Chapter 145

#145 Episode Tin Knight and the City of Scales (5)

Adel almost answered in a fit.

“I have no relation to the Lenart Mask at all!”

“Right, no relation. But I told you to wear a mask, not specifically to call yourself the Lenart Mask. Besides, it’s not like I asked you to wear it alone, so chill out.”

“Oh. Ah. I see.”

Adel’s bravado deflated again.

Suppressing the urge to tease my slightly blushing cousin, Maris explained.

“I’m thinking of creating a special task force. Externally, they will have no ties to our family, but they will operate for our family’s sake.”

With a smirk reminiscent of a mischievous villain, Maris’s lips curled slightly.

“The task force has two main objectives. One is to utterly crush anyone who has ever clashed with us or poses a new threat.”

“Wait, are we talking about killing everyone?”

“Sure, that would be tidy, but it wouldn’t be too bad to leave them alive and utterly humiliated either. Walking around in tatters would be quite the advertisement.”

“What’s the second objective?”

“Running away without facing trial.”

“Ugh.”

Maris shrugged.

“It’s ultimately a matter of face. Given how tarnished our reputation is, the Holy Kingdom—specifically, the Lord Justitia needs to lose face too so that our people can feel satisfied and withdraw.”

“So your plan is to avoid trials and not pay fines?”

“Sounds childish, doesn’t it? But surprisingly effective. No matter how much authority the Holy Kingdom has, it doesn’t work on outlaws. You might think it’s petty, but that’s how pride fights.”

As they crushed those with grievances against the Lenart Dojo, outlaws roamed free without facing any proper judgments.

While people might suspect the Lenart family, Maris said she didn’t mind.

In fact, it served them well as a public secret.

However, she stated that there should be no direct evidence left behind, so they must absolutely avoid getting caught no matter what.

“We need at least one more skilled individual. We have plenty of talent in the family, but we have a limited number we can deploy to foreign lands.”

“So that would be me.”

“If you’re the winner of the Trakus Martial Arts Tournament, your skills are undoubtedly unquestionable. The problem is compensation…”

Maris paused briefly, either collecting her thoughts or using her speech to draw attention.

“First, a pass for the Lenart Dojo, Justitia branch. But just see this as a bonus. With your skills, you’d get a formal certificate eventually anyway.”

She mentioned that the main topic would come next.

“How about I become your sponsor?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll be your ally in the heir competition against Friedel.”

Adel’s eyes widened in shock.

***

Maris said there was no rush to decide right away and passed the choice onto her.

The meal served at the mansion was splendid, showcasing the power of the Lenart family, but Adel couldn’t take the time to truly enjoy it.

Maris’s words echoed in her mind like an echo in a cave.

—The story between you and Gisel is somewhat well-known in the main family. Originally, it should have been “very famous,” but there are various circumstances surrounding it. And those circumstances involve whether or not you will become a lord.

—To cut to the chase, there are people in your main family who do not want you to become a lord. And their power and influence are quite significant.

—Adelheid. I’m not dismissing your skills and reputation, but the position of the family head in the branch is inevitably tied to the main family. Even if your abilities are superior to Gisel’s, if the main family chooses Gisel instead of you, regaining the lord position will be difficult. Besides, Gisel is no pushover either.

—So, build allies in the main family. Increase the number of people who will support you and advocate for your right to become a lord. …Oh, and just to avoid misunderstandings, my backing doesn’t mean that if you refuse this, I’ll side with Gisel. You can trust that. No, really!

“I wasn’t trying to threaten Adel.”

Sofia, as if reading Adel’s complicated thoughts, chimed in.

“Maris seems to hold quite a bit of goodwill towards you.”

[Tin Knight expresses that it’s surprising how much hesitation there was for someone like that!]

“It’s a clumsy method. Once the mindset of ‘I’ll give this much, so what will you offer in return’ is ingrained, even actions taken from goodwill eventually turn into calculations. Even if they never intended it.”

Before a great disaster struck the family, Adel had only partaken in rural noble social gatherings at best.

It was hard to imagine how politically active the daughter of a duke at the pinnacle of one of the continent’s top families had to be.

“If Maris isn’t trying to deceive or use me, could it be true that there are people in the main family who look down on me? Have I done something wrong? Or perhaps the fact that I almost got caught by bandits and sold into slavery became widely known…”

Adel’s voice trembled slightly.

As she traveled with the Tin Knight’s group, a vague hope that everything would work out began to feel overshadowed by a great shadow.

In that moment of despair and fear, a rough, cold hand landed on her head.

[Tin Knight assures her to leave it to him!]

“Knight?”

The knight’s and Little Lion’s eyes met.

Seeing a glimmer of hope in the Lion’s face, the Tin Knight declared.

[Tin Knight suggests warming a drink!]

[Tin Knight boldly declares he’ll behead Maris before the drink cools!]

……

“Wait, what?”

[Tin Knight argues that usually, troublesome problems can be resolved by taking out the one who proposed them!]

[Tin Knight promises to eliminate the culprit who caused his apprentice’s troubles!]

“No, no, no!! Absolutely not!”

The dark burden pressing down on Adel evaporated in an instant.

Just like philosophers staring at moai being shot into space with rocket boosters won’t have anyone who can continue pondering existential dilemmas, true madness renders fears of the distant future irrelevant. If she stayed like this, her life would end in ten minutes, so who cares about what comes later?

Barely clinging to the Tin Knight’s waist as he started walking toward Maris’s mansion, she exerted a grip strong enough to make metal creak for a moment.

As the Tin Knight thought this could be good training, curious murmurs echoed in the ears of the group.

“It’s a trial, a trial!”

“The wicked necromancer’s trial has begun!”

“The lord shall be observing it in person!”

The Tin Knight, vampire, and homunculus girl exchanged glances.

They dashed toward the epicenter of the commotion.

***

Murmurs and whispers.

A circular crowd formed by many gathered people.

At the center, a man in a black robe was kneeling, bound hand and foot.

Surrounding him were soldiers with spears on high alert, ready to spring into action at any moment, and in front of him stood a man who appeared to be a manager from Justitia, holding a long parchment.

“The defendant has secretly exhumed corpses in the dead of night and stolen livestock from others to perform wicked rituals. Do you confess to the crime?”

The man remained silent, not responding.

The manager’s eyebrows twitched.

Glancing around for the reactions of someone sitting behind him, the manager finally shouted in a loud voice.

“Hey! Many witnesses have testified to your crimes! Why can’t you speak honestly! If you confess and seek mercy now—”

“Ha. Ha ha.”

Laughter erupted from the knelt sinner.

It was an overt sneer.

“Let’s not kid ourselves. I have no clue how long I’m expected to play along with this farce.”

The soldiers and managers’ faces twisted in anger.

The manager yelled, “You! What insolence is this in a sacred trial!”

“What sacred trial? Just a few questions and some scratching on the scales, then it’s all over. Is there really a need for a judge? Just tie some scales to a confession booth and skip the manpower waste.”

“You scoundrel!”

“Oh, just try hitting me. I hope you’ll record assault charges too. Surely, no one would bend the rules for their buddies on the noble and virtuous Holy Kingdom’s territory.”

Despite being restrained and kneeling, the sinner radiated an air of confidence, while the soldiers and managers could barely hide their fury and humiliation, making it hard to tell who the real criminal was.

The Tin Knight tilted his head.

Things weren’t unfolding the way he’d anticipated.

[Tin Knight states it doesn’t seem like Dorothea is caught after all!]

[Tin Knight questions if there’s a guideline that necromancers must match their outfits in black!]

Adel let the second comment slide and responded only to the first.

“True. Thankfully, but um.”

She trailed off, her words hanging in the air.

The crowd’s reactions were curious.

Many displayed anger or contempt toward the sinner, yet not everyone looked upon him as a villain. Rather, some seemed to agree with him, appearing somewhat relieved by his words.

At that moment, a man seated and observing the trial stood up.

Dressed in pure white priestly robes with soft brown hair.

Seeing his gentle and serene appearance, the voices that whispered among the crowd reached Adel’s ears.

Lord.

He spoke to the sinner.

“There is an error in your statements. I would like to correct that.”

“Oh, does the esteemed priest wish to impart wisdom to this lowly sinner? Should I shed tears of joy for your sermon?”

Despite the mocking tone, the lord’s smile remained unfaltering.

“First, the trial is not meaningless or futile. The judgment of sins is the will of the Great Lord, but confessing to sins is the task of flawed humanity. Without the testimony of the judge and witnesses, there is no guarantee the judgment won’t be biased. The sinner has the right to declare their sins and grievances, and the court provides a venue for assuring that right.”

“So you mean this trial is for me to make excuses?”

“That is correct. If you are truly innocent, then lay your grievances on the scales. The Lord shall render a righteous judgment.”

The lord gestured to something on the side of the trial stage.

It was a scale.

While its overall shape resembled those carried by the soldiers, it was far larger than an ordinary piece of wood, and rather than being made of ivory, it was crafted from gleaming emerald.

The scales’ two plates were tilted to one side, seemingly responding to the charges the manager had laid.

“Now, do you have anything to say?”

Throughout it all, the lord remained composed and friendly toward the sinner.

Seemingly swayed by this demeanor, the sinner began to ramble.

“…It’s true I moved the bodies, but they were all unclaimed ones. No one can be a victim.”

The scales remained unresponsive.

The sinner glared at the lord in protest, who simply smiled and encouraged him to continue.

“You mentioned theft of livestock, but that’s wrong! I made the proper payment!”

This time the scales reacted.

The black plate, which had been tilted down, slightly rose, and the sinner’s eyes sparkled as he continued.

“I had an agreement with the owners to receive livestock periodically. The agreement was for half a year, and I was to pay a fixed rate. But then rumors started that I was a necromancer, and their attitudes changed. They made all sorts of excuses about prices and reputations and began demanding outrageous fees!”

Some watching the trial from the side, relaxed and enjoying the spectacle, suddenly tensed up at his words.

As the manager caught on to the shift, the guards began to encircle them.

“I merely passed on the price I’d agreed to, and I brought back the livestock I was owed! They concocted the story of theft! The real sinner is them!”

The black plate rose again slightly.

Seeing this, the lord nodded and spoke with a gentle voice.

“I understand your grievances. Their trial will be conducted shortly after this one. Shall we conclude this debate?”

“Um, also.”

The sinner collected a few more words and with each utterance, the scales reacted or remained still.

“…I said everything.”

“Very well. Then let us check the verdict.”

The lord pulled out a book from his robe and began flipping through the pages in accordance with the scales.

“You are sentenced to imprisonment until every body you’ve exhumed becomes a handful of dust. Will you accept the ruling or recompense?”

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