Chapter 2 The Trial of Demoness Jima (Part One)
As a weak woman with little combat ability, Jima certainly couldn’t travel alone, unless she wanted to experience being chased and beaten by dozens of beastmen, greenskins, and robbers, perhaps with some mercenaries and witch hunters drawn by the bounty of six thousand on her head.
One clear morning, in a rural area within the Empire.
“What? Six hundred gold coins?!”
Jima looked at the man in front of her, who claimed to be the leader of a mercenary group, with surprise.
He was dressed in black plate armor and a rusted helmet, with his cotton armor sleeves torn in several places. He was the best-armored member of the group, which had more than ten members behind him, most of whom were wearing nothing but filthy cotton armor.
Jima couldn’t help but say:
“A rural mercenary group with only fourteen members dares to call itself a group, and none of them are wearing any iron armor! The greenskin brats have more iron on them than you do.”
“Nonsense! Don’t think I haven’t seen greenskins; they’re not wearing anything at all.”
“You forgot that the greenskins carry large cleavers and axes,” Jima replied, disdainfully glancing at a spearmen who had just a little iron on the spear in his hand, and was even shorter than her.
The leader angrily retorted, “You won’t find another mercenary group around here that dares to confront Knight Bartok’s territory.”
“A stone on the roadside won’t appreciate just because it’s moved to the village.”
“Then go to Malin City to look for one,” he said, turning away.
The mercenary group members, complaining, got up and eagerly started to take off their stuffy cotton armor.
Jima also turned away, shaking her head: “It’s so hard to find armed groups with good quality at a reasonable price now. Little Li, remember, never compromise with price gougers, understand?”
“Meow meow.”
The Lianxi cat on her head nodded knowingly.
“But perhaps I can find some young dreamers who pursue their dreams and ideals, willing to protect a delicate lady as they head west,” Jima said as she stepped onto the stirrup, mounting her horse, and slowly walked towards the mournful funeral.
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…
In the Hall of Judgement at the Sanctuary, five judges were present, with two absent.
Three members wore silver masks and sat high on the judgement platform.
The defendant’s seat was empty. This time, they were not judging a criminal or a member who violated the rules, but the succubus Jima, who was far away in another land.
An incident report from the distant Empire was delivered to the sanctuary this morning. The report objectively detailed the damages caused by the riots in Malin City, including a report personally written by the eyewitness, the saint.
This caught the attention of the Sanctuary, leading to today’s trial to discuss how to approach the succubus Jima, with the highest likelihood of hostility, potentially dispatching a team to order George to kill Jima to make amends for previous mistakes.
“We should be very clear about the characteristics of the succubus Jima,” began the judge on the far left. “Although her direct combat ability is weak, she is cunning and has extremely rich combat experience, far from resembling a succubus who has been born for less than two years.”
“She has not a shred of empathy, showing no concern for others. As soon as she has a need, she will not hesitate to harm others’ interests or lives to achieve her own goals.”
“What’s frightening is that she happens to have an ability that is hard to prevent, capable of inciting people’s hearts in the dark to use for her own benefit…”
…
…
“Excuse me… Excuse me, miss, could you please stop?”
A country gentleman stopped Jima, dressed in a breastplate and riding a warhorse.
Jima looked at him; her beautiful face made the gentleman quite nervous.
“You might not believe it, but it seems that someone mentioned you in my dream.”
“Sir, I’m afraid I already have someone special in my heart.”
“No, no, it’s true! That divine voice mentioned *Journey to the West*. Do you know what that means?”
“I don’t know. But I’ve heard that knights of Bartok’s country who believe in the goddess of the lake receive divine inspiration and embark on adventure journeys,” Jima hinted. “As it happens, I’m heading west to Bartok’s kingdom.”
The gentleman’s eyes lit up as he said, “Maybe this is the goddess’s inspiration for me. I’ve been stuck in this countryside for too long, forgetting that the world is still vast.”
“I won’t reject a willing protector,” more importantly, it was free.
“But I may not be able to accompany you for now.” The gentleman looked at the funeral nearby. “My father was killed in an attack by beastmen.”
“My condolences,” Jima said. “But I think, your father would be pleased to see his son bravely stepping out of the hometown to embark on a journey.”
Her voice was pleasant, and it subtly led people to believe without conscious thought.
The gentleman said in surprise, “I think you make a good point.”
“Well, then you are the team leader of the Journey to the West team,” Jima smiled. “But how can a team leader not have any team members? I believe you can bring some militiamen to join this grand team of Westward Journey.”
“Alright.”
After seeing the gentleman off, Jima rode around near the funeral.
If she remembered correctly, before setting off, she had dreamt of nearly ten people, and surely someone would look familiar, remembered something about “Journey to the West.”
The funeral was such a significant event that the local villagers would surely gather, saving her the trouble of looking for each one individually.
Before long, Jima encountered an old soldier from the Imperial patrol team, who felt guilty, believing that the death of the deceased was partly his responsibility. Under Jima’s persuasion, he resigned from the patrol team and decided to embark on a soul-cleansing journey westward.
By noon, when Jima left the village, there were already ten members in the Journey to the West team, along with an additional large cart.
That evening, after resting in the next village.
The next morning, the number of the Journey to the West team doubled. After members communicated, they all realized they had a similar dream and felt they had received divine inspiration, all gearing up without asking Jima for a single penny.
Jima sighed, thinking that there are still many good people in this world who don’t ask for anything in return. With a bunch of people, she headed towards the next village.
…
…
“The chaos in Malin City, instigated by succubus Jima, was evidently a matter of necessity,” said the judge on the far right. “The original text of Saint Jenna’s report states: ‘I believe she was forced to lead to the chaos in Malin City, the real culprits should be Young Master Is and the corrupted order in Malin City.'”
The judge on the far left added, “What cannot be overlooked is that succubi naturally possess the ability and gift to charm people. Whether it’s Saint Jenna or George, they have shown bias towards the succubus to varying degrees. For instance, Saint Jenna failed to notice that Jima took no measures to remedy the harm she caused to innocents. This is extremely dangerous.”
“Let us consider this a matter of necessity, but given her character and methods, she would not hesitate to use her abilities to harm the interests of many for her own benefit. This is the main reason she is dangerous.”
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So annoying. There are too many people, delaying the pace. Why are all these cats and dogs able to join my team? I don’t have any say in this; I can’t even kick anyone out, and I have to watch them bicker and delay our speed. Sooner or later, the bounty hunters will catch up with me.
Jima felt restless as she looked at the noisy group of over a hundred people. Several team leaders were arguing with each other. The militiamen were huddled in small groups, resting while holding flails.
It just so happened that there was a nest of greenskins in the nearby mountains. What could promote unity better than a common enemy? It might also remind those unseeing folks that I’m not just a pretty vase.
A maid with light freckles said to Jima, “Ma’am, your tent is set up.”
“Perfect, I need to take a nap,” Jima replied, carrying the Lianxi cat and heading toward the luxurious tent.
