I, the wizard, the foolish Buddha.

Upon learning that Roland was very interested in the trial, Brianna thought for a moment and said, "The square is a bit crowded. I can ask the stands on this side of the courthouse to make room for some people."

However, standing in the stands dressed as a businessman was somewhat ostentatious.

Helena leaned closer and asked curiously, "Are you going to change into the court uniform? It looks pretty cool."

Brianna said somewhat helplessly, "Miss Helena, if you like, I can have someone find some clothes from the logistics department. But it's a bit inappropriate to go to the Holy See wearing the Inquisition's attire later."
The priests of the Holy See will feel nervous.

Didn't I see you wearing 'Holy Servant' costumes before?
"Wearing these clothes to observe the trial won't draw too much attention, and given your status, it's perfectly appropriate for you to wear such attire to the Holy See."

Maria interjected, "The costumes Her Highness Olivia has prepared for everyone are the regular attire of the 'Angel Choir.' These costumes do not belong to any particular sect, and their style has remained unchanged throughout the Alaye and Orbis eras."

Both Alaya and Orbis are divine beings of the Kingdom of Heaven, and it is appropriate for them to wear such clothing.

The White Queen also wore this kind of clothing when she visited the Papacy.

Brianna added, "The scribes on the Holy See also wear these robes. They often come down to record history. Once you put them on, no one will pay attention to you when you stand in the stands."

Brianna found two rooms for everyone to change their clothes. Brianna, Charles, and the others also changed into the attire of the Judgement Knights or the Guardian Knights.

Brianna may seem carefree, but she is very thoughtful. She didn't forget Helena's little wish and had the people at the court find several new court uniforms for Helena.

Roland knew that Helena wanted these clothes not because she was interested in the courtroom uniforms, but because she thought she might need them someday.

Whether we need it or not, it's better to be prepared.

The stands that Brianna mentioned were actually upstairs. This floor contained many 'inquisitorial chambers'. There were many balconies, all of which were already packed with people.

Most of these people seemed to be there just to watch the spectacle, and their behavior was very lazy.

Roland didn't see any important figures here, and he thought to himself, 'The people in charge are probably downstairs.'

Everyone in the courtroom knew Brianna, and they all knew Prince Regent Charles. But their attitude towards Brianna was clearly more respectful than towards Charles.

Everyone was puzzled as to why the Grand Inquisitor had suddenly arrived with the Holy See's servants, but no one dared to ask any further questions.

Under Brianna's arrangement, the court staff cleared out the onlookers from a small courtroom, and then Roland and the others watched the execution from the balcony.

Roland's interest in the execution stemmed primarily from the 'Riverside Evil God'.

He suspects that the Vatican has suppressed some evil gods and then brought in someone today to act as a scapegoat.

Therefore, Roland felt it was very necessary to understand the methods the Papacy used to deal with evil gods.

However, when the evil god was dragged from the courthouse toward the plaza by several arbitration knights, Roland's face showed an extremely strange expression.

“Brianna, that man looks like a beggar you just grabbed off the street.” Roland was absolutely certain that the man had no magic or divinity whatsoever.

Brianna glanced at the person on the adjacent balcony and replied very seriously, "Lord Roland, evil gods are very good at disguising themselves. What you see is a wolf in sheep's clothing."

Upon hearing this, Roland, Helena, Joan, and the others exchanged glances, and then their expressions turned serious.

With Roland's current level of insight, even if the old Black Abysses were disguising themselves in front of him, he could still sense that something was amiss.

Moreover, he was examining the person now knowing that he was an evil god—yet he couldn't see anything wrong with him.

It's likely that only beings of the White Queen's caliber, or seasoned veterans skilled in disguise like the Thousand-Eyed King's clones, could possess such methods.

After taking another look, Roland noticed that although the man looked like a beggar, he was unusually tall and had a steady and resolute gait. If he were properly cared for, he could be placed on the altar of a church and play the role of a demigod.

Looking again, the person's back seemed to be muttering to himself, and his head would occasionally twitch unnaturally. Either he had heard something and was talking to himself, or he had a mental illness.

Roland's expression turned serious. He thought to himself, 'Damn, are they going to execute a madman? Can a madman be executed?'

"Senior, what if that evil god suddenly becomes desperate and does something rash?" Helena asked, somewhat fearfully.

Roland felt a pang of unease, but he reassured her, "It's alright. Since the Church dares to openly execute an evil god, they must have their own methods."

Everyone agreed.

As a formidable adversary of the Eastern Territory, the Church of Light and Shadow has yet to reveal any remarkable methods.

This gave the wizards the feeling of "Invincible East beating up kindergarten kids".

But everyone believed that the church must have accumulated terrifying power over the years, given its sheer size. When they did act, it would be earth-shattering.

It seems the church is indeed planning something big today.

It's possible that there was some intention involved in showing Prince Alaye the deed.

The crowd became even more serious.

"Hey Roland, something seems off. There doesn't seem to be a single strongman in the square," Joan said with a strange expression.

"Shh," Roland said, "Powerful people won't let you see through them."

After glancing at the listless religious knights and priests near the execution platform, Roland added, "Most of the real experts are hiding in the crowd. Hmm, that's undoubtedly the best way to conceal their presence. They're really cautious."

Charles, who was standing nearby, looked slightly embarrassed after hearing the discussion. He coughed and left the balcony, using thirst as an excuse.

Next, the other attendants also found excuses to leave.

Only Brianna did not leave.

Out of caution regarding the evil god's desperate last stand, Roland and the others braced themselves, ready to flee at any moment to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

At this moment, the evil god had been pulled into the square by the knights. The knights in front cleared a path through the crowd, and the residents on both sides made way in an orderly manner.

People prayed silently, and everything was quiet.

Roland looked around and saw that the square and the many buildings in the distance were filled with countless people.

But at this moment, the entire city was completely silent!
Only the priest on the high platform was speaking, reading out the charges!
It was so quiet that Roland could even hear the heavy breathing of the crowd in the distance—like the sound of a broken bellows.

This silence placed immense pressure on Roland.

Diana couldn't help but quietly tug at Roland's sleeve. At that moment, she felt as if she herself was about to be judged.

"Um, that."

Helena whispered, "Sister Brianna, what kind of sacred object is that tattered rope binding that evil god?"

Upon hearing this, Roland and the others all turned to look at him.

Upon closer inspection, everyone discovered that the evil god had no demon-sealing runes inscribed on his body, and the only restraint on his entire body was a tattered rope—bound to his hands behind his back.

"cough."

Joan couldn't help but chime in, "It looks like just a tattered rope?"

Faced with Helena's question, Brianna pondered for a long time before giving this answer: "It is indeed just a rope. But what's the point of locking it or not?"

Everyone's pupils contracted. They couldn't help but recall many stories from the Old Scriptures—only the Mad God himself could deal with them. Or rather, to deal with them, one had to make them believe they had been subdued.

For example, when Queen Heracles considered herself just a weak and pitiful shepherdess, a single rope was enough for her.

But if she suddenly 'wakes up' and discovers that she isn't, then she is God.

Roland's expression grew increasingly solemn. He was more convinced that it was a formidable madman.

He even had the illusion that the man was on the same level as Diana. No wonder Diana was so nervous; she felt a natural threat.

Roland tensed up and asked, "Brianna, can the Church really handle that thing?"

"Shh, be quiet."

Brianna gave Roland a look, seemingly indicating that she planned to talk to him later.

Roland quickly shut his mouth. He looked around at the completely silent city and thought to himself, "Could it be that silence is also the key to dealing with this mad god?"
How can we have enough observers while simultaneously maintaining complete silence?

Roland suddenly recalled many stories from the old scriptures—back then, when Roland's father dealt with the 'Holy Spore Angel,' he drove every single demon, god, and human in the entire Kingdom of Tadar insane.

Then, at a specific moment, all beings made a wish together.

Today, the church's arrangement for this execution is remarkably similar.

Roland thought to himself, "What appears to be an ordinary execution today is actually a mysterious sealing ritual prepared for the God of Madness!"
Incredible! Incredible! The church's control over its members is beyond my imagination; it manages to make so many people obey its commands like a single finger!

Roland suddenly had an idea—if these people could listen to him, then if something serious happened to Goddess, could he command everyone to deal with her?

This is probably going to be very difficult.

Because the number of people in the Holy City alone is probably not enough.

By this time, the priest had finished proclaiming the evil god's crimes, and the evil god had already been dragged to the gallows on the high platform by the knights.

In silence, the knights placed ropes around the head of the evil god. The man being tortured struggled a few times, then broke free of the ropes and burst into laughter.

"I understand! I understand everything! So, I am the last of the three corpses!"

Roland's pupils constricted sharply, and he gripped the 'Elegy' at his waist tightly. He thought to himself, 'Oh no, has this guy 'woken up'?!'

Just as Roland was in a state of extreme tension, the knights had already subdued the evil god again. They gagged him, put the rope over his head again, and then prepared to carry out the execution.

Helena asked with a strange expression, "Can that gallows really hang an evil god?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the executioner pulled the lever with a click. The evil god lost his footing and swayed a few times on the gallows before kicking his legs and dying.

Roland and the others: "???"

"His neck is broken."

Brianna turned to Roland and the others and said, "Don't be surprised, that's how you get a head by hanging."

"What's so strange about that!"

Helena couldn't hold back any longer. Pointing to the corpse on the gallows in the distance, she said, "Isn't that an evil god?"

Brianna rolled her eyes and said, "Of course not."

She glanced at her colleagues on the balcony next door and said, "I mean, how could the church execute a god? So, the moment he was judged by the Kingdom of Heaven, he was no longer a god."

The gods judged the evil god and stripped him of his divine position and authority.

Humanity judges the wicked, returning their earthly identities to dust.

Upon hearing this, Roland nodded deeply without saying a word.

He finally understood.

That was a madman that the church randomly pulled out of a mental hospital.

Suddenly, in the distant city, a believer began to sing a loud hymn of praise to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Immediately, everyone joined in the singing.

Within the vast city, millions of people sang hymns of praise to heaven, their voices rising and falling, sacred and solemn.

Compared to the previous silence, the singing this time was not as unified. Or rather, the noisy singing was mixed with the murmurs of many people.

Roland's senses were extremely sharp. He heard a woman downstairs crying out in anguish. The dead man was the River God, and she knew him because he had killed her family.

The riverbank is more than 3,000 kilometers away from here, and no one knows how that evil god killed her relatives in front of her.

She was clearly lying.

But everyone around her believed it, and they all comforted the woman.

The stirring songs were still ringing out in the city, but the lazy, onlookers on the nearby balconies, the religious knights and priests, had already yawned and left.

"Interesting, isn't it? This is the Church's tactic."

Seeing that her colleagues were no longer around, Brianna said to Roland and the others, "Roland, this place is different from the East. The people here are different from the people back home."

They had received no education whatsoever; the literacy rate of the entire holy city was lower than that of the most remote town in the East—and the vast majority of those who were literate were nobles.

The man who was hanged was indeed a beggar. To be precise, he was a homeless man that I had arranged to be captured from outside the city yesterday.

Who knows where he's from? I can't be bothered to see him anyway. As long as he's human and can be hanged, I'm perfectly fine with it. I don't need to verify it myself.

After all, if anyone knew even a little bit of skill, they wouldn't be able to catch all those lazy, useless guys under my command.

Brianna looked out over the square: "There aren't any big shots here today. I'm the biggest person here."

Because nobody's bothered to come and see.

After all, today's show was just to amuse the sheep.

How could a flock of sheep that can't even read understand what an evil god is?

We say he is something, and he becomes that. The sheep not only believe us, they also help us cover up our lies.

Brianna shook her head, her eyes filled with helplessness.

Roland shook his head, utterly speechless. Helena couldn't help but whisper her complaints to Joan.

Maria and Teresa, on the other hand, had an expression that said, "I knew it all along"—their expressions never changed. The moment they learned that there would be an execution today, they knew what kind of nonsense the church was going to spout.

Everyone was listless, except for Diana, who kept staring intently at the hanged man with a tense expression.

She only breathed a sigh of relief when the person's convulsions completely stopped. (End of Chapter)