Athena Longs for Guidance (1)

Once, twice, ten times, twenty times...

Qin Chu had no idea how many times Violet had picked up Karthus and slammed him to the floor. All he knew was that Karthus's hard armor had become deformed, and occasionally a strange cracking sound could be heard, as if the bones in his body were being broken.

The flat helmet pressed against his head, and blood kept flowing out from the gaps in the helmet. At first, Karthus could still roar Wrath, but it quickly turned into a shrill scream. In the end, Karthus didn't even have the strength to scream anymore, and could only groan.

The violent scene made Natia, Rosweisse, and Athena's eyelids twitch; none of them expected that this woman, who had just been so gentle, would suddenly transform into a female thug.

Augustus's heart skipped a beat. The floor—these stones were carefully quarried and polished; each one cost a fortune.

Now we have to renovate again, which will cost a lot of money.

But now is not the time to consider these things. The four old monsters exchanged glances and could see the shock in each other's eyes.

Karthus's rampage was deliberately orchestrated by Augustus.

In fact, Augustus had already used his special powers, causing Karthus to be extremely terrified and arousing Karthus's beastly instincts. He also deliberately mentioned the word "Hero" repeatedly, intending to make Karthus go berserk and attack the Hero.

Otherwise, with Karthus's dull mind, he probably wouldn't have even thought of kidnapping the Hero as a hostage.

Their goal was simple: they just wanted to see how strong Violet really was, as this was crucial for how they would face the Hero in the future. However, they couldn't attack Violet directly, so they had to resort to this method.

But now, the result has shocked them.

Although Karthus was foolish, he was definitely not weak. Now, he was completely powerless to resist Violet and was being tossed around like this.

This woman's strength is far greater than expected; she's probably approaching level 90, or even reached that level.

Qin Chu, this Hero, inadvertently brought back a truly remarkable character.

Just as the old monsters exchanged glances, Violet seemed to finally get a little tired. She lifted Karthus high once more, and with a bang, the entire Sanctum shook three times, creating a huge crater in the ground.

With a crack, Karthus's armor finally gave way and shattered, scattering in all directions.

The mysterious face that had been hidden under the helmet was finally revealed to everyone. Unfortunately, no one could tell what the guy looked like, because his face was now covered in dirty blood.

Having dealt with Karthus, Violet finally felt relieved. She kicked Karthus in the waist, probably shattering his kidney, sending Karthus corpse... no, his body flying right in front of Augustus.

"What a weak Death Knight!"

Violet turned to look at Qin Chu with a sweet smile on her face; the contrast between her previous and current appearance was so striking that it was hard to believe that this was the same person.

That expression seemed to be yearning for Qin Chu's praise?

Although Qin Chu felt a little embarrassed in front of so many people, he didn't want to disappoint Violet, so he smiled and said, "Well done, Violet."

Violet's smile became even gentler.

The relationship between the two left the onlookers looking at each other in bewilderment.

As the master, Augustus took a breath to suppress the strange feeling in his heart, and looked at Karthus, who was slowly wriggling in front of his toes like a humble worm, and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

Death Knight Karthus, a former member of the Hero's Party.

When he was with the First-Generation Hero, Jello, even though he was tainted by dark and filthy power and his hands were covered in blood, no one dared to judge Karthus's crimes.

What a magnificent sight that was!

But now, it has become such a mess.

He crouched down and took Karthus's storage ring, intending only to check if there was any other evidence inside.

However, when Augustus briefly explored the contents of the storage ring, his expression instantly darkened. Augustus then shook his head and released the contents of the storage ring.

Round, plump heads appeared directly in the shattered Sanctum floor.

More than a thousand heads of Knight! They have finally returned to the embrace of the Goddess of Holy Light, but who could have imagined that it would be in such a tragic way?

Wadsworth, Saint Monica, and Zimmerman also frowned.

No one would feel good seeing so many heads; the entire Sanctum was filled with a thick stench of blood.

If Karthus could previously argue that these were all slanders, now the Death Knight is truly doomed.

Athena's long neck twitched slightly; such cruelty was only reserved for a follower of Evil God...

Rosweisse nearly fainted. She hadn't expected that after she entrusted Karthus with handling the heads, he could at least have dug a hole and buried them, but instead, he stuffed them all into his ring... He hadn't even bothered to throw them away for so long, and now they were being used as evidence against him. So stupid! Who else but him deserves to die?

"Karthus, what else do you have to say?" Augustus sternly, his face grim.

Karthus's body merely writhed, and it was unclear whether he had heard Augustus's voice, as he did not respond.

Augustus looked around. "Gentlemen, what do you think is the best course of action against this man?"

Karthus, after all, still held the status of a former member of the Hero's Party, Augustus couldn't easily deal with him on his own.

"Kill him, then bury the body somewhere, and pretend he never existed," Wadsworth declared sternly, sentencing Karthus to death.

"After all, it would be extremely damaging if word got out that a former member of the Hero's Party had slaughtered a Holy Knight fighting against Magic Creature."

Saint Monica and Zimmerman nodded silently, seemingly agreeing with Wadsworth's opinion.

"No, I have a different opinion." At that moment, Qin Chu suddenly stood up.

Others' opinions can be ignored, but Qin Chu is, after all, Hero.

Augustus patiently inquired, "What insightful opinion do you have, Hero?"

Qin Chu smiled:

"My opinion is... a public trial!"

"Open trial!"

Many thanks to Gulabashi and reader 170108163227822 for the donations, and thank you for your support. Chapter 5 is done. 17,000 words for today's update, that's not bad, is it?

Chapter 127 Athena Yearns for Guidance (1)

"I mean, a public trial."

"Summon all nobles, clergy, and even commoners of the Oville Imperial City to publicly try Karthus's crimes." Qin Chu completely ignored the shocked gazes around him and spoke eloquently, "Since the venue cannot accommodate so many people, we will use magical projection to transmit the trial of Karthus."

"It must be published on the front page of the newspaper, so that everyone on the Skyvault Continent knows that Karthus slaughtered three thousand two hundred paladins of the Holy Church Knight. His crime is unforgivable, and he has been sentenced to death."

These words shocked everyone!

This is a method designed to utterly disgrace Karthus, ensuring he dies not only in disgrace but also suffers eternal infamy... Such a ruthless and vicious heart!

Rosweisse and Athena's expressions changed as well, their four beautiful eyes fixed on Qin Chu, and they subconsciously shook their heads.

They absolutely could not accept a public trial for Karthus's crimes; it would be a disgrace to the entire former Hero's Party.

The former Hero's Party is the only legacy left by Lord Jello on the Skyvault Continent, and they will absolutely not allow anything left by Lord Jello to be tainted or scorned by others.

"Brother Qin...you heard what I just said, didn't you?" Wadsworth frowned. "Even if this matter were to get out, it would cause unrest, let alone a public trial...we need peace and stability right now..."

"Your Majesty Wadsworth, that is precisely why we must do this," Qin Chu replied calmly.

Wadsworth became interested. "Why?"

In the past, when something particularly bad happened, the Orwell Empire would try to cover it up if possible, and if it couldn't be covered up, they would try to downplay it or let it go. It's unclear why Qin Chu would deliberately escalate the situation.

"Concealing things will only breed suspicion." Qin Chu placed his hand on his chest and bowed politely, beginning to explain his point of view.

"Your Majesty Wadsworth, do you really think you can hide the things you're trying to conceal?"

"No, don't treat the people like fools. They know everything; they just haven't spoken out about what they know."

"What you try to hide will only become fodder for gossip among nobles and commoners alike... What you perceive as concealment, what you perceive as stability, is nothing but a false peace."

Wadsworth's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. This was the first time he had heard such a viewpoint, which piqued Wadsworth interest. The man appeared quite open-minded and straightforward. "Brother, please continue."

Qin Chu nodded and continued, "Concealing things will only lead to the public's lack of understanding of the truth. This lack of understanding will cause people to subconsciously speculate and guess what the truth is... You know, once people start imagining, they often exaggerate. If the harm you want to conceal is ten, then in the public's mind, it will be a hundred, a thousand."

"Trying to avoid panic by concealing information will only create greater panic in the end. It's just that the public has managed to withstand this panic without it erupting. But once it does erupt, all the accumulated panic over the years will be like a flood that has burst its banks and can no longer be controlled."

"This time it's the same. Can Karthus really keep the fact that he killed so many Knight completely hidden? There must be other people who know, and this news will spread and proliferate in private."

"People will speculate why Karthus killed so many Knights. Is there an irreconcilable conflict between the Holy Church and the Hero's Party? Will this conflict affect the great cause of fighting Magic Creature, thus breeding more fear?"

"Only by holding a trial and calling on as many people as possible to watch, so that everyone knows the truth, can we prevent panic from spreading," Qin Chu said in one breath.

This was the punishment he had prepared for Karthus; he had suffered the same fate himself, and he wanted Karthus to experience it as well.

These words seem to make some sense.

Wadsworth and Augustus were not fools; they were shrewd. It was just that because they had been in high positions for too long and were disconnected from the lower classes, they did not understand the thoughts of the common people.

Wadsworth seemed somewhat persuaded.

Rosweisse and Athena both looked on with strong resistance, especially Athena, whose gaze toward Qin Chu grew increasingly disgusted. If a public trial were to take place, the reputation of the former Hero's Party would be completely ruined, something Athena absolutely could not allow.

After a brief hesitation, Athena stepped forward to retort, "Your Hero, what you say seems to make some sense, but since the people were able to withstand it before, I think it shouldn't be a problem this time either. At this crucial moment, it's best not to create unnecessary trouble..."

"Miss Athena, do you know where the public's tolerance for pressure lies?"

Qin Chu launched a counterattack immediately. His attacks were quite fierce, and under Qin Chu's gaze, Athena subconsciously tried to dodge.

"You don't know, and I don't know either... But who can guarantee that this incident won't push them to their limits? Most of the Imperial Army's members are civilians, and their supplies also come from civilians. If an outbreak occurs, the chaos among the people will inevitably affect the army—the Imperial Army, the Church's Army. Everyone knows that the Death Knight of the Hero's Party slaughtered a large number of Knight and Warriors... As the victims, they will subconsciously resist the experts of the Hero's Party."

"Gradually, they will come to believe that the strong have special privileges, and that they can slaughter soldiers fighting against Magic Creature without being punished, thus leading them to despise all experts."

"Human unity will tear open a huge wound. I don't know much about Magic Creature, I've only seen tens of thousands of Minotaur... I don't know how many of those Minotaur who were burned to ashes represent among the Magic Creature, but I know that those Minotaur are fierce and cruel, and they are enemies that must be treated with caution..."

"Miss Athena, do you think that humanity, now divided, still has the ability to fight against the Magic Creature army?"

"If, in order to uphold the reputation of the sinner Karthus, humanity as a whole is defeated in the fight against the Magic Creature, can you bear the consequences?"

"Can you bear the consequences of humanity's failure, becoming slaves, food, or even extinction to Magic Creature?"

"Can your Hero's Party handle this?"

Qin Chu pressed on relentlessly, every word he uttered laced with aggression.

The attacks on Athena intensified, her face suddenly turning pale. She wanted to retaliate but couldn't utter a sound...

She saw through Qin Chu's methods; they were utterly shameless.

The scenarios Qin Chu used for their attacks were all potential future scenarios, and the most extreme and worst-case scenarios at that, even going so far as to slap the label of human extinction on them.

Unfortunately Athena couldn't refute Qin Chu's words because no one could guarantee that such an extreme situation wouldn't occur in the future, and no one could bear the responsibility for the extinction of humanity.

This is sophistry, but sophistry is also the most difficult to deal with.

"Wouldn't a public trial lead to the same result?" Athena offered a weak protest.

Without pausing, Qin Chu immediately gave his answer, "No, if it were a public trial, the situation would be very different. First of all, the public would know the truth and naturally wouldn't speculate."

"For the Knight and the soldiers fighting the Magic Creature on the front lines, they will only hate Karthus and no one else. The divide will not spread further."

"Most importantly, the fact that Karthus, as a super strongman, was executed for slaughtering soldiers will make the soldiers on the front lines feel valued, and their morale will not only not decrease but may even increase."

Both Wadsworth and Saint Monica nodded in agreement.

"As for the members of your Hero's Party, it would be best if they all appeared at the ceremony and publicly condemned Karthus, ideally even voluntarily expelling Karthus from the Hero's Party. This would clearly show that you have severed ties with Karthus, that you are different, and thus uphold the honor of the rest of the Hero's Party!"

"Moreover, Benson's death in battle contrasts sharply with Karthus, making the public believe that not everyone in the Hero's Party is a bastard like Karthus."

Athena wanted to retort, but she didn't know how to start.

Moreover, Qin Chu's words made some sense. Benson was already dead, and Karthus's affair had been exposed. Therefore, minimizing the losses seemed to be the most correct choice.

Moreover, Athena wasn't really keen on helping Karthus, that fool who had been tainted by the power of Evil God.

"Then... what's the reason? There must be a reason why Karthus killed so many Knights, right?" Athena was almost convinced.

"Reasons? You can ask for as many as you want. Karthus was tainted by dark power, corrupted by the will of Evil God, and went mad. That's all acceptable. Although the Pope tried his best to save him, he could not bring Karthus back to his senses and could only execute him in the end... That's enough. Karthus has done this kind of thing before, so no one will doubt it."

The four old foxes exchanged glances, all feeling that it seemed alright. Finally, Augustus spoke up, "What the Hero said makes a lot of sense, and we agree with the Hero's words. In that case, let's imprison Karthus for now and hold a public trial when everything is ready."

After a pause, Augustus's gaze fell on Rosweisse, his expression gradually becoming sharp.

Rosweisse was pale; she knew what was coming had finally arrived.

"Rosweisse, you knew about Karthus's massacre of Knight all along!" Augustus's voice was icy as he demanded, "Speak, were you involved?"

Rosweisse's face turned pale, and she was about to explain when Qin Chu stepped forward and shielded Rosweisse behind him, bowing politely. "Your Holiness, you have misunderstood. Her Highness the Holy Maiden was not involved."

"Her Highness only asked me to keep this a secret because she didn't want to provoke a full-scale conflict Hero's Party and the Holy See, leading to a human civil war," Qin Chu explained apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I knew about this a long time ago, but I wasn't able to tell everyone the truth."

Qin Chu stepped forward and cleared Rosweisse; although she still had some faults, they were much smaller.

But the meaning behind their words is far more sinister. See? The Hero's Party isn't afraid of a direct confrontation with you; they even want to start an internal war. You'd better watch out.

Athena and Rosweisse might not understand, but Wadsworth, Saint Monica, and Augustus, who commanded the army on the other side, couldn't possibly ignore these words.