Considering how this place had to serve as nothing else but a foundation of my powerbase, and how the fluctuation of its population didn't seem to have any influence over the amount of power I received from it, there was no reason for me to bother with forcing everyone into obedience.

If some people wanted to follow the example I would set, then I would help them to the best of my ability, as a proper overlord should. But if others preferred to live their life according to the rules they set themselves, what right did I have to tell them they were in the wrong?

Maybe it was the influence of Eve's souls claiming down the wrath and recovering the morals I had before this world law of jungle turned my mentality more towards considering the strength as the supreme law, but seeing how the princess did her best to claim the power for herself, I had to admit that no matter how hard I would try, with the dilatation of the time, I was simply unable to stop such power s.h.i.+fts from happening.

"Okay, everyone. While I said that they are free to choose their own path, it's not like I can expect a single scout of their faction to make the decision for the entire group. At the same time, I can't ask you all to blindly follow my words, if I already gave the choice to the others to mould their life with their own hands. To make my actions true to my own words, after this trial will be over and my laws decided on, everyone will have an entire week to decide whether they want to live according to them and receive the limited support I can provide, or if the life of pioneers on the parts of this land that have yet to see a man appeals to your souls more!"

Just like the first group of the people who still decided to become refugees despite moving to this place to change this status of theirs would have a bit of time to decide on the next course of actions, if I were to rob this choice from everyone who wasn't gutsy enough to go against the princess, I would simply repeat the same authoritarian mistake she made while governing her people. Unless someone was willing to follow me by the decision of their own heart, I didn't want them to force them into my servitude!

"With that said, let's put this matter for the later date. We still have to decide on the fate of those prisoners!"

Once again pulling the clouds of my thick magic up, I made all the prisoners from around my throne raise on their feet to the point where they were barely able to stay on the tips of their toes in the attempt to stop the magic from choking them to their death. 

"As always, we will start with the head of the problem, as we need to hit the snake's head in order to kill it. Princess, it's your turn!"

Suddenly releasing her from my magical grasp, I watched as she once again dropped down to her knees, spitting her overflowing saliva while unable to even stand on her own legs.

"You stand accused of orchestrating a murder, using it to take control over the lands that I do directly own and rule, using my name to justify your rule and exploiting the people for your own benefit. Do you have anything to say to defend yourself?"

While she was still choking on the air that could finally flow freely towards her lungs, I kindly waited for her to stabilise her state. While she was already guilty in my mind, maybe she had some super important secret that forced her to act like this? This trial was for the sake of giving the justice for all the victims of her actions, so sentencing her to anything just because I felt like it would stop this farce from achieving what I wanted to see.

"On what do you even want to base your joke of a trial? If… if you want to kill me, then do so! I'm not going to beg someone who couldn't even keep his own word to save my life!"

Instead of explaining herself, or even attempting to buy herself into my favour, this princess at least had enough integrity to stay her ground and completely refused to answer my questions. Actually, the point she brough was actually right. 

Basing on what laws did I want to judge her? With no set of rules for this place, in theory, everyone was free to do whatever they wanted! 

But such logic couldn't hold either. If I were to suddenly decide she was free to go only because people were free to do whatever they wanted, what would stop the others from torturing and killing her the moment she would be off the trail?

"While it's true that I never set any laws for this place, I actually left a retainer of mine, tasked with maintaining this place. As the sole owner and ruler of this land, I gave the people the right to choose their leader, and they decided that Gabriel would fit this role. By orchestrating his death, you broke the only thing that I set for this place, by going against the word and life of your own designated leader! By doing so not only did you commit murder on my direct retainer, but you also dared to a.s.sume his position for yourself, and use my name for your own purposes. As such, there is only…"

"And who told you that I killed Gabriel? How dare you claim that I'm responsible for his death?!"