Murmurings within the crowd instantly subsided as a wave of silence washed over everyone.
* Step * Step * Step *
Radiating with unwavering grace and power, cladded in a pristine red armour, a 5'9 tall white haired female emerged from the parting crowd.
Her crystalline blue eyes darted across the village square with unsettling coldness in her eyes, fear hung dreadful on the air, slowly it crept into the hearts of everyone present.
Well-endowned yet very athletic her features were described as from a godlike descent, the commander wore a disapproving expression and took his huge shield before slamming it on the ground.
This broke the fear struck state of the present onlookers and adventurers, the murmurs began but this time it could be heard amongst the adventurers themselves.
- "That's Myra Dem, The First S Ranked Summoner!!!"
- " What is she doing here, I thought see was of noble bloodline "
- " No, she was rumored to have come from a disbanded village, I didn't know it was this one "
- " Isn't she supposed to be at a magus academy, what is she doing here? "
As the murmurs spread rapidly, Myra walked up to Lucian, the adventurers around him quickly dispersed.
She held up his chin to look at her, the sun hit his eyes but he wasn't in a position to complain.
"What have you committed this time?", She asked, " I leave for two weeks for my appraisal examination and you cause so much trouble, how am I supposed to leave you with Vincent? "
He was speechless, how was he supposed to tell her he got in trouble trying to find a way to sponsor her training for a better life.
" Step aside Miss Lock, This is a criminal on trial " a voice resounded behind her, turning she saw a squad of Templars, all cladded in their usual chainmail armor.
" Ahh, Thank goodness you came " The commanding adventurer said, he was typically a C rank and he was the strongest person in the group, seeing the stout potbellied man with his cohort of youths relieved his soul.
Thinking of going against an S ranked human was not to tedious to his mind.
He was more experienced but in terms of physical prowess, she would crush him like a bug, together with his teammates.
But with the help of the Templar knights which were mostly A ranked or higher, as that was the criteria one had to reach to become a templar.
The Leading templar here was an S rank swordsman, with higher training and years of experience, meanwhile Myra hadn't started her training yet.
The adventurers had already hoisted Dalek and Gabriel, the templars sliced the stocks of Lucian's body, " I won't let you take him " Myra objected pointing her finger at the leading templar.
" You've already spared him a beating so let us enforce the law " the stout middle aged man said, he cautiously glanced at the sharp pointed finger edges of Myra's Gauntlets.
Lucian knelt still with his head lowered letting the confrontation escalate, secretly he wished Myra never appeared, this would cause outcomes he never planned.
After some minutes of silence the templars stood Lucian up, " I won't let you take him " She replied firmly grabbing Lucian's shoulder.
* Sigh *
" Then I would have to put you out " the leading templar said unsheathing his blade, * BOOM *, with terrifying speed he closed the distance between himself and Myra.
Jumping his blade went down in an arc aiming at Myra's shoulder, but in a flash it was caught, silence, grave silence.
Gasps slowly circulated through the crowd of villagers when they saw who caught the blade, with a bleeding palm Lucian stood in front of Myra, a blade deeply lounged in his hand.
" Leave…, Myra " he said firmly with his face held down.
" But… "
" Just go, I shall return with an explanation "
The blade slide through the opening deepen it further, the templar hit the wooden pommel on Lucian's abdomen causing him to drop to his knees.
The adventurers and templars had to break out of their awestruck state, it was impossible trying to comprehend the blade of a S ranked swordsman be caught by a manaless low-breed.
Myra's former icy cold visage was gone replaced by a helpless stiff one, she lifelessly watched as Lucian got beaten violently and slowly bleeding out through multiple slices that kept multiplying.
More templar soldiers poured through the crowd covering Myra from sight and dragging the trio away from the village square.
Minutes later a battalion of military personnels comprising of adventurers and templars dragging the chain bonded trio through a lonely area of the north eastern part of the settlement.
The villagers didn't get to follow them this time, so they sang mocking songs to the prisoners as they sliced them with swords, spat on them and hit them, ' Especially Lucian '.
Is seemed that they had forgotten the mind boggling feat he showcased just a few minutes prior, however everything being done to the boys were unfelt as they were all occupied with their thoughts they didn't notice when they reached the court.
A magnificent building which dwarfed other buildings in the settlement with it's sheer size and beauty, it was designed so marvelously it seemed to have been crafted in the future.
Lucian and his crew were lead through the monolith walls surrounding the church like structure, once inside one would notice it was sprawling with templar soldiers.
It was the base of the templars in the village after all, Dalek gulped, if they were to plot an escape they would be fighting through a horde of A probably S ranked soldiers.
For their current level that was not short of impossible.
They were led into the courtroom, it was at that point the battalion reduced drastically to the leading templar and the commanding adventurer.
A myriad of pews lay in an orderly manner in the well ventilated courtroom, few well dressed men in suits belong not in the village sat in an arrayed order.
Some were working on business deals others chatting few sitting by themselves, all those held no relevance to the squad of two military personnels and three prisoners.
Quickly they traversed the expanse of the courtroom with a tedious number of strides, but finally they made it and prisoners were knelt before the Templar Judge's podium, an ultra rare SS rank.
She was dressed nothing like a judge but a fashionable whore, the prisoners were nothing but filthy flies before her podium, her aura burst through the atmosphere increasing the weight of gravity on it's victims.
Lucian grit his teeth as he was barely able to hold his kneeling position under the dense aura, Gabriel showed little strain similarly to Dalek who had nothing but sweat on his face.
The judge glanced at them with disdain, her gaze deepened when she looked at Lucian, hatred was only found in her eyes for him.
" Peterson, Why do you stand before me " she snorted, with fear lanced in his voice the S ranked templar stated his case, " The Adventurer, Dominus V'r Lacron, captured three suspected raiders in his most recent scaveng for resources ".
He swallowed and put on a more serious face, " Three of them has been brought for judgment to be inflicted upon them, My Ladyship ".
" Such a trivia matter, state their names " she said with a command tone in the last statement, " Gabriel Macale, Dalek Vans and Lucian Mendez ", he replied pointing to the criminals with their respective names.
" Gabriel pays a fine of seven thousand iron rilacs, Dalek pays fifty thousand iron rilacs while the manaless pig pays ten thousand copper rilacs ".
" Who ever is unable to pay up in a week's notice with an extra one hundred iron rilacs as tribute would face a public execution by the guillotine " her heel slammed down.
The sound bearing the echoes of the toll on a funeral gong.