Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 506 Rebuilding the Nation (Twenty-Two)
Sanel Caroj's face turned ashen, and his teeth were grinding together.

He couldn't answer Skull's questions. Even if he could find some excuses, his words would be drowned out by the jeers coming from all sides, making no difference whatsoever.

Moreover, from beginning to end, the former government commander never once had the slightest thought of defending himself.

"No one can judge me!"

Sanel roared like thunder, smashed down the fence, and lunged fiercely at his classmates and enemies sitting high on the judge's bench, but was held firmly by shackles and chains and could not move.

Like a dying beast, boundless resentment and rage erupted from Sanel's eyes as he hysterically roared, "Nobody!"

Military police responsible for maintaining order at the trial quickly surrounded the defendant from both sides, attempting to subdue the out-of-control defendant.

However, even with two strong military police officers working together, they were unable to subdue him successfully.

Colonel Gaisa, sitting in the first row of the White Mountain County sector, subtly made a hand gesture upon seeing this.

A one-eyed military police officer immediately entered the courtroom and strode over to Sanel Caroj's side.

“No offense intended, Colonel.” The one-eyed officer nodded in salute, using his body to block the view from the seat, and delivered a concealed jab that struck Sanel’s upper abdomen quickly, accurately, and viciously.

The former government colonel instantly lost the ability to speak; blood rushed to his head, giving his face a sickly red. His upper body also instinctively curled up due to the intense pain.

Most of the free men failed to notice the one-eyed officer's actions, only seeing the Red Rose lackey, who had just been going crazy, suddenly quiet down.

Even those few free men who were aware of the situation chose to applaud the one-eyed officer's clean and decisive blow.

After handling the unexpected situation properly, the one-eyed officer helped Colonel Sanel, who had "regained his composure," back to the dock. He then led two military policemen to stand guard closely behind the dock to prevent the defendant from going berserk again.

Colonel Skull struck the gavel, bringing silence back to the Great Council Chamber.

“Sanel Caroy,” Colonel Skull asked coldly, “Do you have any objections to the crimes I have stated about you?”

“A crime?” Sanel gasped for breath, clearly still reeling from the heavy punch he had just received.

Even so, upon hearing Skul Mechren's words, he couldn't help but burst into laughter: "My only sin was losing the war—that is my sin!"

"Clerk, take notes." Colonel Skull was as ruthless as stone: "The defendant has no objection to the contents of the indictment."

"Enough!" Sanel could no longer bear it. He slammed into the fence again, roaring, "I lost the battle! The victor is king, the loser is villain, nothing to say! You want my life? Give me a sword, I'll do it myself! But—but don't fucking insult me ​​with this circus stuff!"

He stared intently at his classmate on the judge's bench, pleading through gritted teeth, "Skoll Mecklen, if you have even a shred of camaraderie left, give me a quick death!"

The one-eyed officer immediately led his men forward, but was stopped by Colonel Skull's gesture.

“On the battlefield, I will show you no mercy, just as you will show me no mercy,” Colonel Skull replied in a deep voice. “But this is not a battlefield; this is a courtroom. I have no right to let you live, nor do I have the right to let you die.”

A ripple of pity appeared in the center of Colonel Skull's deep, dark pupils, but that was all: "Sanel Carlo, I told you from the beginning that your fate would be decided by all the free men present."

"Fuck you! Skul! Fuck you!" Sanel roared, lunging at the judge's bench once more, tearing the heavy chains almost into a stick in mid-air. "Why didn't you just kill me? Why humiliate me?!"

Colonel Skulel tapped the mallet, and the one-eyed officer immediately understood, subduing Sanel once again.

“Decid on my fate? Do they even deserve to?” Sanel’s arms were twisted behind his back as he struggled desperately.

He glared furiously at the arrogant bystanders: "You! You accomplices of the New Reclamation Army! Servants! Livestock! You dare to judge me?! None of you have the right to judge me! None!! None!!!"

The response to Sanel was a furious shout: "Hang him!"

"Hang him!!" More and more free people joined in: "Hang him!!"

"Hang him!!!" Almost all the free men in the main council hall shouted in unison, "Hang him!!!"

Colonel Skull stood up, picked up the mallet, and slammed it heavily onto the base. He struck harder with each blow, until the final strike even produced a metallic clang.

"Silence!" Skul Mechren shouted angrily.

Just as the first ray of sunlight pierced the dawn, the Great Council Chamber fell silent in an instant.

Colonel Skull struck the gavel again and announced loudly, "The court investigation is over. Remove the defendants from the courtroom."

The one-eyed officer and the gendarme saluted, and then escorted Sanel Carlos out of the Great Council.

The free people on the tiered seating looked at each other, bewildered. ...

In the seating area of ​​Tiefeng County, even "Fat Man" Nandor was puzzled.

"What happened? Why were they taken away?" Nandor asked old Dussac beside him, his voice low and puzzled. "Is this the end of it? Aren't they going to pronounce a sentence?"

Girard frowned, shook his head, and indicated that he didn't understand what was going on either.

"Damn it." Nandor muttered in utter disappointment, "So it turns out that this official of Leiqun County is all talk and no action. He's no match for Lord Blood Wolf."

Girard glanced at his neighbor with a look of surprise and suspicion, but ultimately held back and did not ask, "What is Winters Montagne like in your eyes?"

……

On the judge's bench, Colonel Skul Mecklen surveyed the whispering libertines with an air of authority, struck the gavel again, and commanded in a stern voice: "Bring the second group of defendants to court!"

……

"What? There's a 'second group'?" Nandor exclaimed in shock. "Who else will be interrogated?"

Girard stared intently at the main entrance of the council chamber, and squeezed out a sentence from between his pursed lips: "I don't know—but it certainly won't be a nobody."

……

As the newly reclaimed landmen eagerly awaited their turn, the second group of defendants were escorted into the Great Council Chamber by the military police.

There were two people in total, one in front and one behind.

The man in front was tall and imposing, with sharp eyebrows and fierce eyes, exuding an aura of authority even without anger.
The man walking behind was thin and emaciated. Although he looked slightly younger than the man, he had just as much white hair at his temples.

Both men were wearing school officer uniforms, but the appliqués and embroidery details on the folded edges were slightly different.

Only those familiar with the affairs of the Allied forces could distinguish between the two men, one a colonel and the other a major, from the subtle differences in their uniforms.

However, most of the newly established freemen lacked this insight and only saw that two more officers had been brought into the Great Council.

In Zhuwangbao, a colonel might not be considered a big shot.

In the newly reclaimed provinces, officers of the rank of colonel were household names in every prefecture as "Lord," "Upright Official," and "Ruler."

However, the two officers in front of them were completely unfamiliar to any free man, regardless of which county he was from.

“Those on trial,” Colonel Skull’s voice came from the judge’s bench, “state your identities.”

The two officers brought into the Great Council Chamber exchanged a glance. The taller, older officer stepped forward and replied politely, "We do not recognize the legitimacy of this trial, but we can inform you of our identities."

"Commander of the Sixth Army Corps, Colonel." The tall, older officer looked around at the group of free men with his head held high: "Naji Modach."

Upon hearing the title "Commander of the Sixth Legion," any free man who understood the implications of this position couldn't help but gasp in shock.

Even today, much information about the Battle of the Valley of Sorrow remains undisclosed.

The free people only knew that it was a great victory that destroyed three legions of the Great Council of Kingsburgs—a one-sided propaganda by the Allied forces, which many of the new settlers doubted—but they did not know that even officers at the rank of "Commander of the Standing Legion" had been captured by the Allied forces of the four counties.

After the tall officer finished his self-introduction, the thin officer stepped forward.

"Army Major." The thin, parched lips of the officer moved as he dejectedly introduced himself: "Old Felt."

Free men from other counties whispered among themselves—Old Felt? Never heard of him.

Only the freemen of Maplestone City suddenly realized the truth.

“You’re not quite right, Major Felt,” Colonel Skull bluntly pointed out. “You’re not just any ‘Army Major,’ you’re ‘United Province Army Major, Ald Felt’!”

Colonel Skull stood up, glaring down at Major Felt, his voice echoing throughout the Great Council: "You are not an officer of the Paratul Army! You are an officer of the United Provinces Army—you are a United Provinces man!"

The newly reclaimed land was in an uproar among the free people.

[Victory is assured]
[It was only a narrow victory tonight, I'm very sorry.]