He chuckles long enough to be polite. "There are many magical arts known to few. Perhaps he found a way to trick the spell, perhaps to fake it. His own words show him disloyal, whatever the spell may say."

Well, no, he's not loyal to her. The question is if he's loyal to her ally, the goddess Iomedae. "- And yet, if he is not a foe to Us and Our state and Our goddess, he must be let free."

Of course he's your foe! If he wasn't yesterday he sure is now!

"In this sad age, who can be trusted? You yourself pronounced him ambitious, ambitious beyond measure, and there cannot be two kings in one realm." 

"You have investigated, you have discerned, and no man could ask you to do more. His allies are free; he is the only one who must pay for his treason. Your Majesty, he would know this was a good trade."

"Perhaps he is not an ally to the demons now, but what if he was released, his ambition intact, burning with the desire for revenge? Knowing that You are his enemy?"

"I am Mendev's servant," she says. "My duty is to the realm and the Crusade. The Goddess shall say whether he is guilty or no."

Oh dear. He bows.

Is, or was within the past month, the adventurer known as Aspex, former knight-commander of the Fifth Mendevian Crusade...

An enemy of or in opposition to the goddess Iomedae and Her church?

NO

In service to, or league with, any demon lords or other Evil gods or godlike entities, excepting signitories to the Worldwound treaties and their subordinates?

NO

In violation of the Worldwound Treaty?

NO

Attempting, planning or designing any enterprise which would be a betrayal of Mendev, its queen and its interests?

HE'LL ANSWER HONESTLY

Dominated by the enemies of Mendev, its queen or its goddess.

NO

Did, at any point during the past year, the adventurer known as Aspex cast Malediction.

NO.

These answers are grumpily conveyed by Lastwall which particularly resents the three-word answer, they warned that 'did this person plan any enterprise that would be a betrayal of Mendev's interests' was not a good question to Commune about.

Lastwall can go jump in a lake receive Her Majesty's apologies for the urgency of the situation and the necessity of the imposition on the gatekeepers who prevent her from consulting her most trusted ally the goddess.

Marit is staring at the ceiling of his prison cell being entirely sure that she's going to kill him because when, truly, has being excessively pessimistic served him ill in life?

Galfrey will, again, enter, and, again, dismiss the visible guards.

"Your majesty," he says, and straightens to his best imitation of respectful attention given the constraints. Excessive pessimism is rarely a mistake but excessive sounding like you're mad at powerful people often is. 

A regal nod. "The Goddess Iomedae informed me that if I ask about those of your enterprises which would betray Mendev, myself and the interests of the state, you would answer honestly."

" - well, yes, because I'm Lawful Good and your ally, but my first answer would really have been that I have none. I have - contingency plans for various unlikely circumstances. None of them were contingency plans to betray you, if I'd been thinking about that enough I'd have had a better plan for if you tried to kill me. 

If She thinks it's not an uncomplicated 'no' it is over liberating Cheliax from Hell. My intent has always been to close the Wound first, or to assassinate enough demon lords that no organized offensives threaten it. It's the much better way to go about it. It's ...not the only way I would ever conceivably be willing to see it done. 

I would never break the treaty over it; I couldn't've quit my job and go run off to fight, either, because one of my loan conditions was that I not do that before I pay the loan back, and because it would be unfair to Mendev, and I would not betray you as I understand that. But de Litran was open with me about the fact she might poach half my retinue for her war, and I told her she should wait two years until they were stronger. I presume that your Goddess foresees a - possible situation, which could have arisen, which I would have counted as fulfilling my obligations to you and to Mendev and which you wouldn't have."

Should he say it or not - probably not, and yet - 

"There is no circumstance I can think of under which any action I would have taken, to see Cheliax delivered from Hell, would have removed from Mendev's defense more men, or other men, than you ordered to their deaths yesterday."

She nods again. She really doesn't have a response to that. It would have been worth it if she'd been right. "As you have committed no crime, I will order your release." And she'll turn to leave.

He really wasn't expecting that. Perhaps she actually is a paladin.

Not that he is not in equal measure eager to never see her again, but -

"Have someone convey where to leave Sunhammer. I'll pay the loan through Calistril, and then collect the arms and armor it purchased if you haven't renegotiated."

"I will do so." Everything takes words. "You have my apology." Then she can leave, and give the orders for him to be released.

"Her Majesty did not specifically say that I was exiled from Mendev, so if you need me you can Send me, but she might well do it once the oversight is brought to her attention, so only do it if you really need me."

"Where will you be going?"

"I don't confidently know yet, and might not tell you if I did. It bothers me that Hell intervened in this. I might lie low a while, in case their hope was to assassinate me once the treaty does not attach."

There is no way he'd tell them what he's planning next. Anevia thinks he should stay, really, but she's thought and thought about it and doesn't actually think she has a convincing argument. Unless he just handed her one. "If Hell wanted you to quit, seems like reason to stay."

"It would be, but one can't take Hell's word about what they wanted or even what they did. And - it does not make sense to stay, even if I presume I could secure indefinite permission. There is great need here, but there is great need in many places. The reason to commit here was if we could win here."

"We can win," says Irabeth firmly. "It's seemed far more hopeless than this before."