Chapter 5: As a Clergyman, It’s Only Natural for Me to Wear a Cross, Right?

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"Wait, those armed thugs were the ones sent to the hospital, so why am I the one being brought to the police station?" Roland looked incredulous. "Is there no justice? Is there no law left?"

"They are considered legally incapacitated and are currently undergoing psychiatric evaluations and treatment for testicular injuries," the officer in front of him said sternly. "As for you, I suggest you find a good lawyer."

Roland rolled his eyes. Where would he get the money to hire a lawyer?

"Of course, considering you were facing an imminent threat at the time, we will take that into account..." The officer gestured. "You can have a relative come to post bail..."

"I have no money," Roland replied flatly, rejecting the officer's suggestion.

"Very well, then we have no choice but to follow procedure."

Not long after, Roland was placed into a federal detention facility.

"What a mess this is..." Roland muttered, sighing repeatedly as he walked toward the holding cell.

"Look at that, it's a priest. I bet he's in here for messing with little boys. I had a friend in the choir back in the day who 'served' a priest."

"Was that friend you, by any chance?"

"Hey, look at the direction they're taking him. It looks like he's headed for 'that' room."

"Must be a broke nobody, or maybe he offended the wrong people."

"Heh... want to take a bet on how long he lasts?"

"I bet ten bucks he doesn't make it until tomorrow."

"Don't talk nonsense. Even if that guy looks weird... he's still a person. No one is stupid enough to kill someone here."

"Hard to say. That guy doesn't look like a person to me... I mean, he doesn't even look like a mammal."

Before Roland even reached his cell, he heard the gossip of the other inmates, many of whom were sporting malicious grins.

Just as he was wondering if his cellmate would be some pervert who liked to drop the soap, the guard threw the door open, shoved him inside with lightning speed, and slammed it shut, as if worried that something inside the cell might try to escape.

"What the..." Roland looked into the cell. Several chairs were lined up, and a massive figure was lying on them.

"I've been in here alone for almost a week. You're the first cellmate I've had," the giant said, sitting up upon hearing the door open. His voice was raspy and cold, sounding deeply unsettling.

"Hello," Roland gulped. Seeing the dense scales on the man's body and his reptilian pupils, he immediately understood who his cellmate was.

"My name is Waylon Jones, though you can call me Killer Croc," Waylon introduced himself. "I'm in here for robbing a jewelry store. What about you?"

"My name is Roland, I'm a priest," Roland said. "I was just acting in self-defense, but I might have gone a little too far."

"Oh? How far?"

"I think I smashed about thirty-two testicles."

Killer Croc was stunned. He had been in the criminal underworld for a while and had seen plenty of tough guys—he was one of the toughest himself—but this was the first time he'd met someone who specifically targeted that area.

"If nothing goes wrong, your reputation in the Gotham underworld will spread soon," Killer Croc said. "They'll probably call you something like 'The Nutcracker' or something."

"I'm not in the underworld... and that's a terrible nickname," Roland said, finding a chair to sit on.

"You're here now, so it's only a matter of time. You don't actually think any church is going to accept a clergyman with a criminal record, do you?" Killer Croc chuckled coldly. "If you can't find work on the surface after you get out, you can look for me in the depths of Gotham."

Once, after Killer Croc was defeated by Batman for robbing a jewelry store, Robin had told him, "You're really bad at this. Think about it—don't most of Gotham's 'good thugs' have henchmen to do the dirty work for them?"

Though Robin had just been trash-talking, the words stuck. Killer Croc had taken it to heart and began toying with the idea of creating an "underground kingdom" in Gotham.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't think I'll need it," Roland said.

"Hmph, we'll see..."

After chatting with Killer Croc for a while, Roland had nothing else to do. Remembering the "Goodwill Points" he had earned from subduing the mind-controlled gunmen, he decided to try his luck with the gacha.

[Hawkeye's Weapon: Cross-shaped Knife]

A flash of white light appeared, and a cross materialized in Roland's hand.

"How am I supposed to use something this short..." Roland pulled the knife out. It was less than ten centimeters long. While it looked sharp, it didn't seem suited for combat.

It had felt cool when Hawkeye said, "Too bad I couldn't find a smaller knife than this," but it was a different story when he had to hold it himself. He didn't have Hawkeye's swordsmanship; trying to fight someone with this would be pure suicide.

Still, the craftsmanship was good. It would make a nice pendant for a necklace. Bored, Roland toyed with the small blade.

"0241, someone is here to post your bail," a guard knocked on the cell door, ignoring the knife in Roland's hand.

"Look, as a member of the clergy, it's only logical for me to carry a cross, right?" Roland explained awkwardly.

"Whatever. Go tell your lawyer, you can leave in a moment." The guard didn't even look up as he unlocked the door. "Come on out."

"Take care, Waylon. I'm heading out," Roland said to Killer Croc. "Maybe we'll run into each other again."

Killer Croc waved a hand at him. "If you can't make it out there, remember to look for me in the sewers."

"Sure, sure..." Roland replied offhandedly.

After leaving the cell, Roland was taken to meet a lawyer. After signing two documents, he was escorted out of the station.

"Thank you, but who are you..." Roland asked the lawyer once they were outside.

"My name is Donal. An anonymous employer paid a large sum to have you bailed out," the lawyer said. "I don't know his identity, but he asked me to leave a message: he'll be coming to see you shortly."

"That sounds a bit strange..." Roland was puzzled, offered a few polite words to the lawyer, and walked away.

He had planned to take the subway back, but the police had cordoned off the station due to the earlier shooting. Left with no choice, Roland had to walk toward the church.

Even though it was still morning, Gotham maintained its "simple" folkways. Roland had to keep his Kamaitachi ability active the whole way, dodging six different violent confrontations before he had even covered half the distance.