Thank You for Killing Me
Thank you for killing me. How much time had passed? My mind finally settled.
I was originally fated to die in a car accident. Since I was going to die anyway, thinking of it as just dying now brought me peace.
Yeah. In a way, I should have died back then. Maybe defying the laws of cause and effect by not dying led to this horrific punishment. Yeah. No more greed. Let's keep a calm mind. Death ends it all. I can finally be at ease.
Screeech. The iron door opened. Light seeped into the darkness.
"Put this on!"
A heavy bundle of cloth thudded onto my body.
Clang. The door shut again.
I touched the cloth that had fallen on me.
Soft fabric. The texture of cross embroidery. It was the Saintess robes.
The ornate, dignified garment I used to wear.
I guess... I'm meant to be a symbol of the theocracy's end. The Saintess, the real ruler of the theocracy, was a liar. She deceived the people by pretending a god existed when it didn't. For that sin, she meets her end on the gallows. That's the picture the empire wants. The empire gets its justification for absorbing and unifying the theocracy, and I get eternal rest. Fine. That's a good deal.
I stood up. The pain had improved dramatically.
Even underwear was provided. That means they plan to cover these bells on my nipples too.
They could have made my death more miserable. Like having me wear only part of the Saintess robes, exposing my breasts... or something.
But they didn't.
"Thank you... thank you......"
Not even knowing who I was saying it to... I kept murmuring thanks as I dressed.
* * *
How much time passed after I dressed? The door opened again.
It wasn't a soldier. Two men in white cloth masks.
Heretic inquisitors.
The heretic inquisitors are here... that means I'm dying today.
Relief washed over me. A faint smile spread across my face.
"Get up."
I rose quietly.
Execution. This is the theocracy's way.
In the theocracy, only heretics are executed. That's why heretic inquisitors handle it.
It'll be symbolic. Executing the theocracy's ruler—who claimed to hear God's voice—as a heretic.
Perfect imagery for the theocracy's finale. That's probably why the emperor approved it.
Clank. Heavy iron manacles clamped around my wrists.
"Bow your head!"
I bent my waist wordlessly, and cold iron encircled my neck.
The iron collar reserved for the condemned now clasped my throat.
Thank goodness. Today is the last day.
The heretic inquisitor yanked the chain linked to the collar.
"Walk."
I stepped forward obediently. My footsteps felt light. Is it okay for someone walking to their death to feel this light?
If I resisted, they'd use the whips they brought to subdue me. The inquisitor holding one tilted his head slightly. He couldn't understand my behavior.
People are grateful for what's given. Death might be the ultimate punishment for them... but for me, it's the greatest blessing.
* * *
Light. Intense sunlight assaulted my eyes. My vision went white, then slowly returned.
A familiar sight. The vast Capital Square.
Where I once bestowed blessings on tens of thousands of people. And the hell where I screamed under the black horse.
The center of the square had changed so much.
Wedding venue. Mating ground. And today, execution platform.
A tall wooden platform. Thick pillars. A coarse rope dangling in the air. A noose tied in a neat loop. The gallows.
Quaak!
"Hngh!"
The heretic inquisitor yanked the collar, choking my throat. Normally, prisoners resist at the sight of the gallows, so they pull ahead.
"I... won't run. I'll die quietly......"
At my words, the tension on the iron collar eased.
I gazed at the gallows. My death hung there.
"...Thank you."
I murmured faint gratitude to the emperor. ...Thank you for killing me. What a thought.
"Climb."
One step. Another. Toward the gallows.
The square brimmed with people. They didn't throw stones at me.
It was odd—they had every reason to rage at me—but as I ascended the platform, I understood. Soldiers were controlling the crowd.
Their eyes were cold. Near rage. Without control, I might have been stoned to death.
This must all be consideration from the prince... Lucian, for my sake.
I murmured thanks once more and stepped forward.
One step. Another.
The hem of my Saintess robes dragged and tore on the wooden platform. Each sensation under my soles felt precious.
The breeze was cool. The sun blazed, but the wind soothed it.
On the day I die. The mood was so refreshing.
Perfect weather for dying.
"...Heh."
A movie scene flashed in my mind—ridiculous.
The grand cathedral at the square's front. Once dedicated to the Sun God, now the imperial palace.
On the high terrace of the cathedral, two figures appeared.
The emperor of the empire, Skeban. And beside him, a young man. Prince Lucian.
Lucian kept his promise. He didn't throw me to the beasts as fodder. He let me hang with my human dignity intact.
I was grateful. Truly grateful.
I bowed my head. It was my greeting. An overt one might cause misunderstandings.
No empress, though. Irene. That vicious bitch who wanted to keep me alive in endless torment.
She wasn't there. Good. Lucky not to see that cursed face at the end.
"Haha... hahaha......"
I let out a small laugh.
I stood before the steps.
"Climb."
Rough wooden stairs. Soldiers pulled the chain, drawing me up.
Creeak. Creeak.
One step, two. The planks groaned as I climbed.
I reached the top. The entire square lay bare before me. Eyes filled with fury from the people.
I just want to die quickly.
Whoooosh! The wind picked up.
"Sit."
I sat on the chair beneath the noose. A hulking man approached.
The executioner. Face hidden by a black hood.
"Stretch your neck."
He removed the iron collar from my neck. Then slipped the rough noose over it.
A scratchy sensation. The rope chafed my skin.
"Tightening it a bit."
The executioner gripped my nape and secured the knot firmly. My throat already felt constricted.
Preparations complete.
"Hear ye, Elise, the grave sinner who ruined Terranos."
A knight waiting below unrolled a scroll and began reading.
"The sin of deceiving all the people by trading on God's name. The sin of branding the empire's emperor a heretic and exiling him. The sin of spilling the blood of innocents through false oracles......"
My crimes echoed across the square one by one. My sins. No, the original Elise's sins before possession.
...Haha. What does it matter now? I'm about to die.
I simply closed my eyes.
The reading dragged on for over ten minutes. And then...
"...For all these crimes, in the emperor's name, we pronounce sentence of death."
The reading ended.
Clap. Clap clap. Clap clap clap clap clap!
Starting with the emperor's applause, the entire square erupted in cheers.
"Long live Emperor Skeban!" "Long live!!"
Good. Just as Lucian wanted.
They get the theocracy, I get peace. The perfect deal.
Emperor Skeban raised his right hand high. The cheers cut off instantly.
My heart raced. The end. The hanging is about to begin.
Everything ends. The aphrodisiac hell... the tearing pain... the shame... all ends with this one rope.
Skeban's hand hovered in the air. A brief instant that felt eternal.
Whoosh!
The emperor's hand dropped. The executioner pulled the massive lever at the platform's edge.
Kreeeeak. Grind. Machinery turned.
The floor beneath me shook. Then vanished.
Thud!!
The wooden platform split apart in an instant, and my body plummeted downward.
A fleeting freefall. Wind whistled past my ears.
It's over. Finally over.
Then the rope snapped taut.
Crack! The sound of my neck vertebrae forcibly breaking. A dull rupture as the cervical spine dislocated, severing nerves.
No time to feel pain. My vision plunged into blackness.
That was how I was saved.
* * *
Is there a hell or heaven?
There was no god. So probably no heaven or hell either.
Then I'll return to nothingness. A world without pain or pleasure.
My mind should vanish too. But... why can I still think?
Why can I still think?
......No way. No fucking way??
Splash!
Suddenly, something cold engulfed my entire body.
"Gasp!!"
I gasped ragged breaths.
I... I'm alive. No way... does that mean...?!
"Get up. Time to work."
Before my eyes stood a young woman. The empress who hadn't been visible from the platform.
It was Irene.