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The disgraced King of Fraus was led to his execution From there, well, they handled him up sloppily, almost like they were preparing a stage. The king didn’t resist, but his eyes were wild, glaring like a madman.

Just looking at him made it feel like he was trying to tear at our sanity. Honestly, it was unpleasant. But I had no intention of looking away—I needed to witness the end of a nation. This was the final chapter of the scheme Monobe and I had been working on for quite some time.

It felt indescribable, like pushing over a line of completed dominoes.

I had heard about the crucifixion of the royals. In simple words, they had all been stoned. Even the women, the queen and the second princess, had been struck so hard I wouldn’t be surprised if their faces had been disfigured. Just a few months ago, they were celebrated as virtuous royals, so it was strange to see how easily people could turn their backs on those they once supported.

However, this was also the block on which the whole operation had been built.

In contrast to my conflicted feelings, the people of this country grew more and more excited. Despite their methods, I believed that the royals had genuinely cared for the country.

But that didn’t have anything to do with me anymore.

“Thank you all for being here today. It’s truly uplifting to see so many faces gathered at this pivotal moment, when the old Fraus has ended, and the new Fraus begins. Before we begin the celebration, there is something I must share. Our brave comrades, who are no longer with us, deserve our deepest respect. They fought with unwavering resolve and managed to capture the king. Yet in the final moments, they were caught in the royal family’s cowardly scheme and fell victim to poison. It was in their memory that we crucified the royal family, hoping to ease even a fraction of our sorrow. I know some of you feel it wasn’t enough. And I understand that. We cannot allow these corrupted royals to linger in this world any longer. That is why we have decided to sever their heads and present them to the world. It will be a symbol of justice, and a declaration that Fraus will never again be ruled by tyranny. So now, everyone, raise your glasses high. Let us toast to the beginning of a new world.”

While I was lost in my thoughts, I heard this righteous speech. It was funny because they were the ones who killed those so-called brave comrades. We hadn’t given them those orders. Or rather, we hadn’t told them to go that far. Our orders would have, at most, shortened their lives, not killed them.

Although I now knew that the world was about to collapse either way, I still hadn’t expected things to turn out like this. Even though we had succeeded thanks to that, I still felt guilty.

As I silently cursed in my heart, the execution blade fell.

It took just a moment. In a blink, the blade stopped, and the king’s head rolled off. At the same time, a new wave of cheers rose from the crowd. I didn’t know if this feeling of madness that everyone was consumed by was normal. Maybe I was the crazy one.

The head of the second princess, her face swollen, eyes full of tears, fell. The head of the first prince, staring at the ground in shame, fell. The head of the queen, her expression blank and emotionless, fell. With each head, the cheers only grew louder. And I, who had helped create this situation, had no right to say anything.

All their heads fell, except Topersion’s, who was still on the battlefield. The people then scattered, as if this were all a festival. I remained where I was and whispered, “It’s over,” just loud enough for Monobe, standing beside me, to hear.

He simply replied, “Yeah.”

It ended so quickly. Without any warning. I did feel a sense of accomplishment, and I was happy, but, for some reason, I just couldn’t show those emotions right now.

“Shall we go back?”
“That’s a strange thing to say. We don’t have anywhere to go back to.”
“I suppose you’re right. But maybe we can go back. All we have to do now is wait.”
“That’s true. Then let’s get ready to go back. Who knows, the same thing might happen once we capture Topersion, so we should plan a safe route from the hideout back here.”

Monobe was right. It looked like it was over, but we still had a bit left to finish. The true ringleader was still out there. We had to switch gears. We needed to find a way to capture Topersion for sure.

“Let’s give it our best just a bit longer, Monobe.”
“I hope it’s over soon. I think it’s safer to stay cooped up for the rest of the time, don’t you?”
“That’s true, but don’t you want to take revenge? I don’t have strong feelings about this world, but I’d regret it if I had the chance to witness Topersion’s end and missed it.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re always like that. Still, you don’t want to see anyone die, do you?” Monobe asked.
“I’m just a regular person from modern-day Japan, after all.”

I might deceive others. I might fool people. But I didn’t want to become numb to death. I didn’t want to become just another person in a crumbling world. Still, if I had to be honest, I was just stubbornly lying to myself. In the end, I was just ordinary.