Chapter 20: A Different Kind of Justice

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

When you use others as pawns, the next moment, they might just jump up and slap you in the face.

"I've seen reckless people, but never anyone this reckless. Is a Paladin's head made of ironwood?" Looking at Larry Labol, who was directly provoking everyone in the area, Leon was a bit bewildered.

Hiding at the end of the street with his colleagues from the task force, he watched the spider-kin Paladin howling at the sky. He even subconsciously muttered, "Are Paladins' heads really made of iron? Do they only know how to charge forward?"

Leon’s snarky comment didn't find an audience.

In fact, the other members of the task force were looking at him—the one who had just called someone else an "ironwood head"—with subtle expressions. *Aren't you the same? No, you're actually far worse.* At least he hadn't gone around hacking at noble sons; you are much more infamous in the docklands.

Leon felt their gazes, but he simply ignored them. *Hey, I’m just that double-standard!*

He took one last look at Larry Labol, who was still busy provoking the culprit in the middle of the street, sighed, and turned to leave. Letting her cause a scene might not be a bad thing. At least the Labol family wouldn't have the time to focus their attention on him for a while.

Unlike himself, who lacked a backer, anyone wishing to touch this Paladin would have to consider both her church and the Labol family. In this era, over ninety percent of Paladins were the armed forces of the True God’s Church; they were religious figures, which was exactly why their status was so high.

"At the very least, this stagnant situation is finally moving," Leon consoled himself. Truth be told, he was furious. This little girl had barged in, forcing him to redraw his entire plan.

"Let's go."

"Huh? What about her..."

"What, you want to meet up? Have a chat in public about how to investigate a case? By banging gongs and drums like this?" Leon said irritably. Perhaps Suer preferred this kind of naive justice, but Leon preferred the justice of results.

Her sudden arrival had muddied the waters. If that serial killer were to fear the influence behind her and stop for a few months, Leon—whose power was already depleted—would be unable to stop him.

"Bad luck."

Leon rubbed his head, feeling a hint of regret. He truly hadn't expected this person to be reckless to such a degree. If you're investigating a case, do it quietly; standing on a main street and shouting about it showed a complete lack of common sense.

"Maybe she really doesn't have any common sense..."

After such a massive stir, his superior, Talia, came to check on them and naturally brought up this "big news." She handed Larry's file to Leon; she had investigated this person while looking into her own brother, which was how she had recognized her at a glance in the dream.

In a sense, Larry Labol was indeed an excellent "product." As part of the rising nobility, the Labols had the industry, the assets, and the connections to naturally seek an even higher status. For a mere Baron, the planning for the next generation was crucial.

His three children were all part of that plan. The eldest was meant to climb the ladder, and considering the reality that the kingdom's royal power had all but withered away, the True God's Church was the most powerful entity. Entering it as a cleric was an excellent choice. Larry, the "eldest son," had shown talent in this regard from a young age and was naturally treated as the favorite. He was sent to the church early and became a third-rank Paladin while still young, with a bright future ahead.

Unlike priests who needed to preach, Paladins were the true armed force of the church—soldiers, not evangelists. In this era, many churches trained them in complete isolation; the simpler the personality, the easier it was to possess sincere faith and receive divine favor.

The second child was a girl, reportedly sent to business school at a young age to participate in the family business; she would eventually marry a man into the family to carry on the legacy.

The third child, born last, was allegedly an accident. The family, having passed the childbearing age, hadn't expected a third, and this unexpected surprise turned out to be the most incompetent. His mother died in childbirth, and with his siblings being overly successful and rarely home, and his father not bothering to care, he grew into a well-known good-for-nothing. Even if he hadn't died by Leon's hand, he would have died sooner or later due to his own recklessness. Such a person, lacking nothing materially but empty inside, was the easiest and favorite target for cults to corrupt.

Hearing this, Leon finally understood why Larry—a girl—was pretending to be a man. Setting aside the "accident" of the third child, the Labol family, with only two daughters, really had no choice. They had to prop up the rising family: one civil, one military, one business, one official—a perfect combination.

It was just that this "perfect creation" was too sheltered, and due to the accident, had left the nest early and was currently in a state of being out of control.

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

But some people are not people you can avoid just by trying. You might take a detour, and she will even come knocking on your door.

"Your Excellency, Lord Leon, I have long heard of your name."

During lunch, seeing the Paladin who had tracked down the task force, Leon put down his spoon and silently wiped the corner of his mouth.

"Greetings. If you are looking for a duel, please wait until after my lunch break when I am officially on duty..." Holding a noodle bowl while dueling was a rather comical affair.

"No, no, your actions were not wrong. Although my brother is a tragedy... his evil deeds were so severe that his judgment was the deserved result. Evil must be punished. Even though he was my brother, as a Paladin, I should not seek revenge for a villain."

*Uh, so you mean, you think it's a good thing I killed your brother?*

*No, I know you're a simpleton; I'll just assume you're trying to paralyze me and then stab me in the back.*

She wasn't devoid of emotion; there were faint traces of tears in her eyes. But she persisted.

"If my family gives you any trouble, please let me know."

With that, she turned and left. It seemed that facing Leon, the "brother-slayer," was difficult for her to remain calm about. But her reason and morals told her this was the right thing to do, so she came.

This scene left Leon a bit stunned. Is the morality of Paladins in this world this high? I am your enemy.

"No, no, this is clearly not normal. A Paladin's code does not include forgiveness of revenge. Most Paladins are normal people; Leon, you are already considered abnormal... ahem, she’s being a bit of a saint, isn't she?" Even the locals thought Larry was too strange.

It seemed that her overly long monastic life had made her too pious and simple. This was good for a Paladin's cultivation, as faith and will were the power of the profession, and pure kindness was a treasure in itself. But when walking alone after leaving the monastery, this personality was not necessarily a good thing.

Her declaration of war on the street wasn't just talk; her frantic actions had sent the docklands into chaos. She was a bit like the Leon of the past—many people were already calling her "Crazy Paladin No. 2," and it seemed her reputation was even worse than his.

"She received a report from someone with ulterior motives and charged straight into a gang, beating everyone up."

"She clashed with slave traders and got slapped down by their official permits."

"She ransacked several fake medicine shops and burned their low-quality stock..."

The anecdotes were endless, but this was inevitable. For the docklands, where transcendent power was thin, a third-rank noble Paladin easily became a disaster and a whirlwind. A Paladin who couldn't tolerate a grain of sand in her eyes arrived in a place where crime and evil were everywhere; she would either sweep through everything or die on the way. Her identity meant most local forces would avoid her, naturally allowing her to charge around like a bull "upholding justice."

But unlike Leon, her reputation plummeted rapidly.

"She doesn't understand reality at all..."

If she beats up a father who works as gang muscle, who will feed his family? The shops selling low-quality black bread—the bread was filled with sawdust and sand, causing young masters to vomit after a single bite—were heartless, yes. But this bread, so cheap that two copper coins bought a basket, was the staple food that kept many families and children in the slums alive.

The same went for the fake medicine vendors and unlicensed doctors. Did she really think the residents here could afford normal doctors or the expensive healing of True God priests? Those low-quality medicines might not cure diseases, but they could at least relieve pain and prevent gangrene.

Compared to Leon? Many felt she didn't measure up. Leon could sort things out and give all parties a compromise; she only stirred up waves and didn't know how to handle the aftermath. In the chaos she created, she could only watch in a daze.

There is a whiteness of justice and kindness that persists after experiencing darkness and disaster, and then there is the pure whiteness that hasn't experienced the wind and rain. In a sense, this was the root of why Paladins were often "kept" by the True God’s Church. An overly pious faith is a good blade, but if used indiscriminately, it is prone to rusting or even turning back to harm the user. Corrupted Paladins often became a huge headache for the church.

When there was real work to be done or preaching to be done, they used priests who had weathered the years. When they deployed the Paladin corps, it was rarely a time for reasoning.

Fortunately, compared to Leon, she had one advantage: she was rich! Very rich! She paid compensation for the shops she smashed and the people she beat. Although she was losing her confidence while paying, at this rate, she could probably pay for a long time.

But the real blow often came without warning.

In the afternoon, Leon encountered her again, though he didn't recognize her at first. Her face was pale, her eyes were dull and vacant, and her enchanted sword was lying on the ground, ignored. She sat by the roadside, her swords scattered everywhere, head in her hands, full of frustration and helplessness. She was clearly questioning her existence. The darkness in her heart couldn't have been caused by just a few failures.

Leon, brought there by someone who reported the scene, quickly saw the reason. In a derelict house, there was a withered corpse—a child. The internal organs had been hollowed out; a vibrant life had come to such an end. But this time, on the victim's cheek, there were words written in blood: "Heard you were looking for me?" At the end, there was a malicious, bright red smiley face.

Naked mockery. To the justice-filled Larry, this child had died because of her. And Leon had underestimated the madness of the serial killer. *Lying low? That doesn't exist.*

Leon was silent. "We can't wait anymore. Even if it's still a bit rushed, we’ll execute the plan early." Seeing the young Paladin sitting on the street, full of pain and questioning her life, Leon sighed. She must be thinking it was her fault, that if it weren't for her, the child wouldn't have died.

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

Leon never thought he'd have to act as a nanny in reality. After a few words earlier, he knew she really didn't understand anything, and he couldn't be bothered to teach her.

It was useless; you couldn't teach a blank sheet of paper. Those who could be enlightened were usually those who had accumulated some experience and were stuck in a bottleneck. Leon didn't lecture; he simply continued his work as planned and let her follow.

She was far from ready to go out into the world; the accident had forced her out prematurely. The reality was that most Paladins spent their lives as church armed forces and never had the chance to walk alone. Being simple wasn't necessarily a bad thing; knowing too much often led to corruption. Even after gaining experience, it usually took years of polishing to mature.

*Don't know how? Just watch your senior.*

Leon continued his patrol. One of his main tasks was warning the children to avoid strangers and dangerous individuals. He helped settle disputes, but never based on one side's rhetoric; his ultimate goal was to solve the problem, not to pursue some hollow victory or moral high ground.

His existence... was meaningful. In a jungle of rock, the law of the jungle was the norm, and the existence of a kind person willing to help the weak was the reason he had gradually become famous as the "Crazy Paladin."

"Thank you, two knights, for your help. The children are so happy you're here..."

They had come to the orphanage, bringing back two "lost" children. In a way, this was cleaning up the mess caused by Larry's rashness. The reality was that their gambler father had lost everything and sold his children. Larry had tried to stop it, but was slapped down by the contract, leaving her speechless.

How did Leon solve it? He found the gambler father and the gang members behind the deal, gave them a good beating and a threat, and successfully determined that the "contract" was obtained through fraud and was therefore invalid. He held the moral and legal high ground. Of course, even with evidence, the slave traders weren't easy to talk to. They could claim they were innocent parties in a transaction and that the "goods" were theirs.

*Go to court?* Before even considering if a court would take the case, if someone actually wanted to handle it, the process would take years, and the children would be long gone.

"There's a simple, direct way. Watch me."

Leon warned the gambler father, "dealt with" the human traffickers by putting them in sacks, retrieved the children, and sent them to the orphanage. He was quite familiar with this—there were too many people in the docklands who didn't act like humans.

Throughout the process, Larry wanted to speak several times but ended up doing nothing. Procedural justice or result-oriented justice? Man-made justice or natural justice? She couldn't choose. Perhaps, at the thought of that child who died with eyes wide open, she didn't dare to act.

"Thank you, big brother!!"

"You saved us twice..."

The children's gratitude made Larry open her mouth, but she ultimately turned to "her senior" with a pleading look.

"Don't look at me like that. You have one ability that I can't match, and right now, it's needed."

"Uh, what is it..."

"You're rich. This orphanage has a lot of children and the burden is heavy. Why don't you donate some?"

Under the expectant eyes of the little ones, the young Paladin hurriedly emptied her purse. Then, as the children were happily trying to run off with the gold coins...

*Smack!*

Leon punched each little guy and took the gold coins back, handing them to the nun on the side.

"Don't give them gold coins; give them silver. It would just get them killed." Leon, cursed as a bad guy by the wailing children, sighed.

This rookie was too pure and impossible to teach. It was better to kick her back to the church to be hidden away as soon as possible. Shaking his head, he went to do his own business. Last time, he had sent a child whose parents were in a toxic relationship here and promised to visit. Now, he was fulfilling that promise.

Watching Leon go off to play with the children, Larry’s feelings became even more complex. In terms of strength, she was confident she could take down Leon in one round—she had already vaguely sensed that his state was very wrong. But in terms of understanding a knight's justice and the means of executing it, they weren't even in the same league.

"Can I become like that..." Watching the knight uncle who was playing with the children and almost couldn't get up because they were piling on him, she felt a sense of envy.

This was the first time she realized that her man-made justice wasn't as perfect as everyone praised it to be.

"You will," the young nun taking care of the children said with a smile. This job had allowed her to see too many lost souls. "He is a justice that has weathered the storms. His actions come from the heart and are not constrained by much. Your justice isn't a problem; it's just that it was mostly taught to you by others. That isn't a bad thing. When you lack the ability to judge, the experience of your predecessors keeps you from going astray. Once you have endured enough tempering, you will naturally make choices from your heart, and the justice of others will become the foundation of your own."

"Isn't he guiding you right now?"

Leaving the orphanage, Larry finally perked up a bit, which made Leon slightly satisfied. After all, the next part of the work might require her cooperation.

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

"For that serial killer, we can't wait any longer. I have a plan, but it might be a bit over the line... well, actually, quite over the line and illegal."