"...well hello there," I blinked, staring down at the strange scene in my bed. "Did you get lost on your way to your room?"
Mother stared straight up at me and the goddess that'd passed out while holding me in her death grip. Her eyes were groggy, tired from waking up to my sudden appearance, but she sat up fast rubbing her eyes when realizing I was there.
"Fir-"
"It's fine, I'll find another room-"
Mother scooted up from the bed and leaned against the headboard, trying to figure out why I had a woman floating just above the bed with me. Then reached out to catch my skinny ankle, which I kicked up so she couldn't latch on, wanting me to stay.
"Your words, Anasta...Mother. Just tell me to stay and I won't disappear. But please, touching is something I'd prefer to avoid at the moment, my apologies. It's a waste of magic to put a glamor on myself right now." And I wouldn't let her touch me otherwise. "Do you need something? I'm quite busy at the moment, and your glazed eyes tell me you'd quite like to go back to sleep."
"..."
"An...Mother, I just told you, I'm a bit busy. Goodbye now-"
"Stay."
Shouldn't have told her that, dang it.
"Who is that?"
"The woman that saved this household and in effect, your marriage. She'll probably be asleep for a while since I put a spell on her for it, so don't mind it if she sleeps for a while. I'm supposed to be there for when she wakes up, so I'm making sure that happens."
Mother was asleep in my room...strangely enough. And Father's scent was everywhere there too. Did they just not...pay attention to the fact that...not only did they have their own rooms, they also had one they could share to be together...one that wasn't my room...
...whatever. I don't have time for this.
"Teria-"
I grunted, trying to pry her off. She was a goddess and therefore very strong, despite being the bottom rank, but still - far stronger than I was expecting, physically. That watered down giantkin appearance she took earlier was also weighing on my mind, because I doubted she was just copying me...not that she would know I recently came up with a form like that.
Still.
I had to go intangible just to make her slide off of me, hitting the bed. Mother jumped in shock when Teria started to roll off, reaching out to pull her back on.
"Oh, good idea. Can you watch her for me? Thanks, I'll be back...maybe later today? Have a good night-"
And it felt like old times, dumping some random information on Mother before disappearing off to somewhere else.
"Martin, I've returned."
"And in much brighter spirits, it appears," the butler turned around from his bookshelf, looking down at something for a few seconds longer before clapping it shut and holding the book at his side. Intending to take it with him...? "A law book, Young Miss."
"But we're not doing this on mortal terms...? Well, not at first. Okay, yeah, we need it. Kiki."
It's been done, Master.
"Thérèse. Are they ready?"
Yes.
I snapped my fingers, sending them all to the room that Martin had some unfortunate maids on the night shift prepare.
It'll be done in a few minutes, I told Thérèse, seeing them begin to settle down. Then Kiki will deal with the actual legal rules and stuff for his actual trial with the kingdom. And no, he won't be able to slip out of it. My familiar is very thorough.
Can I...
Don't they need you?
They're just going to sleep.
Lady Lilly does not look ready to sleep. Shall I-
Please.
And the lady begin to drift off while sitting on the bed with her daughter in her arms, Thérèse easing her down to sleep next to Milo already passed out and beneath the covers where he'd been tucked.
"Here you go-"
"Martin."
"Thérèse."
"You're coming as well?" the maid asked the butler, stepping forward behind me to scoop me up, nonchalant about it.
"I am," Martin nodded, making sure his gloves were tight enough. He always looked impeccable, setting the standard for the house inside and out. "Now, Young Miss, where are we going?"
"To the dukedo-...um, Kiki?" I blinked when she shook her head, interrupting me. "Excuse me...?"
Come.
But that place is...
Do you really think teleporting a bunch of folks over to the dukedom at 14:30 in the morning is a good idea? We're trying to build up your good credit again after you've been gone for a year. You never did come to check out the situation in the capital, no matter how much I pushed for it...
But you did tell me what was going on...and when I tried, I got tortured, so...
Just get over here. We're holding your trial with him, and then we're having a private council to decide the date of his trial with Bytriste's legal system.
I'm guessing the king is-
Ecstatic to be able to see you, yes.
But...I'm not going as Knight? I'm going as the Apostle of Order-
Which, from now on, is Knight, yes. The proxy title belongs to Firea - not that anyone needs to know that besides the gods and apostles - and from now on, the new identity of Knight is the Apostle of Order. I've been working hard over here, Master, to keep these apostles in line when they keep trying to claim you work for the gods and manipulate the story of your relationship with the Church. Don't screw it up.
T-Thank you? Um...seven days until your vacation starts, please don't break yet-
You don't know how much I'm looking forward to it.
Yes...
"The castle."
"The...castle."
"We're going to the castle. As in, the one in Leonera. I told Kiki to just send them over to the dukedom, but apparently some idiots had a problem with that...so we're bringing the duke to them instead. Well, it's not that much of a change. At least he can be locked up faster, and they don't have to waste time transporting him."
"Uh-huh..."
"So, consensus?" I looked left at Thérèse, right at Martin. "Instant, or door?"
"Instant-"
"Door-"
"..."
"..."
"...Here you go, Martin-"
"Thank you, Young Miss."
"Welcome," I snapped my fingers, appearing in the hallway to the king's office with those two. "Oh, whoops."
Too used to going there. But, well, it was a good place to separate.
"Oh, and a heads up, I may or may not be there, because you know, Firea doesn't really have jurisdiction in this castle, and no one knows me here...I'll send you to where it's going to be held, and bring you back when it's over. Bye."
And then Martin got a door while Thérèse was gone in an instant. Off to the court room that Kiki had chosen because...well...dramatic effect, I guess, since it wasn't really like I needed that to serve justice. All I needed was the transgressor, and that was it.
"-oh but you know," I sighed, leaning back on the high desk of the judge where I sat above the small crowds gathered in the stands ringing around the man suddenly shackled, shirtless, almost completely naked as I'd knocked him out in bed if I hadn't put some shorts on him for decency. "I think I quite like it here...it has a nice air, a nice air in here. I could get used to this."
Not that I had my own court room or needed one, or anything.
The crowd went silent when seeing me with my crossed legs dangling over the front of the banner hanging from the judge's desk built a bit higher than everyone else, leaning forward from my hands on the inside of the desk to grip the outsides, smiling down at them all with my full lips. The smile widened when letting my head fall straight back to look straight up at the balcony above the judge, at the place of honor for a very red-faced king to look down at me with unexpected, wide eyes.
Your true face is showing, my king.
The mask of stone he normally liked to wear when out and dealing with others was missing in action. Hearing my soft voice in his mind, then seeing my smile split and reveal some pretty white teeth, only made it worse.
I brought my head back up, looking out over my crowd. Eyes were either on me or on the duke with barely any decency on the ground, face-first.
"I don't know about you, but I'd quite like to move on with my night. There are other things to be doing. Duke," I called out, snapping my fingers. "You can wake up now."
And suddenly he breathed furiously, heart hammering, jerking up from the ground and trying to scramble up, the shackles only letting him get so far. The handsome young man, really not even bad for a side character that hardly appeared in the story, looked left and right, flustered and confused. Seeing his fellow high-ranking nobles all staring at him like watching a wild animal, or trying to sneak perplexed looks of, "What is she thinking?" up at me.
Gorgeous blonde hair, with soft brown eyes that made him look so pleasant. A kindly-looking fellow, really, but handsome even just standing there in a state of humiliation. Coming from a warmonger house, having fought on the battlefield himself on almost every occasion, naturally he was a toned warrior that took training to the max. So if it really wasn't for the fact that he was basically wearing boxers and being stared at by those with the utmost of dignity - even Thérèse was making a funny face in the stands, sitting next to Martin who frowned up at me blatantly - I'd have been admiring the effort he put in to maintaining his appearance.
"River."
The king called out to the woman behind him, stepping back from the balcony so his change of face drew no attention.
"Just watch, Your Majesty. She'll take care of everything."
I heard that emphasis just now, Kiki.
You shouldn't have fallen asleep these past eight days, Master.
It wasn't intentional, I promise. I'll add on to your vacation time. You can come back at the end of Janie, how about it?
A month and ten days...
Yep, yep.
The king would melt down without me, especially with the duke suddenly being taken out of power and the fate of the de Coccinelle house hanging in the balance. I'm taking my original ten days off starting with the winter solstice festival, and that extra month will start when the dukedom is sorted out.
I most certainly know that it's not me the duke should fear, but you.
Kiki was going to have that place sorted in wicked, frighteningly fast time. I would be surprised if it took more than half a month to deal with all of it if she was on the job, using regular mortals as her hands since she couldn't go about doing everything magically like me. It would probably take a regular aide three or more to sort it all.
"What's going on?!" the duke cried, unsure if it was a dream or not. That hyperventilation was something serious. "You!"
Me.
"Me," I smiled back down at him, resisting the urge to unprofessionally lean over on my knees. Kiki was serious about me not screwing it up. "You. I love the vocabulary here, but we're going to need a little more than that."
So I stood up in the air before my small crowd - well, small being about thirty people, ranging from the other dukes in the kingdom, to the marquises, counts, and most influential lower-ranking nobles called to bear witness and "spread the word" after it was done. No doubt, judging by some of the faces I was seeing, Kiki had plans in mind for them. There were some there that were a bit...out of the ordinary for me, to be present.
Accomplices. Or, "business partners."
To be tried at a later date.
Ah.
"Knight," one of the dukes stood up. I recognized him instantly, bearing quite the resemblance to a certain cousin of my dear king. "What is the meaning of this? Why must you put Duke de Coccinelle on trial for us all tonight of all nights, and at this time?"
Basically: why couldn't you be normal and do this during the day.
"Come now, de Maroth, I didn't want to chip into your work day. I know you're a busy man, as are you all - you as well, ladies," I flashed my charming smile to the very few matriarchs in charge of their own houses instead of their husbands. Or, just unmarried. That was fine by me. "But yes, I did have a reason for this. You see, my working hours are all hours of the day, so it just happened to be that I was working on the duke's case tonight. I would quite like to be finished with him once and for all, don't you agree? He causes more headaches than any other, and I've dealt with quite a few of your Demon-summoning, slave-importing, domestic abuser, multiple-offender peers over the years that still can't quite learn the lesson that they will be dealt with, accordingly, eventually. Well, that, and," I sighed like it was such a shame. "It just so happens to be that the reason for the de Coccinelle house's existence was erased tonight. Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to get some new management in there for the coming year. A fresh start, you know?"
"And what would the reason of their house be?"
"To guard a certain artifact that no longer has a use. Don't worry, unlike the duke, I didn't try to bribe Fonçe cult members with it in exchange for killing my daughter."
And the murmurings began. It was honestly comforting how predictable they were.
Duke de Maroth wanted to push it further, to ask more, but that wasn't what we were there for. Thankfully, he moved on from that topic, no doubt knowing I was going to drop little hints with every answer I gave like that.
"And so?" His back straightened, the old man letting his eyes trail over to the almost frothing Duke de Coccinelle seething in front of me. I'd muted him for the sake of my conversation with more important people. "What do you hope to achieve tonight?"
Kiki, did you tell them nothing?
Only that you were putting the duke on trial tonight for multiple crimes, and that they would find out your true identity through it.
You little...
It's necessary, Master.
I kept smiling through the pain.
So that's why he's here.
No, he's here because he wanted to see you. And, when I told him he wouldn't have to do anything, he brought the popcorn. Tonight was a night off for him.
Not...literally popcorn-
Focus, Master.
"What I've been wanting to for several years now, but still lacking sufficient enough crimes to present to you that would warrant deposing a duke. Seven years ago, if I'd approached you-"
You were still in the womb, Master.
They don't know that.
"-or even six years ago, and told you about his crimes, you would've opposed me. They would not have been great enough, in your eyes. So what if he abuses his wife? Plenty of noblemen do it. Importing slaves? Well, as long as no one finds out. Making them his prostitutes? Also fair game, he's just a man after all. So what if he participates in underworld activities of unspeakable nature? He's a powerful nobleman, nothing will happen to him. And so what if he summoned a Demon?" I shrugged, looking about the crowd for a reaction. Tight faces, angry ones, pale ones, filled the mix. Silence was getting easier to keep as they wanted to listen. "And? Others have done it. So what?"
My hand lifted up to the air, pressing lightly on my Status.
"So what, so what, so what? In a world where war is the norm, men are in charge, and brutality is always on the table, what should it matter if he does any of these things, especially if others do them too? Well, let me tell you why, since some of your buddies still don't get the picture. Because honestly, it's irritating at this point. The next time I go to take care of a Demon summoning and it's a nobleman of this kingdom, I think I may just put you all on trial for failing to hold your peers accountable."
[Apostle of Order], title installation. [Race Change].
My smile fell, clothes beginning to change. Black ribbons that I'd kind of come to miss after not wearing them so long began to lighten, whiten, and shed the dark theme I'd marched around in taking care of blood in the dark.
Because that night, I had to uproot weeds to burn them in the light.
When my hand started to fall, white ribbons wrapping it so pure and bright I probably could've starred in a detergent commercial, so stunning with my white hair and white blindfold...
Only for you, Kiki.
I instead reached up, slipping a finger down the bridge of my nose and prying the ribbon off. It fell away like silk, revealing closed eyes. Not even a heartbeat could be heard in the room that stayed so silent, seeing what was thought to be impossible.
And then they opened.
Silver irises with white Orixen stared out to a breathless crowd as I stepped slowly down invisible stairs to the criminal on the ground beneath my floating feet.
"Transgressor Kain de Coccinelle," I began, reaching out to put my hand on top of his head. "You have sinned. I, the [Apostle of Order], in the name of the [Proxy of the Goddess of Order], have come to serve justice to you who has waited for me long enough, for your victims who need not tolerate or suffer beneath you any longer, and for the good of the land that does not need you anymore. Your sins are many...and your punishment shall be just as great."
And then I began.
And in my mind's eye, I watched the faces. The faces of those around him, those around us, those above us, and those sleeping in my home and waiting for it to be over. I saw the gritting teeth, the tears in eyes, the guilt in their closed ones, the clenched fists, the blank looks, the fearful ones, the heads turned away, the serious postures, the slumped ones, the ones that looked ready to run away.
I saw it all, listing off every single thing I could charge him for in my court where I ruled.
And then I ruined him.
"-resounding harm to innocent surroundings, and intentional execution of your actions, you are sentenced as mercifully as you deserve."
He didn't seem to realize what was going on, having slumped the longer I spoke, glazed over and gasped at the sentence I gave him the more evidence I presented to make it very crystal clear just how deep he was in it and how unable he was to redeem himself and crawl out of it.
"W-Wait," he reached out towards me with his bound hands, on his knees at my feet. Trying for the same ankle Mother had tried to grab. "Please...don't...you can't do this..."
How weak.
That was not the same voice with which he cursed at his children and threatened his wife.
A ribbon slid out from my wrist, straight down to lightly knock his hand away. He could only stare up into my Orixen eyes and feel nothing but despair.
[A Statement Has Been Given]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Defendant's Statement]
"W-Wait. Please...don't...you can't do this..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If there are any objections," my voice lifted to the crowd, chilled to the soul, sitting patiently. "Speak now."
"..."
No one spoke up for the duke. Not a single accomplice or business partner, not a single adversary or even one of those that wanted to put him down themselves but could never navigate the strength of one of the most powerful - and necessary - houses in Bytriste.
But unlike my father, he was not necessary. Unlike my mother, Lady Lilly was skilled enough to run a household herself, and the territory that came with it. The duke, though a great contributor to the war, was not that important himself besides the supplies, weapons, and manpower he could provide.
No, those things that his house could provide.
My head raised up, looking to the ceiling. The gods and goddesses of truth, of law, of everything good and proper, were painted on the ceiling high above us in the light chamber where a house was to fall that night.
I was waiting.
"Tonight," the king spoke up from his balcony, drawing eyes. I could smell his nerves from there, but couldn't smile for once. Just closing my eyes, thinking. "The House of de Coccinelle is dissolved. Due to its history as one of the founding houses, its importance in the conflict with the Demon Territory, and ties with the considerably influential and longstanding corruption in our country, it has withstood many years of war and poor leadership almost unscathed. However, we cannot let these reasons stand in the way of maintaining proper order and justice any longer. We have felt the influence of the crimes of its lord with his every wrongdoing while his house interacted with our society, and having been enlightened of its true rot without a word of objection tonight, it is clear that further action must be taken. Beyond the proceedings taken place here, formal legal procedure from Bytristian law will be held with the beginning of the new year in 983."
"For those of you here that were tied to the duke's dark dealings, or know others unable to attend tonight that have ties as well, you have two choices."
My head fell back down to look at the man collapsed at my feet as a miserable sight. Every notch in his spine looked like it wanted to rip out of his body just like he wanted to escape it, silver chains trembling on his wrists as he leaned on them, curled up with his forehead on the ground below me.
"Volunteer yourselves to a trial in which I provide it to you," I rose my voice, the tip of the long ribbon from my left wrist moving to poke into the back of the duke's neck. It slithered off a few more inches, enough to wrap around his neck, before the rest retracted by catching fire. He was a dirty thing, touching my ribbons. "Or provide a full list and description of your involvement with him to the king's aide and stop your criminal activities by the end of Janie. Beware your choice, for I am a keeper of order that will sentence you as mercifully as you deserve. However, if you choose the second option, do not think leaving anything off the list will do you any favors. Simply, in a few weeks' time, listen for news of Newone...and you will see that angering me, deceiving me, attempting to disrupt the keeping of order, is your death warrant. Your fellow mortals, as judge and jury, may be flawed...but the punishments they can exact of you are mercy compared to what I would deliver."
Breaths caught. They looked around the crowds they sat within, looking left and right for their other accomplices, unsure of what was going to happen next. Wondering if anyone was looking at them, suspecting them. Wondering if even shifting uncomfortably in their seat would give them away.
"Only one house needs to fall so high from grace," River spoke up from the balcony, standing beside the king. "Please keep in mind that full cooperation may lighten your sentence, depending on the severity and degree of involvement of your crimes."
"Transgressor Kain de Coccinelle."
He stopped shivering so hard, hearing his name. Looking up to the bottom of my feet, the white ribbon on his neck contorting with its muscles, tight to his skin like it was glued there.
"You have failed, due to the severity of your crimes, to qualify for rehabilitative assignments. Due to this, besides the sentence mentioned previously, you will be deducted twenty years from your current lifespan, and of your twenty remaining future lives, you will be deducted five."
Then I did bend over myself, unsure of what the apostle state was having me do, but at the same time so comfortable and sure of it that I could blast the insecurity away while reaching through his back.
The duke gasped and coughed when my hand sunk through, grabbing his soul. Then people leaned back in their chairs, standing up, whispering violently trying to figure out what does she think she is doing-!
And then I pulled it out.
A third of his life, and another five.
It doesn't deserve to look this beautiful.
Lifting it to the front of my face, I felt nothing. It was part of his soul - not the part that would take away memories from him of past lives or that one, but the remaining portion that was "future storage" for "future memories."
At my will, the wisp of white light began to solidify instead of dancing around like a white flame. It made me feel at home, seeing something like that, but I couldn't quite place it. It belonged to a bad man - was a bad man - but being untainted by his memories, it was a blank slate.
Tabula rasa.
The flame flickered in my hand as the duke keeled over at my feet, finally done. All that I could see in the room that seemed to lose its light to make part of the soul look brighter was its glorious, innocent glow.
Until it burned up and away, disappearing like it breathed its last away from its source and couldn't sustain itself without kindling. My eyes closed, finishing my piece.
"Tonight's proceedings can be viewed when summoned with file name [Trial of Kain de Coccinelle], along with the sentence list that will take effect at 2:00:00 in the morning today, Zerlo 13th, 982. Your criminal materials within your estate are currently being confiscated. Your cell is being prepared."
And then it appeared. The big periwinkle...uh, no, silver circle off to my left, one that everyone could see as I lifted my hand and pressed down on top. Then the circle disappeared, the recordings stopped, and the files I chose to make public to all of the witnesses were stored away.
"The trial is over. Justice is served. You are dismissed."
The royal guard that had been waiting at the entrances of the room stepped forth, long and quick, green capes billowing behind them. They matched their king, high above, who'd been forced to dress the part for once. And then they dragged up the fallen duke onto one of the men's shoulders since the duke was unconscious and likely wouldn't have walked himself. Out through a door, by an escort that didn't look very happy and actually quite angry, having watched the whole thing themselves.
Don't visit your personal vengeance on him too horribly, I whispered to their minds. He must live for his second trial.
Hopefully that would keep them from killing him in rage. The duke really had been involved in such heinous things, ranging from slavery, to drugs, to reappropriating money from efforts to his own personal uses, to working better with the underground than he worked with the overground, to everything he could possibly meddle in.
He was, honestly, the perfect criminal.
Thank you, author-san, I thought, remembering the cover of the strange not-isekai I was in. Or rather, screw you for giving him the potential to be that bad, and then letting him act on it, even if none of this was covered in the actual story itself.
I just couldn't wait for his aides to be tried and rooted out as well. Cutting off the head of the snake didn't stop it from being a hydra.
"Knight."
My head turned to the side, looking over at Duke de Maroth. The nobles had lingered, afraid to be the first to leave, but they slowly trickled out.
"Duke," I responded, bare of a smile. Standing a bit taller than him, refusing to touch the ground.
"..."
Then I did give him a smile, a small one. Not one of Knight's, but one of mine. It was actually pleasant instead of antagonistic, thoughtful instead of playful.
"I'll see you at the ball."
Thérèse and Martin were sent back to the de Libellule manor as I also retreated, or tried to.
Master.
Agh...
But there was no getting on Kiki's nerves that night, so I appeared on the balcony just out of sight of the crowd. The king turned around at River's prompting, looking at me standing right next to Duke de Maroth's son and the vice captain of the guard. My ribbons were slowly losing their whiteness, seeping back to black, as the blindfold was on before he could turn around.
"Someone bothered to dress nicely..."
"Of course..." The king's hand trailed off the bannister, partially facing me. Lifting a hand up to feel for his hair slicked back, the other one not sure what to do. "After what River told me..."
"Hm...and you? Look at you, looking so much like your father. Did you plan to twin tonight?"
"Shut it."
"Oh, come on, don't be that way." But the vice captain wasn't having it, casting a gaze aside from me. "...well then, see you."
The king's whole demeanor jumped, reaching out. "Wait-!"
You just said I had to see him.
Tch.
The king turned back around to bug Kiki, to ask her to call me back. Kiki tried her hardest to not cup her hand on his mouth to make him leave her alone for a minute about me.
"Ugh..."
Forming around me, the mattress sunk, laying next to Father still passed out asleep. I needed to get up and fulfill Keir's plan, to bring Teria to him so we could go to Thanos' dungeon...
But then I realized, she probably needed to be awake, and she was - even without my prompting - very much asleep. So I took my magic off of her that was forcing her to sleep and decided against shoving her in a time-converted space so we could be out and about faster. Me shoving her in spaces without her consent and without anyone else around was strictly forbidden in my mind from then on, even if she wouldn't have been aware of it.
Agh...well. At least I can rest.
The next she'd awaken was in a few hours from then.
Wait.
Just when I thought I could rest, the name of the Goddess of Revenge popped up in her head. When pulling up her request tab, I looked over the thing, remembering-
Oh, come on!
No rest for the wicked, but no rest for the justified either.