Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Child of the Abyss (3)
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A small warehouse deep in the underground cave.
As the low, narrow door creaked open, the red-rusted hinges screamed as if they might shatter.
Inside the warehouse, crates, ropes, and several unused oak barrels were scattered about.
And beyond all these worn, useless objects, more than a dozen people writhed on the floor.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
"Mmgh—uuuugh!"
"Hic—sob sob—uuuhuhu..."
Criminals dragged here after committing their crimes.
In their time on the surface, they had framed the innocent, making them shed bloody tears; plundered the property of ordinary commoners; and casually embezzled public funds, committed tax evasion, and more.
And they all shared one more thing in common.
"They're the masterminds who brought down House Roschek."
"...".
At Federback's words, Rorshah's expression hardened coldly.
The prisoners, hearing the name "Roschek," struggled even more violently.
"Uuuugh!"
"Huff—haaack!"
"Heuk—heuk heuk—uuuhuhu..."
Right before her eyes, the enemies of her parents begged for mercy.
Rorshah's lips were sealed tight as a fortress as she looked down at them.
But in her eyes swirled a massive rage she could not fully voice.
Tap—
Federback stood behind Rorshah and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"I'll leave their disposal to you."
"...".
Rorshah's shoulders turned as Federback pushed.
Soon, in her sideways-turned view, something new came into sight.
On a crate in front of her sat two items.
One was a gleaming silver dagger, sharp as could be.
A blade that could avenge her parents.
The other was a red seal symbolizing both the Meursault House jurist and administrator.
This represented a break from the past, from the abyss.
With these two meaningful objects before her, Rorshah simply stared at them in silence.
Federback continued.
"For reference, I've only pulled out a few major roots—the lesser ones got away from me."
"...".
"Rooting out every last petty thief rampant in Meursault. That's your job from here on."
Federback's goal was to eradicate the corrupt officials rotting the territory from within.
Rorshah's goal was to hunt down her parents' enemies one by one.
Curiously, the targets they aimed for were one and the same.
Their interests aligned perfectly.
Clack!
Rorshah slowly rose and picked up the dagger.
Then, in a curt, businesslike tone, she spoke.
"Lord Federback seeks a hunting dog. One with fangs as sharp as this blade."
"I won't deny it."
The moment Federback nodded, the bound prisoners began thrashing like mad.
A few managed to spit out their gags and screamed.
"Aaaagh! No!"
"Please! Please spare us!"
"Hic, w-we made a mistake!"
"We'll do anything—just spare our lives..."
As if realizing their fate, their faces were etched with terror.
Then.
Tap—
Rorshah suddenly set the dagger down.
Federback asked.
"No need for revenge? Forgiveness is the highest virtue or some such?"
It happened sometimes.
Sophists who spouted nonsense like losing is winning.
Federback had seen countless such philosophers in his previous life.
And not one of them made a peep until the day the demon army annihilated humanity.
'Saints, gentlemen, petty scum—they all screamed and cried the same when the demons tore them apart. The splattering blood, entrails, and flesh chunks were identical.'
Talk of forgiveness was meaningless.
During the Great War with the demon realm, "forgiveness" meant surrender, and "surrender" meant suicide.
So if Rorshah spouted such things, he'd need to re-educate her.
But Rorshah said something different from what Federback expected.
"My parents died by the pen, not the sword."
"...?".
"It's not swords or shields that will kill these vermin, but pens and ledgers."
"...!"
Rorshah's gaze turned to the prisoners.
An utterly cold glare.
Her eyes no longer saw them as people.
"Stabbing them to death with a blade feels too easy for revenge. As an administrator, I should avenge through administration. Completing the tasks my parents couldn't in life—that would be true vengeance."
"Hearing it now, that makes sense too."
"I look forward to working with you, Lord Federback. Until your great undertaking is complete, I pledge my utmost loyalty as your steed."
Rorshah bowed to Federback.
Despite growing up in the abyss, her etiquette was flawless.
She could enter noble society right now.
... Tap!
Finally, Rorshah took the red seal in hand.
A farewell to the past.
She had chosen a new path.
Federback said.
"Congratulations on your appointment, Rorshah."
The child of the abyss had joined his ranks.
* * *
Several days passed since Federback acquired a useful blade.
In the administrative building of Meursault Fortress.
A group of people gathered there.
"Sancho! Long time no see. How've you been?"
"Eh, same as always."
"These days, I can't even breathe easy. Who knows where the informants are lurking."
"Makes you wonder if this is living. The old days were better."
Fat rats swollen from infighting in crates.
The ones who survived by selling out their comrades.
"We ditched the higher-ups, stepped on the lower ones, and came out on top."
"Their confiscated assets will come to us as rewards, so we're better off than before."
"Crises can turn into opportunities depending on how you handle them."
The rats squeaked, envisioning a bright future ahead.
Then.
Creeeak—
Someone opened the administrator's door and entered.
The people hastily stood.
"Prison Warden, sir! You've arrived!"
Federback Meursault.
The one who summoned these rats had appeared.
"Thanks for coming."
"Um... Prison Warden, sir. Why did you call us...? We have nothing to do with that recent purge—we're innocent territory folk..."
A man named Sancho asked cautiously, glancing around.
The others, guilty about the summons, averted their eyes and fidgeted.
Finally, Federback spoke.
"Time to collect your informant rewards. The amounts are quite hefty."
"Yes. We were just about to ask about th—"
Sancho's face lit up as he opened his mouth, but Federback's next words cut him off.
"Hand over your full asset disclosures, and you'll get the rewards."
"...Pardon?"
The rats' eyes bulged.
Exposing their assets was like handing over their leashes.
But they had no choice.
To claim their rewards from Meursault.
With trembling hands, they submitted their asset lists.
As Federback reviewed them, the room's mood shifted with his every move.
"Hmm..."
Federback stroked his chin.
"All this is completely accurate, without a shred of falsehood?"
His heavy gaze weighed on the room; someone gulped.
"Of course."
The goateed Sancho nodded for the group.
Federback gave a faint smile.
"Good. In light of your sincerity, then..."
At that moment, the door to the chief jurist's office burst open, and fully armed soldiers poured in.
Federback continued.
"I'll send you off painlessly."
All the rats stared blankly.
Unable to grasp the situation.
"What do you mean? You said you'd value us... generous rewards..."
"I will value you. As fertilizer for my garden."
"...".
Everyone in Meursault territory knew Federback tended a small garden of his own.
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, wheat grew there...
And the fertilizer was the corpses of executed major criminals.
Federback added in a bored tone.
"Your submitted documents are riddled with shady dealings. That's forgery of official records. Embezzlement penalties are death, naturally. Daring to mess with Meursault?"
"Th-that's!? A misunderstanding! We never meant—!"
"Enough. You're no different from those we executed before. Thieves, swindlers, frauds—all of you. Parasites sucking the honest taxpayers dry."
At Federback's sharp assessment, Sancho and the rest fell silent.
Their documents were flung back at them.
Federback declared without a hint of reconsideration.
"Rewards go only to transparent accounts. Yours are all murky and unclear—can't process them. And..."
To the stunned rats, including Sancho, Federback added casually, as if he'd forgotten.
"Starting today, the new judicial administrator will handle your disposition. We'll be seeing a lot of each other, so introductions are in order."
Federback snapped his fingers.
The back door opened, revealing one person.
A girl in her mid-teens.
Her rough bronze hair cropped short like a boy's, with slightly drooping eye corners and small, prim lips that stood out.
Washed clean, well-fed, and dressed neatly, her stunning beauty shone unfiltered.
"Hello. I'm the new judicial administrator, Rorshah Roschek."
The girl greeted them in a low voice.
Sancho and all the gathered rats felt their hearts sink.
No one here could hear "Roschek" without a pang of conscience.
They were the ones who framed the innocent, upright administrator couple and drove them out years ago.
And fattened themselves doing their dirty work.
"N-no way?"
"The Roschek couple's daughter?"
"They had a kid?"
The rats murmured in shock.
Having barely escaped the earlier bloodbath, Rorshah smiled at them.
"Looking forward to working with you, you criminals worse than trash."
The avenger of the abyss had arrived wielding the sword of the law.
Hearing "Roschek," the rats instinctively knew.
This coming storm of blood was unavoidable.