NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10: The Red Devil Who Embraced Stars (3)
༺ The Red Devil Who Embraced Stars (3) ༻
The middle-aged man called a few people over and began to pull the cart of iron bars where she was.
Clank- Clank-
Was it time?
After moving for several days, it seemed the next schedule had been set.
The girl grasped her clothes with hands that could hardly muster any strength. An experience she had endured countless times, yet she could never get used to.
As time passed, the cage where she was got covered with a large cloth and was moved to a higher place.
“Kill her!!”
“Long live the Empire! Long live His Imperial Majesty, the great Emperor!”
“Kill that filthy Devil!”“Didn’t they say that this Devil alone devoured enough people to fill several cities?”
“Ugh… What a truly horrific race.”
“Those red skin and eyes are the very definition of wickedness.”
“Don’t get me started. It was only because it wasn’t fully matured that we could capture it.”
“Execute the Devil that killed my son!”
A myriad of malevolence passed through the thick cloth. This blatant raw malice seemed to almost wring her lungs.
As the cloth was lifted, dazzling sunlight brightened the inside of the cage. The girl squinted at the sudden radiance. But before her eyes could even adjust, a barrage of curses from the crowd pelted her.
“Kill it immediately!”
“It’s a Devil!! A Devil!”
“Execute the Devil!”
“Long live the Empire!”
“Woooooooooo!”
Eventually, the middle-aged man who was overseeing her incited the crowd’s response and whipped at the iron bars where she was. Startled, her skin turned bright red. The appearance of the girl, akin to a Devil, momentarily silenced the crowd.
By the time she became accustomed to the dazzling sunlight, stones and eggs were already flying towards her.
Thud- Thwack-
Blood began to flow from her body and her skin glittered with a fluorescence close to red.
“It’s actually a Devil!”
“KYAAAAAAH!”
“Devils actually exist!!”
“Die, Devil!”
“Bring back my son!”
“I heard the Empire suffered tremendous damages to end the war with Devils.”
“Indeed, it’s a race that is chilling just to look at.”
Then, the middle-aged man’s shout pierced her ears.
“We will conclude today to prepare for the final ceremony tomorrow!!”
She felt puzzled at the word ‘final’. It was unprecedented, after all.
Could she be freed from this hellish road? Her eyes trembled finely.
However, after descending from the stage akin to an execution block, the middle-aged man’s mocking words made her realize its meaning.
“This tiresome spectacle is also coming to an end. You will perform your last act in the capital’s square tomorrow before ascending the scaffold.”
The girl was speechless.
Was she happy that her hellish journey of over ten years could end? Or was there a lingering attachment even to such a life?
She placed her hand over her chest and took a deep breath.
Yes. It wasn’t like she wasn’t prepared for death, right? A life spent as a scapegoat puppet, touring across the Empire for over a decade as the punching bag for their wrath. It was not unusual at all for it to end at any time.
‘Rather than my life….’
She was only worried about the tribe she had embraced and protected in her heart.
She wanted to ask what would happen to her tribespeople if she was executed like this, but that middle-aged man knew nothing.
After all, it was a secret deal between her and the imperial knight, a question she couldn’t possibly ask the middle-aged man.
Fortunately, that night, as she was trying to suppress her inner turmoil, a visitor arrived. It was the imperial knight with whom she had traded her life for her tribespeople’s safety.
The middle-aged man groveled before a knight of the Empire.
“What brings Sir Knight to such a humble place….”
The imperial knight was wearing the full-body empire of the Empire, but had covered the Empire’s emblem with a red cloth. In other words, his visit here was unofficial.
Even so, the middle-aged man did not dare make a sound. A knight was akin to a killing machine. One who had been given the license to kill from the Empire. Moreover, the mere fact of being a knight granted him a treatment close to that of a noble.
The imperial knight standing before him could have his commoner head just for the simple reason of displeasing him.
Blue eyes under beautiful blond hair turned towards the middle-aged man.
An emotionless gaze. Eyes like those of a machine, forged through countless massacres.
The middle-aged man swallowed hard, trying not to make even the slightest movements.
“Do not return today. I have something to discuss with this Devil brat.”
“Yes, yes. Of course. Then, when tomorrow should I….?”
The knight scanned the middle-aged man with his blue eyes.
Startled, the man quickly spoke up.
“Yes, yes. I shall see to it without Sir Knight needing to tell me. I apologize.”
The middle-aged man left as if fleeing.
Only then did the chill in the knight’s eyes fade.
“It seems that punk has been harassing you often.”
“It is just bluster on the surface.”
“Is that so?”
“….”
“Right, you must be curious about other things.”
“….”
The girl was afraid of what might come out of the knight’s mouth. Fortunately, the words she feared did not come.
“Your tribespeople are safe. However, it was inevitable that they had to scatter.”
“Is that… so?”
“…Yes.”
The girl felt a surge of emotion but held back her tears. After all, the knight had not finished speaking yet.
“I tried to extract you separately, but that proved to be far too difficult. And so, tomorrow, you will go up for execution.”
“….”
“I am sorry. And thank you for enduring all this.”
The girl nodded slowly.
Under the moonlight, the knight and the girl were each silently lost in their own thoughts.
And in a corner distanced from them…
Something was watching them with gleaming eyes.
Creaaaaak-
Neither the knight nor the girl noticed it.
***
The day dawned. Thanks to the knight’s savage and fierce warning, the girl was able to spend her last night without harassment.
She also wrote her last post on the community.
-Title: Goodbye.
I will never forget.
She didn’t want to go into the tiring details. But still, she held an honest desire to say goodbye, however brief.
The girl had slept well and, thanks to the knight’s consideration, was able to eat delicious food. The only regret was that she could not see her family’s face just one last time before she left.
But, of course, that didn’t mean that she wished for such a thing either.
“H-How?! W-Why…!”
“Kill it! Kill it!”
“Execute the Devil!!”
“Waaaaaaaaaah!!!”
“Kill it!”
Among thousands of killing intent poured out on her alone, a silhouette caught her eye.
“M-Mother?”
Though covered in a thick robe, how could she possibly forget?
After seeing her mother as the girl stood on the high execution stand, her heart seemed to sink.
Why is Mother here?
N-No!
Her mother was struggling to make her way through the crowd that was throwing stones and hurling insults.
Even as she was pushed and fell, her gaze towards her daughter did not waver.
Why?! How is Mother in this place…!
Due to a dilution of their bloodline, her mother’s skin never changed color except when her father passed away. As such, it meant she could live unnoticed among the Empire’s citizens if careful.
However…
Her mother’s skin had turned so red that it was visible even here. Despite the thick robe, it was all too clear to the girl’s eyes.
‘You shouldn’t have come here! You can’t… be discovered!’
“My baby!! My daughter!”
Her mother shouted with a hoarse voice, tears streaming down her face.
“My child! Mommy is here!”
“Agh shit, what the hell is up with her?”
“Is she a crazy bitch?”
The crowd was irritated by the woman trying to push through recklessly.
Thwack-
Even when hit by an accidentally swung elbow… Even when stepped on… Even when bumped into and fallen over…
Her mother continued to move towards her without stopping.
“My daughter, oh my daughter. How hard it must have been for you… Mommy is here!”
“Mommy is… Mommy is coming. Just wait a little longer, my daughter.”
The girl locked eyes with her mother and realized. Her mother was not rushing in because she had lost all logic and reason. From her mother’s warm yet determined eyes, the girl understood she had braced herself for death.
“You must have been so lonely, right? I won’t leave you alone anymore. Mom… is coming.”
Ah…!
The girl’s vision blurred even further. It was difficult to calm her emotions.
While hearing her mother’s voice, the girl shook her head. Despite such actions, her mother didn’t stop.
At the realization she could be discovered if this continued, the girl suddenly snapped back to her senses. She hurriedly looked around for someone.
And just then, opportunely, the imperial knight she had made the deal with was looking at her with a serious gaze. The girl bit her lip, sending a pleading, desperate look.
‘Please save my mother.’
Was the girl’s prayer heard? The knight, nodding gravely, sprang into action. The movement of the imperial knight was so swift that ordinary people could not notice it. He swiftly approached the girl’s mother and struck her nape.
Although the girl’s heart ached at the sight of her mother losing consciousness, a sense of relief also washed over her, thinking she could safely survive.
‘Thank you for the last farewell, Mother.’
Just as a tear rolled down her cheek…
BOOOOM-
A loud noise erupted among the crowd.
“KYAAAH!”
“EUAAH!”
In the midst of the commotion, two imperial knights were standing off, swords drawn at each other.
“What is the meaning of this! Clay!”
“Haha. Commander. That is what I would like to say.”
“Grit. CLAY!!!!”
Other knights surrounded the one called the Commander. Clay, the young knight with slitted eyes, smirked as he pointed his sword.
“How is it that the Commander was bewitched by a ‘Devil’? Surely, you understand the implications of pointing your sword at us.”
“A Devil? Do you… truly believe that?”
“Keke. Commander. We are not fools. Did you think we wouldn’t notice this shoddy act? But…I heard from above that today’s place was a bit dull for a finale.”
“What is that supposed to mea…!”
The eyes of the man called the Commander shook violently.
“All the other ‘Devils’ have already been annihilated. They are probably being ‘packaged’ properly in the Magic Tower by now. But we couldn’t have possibly imagined that the last one was hiding right in the middle of the capital.”
“W-What is that supposed to mean…?”
“Haha. You ask as if you don’t know.”
“You…!”
The Commander’s eyes became bloodshot with rage. Even when faced with the Commander’s killing intent, Clay still had a fishy smile on his face.
“That’s right. Adding one Knight Commander who had fallen for a Devil’s tricks would indeed spice up the drama of the spectacle, wouldn’t it?”
At that moment, one knight injected a syringe into the neck of the woman taken from the Commander.
“Urgh!”
As the red liquid from the syringe was injected, the woman in the robe, who had previously been unconscious, began to stir and moan.
“What do you think you are doing!!”
“Commander. You are not acting like yourself today. It is not too late. Lower your sword and come back to us. Come! And let us execute the Devil for the peace of the Empire!”
Clay extended his hand to the Commander with an exaggerated gesture and expression.
***
Meanwhile, at the highest point of the scaffold, a clown doll was looking down with its arms crossed.
Cloaking.
A technology that manipulated the refractive index of the electromagnetic spectrum to render one invisible to the naked eye.
Above the head of the clown maintaining Cloaking Mode, an antenna several tens of meters long hovered in the air, pointing towards the sky.
The following message appeared in front of the Cloaked clown.
[Emergency Code Transmission In Progress]
[Failure – The reception signal is not stable.]
[Emergency Code Transmission In Progress]
[Failure – The reception signal is not stable.]
[Emergency Code Transmission In Progress]
[Failure – The reception signal is not stable.]
…
[Request List]
-A 4-Star Self-Recovery Full-Body Enhancement Suit equivalent to ‘Hydra’
…
[Emergency Code Transmission In Progress]
[Failure – The reception signal is not stable.]
[Emergency Code Transmission In Progress]
[Failure – The reception signal is not stable.]
[Emergency Code Transmission In Progress]
[Failure – The reception signal is not stable.]
…
[Emergency Code Transmission Completed]
[Verifying]
[The approval of the Administrator has been completed.]
[Dimensional Transfer System Activated]
[Transmitted Item : Emperor’s Exclusive Enhancement Suit Prototype – Hydra (5-Stars)]
Spzzz-
The space above the scaffold began to split open.
***
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