After capturing the dishonest merchant, now is the appropriate time in deciding his ultimate fate.
"The city guard thank you for delivering justice today." Lucon smiled appreciatively with a bow of his head. "Still, it would be most appreciated if you release him from your sharp grasp and hand it over to the guards so he'll be judged fairly at court."
"The court, huh." Siegtyr voiced out his own view regarding the issue of their so-called justice. "You know, back at the north, if someone like him is foolish enough to perform such crime in the very open, I would slit his throat right on the spot and not a single soul would care enough to bat an eye at his death."
To emphasize his statement, Siegtyr tightened his grip at the merchant, causing the latter to widen his eyes in pure fear for his life. To make matters even more forbidding, Siegtyr even pricked the merchant's throat with his dagger, resulting in a small cut being formed at the sensitive body part.
Siegtyr's threat caused most of the crowd to garner a variety of mixed reactions from them all. One side thought that the Northman is simply a vile vigilante taking justice as he saw fit in his own hands with the act of horrendous murder. Others though can't help but feel that the merchant deserved to be killed on the spot for his fabrication of lies in the marketplace regarding the authenticity of the silver bear pelts that he has claimed to be sold earlier. In the end, an argument has been started between two sides, whether the merchant shall live to be judged at court or executed on the spot.
"Please, don't!! Have mercy, sir!!" The merchant now had tears falling from his eyes from Siegtyr's sinister statement and action, begging his life to be spared and he would happily surrender instead to the clemency of the city guards rather than be beheaded by a Northman.
Lucon sighed at the now ongoing commotion that was born out of this troublesome predicament. Still, he has a duty to fulfill as a well-respected nobleman. The guards all shared the same sentiment and readied their respective weapons in preparation for the worst outcome. As such, he said to Siegtyr. "I see your point, Lord Siegtyr, but we have strict rules to follow. Order is of utmost necessity in these troubled times. If we are to simply kill people without judging them fairly, then we are no different than uneducated savages who always resort to violence and bloodlust to achieving their goal. I don't wish to remind you again that you are in Danusta, with the good graces of the Emperor and Empress. Even her majesty herself has told you that as long as you are in our Empire, you have to abide by our laws."
Siegtyr witnessed the complete seriousness of Lucon's expression while the latter was making his statement to prove his point. Not that it mattered really though, he has no plans in inciting any unnecessary ire coming from the local authorities. Even Siegtyr is not dumb to get himself in trouble in the middle of a foreign territory where they held considerable jurisdiction over him as indicated in the peace treaty.
In the end, Siegtyr just smiled and gave in to Lucon's wishes. In truth, he has no intention of executing the merchant, no matter how tempting it is. He merely expressed his own opinion of what his people would do to enact justice when the crime is seen at plain sight for everyone to ogle at.
"Very well. I merely stated my own point of view about the whole matter and had no plans of killing him, truth to be told. Your Empire, your laws." Siegtyr answered calmly and handed over the merchant to the guards, but not before knocking him unconscious with a chop to the man's neck behind.
"Thank you for your leniency and understanding. I'm sure their majesties will appreciate the right and noble choice that you made today." Lucon did not mind Siegtyr's latest action of knocking the merchant out of daylights. He gratefully received the criminal and ordered the guards to bring the culprit to the dungeons where he will be staying before his decisive judgment.
After the guards finally left with the merchant, Lucon ordered all of the people around the vicinity to depart and continue on with their daily routine since the matter has finally been settled. With everything resolved, Lucon requested Siegtyr that they should continue their trek to the Augustus estate as originally intended.
"Wait." Siegtyr realized as he almost forgot something. "That red-haired lady, I still need to retrieve my weapons from her."
"Ah, you don't have to worry about that," Lucon assured him. "Lady Anna Merell is a student of the Academy, same as you. She's also quite famous in town, known to be the daughter of the leader of the Merchant's Guild, so she can be trusted. You will no doubt meet her tomorrow during your first day at the Academy. We have wasted enough time already and it would be rude to keep the Duke waiting."
"Very well." Siegtyr agreed with the nobleman, finding no reason to argue with his statement. If he was being honest to himself, Siegtyr is in no hurry to recover his equipment back and also possessed other arsenals of weapons in his disposal, his trusty dagger, magic, and raven included. If the Lady did somehow managed to break or at the very least lost his weapons, then Siegtyr will simply demand payment as he saw fit.
Both of them then left the place, with Thyra paving their path onward from above and endlessly on the lookout for any signs of abnormalities that would potentially endanger her human friend.
Meanwhile, at a particular place where the incident all begun, a certain young redhead began her departure from the said area. When the Northman still has not returned after quite some time, Anna decided that it would be best to secure the weapons that were entrusted to her back home. If the Northman is what she thought who he is, then they will most likely meet again sometime tomorrow at the Academy, so it's not a problem that's worth contemplating.
When Anna finally arrived at her family estate, the maid welcomed her as always upon stepping foot inside. When Anna asked where her father is, the maid told her that the master is now at his personal office here at home after a long day of his job in the Merchant's guild tending to numerous issues that concerned individuals of their own trade. Anna thanked the maid and ordered to bring the equipment that she was carrying to her room for safekeeping. After that, Anna immediately proceeded to her father's work chambers. The incident that has occurred earlier must be reported without delay since it concerned the silver bear belts coming from distant northern lands. Also, she needed to convey the result of her task that was ordered personally by him.
Anna arrived at the familiar door of her father's office on the second floor and knocked. The man inside allowed his own daughter in with a simple response of "Enter".
The leader of the Merchant's Guild, Garios Merell, is known to be a true man of honor and greatly respected by the citizens of the Holy Bahamuth Empire, including the royal family themselves. Unlike his daughter though, the man instead has black hair and violet eyes. He is in his forties, a standard that's still quite young when one assumed the mantle of leadership of one of the most illustrious guilds of the whole Empire. Since it is technically his off-duty hours, Garios was dressed in a simple black shirt, blue long pants, and a pair of brown boots. He's currently busy inspecting some important documents at his desk, but upon seeing his beloved daughter, Garios set aside what he was doing in favor of indulging Anna in what business she has with him. No doubt, it was the matter about the silver bear pelts that he has requested this morning.
"Hello, father." Anna greeted her parent with a smile. "I bring interesting news that you definitely want to hear.��
"Interesting?" Garios raised a brow with intrigue. "Let's hear it then."
Anna complied and begun telling her father about the events that transpired in the marketplace. Garios was certainly fascinated by the story that his daughter indulged him. He also watched Anna with a fanciful smile on her face while she narrated the story, especially at the part when the Northman ratted out the merchant's schemes and climbed at the very top of a building with precise nimbleness when said merchant escaped from them.
"Hmm, you sure do have an entertaining day, daughter," Garios smirked while crossing his arms from his desk. "Hopefully the guards were able to catch the lying villain who had the audacity to fool the good folks to earn some fraudulent profits."
"I hope so too, father." Anna shared the same sentiment. "But maybe the Northman, Siegtyr I believed was his name from what I heard from Lord Lucon, has caught the criminal instead? Judging from his expression, This Siegtyr fellow was rather confident and also wanted to catch the merchant for himself since the bastard did involve important goods that came from his homeland."
"Perhaps," Garios answered with a passive tone. "It's a bit strange though if climbing up buildings is going to be his way of capturing. We'll find out sometime soon enough. But this Siegtyr… Ah yes, now I remember."
"Remember what, father?" Anna asked with great curiosity.
"The Emperor did mention that a young Thane of the same name from the North will be attending the academy as part of the peace process. So that's today, huh. I was not able to attend the assembly because my duty as the Merchant Guild leader takes precedence over some grand welcoming party, haha." Garios chuckled heartily, causing Anna to merely sigh at her father's rather easygoing attitude.
As both father and daughter were about to continue their conversation, another knock on the door was heard. Anna responded to the gesture and to her wonder, it was the maid presenting a sealed letter.
"Lord Garios, Lady Anna." The maid addressed her masters with the utmost respect. "I bring a letter from a city guard who just came recently a while ago. He said that it is a matter that concerned you, Lord Garios, as a whole."
"Very well. Thank you for delivering this to me, Grace. You may leave." Garios nodded and Anna received the letter to give it to his father.
"As you command, my lord." Grace the maid bowed her head down and did what she was told.
Upon receiving the letter from his daughter's hands, Garios unsealed the letter and begun reading the contents. While doing so, amusement took over his face, and after having finished, Garios kept the letter inside the drawer at his desk.
"Well, what is it, father?" Anna inquired about the letter. "Judging from that smirk, I assume good news perhaps?"
"Yes." Garios chuckled ardently in agreement. "Speaking of the criminal, I believe that we don't have to worry anymore about him."
"Really? That's assuring to hear." Anna was glad when she heard the news. "Care to indulge me in the whole story?"
"It says here that our new friend from the north was the one who performed the deed and delivered justice." The Merchant Guild leader responded. "Official report stated the Northman was seen sprinting on the rooftops of the buildings and performing acrobatic acts that are only witnessed at the circus and Olympics. Then with great surprise, the people saw him jump as he descended from the very top of the building of the Baker's Guild and landed straight at the criminal with utmost precision."
"T-that's amazing!" True to what she said, Anna was undeniably perplexed by what she heard. "The guy has definitely had a distance disadvantage when the lying bastard run away from us. If he was able to catch up, the Northman must have some excellent physical training from what I have seen personally with my own eyes."
"If he is catching criminals for us, then the Northman is most certainly a welcome addition here in Danusta, no matter what others are going to say. We positively need people like him in my opinion." Garios said with utmost praise.
"I feel the same way." Anna agreed with her father. As she was about to end the conversation, an idea suddenly struck inside her mind, something that will benefit every honest merchant of Danusta as a whole.
"Father, I have a suggestion." Anna smiled confidently, an expression that Garios know all too well if his daughter is about to say something that will yield advantages for them all.