Chapter 274

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Chapter 274: Sin and Punishment

No matter what turmoil and chaos happened in Seychelles and the Abyss, Lolth, who knew nothing about it, was not affected in her own actions.

However, looking at the thick stacks of parchment that the mercenaries handed over, Lolth experienced the pain of the Lord of the Demon King looking at her transaction reports, and she also understood the literal meaning of "too many to count."

More than one mercenary reacted that one piece of parchment could not possibly hold all the problems.

Based on her knowledge of herself, her comrades, and her fellow travelers, no one planned to hold back any information they knew.

Everything they could think of regarding the "sins" committed by the people they knew was written down in detail, including time, place, people, reasons, what happened, and how it happened—covering all the elements of the 5W1H; even the files from South Sotua and professional news reports might not be this detailed.

"If I write a little more about others, then my chance of succeeding increases a little more!"

—They all thought the same way and trusted that others would think this way too.

Besides being very familiar with each other, whether as friends, colleagues, or rivals, they knew everything about one another, and the thick parchment they presented also showed one thing.

That is, none of these people had a small problem.

In fact, among all the mercenaries in South Sotua, there wasn’t a single clean one.

Moreover, this was the outcome of the lighter dirty deeds they did, like gambling and taking money for work, which they did not consciously consider.

Stealing, cheating, and fighting were as common to them as daily meals; harming teammates, switching sides, and betraying employers happened without anyone noticing, and killing was as natural as breathing.

Money was the only thing worth loyalty, and strength was the only law they believed in.

Lolth organized every name mentioned, listing each person’s "crimes" and ranking them by number and severity.

Out of one hundred sixteen people, there truly is not a single person who is innocent.

Even the initial twelve and many of the others who behaved well have at least stolen or bought forbidden items.

In South Sotua, who hasn’t dealt with a bit of "illegal work"?

However, while these people’s neglect is certainly a big problem, when Lolth looked at the real "crimes" they committed, she found that most of them were within an acceptable range.

Although there are many cases, they mainly focus on economic disputes and purchasing forbidden items.

Considering their test results, Lolth thinks these mercenaries are at least redeemable.

There are not many who are truly insane, beyond help, or ones that Lolth does not plan to save.

But they do exist.

Lolth picked out those who had killed civilians and innocents for money, harmed others, and deliberately used magical beasts to create disasters—those who had no reason to continue living—and took a deep breath.

"Just by looking at these, I truly feel that the United Kingdom of South Sotua is a very oppressive place."

After working in the Demon Army for two years, Lolth felt for the first time a strong desire for the Demon Army to conquer a certain place.

Most of these people had already been filtered out by the test results—none of the thirty-nine inside Demon King Castle were innocent.

They even overlooked the fifteen who are still here now.

Without giving them a chance to defend themselves, Lolth sent those fifteen away as well.

In some ways, her tests were quite accurate, but Lolth couldn’t feel happy at all.

Now, only ninety-four people remained in the room.

These mercenaries, who had just gone through mutual accusations, suspicion, and fear, looked at each other and didn’t know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or remain tense.

Until Lolth spoke.

"Congratulations to you all. Although you are all complete scoundrels and criminals standing here, except for South Sotua who is a target in any country, I will give you a chance to change and learn how to be a better person in Hillenbrand Town…"

She looked at these people and spoke calmly.

"But this does not mean I have forgiven you—you cannot make up for the wrongs you have done and the harm you caused to society and others, so you must receive appropriate punishment. I will sentence you to various degrees of imprisonment and labor according to the laws of Hillenbrand Town, and I will require you to attend individual moral classes at the schools in Hillenbrand Town."

"But you are luckier than those guys, because at least you still have a ‘chance,’ while they no longer do. However, calling it luck would not be right. No matter how you are treated differently here, my decisions are based on what you have done in the past."

Lolth said this while looking at everyone, slowly scanning their faces.

Faces covered in dust and blood, filled with beards and scars.

Shock, confusion, surprise… and even a bit of relief.

She did not know what part of these people’s emotions was causing this reaction, but Lolth did not care.

Essentially, Lolth was someone who was very afraid of trouble.

The way to handle these mercenaries clearly goes beyond her principle of "keeping things simple."

At first, she wanted to make sure they did not disturb the peace and quiet of Hillenbrand Town and interrupt her relaxed life, so she worked hard to find ways to deal with and divide them.

In fact, Lolth could easily throw out the unqualified mercenaries, and she could also overlook the responsibilities of the qualified ones.

However, Lolth felt she did not want to do that.

The decree made in Hillenbrand Town was mostly out of a desire to "avoid trouble."

But since it was established, she needed to carry it out properly.

Lolth certainly could not manage the events happening far away in the United Kingdom of South Sotua.

But now that they were in front of her, Lolth could not do that.

"Alright, from this moment on, you are no longer mercenaries of the ‘United Kingdom of South Sotua,’ nor are you prisoners of the Abyssal Demon or the Demon Army; you are now criminals belonging to the ‘Hillenbrand Town territory’—does anyone have any objections?"

Lolth asked this, looking at the prisoners who dared not make a sound, and nodded slightly.

"Very good… Then, I wish you all a chance to start anew."