96 The End [2]

On the tall platform, erected right outside of the castle gates, the king stood tall with a face filled with sorrow. His people had gathered around the city square, letting silence fill their midst as they collectively empathized with the family of the victim. At the same time, they rejoiced at the chance of seeing the deranged killer meet justice.

The powerful voice of their ruler rang out, accurately piercing the ears of every single person around him.

"Today is a day of grief, sorrow, and shame. Ms. Gray had been an important member and contributing citizen of Mensch, always doing her best to help foster our country's future. With a smile on her face, she was always fighting in her own way, doing her best even though she wasn't a hunter or a fighter."

Tears started rolling down the cheeks of the audience, the air of sadness becoming too much for them to handle. At this moment, they weren't individuals from different homes and noble houses, right now they were part of the same family.

"Although some of us have lost a friend, while some have even lost a sibling or a daughter, I want you all to know this. We have all lost a member of our family. We are all suffering from the loss of the talented young woman known as Samantha Gray."

Taking a moment to look at his beloved people, the king's face turned grim, as his eyes showed the resolute ruler that was going to lead them into the future.

"Bring him out here!"

Behind the king, a blue portal had been swirling for a long time already, making sure that the disgusting criminal would be sure to arrive at the scene. And, within a minute, the antagonist of the story emerged from it.

He wasn't what one would expect from a deranged killer. With his small and frail body, the handsome face framed by his dark brown hair, he just seemed like a young and weak boy. Pushed forward by the guard behind him, he fell to his knees, making the rags he was wearing flutter in the wind.

Turning around, the king looked down at the criminal, taking a moment to appreciate the sad state of the youth whose future had once looked so bright. The dirty and disheveled look made the audience's hearts beat with joy, happy to see the criminal on his knees with his arms bound behind his back.

However, there was something strange about him, something that only the ones with the keenest eyesight could see. A sight that made even the spine of the king become weak. The boy was smiling, and the smile in itself wasn't something that someone on death row should be able to bring out.

A huge, childlike smile told the story of how much joy the young man truly felt right at this moment. As if the world was now his for the taking, a world that bore no peers to him. It wasn't that he felt he was above everyone, it was that he knew that there was no one above him.

Forcing his nerves to calm down, the king turned around once more, to finally start appeasing the citizens he loved so dearly.

"This man, no, this evil, going by the name of James Jackson was the one who stole the life of our family. Why he did so is still unknown, but we know that he did so in order to try and plant a seed of chaos at the academy of Ainu. Sadly, his plan didn't entirely fail. Although the academy quickly caught him, the deed was already done."

At this point, the square wasn't quiet anymore, as people couldn't stop themselves from either crying loudly or shouting jeers at the criminal on the platform.

Throwing his arms out, the tone of the king's voice reached yet another level of intensity, as he made it clear to his enemies that he would not get stepped on.

"No matter what origins this abomination has, I want you to know. I will not allow my country to be divided! Either you join us as respectable citizens of Mensch, or I swear on my honor as king that I will bring you down! And the execution of James Jackson is the symbol of my conviction!"

****

"And the execution of James Jackson is the symbol of my conviction!"

'Ohh! Nice speech! If only I could clap my hands right now!'

The king had made a pretty good speech, having ended it with the only real purpose that it served. Making sure that the hidden houses knew that he was now openly declaring war, while at the same time giving them a chance to conform.

Still, it wasn't something I would give an A+. There were a lot of parts that he could have improved a lot. It was almost as if he felt nervous, as if there was something behind him that made his back cold.

Taking the chance, I finally raised my head and gazed down upon the audience that had gathered to celebrate the execution of the innocent me. Tears had already soaked a lot of the ground, as the people held each other in their arms for comfort.

'How crazy is this?'

It was absurd how exaggeratedly they all reacted to just one murderer getting executed. There was no doubt in my mind that the king had somehow manipulated the media to blow this completely out of proportion.

On a planet like Tella, how could it be such a rare sight to see a murderer? Didn't a lot of even the most prominent and honorable noble houses get rid of a lot of pests every day? Everything was just a matter of emotional investment, and the authorities of Mensch had made sure that everyone was invested in me.

People wouldn't raise a brow when hearing about the large amounts of people who starved to death every day, as long as they weren't personally dragged into it. However, if a person close to them suddenly died of an illness, you could be sure that they would do everything in their power to support the medicinal agencies who tried to find a cure.

Suddenly, my eyes landed on a group of youths, a group of very familiar people that I had recently started to view as my friends. However, their faces clearly told me that they didn't think of me the same anymore. Seeing them all dressed up in their student uniforms, a slight ache emerged in my heart.

Anna and Adriana didn't carry any expressions at all, though it was quite obvious that they weren't exactly opposed to my punishment.

Then there was Sarah. The girl had chosen not to take a position of a princess at this event, instead opting to attend as a student. For some reason, I couldn't quite make out the feelings displayed on her face.

'Anger? Or is it sadness? Maybe it's a bit of both...'

I truly felt bad for the situation that Sarah had to endure, as we were both aware that our relationship could very likely have gone a lot further if not for this. In the end, I had almost accepted that I had the chance to make a new life for myself in this world, where my previous life held no power.

Alas, although I would have wanted to blame the cruelty that is fate, I had caused this situation myself, due to my own ignorance. Of course, that didn't mean that the house of the royals weren't the perpetrators and orchestrators of my execution, just that I had stuck out a limb too far.

Then there were the last two people I regarded as friends, and the sight that met my eyes made my already aching heart tear into pieces.

Holding each other in their arms, Arthur tried his best to act strong, but the pain he felt couldn't be hidden from me. Still, the sight of Arthur was nothing compared to the sight of the idiotic dragon woman who was always a pain to deal with.

With her bottom lip bleeding from her teeth piercing it, and her long, pink hair disheveled and unorderly, it hurt so much to see the state she was in. Tears streamed down her eyes like never-ending waterfalls, and her hands were gripping Arthurs's shirt so hard that it looked like it might rip at any second.

Sadly, I never got the chance to apologize for putting her in this situation, as the king had already turned around and started to move toward me.

Stopping right by my side, I noticed that my face was no longer smiling, after witnessing the pain of my first friend. Thankfully, it didn't take long before the king managed to summon it yet again, as he drew the golden sword strapped to his waist.

"People of Mensch! Today, we will grieve, and today we will cry! We will cry together to make sure we can move forward together! Now, bear witness to the execution of the weakness of our country!"

He raised his sword high into the air, making sure everyone could see his theatrical display. Then, a second later, I could feel the cold hard steel going through my neck, and my sight suddenly spun, making me catch a glimpse of my own headless body, falling like a puppet without strings.

Lastly, I think I managed to show a smile to the girl who fell to her knees.

Then, everything went black.