Chapter 9: The Trial

I've always been anxious about such events. Sitting as if naked in front of a crowd of people, trying to tell them something or convince them. It's hard to understand why such an interrogation format exists in this universe as well. It's completely stupid and ineffective. Perhaps in all worlds and all universes, the ruling people misunderstand fear. They probably think fear is the best way to discover the truth, but why do we deceive ourselves? Isn't it out of fear? It's all foolish.

Prisoner, stand up!

I don't know how much time has passed, but finally, I'm not alone. An officer of the city guard, as I understood, entered the room. Although he looked stern, for some reason I thought he was a kind elf.

It seems to me that I've seen you somewhere before.

You have no right to speak!

Well... My habit of thinking well of people by default didn't cause me much trouble. But it certainly didn't make my life easier. But I have definitely seen him somewhere? Where?

But I didn't have time to think about it, because the elders of this city entered the room. There were four of them, two women and two men. And following them, the last to enter was an old lady, who, judging by her distinctive attire, was the most important one here.

So, what do we have here? A mysterious guest from another world?

One of the four spoke to me. A large man, by our standards about 50 years old, but if translated to elven terms, probably not less than a couple of hundred years old. Most likely before his current position, he was a warrior, and perhaps still is. He had a huge beard and a face full of scars. From my place, it was difficult to see, but his hands were also covered in scars. While he spoke, the others sat quietly, apparently, he acted as their moderator.

My name is Bogdan. As I already told your guards, I came to your world from another one. That is, I was not born here but ended up here by accident.

By what accident?

I don't fully understand everything that happened. All I know is that I died or nearly died in my world as a result of an accident. And then I woke up on a beach, not far from your forest.

And what happened next?

Naturally, I didn't understand the situation I was in. I spent some time on the beach until the next morning when I found a mysterious corpse. I didn't know the identity of the person, but after some time, people appeared who were looking for him. I think they called him someone named Hinata. And they also mentioned someone from Emuna.

After these words, all the members of the so-called court exchanged glances. Strange, because they should have already heard all this.

Alright, then how did you end up in our city?

Excuse my rudeness, but I’ve probably told this story to various local authorities ten times already. You already know that the people on the beach were hostile towards me, forcing me to flee. I had a confrontation with one of them, which I managed to escape.

You’re right, we’ve heard your story. Moreover, we examined all the items you had with you. We analyzed your abilities and checked your spirit for magical energy.

So, what’s the point of repeating it?

Millicenta, who was standing by the door at that moment, began to worry. She knew I was telling the truth and probably conveyed this information to the elders. So what’s the matter?

The point is, how could someone without combat skills, with such a weak body and an absolute lack of magic, manage to escape from, as you say, armed and skilled attackers?

As I mentioned earlier, one of them struck me and seriously injured me. Not fatally, but definitely unpleasantly. After that, I just saw his bloody body in front of me.

Who helped you then?

There was no one else there but me.

So this person killed himself?

Do you believe that yourself?

It’s hard to say. We’re just considering options and trying to determine if we can trust you.

Don’t you think this is foolish? Millicenta already checked me. So you don’t trust her? One of your own? As I’ve repeated, I have no reason to lie to you. I have no powers, nor a clear understanding of how I ended up here.

Do you know what happens if you try not to think about an elephant? Most likely, you’ll think about it. I knew that at this moment Millicenta was reading my thoughts and carefully checking the facts I had repeated many times. And overall, it’s no big deal. After my arrival in this world, I wasn’t particularly concerned about other people’s thoughts about me. Let her know that I like her, let her know that in that situation on the beach, I almost soiled my pants. However, I didn’t want her to know about my imaginary friends who visited me in my mind. For some reason, I was sure she definitely didn’t need to know about that. At least until I more or less figured out what was going on here.

A lot of things seem foolish to me. But it doesn’t seem foolish that right now you’re severely disregarding our trust and specifically Millicenta’s trust. We gave you a roof over your head and released you from the cell. You should be grateful.

Well, don’t get worked up, Otto. One of the women representing the council interrupted the old warrior. She looked more kind-hearted, didn’t she?

Dear young man. Excuse my colleague’s rudeness. He’s an old warrior who’s always used to charging ahead. But please understand us too – a stranger appears at the gates of our city and starts telling strange stories. I don’t know how it was in your world, but here, people don’t just jump between worlds. Personally, I don’t know of any such case in the entire history of our race. So even if you’re telling the truth, it’s crucial for us to ensure that you don’t pose a threat to us or the people we are responsible for.

It was good that she spoke up. She was much more polite and kinder than that guy, or old man, I’m not sure how to put it. I don’t know how old she is, but she looks quite nice. She seems a bit older than Millicenta and yet the youngest in this council. I didn’t want to upset her or insult her politeness. So, it’s probably better to tone it down a bit.

Excuse my disrespect. This doesn’t justify me at all, but I ended up in a completely different place, absolutely unfamiliar to me. Far from home. I don’t know if I’ll ever see my family and friends again. I don’t know if I’m even alive. And what will happen to me next. Under what terms I’m here and what I should do at all. That’s why I lost my temper a bit. Excuse me once again.

Don’t worry. Personally, I understand everything, and I’m sure my colleagues will feel the same way over time. Millicenta indeed told us your story. For a more complete picture, could you tell us a bit about your previous life?

I don’t even know... It’s not the most pleasant question. What should I tell her?

Ha...

What's so funny?

I just don't know. What do you want to know?

Tell us about yourself. What was your life like? What did you do? Tell us about your family. I want to understand what kind of person you are. Millicenta, could you stop reading this gentleman's thoughts for now?

She might be sweet, but the smirk with which she said that sent a chill down my spine. What was she planning? What kind of strange manipulation is this?

I don't even know where to start. At the time I was transferred to your world, I was 24 years old. I don't know if that's much or little by elven standards, but in our world, where only humans live, I was quite young. I can't say my life was very interesting in that world. All I did was study and work—nothing special or outstanding. At certain points, I made a couple of mistakes that somewhat derailed my career, and I had a hard time.

What were those mistakes?

I thought about this a lot. Too much. I always knew the answer to this question, even when I was making those mistakes. But I didn't really want to say them out loud.

Do I have to talk about them?

It's up to you, but you understand that a lot will depend on it. I'm very curious to know what a nice guy like you could have done wrong. Oh, this manner of speaking among elves... You'd think that with age, one would become more direct, but every word and every phrase sounds so sweet to the ears and at the same time is latent manipulation.

I naively thought I was smarter than others. I thought I knew better, didn't recognize experience, didn't acknowledge the achievements of others. In short, at some point, I rejected all authorities. And I failed.

What's wrong with that? I think even in our world, everyone goes through this process of separating from their parents.

Yes, that youthful maximalism. But on this path, I said and did many things that cannot be undone. And that wouldn't matter if the outcome had justified itself. But it didn't.

Do you regret it now?

Good question, one I don't have an answer to. I've thought about it many times. On the one hand, I understand that if none of this had happened to me, I would be a completely different person. But the point where I ended my life in the past world... It's hard to call it good. In a way, I closed the doors to happiness.

It sounds very pompous and childish for someone who, by our standards, is still a child.

So I died as a child.

But you're breathing now. This whole situation is hard to understand, but I think it's not accidental. Perhaps you and your experience are meant to play a role in our world.

...

After those words, the questions for me ended, and the elders took a break for deliberation. While they were intensely discussing something, the most senior of them, as I thought, didn't say a word and stared intently at me. I couldn't play the staring game with her for long and eventually looked away. But until the end of this ordeal, I felt her gaze on me. It was as if it penetrated my entire being and could see the very insides of my insides. Even with my fatalistic outlook in this world, it was uncomfortable to feel that gaze on me. Thankfully, Millicenta saved me. She had been watching me for a while and finally decided to approach.

I promise that after your execution, I will definitely take whatever is left of you and keep it.

Thank you so much for your support; that's very kind of you.

Don't be sarcastic; I think everything will be fine. It seems you impressed Lady Ruby, and that's not easy. Honestly, I've never seen her so interested.

What do you mean?

I've attended a couple of such trials, and in all those times, she never spoke—not once. I don't know how many years it's been since she last spoke. I don't even know what her voice sounds like.

And who is she, anyway? And who are all these people?

They are our rulers. The most worthy and just of all the elves alive. You already know Lady Ruby; she has a very dramatic story, which we don't have time for now. But as you might have guessed, she is the youngest member of the council and the youngest in the entire history of our city.

And the old man who was grilling me with questions?

I hope you have enough sense not to say that to his face, or the joke about remains won't be a joke. That's Otto, who, besides being a council member, is our army's general. He's a very experienced warrior, has fought many battles, and blah blah blah. Incidentally, he is my direct superior.

And how is he as a boss? Does he often make you work overtime?

I usually spend my overtime on his lap.

What a disgrace, so that's why you are so respected.

Not the best joke. Seriously, he's a genuinely good and noble elf. There was a time when he single-handedly led his small squad out of a complete encirclement.

Wow. Probably, he just put the enemy sentries to sleep with his boring interrogations at night.

That skinny guy on his right is Theo, our city's chief treasurer.

Oh, I definitely need to be friends with him.

Don't get ahead of yourself. He is the most meticulous and proper person in our city. His scrupulousness and attention to detail sometimes scare me. I wouldn't be surprised if he knows exactly how many times you've yawned since you've been here.

Ideally, that's how treasurers should be. In my world, there were problems with that. Usually, such positions were held, to put it bluntly, by the most unfit people.

The last one is Lady Pollyanna.

And what does she do? Medicine? Nutrition?

She is a noble knight who, unfortunately, has retired. But I think that in terms of personal skill, she is even stronger than General Otto.

Have you seen her in battle?

Once. But... You know, it was like some kind of unseen art.

How so?

It's hard to describe, as if I saw and didn't see her movements at the same time. They were as fluid as a mountain stream but so fast that I could only see them in the afterimage. And this despite her being over 500 years old.

That sounds really fascinating. Who is that old lady in the center?

That's Queen Agnes.

So you have a matriarchy here.

We have more of a meritocracy here.

And what's so special about her?

She is the very first elf.

How can she be the first?

It's a very long story. The point is that she is over 5,000 years old. She has lived longer than anyone in this world and has seen so much that it's frightening to imagine. Honestly, I know very little about her myself. I've never had a chance to speak to her or hear her voice.

How do you feel living under the command of a 5,000-year-old woman? Doesn't it seem like she's a bit out of her mind?

You know... I feel calm. I feel calm because we are led by someone who has seen and knows more than anyone else. Her experience surpasses the combined experience of all the residents of our city. She is the first and only queen of my people, who has ensured our peaceful existence all this time. So yes... I feel calm.

Well, if you say so. Alright... How much longer will this take?

I think it will be over soon.

Some more time passed. Maybe 30 minutes or so, until the elders finished their discussion. During all this time, Añeas did not take her eyes off me, continuing to drill me with her cold gaze and emotionless face. Five thousand years. Just how much has she seen? I can hardly imagine how much that is. And by the way, could it really be that in her lifetime, I am the first person from another world? It’s hard to believe. But on the other hand, it’s a nice bonus to be among the first in something. Although it’s not really my achievement.

It seems they have finally finished. Again, the old man Otto took the floor, though compared to Añeas, how old he now seems.

After a lengthy discussion, we have reached a decision.

Lady Ruby interrupted him.

Otto, let me announce our decision.

Of course.

We struggled to reach a consensus. Although we cannot claim that you were deceiving us, some of us still had doubts about the safety of our city. Due to disagreements, we decided to vote and concluded that there are no objective reasons to execute you; however, with a vote count of 3-1, the decision was made not to allow you to stay in our city.

Well, what else could have been expected... I wasn't particularly needed in my own world, so why would I expect to be needed here... I wonder if Millisenta will be upset? It seems she isn't even looking at me. She turned away and listened to the elders' verdict with a completely calm face.

You will be able to collect your belongings and will be required to leave our city. However, the bag you found will remain with us. If you wish, you may comment on our decision.

Haha, honestly, what can I say? In my particular case, your decision is equivalent to a death sentence. I know nothing about this world, I have nowhere to go. Most likely, I will die of hunger without finding my way out of the forest. But from my side, it would be naive to expect that you would keep me here not as a prisoner. So I understand everything. Thank you for your decision.

Well...

Excuse me, may I have one last request? Who voted to keep me?

We usually don’t do this, but since your case is exceptional, I see no problem in saying that it was me.

Millisenta told me your name is Ruby. Thank you very much for your vote.

I am truly sorry that it turned out this way. From my point of view, your presence here could have been beneficial to us, but my colleagues were against it, and I could not persuade them.

Millisenta still did not look at me. I understand that we are nobody to each other, but still. At least a glance would be nice, after all, we’re not exactly strangers.

Well, I guess I'll... leave...

Mr. Edgar, please release the prisoner. Sorry, not the prisoner, but our guest.

I have spent very little time here. I haven’t seen much beyond two streets and three rooms. Moreover, I spent most of my time in this city as a prisoner. Yet, for some reason, I feel sad to leave this place. Even though I am not welcomed here, I felt at peace for the first time in a very long time. But it seems that peace will be hard to find anywhere else. Not in my world, nor in any other.

He stays.....

Everyone present in the room froze in shock. Queen Añeas spoke for the first time in the last thousand years.