#65 The Phantom Dauphin (9) – Two Nameless Souls

Dahlia thought.

*Calm yourself, calm yourself.*

The man was a civilian, one she, as a guard, was sworn to protect, and also the one who had pulled her from the mire of her circumstance.

Even if his words were somewhat extreme, and his views verged on the dangerous, that alone was not justification to shout or browbeat him.

“You see, in my opinion, humility and respect stem from a fear of the other. The moment one sees another as harmless, as beneath them, humans commit the most atrocious acts without a second thought. Conversely, if one feels fear, one can become humble. Therefore, I propose: ‘It is permissible to cleave the skull of any discourteous rogue with an axe’! How is that? A fine law to teach people respect for one another, wouldn’t you say?”

She recalled her esteemed father’s words as well.

Dahlia’s inherent constitution was quite exceptional, he’d said, so if she failed to control her emotions and allowed them to run rampant, it could lead to significant trouble.

Therefore, she needed to cultivate patience and composure.

Compared to the countless insults, backstabbing, and subtle ostracism she’d endured within the guard, this conversation was nothing.

From the start, there was no need to take it so seriously, was there?

Just let it flow by, and that would be the end of it…

“Proper procedure and fairness are often so bothersome. Those with power use these procedures and fairness to evade responsibility every which way, and the victim can only watch the process, shedding tears of blood. So, the best thing to do is just smash the bad guys to bits! If the ending is one where everyone feels good and applauds, what’s the big deal if we ignore procedure a little?”

“Listen, listen, listen here!”

Dahlia was thoroughly riled up.

Riled up beyond measure.

“What? Execute anyone who makes someone else cry? Should we turn the whole city into a ghost town? Knights must have it easy! No need to carry swords, just walk around with garlic or onions and rub it in people’s eyes as a finishing move!”

“Oho, that is an important point. We certainly need safeguards against fake tears.”

“That’s not the point! It’s sarcasm!”

The man stroked his chin, “Hmm….” Then, he asked,

“But anyone can point out problems. If unconditionally punishing those who commit evil deeds isn’t the answer, how should they be punished?”

“Well, naturally, by following the law and procedure—”

“I’m asking, what law?”

The man leaned forward, his eyes gleaming.

“I said, it’s all a game of law. Assuming that existing laws or orders, such as the kingdom’s law or the city’s law, don’t exist at all. What laws should people be punished by, and what laws should protect them? What do you think?”

“That’s…”

Dahlia momentarily lost her words.

To create and decide on laws from scratch – that was not an issue a mere individual could lightly discuss.

How could she possibly answer if she was suddenly asked to?

“You can’t answer, can you? Then, wouldn’t it be best to just execute all the bad guys?”

The calm and gentlemanly attitude he’d displayed moments before was gone, sold off somewhere. Now, he was acting like he’d won, taunting her, and a vein throbbed on Dahlia’s forehead.

If she were asked to create a “perfect law that no one could argue with,” Dahlia probably wouldn’t be able to utter a single word in her entire life.

But at least at this moment, she could think of a law to refute this man’s outrageous logic. No, she *had* to.

“If you execute all the bad guys, then someone who steals an object and someone who kills a person are all treated the same. Punishment should be divided according to the severity of the crime, and the appropriate punishment should be handed down.”

“Hmm, cut off the hand of the one who steals, cut off the tongue of the one who lies, kill the one who kills. Something like that?”

“That’s too narrow in scope, and they’re all extreme. Why are you so bloodthirsty?”

“But if the punishment is just a slap on the wrist, won’t everyone take it lightly? The penalty needs to be severe, so people will at least think twice out of fear, no?”

“That is, um…”

Dahlia paused, her mind working.

Her father was a knight, but calling him a knight was being generous. His standard of living was more in line with a skilled wanderer.

Having grown up under that kind of father, Dahlia hadn’t received any proper education, leaving her lacking in both erudition and refinement.

However, she had experience.

She’d traveled with her father and witnessed the kinds of injustices people cried out against. She’d seen, from her life as a guard, how cruel flawed laws could be.

Based on that experience, Dahlia fell into thought.

The more severe the punishment, the more cautious criminals would be.

That statement in itself, at least, didn’t seem wrong.

But the side effects were equally potent.

“It might be different from laws exactly, but I’ve seen lands ruled by both gentle lords and strict ones.”

“Remarkable. So there existed such a creature as a gentle lord in this Virka Kingdom, you say?”

“…They do exist! One in a hundred, maybe! And that’s not the point, so listen to the end!”

“Yes.”

After clearing her throat a few times, Dahlia spoke.

“The gentle lord gave those who made mistakes a chance, while the strict lord handed down the ultimate punishment without forgiveness for even a single transgression. On the surface, it might seem the latter would be safer from crime, but what I saw was different. Even minor offenses carried the ultimate penalty, so criminals with nothing to lose became even more reckless.”

“Hmm, is that all? You must provide a way out?”

“There’s also the issue of wrongful judgments. Someone was accused of being a thief and had their wrist cut off, but later it came to light that they weren’t the culprit. But the severed hand doesn’t grow back. That’s why making the punishment unconditionally severe isn’t a good idea. Innocent victims could be created.”

The man seemed to ponder for a moment, and Dahlia swallowed nervously, without even realizing it.

Then, the man nodded.

“Indeed, there is merit to that.”

“R-really?”

Dahlia’s face visibly brightened.

Thinking about it, she had just managed to elicit a positive reaction from the man, but for some reason, that felt immensely gratifying.

But that was only for a moment.

“However, surely it is just as wicked to condone or tacitly agree with a crime as it is to commit it. Should not all involved parties be punished as criminals, too? If the perpetrator is to be executed, at least remove one of their limbs.”

“Don’t talk such nonsense!”

Dahlia roared, throwing herself at the man, who had once again started saying things that set her teeth on edge.

“You think doing that would encourage people to actively prevent crime? The opposite! They’d be too afraid of being punished themselves and would keep silent about everything! It would make catching criminals even harder!”

“Is that so? Then how about this scenario?”

After that, the man presented Dahlia with various hypothetical situations, seeking her agreement, and Dahlia refuted them.

Of course, it wasn’t easy.

The man knew far more than Dahlia could even compare to, and sometimes he pierced the contradictions or flaws in what Dahlia had always taken for granted as ‘obvious.’

In the face of the man’s eloquence, Dahlia was repeatedly pushed back or, at best, barely endured with gritted teeth. Still, occasionally, when she broke through his logic and managed to impose her own opinion, she felt a satisfaction that defied description.

What the kingdom’s laws dictated, or what Levruk would do, was irrelevant.

Within the imaginary problems they discussed, only Dahlia’s own will, conviction, and conscience served as the standard.

Dahlia suddenly recalled the man calling this a ‘game.’

She had to admit, without a doubt.

To believe something was right, to assert it proudly, was, in itself, a ‘pleasant’ thing.

“Huu…”

Having passionately argued for some time, Dahlia leaned back in her chair and exhaled a deep sigh.

The enjoyable holiday was drawing to a close, and the time for her return was nearing.

Therefore, Dahlia couldn’t help but feel a bitter taste.

“You don’t look well. Is something troubling you?”

At the man’s question, Dahlia hesitated to answer.

If it were her usual self, she would have lightly dismissed it, saying there was no problem.

But having forcefully vented something that had been pressed deep within her heart for a long time, Dahlia wanted to savor that release just a little longer.

“I’ll admit it. It was certainly… engaging. But what meaning does it have? No matter what we discuss here, it has no bearing on reality.”

Her judgments, her verdicts, her sense of right and wrong—they held no meaning in the real world.

No matter how fiercely Dahlia agonized and desperately pieced together answers, it would have no impact on the judgments and conclusions handed down by the upper echelons of this city.

If it was a game, simply being enjoyable might be enough.

Even knowing that, the fundamentally earnest Dahlia felt a strange sense of regret about the fact.

And then, the man answered.

“Just because it’s a game doesn’t mean it can’t be helpful. It may be difficult to apply it to reality immediately, but at least it can serve as a standard for judgment when you face certain situations in the future, can it not?”

“What meaning is there in a standard you can’t use?”

“At least you can come to a clear conclusion: ‘If I were in that situation, this is what I would have done.’ Rather than simply feeling ambiguous and sticky emotions without a definite answer, it’s more refreshing to arrive at a solution.”

“Arrive at a solution, huh.”

Dahlia closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

And then, she bowed her head slightly to the man.

“…I thank you for today. I shall take my leave now.”

“Your mannerisms have returned? Though, I found the previous iteration not entirely unpleasant.”

“I am one to distinguish between the professional and the personal, you see.”

In other words, from this point onward, it was ‘professional’ territory.

“I shall not inquire as to your name. Nor shall I acknowledge the stories I have heard from you.”

It was Dalia’s own brand of kindness, and a method for her to deceive herself.

Even if the man’s identity was indeed ‘he’ as Dalia suspected, at least she could refrain from detaining him for today.

“That is agreeable. Then, for the ‘next’ time as well, I shall not ask for the lady’s name. There is a certain charm to that, wouldn’t you agree?”

And thus, the man lightly crossed the line Dalia had drawn, and kissed the back of her hand.

Dalia’s breath momentarily ceased.

“The ‘next’ time, you say?”

“Goodness, surely you don’t think a single day of storytelling is enough to repay my kindness? You must humor me a few more times. Hahaha! This is why one should not readily accept favors from others!”

At the man’s jesting words, the tips of Dalia’s fingers trembled.

“…Well, I must repay my debt, after all. If it’s only a few times, I suppose I can humor you further.”

Knowing full well that it was an obvious indulgence, Dalia pretended not to notice and accepted.

“Then until next time, honest lady whose name I do not know.”

“I shall see you again. Unfathomable jester whose identity remains a mystery.”