Chapter 17
Chapter 17
The Executioner of Rondor (4)
Todd, vice-commander of the First Knight Order, headed toward the underground prison and asked,
“What do you think changed her mind?”
“...”
Baellor gave no answer.
Because even he didn’t know.
Earlier that morning, Baellor had been summoned by Vivian Rondor.
When he arrived, she handed him several documents.
“Th-They’re execution orders.”
Execution papers stamped one by one with the sun of Rondor.
Permission to finally kill the vermin who had committed unforgivable crimes yet continued rotting away alive inside prison cells.
Baellor felt relief first.
Finally.
But at the same time, he also felt surprise... and suspicion.
Lately, Baellor hadn’t even expected anything anymore.
He thought executions were impossible, and that the only remaining option was to wait for the condemned prisoners to die naturally.
That belief connected to one of Baellor’s firm convictions.
If there was one thing Baellor believed after thirty-eight years of life, it was that people did not change easily.
Humans were born with inherent temperaments.
You could tell just by looking at young squires training to become knights.
Cowards remained cowards.
Violent people stayed violent.
Impulsive people stayed impulsive.
And brave people remained brave.
Just as snakes remained snakes and dragons remained dragons... some things simply couldn’t be changed.
People merely learned how to hide or reveal their true nature as they grew older, but in extreme situations, their original temperament always surfaced.
Vivian Rondor was a coward.
Put cruelly, she was a coward.
Put kindly, she was simply a gentle noble girl.
A daughter who loved acting affectionate with her parents and deeply loved her family.
Maybe someday she would have become a good woman, a good wife cherished by her husband...
But she was unsuited to becoming head of House Rondor.
Even just days ago, she endured humiliation without resisting.
She was someone who shrank fearfully even before the knights of her own family.
“...”
And yet somehow, that same girl had stamped twenty execution orders overnight.
Others might think little of it, but Baellor understood that stamping such documents required resolve from the one holding the seal.
There was pressure unique to leadership.
Managing human lives was part of that burden.
That was why he had given Vivian time.
Because he understood at least a little of what that weight felt like.
And yet now, overnight, she had changed.
Baellor had heard no rumors about retainers criticizing her or offering advice.
The change came completely out of nowhere.
So sudden that it made all the waiting beforehand feel meaningless.
Baellor couldn’t understand it.
Watching Baellor walk silently ahead, Todd spoke.
“Ah, maybe it’s because of that?”
“...?”
As they entered the underground prison, Todd grinned and joked,
“Didn’t you insult Lady Vivian recently, Commander? Maybe she picked you as executioner to get revenge.”
“...”
Baellor gritted his teeth and turned toward Todd.
Realizing the joke failed completely, Todd quickly lowered his head.
“I-It was a joke. No need to glare so seriously...”
“...Todd. If only you’d learn to control your mouth.”
“I-I’ll be careful.”
Baellor shook off the unpleasant feeling lingering inside him.
Perhaps what bothered him most was that Todd’s joke actually sounded plausible.
If Vivian Rondor truly made a choice like that, Baellor thought he might finally make his own decision too.
As Todd suggested, perhaps he really would support Robert Rondor as the new head of the family.
How much blood had Baellor spilled for House Rondor?
How much pain and suffering had he endured during the war?
If the reward for such loyalty became a filthy, despised role like executioner, then Baellor would have nothing left to give Vivian Rondor.
“Ptui.”
Arriving before the prison cells, Baellor spat phlegm onto the ground.
Along with it, he cast aside his lingering unease regarding Vivian Rondor.
Then he looked toward the twenty condemned prisoners before him and said,
“It’s time to die.”
The execution took place in Rondor’s inner courtyard.
Though calling it a courtyard hardly felt accurate.
The space was enormous.
Large enough for over a hundred people to form a wide circle comfortably.
And at the center of that circle stood a wooden block.
The execution platform.
Seeing it made even me begin to tense up.
Heads poked out from the castle windows of Rondor.
Curious maids, retainers, and guards.
Every single one watched with fascination.
All the important figures of House Rondor had gathered in the courtyard.
First Knight Commander Baellor.
Second Knight Commander Toros.
Third Knight Commander Mordaine.
Fourth Knight Commander Vergor.
Their vice-commanders and countless knights.
Treasurer Brinden.
Vivian’s instructors, including Lady Linne.
Intelligence officer Nestor.
Head butler Pippin.
Servants, Vivian’s personal maids, Balon, Willas, Martin...
Anyone who wanted to witness it.
...And me.
Everyone in House Rondor who could gather here had come.
The boy soldiers of the Punishment Corps as well.
According to Vergor, they needed to witness the consequences of grave crimes.
Balon, standing beside me, muttered,
“This is my first execution. Kinda exciting.”
Like a child receiving a new toy, he barely hid his excitement.
Martin rubbed at his acne and added,
“Wonder how much blood comes out.”
Willas spoke too.
“Finally dying, huh. That bastard Derian. Heard he forced himself on Aunt Eina and Aunt Laura.”
I glanced sideways at Willas.
Hearing that left a bitter taste in my mouth too.
The terrible security in Roktana was partly because so many men had died in the war.
Martin frowned in confusion.
“Huh? The Eina and Laura I know?”
“Yeah.”
“Damn... that guy really had no standards.”
“I just want the bastard dead already. Aunt Eina wasn’t pretty or anything, but she was kind...”
“...Shh. It’s starting.”
As Martin said, the execution ceremony began.
Red hair fluttering behind her, Vivian entered the courtyard.
The retainers split apart to clear her path, and Vivian endured everyone’s attention with slightly uneasy steps.
She slowly climbed onto the raised platform at one side and took her seat.
Pippin, several soldiers, and retainers stood beside her.
It still felt unbelievable that such a small girl ruled everyone gathered here.
Vivian opened her mouth.
“S-Sir Baellor. A-Are the condemned prisoners prepared?”
Baellor stepped forward and answered loudly.
“Yes.”
Golden hair and blue eyes.
Judging from how his forehead kept broadening, his hairline would probably disappear someday.
Yet despite that, he overflowed with the heavy, dignified atmosphere of a true knight.
Thick arms, broad shoulders, immense height.
He was nearly as large as Father.
When Baellor slightly turned his head, the First Knight Order dragged out twenty prisoners with sacks covering their heads.
Vivian swallowed hard at the sight.
The agitation in her eyes deepened.
This was the moment she came face to face with the people she had condemned to death.
As clear anxiety surfaced across her face, her crimson eyes swept across the crowd.
Those wandering eyes looked as though they were searching for someone.
Before long, they found me.
“...”
“...”
We stared at each other for a long time.
As though only the two of us existed here, we exchanged gazes through the crowd of over a hundred people.
Gradually, Vivian’s breathing steadied.
The calmer Vivian became, the harder my own heart pounded.
Even I didn’t know what decision she would make.
Would I truly become the executioner?
Would I really kill the twenty people kneeling over there?
Vivian spoke.
“B-Before the executions begin... t-there is s-something I wish to ask everyone.”
Her small voice echoed clearly across the courtyard.
Not a single person made even the slightest sound.
Because of that, her stutter stood out even more sharply.
“M-Many people died during the war, a-and among them was House Lesque... t-the family who served as Rondor’s executioners. A-As everyone knows... there is currently no one in Rondor willing to become executioner. S-So... is there perhaps anyone here willing... t-to serve as Rondor’s executioner?”
“...”
I nearly wanted to smack my forehead.
Nothing good came from the head of a family acting so weak.
If she wanted to assign someone, then she should simply order it.
Wasn’t that exactly what I warned her about? That looking weak only invited contempt?
Yet she still had to show herself acting this fragile.
Willas nudged Balon and whispered,
“Hey, Balon. Say you’ll do it.”
“A-Are you insane? Why would I do that?”
“Scared of killing people?”
“...Then you do it.”
“M-Me? No thanks. I was just joking.”
Even their voices carried tension.
That was how difficult killing someone truly was.
Once their jokes faded, silence swallowed the courtyard again.
Not a single knight stepped forward for their lord.
As the silence stretched on, Vivian only looked more pitiful.
“...”
“...”
“...”
Long, endless silence.
Not one person was willing to walk a difficult path for her sake.
I understood now why executioners were despised in the south.
I understood why people avoided a role their descendants would inherit forever.
But the fact that absolutely no one stepped forward...
...It was sad.
It felt like seeing Vivian Rondor’s true position laid bare.
Vivian seemed to feel that same coldness too, anxiously scanning the crowd.
Her eyes searched for help.
And eventually, they found me.
“...”
“...”
That was exactly it.
That was why I couldn’t simply leave her alone.
Once again, all I saw was someone isolated.
Once again, she looked like she stood alone on unstable ground.
Like a rose blooming in the wilderness.
Or the final ember dying among cold ashes.
She gave off the feeling that someone had to protect her.
And because my family was likely the reason she looked so pitiful...
And because, simply put, I couldn’t look away from her...
In the end, without even realizing it, I nodded.
Another silent reassurance.
If no one else stepped forward, I would.
Seeing that, Vivian bit down hard on her lip before speaking again.
“If no one will volunteer... then as head of House Rondor, I will appoint someone myself.”
I heard the retainers tense around us.
Maybe because I had already made up my mind, the sight of everyone staying silent out of fear their names would be called looked ridiculous to me.
“...Kylo Allen.”
At Vivian’s whisper-like words, the entire crowd inhaled sharply.
Over a hundred pairs of eyes shifted from Vivian toward me all at once.
My black hair stood out sharply among the southerners.
People found me instantly.
“Uh... uh...”
Balon, Willas, and Martin looked equally stunned.
Vivian continued.
“From now on... y-you are Rondor’s executioner.”
I shut my eyes tightly before opening them again.
So it really came to this.
“...”
I remembered the words I said to Vivian.
I was the one who insisted that even if something terrified you, you still had to do it.
I didn’t want to look pathetic by taking my words back now.
So I stepped forward.
-Step... step...
Slowly, I walked toward the execution block.
The path felt endlessly long.
The eyes of House Rondor poured down on me with every step.
I never looked away from Vivian.
And Vivian never looked away from me either.
“Need a weapon?”
Vergor shouted from behind.
“...A greatsword.”
I answered coldly.
I saw Vivian flinch at my reply.
Together, we prepared ourselves to kill.
Coleman, Vergor’s lieutenant, brought me a greatsword from somewhere.
I held it and felt its weight.
I had handled real swords before, but it had been a long time.
Though the weight matched a wooden sword, the feeling was entirely different.
There was a heaviness unique to a weapon truly capable of taking lives.
“Hoo...”
I steadied my breathing.
Gripping the hilt with both hands, I lifted the blade toward the sky.
After checking its sharpness, I lowered the blade and planted it against the ground once more.
Now that I had become the executioner, the others who avoided the role seemed relieved enough to begin mocking me openly.
The first to speak was the vice-commander of the First Knight Order.
“Not sure whether he can even do it. He’s only fourteen.”
I looked back at him and answered.
The quiet courtyard carried voices easily.
“I’m almost fifteen.”
“Same difference. Still just a child. Ever killed someone before, Kylo Allen?”
I had been completely thrown to Rondor for them to tear apart.
Considering the relationship between our families, it was only natural.
Another knight nearby sneered.
“What a sight. The eldest son of House Allen becoming Rondor’s executioner. Could anything suit him better?”
“He’s simply doing work fitting for his origins. Savage, filthy work.”
Laughter slowly spread through the crowd.
I glanced toward Vivian.
Her expression looked poor.
Was she feeling guilty for what she’d done to me?
For a moment, I wondered.
But I didn’t want Vivian seeing me get bullied here.
I knew she would only keep moving forward if I stayed strong.
I couldn’t lose face against some random knights.
Especially not against the knight order that bullied Vivian Rondor.
If someone hit you, you hit back.
That was Father’s teaching.
“Filthy?”
I turned toward the knights and asked.
“I don’t know who’s truly filthy here. You’re all too scared to kill one person, so none of you could even help your own lord.”
At my reply, the crowd fell silent as though cold water had been thrown over them.
Apparently none of them expected me to openly retaliate.
Second Knight Commander Toros spoke.
A short man with a lean build.
“...What exactly do you mean by that?”
“What was all that earlier? Your lord asked for an executioner, and every single one of you suddenly turned mute. Is that what Rondor calls loyalty? In House Allen, everyone would have volunteered proudly for that honor.”
My voice echoed through the courtyard.
Knights, maids, retainers... all remained silent.
I continued.
“I’m starting to understand more and more how we crushed your family. Of course we did. Look at the trash you call knights.”
“...You should watch your tongue, Kylo Allen.”
First Knight Commander Baellor spoke in a low voice.
I knew he had taken the bait.
Ever since he insulted Vivian, I wanted to strike back at him somehow.
“Watch my tongue?”
I pointed directly at him.
“You should thank the heavens you were born in this land.”
“...?”
“In our land, someone like you who disrespected the head of his family would have his head cut off and displayed on the castle walls.”
Murmurs spread throughout the courtyard at my harsh words.
Baellor stared at me with unwavering blue eyes.
Vivian looked stunned, lips slightly parted.
The maids and retainers around her wore similar expressions.
Baellor spoke again.
“...Are you questioning my loyalty toward Rondor?”
“Loyalty is shown through actions, not words.”
His eyes slowly swept over me.
The rest of the knights behind him looked increasingly enraged.
But then Baellor suddenly laughed under his breath.
Though he clearly wasn’t amused.
“...You really are Jade Allen’s son. Your mouth works just like his.”
“...”
“But Kylo Allen, if you’re going to speak so boldly, shouldn’t you suppress your fear first? Your hands are trembling.”
I glanced down briefly.
Just as he said, my hands trembled faintly.
I hadn’t even realized how tense I was.
Still, considering the situation, it was impossible not to be nervous.
Not only was I provoking Rondor in front of everyone gathered here...
I was suppressing my fear for Vivian’s sake.
And beyond all these eyes, I was about to kill someone.
But there was no way I could reveal those thoughts.
“You think I’m scared?”
“No matter how much you try hiding it with words, a child is still a child. It’s alright to be afraid.”
Baellor spoke as though comforting a child.
He adjusted his insults carefully to provoke me.
So I returned them in kind.
“What exactly should I fear from a bunch of bastards my father trampled?”
That struck their weakness perfectly.
The memory of defeat was not something easily forgotten.
For the first time, Baellor’s eyes twitched slightly.
Second Knight Commander Toros cursed openly.
Third Knight Commander Mordaine placed a hand on his sword.
Fourth Knight Commander Vergor laughed in disbelief.
Pressing harder against the wound, I continued.
“I feel no fear toward weaklings. Don’t misunderstand. The peace in Rondor exists because of my sacrifice and House Allen’s patience, not because of Rondor’s soldiers. You aren’t holding my life in your hands. We’re holding yours.”
I could feel killing intent rising all around me.
Fists clenched.
Leather gloves creaked sharply.
I realized I had become the target of everyone present.
Even those who had gradually stopped openly hating me after growing accustomed to my presence were now grinding their teeth while staring at me.
Only Vivian was different.
Normally she would have been the angriest of all.
Yet now she looked nothing like before.
She simply watched my fight with her lips parted slightly.
The reason for that reaction probably had to do with our promise.
I told her to watch me.
I was showing her the kind of fight she herself couldn’t wage.
At the very least, I hoped this comforted her even a little.
I hoped seeing me return Baellor’s humiliation would make her feel better too.
“Allen.”
The laughter vanished from Baellor’s voice.
“...You’ve made a mistake.”
Even at his final warning, I didn’t waver.
-Thud!
Resting the greatsword on my shoulder, I prepared to swing.
Then I looked directly at him and said,
“Shut up and bring the condemned prisoners to me.”