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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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All my actions served a single purpose, to witness the ending of this novel’s world and return to my own.
To achieve this, I would stop at nothing.
While my actions often resulted in seemingly good deeds, the underlying motivation remained selfish. This civil war was no exception.
I questioned my conscience.
Had I done the right thing? Had I not just destroyed Lorraine, a man who had risen up for the freedom of beastmen, by painting him as a tyrant and an oppressor? Had I not taken credit for the freedom of beastmen who might have achieved it on their own?
It was hypocrisy, plain and simple.
Yet, I didn’t regret my choice. I felt a responsibility, a need to atone, at least in some small way.
“Lorraine Philip.”
The door creaked open, revealing Lorraine behind bars. He hadn’t touched the food left for him.
I sighed and signaled for the guards to leave.
Once they were gone, I activated a silencing spell, ensuring our conversation remained private.
“Why did you surrender so quickly?”
“The harvest is approaching.”
“What?”
“It is the time when farmers must work the fields. The weapons my soldiers should be holding are scythes and flails, not swords and spears.”
Lorraine wasn’t without ambition, but his primary motivation for this rebellion wasn’t to become king. He had genuinely sympathized with the oppressed beastmen slaves and supported their uprising.
The establishment of a republic, not a monarchy, was proof of this. He had sought to create a nation for his people, not for himself.
Despite the bloodshed, his goal had been the freedom and independence of beastmen.
“Your sentence has been decided.”
“I will be transported to the capital. I know this.”
“You’re wrong. You will be executed tomorrow morning in the Fourth Castle square.”
Lorraine finally looked up, his face etched with bewilderment.
“Why…how…? Are you defying the Emperor’s orders?”
“The Emperor has yet to issue a decree regarding your fate. I intend to take advantage of this.”
If Lorraine were transported to the capital, his fate was sealed. He would be tortured, his dignity stripped away, his suffering paraded before the Empire as a warning to any future rebels.
Even in death, he would find no peace.
By executing him here, I could send only his head to the capital, his body buried in an unmarked grave, a small act of mercy for a man destroyed by my machinations.
“Are you insane? After winning the war, you would jeopardize the Emperor’s favor?”
“Do you prefer being sent to the capital?”
“That’s not what I—”
“Then be grateful for your execution.”
“Be grateful…?”
“Lorraine Philip, why did you start this rebellion?”
“You ask me that now?”
“Yes. Answer me.”
“To resist the Empire’s tyranny and establish an independent nation for the beastmen of the South.”
“No. Tell me the real reason.”
“Tch… There’s no point hiding it now. To establish a puppet state that would serve as a buffer for the Great Forest, securing their support and ensuring our prosperity—”
“No. I’m not asking for your public justification. I’m asking for your true motive. Answer me.”
“…For the freedom of the beastmen slaves.”
Lorraine’s head dropped.
His true motive was the freedom of beastmen.
His public justification and his private motivation were reversed.
“Then congratulations. You have achieved your goal.”
“You… you intend to honor the Emancipation Proclamation?”
“As a knight of the Emperor, I will not go back on my word.”
Lorraine’s lifelong dream had been realized, albeit through my intervention. As a small gesture of respect, I would grant him his final wish.
It was the least I could do.
“I see… Schlus Hainkel, you have chosen both the unity of the Empire and the freedom of the slaves. I cannot comprehend your reasoning. Why would you simultaneously earn and jeopardize the Emperor’s favor? Why antagonize the future Duke of the South? There were easier paths…”
It was a question I couldn’t answer.
“Ah, I understand now. You are looking further ahead. Is something so great about to happen that you will require not only a unified Empire, but also the strength of the beastmen?”
I couldn’t suppress a shudder.
Lorraine, interpreting my reaction as confirmation, smiled.
Damn it.
I hadn’t expected him to see through my plan. My hand instinctively moved towards my sword, but Lorraine burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! I understand! I understand! I almost lost my head before my time. I will keep your secret until my dying breath. But in return, grant me one request, Schlus Hainkel.”
“What is your request?”
“Before my execution, I ask that you list all my crimes.”
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I awoke to the sounds of a bustling crowd. I hadn’t slept a wink. The thought of what lay ahead had kept me awake.
“Schlus, it’s time. Shall we bring Lorraine out?”
Taylor whispered in my ear.
I rose and surveyed the scene. The vast square was overflowing with people, not just from the Fourth Castle, but from the other three as well. Practically the entire Southern population had gathered.
“Bring him out. Let us proceed.”
Taylor departed, and soon a carriage rolled into the square.
A shackled man, his face covered by a hood, was dragged out and escorted to the platform. The hood was removed, revealing Lorraine’s face.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“Lorraine Philip, former Duke of the Southern Colonies. Is this you?”
“Yes. That is me.”
“I will now list your crimes.”
I took a deep breath, meeting Lorraine’s unwavering gaze. It was time to fulfill my promise.
“You are charged with inciting rebellion by spreading discontent and fostering hatred towards the Empire. You are charged with sending Darius, the leader of the slave rebellion, into a losing battle, intending his demise. You are charged with deceiving the beastmen of the South, claiming only you could bring them freedom. You are charged with exploiting your people for personal gain. And finally, you are charged with conspiring to betray the South to the Great Forest. Do you confess to these crimes?”
The murmurs intensified with each accusation.
Many beastmen wouldn’t truly hate Lorraine.
My words, coming from a representative of the Empire, would be seen as slander. After all, Lorraine had been the one to grant them freedom.
“I confess to all charges.”
But what if Lorraine himself confessed?
Gratitude would turn to betrayal, and betrayal to hatred.
Lorraine, who could have died a hero, had chosen to become a villain, bearing the brunt of their resentment, ending the cycle of hatred before it could begin.
“He confessed? Truly?”
“Darius died because of Lorraine?”
“So he was a spy for the Great Forest?”
The effect was immediate. No evidence was needed. Lorraine’s confession was enough. Confusion quickly turned to anger.
“He promised us freedom! It was all a lie!”
“He dared to use us!”
“Kill him! Kill him!”
The foolish masses had been deceived. By me, and by Lorraine. The chants for Lorraine’s death grew louder, echoing across the square.
“Therefore, I sentence Lorraine Philip to death.”
The crowd roared its approval.
I turned and returned to my seat. The execution wasn’t my task. There was someone more fitting.
“Pelaine.”
Pelaine, who had been sitting beside me, rose. A beastman, deceived by a human, would be executed by a beastman. It was the perfect ending to this charade.
“Schlus Hainkel! Schlus Hainkel!”
A messenger, dressed in Imperial attire, pushed through the crowd, desperately trying to reach me with a letter.
“Take this! Quickly!”
I leaned back and accepted the letter. It was from the Emperor, as expected.
“Open it! Please!”
I glanced at the messenger’s frantic face. The contents of the letter were predictable.
The Emperor would have received news of my successful negotiations with the Great Forest and the subsequent victory.
He had initially given me free rein regarding Lorraine’s fate, assuming I wouldn’t succeed. But with victory assured, he would have changed his mind.
The letter undoubtedly contained orders to bring Lorraine back to the capital alive.
The problem was, if I opened the letter and didn’t stop the execution, it would be an act of disobedience.
“I will open it after the execution.”
“No! You must open it now!”
“Why?”
“Because it contains the Emperor’s decree regarding Duke Lorraine—”
“How do you know that? Perhaps you… opened the Emperor’s letter and read its contents?”
The messenger, caught in his own trap, fell silent.
I turned back to the execution platform.
Lorraine knelt, his head bowed, as Pelaine raised her sword.
Was it my imagination, or did I see a faint smile on Lorraine’s lips as the blade fell?
Swish!
The crowd roared.
Lorraine, bearing the weight of all their hatred, was dead. Now, only I knew the truth. And I would keep his secret, just as he had kept mine.
I finally opened the letter.
The contents were as I had predicted. It praised my achievements and ordered me to bring Lorraine back to the capital unharmed…
“It’s too late.”
I smiled wryly and folded the letter.
The messenger was saying something, but his words were drowned out by the cheers of the crowd, celebrating the death of a traitor, a spy, a deceiver.
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[Your Text Here]
Thus it ends…or begins
He saved him from dishonored