Justice for Jagat

Marini seemed panicked after the arrival of Arya Mandana, the leader of the Majapahit soldiers. Using women and the elderly as hostages was a cowardly act.

"Marini! What are you doing? Release Gendis!" Jagat wanted to run forward, but Mandana held him back.

"Not until you Majapahit soldiers leave this place!"

Gendis's neck was tightly gripped by Marini's arms. Ki Wardiman, who appeared frail, was on the brink of danger with a sharp knife pressed against his throat.

Arya Mandana suddenly removed all the insignias of his Majapahit rank from his body and threw them on the ground, saying, "I am not here as a Majapahit officer. Release Gendis and Ki Wardiman. We can talk this through peacefully."

Arya Mandana's action was followed by Gagak Tantra and the dozens of soldiers, imitating their leader's moves, except that their weapons were still clutched in their hands, of course.

Marini was taken aback by the sight she witnessed but still stood her ground.

"Ki Rapala, I respect you as the grandmaster of the sect that once aided Majapahit. But now I come here as someone named Mandana. Instruct your disciples to release them."

Ki Rapala walked towards his disciple Marini, took her hand, and slowly released her grip from Gendis's neck. Tears welled up in his eyes. He cried without knowing the reason.

Gendis immediately hugged Ki Wardiman and moved away from the crowd.

"After we complied with Majapahit's wishes, I planned to marry Marini to Sangkih. But all that failed because of this villain, Mandana. Do you understand now? It's not just about revenge, but also the price we have to pay for our loyalty to Majapahit. Where were you when we needed help?"

"But at least Sawung Bumi should listen to Jagat's explanation first. He was a witness at the scene. And did Ki Rapala's disciples see Jagat kill anyone? Tell me!"

Tantra then came forward and whispered to Mandana. Jagat heard the suggestion, which was to bring a witness from Sawung Bumi immediately.

Mandana accepted the advice and continued with a firm and authoritative tone, "For the sake of justice, I request that the witness be brought here."

Marini and Ki Rapala exchanged glances, conveying that they were considering the request.

Shortly after, two members stepped forward from the side and described what they saw that night. They caught Jagat Wengi with the Sawung Bumi's sacred book in his hands.

"But did you see him kill Sangkih?" Mandana asked.

The two members looked down and confirmed their memories by glancing at each other. They shook their heads in response to Mandana's question.

"Where was Sangkih's body found at that time?"

"Outside the courtyard gate."

"It's clear, Ki Rapala. Jagat is not proven to have killed Sangkih," Mandana explained. "Now, it's only a matter of theft—"

"Wait, Mandana. It's not for you to decide whether he's guilty or not. Now, I need an explanation for his presence there."

"Go ahead, Jagat. Now it's your turn to speak."

Jagat Wengi took a step forward, taking a deep breath before he began recounting the events. He started with a request from a Panewu from Kediri to retrieve Sawung Bumi's sacred book.

He disguised himself as a prospective disciple seeking to learn. Jagat finally admitted his plan to steal the sacred book. However, on the night of the incident, a group from Poison Kala arrived first and captured Sangkih. Jagat decided to confront them, but unfortunately, Sangkih's life could not be saved. One of their leaders managed to escape.

"Before his death, Sangkih told me the secret location of the book's storage."

The last words from Jagat shed light on everything for Arya Mandana. He then asked the final question to put an end to the conflict.

"Now, who else knew the location of the storage, Ki Rapala?"

Ki Rapala bowed under Mandana's final question. "Only me and Sangkih."

"Power always finds a replacement, but a ruler can never be replaced. It's like a river flowing from its source to the vast ocean. Even if the power is no more, the ruler is not dead. They create new paths and form other rivers that eventually reunite with the vast ocean. Majapahit is the vast ocean of these rivers spread across different lands. Kediri will not survive. It's merely mud that will dry under the scorching sun."

Arya Mandana was surprised to hear the sentence spoken by Jagat.

"It's part of the writing I read in the sacred book, Ki Rapala. Sangkih asked me to deliver it directly to you."

Ki Wardiman smiled slightly upon hearing that. Clearly, it was Jagat's new ability in recalling details. However, it was different for Ki Rapala. He immediately bowed in resignation. Half of his body weakened, and then he knelt down.

Ki Wardiman's healer instinct kicked in, and he checked Ki Rapala's condition. However, Marini persisted with her argument.

"Then return our book. It seems you've read it extensively."

"I don't have the book, Marini. After leaving the house, I was attacked by your members and woke up on the battlefield in Tuban. I don't know."

"Don't lie!"

"I'm telling the truth. I didn't take it!"

All eyes were fixed on the two witnesses. Gagak Tantra observed with full suspicion. When one of them appeared flustered, he slowly moved closer.

The man grew increasingly restless, especially when Arya Mandana pressed him with a question, "What happened after you knocked Jagat unconscious?"

"I immediately dragged him to the carriage, sir. We only came to fetch Brother Sangkih. The book was then secured by..."

The member choked mid-sentence and pointed to his comrade next to him, but unfortunately, his words were cut short, unable to continue.

His neck was forcefully pierced by his comrade's knife, and blood gushed as his body fell to the ground.

Gagak Tantra, who was already prepared, wasted no time and rushed to secure him. But the member was more prepared. He ran with agile movements, avoiding the attack of other Majapahit soldiers.

Arya Mandana himself didn't pay much attention to it, as he believed Gagak Tantra could handle the situation. Now he felt confident since Jagat was proven innocent.

In other words, Sawung Bumi had been infiltrated.

"You still have to pay for all of this, Jagat. Because Sangkih's death is because of your actions."

"Sister Marini!" Gendis lost her patience and scolded Marini. "Stop blaming Brother Jagat. He didn't kill anyone, and he didn't steal any books. Why do you keep blaming him?"

"Gendis! Enough. Let it go. I'll take responsibility. I will find that book even if I have to search to the ends of the world."

"Jagat, you don't have to shoulder that burden. Let me handle it here," Mandana replied in a whisper.

"It's okay, Lord Mandana. Consider this punishment for my evil intentions."

Not long after, Gagak Tantra managed to capture the intruder and brought him to the center of the courtyard, the same spot where Jagat's head was about to be beheaded earlier.

Interrogation ensued, with Marini witnessing the scene. Jagat went to Ki Wardiman and respectfully kissed his hand as a sign of a disciple's respect to his teacher.

Ki Rapala, who appeared calm, could only stare blankly at the center of the courtyard, precisely at the intruder who had been living with him all this time.

"This is proof that the martial world is not in a good state, Ki Wardiman. I sincerely apologize to you with all humility. Can we become friends after this?"

"Ever since Kediri took over Singosari, the martial world has been in turmoil, Ki Rapala. But you also owe an apology to Ki Besat. Your disciple, Marini, deeply wounded his feelings."

"What happened?"

Briefly, Ki Wardiman explained that three precious treasures of Ki Besat were destroyed by the disciples of Sawung Bumi when they came to the training hut. Without specifying what the treasures were, Jagat understood what Ki Wardiman meant.

Ki Besat's fate was truly unfortunate.

"I will personally punish my disciples, Ki Wardiman. Now, where is Ki Besat?"

"His trust in the martial world has been shattered. He has disappeared, and no one knows where he went."

"Taking his three treasures with him, I assume?" asked Jagat.

Ki Wardiman nodded slowly. And at that moment, Sawung Bumi had found its new enemy. Ki Besat undoubtedly carried this grudge wherever he stepped.

Jagat was curious about what Ki Besat would do with the three corpses of his family.

The captured intruder finally revealed all his plans to facilitate the theft of the sacred book.

Now the book had changed hands to Poison Kala, and the black-aligned sect itself had never been clearly present since Majapahit took power in Java.

Arya Mandana could only gather limited information about it as his current responsibilities were focused on chasing down Mongol fugitives hiding in the forests of Kediri and its surroundings.

However, Jagat was determined to continue searching for the book to fulfill his debt to Sangkih and to Arya Mandana, who saved him from the execution.

The next morning, Jagat was ready to depart and return the Sawung Bumi book, seeking directions from Arya Mandana about the distribution of black-aligned sects in Java.

Armed with the information from Arya Mandana's spies, Jagat Wengi prepared to leave. But his steps were halted by Ki Rapala.

"As a parent to his child, this is my final request. Can you take Marini with you on your journey, Jagat?"