitely one of the major ones.