Chapter 909 908 - Do with him as you will
Erik raised a curious eyebrow, but didn't ask what Elora meant, or what the deal is with that staff. He was curious to see how things would progress.
Down below, Nora's Wulfs all looked surprised, with some quietly whispering to each other on both floors, wondering what was happening. This told Erik it wasn't a common occurrence.
A few moments after Nora's call, a door opened just behind her on the stage, and four people stepped through. At the front was a man, chained and slightly bloodied, in torn clothes. It looked like he'd endured a few beatings. This man was being pushed forward by another one.
The second was burly, almost as tall as Erik and with powerful, rippling muscles stretching against his clothes. His expression was filled with disdain as he glared down at the stumbling man in front of him.
"Move, bitch," he growled and pushed against the chained man's back again. The latter yelped and fell forward, but was quickly dragged up by the collar. The burly man scoffed, then tossed him forward like a sack of potatoes. With a string of curses, he face planted next to Nora. "Damn you, you muscle-bound idiot! When I get out of these binds, I'll—!"
"You'll do nothing," the burly man interrupted as he planted one foot on the chained man's back and pushed him into the floor, then spat a wad of saliva into his neck. "Völva will eviscerate you if you try, little man."
Erik looked at the display curiously, and then he chuckled. He remembered Völva was the name Nora had taken for herself, as high-priestess of the cult. What made him chuckle, however, was the claspless choker around the burly man's neck.
He'd learned from looking around that hall that every person on the second floor was actually wearing one of these, but only some of them had a clasp with a symbol. He suspected those who thought of themselves as submissives would identify themselves in this way and would add the clasp when they found a dom to serve.
Regardless, he always had a chuckle a little when someone who looked like this guy preferred to serve his partner. Not that he judged. This man's desires were his own.
On the stage, Nora nodded sternly at the large man. "Thank you, Ifa, for looking after him during the past few days. Go ahead and take a seat among your peers."
The man bowed his head deeply towards Nora. "Yes, Völva," he responded, with deep voice and equally deep respect. With one last look of disdain at the chained man—and a casual kick in his kidneys—Ifa disappeared through a door, and reappeared on the first floor balcony not long after.
Meanwhile, two women had entered the stage behind the two men. One of them was Anne, the other was a pretty woman with the appearance of being in her late twenties. She was a first-ranker, wore a choker, and looked extremely nervous. She tried to look forward, but occasionally she'd glance at the chained man with fear, and… regret?
Whenever she did this, Anne looked at her compassionately and whispered softly in her ear. The woman would then stabilise herself, nod, and look away again.
They reached the lectern. With Ifa gone and Nora ignoring him, the chained man had struggled himself from the floor to his knees. Bloodshot eyes, burning with hatred as he looked at the people around him, focusing especially on the nervous woman.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Nora slammed her staff on the floor without even looking at him. "Silence!" she boomed, not only doing so to him, but to the whispers and murmurs filling the hall as well.
"Kato," she began, looking down at the chained man disdainfully as she tossed down a sigil stone in front of his knees. It glowed for a moment, and then created some kind of energy field surrounding all the people on stage. "This sigil will compel us all to speak the truth, and speak you will, or I will peel your skin until you do!"
Kato flinched, fear passing over his face. Whatever he'd endured over the past few days, it was obvious he didn't doubt her threat.
Nora extended her hand towards the nervous woman, but kept her eyes on Kato. "Brave Neema has accused you of straying from our teachings. As a supposed dom, you should have protected and cared for her! Teach her patiently on how you want to be served, while guiding her gently yet firmly into the devotion you expect of your subs… But you failed! You were impatient! Rather than teach, you beat; rather than guide gently, you force with fear! How do you plead?!"
"S-Screw you!" Kato snarled from his knees, seeming defiant, yet fearing to actually get up. "'A firm but gentle hand inflicts both pleasure and pain,'" he spat, clearly quoting something. "Those were your so-called teachings!"
"Hmpf, is that your best defence?" Nora scoffed indifferently. "You forgot the part where I preach restraint and the use of an open hand, not a fist. Pain and fear on their own don't teach anything. You're supposed to use light discomfort and negative reinforcement, but you revelled in going too far!"
Before he could answer, she continued with a sweep of her hand. "Now, answer me this! Three weeks ago, did you…"
For the next few minutes, Nora listed abuse after abuse committed by this Kato, which he was then forced to admit to. It wasn't long before most in the audience were either uncomfortable or enraged. On stage, some tears had begun to drip from Neema's eyes as she looked away.
Eventually, Nora glanced at Neema and stopped. "I'm only halfway down the list, but I believe we've heard enough. It is time for your judgment, Kato."
"Fuck you," the man snarled from his knees, his appearance miserable after being forced to admit his crimes. "You don't have the right to judge me! When the king hears of this, he—!"
"Hehehe," Nora interrupted him with a cruel laugh. "Don't I?" Suddenly, she looked up and stared straight at Erik on the second floor. She spread her arms. "Why don't we ask the highest authority in the land? Our Lord and Wolf-Sire. My very own Master! Master, will you give me the right to judge this man?"
For a moment, everyone in attendance assumed she was asking an abstract godly being. Between Erik's infrequent public appearances and the cult's teachings, it was sometimes easy to forget the person they somewhat worshipped was made from flesh and blood. So, when Erik responded, the response was shock, as everyone looked up with wide eyes to finally notice the presence of their emperor and his wife, their princess.
"You have my trust and support, Nora," Erik nodded from above, his voice deep and sombre, rage boiling underneath as he looked at this Kato. "Do with him as you will, and the same goes for any future offenders. This kind of behaviour must not be tolerated or condoned."