Bishop Fabian brought down his gavel, the dull thud echoing through the hall, signifying the official start of the inquisition.

According to proper procedure, the interrogator should first announce the charges and ask the defendant if they plead guilty. If the suspect pleads guilty, the trial will proceed to the church's reformatory and disciplinary phase; if they do not plead guilty, the trial will proceed to the main trial stage, and if the suspect is ultimately found guilty, they will be considered an incorrigible person and severely punished.

This is somewhat like the slogans often seen in prisons in my past life: "Confess and you will be treated leniently; resist and you will be punished severely."

Father Paul approached Todd first, and the two looked at each other. The former spoke first, asking, "Father above! Should I call you Brother Todd or Brother Todd?"

This question doesn't seem strange at first glance, but upon closer reading, it leaves one speechless.

If Todd acknowledges the title of "fellow believer," it would mean siding with the church and inevitably losing the monastery's support; if he acknowledges the title of "monk," it would mean siding with the monastery and alienating the priests and knights who had helped him.

Before the trial even began, Paul used this dilemma to force Todd to choose between the "church faction" and the "ascetic faction."

The person involved remained calm and read aloud a story from the sacred text.

"When the kind and benevolent saint was shepherding sheep, a wolf came to him demanding his sick and weak young lambs. The saint said, 'Go away, for the Lord never abandons a dutiful child.'"

As soon as he said this, the monks and church members present immediately understood his meaning.

Whether they are monks in monasteries or members of the church, they are all servants of the Father, and any act of abandonment or harm is a desecration of His holy will.

As a result, the first round of the confrontation.

Father Paul made a fool of himself and was even subtly humiliated by Todd using the word "wolf."

Paul deliberately skipped the questioning and went straight to the trial, loudly proclaiming the first charge.

"Falsely reporting the quantity of sacred objects and embezzling church property."

Paul claims that someone reported to the church that Todd brought back twenty-eight boxes of crystal relics from the north, but only gave seventeen boxes to the church. Furthermore, he publicly proclaimed that he was willing to give all the crystals to the church, which he considers a deliberate deception and a publicity stunt!

Upon hearing this, those in the audience who knew the situation were first taken aback, then enraged. The knights and priests who had been members of the delegation immediately refuted this absurd claim.

Because what he said was really shameless.

Even if we take a step back and say that Todd brought the crystals back from the North, it's his business whether he wants to give them to the church or not. Even if he doesn't give them a whole box, he can't be blamed. Moreover, the fact that he didn't bring it up then but chose to do so now clearly indicates that he wants to fabricate a charge against him.

Queen Mary listened intently to the argument in the hall and gradually understood the whole story.

She reasoned that anyone who wasn't particularly foolish would understand that this was a completely fabricated charge against the monk, but Todd had no way to refute it. He had made a fatal mistake: he hadn't taken any church personnel on board to supervise the ship's departure and arrival at shore, an act that provided ammunition. The Inquisition could easily argue that, due to the lack of supervision, Todd had the opportunity to conceal the crystal relic, committing a grave act of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

The queen tilted her head, resting her chin on her hand, her face filled with distress. If she were faced with such accusations, how would she defend herself? Find the sailors who went to sea or the onlookers and ask them to come forward as witnesses? ...No, their testimonies would probably not have enough credibility.

After much thought, this charge is a complete dead end. You know it's a false proposition, but you have no evidence to refute it.

“Todd, do you have something to say?” Father Paul’s face showed a smug look. This was a charge he and the bishop had decided on after repeated discussions. Once it was proven, there would be a reason to send the monk to the inquisition for heresy, to torture him and force him to reveal the exact location where the crystal was found, thus solving Bishop Fabian’s current troubles.

The defendant suddenly became the focus of everyone's attention.

How will he defend himself?

This question became the consensus among everyone present.

After thinking for a few seconds, Todd moved.

He first tapped the floor beneath him with his knuckles, then looked at the wide pulpit in front of him. To everyone's surprise, he suddenly asked a strange question: "Is the wooden box that was sent here to hold the crystal still there?"

Upon hearing this, the cathedral's assistant deacon immediately stood up and said, "They are all here, currently stored in the warehouse."

“Very good, please bring them all here.” Watching the church staff get up to retrieve the boxes, Todd walked up to the pulpit and started measuring the distance with his steps from one end of the pulpit.

Paul angrily slammed the indictment on the table and shouted, "Todd! I'm asking you to plead guilty! Don't try to stall for time with these charades!"

The defendant ignored him and instead walked into the audience, where he found knights and priests he knew in the delegation and asked eleven of them to come up and help him.

Then, after some questioning, he found a knight in front of everyone who had dealt with the pirates of the North Island and asked him the following question.

Todd began by asking, "Do you know what type of ships the Northern Island pirates commonly used?"

The knight nodded and replied, "Yes, there are generally two types of ships: warships (langskip) and cargo ships (knörr). The former are used when raiding south."

"Can you give me the approximate dimensions and draft of the warship?"

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