Volume 2, Chapter 9 – Crime and Punishment

The knight order’s investigation proceeded smoothly.

As it turned out, the guards were not involved, and the rescued women were being treated with care.

Forced searches were also carried out at the Count’s estate and related locations, with the Count cooperating fully with the investigation.

Furthermore, a large volume of documents was seized from that base, though they couldn’t recover the money.

Apparently, the transaction for Lu-chan involved 10,000 gold coins—a massive sum equivalent to about 500 million yen.

That money will likely be used as capital for the slave-trading organization to create even more tragedies.

As for market prices, they seem to start at 100 gold coins for a human woman and 5,000 gold coins for an Elf woman.

While Elf slaves being traded for exorbitant prices is a common trope in fantasy worlds, it seems this world is no different.

It’s absolutely sickening.

Now, based on the seized documents, several people who bought slaves were also apprehended.

Most of the buyers were nouveau riche who had succeeded in business, but the roots ran deep, even including the head of a lower-ranking noble house under Count Maynard’s patronage.

Chris-san said that since the head of the house was personally involved, the noble house would likely be dissolved.

Also, I accompanied the raid on the mansion of a nouveau riche man in Illumi City, but one of the rescues resulted in a truly bitter aftertaste.

When the knights and guards stormed in, that nouveau riche man was right in the middle of having sex with a slave woman.

That slave woman tried to protect her master with a look of pure desperation.

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Of course, being a frail woman, she was no match for the guards and was easily restrained.

Even then, she kept trying to protect her master, forcing her limbs to move. In the end, her body couldn’t withstand the strain, and the tendons in both her arms and legs ruptured.

I used Dispel Curse on her and treated her injuries.

For a while, she seemed dazed, but once she understood she had been liberated, she thanked me.

However, unfortunately, she took her own life a short while later.

I heard she had responded honestly to the questioning, but the shock of having been violated against her will, combined with the fact that the power of the Curse Mark had made her act as if she loved and was loyal to her master… it seems her heart simply broke from the inability to process those contradictions.

The guards apologized to me, saying they were sorry, but was it really only their responsibility? Did I do something wrong? Was there nothing else I could have done?

Those thoughts kept circling endlessly through my head.

I still don’t have an answer.

◇ ◇ ◇

Thus, the investigation concluded in about ten days—slightly longer than planned—and the gang led by Alfred, the eldest son of the Count’s family who was at the center of the incident, was sentenced to face the guillotine in the central plaza.

Slave trading is, in principle, punishable by death, but in reality, offenders are usually sent to harsh locations like mines for forced labor.

However, in Alfred’s case, he was also judged for the crime of assault against a Saint, and it seems this crime results in a public execution without exception.

Apparently, assaulting a Saint—even one who is merely a candidate—is a far graver sin than trampling over the lives of many through slave trading.

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All that actually happened was that I got punched and my clothes were torn, so in Japan, wouldn’t that be considered attempted rape at most?

Personally, I still can’t quite wrap my head around these warped values.

And so, we came to watch this public execution.

This was because Lu-chan said she wanted to see it.

Personally, I thought it would be better to just put the whole thing behind us and forget about it as quickly as possible, but I suppose Lu-chan has her own feelings on the matter.

“We shall now carry out the public execution of the arch-criminal, Alfred Maynard, and nine others!”

The “nine others” were the ones who participated in the attack on us along with Alfred.

Of the men who had burst into our room, three were survivors who hadn’t been cut down by Chris-san, and five had been intruders in the Count’s estate garden; they were all supposedly down-and-out types working as hunters.

The final one was a maid in Alfred’s service who had reportedly spiked our food with sleeping medicine.

One by one, the charges were read aloud and the executions were carried out.

With every person executed, the tension in the plaza rose.

In this world with little entertainment, a public execution is almost a kind of spectacle, serving as a form of recreation for the commoners.

It’s a mindset I can’t understand at all, but that’s just how it is.

Looking back at the history of the real world, public executions as entertainment existed commonly from the Roman Empire until the 20th century.

It feels wrong, but perhaps that’s just the way of things.

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Incidentally, we are currently watching the public execution from the second floor of a building facing the plaza.

The reason, naturally, is to avoid a panic.

Rumors that I dispelled an Enslavement Curse Mark have spread throughout Illumi City, and if I walk through town, I’m constantly approached by people holding glass beads or glass statues begging me to Enchant their trinkets.

I can only imagine what would happen if I, as both a central figure and a victim, showed my face in a place like that.

“This man, Alfred Maynard, despite his position as the legitimate son of a Count, drugged the Saint and Holy Knight staying at the Count’s estate, and after attempting to violate them, tried to murder them!”

“What a scumbag!” “Unforgivable!” “Kill him!”

The crowd’s heat intensified.

“Saint-sama and Holy Knight escaped the predicament through quick thinking and are safe, but this man’s guilt is clear! Respecting Article 1 of the World Saint Protection Accord and in accordance with Article 3 of the White Moon Kingdom Saint Protection Act, this arch-criminal is sentenced to death by beheading!”

“Wooooooooh!” “Kill him—!”

The crowd grew even more frenzied.

“Listen to me, all of you! That woman isn’t human! I was holding her down and she just vanished! No human can pull off something like that! Don’t be fooled!”

Alfred was making excuses.

Well, I’m not human, sure. But that has nothing to do with what you did!

“Shut up!” “You monster!” “There’s no way such a wonderful person isn’t human!”

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The crowd roared with anger. Well, of course they would.

As if responding to those voices, Alfred was struck repeatedly by the guards, groaning in pain.

“This man has further crimes! He conspired with slave traders and attempted to enslave an innocent Elf girl using an Enslavement Curse Mark. It was Saint-sama who liberated her as well. Furthermore, his motive for trying to harm Saint-sama was a grudge held against her for liberating that Elf. We must declare such conduct to be utterly outrageous!”

“You piece of trash!” “He’s right!” “Hurry up and execute him!”

The excitement reached its peak.

Forced and dragged along, Alfred was secured to the guillotine.

“Do it!”

The command was given, and the blade fell with a heavy thud.

The execution was over in an instant, and the plaza was enveloped in an eerie fever pitch.

In that final moment, I felt as though my eyes met his.

Those dark, clouded eyes seemed as though they were condemning me for being a Vampire.

Before I knew it, Chris-san had gently taken my trembling hand in hers.

Translator Note

Ah… It’s heavier than I thought…