#criedge

[thesevencrimesandpunishments]

Chapter 6-Greed; Scene 2

Seven Crimes and Punishments, pages 111-122

The USE Dark Star Courthouse—if the information that I had was accurate, then this should not be in Jakoku, but rather Holy Levianta.

Holy Levianta was a country to the north of Elphegort, and very far removed from Jakoku.

Of course, this building was itself an illusion that had been made real, and so for that reason alone he couldn’t imagine that I had been so easily shifted from Jakoku. Gallerian Marlon was here, so it was more natural to think that the court had been envisioned in Jakoku due to his influence.

However. That didn’t explain what Gallerian was doing in Jakoku. All of the contractors up to now had all been in their respective homes. There were no records of Gallerian having visited Jakoku in life. Gallerian’s soul appearing in a place that he’d never gone to while he was still alive was a little bit difficult to imagine based on the examples I’d had up to this point.

So then, was this Levianta? –But when I thought that, that led to an inconsistency with Kayo-san. In her whole lifetime she had never gone anywhere outside of Jakoku. Obviously she had never gone to Levianta either.

But now Kayo-san’s and Gallerian’s souls were both here at the same time, in the same place.

The theory that I derived from that fact was that this place was a composite space between Jakoku and Levianta that had arisen as a result of the distortions of time and space, or else it was some new dimension entirely that was neither of those places.

.

I was not allowed to stand near the defendant’s seat, and so I ended up watching over the trial from the visitor’s gallery.

The trial proceeded solemnly.

Kayo-san’s crime was “murder”. Essentially, in this place she was being judged again for the sin that she had committed while she was alive.

And Kayo-san looked to be quietly listening in to the exchanges between the prosecution and the defense without appearing to have any doubts at all about the current situation.

--What a farce. She had already received judgment for the crimes she’d committed long, long before. There was no point in punishing that crime a second time.

It was just madmen bound to their memories from life.

The defendant and the judge both.

Neither of their minds were imprisoned by a demon of deadly sin any longer. And yet, they still continued this farce.

Venomania had still been giving up his body to lust.

Conchita was still in pursuit of food.

Riliane too was still as selfish as ever.

And the Sleep Princess as well had showed no sign of stopping her actions to bring sloth.

Why?

Why did they persist in being that way, even after being released from the demons?

.

“I shall announce my verdict.”

Gallerian began to read off his decree without delay.

His voice resounded through the otherwise silent courtroom.

“—For the aforementioned charges, the defendant Kayo Sudou will be decapitated. The execution will be carried out…here, and immediately!”

The moment he’d concluded giving his verdict, an execution device that I was very familiar with suddenly appeared in the space in the middle of the courtroom where just a moment ago there had been nothing.

--A guillotine.

Two men grabbed Kayo-san by her arms, and took her towards this implement of execution. She didn’t show any sign of resistance.

She calmly laid her head down on the guillotine platform. Once the blade fell on her neck, the carrying-out of her execution would be complete.

As a spirit, she couldn’t die a second time.

But…I knew.

The terror of that moment when that enormous blade is falling towards you—

“Stop!” I screamed without thinking.

All of the souls in the gallery gazed at me.

“There’s no meaning in doing any of this! Why must you make her feel such suffering again!? Enough already…Stop…please, stop…”

I realized that I was crying.

These tears may have been little more than illusions. But my sorrow was genuine. I knew these feelings weren’t just because I sympathized with Kayo-san. With that guillotine—I was probably seeing my old self in her place.

Even after the deadly sin contractors had died, they hadn’t changed. But that was the same for me, too.

A selfish servant, drunk on his own self-righteousness. And despite that, a foolish man who grew shamelessly terrified in the moment of his death. I hadn’t grown since then one iota.

Someone looked down on me as I cowered and criedg out. When I looked up, I saw that it was Gallerian.

“Hm…I had merely thought that some brat had gotten lost in the courthouse, but now that I look closer I see you are the Irregular I have heard of. –Very well. I shall exonerate Kayo Sudou regarding her execution,” he said, and then brought up his right hand to his chest, making a circle with his thumb and index finger. “Of course—it depends on if you have money.”

“…I have none.”

“Then I need compensation. Someone to take the place of the accused…Very well. I shall have you executed in her stead.”

“…Huh?”

“I am saying you will fall prey to the guillotine instead. And then I will pardon her.”

No. I didn’t want to go to the guillotine. It was frightening…I was frightened.

“What’s this? Trembling? Honestly, what ‘Irregular’ is this? You’re just a simple, timid child. …However, I will not allow that at this stage. Come! Take this brat to the guillotine!”

The two men who stood beside Kayo started to head my way.

No. No, don’t take me to the guillotine.

Someone…anyone.

Save me.

.

--And right in that moment.

“Stop, Papa!”

A voice came from the direction of the defense lawyer’s chair. Everyone looked towards it at once.

There she was—or rather, there it was. A doll. The green haired doll that had been the “Vessel of Sloth” was quietly sitting on the defense desk.

Gallerian’s expression, a sadistic smile on his face, quite clearly changed to one of consternation the moment that he saw the doll.

“Oh…Michelle. It’s you, Michelle! Where have you been all this time? Papa’s been looking all over for you.”

“Papa, you must stop! You can’t kill someone without following the proper legal proceedings! If you’re going to execute him, you have to properly judge his sins first!”

“Hmph…That’s true. It’s as you say, Michelle. You always say the right thing. Yes! Then once more—we shall open judgment on the defendant, Irregular! His charge…The crime of having let the world be destroyed!”

My arms were grabbed by the two men, and then I was taken to the defendant’s chair.

Kayo-san was looking at me with a vacant expression. It looked as though she couldn’t keep up with the rapidly changing situation. However, when guided by one of the men to the visitor’s gallery, she obediently did so.

On my part, I had finally started regaining my composure back.

Good grief, trauma embedded into one’s heart was a frightful thing. Considering that just seeing the guillotine had shaken me up to that extent.

But I guess I can’t help that. I did get my head cut off by the thing after all.

After I had settled down in my head, I once more looked at the doll in the defense lawyer’s chair.

“Well then, I will be acting as his defense!” the doll whispered.

That voice of course couldn’t have been the doll’s. It also didn’t belong to the “Sleep Princess” who was probably still sealed inside. It was high-pitched, so I didn’t realize it immediately, but without a doubt, that was—a male voice.

Come to think of it, I couldn’t see the soul who had been acting as Kayo-san’s defense earlier. When I looked around, I was able to spot him sitting behind the visitor’s gallery. His eyes were closed, and he was snoring.

Souls didn’t sleep—not normally, anyway.

So then, he was probably sleeping with the Sleep Princess’ ‘gift’. She would never help save me.

Had the doll’s owner temporarily borrowed her power--?

…Could it be Hänsel!?

I couldn’t see behind the defense’s desk from here. But he was probably hiding there.

The voice that was impersonating Gallerian’s daughter must have been coming from under the desk, so that it would seem like the doll itself was talking.

First a Pierrot, and now a ventriloquist—talented guy.

In any case, that meant that he’s saved me two times now. Though I didn’t know if he’d really saved me yet or not.

Gallerian had said that my charge was the crime of having allowed the world to be destroyed. I had no memory of doing that whatsoever. It was “Punishment” that destroyed the world, and the one who unleashed it was Nemesis. No relation to me.

Maybe there was no need for me to pay heed to the ramblings of a madman. But I couldn’t imagine that Gallerian was saying such things without any basis for them. If he was making up some vague charge to get me on, then surely he would have come up with a crime more appropriate.

Why the sin of having destroyed the world--?

“Well, this is a quandary. Even if Michelle is acting as the defense attorney, there’s no one here who can act as a prosecutor for his crime. With this, the trial can’t proceed.”

Gallerian was apparently focusing on the undertaking of the trial, without paying attention to my doubts.

“Where can we find a good prosecutor—Oh?”

It seemed he’d realized something. His gaze shifted to the entrance door, which had been left wide open.

A faint sound of footsteps grew gradually louder, and then a figure wearing a hood appeared.

“Who are you?” Gallerian asked.

Thanks to the hood I couldn’t see very well, but judging by the body shape that I could catch from gaps in the tattered robe it seemed to be a woman.

“—Here for the trial,” she said singularly.

“Oh? Are you going to serve as prosecutor in this trial?”

“No. I will be—the role of judge.”

“What? …That presents a problem. I am Master of the Court. This is something I will not pass on to anyone else.”

“No. Whatever you say, I am presiding judge. And the defendant—is you, Gallerian Marlon.”

“What!?”

The woman lifted her head. Despite that, I still couldn’t see her face. She was wearing a mask underneath that hid her eyes.

“You’re—”

The woman slowly approached the judge’s stand where Gallerian was.

“You cannot just do as you please, Gallerian. Though the hellish yard and ground world have fused, you—you all are still, under my control. Quietly return to the depths of the earth.”

“…Indeed, I will go back. Once I’ve collected all of the ‘Vessels of Deadly Sin’!”

“I see. Is that why, Allen was invited here?”

“That was mere coincidence. I only recently realized his true identity.”

“Not you…I meant the ‘Demon of Greed’. Good grief, like the name implies, such a greedy fellow as always. –Enough. This conversation is over.”

The woman snapped her fingers.

Immediately, Gallerian’s body abruptly started to sink into the ground.

“Aaaaaa….”

Gallerian all too quickly vanished, letting out a death scream. When I looked closer, I could see that a large hole had opened up at his feet. He’d fallen through it.

“…”

The woman once more snapped her fingers. At that, the hole that Gallerian had fallen through closed up.

No, it wasn’t just the hole. The courthouse itself that we were presently in gradually started to fade away. Now that Gallerian, the person who had made it appear there, was gone.

Before I knew it, I was standing in a bare, empty field. Those in the visitor’s gallery realized that the trial was no longer being held, and left without a word. Eventually the only people left were myself, the masked woman, Kayo-san, and Hänsel, who was holding the doll.

“Now then—” The masked woman began to talk to Kayo-san. “I need you back too. Okay?”

But Kayo-san shook her head. “I still haven’t received my punishment.”

“Your atonement was finished long before. No matter how much you repeat it, you will not see your family again. Now spend your time leisurely, in the depths of the earth.”

On hearing those words, Kayo-san’s shoulders drooped. The masked woman put a hand on her back, and began to move to take her away somewhere.

“Hold it! Where do you think you’re taking Kayo-san?” I shouted. The masked woman turned around and looked at me.

“—Be polite.”

“Huh?”

“Speak politely, with your elders.”

“…Where do you plan to take Kayo-san?”

“Don’t worry. I’m just taking her, to where she was before. Gallerian from before…and Venomania both I have already sent back. Now it’s just Kayo—and one more.”

There was something familiar about her speaking style.

I felt as though we may have met sometime before.

“Who is this ‘one more’?”

“Nemesis. The reason the world has turned out like this.”

“Where is Nemesis now?”

“If you want to meet her, then I will launch you there immediately. –Though not through ordinary methods.”

When she said that, she held up her right hand.

“Wait a second. I have other things I want to ask—”

“We’ll, meet again—Allen.”

A hole opened at my feet.

I tried to grab at the hole’s edge, but I was too late.

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