The story had ended.
The sky was clear without a single cloud, and the wind was cool. Those who desired death shouted with madness, and the executioner waited for the sinner before the gruesome guillotine.
Though the path was not far, her steps were slow because she had gone without food for several days.
Lilia raised her head. She could see the seat where she had once sat.
So this is how it feels to look up from here.
She had sat in that seat, adorned with brilliantly shining ornaments. With dazzling golden hair flowing and warm green eyes shining, she had looked down upon this place.
While imprisoned, gauging the passage of time had become extremely difficult, and Lilia felt that the time she had watched Anelli's execution was now infinitely far away.
"Bring the sinner here!"
Soldiers grabbed her arms and dragged her along. They felt relieved that they could finally dispose of this troublesome sinner.
This was because Lilia's execution date had been postponed several times.
The reason was unknown. When she first heard the news that her execution was delayed, Lilia was certain that someone was surely trying to save her.
Around that time, she had not foreseen it. precisely, it was the point when all the books that should have shown her the future were torn apart and lost their complete form.
Waiting for a future she could not see even an inch ahead, she held vague hope.
The execution date being delayed meant there was some problem.
Someone must have discovered that she was innocent.
Or perhaps Maxel had miraculously regained his power.
Maybe Roam had come to his senses and recovered his spirit?
Dreaming such baseless hopes day after day, when a new execution date was set, she could not believe it and asked repeatedly.
"Execution? Not release, but execution?"
"How can you talk about release when your crimes have long been revealed!"
The guards mocked Lilia greatly, and Lilia was deeply disheartened.
Ah, truly God has abandoned me. The protagonist has changed.
Waiting for the shadow of death that tightened around her neck moment by moment, Lilia shuddered.
But just before the execution day, it was postponed again.
"......Why?"
This time, unlike before, she was not happy. She did not think hopeful thoughts.
She simply trembled with fear, not knowing what on earth had happened.
Then, just as she was thinking about calming down and having hope, a new date was set again.
After several repetitions, Lilia was completely exhausted. And so she stood in this place.
"I bestow God's final mercy upon this foolish creature. Do you have any last words?"
The priest asked, gazing at her with indifferent eyes.
Lilia, who had been moving her cracked lips, distorted her face.
Is this really the end? This? I die like this?
Her body trembled. Lilia turned her head this way and that to delay death even a little, buying time.
In her randomly cast gaze, countless people looking at her came into view. Among the people wildly waving their fists in excitement, one person stood out clearly.
Lilia's gaze stopped on him. He wore a hood pulled down deep, so his face was not visible, and he did not look much different from those around him.
Was it because she desperately wanted to see?
So she was seeing an illusion?
Lilia, who had been looking at him blankly, parted her lips as if enchanted.
"......Why did you take everything from me?"
She wanted to ask, but she couldn't meet her in the end, so she couldn't ask. When she couldn't stand the sight of her, she hovered around so much, but when she decided she needed to see her face, she couldn't.
Lilia revealed her resentment toward the hooded figure standing far away.
As deadly energy seeped into her eyes that had been as lifeless as a dead fish, the spectators shouted even more excitedly for the execution.
"What I achieved, everything I......!"
'Everything you possess has no value to me.'
Lilia, who had been spitting out sharp words, was surprised and closed her mouth.
Was it an auditory hallucination?
She definitely heard a faint voice amidst the noisy shouting.
"Execute!"
Her body was pushed onto the guillotine. Even while her upper body was forcibly bent, Lilia tried to raise her head.
Just now, that hooded person. Where is that person?
'Therefore, you did not have it taken. You lost it.'
Cold mockery was heard.
No, did she hear it? Did she imagine it?
In the first place, even if she was in this place, it was impossible for her to answer Lilia's words.
Even knowing this, Lilia's wavering eyes constantly searched through the crowd.
Somehow, she wanted to convey this resentment to her.
"Anell—!"
Squelch!
On the clear and bright day, the guillotine was stained red.
* * *
"The execution has been completed."
Heinrich, who was absorbed in his work, briefly raised his eyes. After gauging the approximate time through the sky visible outside the window, he nodded.
"I see."
When he waved his hand to indicate he understood and she should leave, his subordinate carefully exited the office.
Heinrich tried to focus on his work again. However, it was not easy to restore the concentration that had already been broken once.
"Tch."
He threw down the pen he was holding and leaned back against the chair back, relaxing his body.
The stiffness throughout his body from sitting since early morning was only now being felt.
"Why did I strive to obtain a position like this."
"For something obtained with such effort, you treat it quite poorly."
A voice suddenly spoke in the office where no one had been.
Though anyone would be surprised by such a sudden presence, Heinrich, who had experienced this countless times, was no longer surprised.
Feeling regret at the fact that he had become accustomed to such situations, Heinrich pressed his forehead and answered in a troubled voice.
"How many times do I have to tell you to make a formal visit request first? Do you know how much trouble the imperial palace mages are going through because of you?"
"If you dislike it that much, you should have properly set up the imperial palace barrier."
The one who answered skillfully and shrugged his shoulders was Xenon.
He sat down with a remarkably confident attitude for someone who had warped into the crown prince's office at will, and picked up the snacks that were always prepared.
"Is this the only snack in the imperial palace? Why is it always the same? I really don't know what the imperial palace chefs are making. This won't fill your stomach at all."
"The snacks in my office do not exist to fill your stomach."
"I don't expect that either. My cooking is more delicious, after all."
Xenon, who had confidently compared his skills to the imperial palace chefs, chewed on the snack. The sight of him grumbling while still putting it in his mouth was extremely irritating.
"I found out by chance on my way here, the execution was carried out, you said?"
"Yes, it was difficult to postpone any further."
Lilia Roam's execution had been delayed quite a lot. The Roam duke couple, who were originally planned to be placed on the guillotine together, were still in prison.
The reason the treatment of the sinners, which was intended to be resolved quickly, was delayed to this extent was due to Heinrich's personal desire.
It was a very private wish to show these people's end to someone.
However, in the end, the contact he had been waiting for never came, and today Lilia Roam became dew in the execution ground.
"......What about the contact?"
"There was none."
Heinrich, who had been pressing his temples, glanced at Xenon. Xenon, who had taken over the sofa like a ruffian, looked quite composed on the outside.
However, Heinrich knew that he was actually quite anxious inside.
"Didn't I tell you to wait?"
"So I am waiting."
"Look in the mirror. Is this the appearance of someone waiting, or someone searching and wandering?"
Heinrich did not know exactly what had happened in the Trebi mountain range. He only guessed that the pillar of light that had generated countless rumors might have been caused by Anelli.
In the midst of that, Xenon, who suddenly appeared, conveyed the news that Anelli had briefly stepped away and would return soon.
Since Xenon spoke so firmly that she would return soon, Heinrich believed those words.
He never dreamed that Xenon might not know the meaning of the word 'soon.' Or perhaps the magic tower used the concept of 'soon' differently from others.
"You didn't tell me not to search."
"You interpret things as you please."
Xenon, who had pursed his lips, changed the subject.
"More importantly, can I obtain what I requested?"
"......The imperial palace is not a shop."
"But among my connections, Your Highness the Crown Prince is the one who can most easily obtain items for me."
Heinrich looked at Xenon with slight blame. Xenon, who had already used Heinrich's position several times to obtain rare items, no longer showed even outward signs of apology.
Instead, he answered with a brazen smile.
"In return, I donated the magic tower's talent to the imperial palace."
"Wasn't Dekin long since expelled from the magic tower?"
"That's a nominal expulsion in name only. How can one overcome the affection of blood relations?"
"I guarantee Dekin would make a stern face if he heard that."
"I know full well that Your Highness the Crown Prince also openly boasts about your friendship with the next tower master everywhere."
Heinrich could not firmly deny it. Because his words were true.
Having made Maxel a deposed crown prince and nearly seizing the position of crown prince, he had to establish his position quickly by any means necessary.
Xenon's identity was quite useful to such Heinrich, and thanks to that, he had received great help when officially bringing Dekin to the imperial palace.
And in the long term, it would be good to maintain the friendship even after he became the tower master in the future. Naturally, of course.
However, maintaining friendship at the same distance as with the temple was difficult...... but that was something that couldn't be helped.
"This is what you requested."
Heinrich, who had given up the pointless argument, opened a drawer and took out a palm-sized envelope.
When he placed it on the desk, Xenon approached with a delighted face and checked the envelope.
"What on earth is that?"
"Flower seeds."
"Is it used when making medicine? Or is it a magical material?"
"It's just flower seeds."
"......It's not a disguise, but really just flower seeds?"
"Yes. These flowers become semi-transparent when they receive moonlight. Can you imagine? If you plant them in a spot where moonlight shines well, it will be quite a spectacular sight!"
Xenon began to give a lengthy explanation about the flower seeds he was holding with an excited face.
Heinrich, who had been certain that since it was an item Xenon had asked him, the crown prince, to obtain, there must be some tremendous secret hidden in it, glared at Xenon with empty eyes.
A fierce headache that he had never felt even while working pierced through his head.
Heinrich, who pressed between his eyebrows firmly, grit his teeth and spoke.
"Just go. Please, just go away."
He should have just worked instead.