Chapter 101: The Tin Knight and the Martial Arts Tournament (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 101: The Tin Knight and the Martial Arts Tournament (8)
Maximilian was no fool.
He was fundamentally arrogant, had a rotten personality, and on top of all that, was a simpleton utterly convinced he was always doing the right thing, but he wasn't lacking in intelligence. In a way, that was the bigger problem.
Therefore, the moment the mysterious masked girl appeared, Maximilian immediately realized who she was.
And he thought, ‘Not a bad opportunity.’
For Maximilian, this whole affair wasn't some grand conspiracy.
Taking down bandits and the city's villains was one of the Patriotic Youth Group's main duties.
Since his tournament schedule was empty and he was bored, he had simply shown up after hearing a rumor about some villains ripe for a beatdown.
The fact that those villains had already been dealt with by others, and that the people here now were innocent victims busy cleaning up the mess, was of no importance. In the first place, someone who cared about such things wouldn't go around proclaiming himself the embodiment of justice.
A simple stroll. A bit of fun. A way to pass the time and boost his reputation.
That was all it had been, but at this moment, it had been elevated into a worthy ‘incident.’
All because of the intruder's presence.
Maximilian, feeling a sense of delight at the situation, spoke in a feigned tone.
“An outrage? Did you just call this an outrage? How astonishing!”
With an exaggerated tone and gestures, as if performing in a play, Maximilian looked up at the masked girl.
“This is judgment! Punishment for the corrupt company that sucked the lifeblood of the innocent to fill its own coffers! And yet you deny it, calling it an outrage? Are you saying you'll ignore the suffering of the victims and side with the villains? Surely you haven't taken a dirty bribe!”
At Maximilian's words, the crowd's gazes all turned to Ad… the mysterious masked girl.
The masked girl's eyes darted around beneath her mask.
‘Wh-what do I do now?’
She hadn't exactly burst onto the scene with a plan.
She had just stumbled into action, unable to refuse the suggestion of her T… of her taciturn and profoundly dignified teacher.
The masked girl’s political and debate skills were on the level of a kidney bean grown for a child’s school project. She might earn a ‘Oh, you tried very hard!’ but she lacked the punch to truly captivate a crowd.
It was painfully obvious that in a war of words against Maximilian—who, despite being violent and authoritarian, had a booming voice brimming with confidence—she would be utterly defeated.
Therefore, the masked girl stopped thinking.
Then, she began to appropriately translate the words of the T… of the taciturn, solemn, and dignified knight echoing in her head and speak them aloud.
“Answer me! Why do you interfere with this righteous judgment—”
“Be quiet! I have nothing to say to a villain!”
“—Huh?”
Maximilian's perfectly reasonable rebuttal, Hey, you're the one who started talking to me, never had a chance to emerge.
The masked girl's words were faster.
“First! The crime of barging into a shop conducting legitimate business, causing a ruckus, and not hesitating to threaten them to hand over their assets!
Second! The crime of attempting private retribution, ignoring the authority of the Thracus Guard and the Lord, to whom the punishment of criminals strictly belongs!
Third! The crime of trying to evade all responsibility by not taking the valuables yourself but scattering them to the crowd, ensuring that only those who took the money would be punished if any problems arose, while you and your companions get off scot-free!”
“What is this nonsense! That's ridiculous—”
“B was harmed because of A's mistake! C, A's colleague, punished A and offered compensation to B! But then X, who has no connection to this incident, beat up C and tried to seize their assets for personal gain! If that is not a villain, what is?! If that is not an evil act, what is?! If you truly wish to enact goodness and justice, you should not harm the innocent based on personal speculation and assertion, but wait for the guard to arrive and clearly delineate the merits and sins!”
The masked girl didn't even really know what she was saying.
Messages were constantly dinging in her head, and she was scrambling just to translate them and get the words out. It was a miracle she didn't bite her tongue.
Maximilian was dumbfounded.
The opponent's words were filled with all sorts of distortions, exaggerations, fabrications, and speculative remarks.
Listening to an argument that was closer to a child's tantrum than proper logic, he was so flabbergasted he was at a loss for words.
In truth, Maximilian's usual methods weren't all that different, but he wasn't the type of person who was good at self-reflection or putting himself in others' shoes. After all, getting a taste of your own medicine is only meaningful if the person has a shred of shame to begin with.
And there was one more thing he hadn't anticipated.
Murmur, murmur. Whisper, whisper.
“You know… now that I hear it, she might have a point?”
“What if we get in trouble later for taking this stuff?”
“Come to think of it, that's right. The person who did wrong is someone else, but he's yelling at the wrong people, isn't he?”
Normally, it's hard to make out the words when a crowd murmurs all at once, but Maximilian, whose specs were needlessly superior, could hear every word.
Enraged, Maximilian shouted.
“Don't be fooled! Everything that girl is saying is a fabrication!”
“Our lord is right! We are trying to resolve the grievances of the victims, how can you be deceived by such sophistry!”
“He is trying to bestow wealth upon you, and you should be grateful instead of…!”
The youths of the Patriotic Youth Group echoed Maximilian's words, trying to shift the mood, but the people were reluctant to respond.
It wasn't that they were genuinely persuaded by the masked girl.
Well, there were a few who were, but the general consensus was something else entirely.
I don't want to get involved.
I don't know who's right.
This is a pain, just tell me how it ends later.
Indifference and non-responsiveness.
The people gathered here weren't driven by any great passion or sense of justice.
They were just spectators who had gathered to watch an interesting situation, and they had only gotten excited when Maximilian said he'd be sprinkling around some freebies.
They would've accepted a free gift without a second thought, but if there was a chance they'd face some disadvantage for taking it, they were bound to hesitate.
“So who's right in the end?”
“I don't know.”
The masked girl's needlessly long and grandiloquent speech also contributed to dampening their enthusiasm.
People didn't want to get dragged into a long debate to seriously argue over who was right or wrong. Maybe if they had nothing better to do, but right now, the entire city of Thracus was in a constant state of festival, with entertainment everywhere. Only a minority would bother with such a headache when there were so many other fun things to do.
“Phew.”
Watching the scene, Lorentz Halder let out a quiet sigh of relief.
When the masked girl had first intervened, he had been on edge, wondering how things would unfold, but thankfully, the situation seemed to be resolving itself.
It seemed that planting people in the crowd to subtly echo the masked girl's words had been somewhat effective.
After glancing at the Tin Knight, who was nodding with a satisfied look, arms crossed, Lorentz asked his subordinate.
“Are the guards here yet?”
“We've already reported it, but with minor incidents breaking out all over the city, it seems it will take a while longer for them to get here.”
“Tsk. It can't be helped, but this is frustrating.”
If this were the southern continent, where the Halder Company held significant influence, they maintained close relationships (mostly through bribes) with the local lords, so their response would have been faster. But here in Thracus, where their foundation was still weak, that wasn't the case.
Still, they had managed to prevent public opinion from turning dangerous. If they could just stall for time, the guards would arrive and sort things out, or the other side would give up and retreat.
Lorentz prayed that Maximilian would choose the latter.
He had been forced to fight back this time because Maximilian's demands were too outrageous, but making an enemy of the Haidern Marquis family was not something Lorentz wanted.
Not only was the other party a giant, but the very fact that this drug incident was becoming famous and spreading as a rumor was a loss for the Halder Company.
Grind.
The problem was, Maximilian was far more self-centered than Lorentz had imagined.
‘How dare they…!’
He was furious.
Furious at the situation for not going his way, furious at the crowd for their lukewarm response when he was offering them his grace, and furious at the masked girl for ruining a perfectly good meal.
Rationally, retreating here was the best option, but like a difficult customer who thinks they lose if they're persuaded by an employee, Maximilian began to shriek.
“Adelaide von Lennart! Do you have any idea what you are doing! Surely you are not unaware of what it means to protect a merchant who spreads toxic drugs and extorts dirty money from the people! Or is this action the will of the Lennart family itself!”
For a moment, the murmuring stopped.
The whispering onlookers just began to glance around nervously, but the youths of the Patriotic Youth Group all turned deathly pale.
Going all out against a mere merchant company was one thing, but dragging the Lion Duke’s bloodline into it was another matter entirely.
And the masked girl replied.
“Adelaide von Lennart? Who's that? I'm just a humble, righteous thief who admires the Lennart family, Lennart Mask.”
Uh… no, isn't that a bit much?
As the people around them became one in their bewilderment, the Tin Knight, who had no connection to the masked girl whatsoever, nodded his head in solitude.