By Zephyria =======
He only hoped his guess was correct. He prayed that the ‘something’ they were hiding was hopeful. For instance, that this nightmare was actually a hallucination caused by the innkeeper accidentally mixing a large amount of narcotic powder into the meal. Or that unlike the Prince and the Attendant, who firmly believed they had fallen into hell, Black Weasel and Silver—who were used to narcotics—had quickly grasped the situation and were actually enjoying it.
It was far too vivid for a hallucination, but…
Wolf looked around, suppressing his anxiety. A considerable number of people were still weeping. He saw several others sitting on the ground, laughing loudly. Still, some warriors were awkwardly gathering in groups of six.
The villagers, however, were the problem. Every family remained motionless, clinging tightly to one another. Seeing this, Wolf grew anxious once more. What would happen if they couldn’t form a group in time? A harsher punishment?
Punishment.
His limbs felt heavy, as if weights had been attached to them. Wolf glanced at Silver. Silver was looking down, aimlessly rubbing the ground with the tip of his foot.
“Um, Silver.”
Wolf spoke hesitantly. Silver merely replied, “What?”
“Aren’t you scared? The punishment of God…”
“What?”
Silver glanced at Wolf.
“Didn’t you see me sobbing? I was scared.”
“Ah…”
“The moment I opened my eyes here, I remembered. I remembered the Ice Armor Warrior, you, and the Prince being split in two one by one right before my eyes, and then my own chest being cleaved in half. When I remembered that, tears streamed down my face and my whole body shook without me even realizing it.”
He had asked a pointless question.
It was the stupidest, most useless question he could have asked.
Just as Wolf lowered his head, cursing himself internally, Silver murmured as if talking to himself.
“I guess all those feelings of fear vanished then. Right now, I’m not particularly scared.”
“…”
“I’m already dead, aren’t I? Yeah… I’m croaked. Like some stray dog whose head gets smashed by a rock thrown by a brat. Fuck, even if I get punished, could it be as scary as when my body was split in half? Well, I might end up sobbing again later if I have to swim in water as hot as lava.”
“…”
Wolf’s jaw tightened. He felt he shouldn’t say it, but the words burst out impulsively.
“It’s all because of Uncle.”
“Huh?”
Silver flinched and looked up. Wolf caught his breath and continued.
“Isn’t it true? If you had grown up under your parents, you wouldn’t have lived your life killing people.”
“You think I’d be different now if I hadn’t grown up under the Ice Armor Warrior? Is that what you think?”
“Of course, you’d be normal—”
“You’re delusional, kid. I’m bottom-of-the-barrel even in Stohl. Even if I’d grown up under a mother, I would’ve tied my shoelaces every morning wondering whose back to stab today to snag a pouch of gold coins. Being a pirate captain would’ve been the peak of success for me.”
Silver snapped back quickly and shut his mouth tight. Wolf’s face flushed, and he could no longer speak. If possible, he wanted to nail his own mouth shut right now. Why did he blurt out such stupid, useless nonsense again? Blaming Black Weasel wouldn’t change Silver’s past…
“Hey, Silver! Wolf and I can understand what the voice is saying!”
Red Eagle cut in. He spread and waved both hands with an exaggerated smile, attempting to fix the frozen atmosphere.
“It said it would speak in the Atania language specifically for our sake. Isn’t it amazing that the God of Stohl speaks a foreign language? Amazing, right!”
Silver turned his head away without answering.
“Wasn’t that voice really beautiful? Even the court singers of Levenon didn’t have a tone that lovely… As someone from Stohl, how, how did it sound to you?”
“Sounded like a demon grandma. I’m leaving.”
“Where are you going?”
When Wolf asked in panic, Silver turned around.
“To those idiot families trembling over there. I’m going to advise them that it’s better to gracefully obey the God’s orders. If I accumulate some good deeds like this, maybe the punishment I receive will be slightly reduced? Though I don’t know if those people will actually listen to me.”
With a flick of his hand, Silver walked away. Wolf closed his eyes tight. The ‘good deeds’ were just an excuse; Silver had simply fled the scene because he couldn’t stand the awkward atmosphere.
It’s unfair. This is just unfair.
He knew the world was unfair, but still, this wasn’t right. Some bastard spends his days napping in school, worrying about whether he’ll be a bakery owner or an artist in the future. While some other guy has no choice but to kill people. Luck is poured into one side, and misery is dumped into the other. After deciding fates randomly, now they say, ‘Your sin is heavier’? Is this how a God behaves? At the very least, it should be fair!
“Wolf. I think the God of Stohl is going to water torture us.”
Red Eagle’s words snapped him back to reality. Wolf’s eyes flew open instinctively.
“What do you mean, Prince? Water torture?”
“The voice said it. It’s going to play the
“No way…”
Wolf’s head felt numb. Only now did something click.
‘Well, I might end up sobbing again later if I have to swim in water as hot as lava.’
Silver had also guessed that the
Red Eagle sniffled, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve.
“We’ll definitely be put in water hot enough to cause burns. We failed to maintain premarital chastity. I even used contraception. Even though I’m the fiancé, a premarital pregnancy isn’t honorable…”
“Don’t… worry, Prince. Since it’s the God of Stohl, maybe the sexual standards aren’t… that strict? I’m sure we’ll be put in lukewarm water.”
Wolf tried his best not to stutter as he comforted Red Eagle. He hadn’t even thought about premarital chastity until Red Eagle confessed his own sins. Hey, at least you only end up with burns. Silver looks like he’s going to be torn to shreds.
What should I do? If I beg that monster to let me take some of Silver’s punishment, would it listen? Looking at its appearance, there’s no way…
〔The Jester’s first rotation has ended.〕
〔The Jester begins the second rotation.〕
Wolf looked up at the piercing voice. Had so much time passed already?
But?
The Jester’s movements seemed to have quickened slightly. No, they definitely had. By about half a beat?
Red Eagle also frowned.
“It got faster… Why is it doing that? It’s creepy…”
“You see it too, Prince? It seems the speed increases by half a beat every time it moves to the next rotation. I just hope it doesn’t get temperamental, haha… ha.”
Wolf’s laughter died down unconsciously. A sudden chill ran down his spine. Red Eagle seemed to be thinking the same, as his complexion turned pale.
The Jester could indeed be temperamental.
As if they had made a pact, Red Eagle and Wolf looked at each other and swallowed hard.
〔The Jester’s second rotation has ended.〕
〔The Jester begins the third rotation.〕
“One, two, three…”
The Jester’s rotation became noticeably faster. Red Eagle counted the beats on his fingers.
“Five, six, seven, eight…”
Red Eagle’s voice grew faster.
“Nine, ten, eleven…”
〔The Jester’s third rotation has ended.〕
“—Twelve!”
By the time he shouted the final beat, Red Eagle’s face was extremely pale.
“Wolf, it was twelve beats this time. It’s four beats faster!”
〔The Jester begins the fourth rotation.〕
Cold sweat beaded on Wolf’s temples. Despite the pressing time, most people had not formed groups. He saw quite a few people chatting and laughing. Their leisurely appearance only made Wolf more anxious. Why are they like that? Because they committed no sins in life? Or did they just give up because they have too many?
〔The Jester’s fourth rotation has ended.〕
〔The Jester begins the fifth rotation.〕
“Ack, already!”
Red Eagle clutched his head with both hands.
“Wolf, don’t just stand there, let’s go find people. If Uncle doesn’t come back by the time the rotation ends…”
40 – Hell Execution Order