A Core Ship From The Start-Chapter 891 - 625 Stupid Justice_2

"But he aided the spread of the plague; that is an undeniable fact!"

Duanmu Huai abruptly waved his hand, pointing out of the window.

"I’ll say it again, stop your futile arguments! You should look outside, witness those who died from the plague, and tell them that their families got infected by accident, that Vanswick didn’t intend for it to happen. See how many would accept your explanation! And whether the dead would accept your apologies! What you have lost is merely betrayed trust, but what they have sacrificed is their lives! Do you mean to say that your so-called kindness and justice are more important than human lives?!"

"No! But this is not Vanswick’s fault! He devoted his life to the fight for justice, tirelessly toiling for his duty, just like me! But why should he meet such an end? Isn’t that betrayal? To appease the people’s anger, his lord deserted him, and the deities he worshipped deserted him over a foolish mistake! Is that fair?"

"A foolish mistake?"

Duanmu Huai’s voice suddenly deepened while, simultaneously, a cold murderous intent spread from his body.

"Do you mean to say that the deaths of thousands can be excused away as ’a foolish mistake’?"

"I... ..."

"You just don’t want to face it!"

Duanmu Huai suddenly interrupted Eribeth’s defense, stretching out his hand and forcefully slamming the table—CRACK; the solid table split into two halves instantly.

Seeing this, everyone present was shocked, but Duanmu Huai merely glared fiercely at Eribeth.

"You just don’t want to accept that your lover betrayed you! He deceived you! He didn’t trust you!"

As he spoke, Duanmu Huai picked up a testimony.

"Look, Vanswick himself admitted he facilitated many of Dessel’s actions but didn’t inform you because he thought you wouldn’t trust Dessel and might not allow his actions. So, he decided to act on his own, rather than report to you! How does it feel to be betrayed by someone you love, Eribeth? Now, you’re like a little girl blinded by love, questioning your own beliefs and faith rather than turning around to face reality! Face it, the reality is, your lover didn’t trust you, and that’s why he betrayed you!"

"No, I... ..."

At that moment, facing Duanmu Huai’s scolding, Eribeth was at a loss for words.

After that, the trial continued, but the outcome was evident.

Duanmu Huai had irrefutable evidence; Eribeth could only desperately argue that Vanswick didn’t mean to do it, apart from that, there was nothing much to say... Eventually, Vanswick was sentenced to hang for treason, and as the people of Neverwinter City cheered, this priest was hanged, turning into a cold corpse.

Only then did the plague in Neverwinter City truly come to an end.

But... it still wasn’t over.

After the trial, Duanmu Huai and Ogis were invited to the Lord’s Mansion. Although Dessel was dead, the threat still lingered. Even now, they didn’t know what kind of enemy they were facing. Given the previous situation, only Duanmu Huai and his group had a clear understanding.

"So, Your Honor, the Judge, I’ll cut straight to the point—do you know what vile entity Dessel worshipped?"

"Of course."

Facing Lord Nasher’s inquiry, Duanmu Huai nodded his head.

"It’s a very ancient evil deity, hmm... you might as well call it the God of Life."

"What?"

It must be said, hearing Duanmu Huai’s response left Amelia completely baffled.

"The God of Life??? But... ..."

"But what?"

"Duanmu Huai glanced at her, ’Humans are life, cattle are life, so I ask you, are flies, mosquitoes, maggots not life?’"

"This... ..."

"Understand? That’s the God of Life."

With a simple explanation from Duanmu Huai, everyone immediately understood... It has to be said, this kind of God of Life truly shattered their views.

"So, these Evil God Cultists... where exactly do they operate?"

"That’s not certain."

Duanmu Huai spread his hands.

"Strictly speaking, anyone who has been ill for a long time without a cure is likely to catch that one’s attention and affection, and then become his follower."

"...Eh? You mean..."

"That guy indeed hears people’s agonizing cries and treats them."

"Treatment? But the previous aberrations..."

"Pretty disgusting, right? But the disease was indeed cured. They won’t feel pain or get sick again—because they are walking plagues. You see, although they look somewhat strange, the purpose was achieved, wasn’t it?"

"Um..."

At this moment, the young man named Kasim also reacted.

"Your Honor, the Judge, do you mean to say that the Evil God transforms people in that way in order to cure their diseases? But that’s too..."

"Stop beating around the bush, just tell me if the illness was cured or not."

"..."

At this, everyone was at a loss for words.

"But why do they spread the plague then?"

"That’s simple, to infect more people with diseases; this allows them to experience the Evil God’s compassion..."

Duanmu Huai scoffed.

"If people were not sick, where would they go to preach about the greatness of their evil deity?"

"..."

You know, that actually makes a lot of sense.

"In any case, the actions of these Heretic followers are quite clear. Basically, if an incurable plague appears, or some kind of twisted mutation causes humans, animals, or even plants to deform and it’s unclear what’s behind it, it’s mostly their doing—that’s also why I came here."

"I see."

Hearing Duanmu Huai speak, Lord Nasher somewhat relaxed. Now it seemed that the actions of the Evil God Cultists were fairly predictable, certainly easier to spot than some Devil Believers who hid in the shadows.

"I understand, thank you for your guidance. Recently, the entire Northern Land has been restless; we have always been suspicious of it... I will send someone to investigate immediately."

In general, although things started off a bit unpleasantly, Lord Nasher was still willing to cooperate with Duanmu Huai, even inviting the Tribunal to establish a base in Neverwinter City. After all, the Tribunal’s ruthlessness and efficiency were indeed very useful in dealing with heresy—at least much better than some Tyler Believers.

Throughout the process, Eribeth merely stood behind Lord Nasher without saying a word, her standing within the Temple of Tyler also having decreased significantly. Conversely, Amelia, as a key figure who followed Duanmu Huai to Heim Fortress to destroy a Heretic stronghold, had replaced the position originally held by Eribeth.

There was nothing that could be done about it, Eribeth had angered many by defending Vanswick during the previous trial, and since Vanswick was her subordinate, Eribeth naturally bore some responsibility. If not for the successful creation of a plague antidote led by Eribeth, she might have followed in Vanswick’s footsteps.

But now, she was subtly demoted, becoming a marginalized person.

Duanmu Huai felt no sympathy for her; indeed, Eribeth’s defense of Vanswick during the trial had angered him, reminding him of the widespread saying, "You only lost a leg, but she lost her love"... Well, had it not been in the Tribunal, Duanmu Huai would have been tempted to commit murder on the spot.

But now...

Duanmu Huai glanced at Eribeth, then looked away.

Hopefully, she would come to her senses and stop causing trouble.