Chapter 101:Public Execution

──And so, now.  

Francia was able to stay by Yohan’s side.

*      *     *

Inside the carriage heading from Rogino to the imperial capital.  

Yohan, gazing out the window, turned his head.  

“Mm…”  

Francia was fast asleep.  

Seeing her sleep so peacefully, unaware of the world, a small smile tugged at his lips.  

‘It’s already been over half a year since I met Francia.’  

At first, he never imagined things would go so smoothly.  

Eliminating the crown prince and the grand duke had seemed like a distant goal.  

‘Back then, I just thought, “Why not give it a shot?”’  

It had been nothing but baseless confidence.  

Yohan was merely the third son of a viscount.  

Sure, he knew he had a talent for handling mana, but that was all. He had nothing else.  

And yet, against all odds, he had become a top-class mage and protected Francia.  

The most troublesome opponent, Fedelian, was dead.  

Cassis was set to be executed.  

The fact that he could close the demon lairs had been completely unexpected,  

but in the end, it had earned him a title and increased his influence in the empire.  

That was a win, wasn’t it?  

‘Now, what kind of reward will I receive for this achievement?’  

He had taken down a rebel who had dared to aim for the throne.  

He had also captured Cassis, who had escaped from the Tower of Confinement.  

There was no way he wouldn’t be rewarded.  

‘Would they grant me a dukedom?’  

If so, he would become the second duke of Rogino.  

That would place him on the same level as the founding heroes of the empire.  

He already had the title of Count and the honorary status of a Guardian,  

but that wasn’t a reason to refuse a dukedom.  

‘And more importantly…’  

It would allow him to take responsibility for both Francia and Rudella.  

It wasn’t impossible to do so as a Count,  

but since both women were daughters of a Duke and a Marquis,  

a dukedom would make things much easier.  

The weight of the title alone was on a different level.  

While noble power wasn’t solely determined by rank,  

a dukedom was a different story—  

especially since there was currently only one in the entire empire.  

‘Well, I suppose I don’t have to worry about that.’  

Yohan nodded to himself.  

“We have arrived.”  

At some point, the carriage had reached the imperial capital.  

Looking out the window, he saw the Ferbache estate.  

Yohan gently took Francia’s hand.  

“Francia?”  

“Mm…”  

“We’ve arrived.”  

Francia, who had been shifting in her sleep on the sofa,  

slowly opened her eyes and smiled sleepily at Yohan.  

“Mmm… Of course, the first thing I see when I wake up should be you.”  

“Oh?”  

“Yes. That way, it feels like my day is truly beginning.”  

It had been a long time since she’d had a dream.  

A nightmare.  

A salvation.  

Her first love.  

A sweetness she could never forget.  

“You seem to be in a good mood.”  

“Fufu, well, I did wake up to Yohan.”  

She let out a soft giggle and carefully leaned into his embrace.  

Burying her face against his broad chest,  

Francia’s smile deepened even further.  

“I love you.”

*     *     *

Several days had passed, yet the imperial family had yet to announce Yohan’s reward.  

It was understandable Yohan needed time to recover, and the imperial court had many preparations to make.  

So, Yohan took advantage of the lull, applying for leave from his official duties and enjoying a slow, leisurely day.  

But today, he had made a special exception.  

Step.  

Under the faint glow of the moon, Yohan walked slowly through the darkened corridor.  

Lining both sides of the passage were iron bars reinforced with mana-blocking enchantments.  

The air was damp with a stale, musty scent, and a heavy, oppressive aura seemed to consume everything within the space.  

Step.  

His cold, heavy footsteps echoed throughout the tower.  

Dark, heavy shadows clung to his face.  

“…”  

He stopped in front of one particular cell.  

This was the highest-security prison, reserved for only the worst of traitors.  

“…Yohan Harssen.”  

A hoarse voice rasped from within the cell.  

Even in the darkness, piercing amethyst eyes gleamed.  

“Cassis Renokhonan.”  

Yohan’s deep blue gaze bore into him.  

The chill in his stare was laced with such murderous intent that the air itself seemed to freeze,  

suffocating the space in an unbearable silence.  

“What brings you here?”  

Cassis let out a dry, mocking laugh.  

“Did you come to sneer at me?”  

Yohan simply looked at him in silence before finally parting his lips.  

“You’ll be executed tomorrow. Do you have any last words?”  

“Last words, huh…”  

Cassis’s lips twisted into a smirk.  

“…I will curse you for eternity. Even in death, even if I’m reborn, I will curse you.”  

His violet eyes flashed as he poured mana into his glare.  

The runes engraved on the shackles binding him flared a bright blue—  

Crackle!  

Electric currents surged through his body.  

“Gaaah…!”  

As Cassis writhed in pain, Yohan lowered himself, his expression as cold as ever.  

“Leave out the clichés.”  

“…”  

Cassis remained silent, waiting for the pain to subside before speaking again.  

“…Make Francia happy.”  

“What kind of bullshit is that?”  

Yohan’s brows furrowed.  

What the hell had this man just said?  

The absurdity of it made an uncharacteristic curse slip from his lips.  

“Make sure she always smiles. You can do that, can’t you?”  

“Are you serious?”  

“I am.”  

“Hah…”  

Was this man completely devoid of self-awareness?  

Yohan genuinely wondered.  

Or maybe… he was just plain stupid.  

That seemed like the most likely explanation.  

“I never expected you of all people to say something like that.”  

“Why? Am I not allowed to wish for Francia’s happiness?”  

“No, that’s not it. I’m just wondering if you even think before you speak.”  

“What do you mean?”  

Cassis looked genuinely confused, as if he truly had no idea what Yohan was getting at.  

Yohan’s expression twisted in disgust.  

“The one who threatened Francia’s safety is saying this?”  

“I never endangered her. I only wanted to—”  

“That is a threat. I’m the son-in-law of House Ferbache.”  

Yohan’s gaze turned glacial.  

Crackle!  

A ripple of mana flickered through his eyes, vibrating with restrained fury.  

“Did you think nothing would happen after you killed me?  

That you could just swoop in and win over a grief-stricken Francia?  

If that was your plan, you wouldn’t have needed to kill me in the first place.”  

His voice was unwavering as he continued.  

“You and your people tried to forcefully claim her, regardless of what she wanted.  

And because I was in the way, you decided I had to die.”  

Crackle!  

The blue aura around him flared even brighter.  

“Am I wrong?”  

“…”  

“For that man to say something like that… it’s almost laughable.  

Don’t you think so yourself?”  

Compared to Fedelian, Cassis was the lesser evil.  

But that didn’t make his sins any less severe.

He actively used hyenas to kidnap Francia and attempted assassination in dangerous situations, such as scouting for the Maghul, to kill Yohan.

He didn’t stop there. He even escaped from prison and tried to kill Yohan again. All for the sole purpose of forcibly possessing Francia.

“I don’t understand you, Fedelian, and I don’t understand you, either. Why were you so obsessed with Francia, when, as far as I know, you hadn’t even met her much?”

It’s something I’ve always wondered about. It was love at first sight, but did it usually work that way? It was a choice that Yohan’s mind didn’t understand.

“…I didn’t like it.”

At that, Cassis’s mouth, which had been closed, opened.

“That I had to give up the girl I wanted because she had a lover.”

“…..”

“Isn’t that right, that I have to give up the woman I want, just to look at her?”

Cassis interrupted.

“I’d rather take her by force.”

“You said earlier you wanted her to be happy.”

“How could you not be happy with me?”

“Huh?”

Yohan’s mouth opened slightly. No words came out. Cassis was beyond the comprehension of normal thought. Perhaps Fedelian was the same.

‘Has this world gone mad?’

It would not be.

It has been twenty-two years since Yohan’s reincarnation. Considering that he’s been living with memories of his past life since birth, it’s fair to say that he’s adapted to this world to some extent.

I wonder if Cassis is particularly insane, since he can’t even understand Yohan, so he must be one of the male protagonists of Lopan the Waste.

“Madman…”

Yohan frowned and flicked his fingertips.

 Boom! 

A powerful shockwave erupted, the magic power of his will crushing the bridge of Cassis’s nose.

“Koohook!”

The magical shockwave sent Cassis stumbling backwards with a bloody nose. Her purple eyes rolled upward until only the whites remained.

“…I’ve come to talk to you for nothing.”

Yohan sighed and shook his head. He’d come for one last thought, but it only made him feel worse.

“He’s about to be executed, and I’m the only one who’ll lose if I care.

Cassis’s execution will take place tomorrow, in the streets of the center of the ecliptic.

“The emperor is coming, too, so I guess they’re going to drive the nails in.

This public execution was not merely the execution of a criminal, but a warning to all nobles. No matter how high a title you hold, you cannot escape condemnation.

This was only possible because the authority of the Rosino imperial family was absolute, and the four great houses backed him up with solid reasoning.

‘Let’s go.’

Yohan picked himself up off the ground and started down the hallway again. There were no other sinners atop the Tower of Ashes except Cassis.  

* * *

The Holy Kingdom of Pantheon.  

A nation where mana is called a blessing and magic is referred to as divine power, ruled by the Pope.  

“However— the true power in Pantheon lay elsewhere. While the Pope did indeed possess the strongest divine power, it was the archbishops and the saintess who wielded the most external influence.  

Thus, it was no exaggeration to say that the Holy Kingdom of Pantheon was governed by the archbishops, with the saintess at its center.  

In essence, the position of the Pope was merely a seat given to a retiring archbishop.  

“—That concludes today’s lesson, Saintess.”  

The Fifth Archbishop, Piriel, closed the thick book with a gentle smile. The woman, referred to as the Saintess, let out a sigh and slumped over her desk.  

“Finally, today’s lesson is over… I’m so exhausted…”  

“Haha, there’s not much left now, so please endure a little longer.”  

Piriel stood up and returned the books to their places before bringing up a topic that might interest her.  

“Speaking of which, I heard that the Rogino Empire will soon begin sealing off the Magul, after executing the traitor.”  

“Is that true?”  

The Saintess’ eyes sparkled. Her dark eyes, which had remained dull throughout the lesson, were now filled with life. Her sluggish tongue regained clarity, and her voice grew firm.  

“It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but it is expected to happen.”  

“Saint Yohan…!”  

The Saintess placed a hand over her chest. Her gaze shone with excitement and reverence.  

She closed her eyes in contemplation. If she were to meet him one day, she wanted to surpass her own shortcomings and truly become a worthy Saintess.  

With her hands gently clasped, she whispered a quiet prayer.  

“Oh, Mother of All, Freyja. Please grant me the grace not to make a mistake when I meet the Saint…!”  

Piriel chuckled softly.  

“You seem to have high expectations.”  

“Of course! He is a Saint!”  

How could she not? He was the one who could seal the Magul a true Saint. Even if someone claimed that the Goddess of Healing, Freyja, had personally sent him, she would believe it without question.  

“He must be incredibly handsome, too!”  

“That is the rumor.”  

“Oh? Really?”  

“Yes. In the Empire, they call him a trophy.”  

“A trophy…!”  

Her cheeks flushed red. Her anticipation swelled. What kind of person was he? Surely, as a Saint, he would be righteous and broad-minded.  

“Ahh, Saint Yohan…! I, Arbella, will be the one to greet you!”  

The Saintess, Arbella, was brimming with excitement.  

Yohan Rahardt was a husband personally bestowed upon her by the divine…!  

How could she not look forward to meeting him?