As the elements aligned perfectly, it seemed that even the lights in the hall dimmed, and everyone beheld the scene under the night sky, saw a carriage parked beside Sir Malin, and when a piece of black bread that could bounce off the ground was thrown from the lowered window, both the patriarch of the Ailan family and Prime Minister Sanders, who had been swearing, suddenly fell silent as if their throats had been seized.
As the carriage driver placed his hand on the gun holster, and Sir Malin picked up the small piece of black bread, Hagelberry realized why disaster had struck; Sir Malin could have stood up and scolded them, yet he ultimately picked up and ate the bread... The killing intent was clear to all.
To insult the Legendary, in whichever kingdom, is a crime punishable by death without life.
Even a trial is needless, for the Legendary personally taking action means death is certain.
"Sir! Why! Couldn’t you just scold my child? He was wrong! Couldn’t you spare his life?" Prime Minister Sanders’s question was agony-filled, and his wife had already fainted.
"You are Prime Minister Sanders, correct? How old is your child?" Malin countered with a question.
"Nineteen," Prime Minister Sanders replied while wiping away tears.
"Nineteen, huh? Do you know? Yesterday afternoon at the frontline, I fought against Chaos the entire afternoon. Those young people who died before me were only eighteen or nineteen, and some were clearly not even seventeen. If your second son is a child, so were they. Everyone is a child. Why then did Fate divide their paths, they died on the battlefield, ultimately only ashes and a box left to signify their presence in this world, while your child could sit in a carriage, throwing a piece of black bread to a serf by the road with his fiancée, receiving thanks as if it were their due, showing off his generosity to his lover."
At this point, Sir Malin laughed loudly: "My upbringing taught me, even a piece of black bread mixed with sand is still food, it shouldn’t be wasted. Yet, your and Lord Sigran’s children do not understand this. It’s not their fault; they are not on the battlefield, they do not know that yesterday afternoon, my ration was just a bowl of woody stem soup and half a piece of black bread, very hard kind, only edible when soaked in soup, not one of those children complained. They just ate their last meal, then gallantly went to their deaths."
At this point, the entire hall was dead silent. Hagelberry reflected on his past actions and was relieved to find that he hadn’t shown any wasteful tendencies when hosting Sir Malin, then he felt the surreal relief of having survived a disaster.
...No, it’s not surreal. This is indeed surviving a disaster.
For Hagelberry saw the Church’s Paladin squad moving, led by the local Knight Commander, a young man universally recognized as having boundless potential.
Now, this young man kneeled behind Malin and said gravely: "Respected Sir Malin, as you surmised, we found dozens of ledgers and correspondences in the homes of the sinners Sanders and Sigran, clear and detailed evidence of their crimes, as well as those who managed the transactions and actions, who have all been detained. The Church’s Judge is recording their statements, and we believe they will be brought to you shortly."
After speaking, two Paladins behind him brought the ledgers and correspondence to the hall floor.
"You did well, stand up, and tell everyone, there’s no need for such formalities when you see me," Malin said, then turned to look at everyone’s ruler: "Your Majesty Manheim, would you care to take a look?"
At this moment, the hall was like a domain of death.
And Hagelberry, driven by a curiosity for drama, shifted onto his tiptoes—Our Sir Malin, he is preparing for a massacre.