The Law Reform

"My King...there has been a murder."

The simple garden date that has been a staple between King Adrian and Chief Kylantha was interrupted when a knight came to their table and informed the King.

The King was sipping on his latte and had to swallow it quickly as to not spit it out.

"What did you say?" King Adrian muttered in worry.

'So soon?' King Adrian thought. As prosperous Vathria as a nation was in the previous world, crimes and the mafia underworld was still rampant, hidden from society. While his officers have gone through background checks for all the inhabitants that were transported to the new world and found no one belonging to any criminal organizations, that doesn't mean these supposedly innocent people won't commit any new crimes here.

"We have also caught the murderer. Please come with us, Your Majesty. " The guard continued.

King Adrian raised his eyebrows. 'The murderer is caught?' He thought this was either a case of there being a clear eyewitness or his knights catching the most likely suspect and calling that person the murderer already.

"Nevermind that. Just bring him to the throne room. I want to hear his testimony." King Adrian ordered and the knight just bowed and left.

King Adrian turned to Chief Kylantha who was still sipping on tea. "I am terribly sorry for such an intrusion...I assure you this will be taken care of soon." He was nervous to show the ugly side of humanity again as the elves were already having animosities with the humans as a race.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. Even if we also seem peaceful, we do have these sorts of things sometimes. However, our elves can never keep such a secret. The culprit usually confesses right away and we exile them." Chief Kylantha replied.

King Adrian smiled. "That is a trait, unfortunately, humans do not possess."

Chief Kylantha drank her cup of tea again. "I do wonder how you're going to deal with this."

"Well...actually...We just go by what is known as the Vathrian Customary Laws, which are just based on the moral codes that the society abide by. Not murdering another human being for ill intentions is one of them. The judges usually just decide based on their intuition what punishment a criminal deserves. Occasionally, if the case is troublesome or has gotten too big, the royalty will step in as a judge...I guess this is one of those times." King Adrian answered.

"If it is up to Your Majesty's decision, you're just going to punish the murderer right? This should be settled quite quickly then." Chief Kylantha replied.

King Adrian frowned and crossed his arms. "Not quite. That system is outdated...I guess this is the perfect time to move on with the next step of the Vathrian legal system according to my guide book."

--

"Your Majesty! I did no such thing! Please believe me! I would never murder my friend in cold blood like that! Please! I was at my house!" A man was kneeling on the floor, pushed down by two knights in full armor.

King Adrian was sitting on the throne with his aides next to his sides. He was wearing his usual gray suit. Only this time, some new faces from the government were present.

"Thom Browne, 37 years old, currently a construction worker assigned to the city streets development." An old man started reading a piece of paper he was holding with both hands. "Former job, animal hunter. No spouses or kids. You are well acquainted with the victim, Romil Hougan, and his wife, Patricia Hougan. Eyewitnesses stated that you had a verbal fight with the victim outside of his restaurant, Blue Moon just 30 minutes before he—"

Thom interrupted "It was just a simple argument! I did not—" Before he could finish, one of the knights slapped his face. "Ugh!" He was hurt.

"Do not interrupt me." The old man said. " As I was saying, you had an argument with the victim outside of his restaurant. Patricia Hougan, his wife, stated that the victim had used your family recipes to open the restaurant without you knowing with the entrepreneurship program that the city hall provides. You were stricken with thoughts of hatred and revenge and followed him home until you found a dark alley with no one around. There, you sneaked on him from behind but the victim turned around to see your face so you stabbed him. 17 times. You live alone and therefore had no one to vouch for your alibi of being home during the murder. " The old man finished.

The old man turned to the king.

"Your Majesty. Please deliver your punishment. Since Your Majesty is not familiar yet, the punishment for such murder usually warrants a hanging or decapitation." The old man suggested.

The King ignored what the old man said and said to Thom. "And you, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Your Majesty! I assure you he is guilty and it is a waste of your time and spirit to try to talk to a murderer." The old man interjected.

"Do not interrupt me." The King said firmly. "In fact, this man is still innocent."

The king's statement caused an uproar among the judges and even the surrounding knights showed weird expressions.

"W-what do you mean by that, Your Majesty? He is clearly the murderer according to the motive and lack of a clear alibi. There is no one other that could have such intent in his life." The old man said with a worried face.

The King rose from his throne. "From here on, a person is to be declared innocent until PROVEN guilty. The person is to be entitled to a representative with the goal of defending the person in court. And finally, no punishments or court decisions shall be dealt if it is without accordance with a written, legislated scripture of law or a court decision's precedence."

The judges had an uproar again. This time, the utterances of their mumblings with one another did not contain only confusion but rather a curiosity of what the King meant.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty." The old man interjected again. "He is already proven guilty...and we do already have our customary law which we follow in cases!"

"That shall not be applied again." King Adrian replied simply. "This case is to be on hold for one week. I and a group of scholars will devise the written laws and proper procedures to be followed. That suspect is to be free but under the watch of knights around his place of dwelling."

Thom Browne looked up the King with shining eyes.

"In the meantime, a thorough investigation of the murder shall be taking place. That will be all. Dismissed." King Adrian left the throne room with the confused faces of judges right behind him.