(Kai POV)
I woke up early the next morning as the sunlight came in from the window in the jail cell. I looked down and saw that Scathach was still asleep, hand over my chest hugging me with her head on my shoulder. I smiled and hugged her back and looked over to the others in the cell. All of them were already up, even Gobta was awake now.
Looking at me, he said, "Uhh, my lord. What happened?" Not bothering to speak in a low voice.
I glared daggers at him and made sure Scathach didn't wake up, thankfully she didn't. Looking back at him, I whispered, "Keep your voice down dumbass, she's still asleep. Also it's a long story, basically, these four are the artisans we came here to get and so they will be leaving with us. For now though, we are waiting for a trial. You'll probably have to wait here. I can see if you can go to the trial with us though."
"Ohhh... Alright my lord!" Once again, not lowering his voice, now also earning a glare from the four dwarves. Even Myrd, which surprised me, though it didn't reduce my anger any and I was about to conjure a ball of demonic energy when I heard the rattling of keys at the door.
Turning my head to look at the door, I saw Kaido along with 8 or 9 other guards there with chains ready to take us to the trial. He nodded at me, to which I nodded back. I slightly shook Scathach to wake her up.
Her eyelids fluttered, before finally opening and looking right into my own. We stared at each other for a few seconds before I smiled and leaned my neck down and planted a quick kiss on her lips.
Frozen, she didn't react to the kiss until I pulled back and smiled, "Good morning."
"G-G-Good morning..." Her face got beet red and she buried her face in my chest again, much to my amusement. Sitting up I pulled her up with me so that she was sitting next to me, still with her head in my chest with my arm wrapped around her waist. "Hey Kaido, can we take him to the trial with us as well?" As I point to Gobta and continued, "It's fine if he goes in chains as well."
Thinking for a second, Kaido then nods, "That's fine, he won't be charged with anything since he was in the cell the whole time, but since he's part of your party, it should be fine."
I got up, along with the others and we made our way out of the cell. After the guards put the shackles on us, they then led us to a trial room. It was elegantly decorated, with guards lining the walls and in front of us, a judges stand, and a throne above that for the King himself.
We approach the podium for the accused and stand, waiting for the trial to start. After ten or so minutes, much so Scathach's annoyance, we start to hear loud, armored footsteps as I feel a powerful aura, no less than mine, approaching. One of the retainers stands up and says, "His Majesty, Gazel Dwargo will now enter." After which, a horn blows and everyone, except Scathach and myself, kneel down.
The king walks out from behind his thrown and sits down on it. Following, the horn stops and the judge looks at the two of us with fury in his eyes. He starts to yell, "How dare you not kneel! Guar-" but is cut off by the king himself who says, "Its fine. I don't expect two people, who don't lose out on me in terms of power, to kneel to me."
This statement shocked everyone in the room to their cores, especially Vesta who is starting to pale. In return I give a slight nod and quickly stand straight again, to which the king nods back.
The judge snaps back to himself and continues how it should've, banging on the sound block with his gavel saying, "Everyone, we will now begin the trial. You may all rise."
After which, the trial proceeded with the charges being listed followed by the proxy making his statement. When the proxy finished, I could feel the killing intent coming off of Scathach, and I could tell she was trying to restrain herself, and I wasn't the only one. King Gazel also noticed it, and even he felt a little tense.
In response I quickly grab her hands in mine and squeeze them, calming her down and making the killing intent vanish. She looks at me and I look down so my eyes can be seen by her beneath my glasses, and wink at her, trying to let her know this is what I expected, to which she just nods. Everyone, especially the proxy, is drenched in cold sweat from the killing intent released.
After recovering, the judge looks at the proxy and says, "And everything you've just stated is true?"
The proxy hesitantly stammers, "Y-yes, with-without a shadow of a d-doubt." Normally, this is where Vesta would speak up pleading the king for 'justice', however than never happened. His face was now deathly pale and he kept his mouth shut.
The judge then once again smacked on his sounding board with his gavel and said, "I will now deliver the final verdict. First off Kaijin the main offender, you are hereby sentenced to 20 years of forced labor in the mines. Next his dwarven accomplices will also be sentenced for the next 10 years. As for the outsiders, you are to leave Dwargon at once."
Deviating from the original, to which I assumed it was due to them just wanting us to leave and not offend us any more than they already have. He followed, "That is all, the court is now adjourned."
"Wait." The dwarven king stated, to which everyone looked up and froze. He continued, "It's been a while Kaijin, have you been well?" After his statement finished, once again everyone bowed, but Kaijin didn't answer.
The judge, after waiting a minute said, "Speak Kaijin, answer His Majesty."
"Yes. I have been well my lord, and I am also relieved to see you are in good health."
"That's good to hear. Are you at all interested in returning to my ranks?"
Kaijin looked up at the king, "Forgive me your majesty, but I have already sworn myself to a master. My word and my oath are the greatest treasures I own, and that's why I could never do anything to forsake them, even if you tried to order me to do so."
Already assuming that I was the master he was referring to, none of the royal guards said a word or moved. None of them wanted to get involved in this without their king's word.
Slight regret could be seen passing through the king's eyes, but his face remained stoic as ever, as he said, "Right. I will pass my judgment. Kaijin and his companions are hereby exiled from my lands." Leaving a crying Kaijin.
The retainer followed with, "This court is now adjourned!" Everyone was taken out of the room besides Vesta, the king and the judge.
We were lead out to the gate of the kingdom, where there were people lining to get up, unlike in the show.
(Back in the court room.)
"Right then, Vesta is there anything you'd like to say to me?"
"N-No sir. N-Nothing."
"How unfortunate, I am saddened by the fact that I lost what I thought to be a loyal retainer."
"But how could you say such a thing? Kaijin, he he turned you down! He swore his allegiance to a dragon! A Dragon! He was never loyal to you, he only cares for himself!"
"That's quite enough. I fear you've misunderstood me Vesta. Kaijin isn't the loyal retainer I've lost. No."
This statement took a minute for Vesta to process, to which horror spread on his face. King Gazel continued, "Once upon a time I had great hopes for you. I waited for years after the failure of the magisoldier. I wanted the truth, but I'm tired of waiting."
"Please sir, your majesty I swear!"
"It's too late for excuses! Look what he has."
The judge then pulled out one of Kai's full potions. "Do you know what that is? It's a potion. A draft of complete recovery made from hipokute herbs."
"It can't be. Even with the most advanced dwarven technology, a potion can only reach 98% recovery at the most! How is, this possible!"
"We received it as a gift from that dragon. Now with your actions, we've severed our relationships with him! Not only that, we very easily could've made an enemy out of those two people. If they really felt like it, they could flatten the entirety of Dwargon overnight even with me here! Are you sure there's nothing you'd like to say to me?"
Collapsing to his knees, tears streaming out of his eyes, Vesta said, "No sir... I have nothing to say. All I wanted was to be useful to you somehow."
"Vesta, never show yourself to me again. However, thank you for your work."