The four of them knelt in front of the throne where the king sat. He was a graying man with an imposing presence. He had a short, sharp haircut and a short beard. As he stood up from his throne, the other knights knelt; none dared say a word in front of the king. He raised his hand, a signal for the knights to stand up. He balled his fists as the knights got up and left the king alone with the four.
The king looked down, analyzing the four one by one, from the left, was Cherry, The Assassin, Elfie, and Alric. He pointed at Cherry, "You, thief, tell me about yourself."
Cherry looked up with a perplexed look on his face. He stood up and looked the king in the eyes, "Cherum Graves, your royal highness, it's an honor to make your acquaintance."
The king laughed at the introduction, "Such audacity! Cherum Graves!"
Cherry shrank a little bit. Could it be he messed up? The king patted his shoulder and released his handcuffs with a force of Aether from his fingers. 'This old man isn't ordinary,' Cherry thought.
The king pointed at the next person, and he understood immediately. The assassin stood up, "Eos."
The king raised his eyebrows, "Nothing else from you? Not a man of words, I see, so be it."
He pointed his fingers at the handcuffs and released him. Eos was about to run when he felt a force on both his legs, like invisible hands holding them in place. He quickly fell face-first, and the king laughed at the sight.
"This one is also audacious! Hahaha!" The king laughed as Eos brushed himself off.
He pointed at Elfie, then waved her away.
"Hey! Why aren't you asking me for an introduction!" Elfie yelled.
"Because I know you already, Madam Sylavothrie, you're under my employ, correct?" The king replied in a serious tone.
That surprised Elfie; she shrank and held one arm. "Apologies, your highness."
The king nodded and patted her on the shoulder. Then he moved in front of Alric, a smile on his face. "I'm most interested in you. Arise, boy."
Alric shot up, surprising everyone—including the king. Attempting a salute, his handcuffs caught, causing the chain to strike his face. Recovering, he chose a formal introduction. Standing at attention, he declared, "My name is Alric, sir. It is a great pleasure to greet you, Your Highness." He bowed after his introduction.
"Mmm, well, he's definitely polite," The king whispered to himself.
"Up, Alric, such formalities are unnecessary when it's the legendary hero speaking to me. Please hold your head high."
"Legendary hero?" Alric asked.
The king was astonished. 'He didn't know about the legend?' The king wondered.
"Yes, the legend of the sword, the first Farhall used to defeat the daemons who would occupy this Aether-rich kingdom. Do you not know it?"
Alric just shook his head with a blank look on his face.
The king cleared his throat and boomed, "I am the First Farhall, and I imbue my power into this sword! No man but the chosen shall wield this power, and when the time comes, he will save all from this kingdom from peril!"
"That was where the legend came from. All the kings and warriors before me have tried, but none were the chosen. How strange that a thief after my treasures ended up being the chosen."
"I'm no thief!" Alric exclaimed.
"Oh? Then what is a person that breaks my doors, takes my riches, and attempts to escape supposed to be, besides a thief?"
"Someone who was tricked!" Alric pointed at Cherry, "He tricked me into thinking this was an extraction mission! He said he was a Black Guard Knight!"
"We don't have a Black Guard Knighthood though."
"Yes, your highness, I-I wasn't aware." Alric gritted his teeth, clenched his fist, and stared daggers at Cherry, who seemed wholly unbothered.
"Not very smart, are you, boy?" The king asked.
"I- No, sir, unfortunately not."
The king laughed as he gave Alric a good few pats on the back. "Unfortunately for you, boy, ignorance doesn't erase the sin. Punishment must still be given to the four of you."
"WHAT!?" Elfie screamed.
"Why me? Your highness, with all due respect, you know I won't associate myself with a party like this."
The king shook his head. "You've desecrated the royal gallery, which dates back to the First Farhall. That cannot go unpunished."
"Wha- But I was trying to-"
"Stop these three from stealing the treasures, I understand. Sometimes, good intentions also lead to destruction, young one. Let this be a lesson for you."
Elfie bit her lip and drew blood, balling up her fist in anger, "I understand your highness."
Young one? Isn't she an elf? Alric wondered.
After sizing up all four, he went back to his throne and sat down. He raised his hand, and his voice boomed through the halls, "Royal witness, judge, and treasurer. I demand your presence! Come to me at once!"
Not long after, three people entered. Two wore fancy clothes: the treasurer in blue, the judge in red. The witness was in white. The treasurer approached the king with a scroll, as if already knowing what was needed.
The king looked through the scroll, acknowledging the contents. His eyes widened when it reached the bottom, as he double-checked the contents with the treasurer. With a slight cringe, the treasurer confirmed, and the king let out a long exhale.
The king summoned the judge and discussed the judgment for the four. The judge recorded everything on a scroll, infusing it with his Aether as he wrote. When finished, he slammed the scroll on the ground, which projected the image of their punishment.
The four looked up at the image, dumbfounded. Even Eos, who was expressionless this whole time, showed shock.
"Witness! Start the procedure."
"Understood, your highness!"
The witness faces the treasurer and the judge, both of whom have their hands on the opposite shoulder.
"I, the treasurer, declare that the damages done to the castle have amounted to 100,000 in gold. 30,000 from the lost gold. 40,000 from the artifact, and 30,000 for the damage to the gallery."
"I, the witness, acknowledge this fact."
"I, the judge, declare that the four offenders would have faced the death penalty for offending the royalty. However, with the king's grace, I declare that they must pay the damages in full or face death!"
"I, the witness, acknowledge this fact."
"I, the king of Farhall, declare their death penalty void, for now. Your payment and service of the kingdom starts now! The debt must be cleared within 15 years, with a minimum monthly payment of 250; failure to do so will result in physical punishment. Miss it 5 times, and I cast you all unto death!"
"Wait, your highness, please! The artifact wasn't lost, it's still under-" Before Cherry could finish talking, he could feel a force shutting his mouth.
"The artifact was indeed not lost, but it was broken. If it were truly lost, that value might have doubled," The treasurer explained.
"I proclaim this punishment unto you!"
The king's voice boomed as the projection turned into four balls of light. Each ball flew toward one of the four, landing precisely on Alric's left upper arm, Elfie's left thigh, Cherry's lower left leg, and Eos's lower right arm. At each place, runes appeared, revealing the amount of money each had left to pay.
The four clapped as the process ended, then stared at their limbs in shock, each seeing the impossible number. A typical family survives on 50 gold a month; at that rate, they would need to make 166 years' worth of money in 10 years!
"You will now devote yourself to the kingdom of Farhall. Do not let me down, oh, party of heroes!"