Ch.211211. The Justification of Revenge

The mere act of drawing a weapon and striking someone’s head just because they provoked you.

In modern society, this would simply be considered assault…

But under the laws of our Dawn Empire, it’s perfectly acceptable.

“Oh, nice technique there?”

“Serves him right, the bastard!”

Taking appropriate revenge against someone who wronged you was, at least in this country, something worthy of praise.

Of course, killing someone over a minor provocation would be problematic, but merely striking someone’s head with a blunt weapon? That’s considered an exemplary response.

As evident from the contemptuous looks that passersby and street vendors gave to the beaten man, the Dawn Empire was a den of soda-paths—people whose brains were filled with carbonation.

Decades have passed since the founding of the Dawn Empire.

Currently, the majority of the empire’s population has benefited from the universal education provided by the empire.

And since this universal education consistently includes content about revenge, the era itself has come to view the act of revenge positively.

The fact that methods for moderating the intensity of revenge are included in ethics courses shows that their way of thinking is clearly somewhat broken by human standards.

But to me, as the God of Vengeance, it all looks rather pleasing, so I grabbed the fallen thug by the leg and was about to drag him into a back alley.

“Hey, you! What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Boss?!!”

But at that moment, hearing these clichéd lines from behind me,

I had a feeling I could predict exactly what would happen next, so I sighed deeply and turned around.

Sure enough, my eyes fell upon two burly figures pointing at me and shouting.

“…Leave while I’m still asking nicely.”

I said this because I didn’t particularly want to beat anyone up, but these guys seemed determined not to listen to a word I said.

The bald brute removed a club from the belt around his waist, while the one with a mohawk like a rooster’s comb pulled out a folding dagger.

Just as they were displaying the textbook behavior of thugs, exactly as I had predicted, and I was about to subdue them with an exasperated expression—at that very moment.

“Subdue them!!”

With a sudden shout, massive figures in blue armor appeared, swinging batons that crackled with blue sparks as they attacked the thugs.

CRACKLE-ZAP!!!

The sparks that touched the thugs’ bodies electrocuted them, and after receiving the shocking jolt, they collapsed and were immediately restrained.

“Excuse me. Would you mind accompanying us briefly to provide a statement?”

“…Yes, gladly.”

And right after that.

When a member of the Avenger Corps approached me carefully and made her request with proper etiquette, I happily accepted, inwardly smiling and thinking:

Despite everything, seeing these kids working so diligently had softened my heart.

※ ※ ※

After completing a simple statement at the Security Maintenance Headquarters, I returned home a bit earlier than planned and immediately began checking on the empire’s security situation.

While I clearly understood that the Security Maintenance Force was working diligently, the fact remained that I had encountered back-alley thugs.

In the Dawn Empire, security is maintained by an organization under the administration called the “Security Maintenance Force.”

Composed of Avenger Corps members who have suffered injuries preventing their return to duty or those wishing to retire from the front lines, this organization is essentially a carbon copy of the Avenger Corps, except they use non-lethal weapons.

Thanks to them, mediocre criminal organizations can be captured and sent to the gulags, and if necessary, they can simply use lethal weapons to eliminate threats.

Additionally, they have established a unique magical surveillance system called “Eyes,” allowing them to patrol the entire city in a manner similar to modern CCTV.

When a crime occurs, several Security Maintenance Force members can respond within just five minutes, enabling the Dawn Empire to maintain an extremely low crime rate.

So when I was suddenly threatened by back-alley thugs in this environment, I felt puzzled. I activated my divine vision and surveyed the city, and…

‘…Ah, so that’s what it was?’

Before long, I found the cause of this incident in the city’s back alleys.

Because the cities of the Dawn Empire maintain such excellent security, the criminal organizations that would normally exist in typical cities are nowhere to be found in the Dawn Empire.

Heresy Inquisitors roam the streets with the authority to summarily execute criminals without consequence, and incorruptible police officers respond immediately when incidents occur.

Moreover, this integrity extends to the Dawn Empire’s officials as well; on the rare occasion someone accepts a bribe, a Heresy Inquisitor will be knocking on their door the next day.

Naturally, entertainment businesses, which are typical sources of income for criminal organizations, are impossible from the start, and smuggling is ineffective due to the near absence of corruption.

There have been so many cases of people being executed for attempting to manipulate interests, and when crimes are committed, they are quickly discovered and made into excellent examples.

As a result, proper criminal organizations cannot exist in the Dawn Empire, and even if they did, they would be far from what I would consider a criminal organization.

One type merely pretends to be a criminal organization for image and style, but in reality, they are just legally established businesses.

And then there are organizations that delicately exploit the extremely fine line between crime and legality, trying to make money without crossing into criminal territory.

This is the type of thug group that attacked me this time.

Their main income comes from collecting debts on behalf of back-alley lenders, cleverly exploiting gaps that could be considered revenge, making punishment impossible, but…

Perhaps criminals will always be criminals—these guys eventually succumbed to greed and began counterfeiting and distributing Roman Empire copper coins that circulate within the Dawn Empire.

They might have thought it wasn’t illegal because there was no specific clause against it, but in fact, this is clearly a crime of considerable severity.

The Roman Empire’s currency isn’t actually the official currency of the Dawn Empire at all; it’s more like a kind of voucher that circulates among citizens.

Until now, due to various issues delaying currency-related matters, permission was temporarily granted to use it.

Essentially, producing currency from the originally hostile Roman Empire could be considered an act of treason, suggesting a desire for the Roman Empire’s revival.

Of course, this logic is so forced that no one would believe it…

But that doesn’t mean anyone would take the side of that organization.

Consequently, they were sent straight to the gulag after their trial, along with numerous other currency production organizations suffering the same fate. Meanwhile, I was now contemplating the establishment of a central bank and currency production.

As this incident clearly shows, a central bank is absolutely necessary.

Its mere existence exerts a significant and important influence on the economy, while also managing circulating currency and legitimizing deposits and loans.

Especially in this era where proper financial institutions don’t exist, there’s no more attractive option than financial protection backed by religious authority and state power.

Thus, shortly afterward.

With the official launch of the Dawn Bank as a central bank, it began minting coins to an entirely independent standard.

Dawn Empire copper coins, Dawn Empire silver coins, and Dawn Empire gold coins.

These three currencies began circulating in the imperial market.

For copper coins, which have the same value as the Roman Empire copper coins already in use in the market, the bank exchanges them for Dawn Empire copper coins in equal quantities.

These coins, produced using adapted pressing machines with wedge impressions that have been used well until now, boast quality similar to modern coins, utilizing the full technological capabilities of the Dawn Empire.

As for silver and gold coins, apart from their appearance, efforts were made to maintain values as close as possible to existing currencies to prevent problems during the currency transition.

Silver coins are used in daily life like high-denomination bills, but the true value of these two currencies comes from their use in trade.

Especially in the case of dwarves, who rival dragons in their love for gold.

They receive all payments in gold, so maintaining gold reserves is an obligation for the empire.

As long as there is continued demand for dwarf-produced goods, which are overwhelmingly superior in quality to factory-made products despite being mostly handcrafted,

maintaining the value of gold coins is important for preserving relations with the dwarves.

If even a single gold coin meant for payment is missing, the dwarves are the kind of race who would tear down buildings they were constructing.