execution
I once heard somewhere that advertising starts with associations.
It was the kind of story where if a hamburger appears in a movie, you start craving a hamburger after leaving the theater.
So what would these people who gathered to watch the execution as if it were a performance want to eat and drink? Of course, it would be red wine and bread covered in red sauce.
“First of all, I brought it because it was the captain’s suggestion, but red wine… is this it?”
Snake Eyes asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Grass brought an entire wooden barrel containing red wine.
“That’s right. Leave it over there. Hey- move to the side.”
“yes.”
The man selling oranges in the square every day pushed his stall to the side, so there was room for one more stall.
It was a spot where the guillotine was directly in front of them. It was obvious that they would be driven to this side.
Although it was early, the square was crowded with people. Some were fighting, raising their voices, to get a good view of the guillotine.
Of course, the owner of the best-looking seat had already been decided.
“Lift it higher! It’s off balance!”
“Yes! Are you talking about this side?”
“Oh! Okay! Let’s show our strength!”
A group of ragtag men wearing scarves and hats had gathered together to build a platform out of thick wooden planks in a place where the guillotine could be seen clearly.
“Isn’t this really too heavy?! Is it really wood?”
“Stop talking nonsense and just listen! It’s not balanced, you brat!”
Among them, five people were carrying a wooden plank that was particularly dark and thick compared to the others, and they were all sweating profusely and having faces crumpled as if they were about to die.
‘I didn’t know that Yeongju would come to see it too.’
The last execution was last year, and the lord did not attend. But this time, there was talk that the lord would attend, and so the bakers at the carpentry shop were hurriedly building a high platform.
The Scar guy kept complaining that he didn’t come forward during the day, but when I put a shadow in his eye, he swung his hammer harder than anyone else.
No matter how I looked at it, it was clear that Scar had a special talent for handling tools. It seemed like that was the reason why he didn’t get fired even though he never went to the woodworking shop.
“Chief, please come.”
“Did you cut your beard?”
“Ahem… The captain is coming quickly.”
Unlike yesterday, Berman, who had a clean-shaven beard, avoided my gaze. It seemed to be quite a shock to Berman that Brick, who had no beard, was interested in Charlotte.
“Have a nice trip. I’ll finish this up.”
Snake Eyes said, tapping the wooden barrel he had brought with his fingers. Thump thump. A full sound was heard.
“When Kel and Quarter come back, tell them I lost.”
The two of them still hadn’t gone to work. Kel was definitely in Rosa’s arms, and Quarter was still in bed.
“Yes. I will definitely tell you.”
He waved at Berman, who was answering, and headed towards a tent erected on one side of the square.
The tent was a pale green, its color fading away, and the bottom was covered in mud, stained brown. It was the kind of tent that smelled like wet cloth when you went in.
I lifted one side, which was slightly rolled up, and went inside.
“Oh… Aaron is here.”
The captain, wearing his usual ill-fitting armor, greeted me with a chubby face. He must have gained more weight than before, and the flesh bulging out from the seams of his armor made me feel dirty.
“Yes, Captain.”
I also laughed along with the captain. Then the captain’s face hardened slightly, then returned to its usual expression.
The men standing next to the captain bowed their heads slightly to me. They were the leaders of each team. Since they worked in shifts, there were faces that I didn’t usually get to see, gathered in one place.
It was a celebration for the other guys in the castle, but for us it was unpaid overtime, and everyone had a look of annoyance on their faces.
“Are they all here?”
The captain asked with an immature and solemn expression. Someone muttered quietly, ‘It’s not enough that you can’t wear armor, now you can’t even count to six?’
The captain’s eyes trembled subtly as if he had heard him, but he continued speaking calmly as if he had not heard him.
“Today is the day of the execution. It is a grand event with a whopping 6 people, and the lord said he will be attending, so everyone, be nervous and don’t make any mistakes. If you make a mistake on a day like this, it’s over.”
“yes.”
The leader of Group 1, One-Eyed Blant, answered. The others simply nodded with blank expressions.
The outer wall guards were responsible for all sorts of petty tasks, such as inspections, patrols, and maintaining order against the uncivilized medieval bastards, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that they were made up of the most ill-tempered people in the castle.
And these people here are the ones who control those guys, so to say that they have a dirty personality is an understatement.
“Yes, I trust our outer guard. Let’s all do our best so that my trust is not broken.”
Regardless of whether the sergeants answered or not, the captain continued to speak without changing his expression. Only Blant answered, and the rest just nodded.
“When did you ever trust us? You keep nagging at us whenever you get a chance.”
The leader of Group 2, Mad Dog Chart, was openly talking. The captain’s eyebrows went up and down, but he pretended not to hear and continued talking.
“Let’s divide the regions simply. No, first of all, the executioner side has requested personnel. Is there anyone who would like to volunteer?”
Everyone looked indifferent at the captain’s question. This time, Blant also scratched his cheek and looked away. Even the dog squad gathered here was reluctant to talk about executioners. I looked at him for a moment and then raised my hand.
“As expected! Aaron! You know I trust Aaron the most these days, right?”
Perhaps it was because of the food and beer we shared yesterday, but the captain spoke with an excessive amount of favoritism. Of course, it was obvious that the trust would fall away as naturally as urinating.
“Yes, ···what.”
“Then Aaron, go to the executioner. He will be under the guillotine.”
The captain waved his hand and said, and I bowed my head and headed out. The other team leaders nodded, and I just raised the corners of my mouth.
The guillotine was built about three times as high as a person, and the area in front of it was already crowded with people.
The closest ones were guarded by armed soldiers from the lord’s side. They punched and kicked anyone who approached, and kept a certain distance.
In front of them, there were many different types of people, including a happy family holding hands with their children and laughing, a young couple looking at each other with red faces, and a group of middle-aged women gathered together and chatting noisily.
The sight reminded me of a park on a sunny day.
The soldiers glanced at me and made way for me. I passed him and headed toward the back of the scaffold.
Behind the guillotine was a box-shaped building where the condemned prisoners could wait.
Before him was Dalus. Dalus was wearing his usual red overcoat, his wide-brimmed hat pulled down low, and he was looking up at the sky.
“It’s the perfect weather for a neck-snapping.”
“···Aaron.”
Dalus’ eyes looking back at me were somehow sharper than usual.
“Was the bed uncomfortable?”
“I slept in the cart.”
Dalus muttered in a self-mocking voice, scratching his beard habitually in response.
‘I guess the innkeepers all refused, saying they were executioners.’
Even though it wasn’t my job, I got annoyed for no reason.
“I guess those bastards didn’t accept you. They’re waiting like this to see you blow your head off.”
“···It looks like it’s going to rain.”
Dalus looked up at the sky and muttered something out of context. When he did, he looked at the sky, which was clear and cloudless.
It wasn’t a good day to kill someone, to see someone die, or to say that it was going to rain. However, since this was the eastern part of the empire, where raindrops would fall out of nowhere even when it was clear, I nodded.
“We should hurry. The value of a corpse goes down if it gets rained on.”
Dalus looked down again, took out an object with a sun drawn on it from his bosom, and placed it against his forehead.
An executioner who believes in God. Ironically, but ironically, faith was an essential virtue for an executioner.
“Would you please go in and lead the condemned men? I will check the guillotine.”
“okay.”
I nodded to Dalus’ request. I briefly watched Dalus’ back as he headed up the stairs to the guillotine, then headed to the place where the condemned prisoners were gathered.
Two armed soldiers stood there, yawning. They looked at me, nodded, and opened the door.
When I went inside, it was pitch black, even though it was daytime, because there were no windows. The only light coming from a torch was a damp, moldy smell and a strong smell of oil.
And in a corner, the guys I saw back then were tied up like oysters. Their legs and hands were tied with cheap, blunt iron, and there was a rope holding them together.
“Don’t worry! My father has blown off over a hundred heads so far, so he’ll blow off all the heads in one go without any problems!”
In front of the guys, there was a tiger… no, Ted crouching down and explaining something earnestly. However, unlike Ted’s bright face, the expressions of the death row inmates with their mouths gagged were not so good.
They looked like they were going to tear Ted apart at any moment, but Ted paid them no mind and just waved his hands around, explaining how far their heads would fly.
“Oh, Aaron! You’re here?”
“okay,”
I pushed Ted away, who was clinging to me, and stood in front of the death row inmates, looking down at them. They were in much worse shape than when I had seen them before, as if they had been tortured.
The poison that had filled his eyes was nowhere to be seen, and only deep despair filled him.
“It’s time to go die. Get up.”
Ugh… They were shouting something, but their pronunciation was muffled and inaudible. However, judging by the way they were staggering back, it didn’t seem like they would follow along smoothly.
“Hmm… But wouldn’t it be better to leave it to the experts? I’m a bit clumsy, so I might not get my head blown off in one go. I guarantee you, it won’t be very satisfying.”
As he nodded and drew the sword from his waist, their eyes widened as if they were going to tear apart.
“But I’ll cut it within three times. Don’t worry too much.”
Thud-, I spat on my palm and adjusted my grip on the sword. I held the sword high, and my long shadow on the floor rippled in the torchlight.
Their eyes shook and their bodies trembled.
“···town!!”
Just before they were about to strike, they jumped up. They got up so quickly that they fell forward, but they stubbornly got back up.
“Yeah. I said this kind of thing should be left to the experts. Good idea.”
I patted the shoulder of the guy who was good at jumping up and stabbing with his sword while crawling on the floor. The guy grimaced. It looked like he was crying or angry. It didn’t matter anymore.
“Let’s go get a haircut. Of course, it’s free.”
I made a witty joke, but no one laughed and they just lowered their heads. I scratched my cheek in embarrassment.
When I pulled the rope, the guys followed me. It was really funny to see them squirm and follow me because their feet were tied and the width was narrow.
“Oh! Isn’t this Aaron!”
“Father Blian···?”
As they dragged them outside, a pig priest wearing white robes, Blian, was in front of them.
At the sudden appearance, my heart felt cold for a moment, but I tried to control my expression. I slightly stretched out my neck and showed the gold sun necklace. Then, Blian’s thick lips drew an unsightly curve.
“Oh… You’re doing well! Some people are busy selling it as gold when they receive it, but Aaron really has deep faith.”
Priest Blian, who had discovered my gold necklace, nodded with a proud smile.
I didn’t sell it because no cartman had offered a decent price yet, but I laughed along without saying anything. It was quite thrilling to have the devil’s handprint engraved on my chest and have the priest praise me for my deep faith.
“Hey- what kind of hell-deserving bastards would dare do such a thing! What was given to us by Priest Blian, the so-called saint of Cassidy Castle!”
“Hahaha! You, aren’t you gilding me too much!”
Contrary to what he said, Blian laughed so loudly that his mouth almost split. I laughed along with him, and Blian laughed even louder. After a brief moment of laughter, Priest Blian continued his story.
Most of them were about the Bible, so he answered them by vaguely talking about knowledge he had picked up here and there. That alone was enough for Blian, and the corners of his mouth did not lower.
After a while of making a fuss, the men tied behind them kept falling and getting up again, when a soldier came looking for them.
“Now, get ready.”
The soldier bowed his head deeply toward the priest and spoke cautiously.
“Ah, it’s already this late! As expected, it’s really fun talking to the faithful Aaron.”
“I also really enjoy talking with Priest Blian. Just being next to Priest Blian, who is called the textbook of priests, makes me feel like my soul is deepening.”
I laughed along with the potion that the sullen Blian handed me, holding it in my arms. Blian was a man like a vending machine who would give me items if I gently scratched his head with compliments.
“But why did you come here?”
“Ah, originally, before they were executed, they gave the prisoners a chance to repent and gave them blessings. They gave them one last chance. Hmm···”
As if he had just remembered my question, Blian looked around at the death row inmates and trailed off.
“Your Majesty has arrived. We must go up now.”
Then the soldier urged.
“Hey, you guys, you did something wrong, right? Yeah, you’re going to lose your head soon, so what if you don’t reflect on it? I repented, Father Blian.”
“Ahem… I see. I hope only good things will happen to you from now on.”
At my words, Blian closed his eyes for a moment, pretended to pray, and opened them again. It was so brief that it almost seemed like he was yawning.
Ugh…
The death row inmates opened their eyes wide and chattered, but the gag in their mouths muffled their words. And the words of those who were about to die had little meaning.
“Then I’ll see you at the synagogue next time.”
“Haha, I’m good! I’ll open my specially saved wine.”
After exchanging greetings with Blian, I pulled the rope that tied up the death row inmates. The guys were pointing at Blian, who was walking away, with their chins, and making ‘woof woof…’ sounds, as if they were being so aggrieved, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
“The lord is waiting. Let’s go quickly. People are all gathered to see you. But it’s great that we can go at the last moment while receiving applause from the people.”
As I pulled the rope, the men who had been resisting were dragged along, and soon I reached the stairs leading to the guillotine.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Dalus, who was on the stairs, received the rope and bowed his head in gratitude. When he waved, Dalus led the condemned men up the stairs.
···Ugh, ugh!!
The guy who was jumping up and stabbing me with his sword turned to me and shouted something, but as expected, I couldn’t hear him because of the gag.
“Oh, it was nice to see you again too.”
When I waved back, the guy opened his eyes wide and screamed, “Ugh!!”, but was soon dragged up by Dalus.
Because the place where the guillotine was located was slightly higher, the entire square could be seen at a glance.
The square was bustling with people. It was clear that everyone in the castle had gathered there. They were looking up at the scaffold with shining eyes, as if they were waiting for a performance to begin.
‘Tsk, you uncivilized guys.’
I clicked my tongue slightly and looked around the square. On the platform built by the ska guys, there was the lord and his wife, the young lady, and the lord’s eldest son. The lord had an ordinary face, but the lord’s wife was a striking beauty.
It was clear that Yeong-ae had inherited a lot of the blood of Yeong-ju’s wife. However, Jang-ja had a sullen face, perhaps because he had inherited his father’s blood.
Behind them were three armed knights. Two of them looked familiar.
‘Knight Ben, Knight Adela, and the other one is Knight TOEIC.’
Ben was behind Yeong-ae, Adela, a female knight he had seen in passing, and Toik, a knight famous for his stylish mustache, were behind Yeong-ju.
The rest of the soldiers were stationed in a circle under the platform. It was such an ironclad defense that no one could approach.
‘They brought out all the troops.’
Looking at him, I thought that the lord was a more cautious person than I thought. Seeing that he brought out all the knights, who were afraid of something in such a small castle, the lord was a man who would feed the stew to the maid first.
Since the stage took up a considerable amount of space in the square, the people in the square were crowded together even more closely. Looking around the crowd, I saw familiar faces here and there.
‘Hey… you little brick bastard.’
There was a very hardened brick in a corner, and next to it, Charlotte was lying awkwardly with her chest sticking out, rubbing her arm against Brick’s.
Both of their faces were red as if they were going to burst. The contrast between Brick’s dazed face, as if he were about to lose consciousness, and Charlotte’s face, biting her lips desperately, was amusing.
And in the center, next to the snake eye grass stand, there was a stand piled high with bread, and behind it were Hannah and Kannah.
Hannah was looking around busily as if she was looking for something, and Kannah was peeking out from behind Hannah, looking at the guillotine. Kannah nodded at the men on the guillotine. The expression didn’t suit the child, but it suited her well.
‘Bread and wine didn’t sell as well as expected.’
I looked away, thinking that it probably hadn’t sold yet since it hadn’t even started yet.
Kel was being scolded by Berman, standing next to a red-haired woman with flashy makeup and holding a large fan.
‘Has the quarter not arrived yet?’
He was usually late, but he was usually moderately late, so it was a little strange that he hadn’t come yet.
Phew-.
The sound of a whistle was heard, signaling the start.
Waaaaaaaaa!!
The crowd applauded and cheered, and the lord’s body leaned forward slightly.
When he looked up, he saw Dalus arresting a man and laying him on the guillotine.
The boy struggled, but Dalus easily subdued him, laid him down, and tied him up tightly so that he could not move.
‘Yeah, it’s better to get it from an expert.’
When you nod your head slightly, bang!
A deep, yet cool sound rang out.
Waaa …
The crowd cheered as if firecrackers had exploded at the spray of red blood.
Dalus lifted his familiar, drooping head and thrust it out at the crowd, who cheered even louder than before.
Among them were young children, a woman who was embarrassed to hold hands with a young man, and an old man with wrinkles around his eyes. Even the lord had wrinkles around his eyes.
Everyone, regardless of age or gender, cheered before the disembodied head.
‘Uncivilized bastards.’
I muttered words that had now become a habit.
bang!
Another neck was blown off.
The red firecracker exploded.
The crowd cheered loudly.
A few spectators pushed past the soldiers and rushed out, dipping bread in the red blood spattered on the ground and eating it. The soldiers belatedly dragged him out.
As the strangeness increased, my awkwardness deepened.
“Isn’t my dad really cool?”
I nodded my head forcibly to the smiling little cub’s words.
By that time, Dalus was laying the guy who had been crawling on the floor on the guillotine. I turned my head slightly.
My left chest felt itchy for no reason, so I scratched it and looked around.
‘huh?’
A man wearing a black hood was approaching the platform where the lord was sitting. His attire was suspicious to anyone, but it was strange that the soldiers around him did not stop him.
The soldiers were just looking up at the guillotine as if they couldn’t see the man. I guessed that he must be someone involved. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to approach the podium so naturally.
The man arrived behind the stage without any restraint, as if he was taking a stroll, and took something out of his bosom. The whole series of movements seemed like a well-planned play.
bang!!
Waaa …
Again red fireworks exploded and people cheered, and a few people ran out but were stopped by soldiers.
The lord waved his hand as he watched the scene, and the soldiers blocking the guillotine gave way.
Then, more people than before ran out, dipping bread in the blood on the ground and putting it in their mouths frantically. They smiled brightly as if the blood was a sweet sauce. There were parents who forced their crying children to eat, and there were lovers who smiled and fed bread to each other.
Beep-.
I heard tinnitus.
At that moment, the black hood took out a large black object and placed it under the stage.
The man who finished him off pulled back the hood that had been covering his face, revealing his face. The face was familiar.
A sad look in his eyes, long sagging cheeks, and a head that looked even more bald than before. He was someone I knew.
The guy who had a cart full of goat carcasses. The guy who gave me a big pocket. The guy with a tattoo on his shoulder that was something between a spider and a snake.
It was Dornois who had been posted to the Cassadic branch at the top of Mosak.
‘Why is my brother there?’
In a split second, countless thoughts crossed my mind.
All sorts of assumptions came to mind, but the space between me and the stage was already blocked by a crowd of people.
yet.
Kwaaaaaaaah!
A huge explosion occurred beneath the stage.
“This is fucking fucked up.”
I washed my face dry, feeling the hot air blowing in.
