Chapter 144: The Tin Knight and The City of Scales (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 144: The Tin Knight and The City of Scales (4)
Few did not know the name ‘Kingdom of Heaven.’
However, even fewer knew the details about it.
People rarely know much about a country on the same continent if it's far away, and in this case, the Kingdom of Heaven was an entity in the sky, physically unreachable.
Almost no one knew its true nature, and only baseless rumors abounded.
In fact, a fair number of people dismissed its very existence as a fabrication.
But this was only the talk of common folk.
For the powerful people at the top, things were a bit different.
“Adelaide. What do you think the powerful people of this world fear the most?”
“Hmm, isn't it losing their power?”
“That's not wrong. But there's something far more materialistic and desperate.”
“What is it?”
“Losing their health.”
“Huh?”
Adelaide blinked.
Finding her reaction amusing, Maris let out a faint smile and continued her explanation.
“There are those who spend what a commoner earns in a lifetime of back-breaking labor on a single meal. There are those who indulge in pleasure, surrounded by dozens of young, beautiful partners. And there are those who can command over ten thousand people with a single word. But you see, even for those who have so much, it all ends when they die. That's why they cherish their bodies so obsessively.”
“Isn't that only natural?”
“It is. And because it's natural, it's desperate. But the ways to satisfy that desperate desire are surprisingly few. Magic? There are endless ways to harm people, but it's not very effective when it comes to healing. Martial arts? Consistent training certainly keeps the body healthy, but even then, one bad illness can be the end. Elixirs? Potions that can heal a person just by being consumed are extremely rare, and since the powerful must compete with each other for them, the supply is overwhelmingly short compared to the demand.”
Maris paused for a moment.
“But holy power is different. Simply by bathing in its light, wounds heal, fatigue vanishes, and all manner of diseases lose their strength and recede.”
That, Maris said, was the source of the Kingdom of Heaven’s influence.
“The Kingdom of Heaven dispatches clerics to the rulers of the world. The rulers who keep these clerics by their side are freed from the fear of disease and can even slow their own aging. It means that while immortality like in the legends might be impossible, something close to eternal youth and long life becomes attainable.”
No matter what the people down below chattered about, the rulers of the continent did not doubt the existence of the Kingdom of Heaven.
No, far from doubting, they strove to interact with them in any way they could and to earn their favor.
This was especially true for the wealthy and aging among them.
And, of course, the easiest way to earn someone’s favor is with a gift.
“This city, Justitia, is land that a king of the Locria Federation offered to the Kingdom of Heaven. Nominally, it's Federation territory, and the officials who run the city are Federation people, but the position of lord is held by a priest from the Kingdom of Heaven. The rules I mentioned earlier were established by that priest.”
“So that’s why you can’t be arbitrarily punished outside the city for wrongs committed here. It would be seen as defying the authority of the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“Exactly.”
Maris’s shoulders slumped as she let out a deep sigh.
“Because of that, this city is an absolute mess. No matter what crime you commit, you can be forgiven as long as you pay up, and you'll never be questioned outside for what you did here. The ones with a bit of sense move cautiously, but it turns out the world is full of moths who live for today without a care for tomorrow.”
Just then, Sophia, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
“May I ask a question?”
“Hmm, a companion of my cousin is no stranger to me. Go ahead.”
“I understand that one of the Lennart dojos is located in this city. Is that correct?”
“It is.”
“In that case, are you explaining the city’s situation to Lady Adelaide in such detail because of that dojo?”
At Sophia’s words, the look in Maris’s eyes changed.
Wariness and curiosity. With the latter emotion being stronger, Maris asked back.
“Why do you think so?”
“I understand that you, Lady Maris, hold an important position within the Lennart Ducal House. In comparison, Lady Adelaide is from a branch family, a mere individual with no clear right of succession. And yet, your current attitude toward her seems excessive, no matter how I look at it.”
“Lion Duke's bloodline or not, we're all still people with red blood in our veins. Don't you think you're being a bit too cynical? I'm just trying to be kind to a cousin who got caught up in trouble because of me.”
“That could certainly be the case,” Sophia said, not refuting Maris’s words, but offering a gentle smile.
“I simply wish to say that, for some people, a simple 'Could you help me?' is more effective than 'You must cooperate for such-and-such reasons.'”
Maris fell silent.
As she remained quiet, seemingly lost in thought, one of the guards behind her spoke instead.
“Please watch what you say.”
The guard’s eyes were incredibly sharp, but considering that Adelaide’s party were guests invited by Maris, his tone was polite.
Hearing this, the Tin Knight’s head slowly turned to the side.
Adelaide, meeting the Tin Knight’s gaze, was startled and waved her hands dismissively, while Sophia quietly shook her head.
The Tin Knight returned to his upright posture.
Just then, Maris’s silence broke.
“I wasn't trying to trick or use you. It's just that the way nobles speak is often roundabout like this. You understand, don't you, Adelaide?”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
Seeing Adelaide's expression, which seemed to say with her entire body, ‘I don't know what's going on, but it's okay,’ Maris burst out laughing again.
The more she saw of her cousin, the more she liked her. It was a purity rarely found in the main family, where all sorts of political maneuvering and schemes were rampant.
Moreover, it seemed she had companions who would help prevent that purity from being exploited, which made Maris feel even more pleased.
“Thank you. Alright then, I'll cut to the chase. —At this rate, the survival of the Lennart dojo is at risk.”
Adelaide’s eyes widened in shock.
*
The incident began a month ago.
Students of the Lennart dojo were having a get-together at a tavern when they got into a fight with other drunkards.
The dojo students were confident in their skills and the reputation of the Lennart name, but they had picked the wrong opponents.
The rough sailors from a foreign land across the sea were outstanding in both temper and skill, and they had little idea of the influence the name ‘Lion Duke’ carried on this continent.
The tavern where the fight took place was left in shambles, and one of the students lost his life.
The sailors weren't unscathed, but a loss was a loss.
Hearing this news, the dojo’s instructors were at their wits' end.
It wouldn't look good for them to get involved in their students' drunken brawl, but they couldn't just let it go when their students had been beaten half to death and one had even been killed.
The instructors intended to demand an apology from the sailors and the shipowner who had hired them, but their opponents moved faster.
The shipowner’s side accused the Lennart dojo, claiming that ‘the ruffians from that dojo assaulted my ship’s crew.’
In a trial presided over by the lord himself, the rights and wrongs of the foreign sailors and the Lennart dojo were placed upon the scales without exception.
The scales tipped toward the sailors, proof that their crime was greater.
The sailors involved in the incident were all sentenced to prison, and the people of the dojo were relieved.
The problem came next.
The shipowner offered to pay for the sailors' sins, balancing the scales with money.
The priest-lord accepted, and with that, the matter was settled.
A dojo student had died, yet the other party had paid a pittance to make the matter disappear.
The dojo appealed the verdict, but it was not accepted, and the shipowner and sailors quickly loaded their trade goods and fled to sea.
As it was a high-profile case, the details and outcome spread in an instant.
People talked.
“Even the great Lion Duke's bloodline has no choice but to tuck its tail between its legs before the authority of the Kingdom of Heaven,” they said.
It was from that point on that all sorts of riffraff began to flock to the dojo and pick fights with its members.
If they tried to endure the insults and jeers, the level of disrespect would escalate endlessly. But if they responded with force, the dojo would be the one to face punishment or pay fines. This was because the weight for physical violence was heavier on the scales than the one for verbal abuse.
Another problem was that, unlike the dojo with its limited number of people, there seemed to be no end to their opponents.
An endless stream of nobodies, appearing from who-knows-where, kept provoking them, making it impossible for students and instructors alike to lead a normal life. Naturally, the dojo could not operate properly.
“So, the reason you came here, Miss Maris, was?”
“The Justitia branch sent a request for funds. I came in person to check on the local situation, but…”
Maris let out a deep sigh.
“This is hopeless. It's like pouring water into a bottomless pit. In the last month alone, this dojo has spent over 800 gold coins. The old geezers in the main family are blathering on about how we should bury every last one of these challengers to uphold the bloodline's prestige, no matter the cost, but from where I'm standing, the math just doesn't add up. We kill people and our family’s infamy grows, new students won't come and existing ones are running away one by one, and after killing those people, we still end up paying all the fines anyway, right? Why maintain a place where the authority we've built with blood and gold is just being siphoned away by the Kingdom of Heaven? I'd rather just move the dojo.”
It wasn't that Maris didn't know what people would say if she closed the dojo.
But if she kept the dojo open here out of fear of losing face, the expenses would continue to spiral endlessly.
Worse, the larger the expenses grew, the louder the voices reluctant to pull out because of the sunk costs would become.
Rather than see that happen, it was far more advantageous to withdraw now, while they were still in the early stages.
Adelaide tilted her head in confusion.
“Then, um, what is it that you want to ask of me?”
“To create a pretext.”
“A pretext?”
“If I had my way, I'd just pack up and leave quietly, but the people at the local dojo and the old men at the main house just won't listen. So, we need to show them that we're not just running away with our tails between our legs. We need to land a solid blow on this city and the bastards who looked down on us. As provocatively as possible, in a way that makes the other side get pissed off and say, 'Are you kidding me?!' So, about that.”
Maris hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“…Would you wear a mask?”
—In my opinion, there's nothing more infuriating than that kind of blatant deception.