No Witnesses, No Crime
No witnesses means it never happened.
After confirming today's NewTube upload, I logged into DeoEn.
Since I'd logged out right in the middle of the hunting grounds, the trolls I'd been farming yesterday greeted me on arrival.
Trolls with black stripes, each one hefting a club bristling with horns.
I swept through every last one of them with my spear, then made my way down to the city.
Today, as always, the people here went about their lives, each playing their part. Keeping out of their sight, I draped the robe Yena had given me over my shoulders and walked through the city in silence.
This place was called Roton, one of the Empire's territories.
It sat a fair distance from the imperial capital, but it was still under the Empire's influence, which meant an Outlaw like me couldn't exactly stroll around in the open.
Brings back memories.
There had been a time, long ago, when I was briefly called the "Witch" and had to move about with my head down.
The true saintess of that era had regarded me as nothing more than a byproduct of the Heavenfolk. And to be fair, that was exactly what I was. But once I gave up the title of saintess and my power and infamy kept swelling, she began slandering me instead.
Of course, the moment I paid her a visit for a little... corrective education, she retracted everything immediately.
That would have been about ten years after I'd stepped down as saintess.
"Hey, you there!"
"?"
The moment I tried to slip into a sparsely populated side street, someone called out to me.
A city soldier. Or perhaps a knight.
He was far stronger than the trolls I'd just swept aside. A long sword hung at his waist as he strode toward me.
"Is there a problem?"
"Identification check. Word is that Outlaws raising rebellion against the Empire have been prowling the city lately. I'll need to inspect you, so stay still."
A knight, hand resting on a sword emblazoned with the Empire's sun sigil, trying to intimidate me?
A common soldier wouldn't carry himself like that, so he had to be a knight.
The knights of the past had worn this exact attitude toward outsiders, too.
Should I run?
The Outlaw system grated on me a little, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Worst case, I'd get detained, pay a fine, or spend a night in a cell. Nobody had died from it yet, apparently — though killing someone did put the Empire on high alert for a while.
But if I ran, security would tighten, and using the intercontinental gate here in Roton would become a problem.
Maybe I should just call Yena over and go with her.
After eyeing my body up and down for a long while, the knight gave a pointed cough and drew his blade.
"However I look at it, you're suspicious. Spread your arms and turn around."
"Might I ask why I need to turn around?"
"Identification check. If you don't want to taste the Empire's blade, turn around quietly."
"......"
The intent behind it was obvious.
First the sailor event, and now this — someone had apparently taken a keen interest in me lately.
Cheeky.
"The Empire's blade, is it. The Empire certainly seems to have a great many blades."
"What was that?"
The knight's brow furrowed at my words. In a flash, his sword was at my throat.
He had some mana to him, at least — the movement was clean, no wasted motion.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what you understand it to mean."
"...You're an Outlaw, it seems. I hereby pass judgment on you."
"Swords pass judgment these days? Just how does this Empire of yours operate?"
An empire was supposed to be absolute central authority — a crown wielding unshakable power. And yet here was some sword dispensing judgment on its own.
This is the greatest nation on the continent...?
What an absolute dumpster fire.
To be fair, knights belonged to the nobility and held real power, but they had no authority to hold summary trials.
"You dare dishonor the Empire?"
"I wonder who's actually doing that."
"Silence!"
At the knight's roar, I batted his sword aside.
The blade was flung back with a sharp tiiing~, and the knight's eyes went wide. Not only that — he staggered a full five steps before he managed to recover his balance.
"I have no wish to harm you. So just walk away."
Lily, green spear in hand, stared at him without a trace of emotion.
The knight ground his teeth, raised his sword, and gathered his strength.
A faint blue aura rose from the blade. Faint, but unmistakably sword energy.
"A mere outsider dares—!"
"...I can't exactly do it like the old days."
Back then, one of his arms would already be sailing through the air.
The only reason I was holding back was that he was an imperial knight.
However pathetic this knight might be, this was still the Empire's frontier. I was merely an Outlaw for now, but if I kept piling onto the Empire's grudges, knights from the central capital might actually come.
I don't know exactly how strong they'd be, but... stronger than rankers, probably.
Otherwise the rankers would have wrapped the entire Empire around their fingers ages ago.
According to what I'd pieced together from Yena, my viewers, and the internet, less than twenty percent of the Empire's true strength had ever been revealed.
Nothing for it, then.
First, shut that knight's mouth. I'd think about the rest after.
The Outlaw system's notoriety shifted depending on who was watching. In other words, with no witnesses, nothing had happened at all.
After all, didn't they always say it?
No witnesses, no assassination.
"My condolences."
"Who do you think you—"
The instant spear and sword were about to clash—
"Aaaaah! Stahp! Stahp!"
A small child came scrambling down the alley, breathless and panting.
Countless tiny something-or-others swirled about her.
The knight turned his straining, bloodshot eyes toward her.
"...Marquess Leo?"
"Wh-what do you think you're doooing!? Stop this instaaaant!!"
"Marquess?"
Leo? The Leo I know?
A marquess, no less?
Come to think of it, she was dressed nothing like the mage I remembered — she wore full noble's regalia, glaring daggers at the knight before whirling around to face me.
"Fuhaha! Lady Lily! Found you at last."
"You were looking for me?"
"This city is full of spirits. And the spirits are my eyes."
"Ah."
So this wasn't an assassination after all.
"...This city is your territory, Leo?"
"Jointly owned, technically... The Empire handed it over ages ago in return for a favor I did them. Something to do with the spirits."
Leo had invited me into a private parlor of the marquess's residence and handed me a teacup.
It was a cherry-based tea of some kind, and it was delicious.
Leo let out a long phew~ and ran a hand through her hair.
"I'm sorry. It's technically my domain, but I never really manage it. I basically let it run itself. Anyway — I apologize for my knight."
Leo bowed her head deeply. I waved it off, insisting it was nothing.
Truthfully, I was the one who'd become an Outlaw, and I could have simply walked away — but I'd read his intent and overreacted a little.
"Not at all. Your response was perfectly justified, Lady Lily."
"Still, it's fascinating. A user as a territorial lord."
I knew guilds held guild castles where their members set up shop, but I'd never heard of a user being granted territory within an empire to govern outright.
And a marquess, of all things.
Leo scratched her head with a sheepish grin.
"S-surprising, right? I honestly didn't think I'd actually get it. Taxes come in and everything! And the knights are great— no. No, they're not great. Anyway, it's great!"
"Oh ho..."
Now I understood perfectly well why people kept going on about Leo this, Leo that.
With talent like hers, no wonder they handed her a territory.
Leo hummed happily as she wolfed down the desserts on the spotless table, then suddenly went ah! and snapped her head up.
"Ohno! We have to go to the mock team draft!"
"...May I pinch you, just once?"
"Huh?"
I moved before she could answer.
The soft cheek stretched and stretched. Those amber eyes, glittering like gemstones, wavered wildly.
"Ubeee... whuddy? Widwy?"
"Heh. Adorable."
"Ehe?"
I let go. Leo clutched her cheek in a daze.
Apparently that much didn't trigger the Penalty. Or maybe she'd been here so long that nothing would change until she logged out anyway.
"Sorry. You were just too cute. Consider that knight business settled with this."
"...? Huh? No, I should be compensating you..."
"That's plenty."
I've had my fill of material compensation in my day, thank you very much.
Pinching a cute nymph's cheek was worth far more.
"So this is the desert."
"Yup! It's suuuper hot, so I keep Frosty running at all times."
Thanks to Marquess Leo's help, I'd used the intercontinental gate with ease and arrived at Runos, the neutral city.
Being a city built atop the desert, everyone went around in the lightest of clothing against the heat.
Leo had an ice spirit wrapped around her as well — an arctic fox, draped about her neck like a scarf, and quite adorable.
As for me, being a Heaven-Scented Human, I was perfectly fine with any ordinary swing in temperature.
"Um, I'm about to turn on my stream — that's all right with you, right?"
"? Yes! No problem at all!"
Leo nodded, munching on a shaved ice the frost spirit had whipped up for her.
The day of the Mock Siege team draft.
I kept the stream title simple.
"LilHa~ Welcome, everyone."
"Welcomee! LeHa!"
With the LilHa greeting now worn smooth from habit, Leo waved her little hands up in the air too.
"I hope we end up on the same team, Leo."
"Ah! Me too! For some reason I've got a feeling we will..."
"LILY!!!"
A familiar, booming voice rang out from far away.
Yena.