Chapter 175 The blade is born of evil, but justice washes it away like water…
"Trial... this first crime?"
Most ordinary viewers didn't react and stared blankly at the images from their memories.
Blood splattered, and the child, who had been powerless to resist, screamed and kicked the man's chest with his short leg.
This was supposed to be a soft, powerless blow, just like all his previous struggles.
but……
"ah??"
They stared in disbelief as the man's body flew through the air, his face slamming into the blood-soaked blanket.
"Huh???"
The contrast was so stark that everyone was stunned, staring at the blood-soaked kitten's face.
"This... I do have a feeling that someone might die, but it doesn't seem to be the one I thought it was?"
Higewen stood up from her chair and examined the man's bleeding neck.
"The bite force of an average six-year-old child should be around 15 to 25 kilograms, and the possibility of biting through an adult's artery is almost zero."
It is a burst of speed, a single, fatal blow, a precise and rapid piercing attack.
"...The bite force must be at least fifty kilograms, which is far beyond that of an adult."
"……ah?"
The audience was at a loss for how to react to the child's counterattack. Some felt that their previous worries about him had become a joke and were extremely dissatisfied.
"As expected, a lynx is a lynx. Even as a child, it possesses the strength to easily kill an adult. It's ferocious..."
"Hahahaha! Even as a child, he possessed the strength to easily defeat an adult? Brutal?"
Before the spectator could finish speaking, a short, purple-haired man wearing a straw hat jumped up, pointed at his nose, and started cursing.
"You idiot, are your eyes just for venting your anger?! Or has your brain been fermented by Fontaine's perfume so much that you can't even understand the most basic facts?!"
"Huh? You... why are you suddenly swearing?"
"I'm talking about you! You blind fool! Take a good look with those dim, pebbly eyes of yours!!"
The soldier stepped forward and pointed directly at the kitten in the image.
"Hiss!!"
After kicking the man away, the child immediately arched his back and puffed up on the bed, his big tail flaring up as if in a state of stress, his small body tense and bulging into a ball, showing no signs of relaxation after a successful hunt.
"See that, you idiot?! He hasn't even realized that the danger has been eliminated! He's still scared!"
"Huh? So what?"
The audience member, unwilling to be criticized for nothing, immediately retaliated.
"That doesn't change the fact that he's ruthless! A dangerous individual who could kill at the age of six, who knows what he'll become? Okay, I forgot, he did indeed grow up to be a notorious wanted criminal, haha!"
"Huh?" Veins bulged on the skirmisher's forehead, and he couldn't help but let out a murderous grin. "Perhaps a moderate amount of electric shocks will help your brain development..."
"Wait, what are you going to do?"
"quiet!"
“Scattered soldier, step back. You’re not suited to talking to fools.”
The judge's warning and Al-Hysen's statement prevented the dispute from escalating further, but the spectator was not grateful and instead became enraged, shouting loudly.
"Was I wrong? These dangerous children should be supervised and kept in a tightly locked room!"
Elhesen looked up at him. "Logically, Vizier's job is to teach an idiot, but we'll make an exception today."
"What do you mean?? You—"
"Five minutes after Mainkuhn was picked up, he made his first attempt to resist, kicking the man's chest with his right foot, but to little avail."
"After being carried into the car, he tried to open the window to look at Melusin, but failed after three attempts due to his weakness."
“This child, who was of average ability, suddenly became much stronger after being beaten and violently oppressed, to the point that he was able to successfully resist despite the weight difference of more than 100 pounds. Mr. Fontaine, don’t you really think something is wrong?”
"Could it be that he was pretending to be weak before?"
The man tried to argue, but most of the people present were clear-headed.
They all thought of the strange warnings that had come from the human traffickers.
"Pamper him, don't force him, and maintain a friendly relationship with him."
"If that's not possible, make sure you have a gun on hand."
"So that wasn't a lie, a way to get the child treated better by the buyer..."
Everything is real.
The boys' and girls' aversion to toddlers, the loneliness of being locked in a room alone—all the injustices seem to have an answer:
"His strength was not innate, nor did his power originate from himself."
Ehrlich pointed to the man convulsing on the ground in the video, and read the conclusion in a normal tone, a conclusion he had known for countless years.
"Without the malice of others, the offspring of monsters are no different from ordinary people."
“But there are always people who put the knife of suicide into the hands of the wise king, and I am also very distressed about this.”
...
After Al-Hysen finished speaking, all was silent.
After a long while, someone finally murmured something.
"If that buyer had been more patient, coaxing and deceiving, would the lynx have been obediently...? You know what I mean."
“That’s impossible, because Mr. Mainkuhn is very obedient to his brother and wouldn’t let anyone take off his pants.”
Al-Hysen looked up from the audience seats at the packed dock of defendants.
"You've done a good job teaching children about the importance of their bodily privacy."
Leosley: "Uh, thank you?"
"This...this is impossible! How could someone possess such an ability?"
The audience, still unconvinced after confronting the skirmishers, cried out, "You describe the lynx's slaughter as some kind of divine retribution, but he is clearly a sinner who has committed many injustices, Lord Vilette! Are you just going to let this Sumerian man spout nonsense in court without any basis??"
"Quiet!"
The judge struck the ground with his cane, and the Water Dragon King spoke solemnly:
"I can attest to the fact, in my capacity as Supreme Judge, that the power of the defendant, Mr. Mainkuhn, was indeed directly related to the malice that was inflicted upon him."
It's really true! They were still a little skeptical of what Elhesen said, but since Mr. Villette said so too, then there's no problem.
"So his power is triggered by being hurt or hated??" Countless astonished gazes moved upwards, landing on the unconscious youth.
"Such a passive ability... God, I feel like his path to becoming stronger must be very difficult. Well, judging from the current situation, it is indeed quite difficult."
Someone else looked at the pale-faced audience member and corrected him, "This person can no longer be considered a dangerous individual, right? I still think those he killed were more dangerous..."
“No wonder, no wonder his actions are so inconsistent and deliberately comical.” Navia suddenly realized this in the audience, then immediately thought of something else, “Mr. Sumeru! I feel like you didn’t finish your sentence! Mr. Xiao En’s abilities are definitely not just like this… The little Xiao En in the video looks a bit delirious, is that a side effect of his abilities?”
"It's not time to reveal it yet."
El-Heinz refused to say another word, simply pressing the now-calmed soldier down to sit.
"Well done! I thought you'd slack off until the job was done!"
"I am not a heartless person, and I am fairly competent at my job."
In an instant, the negative opinions of ordinary viewers about the lynx's first murder almost disappeared.
"I think that person deserved to die, and it's worth celebrating."
"He even died too easily; perhaps many children have already fallen victim to his cruelty..."
The scene of everyone working together as one made the audience members who raised opposing opinions look rather unsightly.
"Navilette! Is this the justice you claim to have?"
He then flew into a rage, shouting, "The lynx killed someone! It had no right to take anyone's life; it committed a crime!"
"You're guilty of a crime! You look like you've committed a crime!"
Funina jumped up in anger.
"Are you even from Fontainebleau? Do you even know how to write 'self-defense'? You're legally illiterate!"
"quiet!"
"Villet? You're not going to listen to him, are you? I advise you to be rational..."
"Furina, be quiet."
Under the watchful eyes of the gods, the nations, and the people, Navelette briefly closed her eyes.
"In the name of the Supreme Judge, I pronounce the verdict."
"Defendant Mainkuhn, not guilty of the first murder!"
...
"Good!! That's how it should be ruled!"
After a moment of silence, there was endless cheering. No one remembered that they had entered the opera house with the intention of hunting wild beasts. Only those who had been humiliated remained furious.
"This is unjust! Villette, you're acting out of personal feelings!"
"Sir, watch your tongue!"
Dragon, your justice remains as impartial as water, able to cast a warning glance equally upon both the overly angry audience and the overly joyful Furina.
“According to Fontaine law, children under the age of 13 are presumed to lack the capacity to make judgments and therefore are not criminally liable. Thus, regardless of whether Mainkuhn acted in self-defense, he will not be convicted.”
"If you really want to find someone responsible for this blood debt..."
Navelette turned to the sleeping young man in the dock, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
"The responsibility lies with the social system that fails to protect children, with the law enforcement system that turns a blind eye to the buying and selling of children, and with every adult who condones this crime."
"Naviette?"
"As a judge, I am also among them."
The Water Dragon King stood up, stepped forward, and stood in the dock, facing the entire opera house, bowing to the bewildered child stained with blood in the image, and closing his eyes.
Was this an apology? Or a moment of silence? No one knew.
They only saw the warden behind the Dragon King pause for a moment, then stand up with a smile and make the same gesture behind him.
He placed his hand on his chest, closed his eyes, lowered his head slightly, and looked solemn.
Wait, what's he doing getting involved? Wasn't he the warden back then?
But Leosley wasn't the last one. A moment later, Funina, with her eyes lowered and accompanied by her purple bodyguard, walked to the dock.
Wait a minute, isn't Furness just a mascot? What responsibility does she have? And Clarind, were you even born back then??
But they all solemnly placed their hands on their chests, as if in mourning.
...
After a brief silence, an ordinary woman stood up from the audience, facing the direction of the image.
...
"Hey, Elhesen."
A few seconds later, Kavi looked at the solemn crowd standing around him like a bamboo forest and softly called his friend's name.
"Um?"
"Actually, I had some reservations about the Fontaine people before. You know, the fact that the King isn't a native of Sumeru is really a bit..."
"Um."
"But now, I feel that the country of Fontaine... isn't without the strength to compete with us for cats!"
"That sounds terrible."
El-Heinz said with a blank expression.
Maybe it was a joke.
"alright."
Three minutes later, Navelette returned to her chair and made her request to Nasita, who had been waiting for a long time.
"The first crime has been adjudicated. Now, please continue to present the records of the ley lines."
"I want to see how many legal loopholes Fontaine still has."
"Um……"
Nasita's gaze shifted slightly.
"This should be considered a diplomatic blunder..."
"?"
"Forget it, that country's reputation is beyond saving."
With a sigh, Nasita used her divine power to make the suspended memories flow again. As time passed, the little cat gradually calmed down, and its downy ears, which had been flat on its back, stood up.
"?"
Confused, Xiaomei poked her head out of bed and sniffed the blood-soaked carpet.
"Hey, sir, are you dead?"
“He hasn’t even realized what’s going on yet, what a cute child…” Yae no Miko chuckled.
"??"
Perhaps because of the master's instructions, even though the man made a lot of noise when he was struggling to his death, no one came to check on him. Only Mainkuen sat on the bed in a daze, his head covered in blood.
"...Did I do it? Uh, it doesn't seem like anyone else did it?"
"Let's do it then," Xiaomei thought, jumping out of bed and trying to turn the doorknob.
"Ah, just like the door at home, it won't open again."
Who had the key? It was my older brother, my parents, and my dad.
"...We can only wait."
"He doesn't seem afraid or remorseful about killing people? That's unusual for a child," Xiao asked Zhongli, puzzled.
"Well, how should I put it?" Zhongli leaned down and whispered in the young immortal's ear, "When Liu Yun was little, he loved to catch fish from the water and eat them."
"Hey! I heard you!" Liu Yun hissed, his eyes red. "What's wrong with that? It's just instinct. Gan Yu liked to nibble on the grass when she was little too!"
"Why are you coming to me again..." Gan Yu groaned in pain and explained to Xiao Dasheng in a low voice, "Even as a half-immortal, I have retained many of the instincts of the Qilin. I think Mr. Mainkuhn is the same."
"Instinct? Then the instinct of a cat-like being is..."
"It's hunting, isn't it?" Wendy leaned closer. "I saw a tabby kitten from afar. It was only two months old and it could already pounce on mice. And the cats in Springvale are all excellent hunters!"
"Even setting aside instinct, Xiaomei, being so young and having lived in seclusion for so long, probably has little understanding of the weight of life and death."
The bloodlines of demons and immortals are always lost in the mortal world. Zhongli sighed, a trace of regret rising in his heart.
"I regret that we met too late, and that guidance came too late."
As the Rock God was lamenting, he saw a woman with long, wine-red hair and a cloak pick the lock and walk in, staring blankly at the scene before her.
"Auntie?"
Xiao Mei was very happy to see someone coming, and her thick tail stood up straight.
"Have you seen my brother...?"
"Oh, oh, you killed him?"
The visitor surprisingly made no judgment about Mainkuen's appearance, but stared intently at the wounds on the corpse, which surprised Zhong Li.
"Finally, I've met a normal adult."
"If she could summon the Thousand Rock Army, this memory should come to an end," King Ruoduo said with a wry smile.
"You're joking about 'managing water and stacking mountains'... You should be the one who manages water, right?"
"I bit him to death."
The image from memory moves forward; a kitten with a large white tail and light gray stripes slaps the ground with a soft thud. The child asks hesitantly:
Did I do something wrong?
It seems he does have some awareness of valuing life; he's a good child.
"Protecting yourself is certainly the right thing to do," Xiao replied with satisfaction twenty years later. "But you should still do less killing, as it's easy to accumulate negative karma."
"They're also prone to getting involved in smoking and prison, sigh." Gan Yu added.
"No!!"
A long, drawn-out scream rang out, and everyone in the opera house stared in disbelief as Kudjavina picked up the kitten and gave it a big kiss.
"You did absolutely the right thing! Keep it up!"
Xiao: "? I find Fontaine's educational philosophy somewhat unacceptable."
Gan Yu: "? No, Great Sage, believe me, this is definitely not normal."
"You didn't do anything wrong? Murder?"
"Yes! Keep killing..."
"If you don't know how, I'll teach you!"
Liu Yun was so angry he wanted to crow, while Zhong Li silently covered his eyes, unable to bear to look.
"I regret that we met so late, and now I regret it even more."
King Ruoduo Dragon King went even further and said:
"You dare to lead such promising young people astray!"
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The author notes: Children under the age of 13 are presumed to lack the ability to discern; this is a French regulation, not ours.
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