Woodrow’s face immediately paled at the sight of Brandli’s badge. He stumbled back a few steps, and a hint of horror appeared in his eyes.
The soldiers also stopped upon hearing that, and they looked at Brandli and his badge with awe and veneration in their eyes.
A 7th-tier magic caster could kill all of them with ease.
What was even more frightening for them was that the case had been elevated to become a 4th-tier incident. 4th-tier incidents were very serious cases in the Gray Temple, ones that even the city lord’s castle couldn’t intervene in.
As such, they no longer had the right to do anything aside from awaiting judgment.All of the relatives of the deceased miners turned to look at Brandli with gratitude and elation in their eyes.
Mag also looked at Brandli with a smile on his face. He was glad that his efforts had not gone to waste.
“Master Brandli, you can’t do this! It doesn’t follow the rules and regulations. You’re falsely adjudging the tier of the incident!” Woodrow was completely desperate. If the case were adjudged to be a 4th-tier incident by the Gray Temple, then a thorough investigation would definitely be launched. In that case, there was no way for him to save himself.
“Woodrow, please don’t try to tell me how to do my job. The Gray Temple is responsible for adjudging the tiers of incidents, so you have no right to say anything. Also, this case concerns you as well, so until a verdict is reached, you will be placed under surveillance, and are prohibited to leave your residence.” Brandli looked at Woodrow with a serious expression, and two investigators from the Gray Temple stepped forward, one on Woodrow’s right, the other on his left.
“I’m an official of the city lord’s castle! I’m the governor! You have no right to restrict my freedom! I’m going to the city lord’s castle! I’m going to see the city lord!” Woodrow turned, and tried to leave.
“Please cooperate with our investigation, or we’ll have to take you in by force.” The two investigators placed their hands on his shoulders with solemn expressions on their faces.
“This is slander! I won’t accept this! I must see the city lord! I must…” Woodrow tried to struggle free from the two investigators.“There’s no need for you to go to the city lord’s castle. The city lord gives the Gray Temple the right to judge this case. If the allegations prove to be true, then you will not be spared!” Right at that moment, the sound of trotting horse hooves erupted, and Dicus emerged on horseback, looking down on Woodrow as he said, “Woodrow, the city lord’s castle is very disappointed with you.”
Woodrow immediately collapsed to the ground upon hearing that. Cold sweat poured down his face, and his lips quivered as he shook his head vehemently. He pleaded, “No, Master Dicus, you’ve got it all wrong! Please tell the city lord that I’m his most loyal dog, that I’m loyal only to him—”
“The city lord has no interest in owning any dogs.” Dicus cut him off, and got down from his horse as he said to Brandli, “Master Brandli, I’ve been sent here by the city lord to assist the Gray Temple in this investigation.”
“Alright, thank the city lord for his understanding in my stead.” Brandli nodded as he turned to the distraught Brandli. He then looked at all of the relatives of the deceased miners, and urged, “I can ensure all of you that the Gray Temple is completely fair and just when processing cases, so you must take responsibility for your words. We won’t falsely accuse any innocent person, nor will we absolve any culprits, so please trust us.”
The relatives of the deceased miners all looked at Brandli with hesitation in their eyes.
“My name is Ebenezer, and I’m 13 years old. Four years ago, my parents passed away in a mining accident, leaving me and my two-year-old little sister behind…” The young boy from earlier stepped forward first.
His tender voice was greeted by complete silence as everyone listened intently to his story.
Everyone was initially enraged before their expressions turned sympathetic as they looked at the young boy.
“I feel like she’s still looking at me, asking me to catch a butterfly for her…” The young boy looked up, only to discover a small butterfly fluttering above his head, and he hesitated momentarily before extending his hand.
The butterfly flew a few circles around him, and then settled on his fingertip for a moment before spreading its wings, and flying into the sky…
“Don’t worry, child, your little sister’s death won’t be in vain.” Brandli clenched his fists tightly, and fought to maintain a calm voice as he said, “Next.”
An old man stepped forward, and began to tell his story. “My name is Harold, and I’m 65 years old. Four years ago, my son…”
His grief-stricken words were like heavy blows landing on everyone’s hearts, striking them with a sense of asphyxiation.
“They’re lying! They’re…” Woodrow’s face paled further and further, and he tried to struggle to his feet.
“Silence!” Brandli roared with a cold expression before issuing a command. “Lock him and all of his soldiers into the Bastie Prison to await further interrogation. Settle all of the families of the deceased miners appropriately, then call them out one by one, and record their stories as evidence. We must uphold justice for them!”
“Yes!” the people from the Gray Temple answered in unison before tying up Woodrow. All of his soldiers were also stripped of their weapons, and herded into a tight bunch.
“Absolute bastards!” Dicus clenched his fists with rage.
“He killed my nephew, and a lot of other people! Didn’t you say your Gray Temple wouldn’t absolve any culprit? Then detain him!” Woodrow had been bound by rope, but he was still yelling at the top of his lungs.
“It’s yet to be confirmed whether Mr. Mag actually killed your nephew or not, but even if he did, he should be lauded as a hero for ridding Chaos City of such scum. He deserves applause and accolades, just like how you deserve to be locked up in prison.”
Only then did Dicus notice that Mag and Amy were also at the scene. “Mr. Mag, why are you here?”
“We meet again, Mr. Dicus.” Mag was also a little surprised to see him, and he shook his head in a resigned manner as he said, “I’m here with Amy to invite her friend to our lunch party today, and we just so happened to walk in on these crooks. One thing led to another, and this is the result.”
Dicus appraised Mag with a solemn expression, and said, “The city lord’s castle is very embarrassed with its oversight. At the same time, we must thank you for protecting the citizens here and exposing this dark underbelly. Please rest assured that we will launch a thorough investigation into the matter, and make sure that all of the culprits involved are held accountable.”
“I hope so. The city lord’s castle should really reflect on this matter. If the law is enforced by an individual, then its existence will be pointless.” Mag looked into Dicus’ eyes with a serious expression.
“I’ll pass that on to the city lord.” Dicus nodded.
“This… How could this be… Isn’t he just a restaurant owner?” Woodrow looked on with soulless eyes before being dragged away by two guards from the Gray Temple.
