"You are useless. You deserve to be erased. I gave you such a small task, and you could not even complete that."
I said those words in a mocking voice.
The man standing in front of me had no rank. No position. No hat. In this place, people without hats were not considered worthy of living.
My name is Davidson.
I hold the lowest rank in the Hat Position System — the Black Hat. It is the most ordinary and lowest position in this world.
The Black Hat belongs to common citizens of the kingdom. In this world, your hat decides your identity, your status, and your place.
But those people have no hats.
They live in the Black City of Hatless. They are considered useless, a burden on the system. People with higher ranks — White Hats and Silver Hats — make them do the dirtiest work and sometimes give them a small chance to earn money.
Because of this system, I had come to the Hatless City to search for a slave.
To test one man, I gave him a difficult task. He had to fight a weak man, take his most valuable item, and bring it to me. But he failed.
He did not use any strategy. He rushed forward and tried to grab it by force.
He looked slightly strong, but even a weak person can overcome great difficulty when protecting something precious.
So he lost.
Now he stood before me, listening to my insults.
I was showing him his place, reminding him of his worth. But suddenly, he tried to speak back to me.
That made me furious.
I grabbed his shirt and began hitting him. My anger reached its peak. I did not notice when he became badly hurt. A crowd gathered around us, but no one tried to stop me.
How could they?
They had no right to interfere.
I was completely out of control.
Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me back with great force. I stumbled and fell far away. After regaining my balance, I lifted my head.
In front of me stood the head of the Norwin family — a Silver Hat position holder.
He was the one who had ordered me to bring a slave.
In truth, I was also just someone working under him.
In our kingdom, a person with a Hat position cannot officially be called a slave. And turning someone from the Hatless City into a slave is considered a crime. I did not understand why he had stopped me like that.
Then Norwin Sir spoke to the man standing beside him.
"Please forgive him, Sir. I do not know why my subordinate acted this way. It seems he was too eager to earn money and rise above his level. But he does not understand that committing a crime and escaping punishment is not easy."
The man listening wore a white-cream flat hat. His eyes were pale, and his clothes were the same color. On his left hand, he wore a ring shining with soft white light, as if it represented justice itself.
On his hat was a small badge shaped like a white sword.
Norwin Sir bowed slightly and said, "Sir, I apologize on his behalf. Please reduce his punishment."
The flat-hat man replied calmly, "I understand what must be done. Justice will be delivered to the Hatless citizen. As for your man, his punishment will be decided in the Capital Court of the Kingdom."
After saying this, he stepped forward and disappeared into white smoke.
Once he was gone, Norwin Sir came close to me. He leaned toward my ear and whispered with a cold smile.
"You should thank me. I reduced your punishment. You were useful to me. From today, you no longer work for me."
At that moment, I understood everything.
He had placed all his crimes on me.
He was the one who sent me here. He gave the order. Yet now, I was the one being blamed.
Tears filled my eyes. I wanted to ask him why he had thrown me like that.
But I already knew the answer.
I was nothing more than a sacrifice.
As I sat there in shock, two White Hat soldiers arrived. They lifted me from both sides. The moment they stepped forward, everything around me disappeared.
Darkness covered my vision.
When I slowly opened my eyes, I found myself inside a large hall filled with shadows. Above, twelve wooden chairs stood in a circle. They were beautifully carved, and each one carried a symbol representing the power of its position.
The people sitting on those chairs held the highest ranks in this world. They carried the responsibility of ruling and judging the kingdom.
The man seated in the center spoke slowly.
"Mr. Davidson, you have committed a serious crime. You went to the Hatless City, forced a local citizen to become a slave, and assaulted him. Do you admit this?"
His voice was calm but powerful — the voice of a ruler who does not forgive easily.
My body trembled as I spoke.
"No… that is not true. My master gave me this order. I was only following his command."
A woman sitting there said coldly, "If that is not true, then prove your innocence."
Another man agreed. "Yes. If you can prove it, we will release you."
But I already knew the truth.
It was impossible.
Norwin Sir had placed the blame on me. Because of his position, no one would question him. He could do whatever he wanted to someone like me.
Fear slowly spread through my body. I could see my end standing before me. The judges knew that I could do nothing.
That fear made me act without thinking.
I suddenly tried to run.
The hall felt endless. Darkness surrounded me. Only the faint light around the twelve figures remained. I ran as fast as I could, thinking I had gone far away.
But when I stopped and turn
ed around—
They were right in front of me.
It was as if I had never moved.
I could not understand what was happening.
Then the flat-hat man with the white sword badge spoke again.
"Your attempt to escape proves your guilt. Therefore, your punishment is this: you will be sent to the Hatless City. And your Black Hat position is taken from you."
Suddenly, two large hands appeared before my eyes. I heard the sharp sound of a blade moving through the air.
For a moment, I thought everything was over.
But the blade only passed above my head.
My Black Magician Hat was removed.
Tears fell from my eyes.
But now, those tears had no meaning. No one would help me anymore.
Darkness slowly covered my sight.
And I collapsed to the ground.,