"They—!"
Shirou's pupils constricted sharply. He suddenly recognized the victims—these were the same young people he'd seen earlier, bullying a child in the alleyway.
But now, they no longer had the power to harm anyone; all they could do was silently repent for their crimes in eternal darkness.
Yet even more shocking to him than the death of these bullies was the small, broken body of the child who had been bullied, lying amidst the scattered limbs and gore.
In disbelief, Shirou looked toward the violent young woman responsible for this carnage.
Yet, by now, her arms had somehow reverted to their normal form, and her fierce expression had entirely vanished. Instead, she tenderly held a cute, white puppy in her arms. It rubbed affectionately against her cheek—a strangely warm scene amidst the swirling dust and ruined street.
"Did you kill them?" Shirou rubbed his eyes, stepping closer to her. He doubted what he'd seen—how could her slender arms have transformed into those enormous cannons?
"For the sake of justice, such scum deserves nothing but death," the young woman replied bluntly, making no effort to conceal her actions. Her expression was one of undisguised disgust as she glanced at the dismembered bodies.
"But…what about the child?" Shirou pointed toward the battered body lying in the trench.
"Him? An accomplice!" She furrowed her brows slightly, pondering for a moment before giving a firm, sincere answer.
And just like that?!
Shirou struggled to understand, to make sense of it.
Nobles who treated citizens worse than animals received no punishment at all, yet these ordinary people caught in the cycle of bullying were sentenced to death—and even innocent bystanders weren't spared.
The child forced into compliance wasn't even given the chance to explain himself before being summarily executed by this girl.
Indeed, Shirou believed that so-called "accomplice" had been coerced.
Not because he thought the child was inherently virtuous, but because his battered, broken body spoke clearly enough—his exhausted expression remained even in death.
How could such a person willingly become an oppressor? He was clearly just struggling to survive, forced to carry out his tormentors' demands.
"You didn't even bother asking for their side of the story?" Shirou asked, his voice trembling slightly.
"Ask? They'd just come up with endless excuses. I trust my own eyes alone!" Her conviction was absolute; she never doubted her actions.
Because to her, she embodied justice itself.
"So without any investigation, you sentenced all these people to death?"
Shirou stepped forward abruptly, confronting her directly with heated intensity.
"The Empire's law clearly states: Bullies must be executed! Justice cannot be violated!" she retorted fiercely, setting down her dog and stepping forward, meeting Shirou's eyes directly without hesitation.
"The Empire's law?"
Did such a thing truly exist here?
Shirou hadn't expected the girl to invoke the Empire's law right to his face. He genuinely didn't know the details of imperial law—considering the nobles' rampant cruelty, he'd assumed laws were practically nonexistent.
No—looking around at this grim scene, Shirou finally understood.
These so-called "laws of justice" were merely tools used by those in power to oppress the common people.
Only the powerless, ordinary citizens were expected to abide by this twisted sense of "justice."
"So, anyone accused of bullying must die, regardless of circumstances?" Shirou's voice turned cold. Arguing morality in a corrupt nation was meaningless; he simply wanted to understand this girl's perspective. Was her cruelty her own conviction, or merely blind obedience to authority?
He also felt deeply uncomfortable hearing her repeatedly speak of the Empire's justice. Did justice even exist in this Empire?
All Shirou saw was filth.
"Yes! Justice must be carried out without hesitation!" She raised her voice with unwavering confidence, as if taking an oath.
"What if your judgment is mistaken—"
"No!" she sharply interrupted, voice ringing clearly. "My judgment cannot be mistaken! Justice is justice, evil is evil. These truths will never change!"
"Dragging innocent people into your punishment—isn't that itself a sin?" Shirou demanded.
"They were necessary sacrifices for the path of justice. Justice was never an easy path; sacrifices have always been inevitable!" she shouted back, defiant.
"Why must innocent people become your 'necessary' sacrifices? Justice that willingly sacrifices innocents—can you truly still call that justice?" Shirou pressed further.
"If one doesn't even have the courage to accept sacrifices, how can justice be upheld? If you must choose between saving ten people and saving ten thousand, what would you do?"
In the dusty, ruined street, the two of them stood locked in fierce opposition, tension crackling as if violence could erupt at any moment.
Yet neither of them raised a hand against the other, despite their heated exchange.
Violence could resolve many problems, but some things required more than brute force.
Unless absolutely necessary, Shirou refused to resort to violence.
Therefore, he wouldn't attack this girl before him.
And as for the girl herself—
Firstly, Shirou showed no real hostility toward her. Secondly, he wasn't listed in any wanted posters. She regarded Shirou merely as a confused citizen who didn't fully grasp the Empire's righteous laws.
Toward ordinary, decent people, she was always protective; her justice existed solely to protect these citizens.
Meanwhile, hidden just behind the bookstore door, Lubbock listened carefully to their argument. He tightly restrained his urge to kill the girl, not daring to reveal a hint of hostility.
Right now, Lubbock knew clearly he couldn't risk exposing himself. He needed to endure.
Besides, he wasn't primarily a combat member of Night Raid. His strength lay in providing support and intelligence, not direct battle. If pushed to fight the girl here, he might not make it back alive.
After all, this was the same girl who'd managed to kill Sheele, despite fighting both Sheele and Mine simultaneously.