ATAPOW Chapter 86
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Chapter 86: You dare move?
“Huh? We’re discussing the outcome of the trial, why is the discussion about my head now?? …But since your excellency is talking about being a knight… In that case, does your excellency believe himself to be a qualified knight too?” Ji Bai asked him a question in reply.
“Of course! Isn’t that obvious?”
“Alright. If that’s the case, let me give you a test. In the knight creed’s precepts, what does section 364 say?
“I…” The announcer was instantly dumbfounded. “A-A knight… Uhm, I guess, it’s roughly umm…”
“I guess… It’s roughly? Oh please, can I request your excellency to be a bit more confident with your answers?” Said Ji Bai in a ruminative tone.
“I…”
“You can’t recite the precepts from memory, can you? Fine, I will find someone to recite it for you.” Saying that, Ji Bai walked down the staircase and arrived at the side of Landi.
“Do you know how to recite it, criminal?”
“In response to your honor, the tribunal judge. This humble self is willing to give it a try.” Landi calmly looked at the iron helmet before him as he said in a solemn manner.
“Alright, recite it.” Ji Bai turned his body away from him.
Landi deeply inhaled and spoke in a loud voice.
“The knight’s creed precepts, Section 364; A knight that trespassed into a citizen’s property without providing a knight’s warrant is treated as a citizen and can be handled as such. Gratuitous destruction of a citizen’s assets and actions such as extortion, intimidation, threats, and coercion will be punished severely without exception and clemency.”
The announcer’s complexion quickly turned ugly, while Lan Yu narrowed his eyes and sent his gaze stabbing straight towards Ji Bai’s back.
“Can your excellency point out if there are any parts I have overlooked?” Landi lowered his head deferentially.
“You didn’t overlook anything, and have recited it word for word.” Ji Bai turned his body around.
“Seems like a true-blue knight like your excellency is not as competent at your job as a ‘corrupt’ knight is. Why don’t you make use of this opportunity to become a lawyer? From my observations, you seem to be pretty savvy in using your gilded tongue and inverting right and wrong.” Said Ji Bai in a seemingly joking manner.
“You…!” The announcer ferociously stared at Ji Bai. He knew that there were countless people watching below the stage and an overlord-level bigwig from the temple headquarters above. It was clear as day that this moron was planning to put him on the spot…
“Your holiness, you had earlier wanted us to bring out the evidence? Well then, what about you? Is a simple recital of the knight’s creed enough to prove that someone is innocent? The knight’s creed isn’t a get out of death free pass. There’s a dime a dozen knights that have broken the laws despite them being knowledgeable about it.” Lan Yu Said coldly.
“That’s right. There are a dime and a dozen knights that have broken the laws despite them knowing about it. Just take you, President Lan Yu, for example. The intention which you harbor in your heart is truly unfathomable.” Replied Ji Bai in ridicule as he crossed his arms.
“Haha…” Lan Yu revealed a smile of dissatisfaction. “If you do not bring out any evidence today, you will not be walking out of the tribunal court… I would very much like to see what you look like exactly.”
He had uttered the latter few words so tenaciously his teeth were about to be grounded to fragments.
“Is Section Head Lan trying to openly threaten me in public? Since you have brought the topic up, I would like to ask you a question; What sort of evidence did you have when you captured those frontline knights?”
“Evidence? Surely, you jest! A few thousand knights personally witnessed it; How could that possibly not count as evidence? This official was also present on that particular day too.” The announcer had a sneer on his face as he said so.
“Hold on a moment, your excellency has mentioned that a few thousand knights witnessed it, correct? In that case, I would like to ask, how were the trolls repelled?”
“Naturally, it was us, the Chivalric Order of Radiant Knights that had repelled the troll’s besieging squads! We had obtained some clues, rushed over in the nick of time, and arrested these traitors on the spot.”
“Oh, so you were the ones that annihilated them?” Ji Bai thoughtfully glanced at the announcer and turned his eyes towards Lan Yu.
“Does Section Head Lan think so too?”
Lan Yu deeply furrowed his brows. Although he was completely clueless as to what Ji Bai got up in his sleeves, this was the official story that they had put out. It would be tantamount to smacking his own face if he was to refute them publicly.
“That’s right.”
“Good, since that’s the case…” Ji Bai walked up the flight of steps. As he walked up to the tribunal court, his eyes came into contact with Ji Yue’s.
“Am I right to say that young missus Ji Yue is the only heir of the Fire Lance clan?”
As soon as those words were spoken, the junior and senior officials at Lan Yu’s table felt their hearts abruptly stop.
The Fire Lance clan was one of the twelve bishop clans in the Temple Association. Their Sacred Ability, which came from their bloodline inheritance, was a terrifying SSS-rank power. The status they were in was far incomparable to a branch in the remote town.
Ji Yue faintly nodded her head.
“I’ve long heard of young Missus Ji Yue’s reputation. You have entered the temple when you’re twelve years old and were capable of fighting against three enemies in your maiden battle at age fourteen. Even when faced against three kappas alone, you were not at any disadvantage. Am I right?”
Ji Yue nodded her head.
“In that case, since Young Missus Ji Yue has been on the battlefield for a long time, you must have a very profound knowledge of demons. Therefore, I would like to ask your Excellency to make your judgment regarding the following question…”
Lan Yu had a sort of uneasy premonition. The various conditions were clearly swinging towards his own favor, yet such an unknown variable had arisen.
He badly wanted to hear what Ji Bai had said after that, but his voice was too soft for him to hear clearly.
“Mr. Announcer.”
“W-What do you want?” After Ji Bai had repeatedly exposed the flaws in his words, the announcer was deeply vigilant. He didn’t dare speak casually.
“You had mentioned that you were the one that had led the Chivalric Order that day, am I right? If that’s the case, can you describe in detail the battle against the trolls on that day?” Ji Bai revealed an evil smile.
“Sigh, isn’t that simple?” The announcer heaved a sigh. It was indeed him that had led the Chivalric Order that day, he had never falsified that part of his statement.
“Well trolls, the height of a fully grown adult is over 2.5 meters while their skin is mostly bronze…”
“No, no. Your excellency, what I wanted to hear is not the generic content that is written in the textbooks.” Ji Bai shook his head.
“I want you to describe specifically how the battle was that day, what were the casualties like compared to the enemies you killed and how long you spent to wipe them out completely? Please don’t say you have forgotten about it, writing down the casualties and the damages are a necessary and common practice in a battle.”
“…Of course, I remember. The trolls are certainly formidable! Had this official not been cautious, I would have almost died in the line of duty, you know?” People with the slightest bit of knowledge about demons all knew that their fighting strength was stronger than humans. However, the announcer was unsure in his heart how much stronger they were. That was because there were only a number of scattered remnants left when they hurried there that day, which were then annihilated with ease.
“How formidable are they specifically? What is the kill/death ratio like?” Ji Bai raised his eyebrows.
“…To the best of my knowledge, a troll is able to defeat 5, or even 10 knights.” Ji Bai continually interrogated the announcer, giving him no choice but to casually make up an answer he felt was pretty credible in his mind.
“Mhm, this is your answer, right?” Ji Bai nodded his head and then turned his gaze towards a particular frontline knight, who was so enraged that his eyes had turned red.
“You seem to have a lot of words you want to say, so just do it. The commander has your back here.” Ji Bai said.
“…T-That’s absolutely not how it went down! What ‘One troll can defeat 10 knights’?? They were not even on the same level at all!” The frontline knight bellowed.
“As long as we allow three trolls to get onto the city wall, a bloodbath will commence! Our weapons were practically incapable of leaving any scars on a troll’s skin, while a wave of their hammer can tear through us and crush a number of our comrade’s bodies! Nevertheless, my teacher and my comrades still ceaselessly persisted in their desperate struggle! Because we believed that the Chivalric Order would definitely not abandon us and the city gates! After all, an endless number of commoners were behind the gates!” As he spoke up to this point, traces of sobbing could be heard in the frontline knight’s speech.
“How audacious of you, traitor! How dare you delude the people with lies and invert right and wrong! I will chop you down now!” Gorm was furious and jumped down the stage after pulling out his sword.
“Clang!” An arm clad in steel firmly held onto Gorm’s sword.
“You dare to draw your sword in front of me?” Resounded Ji Bai’s cold voice.