Chapter 155

#155 The Tin Knight and the Scale City (15)

The Holy Vampire Emergency Drop Operation (codenamed: Tin Knight) was straightforward.

Supplies: A large burlap sack used for shopping. Fallen leaves and straw for shock absorption. A special gemstone shield sold by the master killer Franka. One immortal who won’t die even after a rough landing. One Tin Knight, which might be useful if you have one per household.

Process:

1. Inject the immortal’s magical power into the Tin Knight. It’s not essential, but it’s a good way to utilize leftover resources more efficiently.

2. Empty the contents of the burlap sack. Various items spill onto the floor, but in an emergency, it’s a necessary expense.

3. Place the immortal inside the burlap sack. Add plenty of fallen leaves and straw. Of course, it won’t significantly help with shock absorption, but it provides psychological comfort.

4. Tie the opening of the filled burlap sack. If you tie it too loosely, it will come undone mid-drop; if too tightly, it will be uncomfortable to retrieve later, so tie it with just the right amount of tension.

5. After securing the burlap sack, step back a certain distance from the wall. (Ignore any questions from inside the sack like, “Wouldn’t it have been better to prepare falling from the start?”)

6. After a good run-up, use one of the three gemstones on the shield to leap high into the air, releasing a burst of magical power.

7. Once you reach a certain height, use the second gemstone on the shield to perform another airborne leap.

8. Ideally, it would be great to clear the wall, but it’s difficult with the heavy body of the Tin Knight. So, time it just right to let go of the burlap sack.

9. Approximately calculate the coordinates in the city center, the wall’s height, the angle of the shield, and the intensity of the magical release. The Tin Knight can manage.

10. With the last gemstone on the shield and the Tin Knight’s own magical power, forcefully swing the burlap sack containing the immortal with the shield. The recoil causes the Tin Knight to plunge to the ground, but it’s fine because it’s a Tin Knight.

11. The burlap sack flies through the air in a sharp arc, clearing the emerald wall and ultimately lands in the center of Justitia.

12. Nice shot!

P.S. Good children should not try this. It’s scary if you could actually pull it off.

***

The citizens and travelers of Justitia were civilized individuals.

Though they were slightly swept up in collective madness, that alone was insufficient to recall the crazed operation carried out by the Tin Knight and Sophia.

Thus, they could only stand there, dumbfounded.

‘Did something just fall from the sky?’

‘A burlap sack? Huh? …a burlap sack?’

‘I think it made a horrifying sound when it fell, yet why is it intact?’

‘There’s fallen leaves on my clothes, and that was meant for shock absorption? No way, this is insane.’

Even the Lion Duke’s bloodline members, who were in the midst of a fierce fight with the Justitia guards, froze mid-battle. Meanwhile, Sophia, the very mastermind behind all this chaos, casually scanned her surroundings with an almost tranquil expression.

Seeing a group of people huddled in one corner of the square with rings of light hovering above their heads, a smile crept onto Sophia’s lips.

At first glance, she seemed no different from usual, but Adelheid felt an inexplicable chill.

“Oh dear, it seems like they’re having a private party that excludes outsiders. Judging by the silence, it seems no one is responding.”

“No, that’s not the case,” the lord interjected, responding to Sophia.

Even amidst turmoil and madness, the lord never lost his benevolent and relaxed smile.

As the lord and Sophia stood facing each other, the surrounding people sensed something peculiar.

Perhaps due to their similar dispositions or atmospheres, they appeared almost like siblings or twisted reflections of one another.

“The light of the Scale is impartial, and its balance is unerring. I find it somewhat questionable how you entered this place, but since you’ve stepped inside, you must prove your innocence.”

“Can I? It sounds as if I have a choice in the matter.”

“Indeed, failing to prove it is also your freedom.”

“What is the price of that freedom?”

“As time passes, you will come to understand.”

“Hmm. Alright then. Could you explain what sin I must confess, and what exactly this situation is?”

“Certainly. Repentance begins with recognizing one’s sins.”

The demeanor and conversation between the two were so natural that the onlookers felt they couldn’t possibly interrupt.

Even the guards who needed to protect the lord couldn’t bring themselves to stop Sophia and the lord from getting so close.

“—In other words, you sealed off the entire city to catch those who committed sins and attempted to flee, is that what you’re saying?”

“Precisely.”

“So the others merely got caught up in this? Have you considered compensation for that?”

“Of course, I plan to offer small tokens of goodwill to those who can prove their innocence.”

“And those who cannot?”

“They will have to pay the price for their sins or meet whatever consequences their value dictates.”

“You started this in response to an assault incident, yet why is the trial about ‘all the sins committed in this city’? It would have sufficed to question whether one cooperated or concealed anything in this incident.”

“Hm.”

The lord paused momentarily.

Adel thought he was recognizing his mistakes and feeling embarrassed, but that was only half correct.

“It is because I have realized my own shortcomings.”

It was true that the lord was aware of his wrongdoings.

However, what he considered “wrong” was something entirely different from what Adel thought it was.

“The city, this Justitia, has become tainted with chaos. Doubts about the Scale’s absoluteness have emerged, and those seeking to exploit the loopholes in the laws are rampaging.”

“The beginning was none other than you. The things you carelessly let slip etched distrust and arrogance into people’s hearts, much like a whispering snake.”

“At first, I was furious with you. Then I was disappointed in the people. But eventually, I realized the one most lacking was myself.”

“If I had governed this city correctly, how could people be swayed by just a few words?”

“If I had truly upheld the authority of the Scale, how could outlaws be so rampant?”

“I have come to realize the countless deceptions I have inflicted upon myself. Using the Kingdom’s laws, the intricacies of earthly connections, and the limitations of human ability as excuses to overlook the truth.”

“I cannot simply punish the revealed sins. Such a mindset is insufficient.”

“Not holding a trial and thinking ‘as long as it’s not discovered, it doesn’t matter; I’ll just flee outside’ is what I now recognize as my sin.”

“That is why I will henceforth cast aside complacency. From now on, everyone in Justitia must confess their sins to the Scale every morning, to prove their innocence.”

“This city will be reborn. All thanks to you.”

It was not mere sarcasm or mockery, but words filled with genuine gratitude and emotion.

Realizing this fact, Adel felt dizzy.

The lord, smiling gently before her, began to resemble something else altogether—something wearing human skin.

Sophia countered, “Is the Scale truly that magnificent? Are you so convinced that its verdict can never be wrong?”

“I know what you’re trying to say. I’ve seen many words thrown around in the square. However, that’s simply a human perspective.”

The lord raised his arms as if speaking to everyone around him.

“From an ant’s perspective, most human actions seem meaningless, foolish, and even mad. We humans are like ants. Even if the verdict delivered to us by the Almighty is perceived as unjust or unreasonable through a human lens, it’s simply because we are too inadequate to comprehend its true meaning.”

“Aha, so does that mean whether I accept it or not, I must follow the verdict?”

“I sense resentment and dissatisfaction in your words. I understand. It’s only natural for the inadequate to envy the great and deny their intentions.”

Indeed, it was an unbeatable logic.

No matter what was said or pointed out, the conclusion always ended up being, “That’s merely because you don’t understand the will of the great one.”

Moreover, it was a convenient statement.

Without needing to ponder or doubt, they could simply depend on that absolute standard.

Some people among the citizens of Justitia felt disdain for the lord’s words, while others felt comforted by them.

The latter group was larger. Those with discontent within them were either long dead or dying.

After listening to the lord, Sophia nodded leisurely.

“Those are truly impressive words. I understand. Then let’s proceed to the trial. If I pay the appropriate price, will my sins be absolved?”

“Indeed.”

Adel almost stepped forward, forgetting her hidden identity.

After all, she had seen several times what happened to those whose values had been swapped by the Scale.

But Sophia’s gaze stopped Adel in her tracks.

Her pinkish-red eyes, tinged with mischief, narrowed.

Sophia stepped toward the grand Scale made of emerald.

And she declared:

“O Scale, I will confess my sins, so please render your judgment.”

“I have denied the absoluteness of the Scale.”

“I have refuted the belief that the Scale is always right.”

“Instead of telling people to ‘believe,’ I urged them to ‘doubt.’”

“Is this a sin? If it is, what is the extent of my punishment?”

The Scale remained motionless.

Neither of the two plates moved a muscle.

The eyes of the people around became wide in surprise.

“O Scale, I revere you.”

“O Scale, I mock you.”

“O Scale, have I spoken falsehoods?”

Once again, the Scale was silent.

The Scale, which trembled under the weight of lies, stood still without any movement.

The lord’s usually serene expression grew tense for the first time.

“O Scale, I denounce your fickleness in judging the worth of each person’s words.”

“O Scale, I condemn the arrogance in claiming that merely revealing lies can unearth all of the world’s truths.”

“O Scale, I rebuke your incompetence, as a being connected to the Almighty, reduced to being merely a tool.”

“O Scale, you do not hesitate to take from the sinner, yet show no kindness to those who are tormented by their sins.”

“O Scale, while not truly just, you still wish for fairness and once tried to achieve it. Can you judge your own sins?”

“O Scale, are you truly innocent in your judgments?”

The Scale’s two plates were designed only to move within certain intervals.

The white plate would rise above the horizontal line.

The black plate would descend below it.

The white plate would not lower below the horizontal, and the black plate would not rise above it.

The Scale’s arms were tightly bound with chains.

This moment, for the first time, began to creak.

The lord, now pale, shouted.

“Stop this at once! Your only task is to declare whether there is sin or not and receive judgment for it! How dare you, how dare you!!”

With a painfully cold, enchanting, and cruel smile, Sophia responded:

“—Didn’t the Almighty declare that the judgments are beyond the comprehension of the insignificant? Would you mind keeping silent, pitiful ants for a while?”

The lord shouted something in opposition.

The guards charged at Sophia, only to be halted by the Lion Duke’s bloodline.

Creak, creak—the chains, which had been screaming, finally shattered.

In stark contrast to when weighing someone’s sins, the black plate of the Scale rose while the white plate descended.

Crack.

A fracture began to form in the Scale.

An error that should not occur, like a broken formula.

Confronting the many shameful things they had been ignoring, like a writhing child.

As if even it was not an exception, passing down judgments without mercy like a strict judge.

Under the fractured, crumbling, and crumbling emerald light—

—Hubris laughed.

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