Crash!
"Ugh."
The soldier who had dragged to the underground cell threw roughly into the iron cage. My frail body hit the ground like a discarded stone.
Clang!
The iron bars slamd shut.
"Slave Reaper, how dare you touch a nun of the Church? You’ve got so nerve. The Lord will punish you."
"Oh, co on. If soone as virtuous as is punished, who would be left in this world?"
"Hmph! That smug mouth of yours will shut soon enough!"
Tsk.
There’s no sha in any job, but it seed the clergy had already branded a criminal. They weren’t even willing to listen to my side of the story.
To prove my innocence, I’d need help from Elise or Lucas...
Though, if I’m honest, I did technically commit human trafficking.
Buying Elise to free her might have been my intention, but from an objective perspective, I had indeed purchased her. And not only that, I placed a soul-shackle on her under the guise of setting her free.
Even if Elise or Lucas stepped forward as witnesses, once the master-slave dynamic was revealed, the whole defense would crumble. Things might even get worse.
"Should I play the ‘Pope card’ here?"
If I revealed that I’ve shared als and even slept under the sa roof with their beloved pope, I might be able to wriggle out of this. If that didn’t work, I’d have to roll the dice.
"Hmm..."
But honestly, I wasn’t too worried.
I’ve lived such a virtuous life, after all.
The proof of my righteousness would surely be shown by the heavens.
Confident in my inevitable acquittal, I lay down on the cold floor. Folding my coat into a square, I used it as a pillow. I was just killing ti leisurely when I heard the guards whispering outside.
Shortly after, a nun in a pristine white robe approached the iron bars.
"Wow~ Of all the places for a reunion, it’s here? I always thought you’d get divine punishnt soday, but I never imagined you’d pay the price in Kassilon."
"And you are?"
"Even if you pretend to be righteous and act like you care for others, a slaver is still a slaver."
With a sneering grin, the nun curled her lips as she looked at , caged behind the bars. I recognized her face.
"Mira?"
"It’s Myra, actually."
She was the nun I’d t during the Mirabel Liberation arc. She’d tried to hinder us, had imprisoned and interrogated, only to get her couppance from my Mirabel in the end.
"What brings you here?"
"Did you think I’d spend my entire life wandering the continent? Sotis I co back ho. And when I heard they’d captured the Slave Reaper, I just had to co and see."
I didn’t think we had any deep connection, but who knew she’d miss this much? It pays to live virtuously—people even visit you in jail.
Myra glanced around curiously.
"Where’s the kid?"
"Who?"
She leaned close to the bars and whispered softly.
"The little witch."
"Oh, you an Miss Mirabel? As promised, I sent her back to her mother."
"What?"
"She should be with her mother by now... though honestly, I’m not sure anymore."
After dealing with Elise, I’d have to find her and free her again, but I had no idea how to go about it.
I had uncovered her father’s secret and reunited her with her mother. All the conditions for her liberation had been t. But now I wasn’t sure if there were new conditions or if I could simply set her free.
"Still, she was smiling at the end, which was much better than when she was crying and trembling. That was satisfying. Liberation really has its rewards, doesn’t it?"
Bang!
Suddenly, Myra’s face twisted in rage as she grabbed the iron bars, looking as if she might tear them apart.
"You piece of trash...!"
"Why the sudden insults?"
"I knew it! I shouldn’t have let you go back then. I should’ve done whatever it took to bring that kid back!"
Why is she trying to steal soone else’s child?
Is she a trafficker too?
Seriously, what’s with clergy in fantasy worlds and their unhinged tendencies?
Myra stepped back from the bars, turning toward the exit. She cast a frosty glare over her shoulder.
"When you die, the slaves will rise and avenge everything you’ve done."
"So, when the master dies, the slaves welco them? I really like that story too."
*****
The Tribunal of the Holy Kingdom
The courthouse, where the major and minor affairs of the Holy Kingdom are handled, is one of the most critical institutions maintaining the kingdom’s balance. Today, it was packed with people.
In a world severely lacking entertainnt, trials and executions offered a rare diversion from boredom.
The courthouse, usually bustling with spectators, was even more crowded today.
"They say they’re putting that so-called Slave Reaper on trial?"
"Serial slave murders and nun trafficking, they said. Acting as if he had ten lives to spare, thinking he’d never get caught. Serves him right."
It wasn’t every day you got to see a notorious figure, infamous across the continent, finally face justice.
What a ti to be alive.
All of this was thanks to Ordo, the God of Order.
Clank.
A door on one side of the courthouse opened. Flanked by paladins, Karami stepped out with his arms locked in theirs.
His wrists were bound with enchanted cuffs, suppressing both his magic and any mystical abilities. The paladins escorted him to the central stand of the tribunal.
"Quite the crowd."
I never knew I was this popular.
I achieved in this world what I couldn’t in real life.
Thanks for the enthusiasm, but too much attention is... inconvenient.
"Silence."
The judge’s soft voice spread through the room like a ripple.
The noisy hall instantly fell silent.
Karami lifted his gaze to find the voice’s owner.
A young girl in a white robe sat in the central seat of the tribunal.
It was Sigrid, the Judge of Kassilon.
"She’s even cuter in person."
Even as an NPC, she had been a fan favorite, thanks to her small and adorable appearance.
Wakya pya heok nong ssuk ssuk malang malang ilua wait or whatever nonsense her fans would chant.
She’d look perfect holding a stuffed rabbit.
Sigrid rose from her seat. Placing a hand over her chest, the audience followed suit, mirroring her gesture.
"Declaration. O great Ordo, Father of Order, we dedicate this trial to you. Cast out evil and allow the righteous to stand before your judgnt. May the scales tilt according to your fairness."
The ceremonial declaration addressed to the deity before the trial comnced.
Karami flinched slightly.
To the spectators, it might have seed like nervousness.
But it wasn’t.
It was excitent—and a shiver of anticipation.
"To think I’d live to witness this day."
To See It as a Defendant, Though
Judge Sigrid finished her declaration and took her seat, her dry, emotionless gaze fixed on Karami.
"Question. Are you the defendant, Slave Reaper Karami?"
"Yes."
"The defendant’s identity and charges have been formally recorded."
Sigrid unrolled the scroll in her hand.
"Verification. You are accused of trafficking followers of the Church, desecrating the sanctity of life, corrupting souls, and violating order and balance. Is this correct?"
"No."
"Re-question. Do you deny the charges? Refusal to admit guilt may result in harsher sentencing for this trial."
"How can I admit to cris I didn’t commit?"
Sigrid nodded calmly.
"Confirmation. The defendant denies all charges. Proceeding to the next stage."
She extended her arm forward.
"Notification. Judgnt will now be passed."
Her slender yet firm voice echoed through the hall.
Sigrid, the Judge of Kassilon, who had condemned countless criminals, summoned a glowing fragnt of light that coalesced into a massive set of scales in the center of the courtroom.
This was the Church’s ritual of justice, rooted in order and balance.
The magic placed Sigrid’s and the defendant’s souls on the scales.
A soul’s weight represented its rits and sins. Good deeds condensed its weight, while evil acts eroded and lightened it. If the defendant’s soul weighed less than Sigrid’s, they would be found guilty. Conversely, if it was heavier or balanced, they would be declared innocent.
In other words, even if this particular incident was a misunderstanding, if the defendant had lived a sinful life, they would still be found guilty.
"What a ridiculously rotten thod."
In a world where magic could even read mories, judging soone purely by ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) their past actions seed absurd.
Still, it was better than trial by combat to see who wielded a sword better.
A white orb of light erged from Sigrid and settled on one side of the scales.
Creak.
The scales tilted heavily toward her side. Since she had been appointed as Judge, the scales had never tipped the other way.
Because Sigrid was a special case in the Holy Kingdom.
She never overslept, never indulged in picky eating, and had never littered on the street. She was raised and managed by the Church solely for these trials.
The flawless Sigrid.
That was the na she was known by.
By the ti any case reached her, a guilty verdict was already expected. The trial was rely a formality to justify the punishnt.
"Next."
At her gesture, Karami’s soul erged. Unlike hers, his soul radiated a deep black hue.
"No need to look; he’s guilty."
"My thoughts exactly. Even if you put my soul on the scales, it’d still tip his way."
Hidden among the crowd, Antonius murmured, while Elise watched quietly from the second floor. Hundreds of spectators, in unison, predicted the outco.
Karami’s soul floated to the opposite side of the scales and settled.
Clunk.
The scales trembled slightly. It was insignificant but unexpected for most.
They had assud his soul would be as light as a feather.
Apparently, he had accumulated so rit.
At most, they thought it would wobble briefly before settling. Their faith in the divine justice of Ordo remained unwavering.
Creak.
But, betraying the devout believers’ expectations, the scales began to shift.
The plate holding Sigrid’s soul rose, while the one with Karami’s soul started to descend.
Bit by bit.
Gradually.
As the balance shifted, the murmurs among the crowd grew louder.
"...Huh?"
"Wait, that can’t be right."
"No way."
But the scales did not stop. The two souls, once at opposite extres, moved closer to equilibrium until finally, they balanced.
Innocent.
The God of Order, Ordo, had declared Karami innocent.
That alone was a shocking revelation. For so, it was already too much to process.
But the scales kept moving.
They tilted further, breaking the balance, and the two souls crossed positions.
Sigrid, who had maintained a marble-like composure, flinched, her brows twitching.
Clunk.
At last, the scales ca to a halt.
But the result was unexpected.
The beam was slanted.
On the lower side was the black soul.
On the higher side, the white soul.
Karami’s soul was heavier than Sigrid’s.
This ant that his accumulated rit far exceeded hers.
"Pfft... See? How many tis did I say it? No, scratch that. I must have said it hundreds of tis."
Karami burst into a mocking laugh, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I’m a virtuous slave trader, after all!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)