The Viscount and his wife, beside themselves with grief a moment ago, fell into a state of shock augmented by incalculable rage.

"Keep yourself under control my lord." Lakyus said, "You do not want to tip our hand."

He forced himself to breathe slowly and deeply, calming his temper. "Where would you like to question them?" He asked.

"Here is fine." Neia said, "But I'd like to have something of hers to put out, something to tug at their conscience a little, do you have a toy of hers, or some clothing she liked, something to tickle some memories? I doubt whoever played their part from inside the house intended for her to die, so anything we can do to shake them up is good."

"Yes, I ordered her favorite clothing laid out for her, its..." Rava's mother turned as if to point it out, only to stop, looking confused, and then to walk to her child's wardrobe and open it. She pulled it out from where it hung and laid it on Rava's bed gently, as if not wanting to wrinkle it, as if it would be worn again soon.

Neia froze. "Why did you turn over there?" She asked, gesturing to the table.

"Because it should have already been there." Cercei replied

"Why?" Neia asked. "Because I had ordered her attendant to set it out for her." She replied.

"Does she have access to this room?" Neia asked.

"Yes..." She replied with a sinking feeling of dread.

"I want to talk to her FIRST." Neia said. She turned to Gagaran. "Gagaran, I want you to go outside the house, make sure you're not seen, after I've spoken with the woman for a few minutes, come in the front door, come into this room, and call me over, then pretend to whisper to me." Gagaran looked mystified, but followed her directions.

"You will have her NOW." The Viscount said, and he exited the room, a few minutes later, a trembling woman came into the room. Neia gestured to a chair which she placed near Rava's bed.

"What's your name?" Neia said sweetly.

"Alyra." The woman said wringing her hands.

"Alyra, I know you heard the rumors...about Rava being dead." Neia reached out and touched her arm. The girl wept.

"Well there is good news, you know how rumors go...she's not dead." Neia said.

The girl's eyes widened. "She was found in the Black Justice training ground, but she's alive, barely."

"Is she...going to be OK?" Alyra asked.

"We'll know when she regains consciousness." Neia said softly, "Should be a few hours."

Neia stood up and walked over to the place where the clothing for Rava had been laid out. SHe touched it gently, "This is very beautiful." Neia said gently. "I see its been mended a few times." She said. "Did you do that?"

Alyra nodded, her eyes were welling up. Neia looked closely, "This is very fine work, almost undetectable modifications. Was this Rava's favorite?" Neia asked.

Alyra nodded again, "She loves that one."

"Have you always been with her?" Neia asked.

"Y-Yes, I've taken care of her since she was born." Alyra said.

"Wow, long hours, lot of commitment, you must be close, even if you are a servant." Neia said.

"I saw her like my own...my own...my little girl..." Alyra said wistfully.

"You did everything for her, all the time." Neia said.

Alyra nodded. "So...I wonder...why was this still put away last night? I understand you were told to put it out for her." Neia asked.

Alyra froze. "I wonder...could it be you knew she wouldn't be wearing it today?" Neia asked further.

Alyra opened and closed her mouth several times. Then Gagaran knocked at the door and motioned for Neia.

Neia approached, and Gagaran whispered to her, Neia pretended to listen intently, and then the door closed. Neia turned around to look at Alyra. "Its Rava. She's awake. Do you want to know what she said?" Neia asked, looking grave.

Alyra broke down crying. "Whose idea was it?" Neia asked. "What did they offer you?" She probed further.

"I...they...he..." She began to say, and then she froze for a moment, and a look of madness overtook Alyra, her eyes went wide and glassy, like she was no longer looking at anyone, and her face took on a deviant smile. Her voice was clear, but haunting, like a ghost gained flesh and given voice, "Said she'd be mine...I took care of her, I took care of her, I took care of her, she called me mommy sometimes, I deserved her, I should have had her, so he helped me, he came to me and said someone great knew I deserved her most of all, and would make sure I had her if I did what he said."

Chills went down Neia's back, down everyone's back, but still she pressed. "Who was he? You know he tried to hurt her? That much is true, he tried to hurt your little girl, little Rava who loves you, who you were going to have, he tried to hurt your girl, are you going to let him get away with that?" Neia asked, leaning close. Alyra's face showed raw fury..."I'll kill him, I'll kill him, I'll kill everyone who hurts my Rava..."

"Who is 'him' Alyra?" Neia asked.

"Segasta...he's a guard at the Great Hall, I used to lie with him, I told him all about Rava, that she could be our child some day, then he came to me, said a great person promised it could be, that we could go far away. Far away with my Rava...and be a family..." Her face became a tranquil one and the glass eyed look became wistful, and Neia stood up and sighed.

"Well...now what?" She asked Lakyus.

"Well, we seize Segasta, but I want to know who this great one is."

"Could she be completely mad? You know, just imagining things?" Gagaran asked.

"Those footprints out there aren't imaginary, and someone lifted her through that window, if I were to guess how things went," Neia began, "Someone had it out for the Viscount and his family, as well as Black Justice, and thought they could kill two birds with one stone. Make him suffer and make Black Justice a target, whoever it was knew Segasta well enough that he learned of Segasta's tryst with the woman, maybe her obsession with the girl, and paid him to go along with it. He promised he'd get the girl out, and then when it was safe, Alyra could leave, take the girl, and go have a life somewhere, but he never intended on doing that. Rava went along because Alyra said to, when she got scared, she fought back, and he took her somewhere and cut her throat the way he planned to, then drained her blood and took her body to where it would be found and Black Justice would be blamed."

"Ohh...shit." Blue Rose said in unison.

"The only question is...who would know someone who has it in for Black Justice, the Viscount, and would know of Segasta's behavior well enough to use him to pull it off?" Neia asked. "Can you keep her here, I want to talk to the Viscount and his wife?" Neia asked.

"We will." Tia and Tina said, and slowly drew out their Kunai, each thinking how much they'd like to stab the madness out of Alyra's eyes...and incidentally, they had each picked out an eye.

When Neia went down the hall, she found the parents pacing back and forth, the Viscount went up to her and said, "Well...?" with a heartbroken voice.

"Can we speak privately?" Neia asked.

He gestured to their bedroom. Neia entered and Viscount Yamoc closed the door. "Lady Cercei, lord Yamoc...who holds a grudge against you both?" Neia asked.

They looked baffled. "Do you know a guard named Segasta?" Neia asked.

The Viscount nodded. "I do, by name and face, but not well." He said. "He's a guard in the great hall, he works for the Marquis."

"And...how exactly does the Marquis feel about your house?" Neia asked.

The Viscount and his wife shared a grim look. "Not good." He said. "He blames me for a great many things. For example, I have a special cadre of hunters and trappers that work exclusively for me, and I own a part of the woods in the North of the city, so my hunters and trappers work exclusively there. The Marquis had allowed me to have it because it was not the best of lands, but when the troubles began he said he intended to have my lands opened up for general use. I refused unless I was properly compensated for the losses I would take, he refused. He threatened to revoke my title, I promised to take it to the King as well as to report his failure to deal with the disappearances and see who lost their noble title then..."

As he spoke, their expressions changed, and Cercei collapsed to the floor, her face a mask of tears and she began to sob uncontrollably.

Neia's face was stone, silent as the grave.

Viscount Yamoc's face was red as Jaldabaoth's fire, and he screamed, "I'll kill him! I'll kill him! I'll cut off his head an inch at a time starting at his feet!"

He began to move for the door when Neia reached out and stopped him with a palm to the chest. "Wait! There's more." She said, and that froze the Viscount and his wife looked up with an expression that said..."How could there be more?"

"Alyra was the one who opened the window. She is the one who handed Rava off to the killer. She became, at some point, obsessed with your daughter, seeing her as her own. She was hoping to steal the little girl away, and raise her with her former lover." Neia said.

"Segasta..." The Viscount said.

"Correct. She didn't know that the little girl would be killed, I'm certain of that, and to tell you the truth, I don't think she was meant to live this long. The body was placed on the edge of Black Justice training grounds, I think what was meant to happen was for her to go 'looking' for her the girl, and from her perspective, she thought she'd rendezvous and go off and live happily ever after, with her assumed to have just been one more disappearance. I think what Segasta intended was for her to meet in the woods, kill her, dispose of her body, and then she'd just be 'one more disappearance'." Neia's tone remained clinical as she spoke.

"However the body was discovered earlier than planned, before she could leave, and the riots forced her to stay here, and...you know the rest." Neia said.

The Viscount's face was stunned. "Who...exactly are you?" He asked.

"I'm Neia Baraja. Squire of the Sorcerer King, the Pope and founder of Black Justice." She said.

"Where did you learn to do all that?" He asked.

"I went to Nazarick, and was given the lost wisdom in the Library of Ashurbanipal. The material about a man named 'Sherlock Holmes' was especially helpful. Everything that is, is so for a reason, it need only be studied and compared to find the answers." Neia replied.

"Black Justice..." He said. "I promise you this Neia Baraja...when my Rava is given justice, her body buried, and the last day of our mourning period has ended, I will forever be a patron of your temple, assuming my wife approves." He said, and he reached down with one hand, and helped Cercei to her feet, and she leaned against her husband, who in that moment looked more like the man he must have been in his youth.

Cercei nodded vigorously, "For as long as we both shall live." She said, "But first...justice and revenge, then burial and mourning. Then for as long as we live, we'll not forget this." She said, her face a mask of hatred.

"I won't hold you to that." Neia said. "I will leave it to you to hold yourselves to it."

"Now the question remains...what to do with Alyra?" Neia asked.

"Flay her." The Viscount said.

"Burn her." His wife replied.

"Oh...to get her confession, I lied to her, she thinks your daughter is still alive. She's deep in her madness, her obsession, if you truly wish to make her suffer, then tell her the truth, after that, she'll spend the rest of her life torturing herself." Neia answered.

"Its not enough." The couple said.

"What would be?" Neia asked.

"Nothing." They answered in return.

"Then this will be a start, though I suppose I could ask that she be punished in Nazarick. The Sorcerer King reviles child killers, I have no doubt that the eternal King can find a use for her." Neia said.

"We'll wait for now..." They said, "First get the rest of them." The couple said.

"We will." Neia said, and returned to the room with Alyra, CZ, and Blue Rose, and she found Alyra unconscious.

"She trouble?" Neia asked, pointing at Alyra's unconscious form.

"Not now." The twins replied. Neia shrugged it off indifferently.

"Its almost certainly the Marquis pulling the strings." Neia said. "Does he have anything against Black Justice?" She asked.

"A lot actually." Lakyus said, "He blames you...them, for the disappearances and for the economic decline of the city."

"Blaming others seems to be something he's in the habit of doing." Neia said flatly. "He blames the Viscount Yamoc as well, since Yamoc wouldn't cede some of his lands to public use to supplement the city revenues."

"So what do we do?" Neia said. "He's a Marquis, which doesn't stop him from bleeding to death, but that is just revenge, it's not justice unless everybody knows what he did, and I'd rather get both if I can. But who can put him on trial?"

Evileye had a vicious expression on her face behind her mask. "I have an idea, assuming Ulthis is willing to help."

"I'm all ears." Neia said.

There were grins all around as the plan was explained. "I'm not without my doubts about this, I don't like the idea of trusting a vampire to do anything decent. But I have no better ideas...and if it works..." Her grin was savage. Behind her, Evileye flinched at what Lakyus had said, but held her tongue.

When they arrived at the Great Hall, Lakyus approached the throne and knelt before the Marquis. "My lord, as you no doubt know the full details of the riot and its cause, you should also be the first to know, we have found the culprit responsible." She said.

The Marquis looked shocked. He did not have a good poker face.

"It was a mad woman, we believe she acted alone, but with tensions in the city high, we thought it best to have her tried publicly before she is sentenced, and because Black Justice was accused, I wanted a priest of the old temples to act as the speakers, and a priest of the new temple to act as the judge, and all those present at the trial to act as jurors, with guilt being decided by a 2/3 majority. Also, to show a moment of solidarity in the face of this terrible crime. Moreover because the family is always the first to be thought guilty, and tensions are...very high, we thought it best if you offered some public testimony as to Yamoc's character, nothing too serious, merely a Marquis addressing his people in the way a true noble should." Lakyus said, laying it on quite thick.

The shock faded and turned into preening as the pride of the Marquis was stroked.

"I will speak." He deigned to say as if granting great favor. "Thank you, your majesty." Lakyus replied.

"Will you ask your people to inform the criers? Also, I think it best you have your personal guards on hand to secure your person, in this hour of solidarity under your rule, nothing should be allowed to happen to you." Added.

"That is very wise." The Marquis Ysude said in response. "I will be well guarded." He said.

It did not take long to organize a trial, with tensions running high, word spread like wildfire through dry brush in high summer. It was too large for a trial in a common court, so the following day the amphitheater of the city was chosen as the venue, and much of the city was in attendance. An hour before it was to begin, Neia approached Alyra in her confinement, and Rava's parents stood quietly in the hallway out of sight. The woman had settled down much, she even seemed normal. "Hello Alyra." Neia said. "Do you know why you're here."

"I do." She replied. "For my part in taking Alyra, I know what I did was wrong, but before you send me to my sentence, you have to let me see Rava, I have to tell her how sorry I am that she was hurt. I didn't mean for that to happen." The woman looked genuinely penitent, and her head hung down depressed. Neia let the moment extend until Alyra looked up at her.

"Apologize to her?" Neia asked. "Has no one told you?"

"Told me what...told me what?!" Alyra asked frantically.

"Rava died. Segasta's cut to her throat was fatal. She couldn't hear your apology even if she wanted to. For what its worth, I'm sorry." Neia said softly.

The effect was immediate. Alyra started screaming and she leaped from where she sat, straight against the bars with a violent clang that should have hurt, but she showed no sign of pain as she reached desperately through the bars to the out of reach Neia. "No! No! NO! You're lying, you have to be lying! Segasta promised me we'd be a family! That I could...could..." She trailed off and Neia interjected.

"Segasta lied to you. He never intended to keep that promise, he used his connection to you, to get to her, he planned to cut her throat from the beginning. You handed him the girl you loved, just so he could bleed her dry." Neia said. "How do you feel about Segasta now?" She asked.

Alyra began to froth madly at the mouth, vowing to bleed him dry, she was over the edge.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Do you want to see him punished for hurting Rava?" Neia asked.

"Yes!" She said.

"Will you do as I say to make that happen?" Neia asked.

"Yes!" Alyra said again.

"Then can you conceal yourself as you are now, can you 'pretend' like you always do when you were hiding your true feelings?" Neia asked.

Alyra sat back as if her temper had never been let loose, she closed her eyes, and opened them again, appearing...normal, disturbingly so, after she wiped the spittle from her face.

"Good." Neia said, concealing her shock at the transformation. "Then when you come up, just answer what you're asked, indicate Segasta, and we will do the rest." Neia said.

Alyra gave her twisted smile, which in turn gave Neia a shudder, and she walked out into the hallway to Rava's parents. "Satisfied?" She asked them.

"When she's dangling from a rope, we will be." The Viscount said, and Cercei pressed herself more closely into his embrace.

"Then its time to set the stage." Neia said, and she went to find Ulthis, who was outside the door where the Marquis was preparing.

"Where are his guards?" Neia asked.

"I bribed them." Ulthis said simply. "Turns out that when you sell positions of honor, like that of personal guard, people don't feel very honored to have them, are not very brave, and usually are very greedy. Plus, as it turns out, they don't much like him either. So I promised the two of them enough money to retire, and they took it. A good buy from where I'm standing." Ulthis gave a predator grin that revealed his fangs to Neia, who took off her visor and looked him in his eyes, giving him a shudder. "Well done." She said, "Go get him, Alyra is primed, but we need Ysude to be ready to give himself away as well." She said.

Neia stepped away, and watched as Ulthis knocked at the door. "What is it?" The Marquis Ysude snapped.

"My lord, there is a message for you." Ulthis said.

The Marquis Ysude did not answer right away, for a brief moment he indulged in the fantasy of what he'd do on the stage when meant to speak well of Yamoc, he'd instead express his revulsion, the contempt, he'd call him every filthy thing and assert his indulgence in every filthy vice, with any luck by the time he was done, they'd think he was party to his daughter's death. It was a pleasant thought, probably not likely, but a pleasant thought nonetheless. He sighed and said, "Come in."

And in walked Ulthis, who immediately closed the door and pulled out a scroll. He used it before the Marquis could even ask what it said. "When called, you will go out of this room, you will tell the truth, all the truth, and nothing but the truth, you will hold nothing back, no matter what you are asked. You will show who you really are, in all your character."

The Marquis Ysude's eyes went wide with terror. "No..." He whispered softly, and his terror intensified when Ulthis said, "Dispel illusion." and the brown eyes turned blood red. Ulthis approached, and the Marquis tried to call for his guards, but only Neia came around the corner.

"Your guards are gone. Turns out you can't buy loyalty." She said with a smile that was almost warm. "By the time you've finished hanging yourself in public, they'll be halfway to their dream city to live out their lives in retirement. I don't much care for betrayers...but you deserve it enough that I'll let that go this time."

"Who are you! I know you! You were with Lakyus...help me and I'll reward you!" He said desperately.

Neia's smile grew bigger. "Who am I?" She asked. "I'm no one and nobody." She said. "Sorry Ulthis, please, continue." She said politely.

"No...no..." Ysude said, looking in terror from one to the other as Ulthis took Ysude's face in hand, his vampire claws digging in sharply enough to hurt, but not quite enough to break the skin.

"Look into my eyes..." Ulthis said, and the count's face went blank, "You will forget what we look like and what we said to you, if anyone asks you who is compelling you to speak, you will identify her by name and only by name. When the door closes and we are gone, you will be able to act on your own again, but not disobey."

"Yes...yes..." the nobleman said, and Ulthis let go, both he and Neia then simply walked out of the room and closed the door.

Though he could not remember everything, the feeling of terror hadn't gone away, and it still didn't fade as he tried to understand the way his body felt, and it still hadn't faded by the time Lakyus came to call him outside, he tried to stop his feet, but still they carried him inexorably forward. He tried to stop his hand, but still it reached for the knob, and still it turned and he walked out. Inside his head he was screaming at his feet to stop moving, but they didn't. Eventually he found himself in front of most of the city, while at the back of the stage there sat a judge at a bench, and at the front of the stage were two priests of the old religion, each priest wore their customary garb, the black clothing of Ulthis at the judge's bench was given disapproving looks from both of the white robed priests of the old gods, but for now at least in name, they were united.

It took some time to begin as black and white stones for guilt or innocence were passed among the many attendees, even the guards responsible for protecting the Marquis were handed stones for voting.

As that was being done, each speaker made their opening statement, while the prosecutor argued that the accused was guilty by malice, the defender argued she was innocent by madness, one argued for death, the other for confinement. The judge however, having asked for the unusual step of including their ruler's testimony to allay any doubt about the involvement of father or mother in the death of their child, was to give a character statement about Yamoc and his household, and so chose to lead with the Marquis before the speakers could call witnesses.

Ulthis looked down at the Marquis Ysude, "You are here to make a statement only, because you are not involved in the death of Rava, child of house Yamoc, is that correct?"

He fought the parting of his lips, but they were not his to control. "Oh no, I was involved."

You could have heard a pin drop.

"Wait...what do you mean you were involved?" Ulthis asked, pretending confusion.

"I ordered her death." Ysude said aloud, screaming inside his head for his mouth to stop moving.

Mouths fell open from one end of the amphitheater to the other.

"Why?" Ulthis asked in horror.

"She deserved it, she was born the daughter of an enemy, and the stupid laws that confined me, ME, the very ruler of this city, were in the way, so I had to do this to exterminate his house, depriving it of a lineage." He said.

"It is your right to kill children?" Ulthis asked...

"Of course, all those people out there belong to me, all of them, they exist for my service, her life was mine to take." He said with his voice filled with arrogance.

"So you killed her yourself?" Ulthis asked.

"No, Segasta did, used the bitch he used to fuck, she's almost completely mad, got her to think he'd run away with her and Yamoc's little bitchling and have a family, that she'd get to be a mommy to the girl, the way he told it to me, she handed the Rava out the window and Rava was stupid enough to just go along because her beloved 'big sis' told her. Said she got a little scared though, and he had to kill her early to keep her from screaming when she started to struggle, ironically, he did it at the butcher shop." Ysude said with a laugh.

"Were the priests involved, or any of the temples?" Ulthis asked.

Ysude laughed, "Of course not, but I knew I could count on the priests of the four to stoke the flames of anger when the little bitchling's corpse turned up in the Black Justice training grounds. Segasta was supposed to puncture her neck, but I guess he fucked it up and slashed it when she struggled, I didn't think it would matter though, because the rumor being that she was drained of blood, plus would be sufficient by itself, well, along with being on their grounds."

Ysude felt like he was watching a horrible dream play out in front of him as he heard himself confessing in full to everything he'd done, but he couldn't seem to stop it. Among the guards, Segasta's own fellows had surrounded him in horror, he had spear points at his throat and was leaning back with a terrified expression. While Blue Rose sat in the amphitheater, Neia watched from elsewhere, where she could not be seen, and she grinned in satisfaction.

"So," Ulthis said, "Why Black Justice...?"

"Because they deserve it, they serve the undead, they're behind the disappearances I'm sure of it, and they're crippling our economy, if I have to trade the life of one worthless little bitch of a dangerous rival's house to get rid of them, then fine, that gets two problems off my plate." Ysude said sharply.

"Is someone compelling you to answer this way?" Ulthis asked, seemingly aghast.

"Nothing and no one is responsible for what I'm saying." He said, the smugness seeping out of his voice like a river overflows its bank, while his inner monologue he was screaming about how he was compelled to answer.

"You see all this as just...your right to do?" Ulthis asked with seeming shock, carefully structuring his question so that it sounded as if Ysude was answering with his reason for confessing.

"Of course it is." He said, still screaming inside his head.

Ulthis looked at the speakers, "Do either of you object to an...impromptu rebellion and arrest of the Marquis?"

They numbly said "No."

"Arrest? Me? I'm the Marquis Ysude, this city is mine, these people are mine, every stone of this city is mine, guards, secure me!" He said, but his guards were disgusted and didn't move.

The crowd had long since begun to murmur in shock, and it was rapidly growing to a tumult, Ulthis banged his gavel with vampiric strength only somewhat restrained, putting out enough sound to barely keep pandemonium from breaking out, and to quell it further before the crowd could become a mob he said, "Guards, seize the Marquis." This they promptly did, surrounding him with spearpoints to his neck, which he protested even as he stepped away as the circle started to move, forcing him to move with them to avoid being cut.

"Bring out Alyra." Ulthis said, and Alyra took the stand.

It was a brief affair after that, Alyra was clearly not right in the head, referring to Rava as her child and relaying that she had hoped she would make a family with herself and Segasta, however while her madness was clearly evident...particularly when she started screaming about Segasta's role, it was also compelling, and utterly damning for Segasta. Though he denied everything when he was brought out, his 'companions' in the guard quickly relayed that he had been boasting about coming in to some extra money, and that he had often boasted about sleeping with the mad maid Alyra. His denials were not believable, and when both parties rested their case, the votes were cast and counted over several hours. Segasta was found guilty and sentenced to die by an overwhelming majority, hardly anyone had believed his denials.

Alyra was voted innocent by reason of madness, and she was to be confined for the rest of her life.

Then came the impromptu trial of the Marquis, again and again under questioning by even his most ardent supporters, he insisted nobody and no one had done this to him, and by then the scroll compelling him to be truthful had worn off, while he still remained under the influence of Ulthis's vampire eyes, so an inspection by a temple priest showed he was simply telling the truth and that he was under no magic spell. Prompting Ulthis to be quietly grateful that the eyes of the vampire did not register in the ways they would look...and his constant insistence on referring to Neia by the names 'nothing and no one' left his answer flying over their heads, and concluding he was answering purely out of arrogant certainty that he could not be challenged...which made it all the more desirable to see him fall.

His defending speaker argued the right of rulers to do as they saw fit, but it proved an unpopular argument that even he evidently did not like, while the prosecuting speaker argued that he had committed treason against the people, and when the votes were cast he was overwhelmingly found to be guilty. Ulthis requested permission to allow Black Justice to carry out his sentence, while the city carried out sentence on Segasta, and with this even the temples agreed, reluctantly, that it was a fair trade allowing both sides to save face before their supporters, especially since the Black Justice temple agreed to let matters go over the riot as long as the surviving families of the dead Black Justice members were compensated, thus sparing the old temples further embarrassment. What they did not see behind his eyes, was that Ulthis was not truly prepared to let that matter go, they were only buying a delay, one he intended to exploit in time.

The first thing to be done, was to execute Segasta...for that, they stripped him of his clothing, leaving him naked in the city square, except for a rope binding his wrists. As he shook terrified and naked before the mob, two guards approached with clubs, and hit each of his legs squarely on the shins, breaking them with a sickening crack, sending him falling to the ground and screaming in pain. As he writhed, a hook was looped through the rope at his wrists, and the other end was bound to the back of a saddle on a horse. He watched in horror as the rider spurred the horse on, the people lined the streets as he was dragged through the city, they threw rotten food, the contents of their chamber pots, and small stones at him as he flailed on the ground and screamed, and screamed, and screamed, as the rough cobblestone cut his flesh from front and back alike. Sometimes the horse would run, and he would bounce wildly on the stone, smashing his teeth or gouging chunks out of his body, other times it would go slow, scraping away skin and muscle, until he no longer wished to escape, except by dying. It was only long after death was the only thing he longed for, that he finally fell into unconsciousness, and closed his eyes forever when the horse stopped, and someone came up and kicked him in the face, to the cheers of the mob. In this way, Segasta died.

The Marquis Ysude saw it all begin, and he shook in horror while Neia, Ulthis, and Blue Rose surrounded him. Neia felt indulgent, "You think that is going to happen to you?" She asked him. "Don't worry, it won't." She said.

The members of Blue Rose snapped their eyes to Neia. "You don't mean to let him go, do you?" Gagaran asked aghast.

"Oh no." Neia said. "Black Justice was given the right to punish him, and what he has to worry about is probably much, much worse. He's going to be given over to the Sorcerer King."

It was at that moment that a gate opened, and Sebas stepped through, his arms folded formally behind his back, he approached the group, "Neia Baraja, it is good to see you again, though I could wish for happier conditions." He said politely, inclining his head.

"You too Sebas." Neia replied with a warm smile on her face. She approached and shook his hand, and they each inclined a slight bow, and then Neia turned to introduce them. "This is Ulthis, Black Justice priest, and these over here who are not tied up, are the members of Blue Rose," she gestured to each one as she introduced them, "Lakyus, Evileye, Gagaran, Tia, and Tina." She said, "They were instrumental in aiding Momon against Jaldabaoth, and they directed me to the Sorcerer King for help against the demon emperor when he attacked my kingdom." She said enthusiastically.

"I see," Sebas said, offering a single bow to the adamantite team. "I am Sebas Tian, butler to the Sorcerer King, and it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance." He said in a voice that carried considerable respect.

"The pleasure is ours." Lakyus said, offering an equally formal bow born of long practice in her noble life, "but it seems we have the advantage in this meeting, because we've already heard about you in great detail." Lakyus said warmly.

Sebas inclined his head to one side curiously, "From whom?" He asked.

"A blonde haired boy named Climb, and a blue haired swordsman named Brain Unglaus." Lakyus said. "Ahhh yes, I recall them both, they sought my training prior to the demonic disturbance, dedicated young men, I heartily approve of the company of such fellows." Sebas said formally, stroking his beard as he recalled them to mind.

Ulthis however, had his eyes go wide as the world itself as he stared at the Dragonoid monster in human skin, he had lived a hundred years and more, he had seen monsters of many kinds, but never, ever, had he dreamed he would see something like this. He was not sure if he should bless his talent, or curse it, but his mind was overwhelmed with relief above all, that this one was not hostile.

Sebas turned a polite smile towards Ulthis and inclined his head, and the Black Justice priest felt as if he was being stared straight through, like a sword with eyes deciding if someone should be a victim or not. The priest found himself much relieved that he was on the same side as that monster, and he forced a polite smile of his own, and inclined his head in return. "I understand you're to take," she gestured to the shaking Marquis Ysude, "this into custody?"

"That is correct lady Lakyus." He said.

"Will he suffer?" Gagaran asked.

"Probably for the rest of his life, which will continue until he dies of old age." Sebas said politely, prompting the Marquis Ysude to noticeably lose control of his bowels.

"Good." Tia and Tina said in Unison, followed swiftly by the same word being uttered by both Evileye and Lakyus.

Sebas stepped over to the man, grabbed him by his hair, and began dragging him screaming through the portal. "Till next time." Sebas said.

And then the portal was closed.

...In Nazarick...

The Marquis Ysude was having a very, very bad day. A day that was only getting worse as he was dragged to the foot of a magnificent throne and found himself facing an undead terror the likes of which he'd never imagined.

"I was watching your...speech." Ainz said in a noble voice.

Ysude was looking up at him in silent awe.

"Prostrate yourself, worm." Demiurge said from beside him, and Ysude threw his face to the stone with painful force.

"There are some acts," Ainz said, "that are just the course of power, the strong vie against one another, they clash like rams or lions, this is the way of the world, but there are some acts so vile, so repugnant, that they cannot be excused. Expressly targeting a child stands among the worst of such things. Thus I think it fitting that your punishment should involve children." Wicked smiles began to appear on the faces of Albedo, Shalltear, Demiurge, and Aura.

"Kyouhukou is in need of a food source for his many children, and he was never properly rewarded for his work during the visit by those workers a few years ago. I say the Marquis will serve quite well in that capacity. He can take care of Kyouhukou's many children, and we shall provide his...guest, with an item that will keep him healed, so that even though they are consuming him alive at every moment of every day, he will always be able to provide them with more food." Ainz said, gesturing for the quivering Marquis to be taken away as he tried to get words out to beg for mercy, but was too frozen with terror to do so.

"A brilliant solution my lord Ainz." Demiurge said, "I could not have come up with a better solution myself."

"As expected of the one I love." Albedo said, drawing her hands together at her chest, smiling broadly.

"Of course, our supreme one would come up with the perfect solution." Shalltear said with a breathy sigh.

The Marquis however, was more than a little confused even as they forced him to wear some odd...but nice looking article of clothing, he didn't struggle through that part, only looked about in fear, awe, and confusion. His confusion however, was preferable to him to his knowledge, when he found himself confronted with a very large cockroach wearing a cape and crown and holding a scepter. When the matter was explained to the cockroach, which the Marquis concluded was the one called Kyouhukou, it was then that he began to understand.

The room was sealed behind the fallen nobleman and he stood up, shaking, finally being able to move again on his own, and he tried to speak, but the cockroach king spoke first, "Do you understand why you are here?" It said to him.

"Its...well..." He tried to stammer out an excuse, but the cockroach interrupted again.

"You're about to offer an excuse, I don't want that, I just want to know if why you are here has been explained to you." It said.

"Yes." He said numbly.

"Good, a punishment given without explanation teaches nothing, everyone should know why they suffer. Now, my children, you may feast." And as the Marquis struggled and flailed, he was brought down, and the roaches filled his mouth and charged down into his stomach, lungs, and everywhere inside his body they could cram themselves, he was screaming without the ability to make a sound, occasionally he'd flatten a few as he rolled on the floor, which Kyouhukou put a halt to eventually by chaining him in one place. It didn't even matter that it was dark, because his eyes were eaten...over...and over...and over again, as he lay unmoving except by minute writhing, always being eaten, never dying or even being able to give voice to the plea to die, until great age ended him at last.

...In Kedyn...

With the Marquis gone and Segasta taken away, Alyra alone remained, and the priests took possession of her to have her transferred to a madhouse. The Viscount Yamoc and his wife Cercei approached the group of people they now regarded as personal heroes. "Thank you, thank you all. Nothing can bring back our daughter, but...it helps a little to know that justice is done. We have to arrange burial for her, and we also have to figure out who will run the city now, and there are still the disappearances creating havoc and tension." He said with both conviction and a heavy sigh.

"As to the disappearances," Lakyus said, "We will help with that, clearly that is a large part of the tension between the people we're hired to protect, and the rest of the population, I think we have to deal with that."

The Viscount nodded, "That will give people peace of mind, to know adamantite adventurers are venturing out there." He said. "Now you'll excuse us I hope, as we have a lot to do." They shared a common final bow, and he said to Neia as he left, "We will not forget our promise."

"Then my part is done." Ulthis said, and he bowed to Blue Rose, Neia, and the Viscount, one after another. "You have all done much, suffered much, but I have my temple to tend, and I have done my part here, I will answer your call if you need me again, but for now, I have my own work to do." He said politely, and then offered his hand out to each of them. Neia shook it gladly, as did the Viscount and his wife. So did Tia, Tina, Evileye, and Gagaran. But when it came to Lakyus, she stared at it like it was poison, then...with great reluctance and difficulty, as if her arm now weighed a thousand times that of her body, she lifted her arm from her side, and took his hand in hers, and shook it. "You did something good today." She said reluctantly.

"It's what I'm supposed to do." Ulthis said, "And by the way, so did you." He added, and then released the grip and walked away.

"I'd best be going as well." Neia said. "You brought me here to help you with something of a unique situation, I've done that. Now you're probably going into combat, and while I'm not bad at that, you're legends, and that is your area of expertise. Plus I have my own problems to deal with in Wenmark, I hope I don't have to call on you too soon, but at the same time...I do hope to see you soon, only for pleasant circumstances. I really was glad to see you again." Neia smiled as she spoke, and offered her hand out to each member of Blue Rose.

"You've changed a lot since you were the humble quiet squire we saw years ago." Evileye said. "And for the better I have to say." She added.

"Thank you." Neia said proudly, "It means a lot coming from you."

"Well done." Gagaran said.

"Wait, you're not going to ask if I'm cherry are you, I've heard about your ways?" Neia said with a laugh, one Gagaran responded with a laugh of her own.

"No, no need to worry about that," Gagaran said, "you're not my type." They shared a laugh, and Tia and Tina each shook her hand with a simple, "Thanks for the help."

Lakyus was last, but the 'weight' of her arm seemed to have lessened dramatically when it came to shaking a human's hand, "You were an asset today, in ways I didn't expect. But...where did you learn that?" She asked in bafflement.

"I went to Nazarick. The Library of Ashurbanipal has the wisdom of ages, and it was bestowed to me for my service, and so that I might serve justice better." She replied.

"Well it worked." Lakyus said. "Thank you. I hope to see you under happier conditions another time."

"Me too." Neia said, "Now I'd better go meet up with Ulthis, he'll use another scroll to send me back to Wenmark. Good luck, not that you'll need it." Neia said with a wave behind her. CZ simply gave a polite nod to them all and said, "Bye”...before going up to each member of the team and placing a sticker on them saying "cute" as she did so, leaving a few red faces in her wake as she walked beside Neia.

Blue Rose heaved a heavy sigh.

"A demon maid...the founder of a new religion...a vampire priest...and all the rest...this won't be a day I'll ever forget." Lakyus said softly as she watched the pair retreat.

"Agreed." The rest of the team said.

"However, there is still something else that has to be done, before anything else." Evileye said. Even the power of her mask could not hide all the dread in her voice, "It may be the last thing I ever do, but it has to be done. There is something I need you to see."

Her sisters looked at her with confusion.

"I need you all to come with me, you'll know why when we get there. Save your questions until then. Trust me, at least one more time." Evileye said to the worried faces of those she loved best, and she began to walk towards the main gate of the city, and her sisters fell silently behind her.