The Descent of Empress Magistratus Mia with her Arbitrary Judgements Finally

Huh? Uhhh Hmm. Hm hm hm. I, uh, see

Mia tried not to look like she didnt know what was going on, but she was really scared.

Yeep! What is even happening?

The sudden change in the talk gave her whiplash. She was smart enough to realize that what Lorenz had said had completely changed the way things were going. This was no longer a hearing to find out if Lorenz and Citrina were guilty or not. There was no real wrongdoing. They hadnt killed anyone directly. Instead, they had been keeping the Serpents away from important people. If there was anything they were due, it was praise, not punishment.

Still, this was a test. And there was still the question of blame. The question now is whether or not children should be held responsible for the crimes of their parents. Should he and Citrina, as members of his cursed clan, have to pay for what their ancestors did in the past?

She would be in a very awkward position. After all, The First Tearmoon Emperor was the one who put this cursed weight on the Yellowmoons; thereby forcing every generation after him to serve the evil Chaos Serpents. If the Yellowmoons were thieves, then the first ruler was the most crooked person ever. If Lorenz and Citrina were guilty because they were related to plotters, then Mia Well, she came from the same family as the main criminal.

She was no longer just an observer who was happy to sit in the gallery with juice and snacks and watch. She was right in the middle of the courtroom! This was not the time to dream about being an Empress Magistratus and swinging a hammer.

I thought I was just supposed to watch. How did I get to be the one on trial? Hnnngh, what stupid ideas our ancestors had!

After she had a mental rant about the first emperor, she pushed herself to think, because her next step now required a lot of caution. Even if she wanted them to get a good flogging, she couldnt give them a harsh term because whatever punishment she gave them would come back to her. A Serpent would probably step in if someone made that kind of careless choice. They would almost certainly start talking about how Mia should get the same punishment as the Yellowmoons.

So, they wont be flogged. Not that she would have wanted to do it anyway. The better, and trickier, question was how far she should go in the other way. They couldnt get away with nothing, but that wasnt really a choice either. Her own view was that sins passed down through the generations should go choke on a mushroom.

She didnt care what her ancestors did, and she wanted to tell Citrina and her father that. But the situation wouldnt let her. Since she might have been involved in the situation, if she gave them a quick and easy pardon, it could be seen as a way to save her own skin. Again, making bad decisions, the Serpent would get involved, and so on.

Ugh, Serpents are so stupid! Theyre making a big deal out of this.

The cruel smile she had just seen on Barbaras face was proof enough.

She also felt Sion, Keithwood, and Monicas intensely focused looks on her back. They were all eager to hear her decision. A half-baked decision would almost certainly lead to a lot of complaints.

There was no room for mistakes. She needed a great answer, one that everyone would at least be able to deal with, if not like. She needed it right away. The only problem was

This one is very tough Hnnngghhh

Her mind wasnt in the game. Still, she didnt stop. To save Citrina and, more importantly, to make sure she doesnt accidentally damage herself. She thought and thought, and just when she thought she was going to pass out from thinking so much, the spirit of Empress Magistratus Mia came down again. She spoke with the wise knowledge she had.

You have made your case, Duke Lorenz Etoile Yellowmoon, and Ive heard it.

The spiritually charged Mia held up her hammer of justice in one hand

So, basically, what youre saying is that neither you nor Rina have ever done the job yourselves. Hm, hm. I see. Very fascinating. If thats the case

On the other hand, he put the chisel of justice against the problem with care. Then, she started to slowly chip away at it, hoping to find a middle ground that everyone could agree on. Stroke by nervous stroke, she felt its roughness like a sculptor who was forced to do surgery.

Please, Your Highness, asked Barbara, who was upset. Youre not really going to believe the crap theyre saying, are you?

Mia didnt care what she said and kept the talk going with the utmost care. She thought that Lorenz didnt have much reason to lie. Even if he was able to trick her for a while, it would only put off his downfall. It would also hurt how people thought of him, which could put him in an even worse situation in the future. Therefore

Just to be sure, Ludwig, I want you to ask Bisset about the people he sent abroad and try to get in touch with them.

Its already been done, Your Majesty. The messengers are already on the way.

Are they? Good. Your foresight is amazing as always.

Since proof was on the way, she chose to wait to decide if Lorenzs claims were true for now.

If Rina and Lorenz havent done anything wrong, she stated, then I dont think either one of them is guilty.

That part was easy. They werent guilty if they hadnt done it. Then came the hard part.

But I dont think its easy to say that the House of Yellowmoon and, by extension, Lord Yellowmoon, are completely innocent.

What the Yellowmoon House had done had really and tragically ruined families and lives. If something bad had happened, the Yellowmoons couldnt be found completely innocent. Therefore

You are the Duke of Yellowmoon, Lorenz. As its leader, I think you should be responsible for what your House does. Because of this

She stopped. In the quiet that followed, she closed her eyes and thought about what to say with the air of a sculptor judging the quality of a work that was almost done. Then, she picked up her hammer and chisel of justice and started chipping away at it again, this time with all the ease and confidence of a nervous chipmunk, hoping to finally shape it into something that would make everyone happy.

I believe, she said in a respectful way, that you should make every effort to do everything in your power to save and protect those who have been hurt by the Chaos Serpents to make up for what the House of Yellowmoon has done to them.

Which sounded like a very noble and moral thing to say, but when you looked more closely, all she really wanted from Lorenz was a goal. Take note of the phrases make every effort and do everything in your power, which sound more like New Years resolutions than a courtroom decision. In other words, she gave him the things didnt work out, but I tried my best excuse.

The good thing about this deal was that it was a two-way streetwhatever she told Lorenz, she also did to herself. So, if someone tried to blame her for what the first ruler did, she could just throw up her hands and say, I tried my best to make things better, honest! But this is the best I could do!

Also, be sure to finish your atonement while you are still alive. Under no circumstances should you let your daughter carry shoulder any guilt. Ill say it again: under no circumstances should Rina be burdened.

She said it twice because it was important, maybe the most important thing especially in future defense for herself. Even if the guilt of the first ruler could be passed down through the generations, it should stop with the current emperor. His poor daughter shouldnt have to deal with that crap at all.

So, after a lot of careful work, the self-serving compromise verdict she made stood tall like a golden statue of Mia, shining with egotistical pride for all to see. Behold! The weight of justice is in the statues right hand! And a bunch of sweets to its left! Which was a sign of wisdom! Probably!

Then she made her best move, the finishing touch that gave its eyes their bright, light-beaming life.

The first emperoror rather, my ancestorshave put you through a lot of trouble over the long history of our empire. But the days of being bound by old deals are over.

She then said very clearly, The old cursed oath between my family and yours, Duke Yellowmoon, is officially over as of right now! I, Mia Luna Tearmoon, say it so!

Her brave voice could be heard all over to the courtyard. As it went away, she let out the kind of sigh that people do when they feel like theyve done a great job. Now, she wouldnt be tied to anything crazy the Yellowmoons did in the future. They could kill as many people as they wanted, and she wouldnt lose any sleep over it.

Phew Now I can finally stop worrying

As soon as she took a breath of relief, Lorenz looked at her with eyes filled with tears of gratefulness.