If the Military Police are dealt with.
Will the public order in Atester City really fall apart?
Sis, do you even hear what youโre saying? A bunch of people who can’t beat the nobility, and can’t even handle you filthy commonersโyou’re telling me Atester City can’t run without them?
If chaos truly does break out.
There would be only one reason.
It would be because these people are stirring up trouble, or because those with tangled interests are playing dirty.
Aililan smiled slightly.
“Grandmaster Fina Nisi is right, there are good people even in a den of thieves. But everything in this world has two sidesโare you saying there arenโt any bad people among the good ones?”
“If you want to verify it.”
“Just take a look, won’t you?”
“Take a look? How?” Fina Nisi was momentarily stunned, an uneasy feeling rising in her heart.
Aililan signaled to Knight Arkernard. The twelve Knights had been waiting for a long time; each promptly produced the dossiers they had gathered.
Aililan was still cautiousโafter all, too clear water harbors no fish!
She had already given the Knights their task quotas.
Minor problems could wait and be observed.
Those capable could be handled separately.
But the main goal now was to root out the useless and corrupt parasitesโin other words, to set an example.
Arkernard took out a dossier and announced loudly, “Military Policeman Donovan, four years in service, handled 217 cases, 178 of which were poor people accusing the rich, and in all 178 verdicts, without exception, the rich won every time.”
‘Whaaโ’
All the Knights present erupted in commotion.
178 cases, the rich winning every timeโanyone with half a brain could see how big the problem was.
‘Thud~’
Suddenly, someone in the crowd fell to the ground with a thump.
But in the next moment, a Knight stomped on him viciously: “So you’re that bastard Donovan, huh?” In no time, more Knights joined in, dealing out punishment.
Aililan stood and put a stop to it.
Then ordered Donovan to be detained.
“No, please don’t!”
“Saintess, I’m innocent! Everyone’s been doing thisโwhy punish only me?”
Donovan had barely finished his words.
Many in the Military Police immediately changed color.
“Oh?”
Aililan showed a look of great interest, and asked curiously, “When you say everyone, who exactly do you mean?”
Donovan: “Iโฆ”
Aililan: “Leniency for confession, severity for resistance! For your crimes, you could be burned alive at the Fire Rack.”
Donovan’s face went deathly pale in an instant: “What, burned alive?”
Aililan paused, then spoke slowly: “But if you can offset your crimes with merit, perhaps you’ll only have to spend a few years in prison to reform, and then you’ll be released.”
“I’ll talk, I’ll say everything! My superior Elijah sucked up to the nobility, helping to kidnap young girls, and later murdered the girlโs whole family. My colleague Bald accepted bribes from merchants and smashed the stalls of peddlers selling the same goods. My subordinateโฆ”
Oh my, |๏พฯ๏พ)๏พ oh my.
What a treasure trove of dirt!
In this environment, few could be clean; a single inquiry implicated a whole bunch.
Suddenly, Aililan’s expression grew stern as she looked to Fina Nisi and asked, “Grandmaster Fina Nisi, please tell me, as a Knight, what punishment do such people deserve?”
Fina Nisi: โฆโฆ
Right now, her face was burning with shame. Hadnโt she just said the Military Police couldn’t all be bad apples?
At this rate, maybe not every one of them, but if even one out of ten is decent, thatโs already a miracle.
Fina Nisi took a deep breath. “Saintess, let’s deal with them according to Church Law.”
Aililan smiled and said, “I think so too.”
Fina Nisi: “I just remembered I have some matters to attend to.”
Aililan: “Since Grandmaster has things to do, I won’t see you off then, hehe.”
Fina Nisi left with a face that was not looking too good.
In contrast, the two Knight Squad Leaders who sided with her, Morphete and Yarvis, now looked a bit awkward, as if they didn’t belong anywhere.
Seriously, sis!
Have we become the clowns?
No sooner had they left the Military Police headquarters, Pella tried to comfort her, “Grandmaster, don’t be upset!”
The next moment.
Fina Nisi snarled, “How am I supposed not to be upset? This was all your terrible idea!”
“Grandmaster, I was wrong.”
“What’s the use of an apology? I’ve lost both my dignity and reputation.”
“Just tell me how you want to punish me!”
“I want you to come see me tonight in the Saintess’ outfit. Iโm going to ride you hard, you little wretchโwait, noโฆ I mean, Iโm going to ride that damned Chastity Saintess!”
Wearing Aililanโs clothes.
Would that make her Aililan?
In any case, at leastโฆ a victory in spiritโdoesnโt that still count as a win?
Inside the Military Police headquarters.
After Fina Nisi left, Aililan turned the public handling of affairs into private interrogations.
No matter what, the Military Police were a “violent” organizationโif every last one of them was wiped out, the whole institution would collapse. Then, what Fina Nisi said could actually come true: public order in Atester City could truly break down overnight.
But she needed to control the key “positions”, so she summoned Betiliana.
She looked long and hard at this “main character’s” capture target, making the latter feel anxious and uneasy.
“Aililan Saintess, Iโฆ”
“Shh~” Aililan put a finger to her lips, her eyes twinkling with interest. “I know, Squad Leader Betiliana, youโre not the type to commit crimes.”
Betiliana relaxed a little at those words.
In fact, as one of the capture targets in the game, most of the girls who appeared were basically portrayed in a positive light.
“Squad Leader Betiliana, what do you think about today’s events?”
“Saintess, to answer you honestly, I knew there were bad people in our ranks, but I didn’t realize there were so many.”
“So what do you think I should do to punish them?”
“Iโฆ”
Betiliana looked troubled.
With the crimes those people committed, the Fire Rack would be letting them off easy.
But after all, those people were colleagues she worked with day and night, and that impressive-looking lady Knight from beforeโshe’d thought the woman could help her smooth things over!
Turns out she was all talk. Now it was clear: the Saintess Aililan was much more formidable, far more so than Fina Nisi.
After some thought, Betiliana finally said, “Saintess, their crimes truly deserve death, but after all, they have served the Military Police for many years. What do you think?”
Aililan waved her hand. “Looks like you haven’t decided how to handle it yet, so let me give you a suggestion. How about that?”
“Please, Saintess.”
“For those with heinous crimes, I will show no mercy. But for those whose mistakes aren’t severe, I can show leniency. As for a few Squad Leaders and Deputy Leadersโleave them to you. Convince them to retire quietly. I can forgive the past, but if anyone refuses, itโs no big deal to prepare a few more Fire Racks.”
“Thank you, Saintess.”
“Alright, off you go!”
Betiliana hesitated for a moment, then still asked, “If you dismiss so many Military Police at once, what about public security?”
Here comes the big issue.
After purging so many people.
If Aililan made a single misstep, public order in Atester City could truly collapse.
Aililan had already thought of a solution: the servants who waited upon the Chastity Knights.
Donโt look down on them as mere servants.
They had another name.
Namely:
Chaste Knight Reserve!
All of them had received Holy Land education.
With this move, not only could she solve the Military Policeโs manpower shortage, but she could also bring one of Atester Cityโs violent institutions completely under her control.
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