Adelaide responded almost convulsively, “I have nothing to do with the Lennart mask!”

“Yes, that’s right, you don’t. But I said to wear a mask, I didn’t specifically say it was a Lennart mask. Besides, I’m not asking for you to wear it by yourself, so calm down.”

“Oh. Ah. I, I see.”

Adelaide’s momentum subsided again.

Suppressing the urge to keep teasing her cousin who was slightly blushing, Maris explained, “I’m thinking of creating a special unit. One that’s officially unrelated to our family, but moves for our family’s sake.”

Like a villain thinking of a mischievous prank, the corners of Maris’ mouth curled up slightly.

“The special unit has two main objectives. One is to completely crush those who have clashed with us in the past, or those who newly collide with us.”

“Surely, you don’t mean killing them all?”

“That would be cleaner, but leaving them alive as a pulp isn’t bad either. Having them walk around in tatters would be good advertising to others.”

“What’s the second?”

“Escaping without receiving judgment.”

“Eek.”

Maris shrugged her shoulders.

“This is ultimately a battle of face. Since our side’s face has been damaged this much, the Kingdom of Heaven’s, or more precisely, the Justitia lord’s face should be damaged just as much for our people to say, ‘We’ve given them a taste of their own medicine,’ and withdraw willingly.”

“And that method is… not receiving judgment and not paying fines?”

“Sounds like child’s play? But it’s surprisingly effective. It means that despite all the talk about the Kingdom of Heaven’s authority, it doesn’t work on outlaws. You might think it’s childish, but that’s how battles of pride are.”

Outlaws who crushed those with bad blood with the Lennart dojo and roamed around without properly receiving judgment for it.

Everyone would suspect the Lennart family, but Maris said that was fine.

She said it was rather appropriate for it to be an open secret.

However, she also said that direct physical evidence shouldn’t remain, so they should avoid being caught no matter what.

“We need at least one more excellently skilled person. There’s a lot of talent in the family, but the talent we can deploy to another country is limited after all.”

“So that’s why you need me.”

“As the winner of the Thracus martial arts tournament, there’s no doubt about your skills. The problem is compensation…”

Maris paused for a moment, letting the tension build.

It looked like she was organizing her thoughts, but it also felt like a speaking technique to raise the other party’s concentration and anticipation.

“First, certification of passing the test at the Lennart dojo of the Justitia branch. But consider this just an extra. With your skills, you’d have no problem getting the certificate, even if you took the formal test, anyway.”

Saying the main point came next, Maris added, “—How about I become your sponsor?”

“Huh?”

“I’m saying I’ll become your ally in the Friedel successor competition.”

Adelaide’s pupils shook greatly.

***

Saying there was still time so there was no need to make a decision right away, Maris passed over the choice.

The meal served at the mansion was excellent, proving the Lennart family’s prestige, but Adelaide had no leisure to properly enjoy its taste.

Maris’ words still lingered in her head like the echoes of a cave.

— The story of you and Giselle is… well, famous in its own way at the main house. It should have been ‘very famous’, but there are various circumstances. And those circumstances are also related to whether you can become the lord or not.

— Skipping the details, there are those in the main house who don’t want you to become the lord. And their power and influence are quite strong.

— Adelaide. I’m not ignoring your skills and reputation, but the position of head of a branch family is inevitably entangled with the main family, whether you like it or not. Even if your abilities are superior to Giselle’s, if the main house chooses Giselle over you, it will be difficult to reclaim the lord’s position. Besides, Giselle herself isn’t an easy opponent either.

— So, make allies in the main house. Increase the number of people who support you and argue that you becoming the lord is right… Ah, I’m saying this in case you misunderstand, but I’m not saying I’ll side with Giselle if you refuse this. Believe that. No, really!

“She probably wasn’t trying to threaten Adel.”

As if reading Adelaide’s complicated mind, Sophia spoke up, “Maris seems to hold quite a bit of goodwill towards Adel.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ evaluates that there was a lot of weighing this and that for someone like that!]

“It’s that her method is clumsy. Once the mindset and speech pattern of ‘I’ll do this much for you, so you give this much,’ or ‘If I take this risk, what can you do for me,’ becomes ingrained, even actions stemming from goodwill unconsciously become calculated. Even if she doesn’t intend it.”

Until a great disaster struck her family, Adelaide’s political actions had been limited to participating in social gatherings of rural nobles at most.

It was hard to imagine how “politically” the daughter of a duke at the apex of one of the top five noble families on the continent had to live.

“If Maris isn’t trying to deceive or use me, could that part be true too? The story about people in the main house not looking favorably upon me. Did I do something wrong? Or maybe the news that I was almost captured by bandits and sold as a slave spread widely…”

Adelaide’s voice trembled faintly.

She felt as if a large shadow had suddenly appeared on her vague hope that everything would work out well if she continued traveling with her current companions.

As Adelaide shrank from the indescribable gloominess and fear, a rough and cold hand landed on her head.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ guarantees to leave it to him!]

“Sir Knight?”

The Tin Knight’s and the Little Lion’s gazes met.

Just as a faint expectation appeared on the Little Lion’s face, the Tin Knight said.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says to warm up a drink!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ declares he’ll cut off Maris’s neck and return before that drink cools!]

“…Huh”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ claims that usually troublesome problems are solved by cutting down the one who presented the problem!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says he’ll punish the culprit who gave his pupil worries and return!]

“No, no, no!! Absolutely not!”

The gloomy something weighing down on Adelaide evaporated in an instant.

Just as no philosopher could continue philosophical contemplation while watching a Moai statue being launched into space with rocket propulsion, anxiety about the distant future was a luxury in the face of true madness. When one’s life might end in 10 minutes if one stayed like this, who cared about later?

For a while, Adelaide clung to the waist of the Tin Knight, who had started walking towards the mansion where Maris was, holding on with superhuman strength that made the steel creak and dent.

Around the time the Tin Knight was thinking this might be good training in its own way and he should use more strength, a strange murmur reached the party’s ears.

“It’s a trial, a trial!”

“The trial of an evil necromancer has begun!”

“I hear the lord himself is attending to observe!”

The gazes of the tin can, vampire, and girl containing N% homunculus met.

They ran towards the center of the commotion.

***

Murmur murmur

Whisper whisper.

A circular crowd formed by the gathering of many people.

At its center, a man in a black robe was kneeling with his hands, and feet tied.

Around the man, soldiers holding spears were on standby, ready to move at any time, and in front of him, a man who looked like an official of Justitia was holding a long parchment and saying something.

“The defendant dug up graves at night and secretly removed corpses, and stole other people’s livestock to perform wicked rituals with their blood. Do you admit to your crimes?”

The man remained silent without answering.

The official’s eyebrow twitched.

After glancing at someone sitting in a chair set up behind him, the official soon shouted in a loud voice, “Hey! Many witnesses have already testified to your crimes! Can’t you confess honestly?! If you admit your guilt now and beg for mercy—“

“Heh. Hehehe.”

Laughter flowed from the mouth of the kneeling criminal.

It was an overt sneer.

“Let’s keep this farce at a reasonable level. I don’t know how long I have to go along with this ridiculous play.”

The faces of the soldiers and officials distorted.

The official shouted, “You scoundrel! What insolent behavior is this in a sacred trial?!”

“Sacred trial, my foot. You’ll just spit out a few questions on the scale and it’ll all be over, anyway. Is there even a need for a judge in the first place? You could just hang a scale with thread in some confessional booth and save on manpower.”

“You still—!”

“Oh, you look like you might hit me. I hope you’ll put that assault charge on the scale without missing anything. Surely, in the noble and pure territory of the Kingdom of Heaven, there shouldn’t be any favoritism shown to your own colleagues.”

Despite being restrained and kneeling, the criminal’s appearance was overflowing with composure, and conversely, the soldiers and officials couldn’t hide their anger and humiliation. Looking at their faces alone, it was hard to tell which side was the criminal.

The Tin Knight tilted his head.

Something was unfolding differently from what he had expected.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that at least it doesn’t seem like Dorothea has been captured!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ wonders if there’s some rule that necromancers have to coordinate with black clothes!]

Adelaide let the second comment slide and only answered the first, “That’s right. It’s fortunate for now, but, um.”

She trailed off ambiguously at the end.

The reactions of the people around were strange.

While many showed anger or contempt at the criminal’s attitude, not everyone was looking at him as if they wanted to kill him. Among them, not a few seemed to sympathize with the criminal’s words or show satisfaction.

At that moment, a man who had been watching the judgment while sitting in a chair stood up.

Pure white priestly robes and soft brown hair.

People’s murmurs reached Adelaide’s ears as they saw the man with a very gentle and mild impression.

The Lord of Justitia.

He spoke towards the criminal, “There is an error in your words. I wish to correct that part.”

“Oh, it seems the noble priest lord is trying to give this unworthy criminal a lesson. Should I shed tears of emotion at the sermon?”

Despite the mocking words, the lord’s smile didn’t waver.

“First, a trial is not a meaningless and useless act. Judging sin is the will of the great Lord, but confessing sin is the work of imperfect humans. If testimony is made only by the words of the judge and witnesses, there’s no guarantee that the judgment won’t be biased. The criminal has the right to confess their sins and justifications, and the trial is the place that guarantees that right.”

“So, this trial is to give me a chance to explain myself?”

“That’s right. If you are truly wronged, then confess that grievance to the scale. The Lord will judge everything righteously.”

The lord moved his arm, pointing to something at one side of the courtroom.

It was a scale.

While its overall shape was the same as the ones carried by soldiers, its size was larger than most trees, and above all, unlike other scales made of ivory, this one was made of shimmering emerald.

The two plates of the scale were slightly tilted to one side, seemingly in response to the crimes the official had confessed so far.

“Now, do you have anything you wish to say?”

The lord’s attitude was consistently polite and friendly towards the criminal.

Perhaps his mood changed at this sight, the criminal began to pick his words:

“…It’s true that I removed corpses, but they were all unclaimed bodies. There’s no one who could be called a victim.”

The scale didn’t react.

The criminal looked at the lord as if protesting, but the lord just smiled as if to say continue.

“You said earlier that I stole livestock, but that’s unfair! I paid the proper price for them!”

This time, the scale reacted.

As the black plate of the scale that had been tilted down rose slightly, the criminal’s eyes lit up, and he continued to pour out words.

“Originally, I had contracted with the farm owners to receive livestock at regular intervals. The term was half a year, and we agreed to always pay the same price. But from some point, rumors spread around that I was a necromancer, and their attitude changed. They started making excuses about market prices and reputations and demanded ridiculous prices!”

At the criminal’s words, the complexions of several people who had been watching the trial with a relaxed attitude in one corner of the courtroom changed.

When the official gave them a look, the guards surrounded them.

“I just passed on the price we had originally agreed to pay to them and took the livestock I was supposed to receive. They fabricated that as theft or whatever! The criminals are them, not me!”

The black plate rose a little more.

Confirming this, the lord nodded and said in a benevolent voice, “I understand your grievance. We shall hold their trial subsequently. Is this the end of your defense?”

“Well, and…”

The criminal fumbled for a few more words after that, and each time the scale moved or didn’t move.

“…I’ve said everything.”

“Very well. Then let’s confirm the judgment.”

The lord took out a book from his bosom and flipped through its pages according to the scale’s markings.

“I sentence you to imprisonment until all the corpses you dug up turn to dust. Will you accept the judgment, or will you substitute it with value?”

***

https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken