Chapter 410: Execution |
In the afternoon, Loren finally dragged himself to the execution grounds. There weren't many onlookers left by then, after all, the weather was a bit hot today.
The members of the Langton family had been baking on the execution platform for quite a while. As mages, their physical constitutions were significantly stronger than ordinary people's, so this extra bit of sunbathing was nothing to them.
But the fear of death and the humiliation of being watched gnawed at them like a thousand cuts. They were high and mighty nobles, yet here they were, being gawked at by commoners like animals in a zoo.
"Master Mentor is here!"
As Loren arrived, someone in the crowd shouted, and the atmosphere immediately began to boil over.
Loren politely waved to them as he made his way up to the execution platform.
"The Langton family betrayed the Church, kidnapped my friend, attempted to threaten me into doing things unfavorable to the Church, and even built an altar dedicated to the Outer Gods in their own home, showing no regard for the Bountiful Church at all."
"This is blasphemy against the gods. On behalf of the God of Bountiful Harvest, I hereby sentence them to death!"
"Whether commoner or noble, or even the Pope himself—all are equal before the Church. The moment you betray the Church, you are doomed to die. No one is an exception, not even me."
Lynus hung his head, having long since accepted his fate. He glanced at Theodore, his expression incredibly complicated.
After all, this was his son. He couldn't bring himself to hate him, no matter how hard he tried.
Compared to them, the head of the Langton family was the most agonized. He had been dragged onto the execution platform completely unaware of what was happening.
He was old, and upon learning the truth, he had fainted from sheer rage. The Church had expended great effort to revive him, all so Loren could personally cut him down.
At this moment, the Langton family head's gaze at Lynus and his son was filled with nothing but hatred. But things had come to this point, and aside from hatred, there was nothing he could do.
"Now, it's time to send you all to meet the God of Bountiful Harvest. When you get there, remember to sincerely confess your sins."
Like most myths, people firmly believed that after death, they would arrive in the divine kingdom of the god they worshipped.
The devout would be favored by their god and receive everything they desired.
Those who abandoned their faith would suffer endless torment in the afterlife—exactly like the Langton family right now.
"Repent."
Loren drew Requiem. With a single swift motion of his blade, the head of the Langton family lost all signs of life.
The crowd went wild with cheers, shouting that this was the price of betraying their god. They were even more worked up than Loren himself.
Loren moved to the next person and repeated the same process.
Requiem could absorb the souls of others to strengthen the effect of [Deathly Silence]. This was precisely why Loren chose to use Requiem—he was making the absolute most of every single person.
Loren deliberately left Lynus and Theodore for last, constantly piling on psychological pressure.
"Why did you believe a rumor like 'the head of the Chailros family needs Ember Radiance'? Are you really that stupid?"
While executing the others, Loren casually chatted with Theodore.
"I don't know. I just believed it subconsciously. And a lot of other people believed it too."
Theodore hung his head and replied.
When a man is about to die, his words are kind. On the brink of death, he too had realized something.
But even if he really had been beguiled, Loren still wasn't going to let them off. At most, he'd give them a quick and painless death.
"What I hate most is betrayal of the Church. Second to that is threatening me and framing me. Be more careful in your next life."
Loren's voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for the onlookers to hear. This was his warning to those who were getting restless. Loren knew very well that there was no shortage of people whose minds had been clouded by greed.
The blade fell on Theodore's neck, and with it, the greed of others was doused as well.
The Langton family wasn't a top-tier noble house, but it was still enormous. Yet even they ended up completely exterminated after crossing Loren.
If even they met such a fate, the others really needed to think twice about their own positions.
...
The day's execution concluded successfully. The commoners had their faith strengthened, the Church had its prestige elevated, and the other nobles had reaped their benefits as well.
The biggest beneficiary was Loren. Most of the Langton family's inheritance went to him. Crimson Elegy had stored up a decent amount of life force. Requiem had grown a bit stronger. And Loren had even leveled up.
The Langton family had many mages, and the experience points they gave weren't low.
Name: Loren
Level: 49 (40%)
Strength: 10
Endurance: 46
Agility: 28
Intelligence: 53
Mana: 5530/5530
Remaining Attribute Points: 0
Accessories: [Weeping Blood Wedding Ring] [Lurking Fangs] [Virtue Rings]*7 [Emblem of Bounty] [Crimson Elegy]
Blessings: [Truth Discernment] [Pluto's Mouth] [True Sight Eye] [Clear Conscience]
Curses: [Shattered Love] [Scorn of All Beings]
Talents: [Sensitive Heart] [Necromancy Affinity] [Everything Has a Spirit] [Dreamwalker]
The extra attribute points were dumped into Intelligence. His other stats were already sufficient for now.
Loren wasn't planning to go to the Academy today. Since he had nothing better to do, he decided to spend the rest of the day wandering around the Royal Capital.
He hadn't really gotten a chance to explore the place since arriving. Last time he passed through here, he was rushing to send Caroline off, and then shortly after arriving this time, Noah was kidnapped, forcing Loren to urgently deal with the Langton family.
Just as Loren was idly strolling around, he happened to bump into Laila:
"What a coincidence? You're out shopping too?"
"Did you track me with a mark?"
Loren saw right through her, leaving Laila a bit embarrassed. She stammered for a long time without managing to say anything.
"Forget it. Since you're here, let's walk together. Want to grab a coffee first?"
Loren pointed to a café nearby. Laila immediately nodded excitedly, afraid that Loren would change his mind, and dragged him inside.
As soon as they entered, Loren was enthusiastically welcomed by the attendant, who led him to the best seat and said:
"Mr. William reserved this spot for you, sir. He also said that all your expenses are on him."
Loren glanced around the café's interior. It was just the most ordinary café, and the patrons here were all commoners. Logically, this kind of place wouldn't even be on William's radar.
"Did he reserve a spot for me in every single restaurant...?"
Thinking about it, Loren found it a bit hard to process, but it really was the kind of thing William would do.
At least he paid properly and didn't cause any trouble for the ordinary folks, so Loren just let him do his thing.
To be fair, William's approach was actually working—at the very least, it had made Loren remember him.
"One cup of coffee, with milk and sugar."
Loren didn't like sweets, but he disliked bitterness even more. Back in the day, he always turned his coffee into milk tea before drinking it.
"What are you having?"
While asking Laila, Loren was also looking around. He could feel someone watching him.