Chapter 101

Suddenly, a man appeared and saved himself.

He then slowly turned his back on Queen Louis and gazed at the confused citizens.

At that moment.

“Wh… who the hell are you?!”

“How dare you interrupt the execution of justice!”

Voices rang out from the crowd.

However, Queen Louis could sense that their bravado had waned since just a moment ago.

Starting from his first appearance, where he caught a falling blade barehanded without a scratch, the majesty that his appearance projected was extraordinary…

Towards those few people speaking with slightly trembling voices, the man—

Who called himself a king spoke in a calm yet powerful voice.

“Is this what you call justice? Is it simply to behead a powerless woman? Is this why you have taken that monstrous Bastion Prison?”

“Th… she’s not just any woman! That woman is the ruler of this country, Queen Louis!”

“She is the root of all the suffering in this land and just moments ago attempted to betray us and flee! How can you dare obstruct her execution! Are you perhaps the same… cough!…?”

At that moment, a citizen suddenly choked, clutching their own neck.

The man radiating golden magical power, with a cold expression, said in a frigid voice:

“I’ve been very patient up till now, but do you not understand what manners are? How dare you speak so casually before me?”

“Uh… Huh… Huh! Huh… Huh…”

With those words, the citizen gasped for breath.

What happened to that one individual among the multitude momentarily stilled the previously escalating commotion, transforming it into silence.

Fear, and a touch of curiosity, coupled with a few looks of sympathy sent in silence from the crowd.

In this unsettled atmosphere where attention was primarily directed towards him—even though it wasn’t entirely favorable—the man spoke again in a calm voice.

“Some of you here might know who I am. I fought alongside you in the past at Bastion Prison, and I am here cooperating with Admiral Napoleona to rescue our queen.”

Although Queen Louis had been entirely focused on Napoleona during her capture and failed to recognize this fact… upon reflection, it did seem like she had seen him passing by back then.

From her perspective, he was one of the ones who brought her to this place, threatening her life while trying to flee.

With this question lingering in her mind—wondering why such a person would save her—Queen Louis began to listen intently to him.

“And I wish to first express that many of you are fundamentally misunderstanding the situation.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“What do you mean…?”

“…?”

His words left not only the citizens but also Queen Louis herself perplexed.

However, knowing it was wise to stay silent for now, she simply listened to what he had to say.

“Contrary to your belief, Queen Louis did not abandon this country and flee. She was wrongfully abducted by that vile, filthy traitor, Duke Ocleang.”

“Abducted?”

“Uh-huh…”

“Oh… no… how could he dare to do such a thing…?”

“Don’t try to deceive us! Duke Ocleang isn’t that kind of person… is he?!”

In reality, the Duke’s reputation was mediocre at best, yet there were still those among the crowd stubbornly raising their voices.

At this point, even a clueless queen could somewhat tell who these people were, but—

The man didn’t bother to argue back. Instead, he pointed somewhere with his finger.

Then…

“Huh?”

“What is it? Who are those people…?”

Pointing out a group of individuals visible among the citizens.

Slightly distanced from the crowd stood many young girls.

With a kind-looking nun and what appeared to be twin warriors as her escorts.

“Those children over there were recently found in the basement of Duke Ocleang’s mansion, slaves. They have been treated worse than beasts, exploited to satisfy his filthy desires, suffering and dying until now.”

“!”

“What… what did you say?”

The sight of the poor children was evident.

Their eyes, half-dead, seemed devoid of any emotion akin to happiness.

Witnessing their hauntingly vacant expressions stirred a wave of murmurs among the citizens.

“Now do you understand? Despite putting on a haughty front, Duke Ocleang is a dreadful sinner who has committed unspeakable atrocities hidden away! A demon who plays with and kills countless children for his power and pleasure—what sort of heinous acts wouldn’t he commit?!”

The voice of the man oozed with anger.

Whether it was true or not was uncertain, but if it were, then this shocking tale struck Queen Louis deeply.

That statement suggested that the man she had once viewed as a kindly uncle might actually be a piece of human filth killing girls for his own pleasure.

Until now, she had merely felt betrayal for being abandoned, but—

Hearing the man’s words, a sense of human disgust for Duke Ocleang began to grow within her.

Meanwhile, as the citizens’ anger turned momentarily towards the absent Duke Ocleang…

The man again addressed them solemnly.

“Of course, Queen Louis here is not completely innocent either. But would it not be too cruel to behead someone who has been deceived and used into committing sins unintentionally? The revolution we desire—a world where everyone is equal and happy—should not be a place devoid of compassion and mercy.”

“…”

“…”

Nobody among them could find the words to argue back after his statement.

With the possibility that the root of all evil was indeed Duke Ocleang rising, the anger against the queen has significantly diminished.

Though they still couldn’t see her in a positive light,

The atmosphere was frankly not one to demand her execution decisively.

Among them, a sense of kinship arose, believing that she might also be a victim too.

“The revolution we have accomplished will change much. But remember this; we did not rise to kill people, but to save even a single life.”

With those final words, a hushed atmosphere enveloped the square.

And within the heart of the queen, watching all this unfold, a deep tremor began to stir.

A man boldly speaking his mind in front of countless people, without a hint of faltering.

Observing him silence even those who had been clamoring for execution moments ago,

Queen Louis, a ruler of a nation, felt a distinct sense of inspiration different from any she had known before.

‘…This is… how a king… a monarch should be…’

Sitting on her throne, she had always envisioned this.

An ideal vision of what a king should embody…

Even if she was a powerless, lifeless figure, she was well aware of her inability to become such.

Yet, the figure of a monarch she subconsciously yearned for always lingered in her mind.

An existence that possessed unwavering will regardless of the situation, and the charisma to sway the hearts of many.

And now, before Queen Louis stood a being who embodied that ideal perfectly.

Still unknown to her by name,

Her life-saver…

At that moment.

The man turned back and began to approach her.

And.

“…Ah…”

He embraced her, whose arms were bound.

Normally, she might have felt discomfort at a nameless man daring to touch her royal body.

However, in this moment, not a hint of discomfort or reluctance graced her heart.

What she felt was the sudden rapid beating of her heart.

And… her hands unconsciously clasping together in a poised manner.

Towards her, the man spoke as calmly as ever.

“Stay still. I will get us out of here.”

“Y-Yes. I’ll… stay still…”

Her face flushed to the point of being almost unbearably hot.

Soon after.

“Whee!”

With a sudden gust, the queen felt her body lift off the ground—

No, she had truly soared into the sky, embraced by the man.

In a situation where it felt like they were the only two in existence.

The realization brought her an utterly rare feeling of lightness…

Feeling of freedom.

As she focused her senses on the warmth of the man wrapping around her skin.