Chapter 581: The Supreme Inquisitor's Anomaly |
Lo Yat noticed La Quis's arrival and screamed for his help.
Even now, locked away in the depths of the Howling Iron Prison, La Quis had never forgotten what Lo Yat had said:
"Order has abandoned its own will! It has given up on order! It no longer deserves to sit atop the Supreme Court! La Quis—help me! Help me take it down!
Once I sit upon that Divine Throne, I promise you—on every inch of Grand Tribunal land, the song of order will ring eternal!
I... will be the new Order!"
'He's gone mad. Lo Yat has gone mad.'
That was the Grand Justice's first thought. He couldn't fathom that one of the nation's highest authorities was blaspheming the Benefactor of the entire nation, right here in the most devout, most orderly place in the land!
And more than that—he was trying to usurp the throne!
For a devout follower of Order, this was absolutely unacceptable.
Bolstered by the dense power of Order, he subdued Lo Yat in almost a single blow. But what he didn't expect was that the binding cord—meant only to restrain an enemy—strangled the man to death right before his eyes.
The Grand Justice, under the Iron Law's witness, had executed a Supreme Inquisitor without trial!
The commotion was too great to conceal. Every power-holder in Katouting soon converged on the scene. The other four of the supreme six arrived in an instant—and beheld the Iron Law hovering in midair, a Grand Justice frozen in shock and terror, and a Supreme Inquisitor with a purple face and ligature marks covering his body.
Everyone was stunned. But all present were experts in judgment and investigation. The Grand Investigator, in particular, saw through the situation at a glance—Lo Yat's blasphemy had come first; La Quis had merely upheld justice.
By that logic, the Grand Justice had broken no law. He'd even acted meritoriously!
But how he'd ended up here alone, and how the vanished Supreme Inquisitor had descended into blasphemous frenzy—these remained mysteries to Lid Yara.
She wanted to conduct an on-site interrogation, but the other two Supreme Inquisitors and the Grand Executioner clearly preferred to keep this quiet. They decided to disperse everyone, suppress the information, and let La Quis's unauthorized presence go unpursued.
But just then, La Quis raised his head with a look of utmost gravity, shook his head with absolute seriousness, and said:
"Lo Yat was not killed by me. As Grand Justice, I would never overstep my authority to execute a criminal before he's been tried and given his right of defense.
He was killed by It!
Something is wrong with the Iron Law!"
"Watch your tongue!" Supreme Inquisitor Esa Res roared, waving his scepter to disperse every Iron Law Knight who'd come running. At the same time, Grand Executioner Artair invoked the power of Order directly, binding this "new blasphemer" in place.
"I am not lying. I saw Lo Yat go berserk, attempting to tear the Iron Law apart. Out of devotion to my faith, I restrained him.
But when I channeled the surrounding Order power, I found its force terrifyingly volatile—far beyond anything I'd imagined. Not only that, but within what should have been pure and holy Order power, there were countless other forces tangled together, impossible to distinguish.
These forces were intertwined and chaotic to the extreme. My mind was affected—my consciousness went blank for an instant.
By the time I regained my senses, Lo Yat... was already dead before me!"
"Enough!" Esa Res's stare was dark. "La Quis, do you have any idea what you're saying?! You are committing blasphemy! In the very halls of Order, you are blaspheming our Lord to his face!"
The Grand Justice spoke with conviction:
"I know!
But I am not blaspheming. I am demonstrating my most fearless devotion to the original, pure Order!
If I could be affected by the chaotic power he was emanating, then what about Lo Yat?
Was he influenced? Did he discover something as well? Esa Res—you clearly knew about this. What are you people hiding?
This is deeply wrong.
The Supreme Court, which has always represented Order, has developed an internal problem. This is not a small matter, and it must not be treated as one!
I, La Quis, in my capacity as Grand Justice, hereby petition the Grand Investigator for the highest-level investigation. And the targets of that investigation are...
You. You. And you!"
He pointed at each of the two Supreme Inquisitors and the Grand Executioner in turn, then raised a trembling finger toward the Iron Law floating in the air above.
"And... It!"
"You've lost your mind as well." A flash of complexity passed through Supreme Inquisitor Keinlaur's eyes. He sighed and turned to the Grand Investigator. "Lid Yara, I know you have many questions. But I trust you'll keep the bigger picture in mind."
Lid Yara's sharp gaze swept across every person present, cataloging each expression. She remained noncommittal—but she did not leave.
Seeing this, the two Supreme Inquisitors exchanged a glance, then jointly petitioned the Iron Law to bestow supreme adjudicatory authority. They sentenced the unrepentant Grand Justice to the Crime of Blasphemy, and the Grand Executioner personally escorted him to the deepest dungeon of the Howling Iron Prison.
And that was everything La Quis had experienced.
Cheng Shi listened to the entire account with a creased brow, his mind constantly turning over what those "other forces" jumbled within Order's power might actually be.
The source of those forces could very well help him uncover the true nature of the Iron Law—because logically, it shouldn't have backstabbed its own Benefactor, Order.
But based on La Quis's story alone, that question had no answer.
So he continued listening intently, waiting for Grand Investigator Lid Yara's own account.
Lid Yara's condition had deteriorated noticeably since she'd begun. Thinking and speaking were draining her fast, yet Cheng Shi couldn't offer treatment or assistance. He could only rely on her iron will to keep going.
Her persistence was clearly a testament to her devotion to Order—and to the trust she'd placed in the sliver of hope the God Upholders had brought.
"My observations were not as dramatic or profound as La Quis's, because my devotion told me that regardless of whether I believed the Grand Justice, I could not directly investigate our Lord Order.
So I chose to investigate his followers first—the Supreme Inquisitors and Grand Executioner who kept this nation running.
As Grand Investigator, I held the right of secret investigation. I began my first inquiry in silence, and my first target was Keinlaur—the one who'd told me to keep the bigger picture in mind.
Honestly, he had no problems whatsoever.
Rotating through the Supreme Court, attending every session required of a Supreme Inquisitor, actively promoting legislative enforcement, repelling the Tower of Logic's ideological spread and territorial encroachment...
While some of his relatives and subordinates were falling under Truth's influence, at least Keinlaur himself had not been drawn in.
He faithfully practiced Order's will. Even by my exacting standards, he was a model—a paragon of devotion to Order.
Until I discovered..."
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