Chapter 484 – Temporary Respite.

Inside the dimly lit dungeon, the heavy stone walls echoed the footsteps of the small group. Two soldiers led the way, guiding the somewhat overweight Count Laurence forward. Behind him, the two young ladies, Robert’s mother and sister, darted their eyes around, taking in the sight of the various prisoners groaning in their cells. At the rear of the group walked the robed magician, guarded closely by several armored knights, their expressions tense.

‘I managed to get here, but now what?’

Roland, who used his position as deputy professor from Xandar’s Institute of Wizardry, felt the weight of the situation pressing down on him. He had managed to get this far with a bold bluff, but now, as they approached the cell where Robert was being held, he realized the difficulty of the next steps. Count Graham De Vere was not a man who would easily let things slide, and the matter might even escalate to the noble court.

‘I need to play this carefully. Any wrong move could jeopardize everything. I wonder, can I use this man?’

In the front was Count Laurence, someone that he focused on during his initial ploy. It was thanks to him that he got this far. He had managed to notice his house crest on one of the accompanied knights who was standing outside the main mansion. Only then did he create his unconventional plan of filming Robert’s torture with his runic drone and presenting it to this man, who he was sure was a judge. The Laurence family had a long history of judicial figures, and his assumption seemed correct.

Roland used his persona of an overprotective and just professor. Count Graham had probably already tasked someone with conducting a background check. They would likely inform him about the events at the institute and perhaps even the one in the dungeon. The Viola incident would confirm Roland’s character and show that he was not afraid of going against the nobility. This would probably lead the Count to speculate about his true identity. Typically, no sane person went against those in higher positions unless they had some type of backing, and this was something Roland had based his scheme on.

Robert’s fate seemed to hang in the balance as the group neared the cell where he was being held. The heavy iron door groaned as it swung open, revealing Robert still hanging limply in his restraints, his body battered and bruised. The sight drew gasps from his mother and sister, who rushed forward despite the knights’ attempts to hold them back.

“Robert!”

His mother cried, tears streaming down her face. His sister clung to her, eyes wide with horror. Count Laurence attempted to maintain his composure and turned to Count Graham with a stern expression.

“Explain this, De Vere. Why is this man in such a condition? Is he not a noble, why do you treat him as a common criminal?”

Count Graham’s face twisted with irritation. He had been following behind the group along with his knights. Right in front stood the Grand Knight Commander, his main bodyguard with two other tier 3 Knight Commanders at each side. All of them were focusing on the magician who had shown that he was a dangerous foe.

“This man is a criminal, accused of kidnapping my daughter. He deserved this punishment!”

Laurence raised an eyebrow and also started shaking his head.

“Punishment without trial? This does not look like justice, Count Graham. It looks like revenge. Why I understand that you wish to protect your family, but this approach undermines the laws we have sworn to uphold. If this man is guilty, he should be punished through the proper channels. We are not barbarians, as nobles we must not lower ourselves to such actions!”

Count Graham’s face contorted with a mix of anger and frustration. What the man said made sense but it sounded quite hypocritical. Other nobility didn’t shy away from performing worse atrocities and only upheld justice when it was convenient. However, with Count Laurence’s reputation as a fair and just noble, his words carried weight. He had to tread carefully if he wanted to maintain his own standing among the higher echelons of society. As it stood, his position was still shaky and he couldn’t afford to make more enemies.

“You speak the truth, Count Laurence. Perhaps my emotions got the better of me. But you must understand, this man has wronged my family grievously. However, I am willing to submit to a proper trial to resolve this matter.”

The man had to relent but this didn’t mean that everything was well. These trials could take forever and always favored the person with better connections. Even though Laurence was talking about justice, Robert’s words didn’t carry much weight when pitted against a count. Even if Wentworth Arden appeared, his status was many times lower. Usually, things like this were resolved with money but Count Graham seemed unwilling.

“I believe it would be wise to have an outside party oversee this trial, don’t you also agree, Count Laurence?”

Roland, observing the interaction, sensed an opportunity. He spoke out while standing between the two nobles. Their guards were wary of his movements but with a wave of a hand, all of them retreated to the sides.

“Given the situation… That would be a prudent course of action. We could summon a magistrate from the capital to ensure impartiality but that would take quite some time, weeks or even months…”

“Count Laurance, do you expect me to wait for so long? This must be some kind of ploy!”

“A ploy? Are you mad? Release my son at once!”

Finally, Francine interrupted the two men. Roland was somewhat surprised as she was not in a position to say anything. It seemed that Graham wanted to resolve this quickly. If an official arrived from outside, it could jeopardize his plan of getting rid of Robert. He wanted to push for a quick resolution to avoid potential future problems.

“Now now, let us calm down, perhaps there is a better solution here? Deputy Professor Wayland, correct?”

“Yes, Count Laurence.”

Roland responded, his identity was still clouded in mystery and to everyone here, he was something of a neutral party as well. Count Laurence was a shrewd man and quickly caught on to what he had been previously implying.

“Perhaps, you could oversee this trial then as a reputable member of Xandar’s Institute of Wizardry?”

This was not his initial plan, as postponing it further was probably a better resolution. With more time, they would be able to formulate a proper plan and rally more people to their side. Graham had the upper hand, but if they could publicize this case and present it as unjust, he might feel pressured to relent. Often, such cases were resolved due to public perception. If they could get other nobles on their side, they could pressure Graham into a monetary settlement, which was Roland’s goal.

“You want this unknown mage to take part in the trial?…”

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Graham started pondering the situation and quickly concluded that this was probably a calculated risk worth taking. After all, the longer this dragged on, the worse it could be for his reputation. A swift trial overseen by a supposedly neutral party might just be the quickest way to resolve the situation.

“Very well.”

Graham said through gritted teeth.

“I will agree to this proposal. But let it be known, I do not trust this… mage. But Count Laurence, are you also planning to participate?”

“I see you caught on count, yes, if both parties agree, I am willing to postpone my other plans!”

The overweight noble chuckled and smiled. It seemed that this case intrigued him and he wanted to be part of it as a judge. From Roland’s perspective, this wasn’t such a bad option as the family was famous for being somewhat just to the point of going against other nobles. He was a better choice than any other judge Graham would propose but it wasn’t truly his choice to make.

“Gentlemen, before we continue this conversation, why don’t we relocate this young man to another location? I don’t think this conduct is proper.”

He pointed to Lucienne and her mother, who weren’t taking the sight of the bloodied Robert too well.

“The man brings up a good point, this young lad needs proper treatment and care, he has not yet been convicted of any wrongdoings.”

Count Laurance agreed with Roland’s proposition. After relocating Robert to a more suitable location, they could discuss the matters of the trial. Roland expected them to have a few days to come up with a counter strategy and perhaps, there was a way to save his brother through the proper channels.