The trial took place atop the city wall.
In the center of the wide walkway atop the wall stood a row of figures bound by hemp ropes.
Ohara was deathly pale, apparently having just woken up; the goat-bearded Sevito was trembling uncontrollably, his eyes bloodshot; and three Insect Claw squad leaders accompanied them.
Of course, this trial was not only for these prisoners of war.
Yiduo, Barton, Jijinsi, the Huo'er brothers, and others were also brought here at the same time.
Beyond the crenellations of the city wall, the prisoners could see the scenery on both sides simultaneously.
The people of the Valley of the Wind gathered in a clearing on the west side of the forest, most of them dressed neatly and looking radiant.
They had just survived a famine, and now they were well-fed and clothed, and their lives were getting back on track.
The refugees gathered in the valley below the city walls. Most of them were ragged, with sunken cheeks and bruises from whippings and shackles.
These people had just escaped from hell and were still in a state of panic and confusion.
But at this moment, the two groups of people, separated by the city wall in stark contrast, shared similar emotions in their eyes.
That was resentment towards those who destroyed their peaceful lives.
As for the refugees, there's no need to elaborate.
Ohara, Sevito, and those squad leaders—these people used to take pleasure in beating, humiliating, and torturing them at will.
Along the way, countless Pejite refugees, suffering unbearable humiliation and physically weak, died, while the survivors of the looted villages numbered less than fifty.
The situation in the Valley of the Wind is a bit more complicated.
Those few bandits, who were supposedly there to attack the Valley of the Wind, were naturally disliked by everyone.
But why were familiar faces like Crippled Yiduo and the Huo'er brothers also standing on the city wall, tied up with the sand bandits?
The notice posted in the castle square clearly stated. "Trial of the traitors and masterminds who plunged the Valley of the Wind into turmoil."
Could it be that...
The whispers among the crowd grew louder and louder.
Soon, Nausicaä walked onto the city wall.
She walked to the crenellations, her gaze sweeping over the crowds on both sides before finally settling on the bound criminals atop the city wall.
Yiduo struggled violently, but was held down firmly by two militiamen behind him.
" Nausicaä! What right do you have to arrest me!" he cried out, pleading his innocence. "I did nothing! You're framing an innocent person!"
Nausicaä ignored him.
She turned first to face the inner side of the city walls and addressed the people of the Valley of the Wind:
"Everyone in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind should still remember the turmoil of the past few months."
"Frequent workplace accidents, food shortages, and the destruction of land and forests..."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over Yiduo and the others on the city wall.
"Today, on the occasion of the arrival of our fellow refugees who share our plight, I want to tell everyone that none of this is a 'curse' or a 'natural disaster.'"
"This is a man-made disaster. Someone is deliberately destroying our home, plotting to dismantle the Valley of the Wind from within and turn everyone into their slaves!"
Her voice was resolute.
The crowd inside the city wall erupted in uproar.
The other traitors were all despondent, but Yiduo's face flushed red as he struggled to his feet, shouting, "Nonsense! You have no evidence whatsoever!"
" Yiduo, you ungrateful bastard!"
A voice came from below the city wall. It belonged to a tall, strong young man who had lost his left arm. It was Pao, whose injuries had long since healed.
His appearance made Yiduo freeze.
"That morning, you used an excuse to lure all three of us guards away. I had a bad feeling about it, so I went back to check ahead and ran into Barton, who was setting the fire, right at the gate."
"If it weren't for Her Highness the Princess and the Divine Tree saving me, I would be a charred corpse by now."
"How have Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Nausicaä wronged you? They were both orphans who lost their parents, and both received care from everyone..."
Pao stared at him, his eyes filled with both heartache and anger.
"But what about you? You colluded with these bandits, trying to destroy the Valley of the Wind!"
Pao is very popular in the Valley of the Wind.
He was diligent and cheerful. He did not become depressed after losing his arm, but instead worked even harder.
His accusations carried far more weight than Yiduo's feeble and weak rebuttals.
Yiduo seemed about to say something, but Nausicaä stepped forward at the opportune moment and took out a metal piece from her bosom—it was the safety valve of the oil storage tank found at the scene of the fire.
"This was found in the ashes of the barn." She held up the metal piece. "It matches the missing piece from the unnumbered empty oil can found at the home of caravan member Jijinsi."
Jijinsi' body shuddered violently.
Nausicaä took out several more sheets of scrap paper, on which were densely covered confessions.
"This is the confession of Sevito, the second-in-command of the Sand Bandits. He admits that they have maintained contact with the people of the Valley of the Wind."
"The last intelligence provided by this contact explicitly mentioned 'burning the last of the food' before the fire, as well as the deployment and shift changes of all the militia in the Valley of the Wind."
"And the tavern owner's testimony."
He said he saw Yiduo, Barton, the Huo'er brothers, Jijinsi, and others having a private conversation in a corner on several occasions.
"After that, new rumors will circulate in the valley, such as unequal distribution of food, elders embezzling funds, and abandoned, dangerous mines being allowed to be mined..."
Nausicaä presented the evidence and testimonies one by one.
Beneath the city walls, the expressions of the people of the Valley of the Wind gradually shifted from shock to anger.
"No! This is all a frame-up, Nausicaä has lied to you—"
"Enough!!"
Yiduo continued to try to argue, but was suddenly interrupted by Jijinsi.
He knelt down with a thud and kowtowed desperately to Nausicaä and the people below the city wall.
"I plead guilty! I plead guilty to everything!"
"Spreading rumors, smuggling fuel, passing messages to the bandits... I participated in all of that. It was Yiduo and that Tolmekia spy who deceived us!"
"She said that as long as we cooperated with her, the Valley of the Wind would receive the Empire's protection and we could live a better life! We've all been deceived!!"
Upon hearing these words, the people of the Valley of the Wind, who had initially found it hard to believe, finally understood.
It turns out that even in the Valley of the Wind the Wind, where everyone helps each other, there are ungrateful people.
"Brute!"
"Traitor!"
"Hang them!"
Angry roars erupted from the crowd.
Outside the city walls, the Pejite refugees also understood: the Valley of the Wind had once encountered the same conspiracy and the same methods.
And all the evidence points to the same name.
The Torumekian Empire.
The mastermind behind the scenes who feigned to take in refugees while secretly funding expeditions like the Insect Claw to overthrow the nation.
Their shared experience resonated with the people on both sides of the city wall at that moment.
Nausicaä waited for the roar to subside before raising her hand again.
The entire room fell silent.
"Now, let's pronounce the verdict."
" Jijinsi, a former member of the Valley of the Wind caravan, confessed and did not directly harm the residents of Valley of the Wind; he is sentenced to ten years of hard labor."
Jijinsi collapsed to the ground, his body drenched in cold sweat.
" Sevito, the deputy leader of the Insect Claw Sand Bandit Group, and the first, second, and fifth squad leaders, participated in planning and carrying out the massacre, plunder, and enslavement of the residents of villages and towns along the Pejite route. His crimes are unforgivable."
"The traitors of Valley of the Wind —Yiduo, Barton, Huo'er, and Huomu —colluded with foreign enemies, spread rumors, polluted the forest, set fire to grain, and attempted to overthrow their homeland. Their crimes are unforgivable."
"All eight individuals are sentenced to death by hanging, to be carried out immediately."
The charges and grounds for judging these people come from legal provisions that are still being drafted.
With Mu En's advice, some laws that were absolutely forbidden to be violated were first established.
Among these were serious crimes such as "murder, treason, and keeping slaves."
The militiamen stepped forward and dragged the limp Sevito, the three squad leaders, Yiduo, Barton, and the Huo'er brothers toward the side walls, where platforms and nooses had already been prepared and were waiting quietly.
No mechanism is needed; simply put the noose around the neck, push the person outside the city wall, and the matter is settled.
Finally, Nausicaä walked up to Ohara.
" Ohara, the leader of the Insect Claw Sand Bandit Group, participated in the Pejite coup, led a group to plunder and slaughter innocent people, enslave refugees, and colluded with insiders to attempt to destroy the Valley of the Wind. His actions are the most serious."
She took a step back and turned to look at the Valley of the Wind Forest.
"Therefore, Lord Erdtree shall personally carry out the execution!"