Judgment and Human Hearts

Ashborn Grand Hall is located to the left of the church's rear.

The hall is magnificent, resplendent, and glorious. Every inch of its stone walls and pillars is covered with bas-reliefs praising the God of Dawn: angels, flowers, fountains, harps, and the sun, all outlining the main theme of the murals.

Delicate and captivating, it makes one forget themselves.

In the center of the hall stands the Golden Scepter of the God of Dawn, symbolizing fairness, mercy, and righteousness.

A twenty-eight-step staircase leads to the scepter, representing purification, atonement, the self, purity, and piety.

At this moment, Ning Xiuyuan is walking up these twenty-eight steps, with Francis clergy filling the circular seating around him.

He had never realized Francis Church had so many clergy.

At the very front of the viewing area, he easily spotted members of the investigation team, including Rhodes. They were staring intently at him, their faces filled with eager anticipation for the satisfaction of bringing the culprit to justice.

In fact, it wasn't just them.

Looking around, the clergy in attendance had expressions that ranged from solemn, calm, sorrowful, expectant, to relieved.

But even more prevalent was the undisguised rejection and hatred!

After several days of fermentation, the Orlando loss of control incident had spread throughout the Francis Diocese. As the investigation team delved into and reconstructed the scene, it became increasingly difficult for Arthur to clear his name.

Everyone was eagerly awaiting this trial!

To vindicate their colleagues and friends, to bring them fairness and justice.

Under everyone's gaze, Ning Xiuyuan completed the twenty-eight steps and arrived beneath the Golden Scepter of the God of Dawn.

Before the Golden Scepter stood Bishop Byron, wearing a tall mitre, holding a silver shepherd's crook topped with a small angel, and clad in a richly adorned red clerical robe with white satin lining. The mark of the God of Dawn on his chest shone brilliantly.

At the edge of the Golden Scepter, Deacon Harry was also present in full regalia.

However, he was not permitted to step into the center of the Golden Scepter and could only stand at the periphery, which made the gaze he cast upon Your Excellency the Bishop seem somewhat fervent.

"How did you rest last night?"

Bishop Byron asked Ning Xiuyuan kindly as he approached.

"I didn't sleep a wink."

Ning Xiuyuan sighed inwardly.

"Then I wish you sweet dreams tonight."

Ning Xiuyuan's heart stirred. Was this a hint of something?

"Stand here, my Lord's lost lamb. Open your heart and accept judgment!"

Bishop Byron gently tapped the spot beside him with his staff.

Ning Xiuyuan nodded and walked over, turning around to face the dense crowd of Francis clergy.

"Silence!"

Bishop Byron paused his staff and let out a low command.

Instantly, the slightly noisy hall became deathly quiet.

"The trial regarding the Orlando loss of control incident will now commence!"

"Father Rhodes, as the head of the investigation team for the Orlando loss of control incident, please present the investigation results objectively and impartially."

Bishop Byron looked towards the viewing area.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Bishop."

Rhodes stood up. He surveyed the surroundings and slowly recounted the cause and progression of the Orlando loss of control incident.

"Currently, the investigation team has several points of doubt that cannot be clarified. I request Arthur to provide an explanation to the public."

"First, the wandering soul within the rusted sword, why did it only appear after being drawn? This defies common sense. I even have reason to suspect there was no such wandering soul at all."

"Second, the deaths of Atley and Pine are too coincidental. Could this be a deliberate murder by Arthur to fabricate an excuse?"

"Third..."

As Rhodes was about to continue, he was interrupted by Bishop Byron.

The bishop spoke earnestly:

"Father Rhodes, we are all lambs of God. God says we should not maliciously speculate about any lost lamb; perhaps they were merely greedy for fresh grass and strayed from the flock."

Bishop Byron's words caused Rhodes's expression to stiffen. He realized that as the head of the investigation team, his presentation had deviated from "objectivity and impartiality" and contained too much personal conjecture.

However, he still braced himself and said:

"Your Excellency the Bishop, I am merely making reasonable assumptions based on the facts."

Bishop Byron shook his head.

"These past few days, I have used the Spirit Summoning Ritual to recall fragmented pieces of Orlando's and others' consciousness. By piecing together the events, I have confirmed that a wandering soul did indeed emerge from the rusted sword. As for the reason? Perhaps the killer simply didn't want to waste a powerful soul's assistance!"

As Bishop Byron spoke, he raised his hand, and a few shattered fragments of light drifted from his palm, coalescing into a blurry and abstract image in the air.

The perspective of the image was extremely distorted and fragmented, originating from the viewpoints of Wright, Atley, and Pine.

It clearly depicted what happened when Orlando lost control.

However, because Atley and Pine were dead, Ning Xiuyuan's process of killing the uncontrolled entity went unwitnessed, and the footage abruptly ended.

But this was already enough.

With the public release of this blurry memory footage, the great hall fell into a dead silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop!

Ning Xiuyuan looked at Bishop Byron with surprise, not expecting him to have secretly started an investigation.

And in such a violent and effective manner.

Though he didn't know how difficult this was for him or what price he paid, Ning Xiuyuan still felt a trace of gratitude.

"Since Your Excellency the Bishop has confirmed the existence of wandering souls, I now have only one final point of doubt!"

Father Rhodes's expression was somewhat grim, but he still stubbornly posed his last question.

"Arthur personally admitted to killing the uncontrolled entity himself, but when asked about the process, he remained tight-lipped, claiming it involved Church secrets. May I ask Your Excellency the Bishop, is this true?"

The great hall was instantly plunged into a deathly silence.

Countless gazes were fixed on Bishop Byron.

"Arthur's ability to kill the uncontrolled entity is indeed a Church secret. I stake my faith on this!"

Facing the gazes of all the priests, Bishop Byron nodded, admitting this point.

"Whoosh—"

Immediately, the viewing gallery erupted in an uproar again. No one had expected Arthur to actually be involved in Church secrets.

This secret was even capable of killing an uncontrolled entity that had gathered four extraordinary characteristics?!!

Upon hearing this, Ning Xiuyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Cannot be disclosed?"

Rhodes, seemingly having anticipated this situation, asked calmly.

"Cannot be disclosed."

Bishop Byron shook his head.

"Fine. While I cannot learn the inside story, I can guess that this must be a supernatural item, right? Besides a supernatural item, there's no way for him, an Ascetic Physician, to kill an uncontrolled entity."

"Of course, it doesn't matter if it's not a supernatural item. I just want to ask Arthur, why did he only choose to kill the uncontrolled entity after Atley and Pine were killed?"

"What were you hesitating about?"

"Were you worried about the cost of using a supernatural item being too high, which is why you were hiding behind Atley and the others?"

"Did you ever consider that if you had used it earlier, Atley and Pine could have completely survived!"

"I don't know where you obtained this supernatural item or ability, but since you possess it, you should fulfill your responsibilities and obligations. That is the sacred duty of a shepherd!"

"Your Excellency the Bishop, even if Arthur didn't kill Atley and the others, he indirectly caused their deaths, completely violating the Dawn Doctrine! Even if his life is spared, he should be stripped of all supernatural abilities and expelled from the Church as a warning to others!"

Father Rhodes's words flowed like golden petals, his string of questions interlocking perfectly, drawing a wave of thunderous applause from the viewing gallery!

"Failing to save lives, allowing evil to run rampant, selfish to the core, he is unworthy to be a shepherd of our Lord!"

"Strip him of his supernatural abilities, expel him from the Church!"

"He is not a lost sheep, he actively strayed from the flock, this is the act of a heretic, he should be burned at the stake!"

At this moment, countless priests stood up, raising their arms and shouting, letting out angry roars.

"Silence! Silence! Silence!"

Deacon Harry repeatedly rebuked them. After three attempts, he managed to barely quiet the great hall.

But even so, the gazes of the priests were still filled with flames of anger.

As transcendent individuals themselves, they fought on the front lines against darkness for the sake of the Dawn and their flock, either dying by the mouths of monsters or losing control and becoming monsters.

Their only reliance was on their comrades behind them.

Therefore, they could not tolerate such a selfish individual appearing in the ranks of the shepherds... an alien race!

"Arthur, do you have anything you wish to say?"

Bishop Byron looked at Ning Xiuyuan silently. This time, he did not show favoritism.

Or rather, he had never shown favoritism.

Why Arthur didn't kill the uncontrolled entity earlier was indeed a point of doubt.

Even though he knew Arthur hadn't used a supernatural item to kill the uncontrolled entity, but rather exploited a loophole in its extraordinary characteristic, as Father Rhodes had said, the difference between a supernatural item and personal ability was not significant.

The key was that when Pine's prohibition of supernatural abilities was in effect, Arthur actually had the ability to kill the uncontrolled entity and save Pine.

So why did he wait until everyone was dead before acting?

At this moment, Ning Xiuyuan, the center of the event, standing beneath the Golden Scepter of the God of Dawn, fell silent.

He thought that as long as he could explain that he could kill the uncontrolled entity, everything would be fine.

He never expected that this would be the beginning of his doom!

Instead of joy and relief at his survival, everyone directed all their anger towards him.

The news reports about innocent survivors, who, after a narrow escape, were not comforted but instead subjected to cyberbullying, suddenly came to Ning Xiuyuan's mind. He had a flash of understanding.

His gaze slowly swept over the clergy in the viewing stands, their faces filled with righteous anger, and a trace of sorrow appeared on his own.

"Speak!"

"Look at the wandering souls of Atley Pine, repent, Arthur!"

"I want to see how you will argue your way out of this!"

Seeing Ning Xiuyuan fall silent, the group of priests erupted in another round of mockery and scolding.

"We are all sheepdogs of God."

Ning Xiuyuan pursed his lips and spoke in a low voice. The vast hall fell silent as if by instinct.