Chapter 94 - A pause in the trial

Chapter 94: Chapter 94 - A pause in the trial We test the orb to see if it functions properly. Lillian puts her hands on it, and soon the screen displaying her stats appears. Yes, this shall be enough. The title is there for everyone to see. ---------- TITLE: Runaway Slave of Duke Addlington [CRIME] Lillian Annes is a slave of Duke Addlington. Source of enslavement: Capture Status: Runaway Time: Year 1,313 to present ---------- That is proof enough that the Duke captured and enslaved her during the time of the failed coup. Though the title claims that she is a slave, thus a criminal for running away, enslaving a royal family member by capture is a crime of a higher order. And it’s in the system created by the goddess herself. Not even the Pontifex will be able to counter that. As long as she can present it in public before being excommunicated. "Your Majesty, excuse me." A butler just entered the room where we are. "Yes?" "The Pontifex is requesting a new audience, even if it’s with the prince talking in the name of the king." Ugh... he’s trying to strike while the iron is hot and to take advantage of the debilitated status of the king. "We need to stall it, grandma. We have to make sure that there are lots of people attending and that they can see the title before the Pontifex can do anything." "I know, dear Aurea. Bernard, please tell the Pontifex that we will hold a public audience in the central plaza by mid-afternoon." "Right away, Your Majesty." "Ah, Bernard. Please instruct some knights to spread word about the public audience throughout the city, and tell some of the captains to dispatch a squad to fetch Duke Addlington for the audience." "Yes, Your Majesty." "That should do." "Thank you, mother. For everything you’ve always done for me." "Oh, Lily... there’s no need to thank me. You’re my daughter, after all. What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t do every possible thing for your sake?" Well, I know about some parents who would disinherit their children back where I came from. But yeah, grandma is a real mother, not at all like those fakes. But it stands out to me that the royal family is a bit too liberal for the standard of the world we’re in. I need to ask about it later. Maybe all those people from Earth whom they sheltered over the centuries ended up modernizing their thinking. Which is a great thing, if it’s true. "Do you think father will be able to participate in the afternoon audience, Aurea?" "Yes, I think so. He will have recovered by then, and I doubt that the mana feeder will be around to disrupt the gathering." That said, Lovelace is taking a bit too long. I thought that it would be a matter of mere minutes for her to catch up and wipe the floor with that guy. Maybe he’s more powerful than we estimated. But even then, Lovelace shouldn’t have a problem dealing with him. If he is more powerful than her, then I’ll be really worried. I don’t think I would be able to beat her in a fight if we go all out. ::: Around lunchtime, Lovelace arrived. The king is back on his feet, and we’re eating a lavish meal. Sadly, I’m too worried to pay much attention to the meal and furnishings. I’ll have all the time in the world to do that later. "Lovelace! You’re back!" I run and jump at her as soon as she appears. "I was getting so worried..." "What is there to be worried about, Aurea? ’Até parece que não me conhece.’" Huh? Did she just say a Brazilian idiom IN PORTUGUESE? ’It even looks like you don’t know who I am.’ Would be a rough translation of that phrase. Though it makes sense to say it in a language that is foreign for everyone else in the room. It means that the guy is not stronger than her, after all. And neither she nor Daniel looks injured or anything. Only battered. I mean, Daniel looks battered. Lovelace is not even red or with any other sign of having made a big effort. "Your Majesty, I’m sorry, but we weren’t able to catch the culprit. He was too fast and fled into a dungeon outside the capital." Ohhh, that explains it. Mom and I spent some time yesterday night convincing Lovelace to rein in her powers to avoid suspicion, after all. So she was running like a normal human, instead of melting with the shadows like she has been doing lately when she wants to stalk someone. And they had to go outside the capital, running like people from the stone ages. Or the middle ages, in this case. No wonder they took so long. "Which dungeon did he go into?" "It’s a new dungeon, uncharted. On our way back we ordered some knights to stand guard at the entrance and another to tell the news to the Adventurer’s Guild." "Good job, Daniel. It means that soon we’ll have information about the dungeon. I wonder why he escaped there. Is the place so low-level that it’s preferable to fighting knights?" "On the contrary, Your Majesty. It’s a very high-level dungeon; I was able to sense the monsters inside." If Lovelace is saying that it’s high level, then it’s probably legendary level or higher. If she were alone, she would have braved it by herself, I’m sure of it. Not gonna lie, I’m proud of how this little scorpion woman is handling empathy and teamwork in human society. "My theory is that the mana feeder is a monster from the dungeon. He managed to find a way out and uses it to come to the city to feed. I don’t know his motivations to feed on you specifically." The king is looking at her with admiration. Well, she deserves all admiration and glazing in the world. "Grandfather, if Lovelace is saying it, then it is true. I don’t think anyone else in this kingdom would be able to evaluate a dungeon and monster with the detail and precision she is able to." "Those are big words, but I can see that, little Aurea. What do you think, Daniel?" "Ashamed as I am to admit, She had to stop several times to wait for me to catch my breath. She is stronger than any knight, that I can attest. And also, I managed to use Analysis on the guy, and he is a monster type." "A monster type? In the form of a person?" "Yes, I wasn’t able to see what type, though." "He is a vampire." Huh? But he was out under the sun... "You seem very sure about it, Lovelace. What makes you think that he might be that mythical creature?" "I saw it on his stats screen, Your Majesty. And also, the way he drained your energy earlier has the signature trace of a vampire." "Have you encountered those monsters before?" "Yes." "But, Lovelace... Aren’t vampires able to come out only at night?" "That’s only partially true, Aurea. Some of the more powerful ones have magic that allows them to endure the sun for a limited time." "So we’re dealing with the leader of the most important religious institution in this world and his vampire ally? This will be tough." "The vampire won’t come out of that hole again today. He depleted his reserves and wasn’t able to properly feed." Good. At least that.