“As I said at the beginning,” I started, “while I am the incarnation of Pride, and have the potential to become a Demon King, I have no desire for conquest or domination over any nation. I am not inclined toward wanton destruction. Even when angry, I am not one to lash out randomly and harm innocents. I am no danger to anyone who does not try to harm me. Every crime I have committed thus far has been in self defense. In every situation where I used my mental skills, my only other options were either killing my target, or fleeing, and allowing them to continue to put me in danger. None of the geasa I placed on my targets were unreasonable, and aside from the ones regarding keeping my secrets, I placed them all with their best interests in mind.”

  The judges looked at the orb for a moment then looked back at me.

  “What do you mean by ‘their best interests’?” asked High Priest Donovan.

  “I placed geasa that would help them in the long run,” I explained. “For example I enthralled Jacques because he was trying to take my clothes off. I later discovered that he had also been embezzling money. I placed geasa on him to stop him from doing those types of things in the future. The duke is a terrible father, so I made him spend more time with his family. Beatrice is severely overweight and a pathological liar, so I made her stop hiding her true appearance to encourage her in shape and stop lying about herself.”

  “So you saw what you perceived as flaws in others, and decided to force your will on them to correct them?” asked High Priestess Elaina.

  “That’s a very misleading way to say it,” I said. “They were criminals. They had problems. I did my best to correct them.”

  “So you took the law into your own hands, becoming judge, jury and executioner, meting out punishment as you saw fit?” asked the old woman.

  I hesitated before responding. What she had said was correct, but hearing it out loud, I realized that it was a terrible look for me. I knew that what I had done was correct, but I doubted that they would see it that way. They were the ones in charge of society’s moral compass after all. They wouldn’t take too kindly to someone else imposing their own morals on others, regardless of how correct that person was. But the cat was already out of the bag, and there was no way to put it back without getting scratched.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Why did you not report them to the church, or the government to have them punished officially?” she asked.

  “Because I was the incarnation of Pride, and didn’t want to involve myself too closely with either for fear of getting caught,” I said.

  The orb turned red.

  “That was the case for Jacques, at least,” I amended. The orb turned blue.

  “What about the other two?” asked Elaina.

  “I believed that my solution was the best. There was no need to get anyone else involved.”

  “Do you still believe this?” she asked.

  “Eh… no,” I said.

  The orb remained blue, though probably not for the reasons the judges were imagining. I was just thinking that I could have worded my geasa a little better, and been more thorough about it. I had let my anger and spite get the best of me with those two. In the future I would have to be more objective.

  “Do you regret what you’ve done?” she asked.

  “Yes,” I said.

  The orb was still blue, but again, not for the reasons the judges believed.

  “Do you regret it because you were caught, or because you feel remorse?” she asked.

  “Remorse.”

  The orb turned red.

  “Fine. Neither.” It returned to blue. “I regret it because I could have done it better. I let my emotions get the best of me and my methods were flawed.”

  Internally, I cursed. The damned Orb of Truth was not making it easy to look good in this situation. And Sylvia’s stupid skill. How had she even learned of mine? Earlier, the orb of truth had said she was not lying about needing to know about a skill to nullify it, but I couldn’t trust it, because she could have been nullifying the orb as well. Did she have a skill that let her see other people’s Status windows? Whatever the case, I was in trouble.

  I had done nothing wrong, but the church wouldn’t see it that way. None of the judges had appeared to be on Sylvia’s side, but that did not mean that they were on my side either. And I doubted my connections with Antonio and Evelyn were strong enough for them to continue to side with me if I kept digging myself deeper into my hole, if they were siding with me at all in the first place.

  “So you feel no remorse?” asked Elaina.

  “No,” I replied. “They attacked me first, despite what the duke may believe, and I was acting in their best interests. Why would I feel sorry for trying to help my enemies?”

  “Do you truly believe that what you did was helpful to them?” asked Donovan.

  “Yes,” I said instantly. “Look at Jacques. When he assaulted me, he was an overweight, underleveled servant doing menial tasks and committing petty crimes. Now he's in shape, fairly high-leveled, and making an honest living as a skilled artisan. Beatrice has lost at least twenty pounds in the month since she attacked me. The duke… well, I don’t think he’s changed, but even if it was too late, and he didn’t want to do it, he was at least making an effort to be a good father to his many children.”

  “And what gave you the right to make those types of changes in other people’s lives?” asked Elaina.

  I mentally cursed again. I had tried to change the subject away from myself, and onto the criminal activities of my thralls, hoping they would ask for more details, but the old hag wouldn’t let me go.

  “Nothing gave me the right,” I said. “I merely saw an opportunity to make a change for the better and took it. Are you saying that if you had the power to reform a criminal, you wouldn’t use it?”

  “I am saying nothing about myself,” said Elaina. “I am merely asking for your reasoning as to why you did what you did.”

  “I did what I did because I could,” I said. “I have the power to make the world a better place. Why shouldn’t I use it?”

  “See?” said Sylvia, no longer able to hold herself back. “She is delusional and unhinged. She thinks she knows better than everyone else, and won’t hesitate to impose on others whenever she feels it’s necessary.”

  “They attacked me first,” I argued. “I would never do anything like this otherwise.”

  “But-”

  “That is enough, Humility,” said Antonio. “You have already made your case. There is no need to restate it. Please allow the accused to finish her defense.”

  “This seems more like an interrogation than a defense,” said Sylvia. “And I am the official interrogator. So I should be the one asking the questions.”

  Tobias put his head in his hand again.

  “I agree,” I said, seeing the opportunity before me. If I could get Sylvia to be my interrogator again, it would be much easier to steer the conversation.

  “Yes, the clarifying questions have grown a tad incisive,” said Donovan. “However, I believe that we have learned everything we’ve needed to from them. There is no need to continue any further on this topic. I do have one last, broader question for Lucille, however. Earlier, you stated that you had ‘no desire for conquest or destruction’ but you never stated what you did desire. What are your goals? What do you plan to do with the power that has been granted unto you?”

  “My main goal is to survive and defeat the other incarnations,” I said. “Beyond that… I’m not sure.”

  “Do you have any plans for revenge?” he asked.

  I did not answer this question immediately, mostly because I did not know the answer. I had never been one to hold grudges, but I was pretty mad at Sylvia. However, I couldn’t think of a foolproof way I could do it and get away with it, and she wasn’t worth getting in even more trouble. With that thought, I had made up my mind.

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  “Nope,” I said.

  “Very good!” replied Donovan, smiling. “Then I believe I have heard enough to come to my decision.”

  “As have I,” said Evelyn.

  “W-wait,” said Sylvia looking panicked. “You guys aren’t- You’re not thinking about letting her go, are you? She used mind control skills! She’s literally the incarnation of Pride!”

  “We will now have a brief recess while we decide the fate of the accused,” said Evelyn, ignoring Sylvia.

  “No, you can’t!” shouted Sylvia as the judges stood up.

  “Humility, stop making a fool out of yourself and quiet down!” said Tobias angrily.

  “But I- But she-” Sylvia stopped, unable to find her words, and watched silently as the judges slowly walked back up the steps and entered the cathedral

  .

  .

  .

  “Thank Themis, it’s finally over,” said Tobias as soon as the doors shut behind him. “Let’s just execute her and get this farce over with already.”

  “I agree,” said Elaina. “I see no reason to let her live. She may not be evil, but she is reckless and arrogant. No good can come of allowing her to live.”

  “I disagree,” said Antonio. “Thus far, she has been invaluable to the efforts to stop Greed. She saved the lives of three Godly Emissaries, and with her help, they were able to kill Midhna, fend off Envy, and learn who Greed really was.”

  “And with her help, Chastity was lost,” said Tobias.

  “By all accounts, Lucille had no part in that,” said Antonio. “If she did, Humility would have brought it up. She was there as well. Lucille may be prideful, but she is not stupid or bloodthirsty, and her goals align with ours. If we could make a deal with her-”

  “A deal with a Demon King!?” said Elaina. “Do you hear yourself right now? Saintess use [Purification] on him! He’s clearly another one of her slaves.”

  “I agree with Tony,” said Evelyn as she cast [Purification] on him.

  “Hey!” protested Antonio.

  “Having met with her personally, I do not believe she is unreasonable,” continued Evelyn. “And she is not one to break her word. Even if we cannot make her sign a binding contract, if she agrees to work with us, she will not betray us. She would make a very useful tool in the fight against the other Demon Kings.”

  “Oh, and now even the Saintess wants to strike a deal with the Demon King,” said Elaina. “Has everyone else gone mad?”

  “Oi!” said Tobias.

  “Why did we decide that a shiny puppet and an upjumped accountant were wise enough to vote on such an important matter?” continued Elaina.

  Antonio’s fur bristled, and Evelyn’s calm demeanor vanished and was replaced by a look of fury, but before either could respond, Donovan intervened.

  “That’s too far, Elaina,” he said. “The youngsters make good points. She would likely be a great boon to us if she were to be freed to work with us-”

  “Oh, not you too,” moaned Elaina.

  “However!” said Donovan. “I believe that releasing her would be unwise. We have just publicly shown that, not only is she the incarnation of a Demon God, but that she committed a great taboo, and used mind control magic. Even if she weren’t Pride, releasing her would have the people rioting in the streets.”

  “Exactly,” said Tobias. “And even if we leave her alive, but imprisoned, we’ll have similar problems. Just thirty years ago, we executed a count for less than what she’s done. Her potential usefulness isn’t enough to make up for all the trouble that her mere existence will cause.”

  “I don’t think that an execution is justified in this scenario,” said Antonio. “While she did commit a taboo, as she stated, it was self defense, and I’m sure that her victims agree that they would rather live with conditions than die, as would normally happen in such situations.”

  “Perhaps, but we can’t afford not to execute her,” said Tobias. “If this trial were a private one, then we would be able to let her off with imprisonment, or possibly even strike a deal, like you would like to, but that damned psychotic brat… It’s unfortunate, but execution is our only option.”

  “I concur,” said Elaina.

  “Besides, imprisoning her might be even crueler than execution,” added Tobias. “Lust and Envy made it past all our security measures without so much as a peep. She was fine that night, but who knows what will happen if they get in again. Especially Lust…”

  “Are you saying that it’s better for her to die than be raped?” asked Evelyn angrily.

  “I’m saying that Alexander Tchaikovsky is known to be a man of strong tastes and utterly lacking in self control,” said Tobias. “You’ve heard the state of some of his victims. I personally would take execution over that any day. And if her testimony was true, then if Envy returns, she’ll die then as well. Ending it quickly and painlessly is the greatest kindness we can give her.”

  “I doubt she would see it that way,” said Evelyn. “She would rather take the chance with Lust or Envy than have no chance in an execution.”

  “Why should we care what she would rather have?” asked Elaina. “She’s a Demon King and a criminal. She does not deserve pity or mercy.”

  “All living beings deserve both pity and mercy,” said Donovan. “Even the worst criminals were once innocent children. We should pity the life they couldn’t live, and grant them mercy whenever possible. And Lucille is far from the worst. While total mercy is not possible, and her death may be inevitable, if she wishes to live a week longer in captivity before being killed by another Demon King, we should grant her that much at least.”

  “Fine by me,” said Elaina. “As long as she dies, I don’t care who does it.”

  “If we go this route, I will offer her a chance for a swift death later,” said Tobias. “If I am allowed that much, then I agree as well.”

  Antonio’s ears folded back and he sighed. “I do not believe she deserves death, but Tobias and Donovan are correct. We cannot free her.”

  “Then let it be known that I disagree with this decision,” said Evelyn defiantly. “I cannot stop it, but I will not be a part of it.”

  Tobias nodded. “Then let us not keep the people waiting. It is time to return.”

  “Hold on a moment,” said Evelyn, looking down and massaging her temples. When she looked back up, her face had returned to its dignified, unreadable state. “Alright, I’m ready.”

  .

  .

  .

  Sylvia spent the entire time the judges were gone glaring at me. She did not say anything fortunately, but no matter where I looked, I could feel her eyes boring holes into my head. I did my best to ignore her, focusing my attention on the spectators, trying to get an idea of the public opinion. My ears did not like what they heard.

  “They’re not really going to let her go, are they?” asked one man

  “If they do, then they’ve all been mind controlled,” replied another. “She did it to a duke, I don’t see why she wouldn’t go after a priest.”

  “I hear she killed one of the Heroes,” said a woman in another area. “Those Godlike Adversary people”

  “Godly Emissary,” corrected a teenage girl, probably her daughter. “And it was Ingrid Eide, the Godly Emissary of Chastity.”

  “Yeah those,” responded the woman. “They wouldn’t let her go, right?”

  “No way,” said the daughter. “They’re gonna execute her for sure. They’re just pretending to debate it because they’re mad at Humility.”

  “If they let her go, I’m never going to pay any mind to the church ever again,” said an old man. “No matter how good she is at talking, she’s a Demon King, for gods’ sakes!”

  “Yeah, I can’t believe they’re even holding a trial in the first place,” said a young man beside him. “Why wouldn’t they execute her?”

  There were hundreds of similar conversations occurring all around me, and very few of them seemed to be taking my side. It was somewhat disheartening, but didn’t let it get into my head. There was no way they would execute me. If they were smart, they’d strike a deal with me. We had the same goal of defeating the other Demon Kings, and I was powerful, with the potential to get even more so.

  It did not take long for the judges to come to a decision. It was barely five minutes from when they entered the cathedral to when they reemerged. As they came back, only Tobias and Evelyn bothered to hide their expressions, and the others looked universally unhappy. Antonio’s ears were folded back and his head was down, Elaina wore a deep scowl, and Donovan was giving me an unmistakable look of pity. They must have made some sort of compromise, but from the impressions I had gotten from the trial unless I had severely misjudged them, I could not think of a compromise that would leave both Elaina and Antonio unhappy, and I began to dread the outcome.

  An eerie silence fell over the spectators as they looked to the judges in anticipation. When Evelyn cleared her throat to speak, even without the help of sound magic, her voice echoed around the square.

  “After deliberation, we have come to a decision as to the fate of Archmage Lucille,” she announced. “From today onward, she shall be imprisoned permanently. Never again shall she walk freely.”

  The spectators’ voices swelled in a discordant combination of equal parts cheers and boos. A fair number began pushing against the wall of paladins surrounding me, but they armored holy men held firm, pushing aura into their shields to keep the unruly crowd at bay. The judges bowed once, then turned around and headed back inside. My guards closed in around me, unchaining me from my chair and leading me inside as the volley of random thrown items from prior to the trial returned in double force.

  As I was led back to my cell, I thought more about the outcome of the trial. I was not being executed, but permanent imprisonment was almost as bad, with Lust and Envy still running around. There was also Sylvia to worry about. She was more than a little angry when it was announced that I wouldn’t be executed. From the look on her face, the only thing stopping her from attacking me right there and then was the fact that I was surrounded by a dozen heavily armed paladins.

  I had some time at least to figure out my next move. If I could get in contact with one of the higher ups in the church, I might be able to cut a deal. It was possible that they were already planning to do that anyway. Otherwise, I would have to hope Anatoly could be convinced to help. And if neither of those worked… I could try perhaps cutting off my own arms to escape my shackles? They would grow back (eventually), but I would have no mana to escape with afterward, and they would probably know immediately if I somehow got out of my restraints. But it wouldn’t necessarily be impossible…

  Fantasies of an armless escape filled my head as they reattached my manacles to my cell wall, and ideas continued to swim through my mind until they were interrupted by the reopening of my cell door. I looked up, expecting to see Anatoly, or Evelyn, or perhaps Antonio, but to my surprise, it was one of them. Instead, it was Tobias. The only time he had spoken during the trial was to reprimand Sylvia, so I had a pretty good impression of him. Perhaps he was the one they had sent to strike a deal with me.

  “Orderbound Blade Tobias Svenson, correct?” I asked.

  “Yes, that’s me,” he said before turning to the guard stationed within my cell. “You may leave. I need to speak with her in private.”

  As the guard walked out, internally, I was celebrating.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure?” I said with my most sincere smile.

  He looked at me with a serious expression, and a strange look in his eyes that made my smile falter.

  “I’ve come to ask you how you’d like to die.”