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Chapter 06
The snow that had fallen a few days earlier had completely melted from the streets, but the winter shrubs lining the roads were still covered in white flakes.
“Uncle… why—why did they say they were gathering people?”
“…I don’t know either, Rozia.”
Beneath the platform in front of the capital’s bell tower, people clustered together, whispering among themselves. Walter hesitated before speaking, unable to bring himself to look fully into the golden eyes brimming with tears, as though they might spill at any moment.
The speech that followed an inauguration ceremony was usually brief.
Attendance was optional—people could come or not as they pleased—and since it typically ended after just a few words, only those who truly wanted to see the face of the Governor, whose actions would profoundly affect their lives, bothered to attend.
But on the afternoon after the inauguration—yesterday evening, that is—an official notice had come down. All residents of kingdom origin were to gather at Aeterna Tower unless they had a special reason not to. Failure to comply could result in penalties.
Back when the Kingdom of Rosetea had not yet been subjugated, Aeterna Tower had been a sacred site of the capital. The Rosetea royal family was revered almost like gods by the people, and whenever the bells rang from Aeterna Tower, the citizens would offer prayers.
Now, however, even looking at a holy place of such immense religious and historical significance was painful.
As Walter reminisced about those peaceful days, he repeated the same thought over and over: Please let this moment pass without incident.
“Don’t dwell on such terrible thoughts.”
At his words, a tear slipped down from the angelic eyes that had been trembling ever since they arrived at Aeterna Tower. When they merely welled up, they looked like golden jewels, but once the tears began to roll down her cheek, they showed no sign of stopping. Even so, she didn’t make a single sound of complaint—not even while crying.
“It’s all right. It’ll be all right.”
Walter led Rozia into the crowd, to a spot unlikely to catch the attention of the imperial soldiers standing guard. Those who noticed her soaked, reddened eyes tried to avert their own fear and offered words of comfort instead.
“Rozia, don’t cry. Surely it won’t happen again.”
“Even if something does happen, you’ll be safe, Rozia.”
“That’s right. If anything happens, I, Walter, will stop it all. Don’t worry.”
Wiping the sweat seeping from his palms, Walter patted the child’s narrow, trembling shoulders reassuringly.
Though she was past the age of majority and could no longer be called a child, to Walter, Rozia was still one. She had the delicate, well-defined features characteristic of the people of Rosetea—so much so that if an outsider ever asked what exactly gave the kingdom’s people their distinctive air, one could simply tell them to look at Rozia.
Walter had known her for a long time; he’d first met her while delivering food supplies to the orphanage where she lived. He was also the one who helped her become independent after leaving the orphanage.
The Rozia Walter knew smiled often, but cried just as often; slept soundly, yet tossed and turned frequently; and often threw up what she ate. A child who tried to hide her sadness behind a smile, yet inevitably stirred an aching pity in one’s heart.
“How can they do something like this, right here in front of Aeterna Tower? Honestly…”
“Mr. Walter! Watch what you say!”
Startled by his careless remark, Mrs. Lily, who was standing beside him, smacked him on the back. He let out a hearty, good-natured laugh.
“Is this really the time to be laughing?”
“A-ah! I know, I know.”
As Walter glanced at the soldiers standing rigidly with rifles in hand, everyone’s attention turned toward the platform in front of Aeterna Tower. The murmuring died down in an instant.
“Is everyone here?”
The Governor—rumored to be breathtakingly handsome—appeared.
Vivian stared blankly up at the man preparing to give his speech. That day, jet-black hair had fallen over his forehead; today, it was neatly slicked back.
That wasn’t the only change. The man who had once been an unidentified intruder now perfectly embodied the role of Governor—no, of Peron Edwin. To Vivian, however, he was still someone of unknown identity.
“You’ve followed instructions well.”
Those were the Governor’s first words upon stepping onto the platform. With cold eyes, he slowly swept his gaze over the people gathered below.
“I trust you know why I called you here. I’ve received reports that terrorist attacks against the Trahaphut Empire have been escalating lately.”
The words he launched straight into carried on the icy wind. In an instant, people here and there froze. Even if they hadn’t directly taken part in the kingdom citizens’ rebellion, many had secretly supported it.
They had what they believed to be a just reason for that support: Because there was no lawful way to break the reality where you could lose your life simply for being a kingdom citizen. But that reasoning was never something the Empire would consider. Everyone gathered here knew that.
Shocking scenes lodge themselves deep in one’s mind, and memories do not fade. Neither does the fear tied to them.
Everyone remembered the massacre that had taken place in front of Aeterna Tower.
“Is there anyone here who wasn’t aware of this matter?”
As the Governor calmly observed the heavy silence in which no one dared respond, he jerked his chin upward. Deeeng— the tower bell rang.
“H-hic…”
Someone sobbed. Someone collapsed to the ground. Someone covered their ears.
Once, the bells of Aeterna had rung to signal times of prayer and peace. Now, with every massacre, they rang again, layering terror over once-happy memories. No one regarded Aeterna Tower as symbolic anymore, nor did anyone consider its bells sacred.
What had been a single sob began to erupt from all directions.
“It seems you don’t know how to answer.”
Deeeng. The bell rang once more.
The Governor, watching it all, showed no sign of emotional disturbance. Vivian’s eyes, deliberately held on the verge of tears, reflected the reddish glow of the setting sun.
She had wondered if that beautiful man might perhaps be on the same side as her. If someone opposing current policies had infiltrated the Governor’s Office and taken the Governor’s seat, it would be good news for the Lotte Society and the kingdom’s people alike.
But the very thought seemed laughable now, as the mysterious man unhesitatingly prodded at their most horrific trauma.
Deeeng.
Fear spread rapidly, carried on the sobbing.
When people become consumed by the thought that death is waiting for them, some choose to struggle desperately rather than remain docile in a place where death feels all but certain.
“Move!”
A man broke from the line and began running toward a gap where there were no soldiers encircling Aeterna Tower, the platform, and the kingdom’s people gathered before it.
“Where do you think you’re going, you rat?”
Of course, he was quickly caught.
“Let go—let me go! I don’t plan on dying quietly!”
“What nonsense is he spouting?”
“Hng! Get out of the way!”
“Aaagh!”
Even with both arms held, the man resisted fiercely. A soldier raised his baton. One blow, then another—yet even as he was beaten, the man did not calm down.
Deeeng.
“H-huh? Hey, get them!”
Perhaps his reckless courage spread. A few of those who had been staring blankly at him now also broke away, trying to escape.
The area before Aeterna Tower descended into chaos in an instant. Even those who had seemed composed while offering Vivian comfort lost their wits at the sound of the bell and desperately tried to put distance between themselves and death.
“Aaah! I—I want to live!”
“Kyaa—agh, ugh!”
“I don’t want to die like this! Ugh!”
Those who were caught groaned under the indiscriminate baton strikes of the imperial soldiers.
“It’s all right, it’ll be all right, Rozia…”
In the midst of the chaos, Walter’s voice, trying to reassure Vivian, slipped through his clenched lips.
“If that doesn’t work, just open fire!”
At the officer’s command from beneath the platform—blue uniform gleaming—the scene that followed stole the words from Walter’s mouth. Countless rifles were raised, each aiming at its own target.
The officer who gave the order was a face Vivian knew all too well. Even if one didn’t recognize his face, who in Rosetea didn’t know his infamy?
Captain Werner—the head of the military forces stationed in Rosetea. There were countless people who had been dragged off by him without knowing why, subjected to unspeakable acts. And how many kingdom citizens had died, directly or indirectly, because of him?
“D-don’t shoot! I’m sorry, I was wrong!”
Bang!
At the explosive gunshot, several more people collapsed mid-run.
“Ready to fire.”
“Ah…”
After firing a blank into the air, the smoking barrel turned toward someone. The person who saw that dark hole aimed at them went slack and collapsed.
Vivian stopped pretending to be a fragile kingdom citizen. Once the massacre began, everyone would be too busy worrying about their own survival to pay her any attention.
Should I save them?
She began to slowly approach the woman who would likely become the first victim—just as a soldier was about to pull the trigger.
“Huh?”
At one person’s startled cry, everyone looked up at the sky. A masked figure appeared in an instant, sliding down the eaves of the platform from atop Aeterna Tower.
Clang!
“What the—?”
The rifle that had been precisely aimed at the collapsed kingdom citizen failed to take her life.
“Th-thank you… thank you…”
The woman, who had been squeezing her eyes shut, trembled as she spoke to the black-masked figure who had saved her. The masked person managed to force the gun barrel away, at the cost of throwing aside the sword they were holding.
The longsword the masked figure hurled with all their strength clattered across the stone ground. In the next instant, imperial soldiers surrounded the now-unarmed figure.
“More are coming!”
People wearing the same masks appeared from all around. Come to think of it, the regularly tolling bell of Aeterna Tower had fallen silent at some point.
