A Mage Reborn, Book Two (WIP) - UPDATED August 7th | Book One Released!

As I said, the outcome of the trial doesn’t matter at all, because the trial is only there to serve as a playground for potential character interactions and dialogue that would allow us the readers to read into the why’s of other characters such as leon.

I’m talking about this from a writing perspective not in-universe.

12 Likes

Nah that would be even worse for Leo, because at that point he would literally just decide to kill his own trusted friend because he wants to make a bunch of average Joes happy and not lose support.

2 Likes

I mean, that’s what he did regardless. It really depends, as long as we are provided more insight regarding Leon’s internal conflicts, whether to become a good friend or to be a good king, it would be much easier for us to sympathize with him even when he’s indeed an asshole.

5 Likes

But it’s a lot more interesting than just straight up burning your friend who was arguably the reason why you ever had a chance of retaking ypur capital and the throne in the first place right?

He had a choice to make between the mc and the friends that didn’t hesitate to help or keeping the throne they worked hard on by making his citizens satisfied, and there’s nothing more potent in exploiting this possible scenario more than a trial scene. The prison scene works too but a trial would’ve been even better.

11 Likes

What exactly do you expect would happen if he let you get away with killing the head of their countries faith? The mage would probably spend the rest of their life dodging assassination attempts and rebellions would sprout up trying to depose a king who let such a thing slide. There was literally no winning the situation. If the MC explained the situation, perhaps imprisonment would have been enough, but as far as Leon and the rest of the world knows, the MC is refusing to explain their actions at best, and actively acting the villain at worst.

Leon is in a no-win situation, and took the path that resulted in the least death. Sparing the MC from the consequences of their own ancients would have show them unfit to rule.

As for the inclusion of the trial scene. I think it’s fine without it. Most of what would get covered would just be retreading of the scenes we get while in our cell.

19 Likes

Like I said I really wasn’t expecting anything more with wanting a trial because we already know the mc is supposed to die, I meant what I said from a writing perspective of being able to squeeze more character interactions and let leon’s process of thought be shown - for better or for worse - the reason for the choice he made instead of just a scene where he quickly judges one of his trusted friend seemingly turned traitor and just killed the saintess without prior reason should be burned at stake.

All I’m saying is a trial could be there for more character building, to show us the why’s, not just extra stuff to delay the inevitable.

5 Likes

My comment wasn’t really directed at you specifically, but more generally at the comments acting like Leon committed some big betrayal.

I do like the idea of a trial, but I also think most of what it would entail is currently covered. We see peoples reaction in the opening scene, and we get a direct conversation with the Leon and Ilya.
I also think it would feel a little like padding, when the outcome is all but guaranteed.
So, yeah, I like the idea of it, but I think adding it would require changes elsewhere so may not be worth the effort.

14 Likes

Regardless of my feelings of adoration towards Leon (I mean, he’s one of my favorite ROs of all times so yeah), I do think it’s better as it is, since I like the part of “mystery” regarding what his thoughts and internal conflict are.
With that being said, “Sunblind” is a good compromise for those who want a bit more, even if it happens after the execution.

4 Likes

Narratively, there could have been no other outcome. In universe, I disagree that Leon took the path of least death.

The Fangs may not have had all the information, but they knew the mage’s personality and values over years of familiarity. Either they were genuine, which meant that the mage would indeed have a good reason for what they did, or they were a deliberate mask, which meant the mage was a long-term mole.

Killing the already catatonic saintess made no tactical sense as an isolated incident. If it were part of an larger plot, and worth sacrificing a mole buried as deep as the Royal mage, then wouldn’t it be rational to find out more before killing the only lead? There should’ve been interrogation & torture, searching of the mage’s residence and belongings, back-tracking of their steps, etc, instead of the quick spectacle of an execution.

While an arbitrary pardon would be outrageous, I’m not sure if anyone would raise a rebellion for it against a newly victorious and pretty popular liberator-king. I definitely doubt there would be rebellions over prolonged investigation and imprisonment.

We knew that it only took Ilya, acting on her own, three months to find the truth. As an asset, as a threat, as a friend, was the mage not worth even that much?

18 Likes

If the Mage had a good reason, they would have told them what it was. At least as far as everyone else is concerned. Leon tried hearing them out, and to them, they either refused to explain, or acted like a villain. At that point, what can Leon do? The people are calling for blood and Leon has been given nothing to hold it off.

They’re not the royal mage. They refused the position, left for enemy territory, came back and kill the head of their faith.
Leon did interrogate them, and isn’t the kind of person to resort to torture. As for the rest, that probably did happen. We were in that cell for a few weeks I believe.

And there would definitely be a rebellion. If letting the killing slide didn’t, then ambitious nobles wouldn’t be against fanning the flames. That kinda thing was why Leon and Saine fled before their brothers coronation.

As far as I’m aware, we don’t know what Ilya found out as prove, or how she got that information, so we have no way of knowing how easy it was to achieve that information or if it was just dumb luck.

And you’ve got to keep in mind, it was the Saintess that they killed, not some noble. You can’t just sit on that.

15 Likes

Ohh right, I apologize, UI kinda sucks on mobile lmao

1 Like

There’s nothing to apologise for. I understand :slight_smile:

First, they didn’t know that he left for enemy territory (remember that he kept his destination hidden), and second that wasn’t really an interrogation. “Yo dude wtf why did you do that?” “Can’t tell you plz trust me” “lol no fuck you am not gullible anymore and you’re gonna die”. So unless you decide to act as a villain for whatever reason, he basically just gave up questioning the MC immediatly and killed him off right away. Also as Leon said during the meeting, they could’ve faked an execution and kept the MC alive so that they could talk about why the mage did all of that, but instead he just decided to kill them off anyway because fuck em. It’s not the fact that the MC was executed that pisses my mage off, it’s that out of all the options Leon could’ve chose, he went for the more drastic like a child throwing a temper tantrum because “me king hurr durr me do whats right”

14 Likes

We don’t actually know that. The decision happens off screen.
And he doesn’t execute us straight away. We’re in the cell for a good while.

3 Likes

Just double checked that portion. We were in the cell for the grand total of a week, and during that time there is no interview whatsoever, just solitary confinement. Leon comes in on the seventh day, makes a half-hearted attempt at questioning, and then leaves. Then more solitary confinement, until the execution. All signs point to Leon making very little effort at investigation, and just making a gut decision.

You put on a menacing scowl, and much of the crowd were chastened into silence.Let them never forget that you are the Demon of Sienan, the one whose name they have been whispering in fear for the past week.

It’s your seventh day in the dungeon, though of even that much you couldn’t be sure; days pass by at a lethargic pace in your solitary confinement, and you only have the guard rotations to supplement your judgment.

I don’t believe slight leniency on the assassin of a religious figurehead would be enough to threaten a king who recently took the throne back from foreign invaders, and there is no way to know for certain. But even if it was true, there was still the fake death option. Getting influenced by mob mentality into hastily executing a person who may or may not be guilty is hardly the right thing to do, morally or practically.

The issue isn’t that Leon didn’t find the truth. It’s that he didn’t really try.

10 Likes

That doesn’t seem quite right, is that a continuity error or just that the general population weren’t aware of the exact circumstances until a week prior?

An unknown amount of time does pass between Leon and Ilya visiting the MC, and then again after Ilya leaves

Probably continuity error. Or a really short ‘remainder of your days’. Though if the public didn’t know about the mage for weeks, that’s even less excuse for Leon’s decision.

3 Likes

I sincerely believe that even if there was some kind of trial to decide the fate of the MC, they may not remove them from the cell under the concept that they are the most powerful magician known (and some even create spiritual gate to escape)

9 Likes

Leon could have staged a fake death for MC, instead he chose to actually burn us. Ilya and Saine never gave up on MC plus Ilya literally found out the truth about MC. In contrast Leon did… basically nothing. Granted he IS the king and most probably depressed, but Ilya and Saine were depressed too, maybe much more than him. Also Ilya became the new Saint so she probably was as busy as Leon but still managed to find out the truth. IMO Leon is a terrible ruler, he just accepted to become king because there was no other option and Saine won’t take the throne, and caved in to pressure. Regardless he SHOULD have made an effort atleast

18 Likes

I think that’s the difference between how people rule country there’s more to everything technically say that I’m a judge I have to sentence someone committed the most heinous crime killing two thousand people in one day I have to judge the person not as his family member that family member of mine did this thing’s proven right or wrong I have to find the evidence and the guilty verdict and all this other s*** this is the medieval Century so there’s a lot of s*** going on and this is magical too so no one knows who’s right and wrong in the process I don’t believe Leon is wrong his main goal I think to all of us is to protect the kingdom he helped liberate and his brother who was king at the time who died by our sister and his family and friends we are killed because of this if we didn’t be executed I’m viewing this as a historical situation a lot of things could go bad anytime if Leon didn’t kill us I’m being a realist for reason I have to he has a lot to lose in this process so do we in the situation as well if you are in a relationship with him we will make being a revolution in a bigger scale because we killed someone who is pretty much holy and killing her bodyguards on accident in the process so this is pretty much a sacrifice
( short version there’s a lot in the story we don’t know and viewing this is a kingdom this is what I needed sacrifice to protect the kingdom and its people I know I’m being heartless but I think I would do the same like Leon not burned some of the death but hanging or head chopping off make it quick and clean if I was in this medieval magical situation I know this sounds dark but we only had months and people were covering and we took something away that pretty much made them more angry)

5 Likes