Chapter 93: Riven is arrested and tried in public

"Because."

The man said it again.

Riven said nothing, knowing full well that she couldn't disguise her accent.

"I don't think I saw you when I came last time, but I've been away for some time." He said in a cold and travel-stricken voice.

During the conversation, the chirping of insects continued, becoming louder and louder, but Riven remained silent.

"I heard that they have invited a magistrate and there is new clues about Elder Suma's death," he continued.

Riven didn't respond. She gently patted the ox beside her to drive away the flying insects on it.

"However, if you are new here, you may not know much about the murder case."

Before she finished speaking, Riven finally raised her head and looked at the stranger. She could see a striking long scar on his nose.

She couldn't help but wonder who had left such a mark on him and where that person was now.

Rumble-

Just as the two of them were looking at each other.

Riven suddenly felt the ground shaking and a thunder-like sound came from the distance.

"Someone is coming." The man said with a smile.

Riven turned her head and looked over the hill towards the old man's farmhouse.

Six fully armed cavalrymen had crossed the ridge and were heading towards the cultivated land below the mountain.

"There she is!"

A trooper shouted gruffly.

His accent was thick, and even though Riven had tried hard to learn the language, it was difficult to understand the subtle nuances.

"But... is she alone?" Another cavalryman narrowed his eyes and scanned the shade of the trees.

A light breeze blew past the plow frame and Riven, and into the shadows of the dense forest.

Riven looked back to where the stranger had been standing, but he was gone.

"Maybe it's a ghost."

The leading cavalryman sneered, "The men who were hacked to death are coming to her to settle accounts."

The cavalry had already rushed down the hillside. They slowed down and surrounded Riven, trampling the neat ridges she had plowed that morning.

Among them, two cavalrymen were holding crossbows. If she dared to move, she would be shot dead immediately.

Riven's fingers were tightly gripping the plowshare, but her mind was telling her not to act rashly.

Her body was tense, and as a veteran of many battles, she didn't want to just surrender.

The hot blood rumbled in her ears, as if giving her an order: If you die, they will never survive.

The boiling blood was roaring, and Riven's fingertips were gradually getting restless.

But at this moment.

"Let her go!"

A loud shout echoed across the field, breaking Riven's impulse to fight to the death.

It was Shava Khund.

Her "mother".

"Asa, hurry!" The farmer and his wife climbed to the top of the hill.

The cavalrymen reined in their mounts. The leader looked over and frowned, saying, "I told you to wait at home until we finish our business."

"She did nothing wrong. I was the one who brought the things. If you have any questions, just ask me!" The farmer panted with pleading eyes.

"Master Conde."

The leading cavalryman said, "You know exactly what kind of person she is. She has committed many mistakes. If I had the power to decide, I would execute her here."

He wrinkled his nose in disdain, "If you have anything to say, you can save it for the trial."

After that, he turned to examine Riven again, "You can't escape the past, dog of Noxus."

Riven's gaze left the plowshare and fell on the old couple, the wrinkles on their faces filled with sadness.

Seeing the old man wiping his tearful face with his sleeve, Riven had to turn her head away. She didn't want to and couldn't add more pain to them.

She extended her wrist to the cavalry leader and stared coldly at his contemptuous smile.

“Don’t worry, Deda,” the farmer’s wife yelled.

The breeze carried the fragmented voice, accompanying Riven for a long time as she walked away. "We will tell them what kind of person you are."

"Deda," Riven murmured softly, "daughter."

"Tsk tsk, Brother Suozi is finally back!"

"I haven't been back home for so long, but I can recognize Riven as an outsider at first sight."

“Riven: The dialect is so difficult, I can’t blend in.”

"To be honest, I felt that the scene when the two met for the first time had a strong sense of fate."

"An exiled warrior and a wandering swordsman, their encounter is quite exciting."

"What on earth did old man Asa bring that attracted the cavalry?" "Also, Yasuo said there are new clues about Elder Suma's death. Could it be related to Riven?"

“I’m already getting nervous.”

【VII. Crime Trial】

"In the center of town, in the council hall."

Shava chose a seat in the front row, while Asa sat on an old wooden stool at the side, waiting to be called.

Three men in dark robes came out. They were the judges presiding over the trial.

After they took their seats in front of the podium, the noise in the room gradually died down.

Soon, the trial began.

A tall, thin female judge with a hooked nose stood up solemnly.

“Today’s trial revolves around new evidence regarding Elder Suma’s murder.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd began to riot.

Although some people knew about the content of the trial, most people came here because they heard that there was a Noxian among them.

But no matter what they heard, they all knew one thing: Elder Suma's death had long been determined.

The unique moves of Gale Swordsmanship and the traces of magic on the wall where the incident occurred are the best evidence.

Apart from Elder Suma, there is only one person who can use this move.

"We already know who murdered Elder Suma." A high-pitched voice rang out from the crowd. It was Shava. "It was the traitor, Yasuo."

People became excited and echoed the sentiment.

He insisted that the murderer was Yasuo.

"Besides him, who else can use Su Ma's wind-controlling swordsmanship?" Shava continued, "Yone, who went to capture him, never returned. It is very likely that this coward was responsible."

The crowd grew more indignant, even shouting for Yasuo's life.

boom! !

The gavel fell heavily.

Suddenly, the whole place was silent.

"This court seeks knowledge and enlightenment, and the truth behind Elder Suma's death."

The female judge looked at Shava coldly and said in a strong voice, "Do you want to hinder the path of enlightenment?"

Shava looked at her husband and felt her cheeks getting hot. Kongde also looked at her in fear, with a trace of cold sweat on his forehead.

"As we said earlier, we are here for new evidence." The female judge glanced at everyone and nodded to the court clerk, "Bring her in."

After a while.

Riven was brought into the hall, and two warrior priests escorted her through the aisle between the crowd.

As she passed by Shava, the old woman tried hard to suppress her sobs.

Everyone looked over.

It was a white-haired woman with prison straw stuck to her head.

She was dragged to the front of the judge's bench, facing the three judges. The middle-aged judge motioned for her to sit down, but she refused.

The judge didn't care and just said calmly: "I know you are not from here, and the dialect here is not easy to learn. I can speak the common language, so it may be easier to communicate."

Like most Noxians, Riven had learned some of the Ionian language, enough to handle daily instructions and commands.

She nodded to the magistrate.

"What's your name?"

"Riven," her voice was hoarse.

"You have been summoned to this court because we want to hear your side of the story."

"Aren't I going to be sentenced?" Riven looked puzzled.

"I'm not sure how you enforce justice over there, but here, we believe that justice first requires understanding and enlightenment."

"We believe you have information about an incident."

"This information is extremely important to all of us, and we will not rush to make decisions or penalties until we understand the facts of the matter."

Riven's eyes wandered between the judge and Asa. She knew very well that Noxian justice was often forged in war.

"What do you want to know?"

"We all know that Yasuo is not the murderer. It's a pity that he has been wrongly accused by the villagers for so long."

"These judges in Ionia seem to be pretty good. They can distinguish right from wrong and they didn't jump to conclusions just because Riven is from Noxus."

"Besides, he's quite kind."

"This land has always been about pursuing balance, peace and tranquility, and the people are simple and honest. Just look at how Asa and Shava were willing to accept Riven."

"From this perspective, Noxus really deserves to die. Not only does it create wars and killings everywhere, but it also treats the lives of its own soldiers as worthless."

"If the plot develops like this, doesn't it mean that Elder Suma's death is related to Riven?"

(End of this chapter)