The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed-Chapter 194: Partnership

For the First Time, a Not-Guilty Verdict Under the Flawless Judge, Sigrid

The God of Order, Ordo, had delivered a judgment.

The Slave Reaper was not a criminal.

The deity rebuked the congregation for wrongfully accusing an innocent man.

With the verdict rendered, they should have released the defendant and sought his forgiveness. Yet, the people remained frozen in shock.

Even former Pope Antonius.

Even Myra, who had condemned her own judgment.

Even Elise, who had dreamed of freedom.

All of them, wide-eyed, unable to accept the ruling.

Why?

It was the first question that came to mind.

That the Slave Reaper was a villain was a fact as absolute as the truth itself.

There’s no smoke without fire—if he hadn't committed so many vile acts, how could he have earned the title Reaper?

Every result has its cause.

Yet, here they were, their very god denying the reality they had built.

"Hic... Hhic..."

A stifled sob broke the silence.

Sigrid, trembling, let fat teardrops spill from her eyes.

Her carefully constructed poker face had shattered.

Under normal circumstances, the sight of a crying girl might stir sympathy, but Karami merely let out a dry laugh.

"Isn't she a complete psychopath?"

She wasn’t apologizing for her mistake.

She was crying because she couldn’t brand him a criminal?

What was this, some kind of achievement hunting?

A "Convict 100 Criminals" side quest?

She must be disappointed that she couldn’t add the Slave Reaper to her collection. Should I feel guilty enough to commit a crime just for her sake?

Of course not.

While everyone else stood in disarray, Karami seized the moment.

"What are you all waiting for? Announce the verdict already."

"T-this can't be... Something must be wrong!"

"Wrong? Are you doubting your god?"

"Th-that’s..."

To deny a divine ruling in a nation that had built its judicial system upon divine authority was the same as questioning their god.

Of course, the reality was that Ordo had neither made an error nor denied the truth.

Karami had never taken pleasure in killing slaves.

Nor had he ever defiled their souls.

Slavery, from a broader perspective, may be an evil institution, but only Karami and the freed slaves knew the truth of his actions.

They had reclaimed the love of their families.

They had erased the curse of suffering.

They had escaped misery and regained the spring that would never have come.

What they had received was salvation, under the name of freedom.

Acts of good have no measurable worth.

Picking up litter is an act of goodness.

So is saving a person from a burning house.

Donating 100,000 gold or 10 million—both are acts of charity.

Both deserve praise.

And yet, people instinctively assign weight to good deeds.

Twisting fate to lead others to salvation was an achievement worthy of a god—

and so, the life Karami had led far outweighed Sigrid’s fabricated virtue.

With a sniffle, Sigrid wiped her nose and spoke.

"Hhic... Verdict. The defendant, Slave Reaper Karami, is declared innocent."

****

"The weather is beautiful today."

Karami shaded his eyes with his hand, gazing up at the sky.

It seemed particularly bright today.

As if the gods themselves were blessing him for clearing his name.

Though his innocence had been officially declared, people still shot him wary glances as they passed. Antonius, his face concealed beneath a hood, approached him.

"In all my years, I’ve never seen anyone as bizarre as you. What the hell are you? Did you bribe the god or something?"

"He was surprisingly cheap."

"You lunatic."

Karami returned to the inn.

That night, Elise came rushing in.

Judging by her breathless state, she must have been quite anxious.

"Master, are you all right?"

"What would be wrong? If someone like me were to be punished, that would mean the world has turned upside down. But Elise, where were you while I was on trial?"

Where was she? Watching from above, of course.

She had been busy contemplating her next steps, assuming Karami would be executed. She hadn’t even considered the possibility of his acquittal.

"I was detained by the Cardinal and couldn’t act carelessly... I’m sorry. I should have been there to protect you."

Of course, the truth wasn’t something she could openly admit.

Even so, guilt was written all over Elise’s face.

"It’s fine. I did sign a slave contract, after all, so even if you had intervened, it wouldn’t have changed much. If anything, your presence would have worsened the situation if your identity had been exposed. As long as you weren’t the one who turned me in, it’s all good."

"Of course not. You hold my life in your hands—how could I ever betray you?"

Karami flashed her a bright smile.

It seemed he had successfully diverted her suspicion.

Elise let out an inaudible sigh of relief.

"But Master... Are you sure you haven’t done anything bad?"

"How many times must I tell you? Were you doubting your own master all this time?"

"Of course not! I trust you completely, Master. I was just curious after watching the trial."

What a blatant lie.

She had always believed Karami to be the enemy of humanity.

Even if she doubted god, she never doubted that.

In that, she felt a small sense of kinship.

She wasn’t the only one who had fallen into darkness.

Even if she was now unable to hear the voice of God, seeing someone like him thriving in this world... gave her a small sense of comfort.

"The outcome of the trial should be answer enough."

But no.

She was the only one tainted.

An indescribable sense of betrayal surged through her.

"Elise? You don’t look well."

"...It’s nothing. I’ve just been on edge from staying near the Cardinal."

As always, Elise made an excuse.

But Karami noticed that something was different this time.

"You are my slave, and I am your master. You shouldn’t keep secrets from me. Whether it’s a concern or the color of your underwear today, you should tell me everything."

"......."

Elise turned to him with an icy stare.

"Don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t actually curious—I was just saying you shouldn’t hide anything from me."

"You really don’t care?"

"...Maybe a little?"

Elise sighed, then met Karami’s gaze with a serious expression.

"Master, do you believe human nature is inherently good or evil?"

"Philosophy, all of a sudden?"

"You’ve been recognized as a righteous man by God himself. I’d like to hear your thoughts."

"Hmm. Well, if I look at myself, I’d say people are naturally good. But then again, not everyone in the world is like me. So, it’s hard to say."

"...Ah. I see..."

That was utterly useless.

Elise rephrased her question.

"Do you think hypocrisy can be considered good?"

"Corn soup is closer to soup than it is to corn."

"But that’s just pretending to be good while scheming in the background. I wouldn’t call that true goodness."

"Then do you think calculated evil can be considered good?"

"...I suppose? Wouldn’t it be?"

"Even if it goes unnoticed, no one will appreciate it."

With a sigh, Karami let out a weary lament.

Elise tilted her head.

This wasn’t a particularly helpful answer either—not that she’d expected much to begin with.

"But still, doing good feels nice."

"And what kind of good have you done?"

"I’ve freed countless slaves."

What exactly did he mean by freedom?

She wasn’t sure, but she doubted he meant it in the most literal sense.

There had to be something more.

"...That freedom you speak of. Can I do it too?"

"Hmm..."

Karami paused for a moment to think.

Then, with a bright, carefree expression, he answered—

"Nope."

His tone made it clear. You? Not a chance.

Something about that irritated Elise.

She pressed forward aggressively.

"Why not?"

"You, of all people, should know the answer. You don’t have the qualifications."

Elise clenched her teeth.

She knew that. She had already accepted it.

The corrupted Elise had no right to claim such a thing.

And yet, Karami had pointed it out so plainly.

"That’s why you can’t do it."

With that final confirmation, Elise fell silent.

****

Confusion Spread Beyond Elise—It Consumed the Holy Kingdom

"The Slave Reaper is innocent? And even more virtuous than Lady Sigrid? I still can’t accept it."

"And what are you going to do about it? The Supreme God himself has spoken. Are you doubting our god?"

"But isn’t something off lately? Even His Holiness left the kingdom..."

"Then go die."

To the faithful, the God of Order siding with the Slave Reaper was no different from seeing their deity clasp hands with a demon.

Could they still trust their god?

Doubt crept into the minds of the believers. One by one, their numbers grew.

Faith was the Holy Kingdom’s greatest foundation.

And that foundation had begun to crack.

This was a golden opportunity for Marcenus, who had been preparing for a new order.

"I hadn’t foreseen this, but thanks to the Slave Reaper, the situation is turning in our favor. We have you to thank."

"......."

"You look dissatisfied. Is it because we failed to eliminate the Slave Reaper? He may be an unpredictable element, but there’s no need to be overly concerned. I fully understand your intentions."

The trial had been nothing more than a tool to gain public approval.

If they had truly intended to kill Karami, they wouldn’t have bothered with the formalities.

By announcing a new order while eliminating Karami, they would secure the absolute trust of the believers. A necessary sacrifice for the greater good. And Karami had practically volunteered himself ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ as the scapegoat.

"But is that really acceptable?"

"What do you mean?"

"I still don’t understand... but the Slave Reaper was declared a righteous man by God. Wouldn’t killing him be an act of evil? No—what even is good and evil? I don’t understand anything anymore."

Was Karami considered righteous because he freed slaves from the chaos of this world?

Yet she herself had declared that even the Slave Reaper did not deserve to be freed.

So what was she supposed to do?

Which path was she meant to take?

"Cardinal Marcenus. You once said that Saints can hear the voice of God, correct?"

"That’s right. A Saint is an envoy of divine order, the one chosen to uphold balance in the world."

"I see."

Elise wanted to hear God’s voice.

She needed someone to provide answers to her growing uncertainty.

What was good?

What was evil?

What was she?

"You once asked me about my true nature."

Fortunately, Elise had been granted an opportunity.

A chance to hear the voice of God.

Blood whirled around her.

From the base of her spine, a pair of black wings unfurled.

Marcenus’s eyes widened.

"You...?!"

"The Saint you so desperately wanted to create. The one who embodies perfect balance. That’s me."

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Marcenus slowly processed the revelation.

"You... You survived the lab explosion?"

"That’s right. I don’t recall the exact details, but when I came to, I was the only one left standing. Most likely, the others lost control and perished, unable to withstand the power they were given."

Elise spoke of her origins with unsettling calm.

The blood she had once been bathed in could never be washed away.

The crimson stain had seeped into the depths of her soul. Every breath she took reeked of iron.

Then perhaps she should make everyone the same.

If she drowned the Holy Kingdom in blood, she wouldn’t have to struggle with this burden alone.

If everyone was covered in blood, finding the answer would be much easier.