Justice Does Not Yield (3)
"The charges are public indecency. And operating an illegal establishment."
"Huh?"
"We'll just give the shop a formal warning and leave it at that. Doesn't seem like they meant any harm."
"Um..."
"I'll leave the rest to you gentlemen. Well then, take care..."
"W-wait a minute!"
In the only gray building left standing in Beimesher—a fortress of iron bars and solitude that served as the city's prison—a pure white woman cried out for mercy. She'd been hauled in still wearing the clothes she had on at the time of her emergency arrest, and now she covered her chest with her hands and offered an awkward smile.
"Please wait, Mr. Claus. I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding."
"You said it wasn't a misunderstanding earlier."
"Well, that was... anyway, it is a misunderstanding. I wasn't trying to do anything weird—I just wanted to get closer to you..."
"Ah, right. Of course."
"Ugh..."
From beyond the bars came Ru's frustrated, wronged-sounding groan. Looking at her like that, even the person who'd dragged her here couldn't help feeling a little sorry.
Yeah, well. She probably hadn't been planning anything that shameless. Ru was a noble young lady and a knight, after all—sort of. She was probably just trying to attract some customers in her own way.
But doing business near the school district dressed like that? Absolutely unforgivable. I'd gone to all the trouble of cleaning up the streets for Lia's sake. I couldn't just leave something like that alone.
So the moment she admitted her wrongdoing, I called the guards. Of course, I didn't want to make a big deal of it, so I asked them to go as easy as possible.
"Anyway, that's how it is. She's not a bad person, so please don't treat her too roughly."
"Understood, Master Claus. Then how shall we punish her?"
"Punish her?"
"Yes. It would help if you decided directly."
I'd figured they'd want me to name the charges, but I could even decide the punishment myself? It really drove home just how much this city relied on Lia.
Well, back in our village, Master played a similar role. Recalling that, I asked a question similar to what he used to ask.
"What do you usually do in cases like this?"
"We usually just let it slide. It's pretty common around the harbor with all the sailors, after all."
"Come on, even so—what would people think of this city if you handle it that way? Wrong is wrong."
"Then, following past precedent, we could march her naked through the streets or brand her forehead. Which would you prefer?"
"Neither! You lunatics."
At their extreme suggestions, I waved both hands frantically. Meanwhile, Ru's already pale face was losing more and more color.
"Isn't there something else? Something simpler... quieter..."
"A quieter method, you say. We could tie stones to her legs and throw her into the sea, or feed her to the crocodiles in the swamp."
"No, no, not that kind of thing. I mean something light... just enough to serve as a warning..."
"Light, and enough to serve as a warning. You must mean the punishment of cutting off her wrists and sending them to her family. If you dislike bodily harm, we could strip her naked and make her walk home..."
"Stop with the stripping already."
I held the guards back and glanced at Ru again. Her face had gone past pale into ashen, and she was muttering to herself as she looked at me.
"I didn't think you were that kind of person. Mr. Claus... you too..."
"Hold on, Ru. It's not what you're thinking, so just stay quiet for a second."
"...So this is how he means to humiliate me. Countless other women must have suffered the same..."
"What was that? I didn't catch it—say that again. Sounded like something I can't just let slide."
"How vicious. This cunning, filthy human...!"
Her voice was too quiet to make out clearly, but one thing was certain: my reputation was tanking in real time. The one who'd brought her in was growing more embarrassed than the actual criminal, when the guard from earlier whispered a suggestion.
"If it's proving difficult, shall we ask the Master for help? She's more familiar with these matters, after all."
"Why would you call Lia for something like this? Keep it a secret from her. Why do you keep trying to put her through this?"
"A secret? But..."
"Don't tell her under any circumstances. Seriously. I want her to see only the good things whenever possible."
"Hmm... Understood for now, Master Claus. We'll do our best to silence everyone involved."
"No, you don't need to go as far as silencing people..."
"We will guard this secret with our lives. We swear it."
Once again my words seemed to have caused some misunderstanding, because they nodded at me with meaningful expressions. I couldn't exactly scold them for it, so I just let it go.
"Anyway, let's try to handle this as nicely as we can. As for a fine... she probably can't afford one, so how about detention? A day or two."
"And keep it secret from the Master, correct?"
"Yeah, please. That should do it, right?"
"Yes. Then, as Master Claus's personal prisoner, we will give her special supervision."
"Wait. Personal prisoner? Special supervision?"
At the unfamiliar terms, both Ru and I looked toward the guard. I didn't know what it meant, but if I just left it alone this time, it would probably cause another misunderstanding—so I waved my hands first.
"No, no. Don't do that. What's with the special supervision?"
"It's nothing major. Simply that we will keep a close watch. And since she is Master Claus's personal prisoner, you may interrogate her directly whenever you wish."
"Excuse me?"
"Here is the key. Please take it."
Before I knew it, the cold metal was resting in my outstretched palm. Having handed me the prison key, the guard leaned in and whispered in a voice that would have sounded suspicious to anyone:
"No matter what happens inside, we will not interfere."
She had thought she was in control.
Of every situation, every moment, every current of events.
But she was wrong. The one she had been dealing with was not a gentle lamb—it was a wolf under a crescent moon.
In the dim prison, the white knight blamed her own foolishness.
"...Haa."
Claus. Behind tightly sealed lips, she repeated the man's name. For just a moment, she had been fooled by his simple exterior and thought she could easily seduce him. Humble as she considered herself, she still had a fair amount of confidence in her own beauty.
But there was one fact she alone had failed to consider: the man she was trying to seduce was the ringleader of a filthy gang of criminals. He had probably indulged in women until he was sick of them. He wasn't a man who could be satisfied by ordinary tastes.
And this was the result.
"Kh..."
Ru clutched her shoulders and looked around. The pitch-black room where not even light entered; the chains and manacles carelessly draped about seemed to testify to the immorality that had taken place here.
Master Claus's personal prisoner. She didn't even need to think about what that meant. Countless women must have had to endure that bastard's perverted proclivities in this place. Some of them might still be locked up somewhere nearby.
Of course, unlike those women, Ru could escape this place whenever she wanted. But that very fact had become the shackle that bound her feet.
"Right. I still can't leave. If this is his personal prison, there must be some useful information hidden here."
Her conviction that the most dangerous place in this land should be her battlefield—and the thought that she had finally come face-to-face with this city's dark side—meant she couldn't carelessly attempt an escape. Besides, she still hadn't obtained a single scrap of information about the Black Lady. Raising a ruckus now would only make finding her even harder.
At the very least, she would have to face that Claus fellow. The detention period was only a day or two, so the matter would be settled before long. Escape would have to remain a last resort.
And though the form was a little different, she was alone with him either way. In a sense, the conditions for disposing of the man were ideal.
"Come, Claus."
Ru steeled herself and muttered under her breath. And as if answering that call, heavy footsteps approached from afar.
Soon, a single torch cut through the deep darkness. The gleaming eyes beneath it were, of course, that man's.
"Why's it so dark in here? And what's with all these stairs?"
"..."
"What are all these rats... I'll have to tell them to clean the place up."
Claus walked forward with the calm of someone for whom this was routine. While she fought back the nausea at that everyday evil, he stood before the bars and put on a loathsome smile.
"Ru. Are you all right? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lock you up somewhere this deep."
"..."
"The guards said this was the only cell left. I really do feel bad, but wrong is wrong."
"..."
"Here, eat something first. I asked around and brought a little food to tide you over."
What he held out was bread and milk that looked delicious at a glance. The sweet scent tempted her exhausted body, but Ru naturally refused to touch it. There was definitely some suspicious drug mixed in.
Even though she'd rejected him rather coldly, Claus greeted her again with that hypocritical smile. Lit by the torch, his face burned with an ominous light that gave off an eerie atmosphere.
"Guess there really isn't anything in it. Still, you should eat to keep your strength up. I'll leave it here for now."
"..."
"And I brought a change of clothes too. Looking like that is... ahem. Bound to be uncomfortable."
This time, what was passed through the bars was a white shirt and loose pants. Clothes that were surprisingly normal, better than expected. But that only made her more resistant.
Don't tell me he wants to feel like he's dealing with an ordinary woman. Truly disgusting thoughts, just what you'd expect from the ringleader of a crime syndicate.
"Change into these, and just think of it as spending a night here. And don't do anything like that again."
"..."
"I'll stay a little longer. You'd get bored alone."
"...Kh."
So this is where it starts. Ru clenched her teeth and steeled her will once more. If necessary, she was prepared to endure a certain amount of humiliation at his hands.
"...Go ahead and begin."
"Pardon?"
"Whatever you were going to do. Hurry up and start."
"Excuse me?"
Having made her resolve, Ru lifted her chin as proudly as she could. He smiled with a leisurely air and opened his mouth.
"I think there's some kind of misunderstanding. Let's talk for a bit first. There were a few things I wanted to ask you anyway."
"..."
"Hmm... Still, talking through the bars like this seems a little rude."
Soon, his hand moved toward the key. Ru watched him without the slightest retreat. In her clenched fist, power surged as if it might warp space itself, ready for any contingency.
But just then, urgent footsteps came rushing down from above.
"Master Claus!"
"...Huh?"
"So this is where you were. I have an urgent message...!"
The guard who came running as if he might trip took one look at Claus and Ru and shut his mouth. Then, with an extremely apologetic expression, he bowed his head.
"I-I'm so sorry. I had no intention of interrupting..."
"No, it's fine. What's going on?"
"Someone has come looking for you, Master Claus. Ordinarily we would have turned them away, but I think you really ought to meet them."
"Who is it?"
"Well..."
Before the guard could answer, more footsteps approached. Soon a young man appeared, accompanied by a throng of guards.
Neatly cropped hair, an unshakable posture, and well-trained arm muscles. Anyone could see he wasn't an ordinary civilian. Flaunting his military bearing to the fullest, he opened his mouth the moment he saw Claus.
"Is that man Claus?"
"I'm sorry. I tried to stop him somehow...!"
"How insolent. To dare obstruct a knight's path. The one I have come to meet is..."
The man who had been striding forward without hesitation suddenly stopped when he saw Ru. And Ru, locking eyes with him, couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
She had definitely seen that face somewhere before. But Claus knew nothing about the man, so he asked the natural question.
"...Who are you?"
"I am..."
He looked back and forth between Ru and Claus, then swallowed as if nervous. But he soon shook his head and declared his identity in a clear voice.
"I am Dyke, Knight of the Round Table. As a knight of the kingdom and a noble, I have come to meet you, Claus."