Objection.
It was the most sensible and rational action available to me.
It was the one secret to surviving under twisted laws.
“The target is…… you, Conductor of Flesh.”
The moment I raised my index finger toward the conductor’s baton and spoke—
《H-How did you…… figure it out!!》
A flustered voice answered.
There was no mistaking it. It belonged to the bastard who had tried to take control of my body.
“I did not know either, you bastard.”
It was true. At first, I had not suspected that it was hiding inside the baton.
However, the fragments of information that had briefly passed through my mind gave me the answer.
Once a boss had been defeated, the familiar message should have appeared without fail.
Yet it had not.
In other words, the creature had not died completely.
Even the corpses of the lawbreakers and civilians it had controlled had merged into a single mass.
Those small pieces of information had given me the answer.
It was undoubtedly hiding in there.
“The defendant, Conductor of Flesh, refused to comply with a trial conducted according to lawful procedure. Do you admit this?”
I asked as though formally inviting it to answer, but the creature said nothing.
It merely maintained its silence.
“I have no intention of overturning the verdict. Therefore, I will question the defendant regarding a new charge. Do you admit to unlawfully occupying the bodies of others?”
……There was still no answer.
A verdict was a pronouncement.
A trial was the power to subdue an opponent through the law.
I had seen those words somewhere before.
Therefore, as The Absolved—and simultaneously the defense attorney, Prosecutor, and Judge—its petty tricks could not deceive me.
‘Though they nearly did.’
Had I failed to notice its weakness and respond quickly, I would undoubtedly have been the one defeated.
“The defendant’s sins are deep and grave. Under the pretext of pursuing art, you ruined the lives of others and even mocked their deaths. Such acts deserve condemnation.”
The karmic power condensed inside my body began to surge.
The brilliantly shining Noble Gavel of Judgment manifested once again in my empty hand.
《Impossible, impossible, impossible!!》
Only one of the creature’s three heads remained.
Its face twisted into an expression that could only be described as grotesque as it shrieked.
“I agree.”
Life was truly impossible to understand.
I had merely followed requests diligently and played games, yet here I was.
《T-Think about this once more. The Absolved, if you and I join forces……!!》
Its face protruded from between the masses of minced flesh as it pleaded with me.
“Someone I knew was not nearly as pathetic as you.”
I approached it one step at a time.
The creature gradually began groaning and sweating, as though desperately appealing to me that it wanted to live.
《Why? Why?! Can you not understand art!!》
“It is about time we put an end to this tedious, pretentious discussion. You know that as well, self-proclaimed artist.”
《I appeal! This is an insult to art――!》
The creature spoke in a grotesque voice, seemingly squeezing out every last ounce of its strength.
However, the law apparently disagreed.
Repeating the same lines and relying on a revival gimmick was a perfect recipe for boredom, you damned bastard.
[Appeal Failed: The defendant, ‘Conductor of Flesh,’ followed a procedure that did not comply with the law.]
[Aggravated Punishment: The defendant attempted to evade the enforcement of the law through deception. Its soul will also be judged.]
Apparently, the system messages were not on its side.
I could clearly feel the creature’s sins.
Its soul had already been tainted.
Taking pleasure in tormenting others and calling it art was itself fundamentally wrong.
《No, no. No! It cannot end like this. Not like this…… Help me, Judge Without Scales!! Punish that subversive!!》
The creature looked toward the sky and appealed to someone, desperate to escape its situation by any means necessary.
Moonlight was indeed shining down upon its head.
‘Judge Without Scales…….’
Damn it. The being behind this creature was an Outer God.
That explained everything that had happened until now.
It was an enemy that had never appeared in the game, possessing an unnaturally powerful ability to control others.
There was a reason it had caught me so completely off guard.
The Judge Without Scales was a representative divinity of Gray Judgment and the being responsible for founding Salus, the City of Law.
It was the name of a creature that could rightfully be called the final boss or the mastermind behind everything.
‘Is it coming? Is it really coming?’
Surely this goddamned Trash Game would not pull something as absurd as having the final boss appear at the very beginning?
If this world possessed even the slightest conscience, it would not do that.
Contrary to my apprehension, however, the only response was a dreadful silence.
Who could have known that the final lifeline the Conductor of Flesh trusted was actually a rotten rope?
《Why, why, why? Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhyyyyyy――!!》
The creature wailed.
Its scream conveyed every ounce of the betrayal it felt toward the being it had trusted.
《W-Why?! Why!! I faithfully did everything because You commanded me to! Why?! Why would You abandon me, even going so far as to side with that insignificant wretch?!》
The artist I had sensed before was gone.
All that remained was a single fool whose memories as a human appeared to have returned.
“Listen, you fraud pretending to be an artist. It looks like the time has finally come for you to stop spouting nonsense!”
I pointed the gavel in my hand toward it.
Its pupils spun violently, making it resemble a screw being driven tightly into place by a drill.
“I once again deliver the Final Verdict upon the defendant, Conductor of Flesh! You will receive the most severe punishment available in Salus, the City of Law! O soul burdened with sins that can never be washed away!”
I raised the gavel high and brought it down toward the creature.
“That punishment is the annihilation of the soul itself.”
《H-Huh……? Ah?》
The golden gavel descended.
This time, the creature could not escape.
Its expression twisted with disbelief, as though it could not comprehend why this was happening.
Its body split in half and collapsed piece by piece, like a sculpture being smashed apart with a hammer.
As it slowly faded, its expression showed neither relief nor remorse for its sins.
There was only perfect emptiness beyond despair.
A feeling of bewilderment at how even its own life had come to this…….
‘An artist’s obstinacy…….’
Perhaps that was the sort of emotion it felt.
[The suffering souls have been liberated.]
[The souls return to their living bodies.]
[Jugment : You are not guilty…….]
At last, an enormous and majestic message appeared.
It was distinctly different from the one that had appeared after Old Knight William, and its meaning was clear.
What I had restored was not merely ‘one’ thing.
I had liberated the countless souls within this space that had been captured and imprisoned by the Conductor of Flesh.
The walls of flesh covering the enormous cavern slowly peeled apart and returned to human form.
Even the hardened masses beneath my feet gradually separated and reverted to their original shapes.
“……I won.”
At that moment, I could no longer keep my legs beneath me and collapsed where I stood.
My entire body was drenched in sweat, and my heart pounded violently.
Even so, I was fine.
In the end, I had won.
“You foolish clever boy! Are you all right?!”
Ravenwood hurried toward me and lowered herself as though preparing to support me.
Mud and blood were mixed across her mask, and she continued surveying the surroundings with a Torch in her hand.
“I am fine, old hag…… It is over now.”
There were no longer any horrifying waves of flesh or writhing, deformed heads around us.
As though the entire underground cavern had been purified, the dreadful dark-red scenery had disappeared in an instant.
“That is all well and good…… but we should save the people first.”
Most of them were unable to get up because of the Hardening Agent.
……That substance was far too effective.
* * *
The aftermath was handled rather quickly.
Ravenwood somehow softened the Hardening Agent coating the area and freed everyone trapped within it.
The residents of the slums were confused when they regained their sanity, but Ravenwood and I directed them, and they soon calmed down.
“Let us use this place as a temporary base, clever boy. Now that the Toller, the Conductor, and the Hound are gone, this appears to be a place where we can finally breathe in relative peace.”
Ravenwood spoke as though making a suggestion, but I already knew.
[The first Base Camp, ‘Slums / Lower Court,’ has been liberated!]
In Gray Judgment, a Base Camp was unlocked once the first bosses were defeated while fulfilling the required conditions.
That was knowledge I possessed from the game.
‘So some things are still fairly similar……?’
Under normal circumstances, I would never have been forced into such a bizarre situation.
Still, I was relieved that the familiar systems continued to function.
Unless a special event occurred, enemies could not unilaterally invade an area designated as a Base Camp.
“Th-Thank you for saving us!”
A young man approached me.
His clothing could only be described as old and tattered, little more than rags.
It was a stock phrase commonly heard in both games and reality, and I cleared my throat awkwardly.
“Ahem. You are welcome.”
“Provided it would not be discourteous, may I ask the name of our distinguished savior?”
It was the part where the player entered a name.
The situation made me feel as though a window filled with alphabet characters should have appeared before me, but there was no chance of that happening.
This part apparently was not governed by the system.
Embarrassing as it was, I would have to introduce myself aloud.
“My name is Ash Gray.”
“Ash Gray…… That is a fine name.”
“And you are?”
The young man scratched his head awkwardly before answering my question.
“My name is Dario…… It is embarrassing to admit, but I was responsible for evacuating the slums.”
“Dario. I see.”
The moment I heard his name, I pointed my sword at him.
“Wh-What are you doing?!”
Dario stepped backward, appearing startled.
‘Had this been the game…….’
I would have swung my sword without saying a word.
I would have killed him.
That would have been the obvious choice.
“Hey, clever boy! Are you trying to terrify everyone with behavior like that?”
“Stay still, old hag. I have a reason for this.”
Ravenwood, who stood beside me, also spoke as though trying to stop me.
The current situation would certainly appear strange to anyone watching.
At least, it would if they knew nothing about the circumstances.
“Dario. I know exactly which organization you belong to. Confess now, and I will let you keep your life.”
I knew he would never do so, but I said it anyway.
I could not simply kill him in front of everyone as I would have in the game.
The commotion had already caused everyone nearby to turn and stare at us.
Even if he was destined to become a villain and commit atrocities later, executing him in front of these people without relying upon the law would clearly be an act of evil.
‘More importantly, the rules of the original game might not apply exactly as they did before…….’
However, some aspects still corresponded.
Therefore, I had no choice but to subdue him using the methods currently available to me.
An idea came to mind.
I pointed directly at him.
“Dario, I charge you with unlawfully infiltrating the slums and deceiving its residents.”
[The Skill ― Objection activates!]
[Target: Dario Brandon]
[Interrogation begins!]
So the skill called Objection could transform itself in this manner according to the situation.
I kept my sword pointed at Dario and spoke.
I had to explain why he deserved to die.
I had to convince ‘everyone’ present that his death was unavoidable.
“Wh-What are you talking about?! I have lived in these slums my entire life!!”
“He is right! Dario has always lived in this damned neighborhood!”
“What do you know about Dario?!”
This unfiltered difference from the game nearly made me laugh in disbelief.
“Everyone, please calm down! I believe this is merely a misunderstanding! Therefore, for now……!”
Dario raised his hands as though he had been falsely accused.
His body was unmistakably trembling, and he spoke in a pleading voice.
“Hey, clever boy. I believe you may have mistaken him for someone else.”
Even Ravenwood spoke to me with concern.
She might indeed have believed that.
Had the window not appeared before my eyes, even I might have been completely deceived.
[Dario Brandon activates ‘Inciting Voice’!]
[Eligibility Confirmation: You are ‘The Absolved.’ Your reason is not clouded by another’s words.]
[Immunity activates!]
[You resist the effects of Inciting Voice!]
Had I not possessed this privilege, I would undoubtedly have regarded Dario as nothing more than an ordinary Slum Youth A.
‘The thought alone is terrifying.’
Had his voice bewitched me, the situation would have become extremely dangerous.
I could guarantee it.
The atmosphere sank into silence.
No one around us spoke.
If I delayed any longer, there was no telling what he might do.
“Of course, I did not point my sword at you without reason. Therefore, let us discuss this through the proper legal procedure. As befits the City of Law.”
I had thought I could finally catch my breath, but I would only be able to truly rest after dealing with this man as well.
With that thought, I opened my mouth.