Chapter 7: Agareth’s Trickery

Chapter 7 Agareth’s Trickery

“Silence.”

Thud!
With the fall of the gavel, a silence fell within the magistrate’s court that had just been noisy.

The magistrate with a silver-white wig and a black cloak began to lead the jury members in the oath after making sure they were all present.

“I swear that as a reputable citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, I will participate in the trial activities in accordance with the law, faithfully fulfill my jury duties, and independently and indisputably render a fair verdict on the outcome of the case based on the standards of common sense and morality, and on the basis of public morality and conscience, so as to maintain a good social order and environment.”

The magistrate said to the slightly nervous jurors after the oath had been pronounced.

“Ladies and gentlemen, many of you may be appearing here for the first time and have not studied the law.

But that’s all right, because your duties don’t require those things. All you need is a fair heart, unadulterated by any personal good or bad.

All jurors are randomly selected from the general public of London on the basis of selection criteria, have no previous criminal convictions, and possess a good reputation as well as normal values.

You are therefore required to judge the guilt or innocence of the accused on the basis of your social experience and moral values, and on the basis of the evidence you have learned in the courtroom.

And I must make a fair and reasonable request to you that you consider only the evidence presented in court and do not consider the letter of the law, which I will guide and answer.

Now, do you understand?”

As the magistrate said, the jury of twelve was a complex one, with a wide variety of occupations and educational backgrounds.

There were petty clerks in trading companies, skilled mechanics in factories, surgeons, housewives, and so on.

Most of them were participating in a courtroom judgment for the first time, and were inevitably nervous in the solemn and quiet environment.

A corseted woman in a fashionable feathered hat and ruffled pleated skirt extended her black gloved hands, pressed them slightly against her abdomen, and greeted the judge.

“I’m honored to have been chosen as the spokesperson for the jury, and we’ve heard your words loud and clear, Mr. Judge.”

The judge smiled back and responded, “It’s a pleasure to see you here, Mrs. Peel. To be honest, it was a shock to see your name on the jury list.”

Arthur, who was originally organizing documents at the prosecution table, suddenly frowned when he heard this.

Madame?

He was quite sure that he hadn’t misheard what the judge had just said, and that the other party had used the word Lady.

This meant that the woman who had just spoken was either from a noble family or married to one.

Arthur’s speed of organizing the documents gradually slowed down, and his mind slowly came alive.

Just as he was thinking about how to capitalize on this unexpected factor, his afterglow caught a glimpse of Agareth, who was sitting perched on top of the magistrate’s head.

The Red Devil had also noticed the unassuming lady.

He stepped on the magistrate’s head and shoulders and jumped to the prosecution table in front of Arthur, pointing and grinning at the lady.

“Arthur, as long as you go and get that lady’s soul, then I’ll forgive you for going to the sea to watch whales.”

Arthur returned salaciously while the magistrate was exchanging pleasantries with Mrs. Peel.

“Either you have a craving for a college girl, Eliza, or you are thinking of a married lady. Agareth, your tastes are becoming too fast too.”

“Wow, ten Elizas can’t top one such lady! Arthur, you are too young to understand such benefits.”

Arthur replied solemnly, “Agareth, you’d better make your words clear. When you talk like that, it makes me want to sue you.”

The red devil’s saliva dripped onto Arthur’s indictment papers, “She exudes power all over her body, and one bite will satisfy me for most of the year, and that’s not something that can be compared to a young girl like Eliza who is all green.” “If you like power so much, why didn’t you pick an indentured servant from a prominent family in the first place. Where would a poor boy like me be able to fill your bottomless ravine of lust?”

“Hmph! It’s not like I didn’t look for it, back when I followed King Solomon and attacked Jerusalem, your ancestors still didn’t know what part of the world they were mixed up in.”

“My ancestors? My ancestors should have already completed the Second Eastern Expedition by then.”

“The Second Eastern Campaign? You mean the Crusades? Arthur, where did you throw all the history you learned in college? The Second Crusade was twelve centuries ago.”

Knowing that he was talking to him like a chicken, and therefore not interested in continuing the conversation, Arthur asked instead.

“You still haven’t answered me, why do you want me to sign a contract, there are a lot of swindlers and robbers in the city of London, why do you have such a high regard for me?”

Agareth said angrily, “Why do you ask? Do you think it’s easy to find someone without religion in London these days?

Even if you do find one, it’s most likely an uneducated, unworldly, untraveled, immoral, uncivilized, timid, irritable, and fucking stupid person.

Arthur, don’t doubt you, you’ve been handpicked by me.”

Arthur scratched the side of his face, “For a moment, I really didn’t know if you were complimenting me or scolding me. It’s just that, let’s not mention this one for now. Agareth, do me a favor.”

“Do you a favor?”

Agareth stared out of his left eye, one big and one small, “Arthur, what do you think I am? A rag? After peeing, you know to take me and dry the stains on the floor, and when you don’t normally use it, you don’t even bother to wash it for me.”

“I know your powers, and since you can amplify the desires that lurk in the hearts of others, you must also be able to amplify Mrs. Peel’s empathy and instincts as a mother for me.”

“Arthur, I haven’t made you a promise!”

“Time is running out, Agareth, and you are my partner.”

“Why didn’t you say so this morning when you promised to go on the boat to see the whales?!”

Thud!
The gavel pounded the front of the case.

The magistrate grandly announced, “I now declare the London District Magistrates’ Court officially open for the trial of Adam Evans’ theft case. Will the prosecution please read out the charging documents and present the relevant evidence.”

Arthur collected his face and read out the documents in his hand with a solemn face.

“The Inspector Constable of the Greenwich District of the London Metropolitan Police, Arthur Hastings, hereby formally institutes a public prosecution on behalf of the Greater London Police Authority against the defendant Adam Evans.

The defendant, Adam Evans, is nine years of age, male, of 27 Church Lane, in the parish of St. Giles, London.

At around 3pm on March 25, the victim, Nancy Lewis, was in the borough of Greenwich attending a local councillor campaign speech.

The campaigning event ended around 4:30 p.m. On her way home, Ms. Nancy discovered that a parasol she had been carrying had been stolen and immediately went to a nearby police station to seek help ……”

Agareth spat viciously on the ground when he saw Arthur, who was reading the indictment with a straight face.

“For fuck’s sake, don’t you ask around! Whether it’s King Solomon, Pippin the Short, Halfdan the White Shirt, or William the Conqueror, which one of them dared to treat me with such an attitude?”

He glanced at Mrs. Peel who was sitting on the side, and suddenly realized that there was a middle-aged man wearing a black bowler hat sitting in the corner of the gallery.

“Whoa! How did I miss this one?”

Agareth hemmed and hawed with a twinkle in his eye as he rubbed his evil pinky and muttered a low voice.

“Arthur, just give me a good look. After this trial is over, I’d like to see how else you’re going to run away to sea.”

(End of chapter)