As morning approached on Ferdinand's trial day, everyone felt hopeless and on edge, knowing there was nothing they could do. The only one feeling slightly better was Theo, who had been hard at work every night in Prim's Domain. It appeared as if Theo was meditating, but in reality, he entered Prim's Domain where it felt like he was somewhere else, even though his body remained in the same place.
Since upgrading Time Step, Theo enjoyed playing tricks, especially on Nolan and Flynn, to see how much he could accomplish in a second. He first noticed that a second wasn't much time, but by positioning himself in anticipation of what he wanted to do, he could achieve a lot. He would trade breakfasts with Flynn, take Nolan's knuckles and place them elsewhere. It was a great trick since people believed their eyes before anything else, and when they saw something suddenly change, it completely confused them.
Theo was beginning to understand the strength of his abilities. Even during training, when sparring with his friends, he used Time Step to improve his speed. Theo could easily beat Nolan and Flynn, but Amber was different; he was always hesitant to go all out on her. Nick was the only one he couldn't beat, but their matches always ended in a tie since Nick was a tank and Theo would tire himself out, although he could outrun any of Nick's attacks.
"Guys, do you think these barracks are haunted?" Nolan asked.
"What are you talking about?" Amber looked at him, about to laugh.
"I swear my knuckles have been jumping up and down everywhere. Even as I am staring at them, they just… poof, disappear and are suddenly somewhere else! Right, Theo? I mean, you've seen it, right?" Nolan pleaded.
"Umm, I mean, you say so, but I don't think I've seen them suddenly disappear," Theo snickered.
Theo was always next to Nolan when he made the knuckles jump; he had to be, or there wasn't enough time to play with him. One time he even bumped Nolan in that second, but Nolan just attributed it to feeling a presence, making him believe even more that there were ghosts of some kind.
The mornings were uplifting as Nolan would always tell the others about possible ghosts or ask if they had seen his knuckles, and Flynn always complained that he felt he was getting less food than everyone else. This made Theo and Amber laugh, except for Nick, who was always reserved and quiet, even looking a bit melancholic.
"Today we'll know," Nick suddenly said.
Everyone turned to look at Nick as he exhaled and got up.
The trial was at midday, right in the grand hall where they had celebrated just a week before.
"How will the trial work? Have any of you been to one before?" Flynn asked.
"They will state the charges against Ferdinand. He can then admit to them or rebut them and try to persuade the judgment council. There are five people in the judgment, and they must be people of authority and unbiased toward the accused to give a fair judgment. Then the accuser will explain his side and present evidence to back it up," Nick explained.
It was one of the first times Nick had been outspoken about something; he was usually reserved.
"If things go as they normally do, Ferdinand will be found guilty and have to pay a penalty. Normally it's gold or servitude, and since he probably doesn't have any money anymore, he will be enslaved, just as Ariel said Everette is intending," Nick said dejectedly.
"Wow, way to bring us right back down to reality. I had already forgotten about the ghosts," Nolan replied.
"I'm sorry, it's just that things don't go our way in this world. I don't know if you knew this, but I came to the call to arms with my two best friends. We were trained by Owen's father, so we weren't completely unprepared. When we were chosen for the garrison, we were so proud, thinking we had found our way in and would have great military careers. Then we faced that dungeon, and now both of them are dead. I could do nothing, and if it wasn't for you guys, I'd be dead as well. I guess I'm not much for company," Nick spoke gloomily.
Amber went to Nick and embraced him. Nick buried his face on Amber's shoulder as they just stood there. They knew Nick was close with the boys who had perished in the dungeon, but until now, he had never opened up. All around, they suffered because of their status; they had none and would always fall prey to whatever the highborns and nobles wanted.
"I miss them," said Nick. Owen and Ray were his best friends, and now he would never see them again.
Everyone had gathered at the highborns' camp hall. It was a significant event to have a trial at the camp; there were plenty of reprimands, but they were mostly training-based. Now, a former noble was being tried for insurrection and treason. The news of this had spread like wildfire on a hot day. The hall was filled with people, prepared for such an occasion. The hall had circular seating, and at the center, there was an oval dais where five people were seated.
Prince Argyle sat at the center of the dais as the commander of the call-to-arms camp, holding the highest authority. His two lieutenants sat to his left and right, and at the edges, two centurions. A lieutenant held a leadership role under him, one for each camp. Centurions were among the highest-ranked warriors in the Luna Kingdom. There were only four in the camp, and they were seldom seen as they shadowed the prince. If Prince Argyle hadn't taken the chance to command the call to arms camp, there probably wouldn't have been any centurions present.
Ferdinand was brought out to stand in front of the dais for his judgment. He looked extremely calm, almost relaxed, not like someone who had been imprisoned for a week. He was shackled at his hands and feet. As he was brought out, Everette took a seat across from him and the judgment council.
"We are gathered here today to impart judgment on the actions taken by Ferdinand Walker, a former member of the Walker family of Westlake City. You stand before us for the crimes of insurrection and treason against your garrison's leader," Prince Argyle spoke. He was articulate, and it was clear he had been instructed in the ways of the world since a young age. There was no hesitation in his voice.
"We will proceed to take your statement and begin the trial where both parties will provide evidence. Now, how do you plead, Mr. Walker?" the prince instructed and asked.
"Not guilty, your grace," Ferdinand replied without hesitation.
At that moment, Everette just smiled. "Very well, we will commence to hear from your accuser and have him present his evidence. Please begin, Garrison Leader Everette Wyamir," Prince Argyle instructed.
"Thank you, your grace. It is a simple trial. Ferdinand disobeyed direct orders and tried to lead the garrison himself, putting everyone's lives at risk. At least half of our casualties came from his decisions," Everette spoke matter-of-factly.
"Thank you. You may now present your evidence," the prince exclaimed.
"I present my two aides, who were present throughout the entire dungeon dive and can give statements to the facts," Everette said.
"Very well, they may now present," the prince said.
Draymond stepped up first. "I present myself before the judgment council, Draymond Wymm, aide to Everette Wyamir," Draymond spoke and told a slightly different version of what actually happened in the dungeon.
(Aides and oath-takers take the half-last name of the family they serve, giving them some authority but overall claiming ownership by the families.)
"After we finally survived the final floor and came upon the final boss, our leader stated we should turn back as we had already suffered casualties, and some were paralyzed. It was more important to Leader Everette that we return safely instead of seeking glory, but then trainee Ferdinand exclaimed we had come too far and sacrificed too much to turn back, asking to put it up to a vote. It was a clear tactic from trainee Ferdinand; if the vote was in favor of venturing against the dungeon boss, it would be a voted decision, and he would feel no responsibility. A real low strategy from the trainee," Draymond explained.
"After aide Ariel was hit by the Queen's paralyzing quilts a second time, Everette kept giving cover and then used his thunderbolts to annihilate the Spider Queen. We are all alive because of him. We later ran to the nearest town to save those who had been paralyzed, although not all survived," Draymond finished his retelling.
"Thank you, aide Draymond. You may step down. Aide Ariel, you may now begin with your retelling of what transpired," the prince instructed.
Ariel was hesitant but took his place and began giving his statement. "I am Ariel Wymm, aide to Master Everette. As was previously spoken, we went into the dungeon and formed teams to clear it faster instead of having a line attack. This was Ferdinand's idea, and Everette allowed it to see how the trainees would do. But on the final floor, we had the biggest problem with this. After I was brought down by the poison, I don't remember much, but thanks to Master Everette's coordinated efforts with the others, the boss was defeated, and I later awoke in Mushroom Town," Ariel gave his retelling of the story.
Theo and the rest couldn't believe what they were hearing. Nearly everything bad was blamed on Ferdinand, and they had at least thought Ariel would be more honest. They were all raging inside, wanting to scream. The unfairness they were witnessing was too much.
"Thank you, aide Ariel, Garrison Leader Everette. Do you have anyone else you'd like us to hear a retelling from?" the prince asked.
"I believe the testimonies from my two aides are more than sufficient, thank you, your grace," Everette said with a smile.
"Then we may now hear from the accused. As the evidence against you is damning, I'd like to hear why you claim to be not guilty. You now have the floor," the prince stated.
"Thank you, your grace. Well, I think we have heard a retelling that is mostly true and certainly interesting, so I will go to the facts. We entered a dungeon, split into teams, and before the dungeon boss, there was a vote. Now, it's interesting how little power the garrison leader apparently holds. I mean, I advised splitting into teams, and he just went along with it. Before the boss, I asked for a vote and swayed the entire garrison into entering and risking everyone's lives. And then there is the conjecture of all my plotting and planning. But why would I do any of this? What would be my motivation? If we defeated the boss, I would not get the mana core, which is the biggest prize. I am also a banished one, and thus my biggest motivation now is to rise through the military. Why would I jeopardize that for a bounty that would not be mine in the end? Now, if I had that much power, I'm sure I could have swayed the entire garrison to speak on my behalf or against me. All he has is the word of his two aides, who we know are probably the most loyal people to Everette in this entire camp!" Ferdinand spoke with eloquence.
Everything he said got everyone present thinking. It made no sense for him to want to face the boss, especially with no reward, and the testimonies did seem a little farfetched. Everette, as a noble and leader, would never let someone else take control of any situation.
"Yes, he made good points, right? Will that be enough to free him?" Theo asked.
"I don't think so. He is just giving an analysis. Judgment is passed by the retelling of the crimes. If it matches the charges, he will be found guilty," Nick said.
"As I had nothing to gain from it, it makes no sense for me to risk my life and my companions for it. Also, even if a vote was made, it's a garrison, not an advisory meeting. We have no real say in the decisions; we ultimately would have done whatever the leader commanded as good trainees. Furthermore, where is the mana core now? Who was it awarded to?" Ferdinand asked teasingly.
These statements were making Everette visibly mad. How Ferdinand did not refer to him by his full title and spoke with disrespect infuriated him. Who did he think he was? He had no more power.
"You make strong accusations! Do you have anything to back up your claims?" one of the lieutenants questioned.
They were all listening intently to him, and although most could tell that Everette might have had more to do with the decision to go after the dungeon boss than he was letting on, they could only trust the statements.
"I believe the only true way to back it up is with the Field of Judgment!" Ferdinand exclaimed.
(Field of Judgment is a trial by fighting to the death. If your sword is true, you will survive, but if not, you are killed).