7~ The Only Thing That Can Be Done
“NO, NO……… Stay away from me……….” Yimi squatted on the ground, holding her head as if she had been somehow stimulated, muttering those few words repeatedly.
“Waaah……..” Seeing the bloody operating table, Yimi’s eyes were filled with bloodshot, her eye sockets about to split.
“It’s fine now.” Dillin comforted Yimi’s emotions, rubbing her head, repeating it over and over again.
Approaching Yimi, Dillin felt her body was trembling very badly, like a hamster trapped in a cage, being stared at by a cat, trembling uncontrollably.
Perhaps due to the relationship with her kin, Dillin smelled a familiar scent, a scent like a mother that brought Yimi the sense of security she craved, making her forget her built-up hatred, devoid of her fangs from the past, curling into Dillin as a little kitten seeking protection.
Is it the scene before her eyes stimulating her, reminding her of those unpleasant things that happened in the past?
Dillin looked at the Yimi in his arms.
Always felt that, things aren’t so simple. If it was her original memory, she shouldn’t be reacting this way to being so stimulated.
“What are you looking at? Obstructing law enforcement? I’ll send you to Bimont里斯 too!” Seeing people around him looking at this way, the enforcement captain glared at these people with a frosty tone.
The crowd, not wanting to invite trouble, quickly turned away, each walking their own path. They were all commoners, with compassion but also their own families to consider. No one wanted to get into trouble out of sympathy.
Who wasn’t afraid of being relocated to farm wastelands?
“Sir Lieutenant, may I ask what crime did this young lady commit that it’s so serious?”
“Huh?? Who dares to stop me during my law enforcement?” The enforcement captain slowly moved his gaze to the youuth who called him, sizing up this youth from top to bottom.
“I don’t seem to remember seeing you, where are you from? From which part of the Empire?”
“Lieutenant sir, why must you push these two who are each other’s only support to such an extreme?” Dillin glanced at the nearly fainted woman, and the boy lying aside unconscious, shaking his head.
“Imagine you’re the child’s father, what would you think if you saw your wife and son being treated this way?”
“Huh?! Don’t drag me into relation with those unclean whores, this woman isn’t even married, it’s an illegitimate child, no father anyway.” The officer snorted coldly.
“So what crime did this young lady commit?”
“What crime? An illegitimate pregnancy is what the teachings cannot tolerate. I’ve already let her off easy by not arresting her earlier. Now she actually injured my subordinate, to even dare trespass and harm soldiers as a civilian, she’s committing s*icide!”
“No one can save her, my arrest is completely according to procedure. What, do you think I am enforcing violence, bullying her because I have an advantage?”
“No, no……… I………” The young woman’s lips moved, seemingly wanting to say something, with a trembling voice bitterly crying out. “He, his subordinate, tried to forcibly possess me, I had no choice………”
“Nonsense! The whole city knows you’re an unmarried and pregnant harlot, and you dare to falsely accuse my subordinate of forcibly taking you?”
“I, I didn’t……” It seemed someone stood up to defend her, the young woman used her last strength to oppose, wanting to spew out all the grievances she had received these years.
“When I was forcibly possessed by thugs, I reported it to the enforcement team, and you ignored it………”
“I was forced to give birth to the child, you say I’m unmarried and pregnant, that I’m promiscuous………”
“Now, because I resisted forced possession, I’ve been arrested by you and exiled………” The young woman spewed out all her grievances that were pent up in her heart.
“You, can you give us a way out?!’
“Insolence!” The officer raised his hand to slap the young woman’s face, but it was caught by a hand and couldn’t slap down.
“Lieutenant sir, you who obviously have the advantage, why won’t even listen to the people’s appeals?” Dillin grabbed the officer’s hand calmly and said, “If you have no guilt, why so hasty?”
“Boy, I advise you not to meddle in unnecessary matters.” The officer became even angrier because Dillin dared to stop him. “You have already committed the crime of obstructing law enforcement! Even if you’re not local, I can still handle you!”
“Sir, I am neither a local nor an imperial citizen. According to the imperial code, you have no authority over me. To handle me, you must follow procedures and get the consent of Coleman City and Coleman Academy.”
“You’re from Coleman Academy??” The officer’s eyes slightly intensified.
Unlike those uneducated militiamen who fear nothing, these are the regular troops within the city. They know what Coleman Academy stands for. Coleman Academy is famously protective of their own. Mishandling this can lead to external accidents.
Clearly, the Empire would not offend Coleman City and Coleman Academy for this petty enforcement official.
Whoever starts infighting at this moment is the sinner; the Light Race needs peace, even if it’s fragile and superficial.
“What are you folks from Coleman City doing here???” Understanding this guy is a tough nut to crack, the enforcement official could only shake off Dillin’s hand, making his eager-to-please subordinates retreat.
“Can I say tourism, sir?”
“Hmph, as you want, but you’re right, I indeed do not have the authority to arrest you, but you also do not have the right to stop the Imperial soldiers from enforcing the law.”
“Do not step on the Empire’s red line, or even if you’re Coleman Academy’s student, you’ll get into trouble. I advise you not to create trouble for yourself!”
“Sir, when did I step on the Empire’s red line?”
“I warn you boy, you’re now suspected of colluding with heretics!”
“Heretics? Where are the heretics?” Dillin pretended to look around.
“This woman is.”
“She’s a heretic? Sir, where does this lady look like a heretic? Perhaps your eyes can be donated to someone in need?”
“You little…. Huh, according to Karletto’s teachings, unmarried pregnancy is an intolerable sin, how is she not a heretic??” The enforcement captain said coldly.
“Then may I ask sir, profiting by exploiting one’s authority, flatter superiors while bullying inferiors, fabricating charges, framing the loyal, wantonly killing innocents, these, are they not considered acts of heresy?”
“Indeed they are.”
“In that case you should arrest yourself first.” Dillin rolled his lips. “I can’t verify whether what this young lady said is true or false, nor can I verify what you said. But you arrested her without a shred of evidence. Could it be that in your Empire, the victims have to prove their own innocence first?”
“Are you trying to meddle in unnecessary matters???” The enforcement captain’s eyes turned completely cold, glaring down on Dillin using the height difference.
“This isn’t a trivial matter, Soldier sir.” Dillin’s eyes carried a smile, but there was no warmth in his smile. “In my hometown, oppressing women and children is punishable, you’d be universally condemned.”
“I don’t care where you’re from. You’re in the Empire now. In the Empire, you must follow the Empire’s laws!”
“I see, is causing chaos within the Empire your exclusive right?”
“Oh, I understand, you’re colluding with heretics, right?” The enforcement captain instantly pretended to be enlightened. “That’s why you’re criticizing the law enforcement of the Imperial soldiers. You intend to protect this heretic, don’t you??”
“Just keep making accusations, you spineless fellow. After all, without naming a crime, you wouldn’t dare confront me openly.” Dillin didn’t want trouble, but involving principle issues, it wasn’t a matter of whether he wanted trouble or not.
“What are you standing there for? Bring this accomplice of the heretics down!”
As the enforcement captain ordered, the surrounding thugs with fierce eyes and evil intents picked up their weapons.
But before they could lay a hand on Dillin, they suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented, followed by a spinning sensation, and all collapsed neatly on the ground.
“Uh-oh.” Dillin shrugged his shoulders and shouted towards the surrounding pedestrians. “You all saw that, they attacked first. I didn’t do anything, yet they fell. I’m not responsible for disrupting law enforcement.”
“Lieutenant sir, your soldiers aren’t up to standard. Where did you find them? Haven’t you normally been oppressing the people, only able to bully locals and not external threats?”
“You! You bunch of good-for-nothings! What’s wrong, heatstroke? Get up right now!” Seeing his soldiers uniformly lying flat on the ground, the enforcement captain roared angrily.
These soldiers shook their heads, holding their heads as they shakily got up, their eyes still filled with terror, none understanding what just happened. Their brains felt as if pierced by a thousand needles, a splitting headache.
“You little brat, was it you pulling tricks???”
“Captain, you need proof for your accusations,” Dillin looked innocently at him. “I did nothing, didn’t even move a finger, and you already placed the blame on me. Tsk tsk, your nonstick pan skills must be well-practiced often?”
“You say I’m a heretic and want to arrest me, I literally didn’t say a word, did nothing. You can’t possibly say I’m resisting law enforcement, right?”
“Everyone saw it, your soldiers fell on their own.”
“…… Bring down this heretic who’s talking nonsense!”
“Understood!” The soldiers once again swung their weapons. This time they didn’t fall, but their targets were not Dillin but their own captain.
“You! What do you think you’re doing?! Planning a mutiny?” He was terrified watching the soldiers with knives aiming at him, fortunately, he managed to dodge in time, but that big sword cut his silk gown’s seams open.
“What are you doing?! Stop right now! You don’t want your jobs anymore?” Seeing his own soldiers suddenly disobeying him, turning to carry out righteous punishment, they were all swinging swords at him. The captain fled with his group of flunkies.
“Everyone saw it, heaven watches what everyone does. Even his subordinates couldn’t bear to see such a human sc*m and were determined to chop him up, it’s none of my business.” Dillin shrugged.
The surrounding pedestrians, while avoiding trouble, cheered silently inside at seeing the soldiers chasing the enforcement captain around who regularly bullied civilians and acted tyrannically.
Who cares if it’s internal strife, these people aren’t good sorts in their daily activities.
Better if there’s a d*ath, hoping the captain gets into trouble.
Dillin lifted the weak woman.
“Child, my child……… How is he?”
“A bit weak, but there should be no major problems. Drink this restorative potion, it won’t leave any aftereffects.” Dillin handed over the child and passed a bottle of medicine to the woman.
“Sorry, this has caused you trouble.” Dillin said apologetically.
He knew that his so-called act of valor couldn’t solve the root of the problem; on the contrary, the woman would be subjected to even harsher bullying from the enforcement team because he stood up for her.
“No…….. It’s not your turn to apologize to me. If it wasn’t for you, I’d have been shipped off to Bimont里斯, never to see my child again.”
“This city cannot be stayed in anymore. What do you plan to do next?”
“……. I don’t know.” The woman helplessly shook her head. In her eyes, she didn’t want to argue whether she was innocent or not. All she could now think of was the future of herself and her child.
In this confusion, there was disappointment in life, disappointment in people, and, deeply hidden within, resentment and hatred.
Though hidden deeply, Dillin could still sense it.
In fact, ever since he entered the city, he had felt it. This city was pervaded with an abnormal atmosphere, emitted by the city’s residents.
A pinched living situation, carefully measuring every move, living each day in fear, always terrified of being labeled a heretic one day and exiled to wastelands to farm until their value and life are completely drained, only to be tossed aside as waste, or even dumped in unknown graveyards.
Animals know to rebel under oppression, let alone humans?
Even if their thinking is deeply restrained, they still understand resentment and hatred. But reality forces them to keep silent in the face of oppression.
However, resentment will only accumulate deeper, and who knows what happens when it reaches a bottleneck.
Humans are just like this; as long as they still have a breath left, there’s still a bit of food in their bellies, they won’t think about uprising.
In this world, being well-fed, warm and without conflict is the simple yet luxurious wish of the common masses.
Dillin looked up at the sky, where gloom overshadowed the skies, also trapping the empire’s people living under this sky.
Finally, Dillin gave the woman some money and alchemical potions, telling her to take her child away from this messy place, either to run far away or go seek relatives.
This was all he could do for this unfortunate person of the world.
“Thank you before.” Returning to Yimi’s side, Dillin patted Yimi’s head just like before, but she avoided it.
“I wasn’t helping you, I just don’t like these humans either.” Yimi turned away, saying calmly.
Judging by her tone, it seemed she had recovered.
“You just now, did you remember something?”
“………. I don’t know.” Yimi seemed reluctant to answer this question, but at the same time, the images that flashed before her made her sink into deep thought.
Looking back, a voice of reason told her those images were not real.
