Trial And Consequences

"And I was left to face the townsfolk for something I did not do. And to top everything off, I lost my close friend to some brat who couldn't keep his knives in his pockets!" yelled the Slayer, clenching his fists hard enough to draw blood.

Mavislin caught wind of Bryan's actions and quickly tugged at his wrists to ask him to release his grip. A bright flash of light came out from Mavislin's hands and the Slayer's wounded hands. Mavislin healed Bryan's hands within a split second. The Valkyrie then stood back.

Amazing... Though she mentioned that her healing wasn't as good as her offensive powers... It was still remarkable to see it in action. And it was quick, unlike those movies I used to watch where the healing takes so long. I glanced back at Raiyen for his reply, but he remained emotionless.

"That guy held a good position within the Congregation before he decided to go AWOL. All because he didn't see the same way as the Old Man Pond regarding how to handle the test subjects for a random trial. To be honest, I sided with the Poisoned Pond," revealed Raiyen.

Mavislin raised a hand while Z raised an eyebrow.

"What's AWOL?" questioned the Valkyrie.

Ah. It would seem that the famed Time Mage had failed his number one class by using the wrong phrase in the incorrect year. Also, I think Raiyen has a habit of traveling through time while living as a Time Mage at this point in history.

"Absence without leave. In other terms, Ronald Knox said nothing about leaving and vanished without any way to contact him. So, yes, I did hear of the trial and argument. However, I didn't expect you to take him down. I've always thought he committed suicide," explained Z.

"That trial was to test a newfound cure for a new type of disease that attacked Mages in the mid-portion of their lives. Eventually, we found the cure, and the illness was gone. But at the time, it was rampant amongst new Mages or weak ones who could only use a single Element."

"The plan was to gather ten of these diseased Mages and give them a cure that the Medical Department of the Congregation had manufactured. Ronald Knox wanted to give all ten of them the cure while Old Man Pond objected to the command."

"He wanted to give only eight Mages the sure while the other two were given placebos. Knox was pissed off and stormed out of the meeting room. When he didn't answer his call, Old Man Pond called for me to hunt him down. I thought it was quite odd until we found a letter in his room."

"The guy was planning a rebellion and something for the public to go against the Congregation. In simpler terms, the guy was trying to find dirt on Old Man Pond so the humans would try to kill him. But jokes on him for not covering up his tracks. That obsession with gardening was his prime thing."

"He used flora and fauna to cook up a mix of drugs that could make you see mushrooms or kill you. He was never a good guy, and I sided with Old Man Pond because he was right about the trail. It doesn't take a genius to understand why," reasoned Raiyen.

The more I thought about it, the more Old Man Pond's request made sense. Indeed, why would this Ronald Knox be so careless not to think of the consequences? If you were to give all ten participants the cure, what happens if the treatment is deadly to certain bodies?

There was a reason why it's called a trial. It meant that the doctors didn't test the cure on a physical body before giving it to the diseased. And talk about side effects. Most people die due to them and not the drug itself. So I looked at Bryan for his reaction, but the most he did was turn away.

"He was a good guy to me. And thanks to that, I am forbidden from walking around in the central area of Briton. However, we are getting sidetracked, so let's get to what we need," said Bryan, refusing to look at anyone.

Oh, that's right, I still want to know the truth about Raijin. After all, we still have three more kids left to deal with, and I wonder if the strategy I've come up with would be effective against all five Mages. They don't seem to be of low ranks or inexperienced fighters.

Not to mention that after all five, we still have Fabian Brookes to take down. Dealing with five Mages is terrible enough and one more boss added to the mix only helps complicate things further.