Chapter 251: Talk with the Highest Judge, and Whipping a Cat Girl (1)

To enter the grounds enclosed by a wall about the height of two stories, one had to pass a gate wide enough for two carriages to go through at once.

Of course guards were stationed there, but when Freit waved a hand the four guards stood at attention and saluted.

They would let us pass through, apparently.

Pass the gate, and in front there was a circular flower bed, and beyond that a two-story building.

About ten pillars of a make that made one think of a temple stood, and on them a luxurious roof sat.

The road continuing from the gate bent outward once, then circled inward drawing a circle, and headed for the gate passing under the roof.

Carriages that entered the grounds seemed to be able to enter the building under this roof.

We had come on foot, so we passed the walkway outside the carriage road and headed under the roof.

Then we climbed about ten steps of a strangely wide staircase and entered the building.

The corridor that spread in front was wide and long.

There dozens of people came and went busily here and there.

"Here various government affairs are done. That is about commerce, this is about tax. Then that is about education."

Freit pointed at the many doors and explained simply, then headed for one certain door.

"And here is where incidents that happened in this city are handled. At most, only paperwork."

On the board above that door, "Court Office" was written.

Freit knocked the door lightly, and the door opened.

"Lord Freit, what is it?"

"Lord Freit, what is it?"

From inside the room an elderly man appeared.

"No, the true culprit of a certain incident became clear..."

The elderly man invited us into the room, so we entered the room.

Inside was reasonably wide, about Freit’s dining room.

There several desks were lined, and several people took the documents piled on the desks and glared at them.

Except for four windows, bookshelves packed with books were lined on all the walls.

We followed the elderly man along the wall to the back, so as not to get in their way.

At the very back of the room there was something that seemed a larger work desk.

Seemed, because books were piled on the desk and around it, and it did not seem to be functioning as a desk.

Even so, the reception table and chairs seemed to have been made usable.

The elderly man urged us to sit in the chairs of the reception table in front of the thing that seemed a work desk, and Freit sat there.

"That one too, please."

I sat beside Freit, urged as I was.

Behind Freit stood one of the guards, and behind me stood Muriel and Lily.

The others stood in front of the bookshelves so as not to get in the way.

"So, which incident is it?"

The elderly man sat in front of Freit, leaned forward, and asked Freit.

"Before that, an introduction. This is my friend, Lord Hiroyuki Asahi."

"I am Hiroyuki."

Introduced, I bowed my head while seated.

"This is Lord Bonifatius Felker. The highest judge of this city."

"I am Bonifatius. Pleased to meet you."

The elderly man, Bonifatius, bowed his head too.

Highest judge?

Which meant, if one got involved in some incident in this city, would this person judge one?

"So, that incident?"

Greeting done quickly, without even looking at my Dules, Bonifatius asked Freit again.

He seemed an impatient person.

"The usual, the incident where the owners who bought the same Dule were killed, was there not?"

"Ah, Hexa, was it. The slave merchant took her in, I was told, but she sold again, I was told. There was a curious one."

Bonifatius shook his head as if oh well, then leaned the body he had leaned forward deep into the chair.

"That curious one is this Lord Hiroyuki."

Freit pointed at me with a hand while holding down a laugh.

At once Bonifatius leaned forward again.

"Hoh. Which means, this is Hexa."

Bonifatius looked around me and pointed at the fully naked Lily.

"Hoh. Make her a To-Dule, and she was not killed."

"No, it has nothing to do with that. First, Lily, introduce yourself."

"Y-yeah. I-I am Lily."

Lily, urged by Freit, moved to diagonally in front of me and introduced herself to Bonifatius.

Lily and Hexa had been told before coming here to follow Freit’s instructions.

"Lily? Not Hexa?"

"Hexa is inside me."

At Lily’s answer Bonifatius tilted his head.

"Lord Freit, what is this."

"Faster to have you see than to explain. Lily, bring out Hexa."

"...Yeah"

Lily hesitated a little and looked at my face.

I nodded, and Lily answered.

In an instant Lily’s air changed.

"Introduce yourself."

"I-I am Hexa..."

Maybe he knew she had switched to Hexa. Freit urged an introduction, and Hexa, who right after switching hid her crotch with both hands and lowered her face shyly, raised that red face and introduced herself to Bonifatius.

"Hoh. The air has changed. Split personality?"

"No, two souls dwell in one body, I am told."

"What! Then even if Hexa is a Dule, Lily... was it? That one can kill Hexa’s master!"

Bonifatius heard Freit’s simple explanation and hit the core at once.

"Yes. And Lily is that true culprit. Switch to Lily."

"Y-yes."

When Freit said that, Hexa changed air again.

"Now Hexa is Lord Hiroyuki’s Ji-Dule, and Lily is a To-Dule. Look at the Third Crest, and one can tell there are two souls in the same body, but will you check?"

"Um, right. I will check."

Bonifatius came to in front of Lily, crouched, and held a hand over Lily’s pubic mound where golden pubic hair grew thin.

At once my crest appeared there.

"Hm, there is a Third Crest. Then switch to Hexa as you are."

I nodded at Lily, who turned a slightly flushed face to me, and she switched to Hexa again.

That moment my crest vanished.

"Hoh, I see. True, the crest vanished."

Bonifatius nodded large and returned to his own seat.

"Which means this Hexa, no, Lily. This one is the culprit."

"Yes, that is right."

At Bonifatius’s question with conviction, Freit nodded.

"Hm."

Bonifatius turned his gaze to me once, then looked at Freit again.

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"Yes, the culprit Lily is already Lord Hiroyuki’s Dule. Even if only merchants, she has committed as many as six murders, so if punished hanging is appropriate, but she is a Dule so she does not die. If so, better to handle her as a criminal slave, how about it?"

Freit told Bonifatius what he had told me yesterday, and Bonifatius set a hand at his mouth and stared at one point.

"Hm... is there evidence that when Lily committed the murders, Lily was not Lord Hiroyuki’s Dule?"

Ah!

Said that, it was so.

I had made Lily a Dule the day before yesterday, but there was nothing to prove it.

With me flustered in the corner of his eye, Freit spoke calmly.

"Lord Hiroyuki only came to this city four days ago. Against that, Lily, no, Hexa has never left this city. The last master-killing was seven days ago, so there is no contact at all."

As expected.

Had he thought of it beforehand? He answered without a hitch.

No, he had probably investigated properly.

Freit was a blessing.

"Hm, check and one will know. And for Lord Freit to say this much he has confidence. So if so, he has thought of a settling point too?"

"Yes, we will put the brand. The bells only for one month, the same as the grace to become a Dule. How is that?"

"Hm, reverse the treatment and the punishment. The result is the same. But that is not enough."

Bonifatius set a hand on his chin.

"The bereaved, is it?"

"Hm... how about making her a public spectacle in the square for one day?"

Public spectacle meant hanging a wooden board with "I killed people" or something written from the neck and making her stand in the square all day?

"A public spectacle naked means permitting violation..."

Lily was a To-Dule, so she was not permitted to wear clothes.

Of course she would be exposed naked.

"Hm, right. Here it becomes that."

"Wha..."

"Right..."

Freit held me down with a hand when I moved to stand.

I had not heard that.

Lily too looked at me and Freit alternately, anxiously.

"Lily is already Lord Hiroyuki’s property. Having that violated, how is it?"

"Hm, then if Lord Hiroyuki accepts it is fine. How about it?"

Bonifatius and Freit looked at me.

Lily too stared at me with an expression as if clinging to a straw.

"...After all, I cannot have that done."

"Is that so."

Bonifatius shrugged, as if it could not be helped.

"Well, those who do not want to expose their own Dule are surprisingly many."

"Surprisingly? I am that mouth too."

"Ah, that is why there are many."

"I see."

Leaving me, Freit and Bonifatius advanced the conversation.

I looked aside, and Lily was letting out a grand sigh of relief.

"But if so, I have to look for something else. ...Hm, the treatment will be done today, will it not? Then have the punishment done by Lord Hiroyuki’s hand. And in that state go to the treatment place, apply the treatment, and have you return here as you are. Tell the bereaved the time and the street, and they will accept it, will they not?"

"Yes, in a sense a public spectacle, but for us it is not much different from ordinary. Lord Hiroyuki, how about it?"

Not different from ordinary... meant after punishing, go out without healing as is?

Well, better than making her a public spectacle all day.

About that much was fine, maybe.

I looked at Lily, and she looked at me worriedly.

Then I looked at Muriel standing by the wall, and she looked at me and nodded.

This area was appropriate.

But there was one thing that bothered me.

"The punishment, to about where should I do it?"

"Hm, right. Well, whipping is appropriate. The marks of whipping are easy for those watching to understand. It becomes a good show. That is the punishment."

Hearing Bonifatius’s words, Lily went pale.

"She has killed six. That degree is appropriate. At most, if a noble was among them it would be worse, but luckily only merchants."

What would happen if one killed a noble?

I think the criminal slave Freit had spoken of in the morning had killed a noble.

Well, but Lily had nothing to do with it.

"Is the First Crest fine?"

"Hm, that is hard for those watching to understand. It only makes the Dule suffer in vain. It would not suit Lord Hiroyuki."

Bonifatius answered Freit’s question.