Those Who Live Without the Law

Chapter 114

Regular Qualification Assessment

Once one of them fled, the fight ended swiftly. They’d already been on the verge of defeat when there were three of them; with just two left, the outcome was inevitable.

There was a reason to keep Settern Volos alive. If Kairus had intended to kill him, he wouldn’t have gone through all this roundabout trouble to handle things.

But those three bodyguards protecting Settern Volos?

“You guys can die for all I care.”

In fact, creating a scene where someone was brutally killed right in front of Settern Volos would be far more effective in making him easier to control later.

“Even if it hurts a bit, just bear with it. It’s all over once you're dead anyway.”

With that, Kairus grabbed the hair of the one who had collapsed to the ground and lifted his head, then brought his sword to the man's neck.

“A... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The blade slowly dug into his neck. Though it moved at a relaxed pace, the vibrating blade didn’t lose its cutting edge.

Like slipping into slightly melted butter, the blade sliced through flesh, severing veins and muscle.

Right before Settern Volos’s eyes, one of his bodyguards had his throat cut open alive and in agony. The vivid scream rang in his ears like a spike driven into the brain of someone who had only ever seen the bright and hopeful parts of the world.

“Ugh, haah…”

He wanted to beg for his life.

But the fear-stricken mind wouldn’t allow Settern Volos to form proper words.

If he couldn’t even speak, there was no way his body would move as he wished. His limbs flailed helplessly, and he wet himself, soaking his pants.

“Let’s see now.”

Kairus stared at the cowering Settern Volos, then casually flung the severed head toward him.

It rolled across the floor and came to a perfect stop between Settern Volos’s legs.

“One point.”

Kairus chuckled and joked lightly, and Settern stared at him with the eyes of someone who had just seen the devil.

It had all been intentional, and Kairus had gotten exactly the result he wanted.

“Now that the nannies have all gone home,”

Kairus walked right up to Settern Volos’s face, crouched down to meet him at eye level, and grinned slyly.

“Shall we have a proper chat, Settern Volos?”

He spoke like it was no big deal and tapped Settern’s cheek.

“Don’t do this to me. I’m not someone who should end like this.”

Startled by that eerie touch slithering across his cheek like a snake, Settern Volos hurriedly spoke up.

There was sincerity in his words.

“There are a lot of people out there who think they’re great, who believe they’re destined for big things.”

Kairus grabbed Settern Volos by the chin and lifted it to make eye contact.

“I haven’t lived that long, but I’ve been through a lot. And in that time, I’ve met plenty of so-called important people.”

As he continued speaking, Kairus turned Settern Volos’s face this way and that, examining his appearance before making a firm declaration.

“You don’t seem like someone destined for greatness.”

Kairus released the grip on his chin and stood up, offering him a gentle smile.

“You, my friend… You look like the kind of guy who goes on a business trip carrying illegal drugs, gets found out by a criminal organization, ends up getting blackmailed, spends your whole life slaving away for them until they’ve sucked you dry and then dies alone in your old age.”

It was an unrelentingly specific assessment. And despite how razor-sharp those words were, Settern Volos couldn’t refute a single one of them.

How could he?

The future that Kairus described struck Settern with the weight of an unavoidable present.

“…Rather than becoming a puppet for scum like you, I might as well just die.”

Kairus gave a long whistle and nodded.

“That works too. Whether you become a puppet or not doesn’t really matter to me.”

That wasn’t the important part, and it wasn’t the focus of the request the Rose Garden had passed on to Kairus either.

“As long as you stop investigating this village, that’s enough. And you see, you can’t investigate this village.”

Whether Settern Volos killed himself here or became a puppet, the investigation into Erens Village would end either way.

“What if I say I’ll continue the investigation?!”

“Then you’ll lose your position as prosecutor.”

Kairus pointed to Irena, who stood behind him. Without much expression, she pulled a film roll from her pocket and gave it a few shakes.

“If I get this developed and send it out to the newspapers and radio stations, do you really think you’ll still have a job?”

Impossible.

“It’s already out of your hands. There’s nothing you can do now.”

But in truth, Settern Volos still had options. Kairus himself had once been in a position where he couldn’t do anything either.

What mattered was survival. There was only one thing Settern Volos could do now.

Endure, persevere, breathe stubbornly, and wait for a chance. Of course, Kairus wasn’t the type to offer kind advice, so he didn’t bother saying any of that out loud.

“You fuckers! What the hell did I do that was so wrong?! You’re the ones who illegally cultivated state-restricted crops!”

“Yeah, we’re the motherfuckers who wipe our asses with the nation’s laws.”

Kairus affirmed it without hesitation. The important part wasn’t that Kairus had committed evil deeds.

What mattered was that Settern Volos had become the lackey who danced to the tune of those motherfuckers.

“Wrap up your investigation within a week, and don’t ever touch Erens again. Also… your new master will be contacting you soon.”

Kairus spoke as if trying to offer some form of comfort, patting Settern Volos on the shoulder.

“It’d be best if you behaved like a good little dog. Your new master has quite the temper.”

There was no need to ponder long over how harshly Cecilia would grind down the grandson of a parliament member and a prosecutor of the Aylan Republic.

With that, Kairus and Irena’s part in all this was done.

All that remained was to confirm that Settern Volos had stopped the investigation and then hand over the film they had secured to the Rose Garden.

“Everything went perfectly.”

They had settled the debt for borrowing the stained glass, and had obtained the Add-On necessary to use Nimbus.

Moreover, they were now confident that combining Nimbus with Swift Blade had boosted both of their combat abilities far more than expected.

In many ways, it had been a very profitable journey.

Kairus and Irena then returned to Murdan City and stayed there for about two days. There, they received word from the local head of the Rose Garden branch that Settern Volos had indeed dropped the investigation.

― I’m truly glad you didn’t betray us this time. And it seems he didn’t just stop the investigation, either?

Soon after, Cecilia reached out to them.

“I still have the film in my possession. Would you prefer I leave it with the branch, or shall I return to Bennett City and deliver it in person?”

― So thoughtful. I guess that slap to the back of your head left a bitter aftertaste, didn’t it?

Of course it had. The last time, they had slapped the Rose Garden’s back in deference to the Kellogg family’s rebellion, and it had cost them dearly. The road to survival had been long and harsh, almost beyond description.

Kairus had no desire to provoke the temperament of the Canal Operations Committee again.

Well, maybe once he had more power someday.

“Can I expect some compensation for the film?”

― How about a letter of recommendation? I’d like to give each of you one.

At Irena’s words, Kairus let out a hesitant sound.

“I’m not sure I follow. What sort of recommendation letter do you mean?”

― The regular qualification assessment hosted by Lukas’s Children is about to take place.

Kairus scratched his head at Irena’s words.

“You mean the regular qualification assessment? Could you explain what that is?”

― The ranking system of Bennett City. It’s an event overseen by Lukas’s Children, and a symbol of authority.

Just as the Rose Garden guarantees the contracts and dealings within Bennett City, Lukas’s Children has its own role.

They manage the skill evaluations of Bennett City’s inhabitants.

“If they assign a rank, is it followed as is?”

― No. That kind of thing always fluctuates, right? The most important role of the regular qualification assessment is to ‘verify rumors.’

As Cecilia’s explanation—tinged with amusement—continued, Kairus let out an involuntary sound.

“Damn.”

― You catch on quick.

Kairus had a vague idea of what “verification of rumors” really meant.

“Rumors that someone’s strong. Rumors that they’re amazing. Gossip that they’ve pulled off something unbelievable.”

― The regular qualification assessment is the time to prove whether those rumors are true or just hot air.

Everyone could challenge everyone else. And once challenged, the duel couldn’t be avoided.

Anyone who tried to dodge a challenge would have Lukas’s Children at their throat. Still, there were strict rules in place.

Killing during a duel was forbidden.

Challenger and challenged could surrender at any time, and the fight would end the moment one yielded.

Surrender before the duel was also allowed.

And after the duel, no harm of any kind could be inflicted on the opponent for one week.

“Strange rules.”

― Lukas’s Children want a pure contest held solely for determining strength.

Unavoidable battles could be used in all sorts of ways, far beyond just proving one's power.

― An unavoidable challenge has too much potential for abuse, don’t you think?

It was a statement of intent—Lukas’s Children wouldn’t allow the qualification system to be misused.

― If the challenger wins, they take the defeated person’s rank.

“Are there any benefits to having a higher rank?”

Cecilia burst into laughter at Kairus’s question.

― It means you’ve proven your strength in this city. Do I really need to spell out the benefits? That’s too much work.

“You’re right. My apologies.”

Kairus agreed with her.

“What exactly is this recommendation you mentioned?”

― It’s a recommendation from the Rose Garden stating that your rank should be at least a certain level.

Kairus understood the general idea. But his curiosity hadn’t been fully satisfied.

“So then what happens?”

― You’ll be assigned the rank I recommended. And anyone ranked below that won’t be able to challenge you during this assessment.

After a brief pause to think it over, Kairus seemed to catch on and said:

“So basically, I’ll be the only one who can challenge others.”

― Sharp as ever.

It was a kind of clever wordplay.

Fundamentally, challenges went from the weaker to the stronger. Those ranked higher than Kairus weren’t likely to come after him.

Why would they? Sure, they might accept if challenged, but no one was stupid enough to go seeking out a lower-ranked opponent just to throw down.

‘At best, you get nothing from winning. At worst, you lose and your rank drops. Why bother?’

That was the real essence of Cecilia’s offer.

Kairus wouldn’t be receiving any challenges. But he could challenge anyone he wanted.

― So, are you interested in my recommendation?

“Thank you.”

Given the events likely to unfold in the city, Cecilia’s recommendation would be extremely useful.

A way to block incoming challenges.

There was no reason to reject something that valuable.

“Everyone fighting everyone? Bennett City is insane.”

Irena, having heard the explanation from Kairus, gave her brief take on the qualification assessment.

“If you get a high rank, it’s nothing but upside.”

You didn’t wear it like a badge, but those who reached a certain tier were known by name across the city, and hiring offices received the results of the assessment directly from Lukas’s Children.

In other words, your standing in the city changed.

“Even your meals might cost less than half.” Thɪs chapter is updated by ɴovelfire.net

“Saving on food? Now that’s motivating.”

Irena grinned and clenched her fist.

“Of course, I can guess what Director Cecilia’s real intent is.”

At Kairus’s words, Irena let out a curious “Hm?”

“Hidden motives?”

“There’s always something like that. But since it’s a reward I wouldn’t refuse anyway, there’s no point digging deeper.”

Given what he knew of that woman’s personality, the recommendation had a very specific purpose.

Finishing his sentence, Kairus stood up and began packing his things. It was time to head back to Bennett City.