After a few minutes of the cultists passing,

The elite guard with the metal whip ordered both prisoners to move once again. The other elites ordered the lesser guards to arrange themselves in such a formation around the two warriors that allowed no point of escape without dealing with at least four of them in a row. To make security even tighter, the elite guards arranged themselves at the ends of each protruding row with the exception of the one with the whip.

"They are really outdoing themselves today," Subaru mumbled.

"Are we really that menacing?" Hirishima asked with a smirk on his face.

"Quit muttering! Focus on walking!" The same elite guard whipped the two again.

"Damn it! Alright! Alright!" Hirishima yelled.

"Could you chill with the whip please?" Subaru requested.

"Only if you two stop talking!" the guard spoke, loudly.

The two warriors couldn't see anything in all four directions from them as they kept walking uphill. After some walking, the front row of guards finally dispersed towards each side to reveal a white painted wooden longhouse with a large red gate having the same symbol as the palace banners.

The gate was already opened with a twin mechanism system involving two guards rotating a wheel on each side. The clearly visible courtroom was long but narrow and had wooden seats at each side behind half partitions, both had their front three rows practically full.

The left side mostly had men wearing light coloured armor of various shades and dark grey trousers. The armor only extended till their shoulder plates and was followed by a full sleeve grey chainmail shirt. There were varying yellow symbols on each of their right shoulder plates, some were more complex while some had just two lines. There was no doubt it was 'The Warriors'.

On the other hand, the right side had people dressed in red and black robes. They were the people the two elite warriors saw earlier. The old leader stood out with his additional jewellery and nefarious gaze. He also had his eyelashes painted red and shaved up eyebrows.

In the middle there was a huge table with a single well designed cushioned chair on which an overweight old man having long white hair and beard, wearing rough leather clothes, was sitting. Two guards stood on his each side for protection.

"(Sir Warren Kubisto? What is he doing here?)" Hirishima thought, perplexed.

("Sir Warren is the most wise and honest judge all across Pandara. No way the king would want him to take a case this important for him to win)," dwelt Subaru.

The guards took both prisoners to the middle and kicked them both at the back of their legs, forcing them to drop to their knees. The people on both sides remained calm and didn't comment on anything yet.

"Hirishima and Subaru, two of the most capable senior front line warriors, today you have been brought here with stern treatment because you have committed a serious crime against the law. According to the King's guard and his first, you two not only rejected a direct order from the King himself but also began fighting and taking out the guards one by one. Is that correct?" Sir Warren began loudly.

"Yes that is correct," Hirishima confessed.

"Hirishima," Subaru whispered.

Both sides started murmuring.

"Subaru, kindly speak up as well!" Sir Warren addressed.

"Yes sir, that's correct," Subaru replied.

"Alright, secondly. You two were ordered to surrender the outsider that suddenly appeared the night before and instead of complying you two decided to hide him. Is that correct?" Sir Warren inquired.

"Yes sir," both warriors answered.

"Well according to our law that counts as treason! And you both know very well what's the punishment for that!" Sir Warren bellowed.

"Yes, we are aware of that," Hirishima spoke.

"Now then, I give permission to both sides to put your views forward in offense or defense of these two accused. We will begin with The Warriors side," Sir Warren finished.

"Sir! We all know Hirishima and Subaru for years. They served for our safety and stayed loyal to the crown uptil now so there must be a reason for this sudden act!" Kieri stood up and spoke.

"Also, as the commander of the warriors, I believe that my most veteran warriors cannot just go rogue like this!" Erashi added.

"Hmm, valid point," Sir Waren commented.

"Anything else?"

"Yes, this outsider these two were protecting is nothing but a lost child! He may not be from Pandara but that doesn't mean he automatically wants ill for us!" Kieri stated.

"Do you have any proof about these claims?" Sir Warren demanded.

"No, but we don't have any proof that he is dangerous as well! If he was he would have done something till now," Kieri reasoned.

"Hmm, what does the Cult has to say of this matter?"

A man from the right stood up and yelled,

"Regardless of how the outsider is, these two should have left us to decide and submitted it to the King's guard as ordered. We are in no position to take such a risk."

A woman added,

"It's simple! The outsider is a demon in disguise and these traitors are also undercover spies!"

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More cultists placed their views forward,

"Yes! They had been waiting for a moment like this to finally show their colours!"

"Stop wasting time in this nonsense! Just kill them quickly and send a search party for the outsider!"

"Order in the court! We are to have a logical discussion here," Sir Warren irritably shouted.

"Let's hear from these two as well. So what was the reason you two decided to attack the guards and protect the outsider?" Sir Warren questioned.

"As Kieri said, the outsider is just a lost child and the king would have him dead if we didn't. It's just how most outsiders in the past were dealt with," Hirishima swiftly answered.

"Trust us, he was just as clueless as we are right now, Hirishima also told me that he said he would help annihilate the demons with all his might so he can't be with them," Subaru stressed.

"How dare you accuse the King!" a cultist yelled.

"They are lying! Cut their tongues!" another added.

"Quiet! Let the judge see this through!" a man from the left shouted.

"How are you certain of that?" Sir Waren inquired.

"He is different, he is unlike anyone we have seen uptil now," Subaru replied.

"The look in his eyes was kind and determined. He was looking for a purpose when we conversed and as I mentioned the demons, he made a vow to kill them and liberate the rest of Pandara," Hirishima solemnly added.

Meanwhile Hoshi and Xiang silently arrived at the rather quiet backside of the court. The longhouse's rear was near an inclined hill so it was difficult to place guards there.

"Not bad kid, you didn't slow me down while climbing as I thought you would," complimented Xiang.

"I used to climb a mountain at the back of my house on a regular. Although it isn't but it feels like a long time ago," disheartened Hoshi.

"Not the time to be gloomy thinking about your past Hoshi. Are you ready? I am going to climb up there and signal you," Xiang commanded.

"Right," Hoshi replied.

Xiang backed off and then jumped really high onto the roof of the court.

"I never thought someone like him could do that," Hoshi remarked as he removed his hood and threw it away.

"(Now, according to his plan.)" Hoshi began recalling.

"What!? Just submit myself? Do you realize those two are in this position because they were avoiding just that!" roared Hoshi.

"Calm down, hear me out first," insisted Xiang.

"I don't want to, you are insane! I will save them myself." Hoshi grew impatient.

"You honestly think you stand a chance against all those guards? There will be hundreds of them concentrated in one place," Xiang argued.

"You saw my attack earlier, I can take them."

"Stop being cocky, a few dozen yeah but after that you will totally collapse by running out of energy from that attack," reasoned Xiang.

"But at least I will go out fighting, not like a coward," disputed Hoshi.

"Stubborn child, you surrendering yourself at the exact moment those two are sentenced will divert their attention towards you and will give the warriors a split second advantage to break open them and start fighting back the guards. With you they will have an element of surprise. They will not let you be captured!" explained Xiang.

"How are you sure of that?" doubted Hoshi.

"I have been watching The Warriors for some time now and they have grown tired of this king's dictatorship rule. Also, Hirishima and Subaru are totally determined to protect you and they are enough to take on half of the regular guards themselves," Xiang replied.

"Where would you be while the fighting breaks out?"

"All that chaos will press the king to hide in his bedroom and I will sneak through the secret tunnel and finish him off," Xiang firmly answered.

"Then what?"

"Once the King's dead, confusion will spread throughout the imperial army and the warriors will have a guaranteed victory!" Xiang concluded.

"(Even though his plan is not half bad, I still have a bad feeling about this,)" Thought Hoshi.

"Really? What if that's all an act? The demons will play any cards to gain our trust and then stab us in the back later!"

The right side's doubts only added up over time.

"Calm down. It's certain we cannot risk putting our backs against the outsider but we can't just assume and resort to violence as well. Commander your thoughts?" Sir Warren proposed.

"Sir, how long are we going to live in this forsaken corner? How long until our resources run out? How long can the river keep the demons out? One way or another we have to move on. I know this might be a faint chance but I think that outsider is really our key to salvation," Erashi firmly stated.

"Why do you say this?"

"Because as my most competent warriors described, the outsider has powers similar to those of Haroshuma. If trained properly, he could very well be an incredible asset. We need as much power as we can get to finally end this war!" Determined Erashi.

"Indeed. Father Yamato, you have remained silent this entire time, I would like to hear your opinion on this," Sir Waren addressed the old man wearing the extra jewellery among the cultists.

The man got up and began, "First of all, Haroshuma only wanted war and created an entire nation for that very reason. If the outsider indeed possesses powers similar to him, he must be a direct descendant of that very race. That alone makes him untrustworthy-"

"All of that nation perished in battle, the commander mentioned Haroshuma just to explain his abilities better," Kieri interjected.

"Quiet down, let him finish. Father Yamato continue please," Sir Warren insisted.

"These two should be executed as quickly as possible for this violation. We have strict rules for a reason and regardless of their past service, they broke them without consideration. Secondly, the outsider should be brought and given to the cultists not the king. Now that I have heard from The Warriors he sounds like something we should clearly inspect keeping the teachings of Cora in mind. That's all," Father Yamato finished and sat back down.

"(Sounds like he knows more than he lets on. I have never trusted the cultists because of how secretive and immoderate they can be but I do know one thing, The Warriors are the ones tethering our cart from falling into a deep lake. We can't afford to lose two very capable defenders because of a little ruction.) Alright, I have made my decision."

Sir Warren crossed his hands after stepping out from deep thought.

"Looks like he is about to give a conclusion."

Xiang looked at the judge's hands from a window.

"Gotta signal Hoshi."

Xiang took out a firecracker hidden in his clothes and lighted it.

"What's that noise? That's the signal! That means it's my time."

Hoshi cautioned and looked up to see the flashing firecracker.

He rushed towards the main gate, ignoring all the guards around the court which got alerted on sight.

"My decision is."

Sir Waren raised his head.

"I gotta hear this."

Xiang leaned in to hug the window.

Hoshi ran up to the gate where some guards noticed him and immediately tried to capture him. He slipped past the guards and was about to enter the court.

"Get him!"

"Don't let the little brat enter!"

The guards yelled.

"Hirishima and Subaru will be kept in captivity until the rest of the warriors find and bring the outsider to this court. The King's guard or the cultists will not intervene with this search whatsoever as I will question him to decide his fate myself. As far as the king is concerned, I will talk to him myself and notify him of my decision," Sir Warren announced.

The right side showed discontent to this decision while The Warriors thought it was fair and just.

"What!? No! This wasn't supposed to happen!" Xiang startled. "Hoshi stop!"

It was too late as the young Exilirian entered the court with full confidence and left everyone astonished.

"(Damn it, we blew it. When an immediate action is due, the cultists decision is preferred after the King's. To make matters worse, the king doesn't even know of the decision as of yet meaning his guards will follow his previous orders.)" Xiang stressed.

"Hoshi!? Not right now!" Hirishima followed the sudden buildup of confusion and looked behind.

All of the guards came rushing and surrounded Hoshi. He took his battle stance in anticipation of Hirishima's next move.

End of chapter ten.