"...Why? Why was my father attacked? He isn't a criminal! He hasn't done anything wrong...!"
Led to the hospital by Yugo and the others, Mary hung her head and groaned in front of the room where her father was being treated.
As Sakura gently rested a hand on her shoulder in sympathy, Yugo answered her.
"They thought he was with the academy. The culprits saw Gaut-san entering and leaving Luminous Academy several times and drew the wrong conclusion."
"That’s horrible! My father is just a gardener! He has nothing to do with the academy!"
Mary’s grief-stricken cry echoed down the hallway.
She was reeling from the shock of her father being in critical condition, but even more so from the realization that members of her own Society of Friends of the Night had attacked an innocent man based on a blind assumption. Sakura spoke to her softly.
"The doctor says his life isn't in danger. However, the Society is causing so much chaos that the hospital is overflowing with casualties. They're running low on staff and medical supplies, so his treatment is being delayed..."
"Is the damage really that widespread? Why? Lord Kurotobari gave us strength so we could settle our personal scores... It was supposed to end there!"
"It never ends there," Yugo countered, his words piercing Mary's heart. "If it had ended with revenge, Gaut-san would never have been targeted. Those people are drunk on the power and 'justice' they've been handed."
It was exactly as Yugo said. The members of the Society of Friends of the Night were running wild under the banner of justice, leaving a trail of victims in their wake.
They condemned anyone they deemed evil, attacked anyone who tried to stop them, and brandished their power with impunity. They believed they were the absolute arbiters of morality, blindly following Kurotobari without ever questioning the consequences of their actions.
How were they any different from the criminals they hated?
There is no difference, Mary realized.
The devastation in the city, the chaos in the hospital, her father’s assault—all of it was the result of the Society’s madness. Her madness. As she stood there with her head bowed, Yugo spoke again.
"...Follow me, Mary. It might be hard to look at, but there's something you need to see."
Mary followed Yugo and Sakura through the hospital. After a short walk, Yugo stopped and opened a door. Mary stepped inside, only to gasp at the sight of the familiar faces gathered there—and the figure lying in the bed.
"Sanga, how is En doing?" Yugo asked.
"The medicine is working. She’s sleeping now," replied the hulking, stern-faced man. "I think she can be discharged tomorrow. The real problem is..."
Sanga trailed off, his expression turning grim as he looked at Batz. The thin man was slumped in a chair, sobbing silently into his hands.
"...What happened here?" Mary whispered.
"Kurotobari attacked En last night. She was badly hurt, and—"
"No!" Batz interrupted, his voice a ragged scream. "I was the one he attacked! Kurotobari came to execute me because I’m a criminal! En only got hurt because she threw herself in front of me!"
Having spent his outburst, Batz collapsed back into his chair like a puppet with its strings cut. He covered his face with both hands, groaning in agony.
"It’s my fault... En is like this because of me!"
"Don't do this to yourself, Batz," Melt said, stepping forward to comfort him. She had come to check on En as well. "Kurotobari is the one at fault here!"
Batz shook his head, refusing to be consoled. He seemed intent on drowning in his own self-loathing.
"I never should have come back! If I hadn't returned to En’s side, she would be safe. If this was going to happen, I should have just let the Curse of the Demonic Sword kill me...!"
"Don't you dare say that, Batz!" Sanga roared, grabbing his friend by the collar. "Do you think En or I want you dead? Is that what you think of us!?"
"Sanga, I...!" Batz looked up at his best friend, his face masked by tears.
The air in the room was stifling, thick with a heavy, suffocating grief. Mary watched them, feeling a cold numbness spread to her fingertips. En, Batz, and Sanga were indeed former criminals. She understood why Kurotobari would mark them for judgment.
But did they really deserve this?
They had served their time. They were trying to start over, working hard to live honest lives with their friends. Did they deserve to have their hearts broken and their lives shattered like this? Was there truly any justice in what Kurotobari had done?
"What do you think, Mary-dono?"
Sakura’s voice snapped Mary out of her thoughts. Looking at her friend, Mary saw a mixture of sorrow and burning indignation in the girl’s eyes.
"I... I once believed Kurotobari was in the right," Sakura admitted, her voice trembling as she clenched her fists. "But seeing this tragedy... looking at what has become of this place...!"
Sakura couldn't finish her sentence, but Mary didn't need her to. She understood perfectly. As Mary stood there in the silence of her own crumbling convictions, the door opened and Ryuga appeared.
"There you are, Mary-san. The doctor wanted me to tell you that your father has regained consciousness."
"Father is awake!?"
"Yes. You should go to him."
Mary gave a sharp nod and bolted out of the room. She raced back to the original ward and threw the door open, finally coming face-to-face with her father.