When Thernous said the attempt to kill was legal, Jazdia felt her face grow hot. What did the man say to his grandfather when she was not looking? Jazdia wondered. Did he know that the shot was not discharged out of self-defense nor to answer to a provocation or hostility? Or if he knows, did he just condone what is basically an execution without trial of a not-yet-armed civilian?

That Erwin, after a brief apology still tried to blather about his views about law. Like a cheap mantra. She wondered what he was trying to achieve with that. To debate her reasoning? To convince that his actions were sensible. 

"Be quiet!" she said bluntly. "This is not a courtroom. While in my belief your method was unprocedural and disproportionate, I know better than to continue a futile endeavor to compare our understandings of the law of the land here, because the debate would continue for days." 

Let those nobles believe whatever they want to believe. 

"Lord Thenous, there is one one more thing I need to discuss with you too. Despite the dissenting opinions about the soundness of the procedure used by Erwin, I truly hope this will not happen again. Even if someone is suspicious, what would we do then? Interrogate them? It would take a full day. Kill them?  That would earn us unnecessary attention and I wish not to sleep with a damaged conscience. We are on a very sensitive mission, and we only have seventeen days left to go there and back again. Minimizing our signature is important. 

Pausing, Jazdia appeared to be more relaxed, though the fury in her eyes was still apparent. 

"We are not here to do tentative law enforcement, we are here to bridge communication. Already four times your king's envoys failed with their task, we can't afford to be the fifth."