(same content as T or M versions)

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: The Trial of Hekkeran Termite

"Your Highness?" Draudillon Oriculus opened her eyes. She was in her bad and already could tell she was hung over.

"ugh... yes?" She answered the voice. She knew who it was.

"It's well past noon..." Her Prime Minister Sloggane Hearth said with a disapproving tone.

"And are the Bestmen attacking?" She rolled over so that she was face down in her bed.

"No Queen Draudillon Oriculus... they are still holding their wall.

"Then what exactly should I do?"

"Your people are in dire straights... just to see you would bring them hope." She looked up glaring at him.

"False hope... my people either die as I burn their souls to nothing to kill the Beastmen... or they die getting eaten alive... I'd argue the second is far less painful." She put her face back down.

"Then... what shall I tell the people who are scared that they will be the meal of a Beastman?" She thought for a second.

"Tell them to roll around in salt to preserve their taste... Sloggane... I love my people, but seeing them as I know they are doomed. it's too cruel for me to do, just let me drink my days away... what few left we have."

"You should know Emperor Jircniv has pulled back his troops to his borders." She knew what he was trying to do... trying to trick her into working.

"Well, he's got a rather big war to wage this year."

"Big? It seems to be shaping up liek it always will." He said dubiously. She sighed.

"Yeah well, don't be surprised if something big happens this time... also I suspect we will be alive to see it at least." he looked at her probably wondering where she gets this information, it'd almost be fun to tell him.

"Fine... I'll get up, but I won't be seeing anyone, today is my day off." He looked very confused.

"Day off? Why is that?"

"It's this thing I'm giving myself... so you can leave now... you're ruining it," she brushed him away with her hand and he left shaking his head in disappointment. After a while, she got up and realized her robe had been open the whole time, with a shrug, she tied it around herself again and went to clean up.

"Alright... so what to do then?" She asked walking out of her washroom wearing a well made red skirt that ended past her knees she had a matching red top with no sleeves. Her hair was tied in twin tails using red ribbon. She began by leaving the palace, she ignored the confused pleas and ordered them to leave her be, under penalty of slapping. With dubious looks her royal guard let her pass, wondering what she was doing.

She made a beeline for the closest wall that protected her city. Many of her subjects recognized her and bowed, other spat on the ground... some blamed her for this life they were forced to endure. the city was one on collapse. Trash and refuse piled in the streets, shoved to the side... the smell of death was everywhere, only to be outdone by the smell of decal and urine... ignoring the stench that would hit you when downwind of... anywhere she marched to an old guardhouse that was largely not in use anymore.

She went in and opened a hidden door that would leave down to a hidden tunnel that would lead out of the city and eventually come out to a river. An escape from the city... but not an escape from her life. She was positive there was something living in her shadow... probably an agent of Demiurge who would never let her run away. Lately, she just liked to sneak out here and fantasize about escape... about living a life without all of.. this.

So after she finished her daydreaming she turned around and went back to her position of lovable figurehead... she had failed as a ruler, what else was she?

"You're back." Sloggane said upon seeing her enter the castle.

"I'm back." is all she said in reply as she walked past him and back to her room... she was hoping Demiurge would show up tonight... seemed that was all she looked forward to these days... that and the wine he'd bring her. She turned and locked the door as she went to her cabinet to get another bottle of wine.

"Maybe better take it easy... don't want to be too drunk if he shows up," she muttered with a smile... she thought back to his last threat... she smiled as she poured her first glass. She was well into her second bottle when she sensed a presence in her room.. that was odd she could never sense Demiurge when he showed up.

"Queen Draudillon Oriculus?" A voice asked in her head. She recognized the spell as [MESSAGE].

"Yes? Who is contacting me?" She asked suspiciously. This spell was not trusted, thus not widely used.

"I am your salvation."

Back at Nazarick. The trail of Hekkeran Termite. He sat in a cage bound and gagged. However, he looked relatively calm. Imina sat in the area reserved for character witnesses, the rest of her team as well as others she did not recognize. His, so-called, defense was a short birdlike man. It was black and white with blonde eyelashes and eyebrows. He seemed to be discussing something with a man in a black mask next to him.

The prosecutor as they called it, was a wise looking furry creature. It's tail looked like a snake and it sat in majestic form. Honestly, Imina had no idea if her lover had a chance. A man in a pinstriped suit walked to the front of the area they called "The Court".

"Ladies and gentleman of the jury, members gathered to give testimony... welcome to the first ever Nazarick court procession. I will be your host for this event, Demiurge. The Defence will be headed by none other than the most ambitious member of Nazarick... Eclair Eclair Eclair!" the birdman stood up as if expecting applause but when only silence praised him he awkwardly sat down.

"And the Prosecutor of this person in question will be "The Wise King of the Forrest" Hamsuke!" The furry beast stood up and bowed then respectfully sat down.

"To keep the peace and order of this court, the noble Cocytus will be standing guard." At this announcement, a large blue insect-looking creature with dour arms a large menacing looking halberd walked out and took a place off to the side of where Hekkeran was being held.

"And finally... proceeding over this court and acting as Judge, The Honorable and magnificent... the wise and merciful Lord Momonga!" Demiurge announced as the skeleton they had fought against walked past her and took a seat at the head of the room.

Hekkeran looked stressed now as he saw the judge.

"We are here to determine whether or not Hekkeran Termite, the leader of the worker group 'Foresight' should be punished or forgiven of his crimes he's committed against Nazarick. As such his guilt is already confirmed... there is not denying he broke into a place he was not welcomed to, in order to relieve me of treasure. Furthermore, his blatant and insulting lie will also be weighed against his character." Momonga said as everyone looked to him in silence.

"So, with that said... opening statements." Momonga motioned to Hamsuke. The Ginat Hamster too the floor.

"I believe this worker deserves no mercy, that he does not!. He lied to our Lord and is a proven thief, that he is!" The magical beast nodded in satisfaction.

"He also mindlessly destroyed many of the lower tier undead guarding The great Tomb of Nazarick, that he did!" There was an unfavorable muttering from the jury, which consisted of equal parts of horrible monsters and untold beauties.

"As such, I would like to add vandalism and destruction of personal property to the list of crimes he's committed against Nazarick, that I would!" Momonga nodded.

"Very well Hamsuke, I will acknowledge this and add it to his crimes committed... but this about his personal character."

"I understand that Lord Momonga, I just wanted that down, for the record, that I did... So to continue, I will attempt to show there was no "greater purpose" in coming here other than to fill his own pockets, that I will!" Hamsuke walked back over to her desk and waited. Eclair Eclair Eclair then sauntered up to the stage. He held in his arms some papers that he looked over and then nodded.

"Your Honor, members of the jury. Flat chested elves." He looked at her when he said that, he eyes went wide with disbelief but she kept it under wraps.

"Not only... will I show you, good people of Nazarick, that the one called Hekkeran Termite is not only worth sparing and forgiving... but I will also be putting forward solid evidence that I, in fact, should be the ruler of Nazarick!" Eclair Eclair Eclair confidently stated as he swirls a thin golden picket chain in his hands. Most in attendance either facepalmed or rolled their eyes... they had an idea the kind of "defense" Eclair Eclair Eclair was about to put forth.

"Um, Eclair... this trial is about Hekkeran not... you or I..." Momonga was saying but Eclair Eclair Eclair spun around holding his hand up defiantly in the air.

"That... my respected Lord Momonga... is where you are wrong! And I can show it if you allow me!" She said with a smug smile. Momonga just facepalmed and shook his head.

"Fine... continue..." He told the defense.

"Yes... I shall... I will show that Hekkeran was a pawn in a much more diabolical and sordid game of life and death! One that the very leader of this tomb is responsible for!" Eclair announced loudly and theatrically. Momonga again sighed as he offers some more advise.

"Eclair I would advise you to keep your case abou..."

"OBJECTION!" Eclair Eclair Eclair yelled pointing at Momonga in dramatic courtroom fashion. The sound of everyone facepalming in unison was an odd one.

"Eclair... I'm the judge, you can't object to anything I say..."

"Typical abuse of power" Eclair mumbled under his breath... but thought for a second or two.

"Anyway... That is my opening statement, your Honor," Eclair Eclair Eclair said as he took his seat next to the gagged Hekkeren who was just looking at him in shock and much worry. Imina too felt her lover was doomed if there was this big a difference between the two sides.

"Very... well. I um, will now allow the prosecution to present it's evidence as to the intent of Hekkeran Termite." Momonga said looking to Hamsuke. The magical Beast took the stage again.

"Thank you, Your Honor... So, I ask the members of the jury... what did Hekkeran intend to do with the old stolen from The Great Tomb? To answer that question I call my first witness to the stand... Foresight member Imina! She was surprised that she would be the first, but it did make sense. A short undead man in black clothes and mask lead Imina to the stand to be questioned.

"Miss Imina...Would you please tell us what is your relationship with the defendant, that you would?" The wise-looking beast said as it's whiskers wiggled back and forth. Imina prepared her words carefully.

"Hekkeran... is the leader of our worker group... and he's a good leader as well. He never takes a bigger cut, even though most worker group leaders do. He also... typically, only takes jobs that we are guaranteed to walk away from." Imina said calmly. The beasts nose sniffed the air a bit.

"It is not true that you and the defendant have a personal relationship, that you do?" Imina nodded slowly.

"Y...yes, we have a personal and physical relationship," she said slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, I see, so you two are married, that you are?" Imiona shook her head.

"Um, no... we're not exactly married... it's nothing official just..." She didn't really know what Hekkeran and she had together... she just knew she liked it and she felt safe around him... even now, just looking at him instilled her with courage that she make it through this.

"Oh, I see... so he just uses you for sex then? That he does?" Three female elves in the jury with blonde, blue and red read all hissed at this. Not good.

"No, it's more than that... we just, we just enjoy each others company... um it's not normal for elves and humans to marry, even half-elves, so..." She told the monster.

"I see, that I do... then surely, Hekkeran made some kind of promise to you? I am told such things between lovers is common, that it is!"

"Well... yes, he promised he'd never leave me, it was the only thing I asked of him..." There came a murmur from the females of the jury.

"Um, I see... but then he must have slept with the other female members of your group, that he must?" Hamsuke asked. Imina looked at the beast in it's eyes.

"No, he never once touched Arche or Ninya... he saw them as little sisters and wanted to protect them... Hekkeran is a good man!" Imina pleaded.

"Hmm... we shall see about, that we shall. I have no further questions, Your Honor." Momonga nodded and motioned for Eclair Eclair Eclair to come up.

"You may cross-examine the witness Eclair," Eclair Eclair Eclair hopped off his chair and waddled over to her stroking his beard.

"Miss Imina... what did Hekkeran plan on using his share of the Gold for?" Eclair asked.

"Well, we were planning on retiring, Hekkeran and myself were going get a place somewhere... that's it," Eclair nodded knowingly.

"So, tell me more about Ninya and Arche. Why were such young casters allowed to join your group?" Imina thought for a second.

"Probably because he doesn't know how to say no to a female..." she shook her head.

"Ah, I see, and was it a female that asked Hekkeran to take this job... was that female, in fact, you?" Imina blinked.

"Um, well I did suggest he take the job..."

"And as you just stated, he "can't say no to females"... do you think he really made the choice to break into Nazarick, or was it you who ultimately made the choice to come here?" the Birdman asked.

"That's not... we chose to come together, as a group," She said honestly.

"And is the defendant one who typically lies?" She thought for a second... Hekkeran and the truth had a very weird relationship.

"Hekkeran lies, but only when he really sees the need for it... like most people I suppose," Imina told the bird who was still stroking his beard. There came a glint of ambition in Eclair's eye as he readies his next question.

"And, do you think I would make a good ruler?"

"Eh? I... what does that have..." Imina asked confused.

"Nothing, please ignore him, and please stay on topic Eclair..." Mononga said shaking his head.

"No further questions Your Honor..." Imina returned to her section with the others.

"I would like to call Arche Eeb Rile Furt," Eclair announced. A short haired blonde girl took the stand. She cast a glance at Momonga but quickly turned forward to face Eclair.

"Miss Furt..."

"Call me Arche," she asked and he nodded.

"Excuse me, Arche, how would you describe The Defendant, Hekkeran Termite?"

"A good leader... and a very capable fighter. Like Imina said, a good man..." Eclair nodded.

"Isn't true he was going to donate a portion of his reward to help you find your sisters?" Arche nodded again and looked up at Momonga again with a smile. Even if he was undead, he had delivered her sisters to her safe and sound.

"And I would like to go on record and say it was my idea to come here... if you want to put the crime of breaking into Nazarick... let it go to me, I needed the money and really pushed for him to take this job..." Eclair chuckled.

"Again, it seems Hekkeran was not even a deciding factor in deciding to come to break into the Great Tomb of Nazarick!"

"Objection Your Honor!" Hamsuke said.

"He is leading the witness!"

"Well, I am a great leader so..." Eclair chuckled to himself.

"That's not what she means Eclair, keep your questions from forcing the witness to say what you want." Eclair just walked back to his seat.

"No further questions."

Now Hamsuke had her chance to cross-examine Eclair's witness. But her questions were about the same she had for Imina with the same responses. In all, it seemed to be going in Hekkerans favor.

Oh god, this is so BORING! Clementine yelled in her mind as she leaned her head back. She came here in hope of seeing something fun, but the way this was going the Hekkeran guy was probably going to live. She clicked her tongue and got up to leave. She still had her Black Scrip[ture gear on as it was an official reward for her information leading to Zesshi's capture and the world item her Mistress now was in control of.

Leaving the spectators area and exiting into a hall Clementine looked down the hall and saw a girl with short brown hair standing out in the hall by herself. Clementine had never seen her around so decided to see what her deal was. The young girl saw her approaching and stood up straight.

"Relax girly... your kinda cute... who are you?" Clementine asked leaning up against the wall liek the girl had just done.

"Oh... I uh, I was with the group that Hekkeran was the leader of. My name is Ninya," She said bowing respectfully. Clementine thought about that name. For some reason it rang a very distant bell... but she shrugged and decided to ignore it.

"So if he's your boss, why you out here and not in there?" Clementine asked. Ninya thought for a second.

"I couldn't stand to watch it... and even though he helped my sister, That Momonga thing... scares me," Clementine turned to get a better look at the girl.

"Well, I've never really met the guy, but the people around here are nuts for him... literally, it's like he's the leader of some wacky religion and they can't get enough of him, honestly it's a bit weird, but his power is real... if My Mistress Couldn't beat him... I doubt anyone could," Clementine told Ninya.

"I know... I felt his power first hand, I'm well aware of how terrifying he is." Ninya said, shuddering at the thought of how much pain she'd felt from literally nowhere but everywhere... it was a spell she'd never heard of and its pain was crippling.

"Oh yeah? Too bad I wasn't there to see it but I had other business with that blonde swordsman. Ninya looked up in surprise.

"Erya? The divine swordsman?" Ninaya asked making an unpleasant face. They had seen how he treated his slaves and it showed he was the worst kind of man.

"Was that his name? But I remember something like that, so that must have been him," Clementine said shrugging with a wicked smile as she remembered her fun she had with him.

"Oh... did he try to rape you? I heard he was really into that sort of thing." Clementine giggled and shook her head to side to side slightly.

"I'm sure he would have loved to try, but as it turned out he ended up being by toy... oh but he broke after a few hours so he's all dead now," Ninya's eyes went wide with fear when she realized what Clementine had casually mentioned.

"You killed him?"

"Oh, sure! I kill lots of folks... well I used to. These days I'm more like a slave. But it has been getting better lately. Lupusrgeina had stopped her "morning workouts" with Clementine. And even her Mistress Shalltear wasn't nearly as hard on her every night as she used to be.

"A slave? So this place keeps slaves then?" Ninya grew worried. She thought that wasn't the case here, at least Sebas had never spoken of slaves... but why would he?

"It's not really a big thing... it's more like, an alternative to getting killed or worse if you anger them... like that guy and his elf girlfriend, they will become someone's property if they live. Either way, none of us will ever leave Nazarick again. Ninya blinked. She had just assumed she was living here, and she had no reason to leave... but the thought of not being able to was worrisome.

"Well, it's the privilege of the strong to do as they want with the pitiful right?" Clementine leaned up off the wall and walked away waving her hand.

"NOOOOO!" A voice cried out. It was the voice of Imina. Clementine looked back at Ninya with a sadistic smile.

"Looks like your boy didn't do too well ion there, anyway see you around," Clementine said giggling. Ninya just stared at the door in terror. Had Hekkeran been sentenced to death? She quickly ran in.

"I'm sorry Hekkeran... but you tried to use the name of someone very important to me... I had hoped that after listening to testimony showing how good of a man you maybe I would be swayed to forgive you. But, that simply hasn't happened... yet I will at least grant you a fast death... [GRASP HEART]." Momonga reached out and clutched the air. Hekkeran, who even denied final words simply fell over... dead. Ninya put her hands over her mouth to stop from screaming.

"He...he's a monster..." She whimpered as tears formed in her eyes looking at the unmoving body of her former leader. Imina screamed again and ran to him taking him in her arms and screaming at Momonga.

"How could you do this? He... you heard how good he was... why..." She broke down into sobbing as she buried her face into his chest.

"I am sorry Imina... what he did, was punishable only by death. However, now that his punishment has been carried out... I'm inclined to show mercy." She looked up at him in confusion. Momonga pulled out a holy-looking staff and touched Hekkeran with it.

"GGUUUHHHHH!" He heaved as air was suddenly forced into his lungs. He coughed a few times and collapsed, he looked liek he's been running for 24 hours nonstop. Imina looked at him in disbelief as tears come to her eyes.

"W...hey...Imin..." he tried to say but he was too weak to even talk. She laughed and hugged him tightly, causing him quite a bit of pain. She then looked up at Momonga, but without hate or fear.

"Why... why did you return him to me?" She asked still crying. Momonga nodded at her.

"As you said... he is a good man. I had to kill him to carry out his sentence and punishment. But I also reserve the right to bring him back... Life and death are mine to control, and I try not to abuse this power, you understand?" He asked but she was at his feet bowing in full prostration.

"I see!... I see! You are truly merciful and powerful... we, I am sorry for ever coming to your tomb as a thief, yet you still grant mercy to the living? Do you not hate us?" He took no insult to this apparently as he just chuckled.

"Most undead were living once... some of us can remember what it was like and don't hate the living, as you say." He seemed to be a tad uncomfortable as he scratched the back of his head.

"Then... I thank you Lord Momonga... if Hekkeran could talk I'm sure he would be thanking you as well... whatever you judge for me I will accept it willingly as i see you have a true sense of justice!" Hekkeran only nodded slowly at this

"Well... I was going to have a separate trial for you, but you seem to be really sorry... and I was gonna give you a pass anyway, so we'll just save the theatrics and you can consider your crimes forgiven as well... so long as you don't mind working off this debt." She shook her head.

"N...No i don't mind at all My Lord!" She was still crying but it was more of joy then surprise or shock. Ninya had tears running down her face... she couldn't believe what she's seen... complete control of life and death! But also restraint of these abilities... she realized how much worse the [PAIN] spell could have been on a mear whim. She fell to her knees in silent admiration of the undead king who still had the heart of a man.

"We should be so lucky... to be this mans slaves..." She silently muttered. A little girl with pink hair and a maids outfit put a stick on her forehead.

"I heard that Ninya... I like you." Shizu said as she silently walked away. Ninya blinked in confusion but smiled as she saw Hekkeran trying to get up. Ninya slowly got to her feet to go tell her sister and Master Sebas that amazing thing she saw and how great Lord Momonga truly was!