16
Chapter 16
Step, step—.
I walked that path without a word. My steps were light, yet heavy.
The responsibility of carrying the Saint on my back became a weight that pressed down on me.
Step, step—.
"...."
"...."
The Saint continued to let out breaths that sounded as if they might break at any moment. I held her firmly by the hips as I moved forward.
Step, step—.
Some wept as they saw us, while others threw stones. Some rushed at us, while others cast looks of contempt.
Boom—!!
The sound of a bomb exploding echoed from a corner of the square. The shout of 'Let's rescue the Saint!' could be heard.
Of course, those voices were ruthlessly suppressed by the Demon Army in less than twenty minutes. The corpses of rioters who didn't even make it to the guillotine piled up on one side of the square.
As we passed the elves, I felt particularly searing gazes. The Queen of the elves, the Divine Archer Elaine Astheria, glared at us with eyes brimming with tears of blood, looking as if she wanted to kill us.
The elves wept for the Saint and poured curses upon me. I chuckled in a voice that only the Saint, who was close to me, could hear.
Perhaps because I was carrying the most influential woman on the continent on my back, the road to the guillotine was far from smooth. There has never been a path more filled with thorns than this.
There were 'anti-execution protests' organized by humans, 'tunnel rescue operations' by dwarves targeting the Saint, and 'breath bombings' launched by dragons who had lost their captain to me.
Of course, they were all easily suppressed by the winged angels and devils. Now that the Demon King had become the god of gods, the angels serving God were essentially devils.
It was a road full of turmoil and twists and turns, but the Saint and I remained peaceful. As if we were the only two people in the world. As if we were the only ones walking the only path in existence.
Step, step—.
Before I knew it, I reached the stairs. Looking up, I saw the guillotines.
"We're going in."
"Please, let us go...."
Whether it was a blessing or a curse, the stairs were not very long.
I'd like to give a positive review for the reduced effort, but I'll give a negative one for accelerating the time of death.
Thump—.
At the end of the stairs, two guillotines sat side by side.
There were four soldiers standing with long rifles, and two giants assigned to each guillotine to release the ropes.
"Saint, you can't walk on your own, right?"
"I feel as though some of my strength has returned... I believe I can walk to that spot."
"Forget it. I'll take you. If you're going to die, you might as well do it comfortably."
With steady steps, I walked over and laid the Saint onto the guillotine first.
After placing her neck in the circular hole, I used the ropes provided by the soldiers to bind her limbs gently so as not to hurt her.
Strangely, the giants and soldiers just watched me. In fact, they were even helping me by handing over the ropes.
Those lazy bastards.
"Saint, does it hurt?"
"I am fine."
"Tell me if it hurts. I'll tie them looser."
"It truly does not hurt. I am almost worried that you tied them too loosely."
"You don't have any intention of running away anyway."
"That is true."
Once the process of setting the Saint on the guillotine was complete, I lay down on the guillotine next to her. Then, using telekinesis, I bound my own limbs tightly.
When I looked up, the buzzing crowd caught my eye. Below me, an infinite sea of people stretched out.
Every time they stirred, the square surged like a wave. Man, that's a massive crowd.
Among them were several of the continent's absolute strong ones.
Holy Emperor Julius, kneeling in despair.
Theseus the Fist, staring at us with an expressionless face.
Lilith, the Western Duke, looking pale and restless.
Divine Archer Elaine, blood streaming as tears from her bloodshot eyes.
Besides them, many transcendents and powerhouses were focused on us.
The Demon King and the Hero were nowhere to be seen. Are those guys not even planning to watch their friend die? Just because of some petty quarrel?
The Demon King wasn't always like that, but he lost his mind after chasing power and fame. He became so petty.
As I looked up fully, the razor-sharp blade of the guillotine entered the edge of my vision. Soon, that blade would be painted with the red paint soon to erupt from me.
"Hehe."
This time, I turned my head to the side. There stood the Saint on the guillotine, eyes closed, in the same position as me.
"We're dying at the exact same time."
"Indeed."
"You're still smiling. I guess you like this?"
"Of course it is good to have a companion for the journey."
"Honestly, I like it too. I won't be lonely if I can just chat with the Saint."
"I was afraid I would have to walk the long, dark road to the lower world alone, so I'm glad you're here, Joker."
The Saint responded with a smile as I spoke in a clear tone.
It was a pure, innocent smile without a hint of a shadow.
"The Demon King, the bastard who put us in this mess, isn't even showing his face. Aren't you angry?"
"Is the Demon King not here right now?"
"Yeah, I don't see him. I hope he's fucking dead."
"Haha... I see... So that's how it is...."
The Saint let out a meaningful laugh and muttered something cryptic.
Just as I was about to ask her what she meant.
Thump—.
Clatter-!
Suddenly, my entire body twisted in a seizure. Because of that, I couldn't press her about what she had muttered.
The soldiers atop the guillotine were quite flustered, but I motioned for them to stay back. Seizures always stop quickly, as they always have.
.......
See, I'm fine now.
Now that the seizures I've lived with for so long had faded, leaving only a final trace, I actually felt a bit sad. Finally, it's a permanent goodbye to this tedious pain.
It sucked having you around, so let's never meet again! Bye! Bye, seizures!
Clang—.
The sunlight beat down cruelly. I frowned slightly.
I turned my gaze back toward the Saint. Two giants were slowly approaching.
Before I die, I want to keep the Saint in my sight.
The Saint seemed to be thinking the same, as she was looking at me too. Though her eyes were still closed.
The sunlight poured over the Saint. She no longer emitted light of her own, but to me, the Saint was a person more radiant than the sun.
"...You're glowing."
"Pardon?"
"I mean you. You're sparkling more than usual today."
"Haha, I will take that as a compliment."
The giants grabbed the ropes. Then, they released the tied cords. Not the ropes binding us, but the ones holding back the guillotine's blade.
"They say a woman is at her most radiant when she wears a wedding dress."
"That's because it's the happiest moment of her life."
"But it feels like you're always glowing, Saint."
"Do I?"
"Yeah, not a single day has passed in the last seven days that you weren't."
"I have simply lived each day with a heart of gratitude and love."
At my words, the Saint gave a bright smile. She was beautiful, but her smile was even more so.
"Saint, there's one thing I want to ask."
"Please, feel free."
"If I had just made different choices, could I have glowed like you?"
"Of course—"
"No, forget it. It's impossible. I know. I could never have grown into a holy being like you on my own."
I cut her off and kept talking. Thinking about how my head would be miserably severed in a few moments made me feel rushed. I felt as if I'd die before I could even finish my thoughts.
"I don't know what happens after death. I might go to Hell, or I might be reincarnated. But regardless of the life I lead, I'll never be able to shine alone."
How should I put it? I feel as if I've reached some kind of enlightenment since death is imminent.
Since I still harbor a few lingering regrets, I suppose I can't call it true enlightenment.
"I'm not talking about something grand. I just want to have even a tiny bit of light. The love, embrace, righteousness, wisdom, courage you showed me... I wish I could have at least the easiest one, love. Of course, in my current position, it's nothing more than a vain delusion."
Like a bursting dam, I couldn't stop talking. The executioner was shouting something in the center of the square, but it didn't reach my ears.
"I didn't know love. I didn't understand it, and I had no desire to. I preferred chaos and madness, the polar opposites of love. But now, I regret it a little. I wonder if my life would have been slightly different if I had met you a bit sooner—."
Like a confession in front of a priest, I poured out all my regrets and laments to the Saint. She listened in silence with a serious expression.
"Ha...... a long time ago, I once encountered a human like you."
She only spoke after I had finished my questions. She really is a patient woman, considering she won't be able to open her mouth again soon.
"Yes."
"I wanted to make that person like me. I tried to stain a great Hero, who possessed a conviction more righteous than anyone's, with a villain like myself. And after a decade of effort, I finally succeeded."
"If it's a Hero you corrupted, Joker...... ah, I believe I know who."
"I'm sure you've heard of it. It's a famous story. Beyond that, countless humans... no, this world. I tried to corrupt this world. Because that was more enjoyable than anything. But."
A holy smile rested on the curve of the Saint's lips. It is a smile that I, this wretched and cruel breed of evil, could never possess.
"After spending seven days and nights with you, I found myself wanting to be stained by you for once."
"Haha, that is a wonderful change. Redemption is the most beautiful grace bestowed by the Great Mother."
"No, forget the Mother and the Lord. I need you. Don't you get it? I'm saying you are my Lord. The one and only god to lead me."
I have no interest in a god who never once showed his face. I'd rather steal glances at the pretty face of the Saint.
"Even at this moment facing you, two desires are surging within me. The wicked desire to corrupt you into a villain like me, and the overreaching greed to become a saint like you. Isn't it interesting? If I had just a bit more time, we could have slowly uncovered which will would be stronger."
The long speech flowed out in a single breath. It wasn't necessarily because of the lack of time, but it just felt right. The fact that the Saint just listened in silence played a part too.
Before I knew it, the fading light of the sunset illuminated us. The sun was high when we first arrived at the square; time really does fly.
The Saint's face and hair were stained with the red of the twilight. It was a spectacle, like a masterpiece painting.
The noble, exalted, and great Saint of the Sun, Maria.
She's a versatile woman. Smart, beautiful, and her body... though she's skin and bones right now, once she puts on some weight, she'll be the kind of woman with a perfect figure.
The fact that I spent a whole week stubbornly denying it only to admit it now makes me a truly remarkable fellow.
"Hehe, it seems Joker has grown fond of love."
"I can't deny that."
"I feel the same. Though I am a humble and foolish soul, love bestows its grace upon me as equally as anyone else."
"Keke."
"To think that the most notorious villain on the continent would suffer such agony amidst reformation and corruption... Fortunately, I now realize that the life I have lived was not entirely in vain."
"That actually makes me a bit salty. One of us is regretting everything beneath a guillotine, while the other is basking in satisfaction."
Do you know that feeling? The feeling as if you've set down every burden you've ever carried.
That is exactly how I feel right now. Up until I was in the transport vehicle, I was twisting in agony from my lingering attachment to the Saint, but now I feel as light as if I'm walking through the clouds.
Whoosh—.
Perhaps it was because a cool breeze happened to blow past the towering spires at that moment. My hair fluttered vigorously.
[Joker.]
"...? What's with your voice?"
Right then, the Saint spoke with a smile unlike any she had worn before. Her voice had changed as well.
Simultaneously, the host waved his arm, and the two giants released the ropes they were holding.
[If you wish, I shall help you with all my heart.]
It was incomprehensible. How exactly was she going to help?
The iron blade was descending mercilessly toward our necks with a sharp, metallic shriek.
In a few moments, the Saint's severed head and mine would be rolling around the square.
[Even if I must stake everything, I will help you. I swear it in the name of the August Lord.]
What on earth is the Saint talking about? Is she trying to sell out her owner's name right before she dies?
If so, she succeeded. Because I could already feel a chilling cold against my neck.
The blade had also come within an inch of the Saint's neck, whom I was watching.
If I blinked once, it would be a sight I'd never see again.
[Therefore, please do not forget to come in the Imperial Year 701.]
Under the red sunset, the blade was wrapped in crimson light.
It was a blade that had not yet been painted with red pigment.
[To the Reading Club of Eden Academy.]
"............!!"
Flash-!
The moment the Saint finished her words, which I couldn't understand from start to finish, the world was instantly filled with a pure white light aura and radiance.
I couldn't hear a thing.
There was no pain of a severed neck, nor any spurting blood.
The guillotine, the Saint, and the vast crowd—nothing remained except for the white world.
My body twisted.
The ropes that had bound me were nowhere to be found.
My bones shrank, my body contracted, and my skin peeled away.
Even while undergoing such a bizarre phenomenon, the words the Saint left in her final moment drifted in my head as if they were engraved there.
Come to the Reading Club of Eden Academy in the Imperial Year 701...?
But right now, it's the Imperial Year 712............?