Execution of the death sentence

Orwen watched Alvin continue making excuses, the anger in his chest slowly building.

All supplies handled by the Third Outer Warehouse were sent to the defense zone front lines.

On the battlefield, the missing figures in the ledgers meant hungry defenders, infected wounded, and gaps in the Eternal Night Wall that could not be filled.

Even a single false report could leave a squad without supplies.

Years of accumulated embezzlement might have cost countless lives.

As Alvin kept bringing up his own service, Orwen's anger deepened.

His words showed that he understood how the defense zone operated and knew which procedures allowed flexibility in wartime dispatches. Yet he had used that knowledge to turn emergency relief authority into a tool for profit, making his crimes all the worse.

Orwen raised a hand to stop Alvin from continuing. "The Water Spirit Defense Zone allowed you to dispatch supplies first because the front lines could not wait for complete paperwork. That authority came from the defense zone's trust in you.

"When the territory came under attack, you could open the granaries first. When wounded soldiers arrived, you could issue Holy Unction first. The defense zone gave you that power so relief could arrive in time.

"Instead, you used it to embezzle military pay, sell off supplies, and plant the lord's residence's cronies in the warehouse district."

Alvin's lips moved. Just as he was about to speak, Orwen picked up the relief register.

"The Church grants the Long Night Lord authority, but also requires him to shoulder the duty of protection.

"You used the names of the dead to claim military pay while leaving their families to survive on the barest relief. You took food from the front lines and stole the chance for Purification that wounded soldiers were waiting for. Alvin, you