Chapter 17

Two knights brought a condemned criminal before me.

I suppressed my heart, which felt like it was about to burst.

The approaching knights looked at my face.

Perhaps because of my earlier remarks, these adults gazed down at me without hiding their disgust.

I tried not to pay them any attention.

In some ways, it was a reaction I was familiar with.

So, in defiance of their hostility, I jerked my chin to point at the execution block.

The knights forced the man to his knees in front of it.

“...Hoo...”

As I looked at the prostrate prisoner, I exhaled a quiet sigh through slightly parted lips so that no one could hear.

Then, I removed the sack that covered the prisoner’s head.

The prisoner, breathing heavily in agitation, was gagged with a cloth.

It was the demeanor of someone who realized death was imminent.

My hands tingled at his vivid reaction.

Unconsciously, I swallowed and looked around.

The people of Rondor were all watching my actions intently.

It felt as if they were monitoring whether I was afraid or not.

There was no turning back now.

From afar, Scholar Crellin approached and showed me a document.

An execution order.

It listed the prisoner’s name and crimes.

At the bottom of the document was the seal of Rondor.

It was the seal that Vivian must have stamped.

“...”

Seeing the document, my muddled mind cleared slightly.

Vivian had already done her part.

I still remember how she trembled at the thought of killing someone.

I couldn’t have left her like that, so I had held her slender arm.

I, who did that, cannot stop here.

I placed the document on the ground.

Then, I gripped the two-handed sword tightly with both hands.

I took a deep breath and proclaimed loudly.

“This prisoner has abandoned human decency and committed the crime of threatening three women. Through plunder, rape, and assault, he has disturbed the community and thrown it into fear. Therefore, under the name of Vivian Rondor, lord of Roctana and head of the Rondor family, Kylo Allen, eldest son of the Allen family, sentences you to death.”

Being this formal was my best effort to lessen my guilt.

Hearing his crimes, I know he is a man who deserves to die. But is it right for me to judge him?

I am not connected to this man. I have no feelings toward him.

It’s not that I hate him enough to cut off his head.

So this execution felt difficult.

But, as expected, I cannot stop.

—Swish.

I removed the cloth that had been gagging his mouth.

Drooling like an animal, he looked up at me.

I asked him.

“...Prisoner Derian. Any last words?”

“I-I won’t do it again. P-please, have mercy...”

“...”

At the sight of the trembling man, I gritted my teeth and looked up at Vivian.

“...”

She was swallowing her fear as much as I was—no, even more.

We couldn’t speak to each other, but we felt it.

No one here is bearing the responsibility for this man’s life.

Only Vivian and I were doing so.

Vivian was also mustering her own courage. Even while wavering, I knew just by her looking this way.

Her trembling hands were gripping the chair tightly.

But that wasn’t enough.

‘...Don’t look away.’

I mouthed to her.

It was words meant for myself.

I felt that only if she watched, I could accomplish this.

I saw Vivian’s eyes widen slightly.

“Hoo...!”

With a short sigh, I steadied my heart.

I pushed aside my emotions for a moment. I thought only of what I had to do.

I raised the two-handed sword high.

“Gasp!”

Then I swung the sword.

***

“Next!”

The execution ground grew increasingly silent.

Even the crowd that had been boiling over due to Kylo Allen’s provocation before the execution was now cooling down at the sight he presented.

Anyone would have felt the same.

Seeing a 15-year-old boy, just entering adolescence, mercilessly cutting off people’s heads—it was hard to find words in the face of such a bizarre distortion.

Baelor felt the same.

At first, he had felt irritation and mild anger toward Kylo Allen, but not anymore.

He watched his actions with complicated eyes.

His lieutenant, Todd, seemed to feel the same.

Even he, who was always chattering and fooling around, was now maintaining silence.

No one in the inner courtyard could tease Kylo Allen anymore.

Baelor had thought that, at best, Kylo might be able to execute one person.

No matter how much a 15-year-old boy babbled, in the end, it was just bravado. A kid who had never killed anyone couldn’t possibly execute 20 people.

Probably many knights thought the same.

If Kylo tried executing someone by swinging his sword once, he would realize reality.

Necks are not as easily severed as one might think, and a dreadful sensation always follows.

And when you fail to kill in one blow, the screams that the condemned let out are chilling beyond imagination.

Baelor thought that once Kylo Allen knew this, he would retract his words and abandon the execution.

He thought it would be fortunate if Kylo didn’t vomit upon seeing the severed necks and smelling the scent of death.

He was eagerly awaiting the sight of Kylo trembling disgracefully.

But Kylo Allen did not show any of the expected reactions.

Perhaps only slightly at the very beginning.

Now, he was no different from a human butcher.

No matter how much the prisoners begged for mercy and struggled, he coldly swung his sword.

He severed the heads of those unrelated to him without hesitation.

Even when he was drenched in blood, even when the dead prisoners soiled themselves, he didn’t gag even once.

Baelor watched Kylo Allen.

He observed him hefting the two-handed sword, soaked in blood, onto his shoulder.

The twelfth headless corpse was dragged out of the execution ground.

Kylo Allen looked at Baelor and said,

“Next.”

“...”

Baelor swallowed hard.

A shallow chill ran up his arm.

This was grotesque. There was no other way to describe it.

One’s nature does not change—that was Baelor’s belief.

...And now, looking at Kylo Allen, he felt as if he were facing a young dragon.

Knights of the First Order dragged out the next prisoner.

Kylo Allen turned his body again to prepare for the execution.

Todd whispered to Baelor beside him.

“That guy... isn’t he crazy?”

“...”

“Is it really his first time killing someone?”

Baelor had killed a person for the first time at the age of 23.

It was 15 years ago, but he could not forget that moment.

It was during a small skirmish with the Eastern Kingdom.

Though he had killed an enemy soldier, the guilt of taking a life made Baelor unable to properly hold a sword for days.

Now, he was accustomed to it and killing wasn’t difficult, but back then, it certainly was.

But what was that kid?

Instead of giving up after killing just one person as expected, he seemed likely to execute all 20 in a single day.

He didn’t even seem to have fear.

Cold eyes. Decisive attitude. Unhesitating movements.

He couldn’t fathom what kind of monster the Allen family was creating.

He had once heard rumors.

That the eldest son of the Allen family showed exceptional talent with the sword.

That the vassals of the Allen family were busy praising him.

That he was perhaps a talent comparable to Royce Rondor.

...But now he knew.

He was a greater being than Royce Rondor.

What would happen when such a monster grows up?

Northerners grow big in stature.

This boy, who isn’t even that big yet, is like this—so later on, won’t he surely make a greater name than the Unbeaten Knight, Jade Allen?

Kylo Allen was different. He was strong. His temperament showed. Though he was the son of the detestable Unbeaten Knight, he was remarkably impressive.

Baelor’s feelings grew complicated.

He couldn’t take his eyes off Kylo Allen for even a moment.

.

.

.

Vivian also looked at Kylo Allen in silence—The one, whose face and arms were stained red from the blood that spurted whenever he swung down to sever a neck.

He had become the executioner due to her choice.

He was acting just as he had said.

-‘I can kill if it’s something I have to do.’

He was doing what needed to be done. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t tremble.

-‘I told you I’d prove that you’re the weak one. Since we’re bearing the same burden, you won’t be able to make excuses later.’

And the more he did so, the more she felt overwhelmed by his strength.

It was clear who was strong and who was weak, just from their actions.

Even the retainers who had somewhat looked down on Vivian were now showing surprise at Kylo Allen.

From behind Vivian, Treasurer Brynden whispered to the Intelligence officer Nestor.

“...At first, he seemed hesitant... but I guess I was mistaken.”

Nestor was a tall, young man in his early thirties.

With his slanted eyes and a hobby of uncovering others’ secrets, he was a man everyone avoided.

Nestor nodded at Treasurer Brynden’s words.

“Judging by his actions alone, no one would believe this is his first time killing someone.”

Madam Lynne also whispered from behind.

“...His barbaric nature doesn’t go away, does it?”

“It’s not a scene that can be explained with just the word ‘barbaric,’” Nestor replied.

It was just as Nestor said. The word ‘barbaric’ couldn’t fully explain his actions.

Rather, his demeanor of formally announcing the crimes before the execution and listening to the last words seemed far from barbaric.

But Nestor stroked his chin with his long fingers and spoke as if he knew everything.

“I’ve seen many people, and that boy seems to have a personality defect.”

“What do you mean?” Madam Lynne showed interest.

“There are a few. Humans who can’t empathize with others’ emotions at all. Such beings feel no guilt in killing and have no hesitation. Should we call them devil worshippers?”

As if discussing something filthy, Nestor’s voice was filled with disgust.

“That’s why he can make such flawless movements. Think about it. Doesn’t it make no sense? That a 15-year-old boy can cut off heads without hesitation.”

“...It doesn’t make sense.”

“He has no resistance to killing people. He must have had many experiences cruelly killing animals in his childhood.”

“I see. So that’s how Northerners are, right?”

“That’s part of it, but Kylo Allen must be a monster even among Northerners. Look at the people in the courtyard. Their faces are all filled with astonishment.”

Hearing those words, Vivian scanned the gathered people.

Some maids had turned pale, and others were completely frowning.

There were those who spat curses and some who seemed to feel fear at Kylo Allen’s actions.

Indeed, they had faces as if confronting a monster.

She understood to some extent.

It wasn’t normal for someone to quarrel with hundreds of people in enemy territory and to cut off people’s heads as if slicing fruit.

Vivian then looked back at Kylo Allen.

She watched him, drenched in blood, catching his breath.

...A person who can’t understand others’ emotions?

...Feels no guilt even in killing?

...A monster?

“...”

Vivian recalled how Kylo Allen had held her trembling arm.

She also remembered how he had honestly admitted that he was afraid to perform the execution.

Vivian hated Kylo Allen, but she wasn’t so blind as to believe Nestor’s words.

The person she had directly faced was at least not the monster everyone was saying.

He was just a human who also felt fear in killing people.

He just had enough determination and courage to make the adults misunderstand.

He had said that if he didn’t act despite being afraid, he would be ignored by adults.

...As he said, at least Kylo Allen was not being ignored.

Just by seeing how he looked up at her every time he executed someone, she felt that he was a human no different from others.

For some reason, although she didn’t know why, his action of looking up at her seemed like he was gathering his own courage.

Because he didn’t want to lose, he was mustering the strength to kill while looking at her.

Because he had said he would definitely prove that she was weak.

So there was an invisible, strange emotional exchange between Kylo and herself that no one in the courtyard knew about.

Among all these people, she even thought that perhaps no one understood Kylo’s inner feelings better than she did.

He was afraid. He didn’t want to do it. Yet he was doing it.

“...”

Each time he executed someone, he took away half the burden that had weighed down on Vivian’s heart.

Even though he said he was doing it to defeat her, she couldn’t deny the fact that he was helping her.

Vivian still hated Kylo.

She wished he would suffer endless torment.

...But at least today, she thought he had suffered enough.

Now she wanted to let him go.

It was exhausting to keep watching him as he continued to fight.

****

“Hah... Hah...”

I looked down at my hands.

Having severed the necks of nineteen people, I was drenched in so much blood.

The blood had crusted over, and my hands were almost glued to the hilt of the sword.

But it’s almost over now.

Only one person remains.

The knights brought out the final prisoner.

I immediately noticed the petite figure of this prisoner.

The last prisoner wasn’t a man. It was a woman.

—Thud!

The knights forced her to kneel, just like the others.

Securing her to the execution block didn’t seem as difficult as it was with the other men.

-‘A knight must protect women and children.’

My father’s voice echoed in my head.

“...”

But this is the last one. Just one more, and it’s over.

I can also shoulder Vivian Rondor’s burden.

Once I hear this woman’s crimes, it’ll be easier to execute her.

I checked the document Scholar Crellin handed me.

Her crime:

Witchcraft.

“...”

I felt my heart momentarily freeze.

—Flap!

In the meantime, the knights removed the sack covering the prisoner’s head.

The face of someone I couldn’t forget appeared before me.

“...Ah.”

It was the old woman who had cursed me on the day I arrived in Roctana.

She had said I’d have a short life, that I wouldn’t be able to have children, or if I did, they’d be deformed, and that...

-‘You will come to love someone you shouldn’t have.’

...She was the one who had said that.

As I stood frozen, the crowd began to murmur, perhaps finding my reaction strange.

Their gazes urged me on.

“...This prisoner is a witch.”

I spoke as if pushed.

“Therefore, under the name of Vivian Rondor, lord of Roctana and head of the Rondor family, Kylo Allen, eldest son of the Allen family, sentences her to death.”

With hands that had become somewhat sluggish, I untied the cloth gag from her mouth.

Pressing her face against the blood-soaked execution block on her own, she smiled at me.

“It’s been a while, Kylo Allen.”

“...”

Her mouth smiled, but the hatred in her eyes remained vivid.

The old woman whispered.

“Seeing your surroundings and looking closely at your face... I have nothing more to wish for. You’re already living in hell.”

I swallowed hard.

Though I was gripping tightly, my hands kept slipping on the two-handed sword.

Her crime was witchcraft.

When she cursed me, she had said:

-‘I wasn’t a witch, but... if I had such power... truly if I were the witch they claimed, I curse you…’

A person who confessed to being a witch couldn’t avoid execution.

In the end, she was dying to leave me with this lingering discomfort.

Unconsciously, I asked,

“...Were you really a witch?”

The old woman just laughed.

“You better hope so.”

I realized there was no further conversation to be had with her.

Straightening my back, I gripped the sword.

“...Any last words?”

“May my curse come true.”

But perhaps because this was the last execution, or maybe because I was exhausted, I couldn’t lift the two-handed sword.

No matter how I tried to steady my breathing, it was the same.

I hesitated, then turned my head to look at Vivian.

“...”

“...”

She was watching me.

While everyone else focused on the prisoner, watching how their heads would be severed...

...Only Vivian was watching me. She was the only one looking after me.

I looked back down at the old woman.

...This time, I was able to lift the sword.

“...Hup!”

—Thud!

The last head was severed.

.

.

.

The execution concluded, and I stood silently before the execution block, catching my breath.

I had taken twenty lives.

Killed twenty people in a single day.

It was a dazed and surreal sensation.

Why was I doing this?

Why did I kill twenty people?

As the crowd dispersed and went off to attend to their tasks, I just stood there.

Some, as they left, called me a monster.

Some shouted that I was a barbaric Northerner.

For now, it didn’t reach my ears.

A much more complicated battle was raging inside me.

Then, someone slowly walked toward me.

As that red hair fluttered, my mind returned.

“...”

Vivian Rondor.

For some reason, I immediately averted my gaze.

I didn’t want to see her expression.

On the other hand, I could vividly see the disgusted expressions of the retainers behind her.

“You should stay away from monsters.”

A man behind Vivian advised—Nestor, Rondor’s informant.

Madam Lynne fanned herself.

“...The stench of blood is thick.”

Treasurer Brynden shook his head and clicked his tongue at me.

“A Northerner is a Northerner, after all.”

...Today, those words hurt a little.

Perhaps because I’d killed people, my emotions were more shaken.

It felt like they were condemning me for what I’d done.

“...”

And when I was this exhausted, I still longed for my parents’ embrace.

Even though I’m trying, perhaps I’m still far from being an adult.

What would Mother say if she saw me become a murderer?

Would she still love me, calling me her dependable eldest son?

Or would she scold me for killing people for an enemy?

Suddenly, all my actions felt foolish.

I was out of my mind. Maybe the curse really worked.

I wondered why I was doing this for Vivian.

Feeling pathetic, I suddenly felt a surge of emotion.

I didn’t want to show this side of me to Vivian.

There’s nothing more embarrassing than shedding tears in front of her.

After telling her so much not to cry, I couldn’t cry in front of her.

So I shook my arms, preparing to leave.

If I went back and lay down for a while, I’d feel better.

Besides, if Vivian looked at me with the same disgust as those retainers...

...Even if it might be okay at other times, if she did that now... it would be… no, very hard.

—Grip.

But before I knew it, Vivian had approached and grabbed my arm.

Startled, I pulled my arm away.

Her hand got smeared with sticky blood.

“...What are you doing?”

Frightened, I still didn’t look at her face.

I just waited for her reply.

But even after a long while, she didn’t answer.

I couldn’t understand why she’d stop me and then say nothing.

I had no energy left.

As tired as I was, irritation bubbled up.

I’d done enough for her; I wanted to go back.

Right now, I didn’t have the strength to argue with Vivian.

So I was about to tell her to let me go—

“...Are you... okay?”

—Until she whispered those words.

I froze at the sound of her voice.

It was only then that I could glimpse at her face.

It wasn’t the usual angry or tearful expression she showed when dealing with me.

Somewhat blank, her eyes seemed droopier than usual... in a way, a worried person’s would.

She displayed an emotion that flashed by in an instant.

It was a completely unexpected expression. At least, she wasn’t looking at me like a monster.

“.......”

Standing still, I wanted to hear her whispered words again.

Perhaps realizing that I hadn’t heard her, Vivian parted her lips.

But she just turned away.

As if she wouldn’t ask again.

Similarly, Madam Lynne, Brynden, and Nestor, who probably hadn’t heard Vivian’s words either, followed her with puzzled expressions.

I quietly gazed at the arm Vivian had briefly held.

...Did she just ask if I was okay?

That Vivian?

“...Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped my lips as I stood there dazed.

It was absurd.

Not that Vivian’s actions were absurd, but my own state was.

My tightly clenched fist loosened.

Strength left my legs.

The tension eased.

The suffocating guilt pressing on my chest lightened.

Just one brief touch from Vivian, one word of concern... was washing away some of my pain.

Enough for me to understand why I’d been doing this.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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