The Holy Vampire Emergency Drop Operation

Named by: Tin Knight

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Materials: Large-capacity sack used for shopping. Fallen leaves and straw for shock absorption. Special gem shield sold by Franka, the master killer. One immortal who wouldn’t die, even if somewhat roughed up. One Tin Knight that might be useful to have in every household.

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Process:

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Insert the immortal’s mana into the Tin Knight. Optional, but allows for more efficient use of surplus resources.

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Empty the large-capacity sack. Various items spilled on the ground, but it was a necessary cost in an emergency.

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Put the immortal into the sack. Add plenty of leaves and straw. Of course, it didn’t really help much with shock absorption, but it provided psychological comfort.

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Tie the mouth of the filled sack. Don’t tie it too loosely or it might come undone during the drop, but don’t tie it too tightly or it’ll be inconvenient to get out later. Use your sensibility to tie it with appropriate strength.

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After preparing the sack, move away from the wall at a certain distance while ignoring any questions from inside the sack such as “Couldn’t we have prepared while already at a distance from the start?”

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After sufficient run-up, use one of the shield’s three gems to jump high with intense mana emission.

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When reaching a certain height, use the shield’s second gem to perform a double jump.

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It would be nice if we could cross the wall together like this, but it’s difficult with the Tin Knight’s heavy body. Therefore, release the sack at an appropriate timing.

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Roughly calculate by intuition the coordinates of the city center, the height of the wall, the angle of the shield, the strength of mana emission, etc. The Tin Knight can do this on his own.

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Using the shield’s last gem and the Tin Knight’s own mana, strike the sack containing the immortal hard with the shield. The recoil causes the Tin Knight to plummet to the ground, but it’s okay because he’s the Tin Knight.

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The sack draws a sharp parabola, leaping over the emerald wall, and finally lands in the center of Justitia.

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Nice shot!

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Note: Good children, don’t try this at home. It’s rather scary if you can actually do it.

***

The citizens of Justitia and travelers were civilized people with reason.

They were slightly swept up in collective madness, but that alone wasn’t enough to imagine the insane operation that the Tin Knight and Sophia had committed.

Therefore, they could only freeze in bewilderment.

“Did that just fall from the sky?”

“A sack? Huh…? A sack?”

“It seemed to make a terrifying sound when it fell, why is it fine?”

“There are leaves stuck to the clothes, was that for shock absorption? No, fuck, that’s impossible. Are they crazy?”

Even the Lion Duke’s bloodline members and Justitia guards who had been fiercely fighting stopped and froze. Meanwhile, Sophia, the actual culprit behind all this, casually glanced around with a rather nonchalant expression and movement.

Seeing the people gathered separately in a corner of the square and the rings of light floating above their heads, a smile formed on Sophia’s lips.

At a glance, it didn’t seem different from usual, but Adelaide felt somehow chilled.

“My, it seems this is a party that declines outsiders. Seeing how no one is answering.”

“No, that’s not the case,” the lord responded to Sophia’s words.

Even in this cauldron of confusion and madness, the lord never lost his benevolent and relaxed smile.

As the lord and Sophia stood facing each other, the people around felt a strange sensation.

Perhaps because their outward temperament and atmosphere were similar, the two looked like siblings or distorted mirror images.

“The light of the scale is fair, and its balance is unbiased. I’m somewhat curious how you entered here… but since you’ve set foot in, you, too, can prove your innocence.”

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

“Of course, not proving it is also your freedom.”

“And the price of that freedom?”

“You’ll find out as time passes.”

“Hmm. Alright. Then could you explain what sins I need to confess, and what this situation is?”

“Of course. Because repentance begins with recognizing one’s sins.”

The attitude and conversation between the two were so natural that the people around couldn’t dare to interject.

Even the guards who should protect the lord couldn’t stop them, despite knowing that Sophia and the lord had come close to point-blank range.

“So, you’ve sealed off the entire city to catch those who committed crimes and are trying to flee outside. Is that the story?”

“You understand quickly.”

“The others are just caught up in it, right? Have you thought about compensation for them?”

“Of course, we plan to show a small token of sincerity to those who prove their innocence.”

“And for those who can’t prove it?”

“They will have to pay the punishment or value according to their sins.”

“The start was dealing with an assault incident, but why is the trial about ‘all sins committed in this city’? ‘Whether they cooperated or condoned this incident’ would have been enough, wouldn’t it?”

“Hmm.”

The lord swallowed his words for a moment.

Adelaide thought he had realized his mistake and was embarrassed, but this was only half correct.

“It’s because I realized my own inadequacy.”

It was true that the lord had repented his mistake.

However, the “mistake” the lord was thinking of was something completely different from what Adelaide thought.

“The city, this Justitia, has been tainted by chaos. Those who doubt the absoluteness of the scale have emerged, and those who try to poke holes in the discipline have run wild.

“The beginning of it all was none other than you. The few words you dropped engraved distrust and arrogance in people’s hearts. Like a whispering snake.

“At first, I was indignant at you. Then I was disappointed in the people. But eventually, I realized. What was most lacking was myself.

“If I had governed this city properly, how could people be shaken by mere words?

“If I had truly established the authority of the scale, how could lawless ones run rampant like this?

“I realized the many deceptions I had been making to myself. Things I had turned a blind eye to, making excuses about the discipline of the Kingdom of Heaven, the complexly intertwined earthly relationships, the limits of manpower and ability.

“It wasn’t enough to punish only the revealed sins. Such a mindset was insufficient.

“The arrogance of thinking it’s fine if you don’t receive judgment, it’s fine if you don’t get caught, it’s fine if you just escape outside—allowing that is my sin.

“Therefore, I will now abandon my sloth. From now on, all in Justitia must confess their sins to the scale every morning without exception and prove their innocence.

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

It was words filled with sincere gratitude and emotion, not sarcasm or mockery.

Realizing this fact, Adelaide felt dizzy.

The lord smiling gently before her eyes looked like something else wearing human skin.

Sophia asked back, “Is the scale that amazing? Are you so certain that the scale’s judgment can never be wrong?”

“I know what you’re trying to say. You’ve been talking a lot in the square. But that’s from a human perspective.”

The lord raised both arms and spoke as if addressing everyone around.

“From an ant’s perspective, most of what humans do in the world would seem meaningless, foolish, and even mad. We humans are also like ants. Even if the judgment passed down by the Lord seems unfair and unreasonable from a human perspective, it’s just that we are lacking and cannot understand its true meaning.”

“Ah, so you mean we should just shut up and follow the judgment whether we understand it or not?”

“I sense antipathy and dissatisfaction in your words. I understand. It’s natural for the lacking to resent and deny the will of the great.”

It was truly an invincible logic.

Whatever one said, whatever one pointed out, the conclusion became “That’s because you don’t understand the will of the great one”.

It was also a convenient saying.

There was no need to worry, no need to doubt, just blindly rely on that absolute standard.

Among the people of Justitia, some felt antipathy towards the lord’s words, while others felt comfort.

The proportion of the latter was higher. After all, those with antipathy were either in the process of dying or already dead.

Hearing the lord’s words, Sophia nodded leisurely.

“That’s truly an impressive statement. I understand. Then let me receive judgment. If I pay an appropriate price, will my sins be forgiven?”

“That’s right.”

Adelaide, forgetting that she was hiding her identity, almost unconsciously stepped forward.

She had already seen several times what happened to those who had their value substituted by the scale.

But Sophia’s gaze stopped Adelaide’s feet.

Her reddish-pink eyes narrowed as if about to play a mischievous prank.

Sophia stepped forward to the giant emerald scale.

Thus, she confessed.

“O’ Scale. I will confess my sins. Please bestow your judgement upon me.

“I denied the absoluteness of the scale.

“I denied the belief that the scale is always right.

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

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

The scale did not move.

The two plates on either side didn’t even twitch.

The eyes of the people around widened.

“O’ Scale, I revere thee.

“O’ Scale, I mock thee.

“O’ Scale, did I speak a lie?”

The scale was silent this time as well.

The body of the scale that had trembled when lies were told was now quiet, without any movement.

For the first time, the lord’s face, which had been relaxed all along, stiffened.

“O’ Scale. I denounce that frivolity of raising and lowering plates at every single word of humans.

“O’ Scale. I denounce that arrogance of claiming to reveal all truths in the world by merely exposing lies.

“O’ Scale. I denounce thy incompetence, being connected to the Great One, yet used as a mere tool.

“O’ Scale. I denounce thy stinginess in not hesitating to take from those who have sinned, yet not bestowing even the slightest thing to those who suffer from sin.

“O’ Scale. Not righteous, but prayed to be righteous, and strived to be so. Can thou judge thy own sin?

“O’ Scale. Are thou truly innocent enough to judge?”

The two plates of the scale were made to move only within a certain range.

The white plate from horizontal to above horizontal.

The black plate from horizontal to below horizontal.

So that the white plate wouldn’t go below horizontal, so that the black plate couldn’t rise above horizontal.

The scale’s balance was tightly locked with chains.

Now, for the first time, it began to creak.

The lord, his face turning pale, shouted.

“Stop immediately! All you need to do is confess whether you have sins or not and receive judgment for it! How dare you, how dare!!”

With a surprisingly cold, alluring, and cruel smile, Sophia answered.

“Didn’t you say that the judgment of the Great One is incomprehensible to lowly beings? Would the ignorant ant please be quiet for a moment?”

The lord shouted something.

The guards rushed towards Sophia, and the Lion Duke’s bloodline members blocked them.

The chains that had been screaming, “Kreek, kreek,” finally broke.

Opposite to when weighing someone’s sins, the scale’s black plate went up and the white plate went down.

Crack.

A crack appeared in the scale.

Like a broken equation where an error that shouldn’t exist occurred.

Like a child writhing after facing a shameful act they had been avoiding.

As if even itself was no exception, passing judgment mercilessly, like a strict judge.

Under the emerald light that was splitting, crumbling, turning to powder and scattering…

Hubris laughed.

***

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