“Are you sure we’re not the bad guys?” Rex asked his team. After hearing the evidence against them, it was hard to deny that they’ve done some questionable things. It may not have been on purpose, but ignorance did not equate to innocence. The others had similar thoughts but refused to say them out loud. The roaring crowd and cocky noble didn’t need to be bolstered by the team’s admittance of guilt.
“We’ll be fine. I got this.” Nicholas said. His voice was reassuring, but his words were a lie. He wasn’t sure exactly how to get everyone out of this situation. Some of the violet mob was calling for an execution, and the arrogant noble would happily oblige if given the chance. A plan needed to be formed quickly. Unfortunately, the other defendants weren’t as confident.
“Great. [Pathological Liar] is exactly what we need.” Robyn said. She was aware that her friend couldn’t stop lying. It was both a curse and a blessing. Everyone would believe his lies instantly so long as they weren't aware of the skill. The only problem was that no one knew its full range. Not even Nicholas was sure how many people could be fooled with a single lie, which is why he hadn’t tried anything.
“Calm down. Rose can’t solve it.” Nicholas said another lie. He meant the exact opposite but couldn’t clarify. Rather than waste the time explaining, he waved to the paladin. Rose emerged from the crowd once again. She still felt awful about having her words twisted and wanted to help in any way she could.
Nicholas and Rose stood confidently at the center of everything. The central market surrounded them. They faced the crowd, watching a wave of silence engulf the area. All comments ceased now that Paladin Rose came back to say something. People waited with bated breath to hear her, but she was not the one to speak. Nicholas placed his hand on her shoulder. He felt something trigger within, just as expected.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is true that we committed some questionable deeds in our past. However, that was only because we have spent all of this time learning.” Nicholas said. His opening statement was rather moderate. He didn’t have time to waste on excusing his actions. As everyone knew, novice adventurers were accident-prone. Yes, they would be held accountable for their actions but not to the same extent as veterans. Some murmurs could be heard, but they were immediately silenced.
“Ha! Do you think your team can continue to hide behind its own naivety? The people can only take so much!” Baron Niles said. He was annoyed that this farce was going on. Commoners like these four were better off giving up. They should have stayed silent and enjoyed their meaningless lives. No one should have been able to fight a noble. The fact that he couldn’t snap his fingers and execute them was a testament to how far the kingdom had fallen. Niles was ready to show Countess Marisol that she couldn’t interfere with his city, even if it was within her territory.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“Guardsman Oliver doesn’t deny that he’s familiar with us, yet he can’t remember why. That’s because of Xander’s skill [Forgettable]. It causes people to lose their memories of him and anything associated with him. Pathetic, am I right?” Nicholas said with a smirk. Some of the crowd started to grin. It was pretty funny. The skill may have been negative, but seeing someone else with it made the scenario humorous. Xander, however, didn’t find it funny. He hung his head as the crowd behind him started making comments. Thankfully, they’d forget about him by nightfall.
“And then? That doesn’t excuse your-” Niles tried to say. He was immediately cut off, getting a taste of his own medicine.
“The swarm that Robyn led was chasing her because of her skill. At the time, [Animal Attraction] forced every small creature to follow her. It would be a great skill if she wasn’t afraid of that same swarm and the bugs within it.” Nicholas said with a joyous voice. More of the people in the crowd started to laugh. These adventurers were definitely unlucky. Half of their team was hindered by their own skills. Who wouldn’t find that funny? Robyn didn’t, that’s who. She was already thinking about how to get back at her friend.
“Being weak doesn’t not-” Niles tried to say, once again. He desperately attempted to regain control of the audience, but they wouldn’t pay attention.
“Then, there’s Rex. Poor guy can’t do anything. He makes a sword, but his level is too low to use it. He’s so under-leveled that he’s been using a stick all this time. Couple that with his skill [Irresponsible], and the four of us get into tons of messy situations.” Nicholas said. The crowd was loving every second of this proxy show. Three? Three dysfunctional members in a four-person team? How did they last this long? How did they manage to do anything?
“Well-” Niles uttered, but it was no use. He wasn’t being listened to anymore. Not even Judge Lyons wanted to listen. After all, there was still one more member to make fun of.
“Lastly, there’s me. The guy that can’t stop lying thanks to the skill [Pathological Liar]. I can only get by thanks to my friends. Without Paladin Rose using her holy touch, I wouldn’t be able to tell you all of these things. Including the fact that my summoned monster is a slime weak enough to be abducted by an eagle.” Nicholas said with a smile. It was true. He couldn’t stop lying. His slime was abducted by a bird. Paladin Rose was the only reason he could speak the truth. The crowd roared with laughter. No one could take the team seriously anymore. What were they thinking? There was no way these four could do anything worthy of prison time, let alone execution. Only one person remained in a sour mood.
“Enough! Do you think saying how weak you will grant you a pardon? Your pathetic excuse for a team has done nothing but ruin this city!” Niles said. His face was twisted with anger. He couldn’t let this continue any longer. These pathetic commoners were wasting his valuable time. Realigning the crowd with his ideals would be the quickest way to end this trial. Unfortunately, Nicholas had the same idea.
“I agree. We are weak. We are pathetic. But, I couldn’t have asked for anyone else to join me on this journey. You say we’ve destroyed this city, yet we’ve been the ones saving it. We fought in the battle against Envy’s army. We assisted Paladin Rose in her fight against the sin. We slew Pride. What have you done lately?”