Chapter 2: Choice without regrets

“What’s going on, please explain in detail.”

　Lutz leans forward to ask, but the owner just twists his head and doesn’t answer. This attitude does not seem to mean that he does not know or does not understand.

　Lutz distorted his face while taking out five copper coins from his wallet and threw them on the table, while the shopkeeper laughed and casually put the coins into his pocket.

“I know this is a bit far-fetched, but hear me out. First, did you know that the Knights were sent out to exterminate bandits on the streets?”

“What? Did they do anything other than ask for bribes?”

“I’m surprised at that. Well, this strike isn’t about world peace, it’s about our own interests.”

　Merchants are attacked, and when the bandits have collected some of their property, the knights are dispatched to retrieve it all.

　At this time, the stolen goods are not returned to the victims. It is impossible to know exactly whose goods belong to whom, and there will be an injustice between those who were returned and those who were not. If this were the case, it would be better for everyone if the stolen goods were used to cover the operating expenses of the knighthood and contribute to the maintenance of public order.

　Of course, no one believes it. Not even the members of the Knight Order themselves.

　In the first place, the knights are not doing their job and bandits appear on the streets in the light of day, but they are completely ignored.

“They seem to think the bandits are some kind of piggy bank that can save up on its own.”

　The owner of the store said with a sombre smile.

“What does that have to do with Claudia’s arrest? I can understand if she was attacked by bandits or involved in a battle.”

“The Knights interrogated the bandits ……, yes, interrogated them. The interrogations led to the roundup of a number of merchants who had been providing financial support and supplies to the bandits.”

“She supports the bandits? I don’t know how to say this, but It’s a story that I can’t agree with.”

“Yes, there’s a lot of crazy stuff going on. The only thing that’s true is that the merchants get caught and they have to post bail to get out.”

　Lutz’s discomfort grew to a fever pitch when the subject of money came up. The Knights wanted money, so they made it difficult for the merchants, or so they thought.

“What happens if she can’t make bail?”

　I was reminded of Claudia’s words, ‘I somehow understand the financial conditions of poor people’. She may be richer than Lutz, but I didn’t think she could afford a large sum at a time like this.

“Well, you know, if you see her in a whorehouse, why don’t you buy her?”

　The shopkeeper’s words were too bad to be called a joke. In the past, Lutz might have laughed along with him, but now he was in no mood to do so.

　Lutz silently stands up and turns away.

“Hey, at least have one drink!”

　The owner called out to him, but Lutz walked out of the store without looking back.

　The next day, Lutz walked through the gates of the citadel. He thought he had dressed as presentable as possible, but was stopped by the gatekeeper, who had to ask him for some coins.

　He could not claim to be a blacksmith because he did not belong to a guild, and to the gatekeeper, Lutz was just a dirty man with no fixed address and no job. It was only natural that he would be stopped.

　It is a beautiful town. If you look up a bit, you can see a small castle, the residence of a lord. The town is full of life, and everyone is walking around with a purpose.

　There is no place for me here.

　Loneliness in the hustle and bustle is much more painful than loneliness in being alone. Lutz’s mood was sinking endlessly.

　The pigs, set free to dispose of their filth, proceeded to walk around as if they owned the place, and people walked around avoiding them.

　Even pigs have jobs and places to stay in this city.

　After thinking about it, Lutz realised that his thoughts were going in a strange direction. He wondered if it was indeed human to be jealous of a pig.

　I arrived at the knight’s quarters. The two-story building was generally dark and dingy, and when I looked at the stables, I saw that there were horses tied up, but they were all poorly groomed and did not seem to be well cared for.

　There are various types of knights. There are those who wear beautiful plate armour to protect nobles and run the battlefield, and there are those who are just thieves with a guaranteed status. This place seems to be the latter.

　As soon as I entered, a gruff man approached me.

“What the hell are you doing? If you want to beg, go somewhere else.”

　Laughter erupts from behind the man. It’s a laugh that is overtly condescending to others and sickening to hear. Having expected nothing but indecency from them from the start, Lutz decided to proceed.

“A woman named Claudia must have been arrested. I’m here to post bail.”

　The man who responded looked like he didn’t know what he was talking about for a moment, but he seemed to remember immediately.

“Hm? Oh, that merchant. She was about to fall into slavery in a few days when no one came to pick her up.”

　The man gave a sly smile. Once it is confirmed that she is a sinner, he doesn’t care what she does after that, does he?

　Conversely, I was relieved that Claudia was safe now.

　Even though they are close to a semi-legal group, they are also operating within the law to a point. It seems that they did not go so far as to assault the merchants in a group after catching them for reasons similar to a false accusation. As expected, if they went that far, there would be strong opposition from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the upper management, which hates trouble, would probably condemn them.

“The bail is twenty gold coins. Can’t you pay it, brother?”

　The man looked at Lutz as if he were trying to get a good licking all over his body. He didn’t look like a man who had any money in any way.

“I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Then go home. We’ll take care of that woman.”

　Lutz silently pulled his sword from his waist by the sheath and drew the white blade.

　The men stood up in unison, their eyes wide open.

“No, wait, wait. I’m not here to vandalise the jail. I’m here to give you this stuff if you let Claudia go.”

“… how do you prove that it’s worth twenty gold coins?”

“You’ll understand at a glance. If you think that the second and third sons of the poor nobles are more splendid than the lazy ones hanging on their waists, then I have nothing to say.”

　Although they were annoyed at Lutz’s words, none of them could take their eyes off the beautiful blade of the sword. Once in my life, I would sacrifice anything else to walk around with a sword like that. It had a charm that would make the unscrupulous think that way.

“……fine, give me that one.”

　Speaking on behalf of the man who answered, Lutz quietly shook his head.

“Release Claudia first. I’ll give it to you when I leave the jail with her.”

“Do you even know where you stand? It’s up to us whether we accept the deal or not. If you want, we can surround you right here and there and beat you to death.”

“Are you sure you want to do this? If you miss this opportunity, you will never have the chance to get your hands on the famous sword. You said you would not hesitate to use force, but…”

　With a cruel smile, he pointed the tip of his sword at the man.

　How can I be so calm and composed? It is probably because I am holding this sword. The sword’s bewitching allure is taking over. Lutz was also scared in a calm corner of his mind.

“Do you really think that a guy with a sword like this is just a regular guy?”

“Uh…”

　The man was sitting back, unsure of himself. Lutz smiled coldly and gave the sword a spin in his hand before sheathing it. Everyone, including Lutz himself, could feel the mysterious tension in the air quickly fading.

“Show me the way.”

“Tch, come with me…”

　The man made a big click of his tongue on purpose. That was all the resistance he could muster.

　A damp, dingy basement. A stone prison filled with the smell of mould and dust.

　Claudia’s shoulders trembled at the sound of multiple footsteps approaching. What will they do to me now? Execution or ……?

　I looked up with frightened eyes and saw the face of a knight with a torch and a familiar man.

“Lutz…”

　I understood everything. I understood that I had been saved and what he had offered them to do so.

　I was relieved from the bottom of my heart. Then, I felt that showing him a relieved face would be extremely disrespectful, so I lowered my head.

“Get out, you’re free to go.”

　The knight turned the key and the bars were opened.

“Let’s go.”

　I fearfully took the hand that Lutz offered me, and he pulled me up to my feet with a strong, forceful tug.

　Mentally and physically exhausted, she had difficulty even walking straight. Lutz, who could not bear to look at her, lent her a shoulder and she carefully climbed the stairs.

　As she passed under the deadly gaze of the knights and basked in the sun, Claudia realised that she had finally been saved. She wanted to collapse right there and then, but Lutz’s firm grip made that impossible.

“Hey, it’s a promise. Give me your sword!”

　The knight who had just unlocked the door shouted at me. He was wearing a dangerous atmosphere, as if his sanity had somehow faded.

“This is not a sword, it’s called a katana. Remember that.”

　Lutz tossed the demon sword into the packed room. The knights rush to catch it.

　Not paying attention to the commotion, Lutz and Claudia left the jail.

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