While writing something down on a document, Marchioness Levant gave an update to Inferinos in a professional, no-nonsense tone.
"He's old, so he won't be of much use for long. I'll send him to the Dead Man's Flower farm, and when he dies we can use him as fertilizer."
Indeed, this place was hell, for this sentence was worse than death. Despite the area being crammed with over a thousand people, the entire crowd had fallen silent as the sentencing continued.
"Next, Prisoner Burden Volcam.
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
Satisfied with his enthusiastic response, Marchioness Levant proceeded to read out what was written in the document.
"Thirty-eight-year-old male. Works as a chimney sweeper. Has poor parents but lived an honest life. Still extremely poor. A sensitive person who has never intentionally harmed or bothered others before, but is frugal when helping others because of his own difficult life. Still regrets giving all fifteen silvers of his savings to the church at the age of ten, and hasn't given any offerings since. Is this correct, lowborn human?"
"Y-yes, it is," replied Burden, visibly ashamed of his reluctance to make more offerings to the church. Of course, this kind of behavior was severely frowned upon within a religious society.
Inferinos didn't waste a second before she gave her sentence. "Guilty. Fifty years of hard labor as punishment."
The man who had just received his sentence and the other citizens all turned pale as they whispered amongst themselves.
"O-offerings? I can't believe he got fifty years for not making offerings."
"Wh-what am I going to do?"
"I-is that really such a serious crime?"
When Marchioness Levant next spoke, it suddenly clarified their misunderstanding.
"A wise decision, Your Majesty. We cannot forgive the level of decency required for someone to willingly make an offering at such a young age. Given his profession, I think he is best suited to clean the walls of the Execution House pit."
As Burden was dragged away, the next person in line took his place. It was a middle-aged man.
"Next, prisoner Tjorven Evol."
"Yes, that's me..."
"Forty-three-year-old male. Works as a carpenter. A typical, hardworking head of the family. Was very involved in raising his three children, took exceptional care of his sick mother-in-law, and never cheated on his wife. He maintained chastity even when the girl next door, who is now his wife, tried to seduce him before marriage. Is that correct?"
"Yes, it is."
This was the first time Inferinos offered an explanation before delivering her judgment.
"You not only refrained from practicing the seven deadly sins, but you also committed the crime of chastity, one of the seven heavenly virtues. Therefore, I find you guilty. As punishment, you will serve two hundred years of hard labor."
"By the looks of him, he has a strong core and back," Marchioness Levant noted blandly, "so I'll send him to the Blood Mana Stones mine, Your Majesty."
Two outrageous sentences were doled out in quick succession. By this time, the crowd had started to realize that the foundation of the sentencing wasn't what they had expected.
«What the hell are they doing?» Agnes muttered.
I quietly replied, "This is the Court of Rewarding Evil and Punishing Good. They encourage acts of evil and punish those who lived virtuous lives."
«That's ridiculous.»
The line moved forward again as the next person approached the stand.
"Prisoner Lizenya Ellit."
"Yes," a young woman wearing a maid uniform with her hand wrapped around a cross dutifully replied.
It seemed that her fate was predetermined, as she looked like a regular, faithful person. Everyone was unanimously expecting the same terrible sentence.
"Thirty-one-year-old female. Works as a lace weaver... Ah, but here is an incredibly interesting fact."
An incredibly interesting fact?
"A serial killer. Active for eight years, usually targets men with blond hair. Weaves items out of her victims' hair and keeps them as souvenirs. Has collected seventy-eight coasters, thirty-nine handkerchiefs, seven gloves, and one tablecloth to date. Is this an accurate description?"
"Yes! It is!" replied Lizenya Ellit with a smug smile on her face.
As shock and disgust filled the air, her sentence was given.
"Innocent. Treat her as an honored guest, then have her released. The human world needs more people like her."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Two good-looking incubi approached the serial killer and were about to lead her off when Inferinos suddenly called out.
"Wait."
"Your Majesty? Is something wrong?"
Inferinos flicked her hand. The shape of the defendant's seat, which previously looked like a round altar, instantly changed.
â¬Â«System» Warning. [The Scale of Sin] has been summoned. The rules of the sentencing have changed.â
A gigantic scale that was maintaining equilibrium replaced the defendant's chair.
â¬The Scale that Judges Souls watches the situation with discomfort.â
When Inferinos flicked her chin, the incubi linked arms with the murderous maid on each side and quickly took her to one side of the scale.
Thud!
It was remarkable how heavy the maid's crime was, for the ground cracked a little when the plate of the scale touched the ground.
To this, Inferinos indifferently remarked, "I have decided that it is too troublesome to sentence all of you prisoners one by one. Anyone whose crime is heavier than this honored guest will be declared innocent, while the rest will receive one hundred years of hard labor as punishment."
"That's a good solution, Your Majesty."
So just like that, the sentencing continued under this newly established system. As expected, no one who fulfilled the condition for innocence emerged.
«It's insane how they're making this look so official as if it's an important ritual or something.»
That's how demons are. Hundreds were declared guilty, one after the other, and were sent to the Labor House. Of them all, there was also Hestio, number 57, Hilde, number 102, and Ephael, number 129
"Prisoner Hestio Ligenel. Step onto the scale. Guilty. Head to the Bone Sorting Room."
"Prisoner Hilde Marcellion. Step onto the scale. Guilty. Since you seem to be a Tier 7 divine power user, you're deserving of an especially severe sentence. Head to the Breeding House of Demonic Creatures."
"Prisoner Ephael Chaletino. Step onto the scale. Wait... You're blond. Shave his head and give his hair to the honored guest before sending him to the Blood Mana Stones mine."
All of my colleagues were scattered to different locations, which I made sure to memorize.
When the numbers passed two hundred, Inferinos yawned as she solemnly observed, "Why is the Scale of Sin not moving? It is devastating how so few truly evil people exist in the human world."
«That's bullsh*t.»
Lizenya Ellit who was the weight for the scale apparently collected seventy-eight coasters, thirty-nine handkerchiefs, seven gloves, and one tablecloth as souvenirs, which meant she had killed at least 125 people. The only sort of human who could compete with her would have to be someone in a similar field of work.
"Prisoner Ash Night. Step onto the scale."
Like an assassin, for example.
"Yes, yes. I will."
Ash stepped onto the large plate. I was too far away to see his face properly, but I could tell there was a cold chill surrounding him, unlike his usual demeanor. The time had come for a serial killer and the top assassin of the Nighthawks to compare the weight of their crimes.
Creak.
The scale that hadn't so much as budged under the weight of hundreds of different people suddenly started to tilt in Ash's direction.
"No way..."
"Wow."
The people gasped at the appearance of another crazed murderer.
"Wh-what?! He's killed more people than I have?!" Lizenya Ellit looked like she was about to lose it as the scale became parallel to the groundâjust a little bit more and his crimes would outweigh hers.
Creak!
The direction of the tilt shifted before the scale became fully parallel, for Ash's side had gone up again.
"Whew, I knew it."
The murderous maid looked proud, as if she'd just protected her legacy, while Ash dispelled the chilling air surrounding him and returned to his usual self. It looked like his shoulders had slowly moved up and down, and even from afar I suspected he'd just sighed with relief.
I didn't seem to be the only one who noticed this, as Agnes remarked, «Ash was worried just now.»
To him, this experience might have felt like a blatant judgment on the value of his existence. Whatever the case was, Ash's crimes were lighter than those of Lizenya Ellit. I was curious how the best assassin of the Nighthawks had been outclassed by a mere serial killer, but this was quickly clarified by Marchioness Levant's explanation.
"For an assassin, you were quite picky with the work you carried out. You mainly took jobs related to killing child abusers... People like you are the reason true talent is so hard to find in the Human Realm."
"Yes, yes. I repent."
"It's good that you accept your wrongdoings. I hope you serve your sentence just as well. Where you will work for the next one hundred years is..."
That was when Ash raised his hand and made a request. "Can I choose the location I'd like to go to?"
"Huh? Choose?"
Marchioness Levant and the others were shocked by his bold move, but what shocked people more was that Inferinos agreed to his suggestion.
Her solemn voice crashed down like a prophecy from high above, "As the Demon Realm prioritizes occupations related to murder, I shall hear what you have to say."
"I'd like to go to the Breeding House of Demonic Creatures."
"You chose one of the tougher locations... Fine. If you do well, I will shorten your sentence to eighty years."
"Thank you."
As Ash and Hilde were dragged off to the same place, Agnes murmured, «He's a clever one. He purposely chose a Labor House that one of our colleagues had already been sentenced to in order to minimize the scattering.»
"He did," I agreed.
«Anyway, what do you plan to you? Honestly... I don't think you're going to be able to defeat a Demon Lord.»
"I know..."
This was the truth I couldn't deny. I recalled how Tesilid finally saved the world in Loop Ninety-Eight of the original story. Even someone as powerful as him needed decades of training before he was able to kill the first Demon Lord because subjugating a Demon Lord couldn't be done with brute force.
That was when Agnes advised with a low and careful tone, «You need to reconsider saving your colleagues as well, Ailette.» And that wasn't all. «You might only be able to save yourself.»
â¬The Voice that Shapes the World agrees in silence.â
"..."
I didn't reply because I hadn't settled the many thoughts flying around in my head yet.
Soon, the numbers reached the three hundreds, which meant my turn was going to come in around forty steps or so. That was when I heard another familiar name.
"Prisoner Tesilid Argente. Step onto the scale."