Chapter 343: Execution
Author Note: As noted in the tags, this chapter contains excessive and cruel depictions.
But I thought it necessary for the sake of the story.
(TL: You cannot see the tags here. So sorry)
After that, Gla.s.s spoke of a representative of several small countries in the peace talks to come.
The ones who were to become new residents of our world seemed a little bit lost, but having understood the situation, they had no choice but to accept it.
“Then to protect the world from the wave, let us take each other’s hands and proceed forward.” (Trash)
Trash acts as our rep, as he shakes Gla.s.s’s hand. Negotiations ended without a hitch.
Well, due to differences in language, I don’t think we’ll be getting along too well, but that’s no different for us.
This and that happened, and we solved some peace-related problems.
Next is…
“S-STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!”
The day after the peace talks, the one who declared the World his own property, the Fake Hero who plotted for World Domination, Tact, and his conspirators, were scheduled to have their public execution.
Due to the prestige of the Four Heroes, and the fact that we had all the va.s.sals gathered to start with, it ended up that we were all forced to watch.
The Dark Guild of Zeltburg, which was experienced in putting on showy executions, offered to carry it out… but it ended up so that it was carried out by our allied nations.
The method itself was proposed by Zeltburg, and it received approval among the other country’s leaders.
I flip through the doc.u.ment to see what sort of method it was as well.
Trash is… sporting a face that seems it will break out into tears in at any moment. Despite how rotten she is, he’s still being forced to watch his own daughter’s execution.
When I caution him, he loosens his clenched fist and sullenly nods.
“Iwatani-dono… you have no need for worry. I won’t use my authority to halt the execution.” (Trash)
I find the sight of him silently consenting to his daughter’s death with a pale face to be quite pitiful.
Now then, about the method…
After he was defeated by me, Tact had his level reset at the Hourgla.s.s before he could regain consciousness.
Of course, his harem included.
It seems that the young women fought in protest, but Ren, Sadina, and Firo were able to arrest them.
The result: the squad with the lowest at level 250 was brought down to a pitiful group of Level 1s. They can barely even move.
Well, there seems to have been a few militaristic-type women among them, so a few of them might be able to perform some action.
There’s also… we also smoked out any women in Faubley who would rise up for Tact’s sake.
Faubley has lost to Melromark!
Before we spread that information, we proclaimed Tact’s victory and invited all of Tact’s Harem to come to Melromark to celebrate. And they sure did gather.
It seems that we captured Rat’s rival, the little girl in a lab coat, as well.
Just how many did we gather?
Just in case, I put Motoyasu in charge of apprehending them.
“There were so many pigs. How filthy.” (Motoyasu)
Is what he said.
It’s hard to imagine that there was a time when he would flirt with any woman he met.
And what sort of method did Zeltburg devise…
Tact’s head and arms have been locked in a strong board so can do nothing but walk, and in order to bind his movement, he has shackles carefully attached to his feet.
The only part of his body he can control is his eyes.
It may be a bit severe, but as long as we don’t know what strange powers he possesses, we have to be careful.
“KYAAAAAAAAAAH-”
And in front of the immobile Tact, we display various executions one by one, starting with burning at the stake. Then water torture, hanging, guillotine, the Phalaris Bull, shooting brigade, drawn and quartered, being run over.
Death by various forms of Magic, administration of lethal poison, mauling by monsters, the scenery repeats over and over again, from dawn to dusk.
Sadina’s Lightning Magic was amazing.
She seemed proficient with it, and without killing them, she skillfully put her targets on the borderline between life and death.
From the beginning, the country carried out the will of the church. As Tact besmirched the name of all Heroes, his crimes were quite heavy.
And while all of that was happening, the citizens were lugging rocks at Tact’s static body.
The concept was to kill Tact after his heart had been completely broken.
And that’s what was happening.
Well, he did plot to overturn the world, and on top of killing Heroes, he proclaimed to have been the chosen one after parading around his stolen Holy Weapon, which was found out to be a fake.
In this world, where the Hero Faith runs so deep, he had become a target for a lot of pent up aggression.
And the one they believed in turned out to be a fake, so…
While remaining powerless, Tact desperately calls out to the women heading to the gallows. He calls their names one at a time.
From his neck, elbows, and ankles, blood flows from his attempts to break free.
“Gu-…u… please… stop! If you need to kill someone, then aren’t I enough!? Why must they be killed-” (Tact)
Hahh… (TL: No, this is not a laugh)
I let out a sigh of depression. Again and again.
“How many times must I say it!? Your crimes aren’t so light that they can be made up for by killing someone like you!”
The Executor in front of Tact declares as such.
And he hits Tact’s face with his bludgeon before casting recovery magic on him.
Keeping him alive with healing magic as they torture him. It’s a method only possible in a parallel world.
Though I shouldn’t be saying anything, as I did it to the man as well.
“… It really isn’t something good for the eyes.”
As I was sitting in the chair specially made for me at the Execution Ground, Gla.s.s calls out to me.
I understand how she feels.
Even if he’s Atlas’s killer, having a stranger conduct such a cruel execution on him is… I guess when I’m the observer, it feels like this.
I thought this during the coop d’état performed by the Three Hero Church as well.
I guess this just means I’m still a man of the modern era.
I can’t look at execution scenes with pleasure. I must still be soft.
“That’s right… but, the responsibility of making a toy out of the world is too much to push on him alone.” (Naofumi)
Tact’s parents, starting with his mother, and all of his relatives were executed.
His father… did he not have one?
I don’t really know, but it seems he’s already dead.
The one who was just killed was his sister.
『Please save me, Onii-ch-』
It was impalement this time.
I didn’t want to watch, and if I heard her death throes, it would merely give me nightmares.
I can’t understand having this shown as entertainment, but my world apparently had a time where this was popular, so I can’t really criticize.
More importantly, I have no obligation to save them.
“I do understand it in my head, but not my heart. In order to protect my own world, I have caused the collapse of others…” (Gla.s.s)
“If you were able to look upon this scene as something natural, then you truly would be insane. I guess you’re still normal. And if you think too hard about it, it will affect you in battles to come.” (Naofumi)
“… That is… true.” (Gla.s.s)
By the way, Gla.s.s is also a.s.sisting in the executions.
What exactly she’s a.s.sisting in will be made clear shortly.
Tact turned his eyes filled with hatred towards me countless times today.
I stand up and approach him.
“Were you under the belief that prisoners of war were to be handled with care?” (Naofumi)
“Of course! There’s no way a Hero would be able to forgive something like this! You fake, who’s stolen all my weapons!” (Tact)
“I was wondering what you would say… don’t you know? Of the people you’ve killed, the most distinguished one was the Queen of Melromark. That means Melromark’s acting to restore their honor.” (Naofumi)
“What are you talking about?” (Tact)
Tact tilts his head, with an expression implying that he’s being made fun of.
He better choose his words carefully…
Well, it’s fine, is it not? Shall I teach this pitiful reincarnated?
“You and your followers are the detested enemy of this country, so is it not natural that they would want to execute you all? Being a Hero isn’t relevant to any of it. Especially not to a prisoner of war.” (Naofumi)
To put it bluntly, this is an era where the representative of the losing party and his cabinet get killed.
Melromark ain’t a republic. It’s a monarchy.
It has a Pyramid-like organization of power.
And he killed the top.
It’s easy to imagine what would happen if he lost a war against this country.
“Were you thinking the world was getting freed from oppression through your actions? For that selfish ideal, just how much blood did you get on your hands? As long as you were satisfied, you didn’t care what it was you got your hands in. It’s time for you to pay the bill. It’s your punishment for readily calling the world yours for the taking.” (Naofumi)
“I’ll kill you! Even if I’m reduced to nothing but my head! Even if all that remains is my soul, I’ll kill you!” (Tact)
“… Let me give you the words of a literary strategist from my world. 『Those who are allowed to shoot are only those with the resolve to get shot』. Just how many people died by your hand? Were killed by the firearms you built with your own hands? Is it possible that you don’t have the resolve to take on the resentment of those that got involved in your schemes and died?” (Naofumi)
(TL: This line is given by Philip Marlowe, but the j.a.panese translation is used by Lelouch Vi Britannia in episode 1 (21:28) before he orders the troops to kill themselves. The original line is ‘Take my tip-don’t shoot [guns] at people, unless you get to be a better shot,’ but the people who translated it gave it a different connotation. (Source: Moto-neta))
If I ever were to lose, then I’ll lose everything, starting with Raphtalia.
Well, since this Fake Hero is the way he is, he’d probably spare any woman with a nice face… and brainwash them after violating them, but there definitely would have been a ma.s.sacre like this from his side.
I understood that from the start, and I had the resolve to kill.
And, I swore it to Atlas… and to all the villagers who lost their lives.
I’d definitely take revenge.
I came here prepared to do anything, no matter how cowardly or vile it was.
I’m sure they never wished for such a thing, but still, I have no intention of stopping.
I may be extremely caught up in my own pride… but it’s not like I’m standing here alone.
If this cruel execution is to be my crime, then I’ll go to h.e.l.l, or wherever, once it’s over.
At the very least, I don’t think I’m bound for heaven…
And wait, I need to go pick a fight with that b.a.s.t.a.r.d up there.
Heaven must be h.e.l.l too.
“You’re just facing the punishment for your selfish crimes. Accept it. If you win, you’re the exalted new order. If you lose, you’re the filthy rebel sc.u.m.” (Naofumi)
“DON”T SCREW WITH ME!” (Tact)
“Shut up!”
The executioner gags Tact with a rag.
Tact’s eyes are losing their color. It looks like he’s about to shed tears of blood.
No, his tears are already stained with a hint of red. I think his tear glands are broken.
So humans can withstand this much without breaking.
These thoughts run through my mind.
Well, I’m also fed up with the piercing cries echoing behind me.
“A…ah…”
Oh? It’s the lab coat little girl. Yep, she fits the description to the point.
I can only see her as a kid playing at being a doctor.
So they brought her along… but what’s that? That culture tank beside her?
A stairway had been built, and she was forcefully herded to the top.
“S-sto-”
When she was pushed forward, the lab coat girl drops into the tank.
“Gaboboboboboooooboooho-”
A large amount of bubbles build up.
A sulfuric acid dive?
I step backwards.
The one proposing these seems to be Zeltburg, but… I don’t really want to get involved with that country.
It’s a s.h.i.+tty country that earns money by putting on these shows as entertainment.
“N______________________________!” (Tact)
Tact tries to call out.
Eventually…
Yeah, no. It’s probably best not to talk about it.
If I had to say something, she got the magical creature bad end.
“Now then, the next event is…”
When I was sick of it all, a special program that caught my interest comes up.
What is it, you ask?
Witch, and a few women, enter the stage.
(TL: I dunno, I’m just a lowly translator you know.)