TFWSDW 37

~Chapter 37~

Game Category [Forum Post] [Casual Talk]

Title: I want to kill those Execution Hounds so bad……

Six hostages… and their crimes are just…

Judge, I hereby sentence you to ten days without walks!!! (※ Special punishment—this is the penalty my dog, Mongsun, fears the most…)

 Likes: 10

Comments

 Savior 1
New players are all going to quit, ffs.

 Savior 2
Do you know why this is so hard? Because you don’t do it once—you have to do it N times.

 Savior 3
LMAO  I swear the devs must’ve been completely ruined in court by some judge.

 Savior 4
Ten days without walks for a dog? Isn’t that abuse?

└ Savior 1 What’s your problem, acting all high and mighty?
└ Savior 4 I’m just saying it’s abusive.
└ Original Poster Okay, okay… I was wrong… I always take Mongsun out for proper walks…

Sensing my thoughts as if reading my mind, I glanced past the hostages and turned to look at our team members.

My father, who had been calling out to me desperately several times earlier, was filled with worry.

As expected.

There he was, completely bound in red chains.

Damn it.

It looked as if he had tried to leave his designated spot, judging from the footprints and drag marks scattered along the edge of the boundary line.

It was a harrowing sight.

I didn’t even notice because I was too focused.

A pang of guilt struck me.

And it wasn’t just him—except for the other young Pope Candidate, even Laura and Antonio were wrapped up in chains.

Even that bastard Usher was shackled.

I’d bet my life he was “too curious” and tried to get a front-row seat just for fun.

I clicked my tongue.

-Defense attorney!

At the sound of my title being called, I turned my head.

There was the judge, its glowing eyes brighter than before.

-We’re about to begin the next trial. Do you need a break?
-Humans are so feeble!
-Cunningly feeble!

Feeble…? Why are they throwing that in?

The monstrous judge didn’t tire, but humans did.

Those things are having the time of their lives…

Their inhuman ears twitched with glee.

-You are the first lawyer in three hundred years to sway us. Remarkable.
-You may take pride in it.
-We permit it!

Hm?

The familiar phrasing made me sharply raise my head.

Wait, is this… a special event?

This chapter was disgustingly difficult and tedious, but sometimes—at a near-impossible random chance—an event would occur that allowed the number of hostages to be reduced.

I didn’t even dare hope for it, but…

-For such a human, a special exception applies. By the judge’s discretion, we shall release one additional person.
-We shall release them!
-Be grateful!

At those words, my eyes instinctively shifted toward the hostages.

Wow… cutting it down from five trials to four?

Trying to talk my way through each one was already driving me mad.

Apparently, the hostages had the same thought. Unlike their usual bright, hopeful gazes, they now clamored desperately.

“P-please, please let me go!”

“I want to leave!”

“I beg you, let me out!!”

They wailed like starving baby birds, mouths gaping for salvation.

Then, someone shot a hand up.

“Now, now! Before we do anything, let us give a round of applause to this young and brilliant lawy—lawyer? Ahem! Anyway, to this person! They will save us all!”

As if in agreement, everyone clapped.

“You were incredible!”

“Please save us!”

“I have three children…!! I’m begging you!”

And I froze.

…Clapping.

Strangely, the hostages were striking the backs of their hands together.

Not because their hands were bound—there was something unnervingly off about the posture.

A chill crept up my spine, but I forced myself to ignore it.

Haa… of course…

This wasn’t the end yet, was it?

Game Category [Forum Post][Chatter]

Paranormal Events Edition

“The Judge’s Law”

(…excerpt…)

…Comrades, you’ve suffered immensely getting this far. Facing those damned “Execution-Parrot-Dogs” isn’t easy, is it? Grab a drink.

Honestly, convincing the Execution Dogs is tough and finicky, but if you choose the right options, it’s at least doable for someone, right?

And yet, death is everywhere here.

It’s not for nothing that the veterans tell you to “just die once and see.” Heh.

So what’s the real problem at the end?

There’s a trap that newbies and first-time players will struggle to notice.

I’m talking about the dud.

The developers must’ve lost their damn minds.

Let’s try to avoid this last insidious trap these twisted devs set for us.

“The announcement that one person may be released?”

I feigned a nervous shiver before speaking, making sure my performance would be visible to the team members watching me.

‘Even if the act has long since become hollow, appearances still matter. Image is everything.’

“In that case… could it perhaps be someone other than one of the hostages?”

The judge tilted one of its three heads, seemingly puzzled, before nodding in agreement.

—Granted!
—Especially!
—Huh? Wasn’t that allowed all along?
—Silence. Stop yapping like a mutt.
—But we are dogs, aren’t we?

Ignoring the judge’s absurd little skit, I spoke firmly, “Very well. In that case… return the youngest child in our group!”

At my words, I saw Laura, who was holding the child, flinch in surprise. The boy, older than me, also stiffened.

‘The children must go first.’

Among the hostages, there were no other children. It was a relief—small mercies like this mattered.

“My apologies, everyone,” I said, my voice bright and resolute. “We’ll send the youngest child out first…!”

Hearing this, the hostages, though clearly displeased, dared not protest. They could only glance at me with sullen expressions. They knew I was their only lifeline.

I widened my eyes and added, with as much radiant determination as I could muster, “I promise I will save all of you!”

“Candidate…!”

Laura’s voice trembled, her reddened eyes glistening as she whispered Nehemiah’s name.

“Thank you… truly, thank you. I don’t know how I could ever repay such kindness…”

The child chosen by the Holy Knight Laura was named Mel. He was nine years old this year.

No matter how politely one tried to phrase it, he was one of the least promising candidates for the papacy.

He had been brought from the ninth sector’s abandoned ruins, essentially a place where lives were discarded.

He had become a candidate by sheer luck—or perhaps it hadn’t even been luck at all.

When Laura was assigned to him, she could not help but pity the boy.

To the eyes of any ordinary adult, this competition was far too brutal for children.

Under the lofty guise of a “sacred purpose,” was it acceptable to sacrifice a child? Laura had never been able to answer that question as she guided Mel this far.

“Th-th-th-thank you…!!”

Oh? That was the first time I had heard his voice.

Mel suffered from a congenital stutter.

Even after becoming a candidate and receiving treatments from the clergy, it had not improved, likely because its roots were psychological. Yet, despite his struggle, Mel had summoned the courage to express his gratitude.

Nehemiah smiled warmly at him.

“Mm-hmm. Go back carefully, alright? Since you won’t have a guardian with you, be sure to ask a Holy Knight to take you straight to your quarters.”

“Mm-hm…!”

Mel turned and stepped through the portal. Laura could not tear her eyes away from the boy until he had disappeared completely.

Watching quietly, Antonio suddenly interjected, his tone sly and amused.

“How admirable. Usually, when given such a chance, wouldn’t one choose to leave themselves?”