Chapter 125: Chapter 124: Procedural Justice, or Result Justice?

After flying for a while, Big Mimi’s altitude inevitably began to drop.

It wasn’t a full-grown adult, after all, and the wounds Jon had inflicted on it earlier hadn’t fully healed. It was only natural that its stamina was flagging.

Nevertheless, the advantage of flight was completely incomparable to traveling on foot.

While the pursuers below were still struggling on their own two feet, battling the slippery, snow-covered roads and jostling crowds, Jon had already spotted the Sun Church’s iconic circular decoration in the distance.

He tugged on the mane on Big Mimi’s neck and gave a command.

"Over there. Be careful, don’t land directly in the courtyard."

Big Mimi let out a compliant growl, and having received its orders, it slowed the beat of its wings and began to glide downward.

At that moment, Jon glanced back at the prisoner he had captured.

Flying unprotected in this frigid weather was certainly no pleasant experience. His own Constitution was several times that of an ordinary person, allowing him to endure the extreme cold, but the same couldn’t be said for the Eternal Frost Cultist behind him.

But to his surprise, although Harir’s shoulder blade had been pierced and half his body was frozen solid, his aura remained strong. At the very least, he didn’t look like he was about to kick the bucket anytime soon. He just kept staring at Jon with those dead fish eyes.

’Is frost resistance one of the abilities of an Eternal Frost Cultist? That would make a lot of sense...’

Just as Jon was thinking this, a clear but slightly childish and urgent female voice cut through the wind and snow.

"Villain! Land immediately! Stop harming that man!"

"Hm?"

Jon followed the voice and saw two figures, glowing with a soft golden light, rapidly flying toward him through the swirling snowflakes!

They were clad in exquisitely crafted, streamlined light armor of pale gold. Behind them, Light Wings formed from pure Holy Light beat at a high frequency, leaving behind specks of stardust-like motes.

What was most striking was their nearly identical faces—they were a pair of twins.

The one in the lead had a face filled with the excitement of having found "evil" and a sense of righteous purpose. In one hand, she tightly gripped an exquisite holy hammer topped with a small Sun Emblem. With the other, she pointed at Harir, who was dangling from the stinger of the manticore’s tail, and shouted.

"In the name of the Sun God Poao, release that poor man! Surrender and accept judgment at once! You can’t escape!"

As she spoke, the Holy Light around her began to surge, as if she were about to launch a Divine Strike at any second.

However, the other girl, who had just caught up, suddenly reached out and grabbed her.

"Hah... Xia! Wait!"

This girl’s voice was also clear, but it held a touch more composure than her sister’s.

"Have you forgotten Priest Wade’s instructions? Don’t be so quick to attack!"

"Xina, what are you doing!?"

Xia, having been stopped, pouted in displeasure and looked anxiously at the "villain" and the conspicuous manticore, now just a short distance away.

"That poor man is about to freeze to death! And that evil Demon Beast! We have to stop him!"

"That’s not it, Xia!"

Xina lowered her voice and forcefully pulled her impulsive sister closer.

"Look closely! That person... on him... is the aura of our Lord! It’s very clear, very... warm!"

"What?!"

The blonde girl’s movements froze instantly. The air of a champion of justice on her face deflated as quickly as a popped balloon.

She turned her head, her gaze sweeping back and forth over Jon.

Upon closer inspection, she could indeed feel the familiar aura of the Sun. It wasn’t particularly strong, but it was exceptionally pure!

It was even closer to the true essence of the Sun than their own preceptress’s!

"It really is... the aura of our Lord..."

Xia mumbled, her fighting spirit completely scattered. A dumbfounded expression that screamed ’How is this possible?’ was written all over her face.

A man riding a ferocious Demon Beast, who had even taken a hostage, actually carried the aura of the supreme Sun God they revered?

Jon took in the entire interaction between the twins, and understanding dawned on him in an instant.

’This must be the Sun Guardian Army Ingram requested... But why did they send two rookies?’

Although the sisters both had strength at the Official Level or higher, their youthful faces and reckless actions completely betrayed their young age and lack of experience.

However, considering their attire and the identity represented by the beating Light Wings behind them, Jon could understand.

Sun Monks, the backbone of the Sun Guardian Army.

As believers trained from childhood, their simple way of thinking meant they surpassed ordinary Professionals in both piousness and the speed at which their Power grew. The downside, however, was that they tended to be a bit "green" and dogmatic before being tempered by the world.

The upside was that they were the type to respond well to a gentle approach; as long as you didn’t violate the teachings of the Sun Church and spoke reasonably, they were easy to communicate with.

Jon gently patted Big Mimi’s neck, signaling for it to hover in the air.

"Ladies, I believe there’s been a misunderstanding."

His voice cut through the wind and snow, steady and clear, betraying no sign of anger at being accused of being a "villain."

"I am not a villain, but a friend of the Sun Church."

"As for this man, he is a follower of the Eternal Frost Sect who was hiding in the Lord’s Mansion here with malicious intent."

He pointed to Harir, who was hanging from Big Mimi’s tail stinger. The man’s face was purple from the cold and he was barely breathing, but he was definitely still alive.

"I was just about to take him to the Sun Church to be interrogated by Priest Ingram."

Xia was still in a state of massive cognitive dissonance. Her mouth hung slightly open as she looked from Jon, to the "Ice Stick" hanging from his mount’s tail, and then to her sister Xina’s serious expression, unsure how to react.

Xina, on the other hand, flapped her wings and drew slightly closer.

Although there was still a hint of scrutiny in her eyes, the pure Sun aura she perceived from Jon made her lower her guard.

The girl gave a slight nod, her golden Light Wings beating behind her to maintain a hover.

"Warrior, the blessed radiance of our Lord does indeed surround you; that cannot be faked."

"But please forgive our caution. Your current... state, and your method of transport, are indeed easy to misunderstand."

"You claim he’s an Eternal Frost Cultist. Do you have proof? Why not hand him over to the Lord’s Mansion through official channels?"

Her by-the-book approach perfectly matched the stereotype of Sun Monks.

Jon wasn’t surprised by this.

He nodded, his gaze sweeping over the spire of the Sun Church, its silhouette now faintly visible below.

"The proof is on his person, and in his memories. As for why I’m not going through official channels—"

He glanced in the direction of the Lord’s Mansion, and at the town guard forces that were rapidly approaching, his tone rich with meaning.

"Because some ’official channels’ are already controlled by these very people."

"Rather than get into a tug-of-war with them over the Rules, I chose a more direct method—handing the bad guy over to the Church."

Seeing a confusion similar to her sister Xia’s begin to appear in Xina’s golden eyes, Jon added with a smile,

"This might not be procedural justice, but it’s another kind of justice: a justice of results."

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