novellaaa Chapter 140 "Murder in the Street" and "The Execution of Justice"
Chapter 140 "Murder in the Street" and "The Execution of Justice"
Chapter 141 "Murder in the Street" and "The Execution of Justice"
Seeing that Winnie was about to pay for the two extra bowls of food, Sena immediately shouted to stop her. The girl's stubbornness and anger at being wronged overwhelmed her fear of the situation.
Although two silver coins meant nothing to her, she hadn't eaten any of it, so why should she suffer this injustice? It was a matter of reputation!
"We only ate two bowls! And they only paid for two bowls! One silver coin!"
Sena insisted, her voice growing louder with excitement.
The boss's expression froze instantly, the feigned friendly smile on his face vanished like the tide, and his eyes turned sharp and gloomy.
"Miss, what do you mean by this? Are you determined not to pay for these four bowls of rice?"
His voice turned cold.
"We only ate two bowls! And they only paid for two bowls!"
Saina did not back down. She raised her head, her face full of grievance and determination, and shouted loudly, tears already welling up in her eyes.
"Everyone, come and judge this!"
Seeing that Saina insisted on not paying for the four bowls, the boss suddenly turned to the surrounding crowd, his voice rising sharply, filled with a sob and immense "grievance," and shouted loudly.
"These two! Dressed like respectable people! They ate four bowls of wontons from me, but only admitted to eating two! They only want to pay for two bowls! This is clearly an attempt to take advantage of our small business and dine and dash!"
The owner's highly provocative performance immediately ignited the emotions of the surrounding onlookers. A crowd quickly gathered, completely surrounding the stall.
"He looks quite well-dressed and doesn't seem to be short of money, so why would he try to dine and dash?"
A shrill voice rang out from the crowd.
"You don't know this, do you? The richer and more powerful a family is, the stingier and petty they are! They love to take advantage of us poor people!"
Another voice immediately echoed, speaking with great detail and conviction.
"The world is going to the dogs! They dare to do this in the city of Sael!"
"Exactly! We can't let them get away with this! They have to be paid!"
Various comments, some real and some carefully orchestrated, poured in like sewage, almost drowning Sena and Winnie. Sena trembled with anger, and tears finally streamed down her face. She had never experienced such a humiliating and unreasonable scene.
Faced with increasingly fierce accusations from those around her and her boss's "victim" act, Sena felt incredibly wronged and utterly hopeless.
She suppressed the urge to burst into tears, snatched the silver coin from Winnie's hand, and threw it forcefully onto the stall in front of the shopkeeper. The coin struck the wooden board with a crisp sound.
"We only ate two bowls! And they only gave us one silver coin! No more!"
Having said that, she didn't want to stay in this suffocating place for another second, and pulled Winnie to squeeze out of the crowd and return to Anse Academy.
"Hey! You ate four bowls, so you have to pay for four bowls! Trying to run away without paying? No way!"
Seeing this, the boss's face flashed a sly smile of triumph, but he continued to shout as he rushed out, his rough, greasy hand reaching directly for Sena's slender arm!
Sena, who was in a hurry to leave, was suddenly grabbed by the arm. Startled, she instinctively swung her arm forcefully to break free, while turning around and shouting, "I'll eat it—!"
Her voice and movements came to an abrupt halt the next second.
As she turned around, she saw the boss who had grabbed her arm being struck by an invisible force, his whole body flying backward dramatically, his movements as stiff as a marionette!
A muffled thud!
The shop owner's body slammed heavily against a thick wooden pillar supporting the stall behind it, making a sickening cracking sound.
His eyes widened as if filled with unbelievable terror, his features contorted instantly, and dark red blood gushed from his mouth, nose, and ears.
He raised a hand, trembling as he pointed at Sena, who stood frozen in place. His lips quivered as if he wanted to say something, but he only managed a weak, gasping sound before his head lolled to the side, and he fell silent, collapsing to the ground.
The scene fell into a deathly silence, then erupted into chaos!
"Dead—someone's dead!"
A sharp scream pierced the air.
"They tried to dine and dash, and then beat the owner to death!"
Another voice immediately echoed this sentiment with fervor, accurately characterizing the event.
"My God! A murder in the street!"
"Quickly report to the patrol team! Hurry!"
Exclamations, screams, and discussions erupted like a tsunami.
The crowd retreated in terror, creating a circle around the stunned Sena, the pale-faced Winnie, and the rapidly cooling corpse.
Sena stared blankly at her boss's lifeless body and the blood-soaked floor, her entire body trembling uncontrollably. Her small face was deathly pale, her lips quivering, but no sound came out. The immense shock and fear left her mind blank.
"I—I—I—killed—murdered—"
After several seconds, she managed to squeeze out a few broken syllables through her teeth, as if in a dream, and tears streamed down her face silently.
Winnie's face was ashen, and her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest.
She realized she'd fallen for their trap!
This is an extremely vicious and perfectly executed trap!
From the two extra bowls of wontons to the boss's nagging and pulling, and then to this "just right" fatal push —
Every step was calculated precisely!
"Miss! Don't be afraid! This isn't your fault! It's a trap!"
Winnie grabbed Sena's cold, trembling hand and said urgently.
"Let's leave here immediately and head straight back to Anse Academy to find Young Master Kyle! We'll talk about it later—"
"To dare commit murder in public in the city of Sel City! Absolutely outrageous!"
However, before Winnie could finish speaking, a majestic shout exploded like thunder.
A middle-aged male wizard, exuding the powerful aura of a formal wizard and dressed in the robes of an Anse Academy deacon, led a dozen or so stern-faced and swift-moving wizard apprentices. As if they had been waiting for a long time, they instantly parted the crowd and rushed in, surrounding the two. Their speed was extraordinary!
"Murdering civilians in broad daylight, in full view of everyone! You utterly disregard academy regulations!"
The leading, official wizard had a cold, stern face and sharp, eagle-like eyes. Giving no chance for explanation, his icy gaze swept over the corpse and the two girls before he barked out the order: "Arrest them! Take them to the police station and keep them under strict guard! Await their fate!"
"Understood, Steward!"
The wizard apprentices were clearly well-trained; without a word, they immediately stepped forward and roughly tried to subdue the still trembling Sena and Winnie, who was trying to stop them.
Seeing Sena almost in a daze, Vinnie panicked, but she still forced herself to speak loudly to the leading deacon, making a final effort: "My lord! Wait! We are members of the Arnold family! This is young master Kyle Arnold's younger sister! There must be a huge misunderstanding! Someone has framed us! Please allow us—"
Winnie's urgent voice sounded particularly weak amidst the noisy and chaotic scene.
She hoped to reveal her identity so that the other party would have some reservations because of the Arnold family's reputation, and at least be given a chance to investigate and defend themselves, instead of arresting her without any explanation as they are doing now.
However, the leading deacon from Anse Academy merely glanced at her coldly, his gaze as piercing as an ice pick, carrying an undisguised mockery and disgust.
He completely ignored her explanations and didn't even bother to listen carefully.
"The Arnold family?"
He snorted coldly, his voice not loud, but it contained a powerful magical pressure and an unquestionable majesty, instantly drowning out the surrounding noise.
"Hmph! Even members of the Arnold family must strictly abide by the laws set by Anse Academy in the city of Seil! The crime was committed in public, the evidence is irrefutable, and countless eyes have seen it clearly! How dare you try to deny it under the watchful eyes of everyone?!"
He suddenly waved his hand, pointing sharply at the boss lying in a pool of blood, his body a gruesome sight, and then at the incited, "righteously indignant" onlookers around him.
"The evidence is overwhelming! Everyone saw this young lady punch the man, sending him flying and killing him! The evidence is irrefutable!"
What misunderstanding is there left to speak of?! Seize them! If they dare to resist again, they will be punished as accomplices!
Without further hesitation, the wizard apprentices behind him stepped forward, their movements becoming even more brutal. The cold, anti-magic handcuffs instantly locked Sena and Winnie's wrists, and powerful anti-magic runes were activated, completely sealing off any magic they might be able to mobilize.
Sena seemed to be slightly jolted back to her senses by the cold touch and the magical restraint, and began to struggle and cry violently.
"No! That's not how it happened! The boss pulled on the young lady first! She just instinctively broke free! It was a trap!"
Winnie struggled desperately, trying to shield Sena with her body, her voice hoarse from panic.
"There's something fishy about his death! You should examine the body! Investigate—"
But her voice was completely drowned out by the larger, carefully orchestrated cacophony around her.
"Well done!"
"Punish the murderer severely!"
"A life for a life!"
Justice must be served!
"Does the Arnold family think they can do whatever they want?!"
Those "onlookers" mixed in with the crowd took the opportunity to stir up emotions again, making the scene look like a public outcry and boiling public opinion.
Sena seemed to finally recover from the immense shock and fear. Feeling the cold, anti-magic handcuffs on her wrists and the countless malicious and accusatory gazes around her, she burst into tears, her tears flowing like a flood, filled with helplessness and fear.
"It wasn't me—I didn't mean to kill him—I really just pushed him lightly—I don't know—"
Waaaaahh ...
Her cries and defenses seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the cold reality, the carefully crafted "ironclad evidence," and the surging "public opinion," like a feather thrown into a storm.
The leading deacon remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard her pitiful cries; his eyes were fixed only on the cold procedures and execution.
He ordered his subordinates, "Immediately take the perpetrator and his accomplices back to the police station and keep them under strict guard! Report this to the college's law enforcement team and the council of elders immediately! Notify the victim's family! Maintain order at the scene and await the investigation!"
Having said that, he stopped watching the farce he had personally brought to a close, turned away indifferently, parted the crowd, as if he had just efficiently handled a routine security case, and was about to return to the police station with the apprentices and the two "gangsters".
Sena and Winnie were roughly pushed and dragged away, surrounded by accusations, curses, and strange looks from the crowd, whether real or false, as they headed towards the Ser City Police Station like prisoners.
Winnie turned around in despair, trying to find any kind face in the crowd that might help them, but she only saw blurry faces that were either indifferent, excited, or unconcerned.
And in the deep shadows of a narrow alley not far away, Sean's figure quietly emerged.
He watched all of this calmly, watching the girl who was crying so hard she almost fainted being dragged away, watching the plan come to a perfect end, and finally a cold, amused smile appeared on his lips.
He muttered to himself in the deserted alley, his voice so soft that only he could hear it: "Plan complete."
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