Chapter 649 Judgment
The next few days were a whirlwind of meetings, dinners, people requesting mana gathering charms, and fancy outfits for Wolfe.
By day four, he was running out of ideas for clothing, but didn't want to recycle a look before the week was out. So, today he was wearing a white leisure suit with a gold silk shirt, unbuttoned halfway down, while Rail wore a matching gold silk dress and white accessories.
The Royals thought that it was fabulous, and if the guests thought otherwise, they weren't brave enough to say anything.
But today was the day that the trial was to be held for the corruption charges that were facing the Guard General and the Ministers from the King's cabinet. It was only a formality, as they had already been sentenced by the Queen, and all but one had started their punishments, but bringing out the Guard General to pay a public price for corruption in the middle of an event celebrating the return of an assassinated Queen had the townsfolk incredibly excited.
It seemed that the only ones who didn't know that there was some major corruption going on were the ones living in the Palace, and the Guard General didn't have a very good reputation around town.
Once they heard that he was going to face trial for stealing money from the payroll, though, any sympathy they might have felt for someone getting a bit on the side evaporated instantly. There were some things that you just didn't mess with, and one of them was payroll. You'll discover the inception of this content at n0v@lbin★
Wolfe had a front-row seat, assigned to him by the Queen, to sit next to the Nobles on a balcony overlooking the town square.
Rail was up front with the investigation team, including Minister William and an agent from the Intelligence Ministry. Not a working agent, one of the public relations officers that everyone knew worked for the Intelligence Service.
That, along with the hard copy evidence, would be more than enough to convince the gathered crowd that he fully deserved what was coming to him.
"Welcome everyone, thank you for coming today and giving up some time out of your celebration schedule to see Justice served." Minister William greeted the crowd.
The General stepped forward, and the Minister stepped aside to allow him access to the podium, with its voice amplifying spell in place of a microphone.
"People of the city, I have failed you. I allowed greed to cloud my mind, and accepted bribes to look the other way to what went on inside the Palace. I deserve this punishment, but I ask that you find it in your heart to not hold it against my family.
They have done nothing wrong and are innocent of my crimes. For their sake, I will accept even the harshest of punishments willingly." He declared.
It was considered good form in the Demon Kingdoms to accept your punishment without whining or crying, so if he really did live up to his words, it would help the people regain some respect for his family line, even though they had lost everything.
"The convicted has spoken. What say you, people of the Kingdom?" Minister William asked the ritual words that would end the trial.
The crowd murmured for a while as they discussed among themselves if his family should be held responsible for his misdeeds. They had most likely benefitted from the money he was taking, but they had repaid it with the loss of their lands. It also helped that they were a well-known family from nearby, as the people knew them and weren't just relying on sympathy for strangers.
One after another, the crowd raised fists, and the Minister nodded.
"It is decided. No further sanctions or shame will be levied on his family. I now ask the Queen for her sentence."
Queen Elizabeth stood to her feet and cast a disapproving glare at the former General that made most of the crowd in the front rows flinch back at her power.
"For the crime of corruption, a betrayal of the people by the head of the guards assigned to keep them safe, I hereby sentence you to banishment. Your body does not deserve to rest in the soil of the people you betrayed for money. You will be given one day to reach the border, may you find atonement for your actions during the remainder of your days."
It was a far less harsh sentence than anyone had thought she might pronounce. They had all assumed that he was going to be executed. This way, his family was free to leave with him and try to make a home somewhere else if they wanted. They wouldn't lose their most powerful provider, though his ability to provide anything might be questionable now that he was an aging guardsman with no rank and no history in any other nation.
But it wasn't death, and that alone was shocking.