The Judgment of the Risen: Revelations and engagements

When it became quiet again in the Colosseum and the executioner continued to sharpen his sword, the time had come to judge the first prisoners. But individually they would sit here for years to come. Thus began an extraordinary court, one that would go down in history. The silent crowd anxiously awaited what would happen as the sun slowly made its way across the sky.

The captured nobles had been given an ultimatum, depending on how guilty they proved to be: either they would give up nobility and serve as slaves in the royal army, or they would lose their heads. The families of those guilty would lose their title if they were involved in the conspiracy. A new title would be determined by the queen, no longer by the house itself.

Those who had been captured but swore their allegiance and repented would be given a second chance. But they had to take an oath, under a heavenly contract.

The servants of Queen Shiva had no chance to negotiate. They were executed without warning. Shiva set an example to show that while she was benevolent, she would not be trifled with, especially by those close to her.

The soldiers were treated surprisingly well. Those who showed understanding were bound with a small oath and recruited again.

The day passed, and the sentences of the prisoners dragged on into the afternoon. But the day was not yet over. Queen Shiva stood before the crowd and spoke in a firm voice: "Today this court will go down in history, and not because so many people were condemned and executed. No, something extraordinary is about to happen. Some may have thought they could escape and go into hiding, but not today. Because the dead will appear today themselves to judge themselves and their families. In doing so, they cannot lie or hide anything. We will find out exactly who in some family is still waiting to stab us in the back. But this will not happen, because today is the judgment of the risen dead. So take your seats and listen to what the dead have to say about themselves and their families."

A soul stepped into the center of the arena, released by Mortis from his sea of souls. It appeared hale and hearty, and Mortis already knew who had pleaded guilty and who had not. On this soul it went well, but Mortis was aware that even more difficult cases would be brought forth from his own hell. Then people would realize that judgment had already been passed on these souls.

The first spirit confessed that he had been a fool and had participated in the conspiracy only out of reverence for Margrave Barbaros. He explained that he lived in his territory and lived near his castle, so he felt compelled to protect his family by participating in the conspiracy. Mortis nodded appreciatively and spoke, "For your good deeds and insight, I have a gift for you. You can say goodbye to your family for 2 hours and bid them farewell. Now leave the arena, the next one is already waiting."

The next spirit was the complete opposite. This spirit was covered in burns, its flesh torn, and it seemed as if it was vomiting tar. This spirit was undoubtedly a sinner. But Mortis wanted to see the reactions of the others rather than have this spirit immediately reveal every detail of its misdeeds.

However, it was not about the sins of this terrible spirit, but about the involvement of his family members. However, it seemed that his family was not involved in the conspiracy. On the contrary, they seemed to enjoy his suffering and be glad to get rid of him. These shocking revelations did not shock anyone who heard his testimony, but Shiva was horrified to have such monsters in the nobility of their country.

Shiva mentally made notes to learn more about any title holder, not just barons or counts, but land lords, knights, or anyone else who even came close to holding a title. But she would have to postpone that information for now, for there were still several noble houses waiting, suspected of aiding or even encouraging the traitors. Her work was far from done.

The day was drawing to a close, and many had already left, as it was exhausting to sit still and listen for so long. But Queen Shiva and Mortis continued until they had checked every noble house. To their disillusionment, they found that they were mostly the fools who answered Margrave Barbaros' call of their own accord and found little support in their families. Only six houses were completely rotten and therefore deprived of their titles and lands.

When it was all over, even Shiva could barely keep herself in her chair. She walked forward and cleared her throat before speaking to the remaining citizens, "Dear citizens, thank you for your support today. I know difficult times lie ahead. But I am pleased to announce two pieces of good news today. Lord Mortis of Bamberg has become engaged to me today, and I think I should not keep him waiting too long. Therefore, our wedding will take place in three days."

Mortis wondered at the sudden congratulations he received, while inwardly he pondered whether the queen did not know the word "patience" or whether she was simply impatient. It seemed he had been playing with fire and burned himself faster than he had expected. Although he didn't mind, he knew he had other obligations to fulfill. After all, there was an animal man with demons waiting to make his acquaintance.

So he stood up, grabbed the queen by the waist and pulled her to him. As he did so, he waved one last time and then disappeared with her and the others from the sight of the citizens. Mortis was determined to take a little trip and spend some time with the queen before returning to his other duties. After all, the upcoming invasions would soon require their attention as well.