The Requiem of the Nobility (4)
On the day of Altonius’s execution, the Salbuveir territory was in an excited state.
It was difficult for the Salbuveir’s to keep calm when the hateful Altonius was about to join the ranks of the dead.
On the other hand, Altonius who heard that he would be burned at stake the previous day spent a sleepless night. No matter how much pain Altonius suffered, he was most afraid of death.
Tap, tap, tap…
Footsteps reached his ears. To him, they were equal to the footsteps of the God of Death announcing his own demise.
“Hiiiii!!”
A voice of fear escaped from his mouth.
(I should have destroyed the Salbuveir completely.)
Regret struck Altonius’s heart.
(Why did Salbuveir not plead innocence at that time? Why did I order Burling to slaughter the Salbuveirs?)
Altonius shouted in his mind. That’s something all the Fildmerks thought at one point. They all wished they would have stopped Altos’s folly when he broke the engagement with Emilia.
Moreover, the commoners that were killed might have had a different outcome if they hadn’t ridiculed the Salbuveirs during their execution.
However, all that outcome existed only in dreams.
“Get out!!”
When the door of his cell opened, the execution walked inside, grabbed Altonius’s arms and tied them behind his back.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghhh!”
Both of Altonius’s arms were shattered, and when treated this roughly, he would feel intense pain.
Completely unmoved, the executioner dragged Altonius along with him.
“Stop it please!! Save me please!! I don’t want to die!!”
Altonius’s sorrowful cry was naturally ignored and he was dragged away.
“Hiii!!”
As he was led away, Altonius shouted louder and louder as the fire pit came into view. A three-meter high iron pillar was hammered into the center of the square, and at its feet was a pile of firewood.
“I’m sorry!! Stop it please!! As you can see, I apologize, so just spare me life!!”
Altonius’s cries were naturally ignored and he was chained to the erected iron pillar. The Salbuveir family, their retainers, and the commoners were already watching him. None of the Salbuveirs who had come to the place of execution had a favorable light in their eyes, and none of them also had a light of sympathy in their eyes.
The horror of those eyes made Altonius tremble from the bottom of his heart. The fact that he was the only one alive brought even more fear to him.
“How is it?”
“Eh?”
Altonius replied blankly to Ortho’s question.
“Scary, right?”
Ortho ignored Altonius’s reply and continued.
“All living beings eventually die. It just happens to be you today.”
“I beg you. Marquis Salbuveir, please don’t kill me. Save me.”
“Your Imperial Majesty Altonius, I cannot do that. You have to die no matter what.”
“Why!! The Fildmerk Empire has already fallen!! Didn’t the last Emperor, Etra, already die too!? There’s no reason for further killing!!”
Hearing Altonius’s words, the people of Salbuveir directed their disdainful gazes towards him. It was difficult not to feel contempt from the bottom of their hearts after seeing him trying to save himself alone after all of this.
“You don’t seem to understand, Your Imperial Majesty.”
Anyone other than Altonius knew that Ortho’s polite tone was sarcastic and not out of respect, but Altonius clung to this polite tone of his as if he still had a small amount of loyalty.
Common sense dictated that no one with any remaining loyalty would kill all members of the Imperial family, all the nobles, all the retainers, and all the citizens, but it could be said that Altonius was mad with fear of death.
“We are killing you simply for entertainment.”
“… Enter… tain… ment?”
Hearing Ortho say it was just for entertainment, Altonius repeated Ortho’s words blankly. It is only natural to be stunned when you, the emperor, is getting killed merely for the sake of entertainment.