Chapter 20: Different Justice

The development of events is always full of shocks and surprises.

When you treat others as chess pieces, perhaps the next moment, the chess piece will jump up and slap you hard.

"I've seen recklessness, but never this much. Are Paladins' heads made of ironwood?" Looking at Larry Labore, who was directly provoking the entire map, Li En was a bit stunned.

Hiding at the end of the street with the project team members, they watched the Spider-Man Paladin howling at the sky.

He even subconsciously complained, "A Paladin's head is really made of iron; do they only charge forward?"

Li En's complaint received no resonance.

That's right, just like that. Ask others how they see you.

The other members of the project team looked at him, who was complaining about ironwood heads, with subtle eyes.

You are no different. No, you are far worse than him.

At least he didn't slash at a Young Master of the nobility; you are much more famous in the Dock District.

Li En felt the glances from the surroundings and directly ignored them. I am just so double-standard!

Glancing once more at Larry Labore, who was still provoking the criminal in the street, Li En sighed and chose to turn and leave.

Letting him make a scene might not be a bad thing; at least the Labore family should have no time to focus on him in the short term.

Unlike himself, who has no backing, whoever wants to move this Paladin must consider the church she belongs to and the Labore family.

In this era, over ninety percent of Paladins are the armed forces of the True God Sect; they are religious personnel, which is also the reason for their high status.

"At least, the stagnant situation will start to move." Li En could only comfort himself this way.

If we speak truly, he is furious; this little girl interjecting means his plans must be reworked again.

"Let's go."

"Uh? He..."

"What, still want to meet? Discuss how to investigate the case in broad daylight? Investigate with this kind of clamor?"

Li En said irritably; perhaps Sul prefers this kind of foolishly upright justice, while Li En himself prefers the justice of results.

This guy's sudden arrival directly muddied these waters.

If that serial killer, fearing the power behind him, stops and rests for several months... then even if my strength is exhausted, I cannot stop him.

"What bad luck."

Li En rubbed his head; he was even a bit regretful. He truly didn't expect this guy to be so reckless.

If you investigate a case, investigate privately; shouting directly on the street shows no common sense at all.

"Perhaps he really has no common sense..."

With such a big incident, Superior Talia came to visit and naturally mentioned this "big news."

She handed Larry's file to Li En; when she investigated her brother before, she had already found this person, which is why she saw through him at a glance in the dream.

In a sense, Larry Labore is truly an outstanding "product."

As a newly risen noble family, the Labores have industries, assets, and a large network of connections, naturally seeking opportunities to climb higher.

So, for him, a mere Baron, planning for the next generation is very important.

His three children: the eldest is for "climbing higher." Considering the reality that the kingdom's royal power is nearly extinct, the True God Sect is the most powerful force; entering it to become a clergyman is a very good choice.

Especially the "eldest son" Larry, who was discovered from a young age to have talent in this area; naturally treated as a favorite, sent to the church at a very young age, and became a Third-Rank Paladin at a young age, with a bright future ahead.

Paladins are different from priests who need to preach; they are the true armed forces of the church, soldiers rather than evangelists.

For them, many churches in this era cultivate in a completely closed manner; the simpler the personality, the easier it is to possess a devout faith, and the easier it is to receive divine grace.

The second child is a girl; it is said she was sent to business school at a very young age, began participating in family business operations at a young age, and will eventually marry an in-house son-in-law to inherit the family business.

The third child arrived latest; it is said to be an accidental product. This family, having passed the childbearing age, didn't expect a third child, but this unexpected joy turned out to be the most useless.

His mother died in childbirth when he was born... The overly excellent and long-absent older brother and sister, plus the father who simply couldn't be bothered to ask about the third child, ultimately created this quite famous second-generation waste.

Even if he doesn't die at Li En's hands, he will eventually die due to messy matters.

Such a person, lacking nothing materially but empty inside, is also the easiest and most favorite target for heretical cults to bewitch.

Hearing this, Li En somewhat understood why Larry, clearly a girl, pretended to be male.

Excluding the "accident" of the third child being born too late, the Labore family, with only two daughters, actually had no choice.

They must support this rising family; one civil, one military; one commerce, one official; that is considered a perfect match.

It's just that this "perfect creation" is now too ivory-towerish, and due to an accident leaving the nest early, is in a state of loss of control.

"She might become the new focus; stay away..."

But there are people you cannot avoid even if you try to dodge them.

If you take a long detour to avoid her, she will even come to your door proactively.

"Your Excellency, Li En, I have long heard of your name."

During lunch break, looking at the Paladin who came to the project team, Li En put down the noodles on his spoon and silently wiped his mouth clean.

"Hello. If you are here to duel, please wait until my lunch break ends and working hours begin..." Dueling with a bowl of noodles is quite ridiculous behavior.

"No, no, no. Your actions were not wrong. Although my brother is regrettable, the severity of his evil deeds means his judgment was a deserved result. Evil deeds must be punished; even if he is my brother, as a Paladin, I should not avenge a wicked person."

Uh, do you mean that killing your brother was a good thing?

I know you are a fool; I'll just assume you are trying to numb me, then stab me in the back.

She was not without emotion; traces of tears were faintly visible in her twin pupils, but she still insisted.

"If my family causes you trouble, please be sure to tell me."

After speaking, she left directly.

It seems that facing Li En, this "brother-killing murderer," she also found it hard to remain calm.

But reason and morality told her this was correct, so she came.

This scene left Li En a bit stunned.

Does a paladin in this world really have such high moral standards? I am your enemy.

"No, no, no, he is clearly not normal. The constraints of a paladin do not include revenge; most paladins are normal people. Li En, you are already considered abnormal, ahem, he is even a bit of a saint." A local also thought Larry was too strange.

It seems the overly long life in the monastery made him overly pious and simple.

This is a good thing for a paladin's cultivation; faith and will are the power of this profession, and pure goodness itself is a wealth. But when acting alone after voluntarily leaving the monastery, such a personality is not necessarily a good thing.

Her declaration of war on the street earlier was not just talk; her crazy behavior caused chaos in the dock district.

Similar to Li En back then, many people already say he is the second "mad knight without a brain." It seems her reputation is even worse than Li En's.

"Receiving a report from someone with an agenda, she rushed straight into the gang and beat everyone up indiscriminately."

"She had a conflict with the slave traders? As a result, she was slapped in the face by their official permission."

"She flipped through the shops of several fake medicine peddlers and burned their inferior stock."

Various interesting anecdotes flowed endlessly, but this was also inevitable.

For the dock district, where extraordinary power is shallow, a third-rank noble paladin easily becomes a disaster and a whirlwind.

A paladin who cannot tolerate sand in his eyes, arriving in a dock district full of crime and sin, must either sweep everything away or die violently along the way. Her identity confirmed that most local forces would avoid her, naturally letting her act like a bull everywhere "upholding justice."

But unlike Li En, her reputation deteriorated quite quickly.

"He simply does not understand reality."

He injured the father who worked as a gang enforcer; who will support his entire family, old and young?

The shop selling inferior black bread has no conscience at all; yes, the bread is even soaked with wood chips and broken sand, and a young master could spit for more than ten minutes after one bite. But this cheap bread, costing two copper coins per basket, is the staple food for many children and families in the slums to survive.

Fake medicine peddlers and unlicensed black doctors are the same. Do they really think the residents here can afford normal doctors, hire true god priests with healing abilities, or pay for expensive pharmacists? Their inferior medicines, integrated into the local ecosystem, might not cure diseases, but they can at least relieve pain and prevent ulceration.

Compared to Li En? Many people feel she is not worthy.

Li En could finally straighten things out and give a makeshift conclusion to the conflicting parties, but she only stirred up trouble and didn't know how to handle it in the end.

In the end, amidst the chaos she herself had created, she could only look on in confusion.

The white of justice and goodness: there is the kind that persists even after experiencing darkness and disaster, and there is the pure white that has never experienced wind or rain.

In a sense, this is also the root cause why paladins are often "kept" by the True God Church. Overly pious faith is a good blade; using it casually easily causes rust or even turns it back to hurt oneself. Corrupted, fallen paladins often become a major trouble for the church.

When it truly comes to doing work or spreading the faith, they still use those priests who have experienced the years; when mobilizing paladins as a group, it is often not the time to talk reason.

Fortunately, compared to Li En, she still has some advantages. She has money! Very rich!

For the shops she smashed by mistake, she gave compensation; for the people she hit by mistake, she also gave compensation.

Although she lost confidence a bit from compensating all the way, at just this level, she can probably compensate for a long time.

But the true blow often comes without warning.

By afternoon, Li En encountered this person again, but for a moment did not recognize him.

Pale cheeks with no human color, a dull gaze sitting in place, and an enchanted sword thrown on the ground, neglected.

She sat by the roadside, all six swords scattered on the ground, holding her head with a face full of depression and helplessness.

She was obviously doubting life. That kind of inner darkness would not be caused merely by a string of failures.

And Li En, who was dragged along by the accuser, soon saw the reason.

Still in a ruined house, a withered corpse with a severed tail, also a child.

The internal organs were hollowed out just the same; a vibrant life had simply reached its end.

But this victim had "blood characters" written on his face.

"Heard you were looking for me?" At the end, there was also a blood-red smiling face symbol full of malice.

This naked mockery, for Larry who was full of justice, meant that this child died because of her.

And Li En also underestimated the madness of a serial killer.

Avoid the heat? That doesn't exist.

At this moment, Li En fell silent too.

"We can't wait any longer. Even if it is still a bit forced, execute the plan early."

Looking at the young paladin sitting on the street, face full of pain, doubting life, Li En sighed.

She must be thinking, it is all my fault, right? If it weren't for me, this child wouldn't have died, right?

"If you don't know what to do... follow me."

Li En really didn't expect that in reality, he would even have to act as a nanny.

After chatting a little earlier, he knew the other party really understood nothing, so Li En was too lazy to teach with words.

It's useless; a blank sheet of paper simply cannot be taught.

Those who can be awakened are usually those with some accumulation who have fallen into confusion and a bottleneck.

Li En didn't talk any reason; he just continued doing the work in his plan, letting this guy follow along.

This guy is far from the time to leave the mountain; it must be an accident that made him come out early. The reality is that most paladins are church armed forces in their lives and have no possibility of going out alone. Being simple is not necessarily a bad thing; knowing too much makes it easy to fall.

Even if they come out to train, it usually takes several years of polishing to mature.

Don't know how? Just watch the seniors and learn.

Li En was still on patrol; one of the main tasks was to warn those children to avoid strangers and dangerous elements.

He would help resolve disputes, but absolutely not based on the words of one side; the ultimate goal is to solve the problem, not so-called victory or reason.

His existence has meaning.

In the jungle of rocks, the survival of the fittest is the norm, and the existence of a kind person willing to help the weak is the root cause of his gradual fame from "mad knight."

"Thank you, two knights, for your help. The children are very happy with your arrival..."

They arrived at the orphanage and brought back two "lost" children.

In a sense, this is resolving the aftermath of Larry's direct recklessness.

The reality is that their gambling father lost everything and directly sold the children. Before, Larry tried to stop it, but was slapped in the face by the other party's contract of sale, forced to be speechless.

How did Li En resolve it? He found the gambling-addict father and the gangsters who rigged the deal, gave them a thorough beating and threats, successfully established that the "contract" was void due to conspiracy and fraud, and secured a position on solid legal ground.

Of course, even with evidence, the human traffickers in the slave market are not so easy to reason with.

They could claim they were a benevolent trading party and that the "merchandise" belonged to them.

Sue them? Not to mention whether a court would even accept the case; even if someone were willing to intervene, by the time the multi-year process ran its course, the opportunity would have been lost.

"There is a simple and direct way to handle this. Look at me."

So, Li En directly warned the gambling-addict father, covered the traffickers in sacks to "deal with them," reclaimed the children, and delivered them to the Fuli Academy.

Though helpless, he was actually quite familiar with this place; after all, there were too many inhumane people in the dock district.

And throughout this process, Larry opened his mouth several times to speak but stopped, ultimately doing nothing.

Procedural justice or result-oriented justice? Artificial justice or natural justice? She could not decide.

Perhaps, thinking of that child who died with eyes unsealed, she no longer dared to act.

"Thank you, big brother!!"

"You saved us twice."

And the gratitude of the two children made Larry open his mouth, finally casting a pleading gaze toward the "senior."

"Don't look at me like that. You possess an ability that I can never match, and right now, it is needed."

"Uh, what is it?"

"You have money. This Fuli Academy raises many children; the burden is heavy. How about you donate a bit?"

Amidst the expectant eyes of the little rascals, the young paladin frantically emptied his wallet.

Then, as the children joyfully grabbed the gold coins and tried to run away...

"Smack!"

Li En punched each little one, took the gold coins back into the bag, and handed them to the nun standing nearby.

"... Don't say gold coins; even silver coins given to them would be fatal." Li En, who had been scolded as a villain while punching each crying brat, sighed.

This new recruit is too pure; there's no way to teach him. Better to kick him back to the Church and put him in storage as soon as possible.

Shaking his head, he went off to attend to his own affairs.

Last time, he had sent over a child whose parents loved and fought each other, and he had promised to visit him; now, he was fulfilling that promise.

Watching Li En run off to play with the children, Larry felt increasingly complex emotions.

In terms of strength, she was confident she could kill Li En in a single round; she had already vaguely sensed that his state was very abnormal.

But in terms of understanding the justice of a knight and the methods of executing justice, the two were not on the same level at all.

"Can I become like this too?" Watching the knight uncle playing with a child on his back, nearly crushed and unable to get up, she felt even more envious.

Artificial justice, for the first time, realized it was not as perfect as others had praised.

"You will." The young nun caring for the children nearby said with a smile; this job had let her witness too many lost souls.

"He is justice that has weathered storms; his actions come from the heart, with few constraints. Your justice is not flawed; it is just that others taught you what justice is..."

"This is not a bad thing. When you lack the ability to make judgments, the experience of predecessors will prevent you from taking a crooked path. After you have endured enough tempering, you will naturally make choices from the heart; the justice of others will likewise become the cornerstone of your own justice."

"Isn't he just guiding you?"

Leaving the Fuli Academy, Larry finally pulled herself together a bit, which also slightly satisfied Li En.

After all, the upcoming work might still require her cooperation.

As soon as he returned to the task force, Li En summoned his temporary superior and directly deployed the mission.

"Regarding that serial killer, we can wait no longer. I have a plan, which might be slightly over the line, okay? Quite over the line and illegal."

(End of this chapter)