The man then hopped down onto another street Sighing Hydie chased after him so she didnÆt lose him in the crowd
With the city having just settled outside of the Orchard the entire population was out in force ready either to do business visit the Orchard or entertain the inevitable throng of people that came to see Kharon for themselves
Her quarry took a quick glance backward as he stepped into a heavily populated square giving Hydie the impression of a sharp face and a well trimmed goatee Then he was around the corner and out of sight
Huffing to herself Hydie pumped her legs as fast as she could As she crashed to the ground from the rooftops she somehow landed on the tail of a cat The creature yowled loudly making everyone in the surrounding area turn to look at her and block her sight of the man Goddamnit it Derek You said you would cut him off You know my physical stats are
Biting her lip she pushed forward Although the peopleÆs looks were disapproving they quickly saw her uniform and made way As she wheeled around the corner into the alley several bananas smashed into her face She froze simply by dint of how ridiculous the sudden appearance of bananas was Some simply bounced off her forehead and cheekbones but one was ripe and soft enough to squish messily against her glasses spurting sugary mush everywhere
This damn luck Hydie growled In a practiced manner she pulled out a small cloth and began to rapidly clean her glasses before replacing them In order to not lose the man she was chasing she continued to sprint forward while staying in the middle of the alley to avoid the refuse bins that were pressed against the buildings But of course that path made her smash into the collapsed form of the target while she was distracted
She tumbled forward for a few seconds before two warm hands grabbed her out of the air and gently settled her on her feet Hydie blinked and looked up at Derek Moss who gave her an amused look and then walked up to the collapsed form of the man they had been chasing Hydie turned away to hide her blush and then rubbed her knee
Judging by how much the joint hurt her kneecap must have slammed directly into the back of the manÆs head Hydie inwardly hoped that his head hurt just as badly as her knee did Derek crouched down in front of the man You alright
Not fucking now the man swore He swiped his hand sideways aggressively Derek pulled his limb backward letting the man flail harmlessly at air Then he staggered to his feet and glared at them both His hands twitched but the man suppressed it Two empty sheaths were at his waist He had left his weapons at the scene of the crime
Huh thatÆs strange Hydie frowned Who uses sheaths these days Interspatial compartments are so much more convenient
I would advise you not to run again Derek said lightly as he stood to match the man Except Derek Moss had six inches on the man and likely forty pounds of militarily built muscle Despite the fury in the manÆs expression no one standing in the alley was in doubt who would win in a confrontation between the two of them Then Derek tilted his head to the side Why did you run in the first place We are wearing the Order Ducis uniforms
Heh I thought you were a fucking Visitor You know how scary those fucks are ItÆs like they arenÆt even human The man shivered then shrugged and spoke in a sarcastic voice So my apologies for running Just caught me by surprise is all So are we done here Or does the Order Ducis like to bully
IÆd like to see your ID card please Hydie interrupted shortly Then she smiled at the man and produced an item from an interspatial ring Also is this shortsword yours
The manÆs face twitched and his hand stopped as he had been reaching toward his interspatial watch IÆve never seen that weapon before
Good Derek rumbled Because we found this weapon six inches deep in a fifteen year old boy He looks pretty old for his age and heÆs pretty strong but as IÆm sure you are aware the punishment for harming anyone without a Class is vastly harsher than assaulting someone who is of age Heh but it looks like the idiot thatÆs been assaulting people around Kharon was too soaked in bloodlust to care
The man went white
Chapter 1414
Hydie stood next to Derek outside the interrogation room with her arms folded They had been standing like statues for almost a half hour staring through the false mirror at the captured man in the goatee while he sat with his head bowed DerekÆs brow was furrowed as he considered the man
Honestly Hydie couldnÆt stand it anymore What What is it
DerekÆs frown remained an immovable presence on his face This is strange We need to be careful
Despite HydieÆs previous boredom and DerekÆs perpetual gloominess she felt a spark of excitement Yea we heard the rumors but to think we would actually find the perp in such a short amount of time hehehe if he hadnÆt tried to attack that kid while his older brother was upstairs that fool
DerekÆs gaze turned sharp if he hadnÆt a fifteen year old would have died Hydie Why the hell are you laughing
I Hydie flushed Shame devoured her excitement as quickly as it had arrived Her fingers gripped the still cuffs of her Order Ducis uniform I just meant this is just like a crime show Of course I donÆt actually want someone to die
Then take this seriously This man he hasnÆt tried to leave at all Something strange is going on right now DerekÆs gaze went back to the man within the room Since you love true crime so much how well do you understand due process
Err Hydie scratched the side of her head Inexplicably her nails caught on a small imperfection and ripped open a gash on the side of her face Her mouth twisted as she produced a tissue to dab at the blood Due process is lawyer related stuff right All the courtrooms and the judges Honestly I wasnÆt so into that portion
Derek chuckled which did a lot to rid Hydie of the anxiety she held in her heart since Derek had glared at her for laughing earlier Well yes Lawyer stuff But more specifically Due Process is related to the actions that a State can justifiably take against its citizens In this case This Lazlo Derran came to Kharon on a work visa that expired several months ago As such it would have been easy to just kick him out of the city and make him someone elseÆs problem under normal circumstances
But now heÆs attacked a minor with deadly force Even worse it was done in a very public way That street was drenched in blood this morning Even if word hasnÆt spread yet itÆs only a matter of time And when that happens well Kharon as a city will want justice Derek continued to stare through at the perpetrator within the room If we knew his affiliations we could apply political pressure and use that as an outlet to alleviate KharonÆs thirst for justice But as it is we only have him
So what Hydie asked Since he doesnÆt have any backing doesn’tÆ that make it easier Just punish him We have laws in Kharon WhatÆs the punishment for using deadly force on a minor
True we have laws And the punishment for his crime is either imprisonment or having his Class destroyed Derek said slowly He raised his hand toward the fake mirror in front of him as though to touch it then stopped himself at the last second His hand lowered back to his side But it isnÆt that he doesnÆt have backing he just wonÆt speak of it now I have no doubt that as soon as we make a final decision on his punishment some entity will show up and make a stink Considering the bloody scene I have no doubt the tribunal will vote to cripple his Class
Hydie rubbed the bridge of her nose This was not the sort of crime drama that she had in mind during the pulse pounding chase Well fine letÆs just throw him off of Kharon and forget about him or otherwise don’t we have the backing of Randidly Ghosthound Who would try and pick a bone with his city
Randidly Ghosthound does not want Kharon to become the sort of city where the strongest individual can enforce any sort of justice they want Derek answered quietly Keeping him here and punishing him Kharon doesnÆt have a codified process for its justice it really hasnÆt needed to yet Releasing him people wonÆt like that Stalling until we can make a framework to deal with him is a morally questionable option Honestly now that weÆve caught him it feels like we are actually the ones who have been caught